Take a stroll through any university campus and you will see countless individuals roaming the social media platforms in their mobile devices. It is everywhere, and it is not going anywhere. Social media, in my opinion, will go down as one of the greatest creations by man, mediums that allow for information to be shared anywhere in the world. Universities have known the immense value of using social media for some time now. The University of Michigan, for example, was the first to establish a Snapchat account, letting anyone experience campus life in real time. A quasi-virtual reality minus the goggles, giving the university an infinite reach to attract talented prospects, distinguished faculty, and establish a strong platform for alumni bases to reconnect with their university.
The value is unquantifiable when it comes to how social media can bring positive results for universities large and small, but such a powerful form of communication at the palm of anyone’s hand can be a reputational weapon of mass destruction. One powerful tweet from a faculty member that is deemed less than stellar in the eyes of the public could adversely impact the reputation of the affiliated university, even if the attachment is minuscule in nature. We currently live in a world where the stiffest cocktail is a mixture of equal parts politics and social media. We have seen cases where faculty members or students have brought negative attention to their respective universities which in some cases has led to a full-blown financial crisis.
University reputations are very fragile ecosystems. There must be a healthy co-existence of tolerance for free academic speech while maintaining the values of the university on social media platforms. In today’s political climate, universities are at more risk than ever as faculty, students, and even presidents have caused social media blunders resulting in adverse reputational harm, harm not easily undone. The reward is much too high to avoid the risks of reputation damage from social media by not using it as a marketing and communication tool. The best way for universities to combat the risks of utilizing social media platforms is to instill best practices to control adverse impact from online reputational damage. A few best practices universities can employ are discussed in greater detail below:
Policies
The most important step in managing the risks of social media use at a university is to establish a social media policy. A social media policy allows universities to control how they are portrayed in the public, and can invoke penalties against persons who cast a negative light upon the institution. Social media policies are a cost-effective practice to manage risks related to social media communications regardless of the medium used. However, a 2015 survey found that out of 3,620 higher education institutions, under 25% had social media policies in place. This is quite eye-popping when a study the same year found that 92% of teens were reported as going online “daily.” With such high online usage, universities are exposed to severe risks of reputational harm that can impact an institution.
A social media policy is imperative to foster freedom to speak one’s mind coupled with the awareness of how online communications can reflect back on the university. By no means can a policy stop all negative online activity but it can communicate standards of expectations regarding how online communications should be handled whenever the university is attached in any way. Appropriate content and representing the university are two main areas of focus for any university social media policy. Individuals should have established guidelines on what acceptable online content should consist of, whether speaking directly of the institution or not. Furthermore, individuals should be provided with standards on representing the university in any capacity.
These key policy areas can significantly deter online activity, by attaching penalties to those who not meet standards set by the university. After viewing a handful of university social media policies, most all had a clause about actions that could be taken by the university against an individual not adhering to the standards set forth in the policy. These penalties ranged from probationary actions to expulsion/termination from the university. A risk control measure that can have a large impact on quelling online reputational damage.
Resources
The allocation of needed resources is crucial to the success of any risk management framework. The same can be said about managing social media risks at universities. A best practice for universities is to provide educational resources to students, faculty, and any other members who represent the university. Beyond the social media policy, there should also be social media educational resources to improve any individuals online presence, from personal branding advice to simple do & do not list focusing on social media behaviors. If individuals are made aware of how their online communications can be perceived by others, this provides a great risk control measure while simultaneously growing knowledge of proper online communication techniques.
An allocation of resources to improve social media activity at the university must be supported by the institution’s leadership, all the way to the President. In enterprise risk management, it is always advised that the risk management framework be communicated to the masses by the CEO (if possible) to show the importance and support of creating a risk-aware culture. The same should be a best practice of universities when stressing the importance of friendly, engaging online activity. Leadership support is an action that reinforces the importance of creating a positive social media environment and reducing the reputational risk for the university.
A final best practice related to resources for university-affiliated individuals is having a way for online abuse to be reported. Giving students, faculty, and any other university member the ability to report online abuse that violates social media standards set by the university is another risk control measure that can help universities be proactive in dealing with potential future reputational risks. Abuse reports can be reviewed by university personnel and decisions on actions that should be taken to prevent social media behaviors (e.g. cyberbullying) that conflict with university standards. A great communication channel to help decrease risks associated with social media activity.
Compliance
When discussing online communication platforms, best practices surrounding online compliance must be in place to mitigate social media risks for universities. Compliance is not only a best practice within the university, but globally as technology has allowed universities to reach audiences around the world. With the recent crisis at Facebook regarding data privacy, online compliance has come front and center, most importantly how social media companies use the data of their users. With the crisis revolving around a university researcher who was responsible for harvesting the data in question, institutions of higher learning need to take notice. Social media policies, if crafted properly, should address compliance standards for how social media applications are used by individuals connected to the university. Educational resources on personal data protection can help individuals keep their personal data safe and lower risks of a university being tied to an adverse social media event.
Technology has allowed universities to cross borders, creating a globalized community which can bring tremendous value to any institution. However, universities domestically must be aware of compliance standards within countries where interactions with students, faculty, or any individual connected to universities is established. The European Union’s (EU) recent passage of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has changed how businesses must manage data it obtains from any EU citizen, this also includes universities. One article stated non-compliance with GDPR standards could cause American universities $23 million in fines, a substantial legal risk for any university. Although the risk of non-compliance would relate more towards collecting data from a potential EU student or faculty member, the risks of fines are still there as personal data is always flowing across social media platforms. With new regulations that can result in significant penalties, it is always best to take the “play it safe” strategy.
One of the most important best practices for social media compliance to lower risks for universities is consistent review and improvement to social media policies. As social media platforms continue to evolve at a rapid pace, so must university policies related to these communication mediums. As new social media platforms are created, universities must be proactive in establishing standards and best practices for using such platforms in an academic capacity. Outdated compliance can never be leaned on to help lower the risks social media applications can expose higher education institutions to, only through consistent review and improvement can a university reap the full rewards of robust social media compliance practices.
In summary, social media has created significant resources for universities to leverage technology to add more value to the current university experience. These online applications also create strong marketing tools for universities to attract top talent, whether it be students, faculty, or other university-affiliated positions. By employing simple best practices related to social media behavior, universities can take great steps in lowering the overall enterprise risks that can develop through poor social media activity. Social media has given us so much, it is time to ensure universities continue to use these applications to further their mission for creating educational wealth on a global scale.
Featured image credits: Creativeart / Freepik
