There is something weirdly attractive about "authentic" experience â€" whether at a restaurant, on a trip to an exotic locale, or in our interactions with friends. In fact the opposite of "authentic" is "fake," and who wants to have a fake experience?
But the problem is that authenticity is an idea without any real value, and in many cases just means "old and traditional" vs. "new and different." Is "authentic" Szechuan food better than modern Asian fusion? Is Fugazi better than Green Day?
In reality, it is all a matter of taste, rather than some kind of inherent superiority. And in fact, the same analogy can be drawn for nearly any experience you could imagine â€" the "authentic" experience in many cases merely means the one that tracks tradition most clearly, or that eschews modern notions of success. Through this lens, Kelly Clarkson is no less "authentic" than the Rolling Stones â€" because the entire notion of authenticity is false.
So what does this mean for social media? Quite a bit, actually. Marketers are always looking for "authentic" insights into the minds of consumers, and are looking for "authentic" interactions with the public, but this simply means that they have a predetermined framework for understanding what they learn. Part of the attraction of social media for those with this particular turn of mind is the opportunity to develop conversations with consumers, mine those conversations for data, and then make certain conclusions about consumer behavior. This further encourages the viewpoint that consumers are merely data rich sources to be subjected to detailed analysis.
With that framework in place, it is easy to see how companies go too far in mining the personally identifiable information of their customers. If the authentic is so critical, envelopes must be pushed in order to get as much of the good stuff as possible. How could the law, after all, prevent us from learning the "real story' about our consumers?
Ah, but it does. The law (and by the law, I speak of the FTC, the attorneys general of the various states, European regulators, and many others) assumes that you will collect, and treat, the personally identifiable information of your customers in a proscribed fashion. You must have a privacy policy, and it must be up to date and accurate regarding your data collection policies.
You cannot assume that because information is valuable that it can be freely taken â€" you need to step back and consider your options before you engage in this type of activity. You will be surprised by how much you can, indeed, learn from your customers, but perhaps also surprised at the limits.
And if you ignore this advice? Let's just say that you could get into some "authentic" trouble. So play it safe, and think before you step. You'll be glad you did.
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