Social Media Case Reflection 1:

Mikala Lindhardt

In the recent case of the Kilroy customer Facebook complaint and the managing partner's response in Indianapolis, we see how one social media comment can have a world talking for weeks or maybe even months (we will see how far this goes).

            Just a little background for those who are not familiar. It is New Years Eve and a regular customer at Kilroy’s bar in downtown Indianapolis, Holly Jones, is enjoying the evening with friends and acquaintances when she gets ready to spend her 700 dollars and hit the town. All of a sudden a woman has a heart attack and is unconscious. Jones is upset at the attention this woman received while she was clearly trying to pay and expected royal treatment from the staff. Jones made the mistake of commenting on the bar’s Facebook page about its lack of assistance to her while a “junkie” received all the attention.

            Her comment went viral and was on many different news mediums around the world. Individuals with the name of Holly Jones were receiving messages from random people about the incident (and they were not the correct Holly Jones.)

            This is an example of how social media can control the news feeds in an entire nation and even world and how powerful posting and commenting can be.

            I think many times we think if we post it than it’s like it didn’t happen or we didn’t really say it. Posting on social media is an ‘out’ for some people, where others take posts and comments very seriously. I think this incident is an example of the power of social media and what we post is really seen and processed by real people, but at the same time this is an incident that was blown out of proportion.

            Social media is a powerful form of news, but our news sources like FOX, CNN, MSNBC, etc. have power too and this is an example of something that happened in Indianapolis and is brought to light by our news sources. I worked for a news source, I know what it’s like and how they think.

            The interesting thing is the articles and stories written on this event, but the comments are extremely rude and degrading toward Jones. How are the comments posted on these news mediums any better than Jones’ initial comment? One comment posted after the incident said, “I hope [Jones] dies in a bar someday.” Why would you wish that upon someone and then post it? A story like this and the comments show the need for attention we all crave.

            A few comments also spoke of millennials (a term for the teens and young adults in the world) in a very negative way. How about millennials who are doing all they can to change the world? How come those stories don’t go viral? Why are we so intrigued with putting other people down or the mistakes we make?

            My prediction (and I don’t know Jones), but my prediction is these news stories and all this publicity have almost destroyed her. I see this is a form of cyber bullying. Yes, her comments were rude and probably not the best idea, but the owner of the bar handled it. Why do we as a society feel we need to jump in and comment?

            WNEP news source described this as a “social media firestorm”. In another article written by wishtv, the opening line in the article says, “Be careful what you say on the internet, it could come back to bite you.”

            Really? The internet will come back to bite you? I think sometimes we forget that we are the comments on the internet. We are who fuel the stories and the media. We are who respond, post, comment and share.

            Looking at this a little further. This isn’t the first social media ‘oops’ nor will it be the last. I know this because we are all human and make mistakes. There are hundreds of websites that have the top 10 companies who made social media errors throughout the year. We are watching everything so closely and taking so many things so seriously. Sometimes I wonder if the next big war will be a result of social media. We have already had little mini wars, but social media has the potential to really stir some feelings and make people mad.

            So moral of the story, think before you type, post, share, tweet, etc. Ask yourself if what you are posting will benefit you or make you look better and the answer will most likely always be ‘no’. Take into consideration other people and their feelings and thoughts. I predict this incident will not have an effect on too many people and the posts that take place on social media, but this is a great example of the power we all posses. You just never know what you could be starting.

Works Cited:

Woman who posted Facebook rant about 'ruined' New Year's Eve at Indianapolis bar no longer with salon. (2016, January 8). Retrieved January 19, 2016, from http://fox59.com/2016/01/08/woman-who-posted-facebook-rant-about-ruined-new-years-eve-at-indianapolis-bar-no-longer-with-salon/

Schallhorn, K. (2016, January 4). Fed-Up Bar Manager Sets Record Straight After Woman Slams His Business for Allowing Dying ‘Junkie’ to Ruin Her New Year’s Eve Dinner. Retrieved January 19, 2016, from http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/01/04/bar-manager-publicly-sets-the-record-straight-after-woman-posts-facebook-comment-slamming-the-junkie-who-overdosed-on-new-years-eve/

Bar's Response to Customer Complaint About 'Ruined' New Year's Eve Goes Viral. (2016, January 4). Retrieved January 19, 2016, from http://wnep.com/2016/01/04/bars-response-to-customer-complaint-about-ruined-new-years-eve-goes-viral/

Wagner, J. (2016, January 4). Customer's complaint after woman has heart attack at Kilroys goes viral. Retrieved January 19, 2016, from http://wishtv.com/2016/01/04/customers-complaint-after-woman-has-heart-attack-at-kilroys-goes-viral/

Haneline, A., & Rudavsky, S. (2016, January 6). Criticism of Kilroy's illuminates risks of Facebook rants. Retrieved January 19, 2016, from http://www.indystar.com/story/life/food/2016/01/04/kilroys-goes-viral-after-response-angry-customer/78252026/