Hi, I’m Kevin Coupe and this is FaceTime with The Content Guy.
Want more evidence about the power of social media? You don’t have to go any further than the case of Tommy Jordan, a North Carolina man who, I think it is fair to say, quite literally went ballistic when faced with behavior by his 15-year-old daughter that, to say the least, he viewed as objectionable.
Perhaps you’ve seen it. After all, as of right now, more than 25 million people have seen the video on YouTube. You can see it here.
Here’s what happened. I gather that Jordan’s daughter posted a diatribe against her parents and their treatment of her on her Facebook page. It does not seem to be the first time she’d done it, but coming after Jordan spent money to upgrade her laptop, it was a bridge too far. So Jordan videotaped himself reading her diatribe, rebutting her points one by one, and then, saying that he had no idea how to correct the situation and get his daughter to behave appropriately, he proceeded to put nine bullets in her laptop.
Let me repeat. More than 25 million people have seen the video. And a lot of them not only think that he did the right thing, but they’ve posted messages for him, saying that he is their hero.
Now, you’ll have to judge for yourself how you feel about this. I happen to have a 17-year-old daughter, so I’m sympathetic to his position. Though I’m not sure that public humiliation of one’s daughter is the most productive way to go. That said, having heard her profanity-laden diatribe, maybe she should feel lucky that he only shot the laptop. It seems pretty clear that there is a lot of history here, a complicated backstory ... and I think it has just gotten a lot more complicated.
But can you imagine? Twenty-five million people have seen this video. For better or for worse, this family’s life - and its troubles - are now out there for all the world to see. Tommy Jordan used social media has turned their life into a kind of reality show, and now he’s going to have to live with the short-term and long-term implications of that decision.
I hope that Tommy Jordan knows what he’s doing. I hope his daughter turns out okay. I hope that their family survives this turmoil and finds happiness.
Because now, like it nor not, more than 25 million people are paying attention.
That’s the power of social media, and it is what’s on my mind this Thursday morning. As always, I want to hear what is on your mind.
And one more thing...
We have kind of a cool addition to the MNB portfolio...now, on YouTube.com, there is a complete portfolio of all the “FaceTime with The Content Guy” segments that we’ve posted. Just go to https://www.youtube.com/user/MorningNewsBeat/.
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