Fall Report on Business Launch with the Missing Column

Last week, the Fall Issue of Report on Business arrived in member mailboxes. The Political Issue looks beyond the 2020 General Election and considers what is coming for our state. Decisions made by voters will impact North Dakota's course and investments for years to come. This issue looks at goals and priorities from the Legislative leaders as well as further perspective into how employers can help engage their workforce on issues that will impact their organization and checks in with what our state senators are doing to ensure North Dakota is positioned well on a national level. 

As this layout was determined, the GNDC team looked further into each team member's perspective of politics to determine the columns, articles, and contributions. This issue launches with GNDC Director of Communications, Amanda Remynse's insight into how politics have influenced social media. 

The Missing Column to the Political Issue: #Politics #RocktheVote #CatsoftheInternet #SocialMediaForever #OwntheMessage

I have a severe love-hate relationship with social media – can I get an amen? The Twitter, the Facepage, YouTube, “Insta,” and don’t forget Snapchat, LinkedIn, TikTok, and all the others who have their supporters and followers. There are 9 million messages in text, video, and picture form bombarding us from these platforms on a daily basis. It’s exhausting to keep up. When you devote a fraction of time in an attempt to do so, there is a high likelihood of falling into a ginormous rabbit/sinkhole. One minute you are legitimately reviewing articles or tutorials related to a topic of job-related research, twenty-five minutes later there you sit engrossed by two cats with pumpkin hats on, dinging bells to be rewarded with treats. That is social media – a menagerie of lip-sync dances, cats in costumes, and recipes to save your life.
 
Here’s the fly in the ointment, social media is also where I get my news. (GASP!) “News” can fall into various categories. Some can be what I deem important – my cousin’s new baby announcement, where the Cloverdale summer sausage is on sale (Cashwise, hurry up!), or my high school best friend celebrating her Ph.D. completion. Other news is actual world events impacting our country, our state, and my world. Just this summer, I watched BLM protests erupt on Facebook. I learned about Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing and I read about North Dakota’s first COVID case and death all through social media.
 
It’s a powerful tool but very much a double-edged sword. The whole world is a click and a search away. Never before have we had so much access and so much information so quickly. You can tweet at the President for the first time ever. Even the Queen of England has her own Instagram account. People all over the world are utilizing these platforms to promote their own platform. And that’s where the rub happens. It’s never been easier to share an opinion and respond to the opinions of others. When social media started there were a lot of people sharing about having peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. We all may have complained about that time of irrelevant information but it was the tip of the iceberg for sharing personal viewpoints and perspectives. Right now it seems social media is a battleground of blue and red. People easily call out who they support with memes, buttons, sound offs, rants, pictures, and more. It makes it clear where people stand on issues and/or people but this clarity seems to be a breeding ground for contention and hostility. If you are like me, you’ve sighed once or twice at a political post, possibly hid it, or even sworn off social media for a period of time.
 
I had four tv channels growing up as a kid – which meant I hated election years. I was forced to watch more hours of political ads than I’d ever care to again. This was before social media, this was when the place to spread the word was television. It’s amazing how elections have changed – Obama’s campaign utilized social media to give him leverage. Since then, candidates have used platforms to further theirs, wielding the tool to spread “information”. Businesses, who also rely on social media to promote their own brands, are getting drug behind and lost in the voices of R vs D.
 
I’m excited for my social media platforms for November 4. I’m sure there will still be some noise but I look forward to a change in the message. Maybe it’s time for all of us, businesses and individuals alike, to think about messages going out into the world as we being 2021. While 2020 may still linger in the air, the new year is a time for plans and propelling forward. Our state has so much work to do this coming year to prepare for the future. GNDC will continue to be there to listen to the messages impacting business, allowing you to focus on your own story. We look forward to hearing about them, on social media or hopefully, in person.

By GNDC Director of Communications, Amanda Remynse whose favorite memes may be either the woman yelling at the white cat or the Orange County Choppers angrily arguing.

GNDC FALL 2020 ISSUE OF REPORT ON BUSINESS - THE POLITICAL ISSUE