Representatives from Facebook, Google and Twitter are appearing on Capitol Hill this week to report the findings of internal investigations into possible Russian influence on the 2016 election, and being upfront about what happened and what’s being done to prevent it from happening again may be the best business strategy for the social giants.
The three companies will be revealing deeper Russian influence during last year’s campaign, with widespread content from Russian sources seeded across Facebook, YouTube and Twitter in the run-up to the election.
“I think they’ve crossed a threshold where they realize that not only is public trust our democratic institutions is wavering, but public trust in social media is wavering,” Philip N. Howard, Oxford University professor and principal investigator with Oxford’s Computational Propaganda Project told Chief Executive. “Ultimately, it is bad for their business model to have public trust in their platforms drop too much.”
From a business leadership standpoint, coming clean and sharing this information with Congress and the public is needed in order to maintain public trust in these social platforms—and the companies that advertise on them.
“The only reason they’ve revealed what they have is because of continued pressure from the Hill and outside researchers.” – Dr. Philip N. Howard
That’s not to say that these social companies are welcoming these kinds of uncomfortable headlines. Facebook, Google and Twitter have been loath to share data on advertisers and how their proprietary algorithms spread information across users’ news feeds, but the spotlight on this matter has proved too bright to avoid.
“I think the tech giants have already been very guarded about revealing what they know about Russian influence over social media platforms,” Howard told Chief Executive. “The only reason they’ve revealed what they have is because of continued pressure from the Hill and outside researchers.”
Facebook is expected to reveal that it sold 3,000 ads to Russians leading up to the elections, reaching the newsfeeds of 126 million users. Twitter has suspended 2,752 Russian-linked accounts, while Google uncovered 18 YouTube channels that it deemed likely to be affiliated with the Russian campaign.
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1:00 - 5:00 pm
Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process
Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:
Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns. They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning. Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process. This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented. If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form. The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations.
Limited space available.
10:30 - 5:00 pm
General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
Sponsored by UBS
General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.
The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.
