Innovate or Execute: Spurring the Discussion on a More Controlled and a Regulatory Framework in Social Media Platform

Abstract

Social media marketing has garnered a lot of attention in recent times. Regulators, however, do not have any established frameworks to exert a level of control on social media marketing activities. Furthermore, some research studies have shown that control at an organizational level does not appear to be either formal or particularly strong. There are other areas that require investigation as well, such as confusion on the use of personal accounts for marketing the organizations’ products and services, the pressure of releasing media content at speed and the possibility of misuse of any information that is disseminated. There is no doubt social media is an attractive channel for marketing purposes given its free usage and scale of adoption by consumers; however, there is a considerable risk it can be misused as well. Hence, it can be argued that strong control systems should be in place. The case of multiple fatalities in a mob-lynching in India, allegedly as a result of the so-called ‘fake news’ being disseminated via the social media platform Whatsapp, has caught the attention of the Indian government, which is seeking to exert more control over social media channels. Thus, this article critically examines the issue of control over social media marketing in India, and makes suggestions for the creation of a robust control and regulatory framework for the same. This study broadens our understanding of the roles of regulatory framework in social media marketing context.