While the careers of Paris Hilton, Miley Cyrus, and Lindsay Lohan only got better after their scandalous pictures and movies leaks, it doesn’t work the same way for a politician.
That is a lesson that Canadian Ray Lam, a B.C. New Democratic Party candidate, learned the hard way. Racy Facebook photos of Lam taken at a Pride celebration four years ago forced the young gay politician to resign.
“An issue was made regarding inappropriate material on my private Facebook page. I regret this material and the associated comments that have now become public,” Ray Lam said in a prepared statement Sunday. “I do not want this to be a distraction in the election campaign and have advised the party that I am stepping down.”
The pictures in question include one of Lam with his hand cupping the breast of a clothed woman. Another photo showed him with his pants around his knees while another man and woman playfully and suggestively tugged at his underwear.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Online Reputation Management
- Online reputation management companies will likely capitalize on the fear of job loss due to inappropriate public online activity.
- Social Media Policing
- Social media monitoring and regulating software may see increased use by political campaigns and parties to monitor and control the image projection of their candidates.
- Social Media Transparency
- Individuals and businesses may begin to take a more transparent approach to their public online presence, encouraging more regulated and responsible use of social media.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Online Reputation Management Services
- Online reputation management services and tools may be in higher demand, as individuals and companies seek to mitigate the fallout from inappropriate online behavior.
- Social Media Monitoring Software
- Social media monitoring software developers could see a boon in business as political campaigns and parties may turn to these technologies to avoid public relations disasters.
- Social Media Consulting Services
- Social media consulting services may arise to help individuals and businesses maintain appropriate public online profiles, either pre-emptively or in response to negative publicity.
