June 19, 2009
It is a sure sign that old media isn’t breaking the news anymore, and a coup for Facebook in Jamaica. Peter Bunting’s simple share could cost him his PNP job, a clear indication of the power of social media, of which Facebook is the largest.
The story is a perfect example of how this now ubiquitous aspect of the Internet works. The action is with the audience. It was people’s response to Bunting’s posting that brought both the old media scrambling late to the story and the PNP’s wrath.
Bunting posted two quotes (see sidebar) to his Facebook page and lit a fire that might burn for a long time.
That the PNP could replace him with a dinosaur like D.K. Duncan shows the generational issues involved. Bunting is clearly adept at using social media and the old guard may fear that he might use it to mobilise supporters and spread his doctrine. Social media like Facebook illuminate consensus and quickly bring relevant views on issues to the surface. That’s exactly what happened in this PNP saga.
Still, politics being what it is, Bunting went on the defensive judging by his statement yesterday and his pulling the offending quotes (see sidebar). We can assume the PNP now realizes it must use web tools to monitor what is being said about its brand on the social networks because of its growing importance in the national debate.
Click to see how Bunting's friends responded.
Earlier this year Facebook had fewer than 80,000 users in Jamaica. Now, it’s hitting 130,000. This is an audience of first adopters and tech savvy people who want to stay connected 24/7. The biggest chunk of users is in the 18 to 27 demographic. But older people are also finding Facebook a useful tool.
Marketers are even more enamored by social media. Many companies use these networks to communicate directly with consumers, for promotions and for updates about their products and services. The more sophisticated ones realize their employees are helping to push their brand and are giving them the tools to do so. Some are even using Facebook as a substitute for their website.
There are more than 200 million registered users on Facebook worldwide. This includes many from our Caribbean neighbours who have also caught the bug. On June 17th, the number of users in Trinidad and Tobago was 208,220, with 236,720 in the Dominican Republic and 66,560 in The Bahamas (figures represent all age groups).