The Power of Social Media

Eduardo del Buey
Foto: Twitter @IngrahamAngle
La Jornada Maya

Martes 10 de abril, 2018

On March 21st, 2018, FOXNEWS commentator Laura Ingraham insulted David Hogg, one of the survivors of the recent shooting at the Marjorie Douglas High School in Florida. She tweeted that Hogg had been rejected by four universities, called into question the reputation of this young man who has helped lead opposition to current gun laws that permitted the massacre of seventeen of his fellow students and teachers on Valentine’s Day, and criticized him for “whining” about this development.

All because Hogg is helping to lead a movement that attacks the right of all to own as many destructive weapons as they can afford.

Hogg belongs to a generation that has grown up on social media. His school has also undertaken a fine program that teaches students how to communicate effectively, and the results are borne by the success of these students to rally millions across the United States and around the world to their cause – to make obtaining guns and automatic weapons more difficult, and to ensure that they are not legally sold to people with emotional problems.

Hogg did not take the assault on his reputation and honesty lying down.

He aimed straight for Ingraham’s pocket book – a place most bullies protect with their lives. His call for the public to cease buying products from Ingraham’s sponsors went viral, and, within a few days, major sponsors of Ingraham’s show on FOXNEWS pulled their advertising from her show.

Five companies, TripAdvisor, Wayfair, Hulu, Nestle and Nutrish, said that they would pull their ads. A sixth, Expedia, said it had recently pulled its advertising but declined to say when. And more were yet to come.

A spokesperson for TripAdvisor said that “We also believe Americans can disagree while still being agreeable, and that the free exchange of ideas within a community, in a peaceful manner, is the cornerstone of our democracy. In our view, these statements focused on a high school student cross the line of decency.”


As I teach my students, social media and strategic communications skills can make the individual the equal of any large corporation. Technology has empowered us. It is up to us to find the strategic tools to allow this empowerment to provide us with solutions to issues that affect us.

Hogg has shown us how even a teenager can effectively use social media.

The bully understands one thing – a strong and powerful reaction to the bullying.

And what can be stronger than affecting the bully’s wealth?

There are many bullies around the world. Many of them are in positions of power and enjoy the wealth that they steal with little or no interference from authorities. Indeed, they invest their ill-gotten gains in real estate and financial products around the world and revel in their conspicuous consumption.

Perhaps the judicious use of social media and technology could allow law enforcement to attack their investments and global bank deposits, shaming them and limiting their ability to enjoy their wealth.

Getting back to our students, I have always advocated teaching high school and university students the fine art of effective communications. Most schools avoid the subject, and students graduate with good technical knowledge but little in the way of effective communications skills.

In this case, however, Hogg’s school is to be commended for not only training a generation in effective communications strategies, but also, and, most importantly, teaching them the rhetorical and communications skills necessary to become a strong force in today’s world.

Hoggs has shown how effective communications can quickly change a situation.

He has demonstrated that going after bullies’ income or wealth can be an effective way to shame them and shut them down.

He has underscored how the effective use of strategic communications and social media can achieve global results in a very short time. He has shown how a small group of students can take on a powerful media personality and organization and force them to back down.

The journalist in question, a major media star in the United States, has now gone on leave of absence, and most observers don’t expect her to return to her program.

These teenagers continue to lead us and undertake moves that meld common decency with technological and communications savvy.

A lesson for us all.

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