Our CEO Melissa Davis discusses the perils and pitfalls of WhatsApp groups, and looks at how you can mitigate the risks.
If you’re a member of various WhatsApp groups, you are probably familiar with this scenario:
George: If anyone sees a red bike which looks like this [photo] please can you let me know as I had my bike stolen from outside Waitrose on Friday
Emma: Does anyone bake sourdough and can you share some sourdough starter?
Sarah: Is anyone else really annoyed about the cycle lane?
… and let the arguments, insults and heated discussions begin on cycle lanes and cyclists…
I am sure that many of us are in huge, unwieldy WhatsApp groups and if your neighbours are having a difference of opinion, you might need to find a new coffee shop, but what if the groups you’re in are work-based and a throwaway comment or a heated discussion lands you in reputational risk territory?
When sharing isn’t caring
WhatsApp or messaging apps are seen as a form of social media – but what if the social just slid into toxic?
It’s OK to share your opinion in these groups isn’t it? Isn’t this part of building a personal brand and relationships that lead to business development opportunities? You’re just showing your personality?
What if your opinion or comment doesn’t land well? Not forgetting that in text-based communication, tone and context can easily be misinterpreted. If you’re part of a large group, your words could be taken out of context whether you mean them to be divisive or not.
The thing to remember about group dynamics, and a group of humans with differing opinions and different temperament and understanding, is that there is a huge lack of control – especially on a messaging group.
There is a difficulty in disengaging. In our Chiswick group, once the cycle lane starts it’s almost impossible to control the flow of conversations or to “exit” discussions.
It’s difficult to do crisis comms and even to back peddle in a huge group. For starters, you don’t know who has seen your comments. The bigger the group, the more likely it is that someone will take screenshots or forward messages. Something you said or did in your ‘private group’, in the heat of the moment, could easily become public.
De-risking the chatter
So how do you mitigate the risk? I mean aside of not joining any groups…
✅ Always remember you can scroll by. If you don’t agree, you don’t have to respond. If you want to respond you could do it privately. If you wouldn’t put your opinion or thoughts on a postcard, don’t post them in a large group where you’re unaware of who the members are (or even if you do).
✅ Limit participation on sensitive topics. Even in a group that discusses many topics, it might be wise to avoid engaging in discussions that could be perceived as controversial or divisive.
✅ Set boundaries. Establish clear boundaries regarding what you will share and discuss in the group to protect your reputation.
The best thing I did for my sanity was to mute the large groups. Sometimes saying nothing at all is the safest option…
If you’d like to discuss managing your reputation, I hope you’ll get in touch.
