Social Media Responsibility (SMR) Defined

Social Media Responsiblity is the amalgamation of two words: “Social Media” + “Social Responsibility”. To better understand the thought of this word, we need to define each root word used.

Social Responsibility Defined

The Social Responsibility theory, first developed in the 1940s by Robert Maynard Hutchins, is still a guiding principle for the present day media.

To ensure protection from the pressure and threats to the press, this theory was first introduced in 1947 and was recommended by the Hutchins Commission on Freedom of the Press. It stated that the media should serve the public, and in order to do so, should remain free of government interference. It defined guidelines that the media should follow in order to fulfill its obligation of serving the public.

We have adopted the same in the Philippine setting and included it in the  ”Bill of Rights” protected by the Philippine Constitution.

Currently, Social Responsibility has evolved to refer to an ethical ideology that an entity, be it an organization or individual, has an obligation to act to benefit the society at large.

Social Media Defined

“Social Media” on the other hand refers generally to the technology used in content sharing. This medium not only delivers content in every form, but also allows the readers/viewers/listeners to participate in the creation or development of a content.

Ron jone’s definition of social media is, “essentially is a category of online media where people are talking, participating, sharing, networking, and bookmarking online. Most social media services encourage discussion, feedback, voting, comments, and sharing of information from all interested parties.”

Kinds of Social Media

Any form of online media that provides a venue for two-way conversation is social media. Unline the traditional media which is one-way, social media’s interactive features makes it fun and user-friendly to its users. It also keeps us connected with sites that matters to us, people that we cared about and resources we are interested to.

These are the kinds of media according to use.

• Social news: These are sites that provides you news aggregates to read. Digg and Newsvine are the popular sites in this category.
• Social Sharing: If the site can allow you to create, upload and share videos or photos with others, this is what you need. Flickr and Youtube falls to this category.
• Social Networks: Facebook, Google Plus, LinkedIn and Twitter allows you to find other persons whom you may know. When connected, information is shared to your network. This techology further advanced Thomas Friedman’s concept that “the world is flat.”
• Social bookmarking is what I do almost everyday. As soon as I find any relevant sites to a topic I am interested in, or I have to be reminded of some sites that I need to act upon later, I just open my Delicious or Diigo account to save it there. I have also the option of sharing it to others.

Social Media + Social Responsibility = Social Media Responsibility

Social Media Responsibility as of the moment is not a commonly used term. But for social media practitioners, we have used it interchangeably to refer to a “social media user’s social responsibility”.

Social Media Responsibility, in my personal defnition, “is a form self regulation by an entity (individual or organization) in using the social media platform. It further emphasizes the value of being fully accountable to all the actions performed on these platforms.

Beyond that, Social Media Responsibility is a resolve that this online media platform is also a tool in creating a change or awareness to an advocacy that matters to any responsible user.

It is with this personal definition that I have created a personal resolution in ensuring that proper know how and use of these medium is properly disseminated to the public.