This week an interesting situation has arisen in relation to a YouTube video posted by two employees of Dominos Pizza in the United States. The video was filmed by a female and the subject was male. There is a great deal of idiocy recorded in the footage; this is exemplified by the male involving food prep and bodily functions.
New York Times article here
The participants have stated that it was a prank, well, that is now beside the point. That they did this and chose to record it is, in a word: stupid. What is downright asinine is posting it to Youtube.
The fallout for the employees include being fired, having arrest warrants for them issued, being charged, and facing potential jail time.
For being idiots.
The head of Domios Pizza USA has posted his own YouTube video commenting on this situation, appealing to his customer base to understand that his brand represents quality and integrity. This is where it gets interesting. Never before (to my knowledge) have two mouth breathers at the bottom of the food chain been able to influence the public impression of a global brand with a stupid stunt to such a level that the president felt the need to address it publicly.
Even more interesting is the medium at use. The fact that the internet has enabled this dynamic duo to wreak so much havoc is testament to the power that viral video has in the Web 2.0 context. The fact that they could do it despite being candidates for the Darwin awards also speaks volumes. [This is evidenced by a post I saw today from a guy living in a trailer that had skunks underneath, asking how to prepare them for dinner. I expect he owns a banjo, a canoe, and feels that Jack Nicholson might just be a temporary soulmate.] Evidently the ability to participate in the forum that is the internet has no boundaries. It hasn't for quite a while. This is also illustrated buy the fact that my words are here as well.
The proletariat appears to have impact these days.
The woman that is responsible for a blog I read regularly mentioned today that this entire situation will become part and parcel of business case studies in the ensuing years. You can read her post here
It is clear that we all need to consider the ramifications of our actions online, as once something is committed it is irretrievable. There are enough regrettable photos of Spring Break to attest to this. Once we post an item, we lose all control over its destiny. The internet is permanent, and pervasive. You most likely will be Googled prior to a job interview for example.
This is a cautionary tale to anyone that is compelled to post their shennanigans online, to give it a second thought before clicking that submit button.
Long live the people.
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