Jitters in Hollywood about social media
Interesting to see that the film industry is starting to worry about the impact of social media. Both Disney and Dreamworks are said to have added a new anti-social-media clause in their contracts, and Cameron Diaz and Mike Myers are said to be among the actors who are affected.
It seems Hollywood studios are miffed that confidential news about new films and projects is getting leaked, although it’s not clear whether they want actors to limit their use of social networking sites, or stop it altogether.
There’s a dilemma here, and it’s the same one that businesses have already been grappling with. Some things have to be confidential. For employees to broadcast secret plans and initiatives all over the blogosphere could mean sacrificing competitive advantage to rivals. At the same time, social media is now where consumers are to be found in large numbers, and it’s crazy for a company not to take account of that in its marketing strategy.
Exactly the same applies to film studios. What film one has just seen, and what one feels about it, is high on the list of subjects that are being discussed on the Internet. The stars are bound by contract to go out and publicise their films, and social media is surely one of the best ways to do it. To have a following on Facebook and Twitter is a quick and effective way to get a message across.
Profiting from the opportunities while mitigating the negatives is a balancing act, and it will be interesting to see how Hollywood manages it.
