I'm going out on a limb here: most of us are guilty of saying things we don't mean sometimes. I know I am. For instance, when I get a phone call and can't talk at that moment I am likely to say something like, "Hey, let me call you back in a few minutes." In reality, my "few minutes" may be anywhere from five minutes to several hours and in a few unfortunate cases, a few days. Why don't I just say, "Hey, I'd love to talk to you but I don't really know when I'm going to be able to, so I'll call you sometime within the next week."
I know why I don't say that. I don't say it because it doesn't sound as good. It's more honest, but not as appealing to both the caller and me. Why is that? Isn't honesty the best policy?
Can We Handle the Truth?
Social media is largely about companies being more honest and transparent as they connect with people using some new technology. When we talk about organizations getting into social media it's easy to say, "They just don't get it. They need to be more transparent." The thing I'm wondering is, what if they are transparent and we aren't ready for their transparency?
There's an assumption that corporate honesty will be broadly accepted and always result in positive outcomes. In reality, honesty can be harder to hear than most anything. It's like preferring the doctor tell you that everything is fine when you actually have terminal cancer. I just wonder if we're ready to hear that level of honesty from companies we choose to engage in social media. Are we willing to have them tell us why prices are going up (and why there's nothing we can do about it)? Do we want to know a beloved CEO is really a jerk? Will we be interested to know a company is actively firing their most difficult customers? I think the answer is "Yes!" but those may still be tough pills to swallow.
In the end I know I'll gladly take the transparency with everything good and bad that comes with it. Personally, I believe the truth is always the best route, even when it's hard. In the current marketplace, the transparent companies are viewed as refreshing bastions of brutal honesty. They're celebrated for being that way, which I think is great. It's really refreshing. I'm certainly not trying to talk an organization out of taking the transparent route. I guess I'm just wondering if there's ever going to be a time when the truth isn't considered refreshing and transparent and is instead viewed as heartless and insensitive.