Key Terms
This term describes false information shared without intent to deceive — people spread it because they believe it is true.
Misinformation
This deadly sin involves inserting a brand into a trending topic where the timing or context is inappropriate.
What is misappropriation?
While on an 11-hour flight, this PR professional became the #1 worldwide trending topic after posting a controversial tweet.
Who is Justine Sacco?
What the significance of the GDPR EU regulation that offered groundbreaking security for consumers?
This EU regulation from 2018 empowers users to control their personal data and requires organizations to be transparent about data collection.
Rules set by platforms that govern how users can use the service and how content may be used.
What are Terms of Service
This AI-generated media realistically depicts a real person saying or doing something they never did.
Deep Fake
This sin occurs when a brand starts a social media account and then fails to maintain it, leaving the community without engagement.
What is abandonment?
A court ruled this bridal designer lost control of her personal Instagram because she 'developed the account within the scope of her employment.'
Who is Hayley Paige?
This U.S. law restricts data collection from children under 13 online and requires parental consent.
What is COPPA?
If you build a social media account while working for a company, who should own it—you or your employer? What does it depend on?
If your content is related to your official job and you are representing your company.
This 1996 law states that social media platforms are NOT considered publishers of third-party content.
What is Section 230 (Communications Decency Act)?
Called the 'cardinal sin' of social media, this practice is easily detected by bot auditing tools and destroys credibility.
Paying for followers
The 2009 crisis for this pizza chain began when two employees filmed themselves doing unsanitary things — and the brand didn't even have a Twitter account to respond.
What is the Domino Crisis
Illinois, California, Minnesota, and Utah have passed these laws requiring parents to set aside earnings in trust for minor content creators.
What are kid influencer laws?
What happend last week that may have made Meta/Facebook think more about the ethical and moral implications of its algorithm relating to children?
Facebook and Meta lost a case ---- 375 million. Theh verdict is "historic" and marks the first time that a state has successfully sued Meta over child safety issues.
A jury found that Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, was liable for the way in which its platforms endangered children and exposed them to sexually explicit material and contact with sexual predators.
What is the official term for FTC-required transparency when influencers are paid to promote a product — must use labels like #ad or #sponsored.
What is endorsement disclosure?
This sin describes posting identical content across all platforms without adapting to each platform's unique community or format.
Uniformity
What is the problem & significance of the case of the news stations sharing a video of a protest student (Nick Sandman) and native American altercation
...The video only captured part of the event; it was taken out of context and shows how incomplete video footage can spread faster than the full story, leading to a $250M lawsuit.
Linkedin is pretty restrictive when it comes to sharing other users content....
However, which platform Terms of Service gives itself a license to use, display, and create derivative works from user content.
(It's called a worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free license. )
What is Snapchat?
What steps does the chapter recommend for verifying information before sharing it? List at least 4 strategies.
Consider the reliability of the source or author
Check the date of the information published,
search for supporting sources
Does it come from a biased or subjective company or source?
look for expert opinions on the matter
fully read the article past its headline.
This effect describes how people perceive information as true based on superficial qualities like photos or repetition — rather than actual verification.
Truthiness effect
This sin involves using deceptive tactics to fabricate a false sense of popularity, such as paying employees per like.
Manipulation
Both parties in this celebrity legal case used different social media platforms — Twitter/X vs TikTok — to shape public opinion, making fair juror selection nearly impossible.
What is the Blake Lively / Justin Baldoni case?
Name the case in which a legal doctrine was used in to show that content or accounts created for an employer may belong to the employer.
What is the Hayley Paige case? or JLM Couture
Name 4 of 8 suggested social media policies for a brand or company...
Introduction & Purpose
Rationale for your policy, how it will be updated, how employees will be trained in it, and clear requirements.
Employee Conduct & Personal Identity
Outlines what employees’ roles are and how they are expected to present themselves professionally on social media.
Representing the Brand & Following the Law
Terms of service, sharing of copyright content, disclosure of confidential information, privacy, respect for others, and obeying the laws online.
Overall Tone on Social Media
Being respectful and professional, and outlining what to do to combat hacking/errors.
Diversity, Inclusion & Representation
Be inclusive for all audiences, perspectives, gender roles, and communities on social media.
Crisis Protocols
A plan in place in case something happens that brings forth challenges for the company, agency, or brand.
Responsibility for Content
Being aware that content is public, but also knowing what to do if someone responds in a hateful way to it.
Authenticity & Values
Apply common sense to understanding the overall culture inside both your organization and the community with which you interact.