The Scoop: In a hyper-politicized moment, every social media action is scrutinized

Social media sites hand out thousands of bans or other disciplinary actions each day. Some are warranted. Some are caused by overzealous automation systems. And some are just plain confusing.

But two weeks out from the U.S. midterm elections, each of these actions can seem suspicious if the account impacted is at all controversial or political. That’s what happened with two liberal accounts on separate social platforms this weekend.

“Musk,” a takedown documentary about Elon Musk, was told its account faced a “permanent suspension” for ad buying on TikTok due to political content. This was no automated mistake — emails between distributor Bleeker Street and TikTok show specific criticism was levied by humans.

However, days later TikTok said the suspension was in “error” and was once again able to purchase ads.

The Hollywood Reporter notes that TikTok partial owner Larry Ellison is featured in the film.

Meanwhile, the Instagram account for protest movement No Kings was suspended on Saturday, a day that saw rallies across the country.

“When accounts post, share or comment at very high frequencies, it can trigger automated systems. That’s what happened with the No Kings IG account in the lead up to today’s day of action,” wrote Meta spokesperson Andy Stone. “Unfortunately, that automated action was clearly taken in error. Everything is now working as it should, and we sincerely apologize.”

Why it matters: This is a fraught, tense moment in the United States. Everything feels political, from the ice cream you buy to the way you scroll your social media feed. Any action companies take right now is being scrutinized. Mistakes are no longer mistakes; they’re signs of something sinister.

We obviously don’t know the truth of what happened inside either Meta or TikTok. But we do know that these actions damage trust in organizations that are already facing major trust deficits.

The best way to build trust is with speedy transparency.

Meta explained what went wrong: The volume of posts triggered an automatic process to believe the posts were inauthentic. They reinstated and apologized. However, the length of time required to correct the issue was what continued to raise eyebrows.

TikTok, meanwhile, does not appear to have given a public explanation at all — and it’s much harder to handwave away a real email thread with a person versus an automated process. Explaining what happened and how they’ll keep it from happening again would help in this situation.

Anthropic pledges 5% of shares to the public good

AI company Anthropic has announced plans to devote 5% of its stock to an LLC focused on “the pubic good.” This money can increase over time, depending on Anthropic’s stock price and overall success. The money could go to a variety of different causes, the company wrote in an announcement:

“One example is labor market impacts. AI may generate enormous economic value, but it could also cause instability for many workers. Anthropic has already committed $200 million to studying and addressing this issue, but given the pace of AI progress, bolder approaches may be needed. The Fund will have the versatility to pursue them.”

In other words: This fund could act as a hedge to help workers laid off due to AI.

This is a PR move, sure, but with actual action put behind it. It’s still pending board approval, but the substantial investment into actual action, with a mechanism for increasing the pledge, makes this feel more real than another corporate promise.

The best PR is always tied to real change.

United’s Scott Kirby won’t apologize for expensive plane tickets

In a time of inflation and pinched wallets, many CEOs apologize for prices, explaining why they need to be so high and explaining ways customers can save.

United’s Scott Kirby took a different tactic. When asked by the New York Times to respond to customers frustrated by having to pay $70 to not get stuck in the middle seat, Kirby was unsympathetic.

“Some people just want to get from A to B at the cheapest price possible. There are some customers who want to sit in a window seat or a better seat, and that costs money to deliver. The way to give everyone what they want is to charge for the services and products that those customers want.”

He followed that up with: “There are customers that pay more that get more.”

Perhaps it’s no surprise that elsewhere in the interview, the reporter described Kirby’s leadership style as “brusque.”

This is clearly who Kirby is. No apologies, explain the economics, take it or leave it. It can work for an airline portraying itself as more premium, but it may turn off some customers.

But at the end of the day, if they need to get from A to B, they still may choose United anyway.

Lego leans into niche hobbies, live events

Beloved Danish toy blocks Lego are now targeted toward adults as much as children. There are two keys to the success of the brand: Diving deep into people’s hobbies and interests, and live events.

As to the first, Lego has leaned into creating toy sets centered around hobbies ranging from bonsai to golden retrievers that act as décor more than a plaything.

Generating excitement in-person is also key to the strategy, including creating a fleet of drivable Lego F-1 cars or a rideable Minecraft chicken.

The F-1 stunt alone generated several billion views on social media — which translated into real sales.

We’re increasingly seeing this feedback loop: in-person stunt ignites excitement, with social shares providing reach. In a world where everything feels AI-generated, being able to build buzz in the real world is invaluable, even if it eventually leads back to the internet.

Allison Carter is editorial director of PR Daily and Ragan.com. Follow her on LinkedIn.