Another week, and once again social media is blowing up thanks to :30 seconds of controversial phootage. (That’s right. I’m coining and copyrighting the term phootage: video shot with a phone camera). It appears to show a cop going to far – throttling a defiant student to the ground after an unseen, but reported heated exchange that started with a teacher, then the principal and finally, the offending school safety officer. “Over what?” you may ask. A cell phone, of course.

By now, you’ve heard the story and have seen the video. If you haven’t…

South Carolina classroom arrest raises questions about police role in schools

The media firestorm was immediate. Two separate videos, posted to social media by fellow students infiltrated newsfeeds and soon national and local television news broadcasts endlessly repeated the phootage as panels of experts from education, law enforcement and the legal field helped to stir the pot.

And, as with every controversial story, the vitriolic debate played out across the internet and social media, where users are as quick to judge as they are to hide behind their posts. “This cop went to far! He is a racist!” “The student deserved it!” But how can we be so sure. Yes, we all saw the video for ourselves. So, it’s easy to say the officer overstepped his boundaries. But, we only have part of the story. In a country build upon a founding principal that anyone accused of a crime is innocent until proven guilty, why are we so quick to judge? And why do it so publicly?

This phenomenon is nothing new. Social media have taken the place of the “water cooler” conversation. But now, we’re not in the office break room and we’re not having these discussions and debates face-to-face. Comments become more opinionated and extreme – as if doing so within the boundaries, then lifts all restrictions for decorum, accuracy, civility. And, these posts are rapid-fire and immediate – sometimes mere minutes after the incident takes place. This only increases the chances that we’ve yet to hear every side of the story.

And that’s what seems to be happening in South Carolina. Now, the alleged victim’s fellow students, including one who captured the controversial phootage are speaking out. And in a surprising twist, they are rallying in support of the school safety officer in the video. The one so quickly vilified by the American public. But maybe, we didn’t have all of the story.

“Everybody was commenting on something and they weren’t there. They don’t know the full story. I wanted to at least take some of the pressure off of him.”  Spring Valley High Witness

Has the instantaneous-yet-distant nature of the internet created a monster – a population of Americans who are too quick to vociferously judge others from the safety of their own homes? Or were we always this rapidly critical and judgmental but without a forum to so openly share our even strongest beliefs? Share your thoughts and comments and lets continue the conversation.

As we continue to explore the convergence of digital media and it’s impact on society, one of our challenges is to view the ever-changing media landscape through the lens of optimism. To rise above our sometimes knee-jerk negative outlook when consider our growing reliance on technology and its integration into almost all facets of our everyday lives. We are overwhelmed by headlines about big data as large corporations build their own version of us. One made up of millions of bits of data instead of a heart, mind and soul.

When Facebook Knows You Better Than You Know Yourself

While the big boys like Facebook, Google, Apple, Amazon continue to trample over each other as they try to find new ways to cash in on their stockpiles of personal data, some of the smaller players  are making waves by keeping a tight grip on its users’ data – and investors are taking notice. A winning example of this principled approach is social media network, Nexdoor.

While we spend a good part of our day online, yet it’s our neighborhoods where we live our lives. It’s no surprise that research conducted by Nextdoor.com and Harris Interactive reveals nearly 100% of Americans want our neighborhoods to be a place where we comfortable and most importantly, safe. Yet, the same survey showed that 56% of respondents interact with their neighbors “very little” and only 9% participate in neighborhood watch groups. (Harris Interactive, Nextdoor, The Neighborhood Report, 2014)

These findings bolster Nextdoor’s approach to bring social media to a hyper-local level. While only 2% of a Facebook users friends list is people in their own neighborhood (Keith Hampton, Lauren Sessions Goulet, Lee Rainie and Kristen Purcell, Social Networking Sites and Our Lives, Pew Research Center, June 16, 2001) Nexdoor was created to fill this void by creating a private social network, where rather than connecting circles of family, friends and co-workers, only allows users to connect with others in their immediate neighborhood.

And, while users are building their profiles and communicating with their neighbors about everything – from garage sales to crime reports – Nextdoor is amassing a lot of very specific and useful data about it’s users. Of course, that could mean lots of money for a company like Nextdoor. Yet almost four years after its initial launch, the company still has no revenue generation model.  That’s right – a social media site that isn’t selling your data. Unlike many of its social media peers, Nextdoor continues to maintain its commitment to building strong neighborhoods and protecting the data of its users.

We know that you do not want marketing from third parties just because you join a neighborhood website, so we do not turn over your personally identifiable information to third party marketers without your express consent.   Nextdoor Privacy Policy

But that’s not to say Nextdoor isn’t going to change its tune. In March, 2014 Nextdoor was evaluated at $1.1 Billion as it raised $110 million cash injection from venture capital firms.  That of course is speculation that CEO, Nirav Tolia will indeed find a way to turn it’s membership of 53,0000 U.S. neighborhoods into a cash cow. But it’s clear that the company is taking baby steps because privacy and the trust of its membership is one of its top concerns. Instead of a mass sell-off of data, Nextdoor is trying to build a business around a continued focus on the hyper-local.

So what do you think? Can Nexdoor find a way to be profitable while staying true to it’s founding principals? Can they fight the tide? Or, will they jump into the deep end and become yet another social media enterprise with a sole focus on monetizing its data?

The day has finally arrived. Classes for the October 2015 semester are underway. It’s good to be an Orange again.

As we begin, I’m looking forward to frequent deep and thought-provoking discussion about the state of media in today’s rapidly changing digital world – and how it can power change for the greater good of mankind. Sometimes the media landscape just seems to be so overcrowded that no one will be able to hear you. But, I know through personal and professional experience, that thoughtful and authentic communication can cut through and have a tremendous impact both locally and globally.

Here’s to a fun and successful semester!