Once again San Antonio (Ibiza) is hitting the headlines for the wrong reasons. This time our politicians are making ‘jokes’ on social media using phrases such as ‘nude’, ‘little dicks’ and ‘gays’ whilst responding to news about the late arrival of winter uniforms for the local police.
Understandably this caused an outcry from the opposing parties and ended up with one of the culpable politicians promising to withdraw from social media for good (or so he says).
What an avoidable mess. Not a day goes by in the world when a paid politician is not caught out by social media making an off the cuff remark or tweeting something in the early hours and then instantly regretting it when it’s taken out of context. When will they learn?
Social Media is ruthless. If you say it in public then it becomes public property whether you meant it in jest or not and you will be judged on it. Why give your adversaries the chance to mock?
Focus on the job in hand and inform the people of what you are doing to make our town better and if you want to make a joke to lighten the mood after a tough day in the office then say it amongst close confidants not on a platform that can be accessed by over a billion people.
The irony is that the politician in question built his whole election manifesto and garnered support via social media and interaction with his supporters. He is now finding out that social media can make you but it can also break you.
Publish and be damned….but don’t start crying about it later.
"MAN IN SAN AN" by Martin Makepeace 