Have you ever said something you wished you could “take back”? Of course. Have you done it on Facebook, Twitter, or another social media site? Good luck. Social Media extends the limits of “no backsies” to a level we never thought of as kids.
Lately, it seems that everything around us is being tested that way. Gwen Stefani and her No Doubt bandmates have sued video game company Activision for the way their likenesses are used in Band Hero. The latest iteration in Activision’s karaoke-like music game series, Band Hero paid for the right to include No Doubt music and images of the band’s members in the game. Problem is, the band didn’t like the way the likenesses are used. And the suit actually uses the words “transformed No Doubt band members into a virtual karaoke circus act.”
Umm . . . yeah. What did they expect?
I don’t care who wins the suit, and let’s face facts: it will end in a settlement. What interests me is that the way we do things now is an invitation for post-communication remorse, and there’s less and less chance to think about our actions. The world has changed. So what’s to be gained from trying to enforce old rules?
Instead of carefully thought-out positions and controlled reactions to the world around us, we’re communicating in 140-character text bites. And once they’re out there, they can’t be taken back; Twitter, Google and Facebook memorialize then instantly.
If you try to live with that reality but also avoid confrontation with “the old ways”, you’ll paralyze yourself. So accept change. Embrace it.
And rock on, Hollaback Girl.
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