Last Wednesday our class had the privilege of hearing Dr. Gates talk to us about internet security, safety and laws.
Dr. Paul Gates might be best known for teaching COM Law at App State, but he also teaches Journalism Matters. His research and teaching specialties include 1st Amendment History, 19th Century Journalism, Social Media & Privacy and General Legal History.
During his time speaking to our class, Dr. Gates spoke about a new social media platform called, "gab". Gab defines itself as a free speech social network that champions free speech, individual liberty and the free flow of information online.
Another issue Dr. Gates discussed was the lawsuit that Facebook faced after their site was hacked. Over 50 million people had their information compromised and sold to Russians in hopes to manipulate the elections. Because of this lawsuit Facebook creator, Mark Zuckerberg lives under a microscope still to this day.
When asked about managing social media properly, Dr. Gates said that the most important thing is that no organization or business wants a lawsuit. He said that when managing social media, avoid doing anything that might invite legal action and be as honest as you can with what you're posting. When selling products on social media, be careful of deceptive and false advertising. At the end of the day, all organizations and businesses value image deeply, so keep this in mind when considering what to post.
I enjoyed Dr. Gates' presentation in class and look forward to hearing from our next guest speaker and App alumni, Riley DeLeon, coming to speak to our class!