In a disaster, should your organization stay off social media?
Tragedy-related tweets, even those expressing ‘thoughts and prayers,’ often ring hollow and can even seem opportunistic. It’s usually better to maintain a respectful silence.
These dark days we experience together—another school shooting, a terrorist attack nearby or across the country—challenge our collective conscience and our practice as communicators.
What is a given organization’s responsibility, in these moments, to add value to the online conversation happening in real time?
If we have the opportunity to help our communities feel safer and be better informed amid chaos, shouldn’t we? When do we have the right to weigh in?
A more important question, perhaps, and one addressed far less: When is it our organization’s responsibility to stay quiet?
What is “going dark”?
Go dark: To not be able to be reached by standard means of communication (i.e. phone / email / txt) for a several hour period —Urban Dictionary
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