Sony hack, social media, and the new currency
Mesa Legend
I appreciate it anytime consumers get a real peek of what goes on behind the curtain. Like the Donald Sterling incident early last year, the recent hack on Sony offered us some revealing insights. First, let me say that I don’t condone this kind of theft and terrorism. However, as we get more comfortable in this digital age, last year tells us that cyber hijackings are a major issue we may have to get accustomed to and hopefully resolve.
In the meantime, the private Sony emails released by the hackers are just too entertaining to ignore. While a lot of the leaks were only gossipy exchanges between the Sony executives, another interesting aspect of our digital culture was revealed in the emails.
Comedian Kevin Hart, who stars in Sony’s latest film Wedding Ringer, was chosen for the role because of his “Social media savvy” the execs said. In other words, the comic’s 15 million followers on Twitter, who he was expected to tweet about the movie to, were valued at $3 million.
Wow, never mind that Hart thought he deserved additional compensation and was insulted as a consequence. It’s striking how much of a pivotal role social media now plays in these kinds of business deals. What we see is that likes and followers are indeed the new social currency in place.
