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This week has been very interesting for me in following news on several athletes which have found themselves in trouble using social media.  R. Mendenhall of the Steelers is probably the one that most are familiar with this week, with his commits on Bin Ladin which cost him thousands of fans, endorsement deals etc…

But there are several others. It has me thinking, will social media eventually lose out to traditional media because of its dangers to the rich and famous?

A with most things Social Media could easily drive personal name value for all Rich, Famous, Talented, to the point where they make even bigger profits on their names, so I see why social media would be attractive.

However, In the past year we have seen multiple cases where social media has crippled or harmed someones reputation because they put an honest opinion out for the world to see in social media.  We have become a society where honesty is not valued and respected but is something to be torn down and ridiculed when it deals with the lives of our rich and famous.

Rashard Mendenhall, spoke his mind honestly, we might disagree with him, but does that give us the right to destroy him? Because he is rich and famous is our jealousy clouding our better judgement, and are we tearing down a man, not because of his opinions but because we see opportunity to make ourselves feel more valued?

At times I admit I hear of Athletes or Movie Star tweets and think what a fool they are to opening there thoughts to the world to see. Often, I think they are brilliant and understand that even bad press can build value in their brand. And let’s not kid ourselves here, this is all about branding and value of brands. With the incredible incomes athletes and movie stars can make every thing they do is about brand. So they have some responsibility to take in knowing every word they display and every reaction they have is influencing the value of their brand.

So back to my question, will social media eventually lose ground, because the risk of Brand Value losses is too great when left to the viral nature of the web? Or will Social media become a forum of false statements and opinions in order to deceive a public opinion to favor the brand value? Will Social Media become what Fox News is and only serve their purpose and agendas to their select audience?

I would love to hear your opinion on this? What is the Future of our Social Voice?

Related articles

• Rashard Mendenhall: Steelers Continue to Distance Themselves from RB’s Tweets (bleacherreport.com)
• How to monitor social media mentions in five minutes a day (e1evation.com)
• Converse rules the social media shoe world by doing nothing (holykaw.alltop.com)
• Satisfying Your Customers with Social Media (thielst.typepad.com)
• On Mendenhall, Ryan Clark says “social media is ruining the world” (profootballtalk.nbcsports.com)
• Social Media Policies: Do’s and Don’ts (kallisconnections.wordpress.com)
• Rashard Mendenhall: What Should We Make of Steelers RB’s Response to Criticism? (bleacherreport.com)
• Politics in Social Media Land…More than Meets the Eye (erikapryor.com)
• Steelers’ Mendenhall Raises Eyebrows with Bin Laden Tweets (socialtimes.com)
• Rashard Mendenhall’s Controversial Osama Bin Laden Tweets Cost Him A Sponsorship (businessinsider.com)