So what have we found out in the latest MI6 security breach? The new chief has a penchant for playing frisbee whilst wearing speedos? Great. Maybe they should go back to the old methods of leaving laptops on trains!?
The press had a field-day yesterday, dining out on the revelation that Sir John Sawers, the new head of the MI6, is at the centre of an embarrassing security row after his wife uploaded family photos and personal information onto the social networking website Facebook.
Okay, not such a good move from Mrs. Sawers, but I find it hard to understand how, according to many newspapers with the line ‘dramatic Facebook security leak’, it is Facebook who are to blame.
Personal details were exposed, including the location of the family’s London flat and photographs of the couple’s three children and Sir John’s parents. Mrs. Sawers neglected to take advantage of the security features available in Facebook, meaning that the information was available to the around 200m users, as well as being readily available via a quick search on Google.
It seems very easy to hold the likes of Facebook and Twitter responsible at the moment. Is it that newspapers are feeling threatened by these outlets as an alternative to the traditional news medium? Or is it just the tabloid pre…
Some people would describe Charlie Brooker as a harsh, aggressive, bitter and sometimes slightly grotesque man, while others treat him as the messiah that has been sent to show us all the true nature of our crumbling society.
The strong reaction that his personal brand creates, means that he is able to command more influence and respect over his followers. It sets him apart from his contemporaries.
He has created a character who is outspoken and opinionated, possibly a caricature of himself. His tone is consistent across his media outlets –
First read Charlie Brooker’s screen burn.
Then watch Brooker on Reality TV:
You’ll probably have made up your mind about him now and see how strong his personal brand really is.
Brooker presents himself as the ultimate critic, the leader of the cynics and so the cynics worship him. He doesn’t necessarily engage in conversation with his loyal followers, just as Seth Godin doesn’t really, but his aura is enough to keep his faithful listening and reading. As a result, he could probably sell anything…
One of the biggest victims of the financial downturn has been newspapers, particularly in the US. Brand Republic today have broken down the events that have led to newspapers collapsing. Eric Schmidt, the CEO of Google, is having to consistently defend both his own company and the internet for their part in the collapse of the industry.
This is simply a sign of a changing society, as world wide people turn to different sources to receive their information, not just the internet on your PC, but on your mobile as well. Newspapers were always going to struggle, the question now is how can they respond. Businesses who aren’t online need to take note as well – we can no longer ignore the way people are finding and sharing information, we all need to be communicating online.
Here is a fantastic video about the Death of Newspapers.
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