Recently in the Toronto news there has been a fair amount of traffic around the issue of social media and the TTC. The media has managed to make a mountain of a molehill and managed to distract the union and it’s head Bob Kinnear from the issue at hand. That however isn’t what interests me. What I find fascinating is the use of social media and social networking tools in this debate.
It started with this photo:
This photo ended up in all the papers and resulted in the operator making an apology and explaining that he was on a new medication. A perfectly reasonable excuse in my opinion except for the fact that he didn’t contact his union.
If I had trouble staying awake at work I would immediately go and talk to my boss, explain the situation and go home. If I did need a nap I would take it in a lounge or employee area where I was out of the way and certainly out of the public eye.
The interesting thing about this picture however is how it made the rounds and media explosion ensued. First media was talking about Twitter and Twitpic and all the different ways people can share images.
Next this video appeared on the internet of a driver taking a coffee break in the middle of his route. Apparently this poor guy is now suspended pending an investigation.
The description reads: “TTC driver taking a coffee break in the middle of the shift while leaving the bus with passengers behind – The driver did it every week night in a period of 2 weeks (total of 10 times)!”
The head of the Union’s response is,
“We have heard from many operators who now fear taking a few minutes for a needed washroom break because they don’t want to be subjected to ridicule or embarrassment,” Mr. Kinnear added. “I invite any journalist here today to go online and take a few minutes to research the health effects of chronic urinary retention. Let me give you a head start on the most common problems: urinary tract infections, kidney infections, kidney failure, bladder cancer and prostate problems.”
Are you kidding me? You’re actually going to defend this by talking about urinary tract infections?? That’s probably not the best way to handle this. A more appropriate response would have been:
“We try to ensure our drivers have ample time to use the facilities at the end points of their streetcar runs, but clearly it is not enough. We want to ensure our drivers and employees are comfortable as well as our customers as a result we have asked drivers to make an announcement when they need to stop for any length of time. We will do our utmost to ensure streetcars stay on schedule.”
Of course, that would require streetcars to have a schedule but I digress. This stopping issue wouldn’t be a problem except it has happened many times and now with cellphone cameras and Youtube anyone can be a reporter:
The problem with reporting however is that there is a bias, and no journalistic ethics need be applied. This kind of guerrilla journalism isn’t about reporting on events or distributing information it is about pushing an agenda. Every photographer makes a choice when he or she chooses to point the camera. And that isn’t to say this media blitz is all one-sided either. All the streetcars have cameras in them now. The CBC has a video posted of a driver needing to fight a passenger off of the bus. And the TTC employees have posted their own Youtube videos:
Personally I applaud the TTC putting cameras on the streetcars. It not only ensures the safety of the drivers but the passengers as well. And no one deserves to get assaulted while at work no matter how late they are! While I support the TTC I suggest the footage should be kept off of the internet.
A Facebook group called “Toronto Transit Operators against public harassment” which describes itself as “a group where Operator’s can give suggestions on how to fight back to the recent photo and video harassment from passengers just looking to make trouble for us.” cropped up not long after these videos appeared.
At one point they were reportedly advocating a work to rule policy to combat what Union boss Kinnear described as, “ an entitlement to film our operators in the performance of their duties”. That Facebook group started out public but quickly became private after the public lashed back on the site.
What is interesting is there is another Facebook group for “Employees of the TTC” and it is open to the public. And the public is beginning to lash back again. This is a social media disaster for the union and the TTC. First off you have to have a strategy and a clearly defined purpose when deciding to engage in social media. The last thing you need is a mouthy employee to write something rash which further damages your already battered reputation. You also don’t want to add fuel to the fire of the malcontents
The Union, if it had any brains at all would ask it’s members to kindly stop attacking the public, because right or wrong, if you argue with a troll it only gets stronger!
That isn’t to say there hasn’t been adult and measured discussions but if the Union, or the TTC decide they want to hash it out in the social media space they had better get a game plan together. The public has been in this space for years and they had best catch up before they try to go troll hunting.
I like what you have to say; your arguments are clear and though out, even though I don’t agree with all of them.
I agree that no strategy in the social media space is worse than not entering the space at all. It seems foolish to not have a clear goal and then make sure everything you post publicly meets that goal.
I think that people should be able to report their experiences. If I happen to see someone sleeping on the job, or going for coffee when on the clock, I should be able to show that. However, if mainstream media picks up my picture or video, they should do their due diligence and follow up. As a citizen, I don’t have to be non-biased and can slant things how I want…journalists should realize this possibility and make the effort to get the whole story. I’ll likely only show my side – what I saw, heard, experienced – because that’s what I care about.