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Ratel volume 50, issue number 2

Editorial

Social media is firmly established in the daily lives of most of us to decision-makers face before settling on that opinion. It is easy to turn
some degree or another. As each successive generation grows up with to social media to rally support - but it may be at the cost of
it, those that remain untouched by its influence are dwindling. misrepresenting the situation and at the cost of your own reputation.
Reflecting this comparatively recent innovation’s rapid climb to A rant can often reflect more on the poster than on the collection
dominance amongst media outlets is an increasing reliance of they are choosing to condemn. And it is not always as difficult as you
businesses, including zoos, on such means of communication - not think, with a bit of detective work, to identify anonymous posters or
only to thrive …but to survive. Indeed, ABWAK itself is further anonymous situations.
finding itself pursing such streams to reach a greater audience and to
keep pace with all generations of zoo keepers. The opportunities for Someone once acknowledged that logic and careful reasoning are the
promotion, education and influence and for spreading news and ingredients of a constructive argument whilst acrimony and irrationality
information are almost endless. And we have an amazingly skilled are the elements of a fruitless argument. And so we can witness the
team amongst ABWAK Council who focus on our social media premise of latter half of this idiom being played out daily on social
activity. media. Engaging with a poster who is deliberately provocative,
knowingly engaging in malpractice or critical without providing
But such outlets represent both the friend and the foe of zoos and context or balance is neither the most appropriate nor the most
zoo keepers and can make or break the prevailing fortunes of a constructive. Response of any kind will only perpetuate corrosive
collection. posts by increasing the post’s visibility through boosting the user’s
algorithm.
At times I’ve felt a little disillusioned with social media and more or
less drifted away from active engagement with the various platforms. The opportunity to speak out, hidden behind a username, empowers
But it is not the existence of social media per se that is the issue; there and supports destructive communication. This is not the route for
are good and bad platforms out there - largely defined by the diligence legitimate whistleblowing. Yet this entitleing is becoming entrenched
of their moderation. Rather the accessibility and ease of posting lend in society at large. It is paints a picture of a level of infighting and
themselves to support knee-jerk outbursts - without necessarily division that is disproportionate to the reality and provides out-of-
furnishing the reader with the full facts or with sufficiently informed context information to external agencies that have a genuinely anti-zoo
opinion. The act of making a posting itself does not force the agenda. In this way, damage to the industry and the good work zoos
opportunity to pause and reflect as do the rather more protracted do, is increasingly coming from within - rather than from any external
processes required by traditional media outlets. Combined with direction.
evolving societal values, this is where danger lurks - not just to the
individual. There are implications for the industry as a whole. Social media can be an absolute treasure trove for those seeking
information. It can also be the lazy persons answer to meaningful
Potential employers will investigate public-facing social media pages research. A simple question posted on social media is as revealing of
of candidates to help make a judgement on that person’s the poster’s ignorance (which reflects on the zoo they work for) as it
employability. It pays to be mindful of this when posting. Certain is about their desire to find answers. Ask around your own team (its
Facebook groups appear to attract a particular type of poster that is quite possible that someone on your team has some experience of
intent on airing negative and highly subjective views. In a recent the matter in question) and look up existing research (its all at the
example I heard about, a poster berated the industry for leading them click of a button). Social Media should not be a default resource for
to believe that gaining a particular qualification would guarantee entry finding answers. If you work in a collection that has a relaxed
to zoo keeping at a senior level. Posts that reveal such a degree of approach to staff posting on social media, don’t jeopardise that
entitlement within an individual are a red flag to zoo managers and I privilege and think before you post.
fear that, with a history of such postings, that person has seriously
jeopardised their chances of employment. So if you are an aspiring Social media is an invaluable vehicle for disseminating information
keeper, do not alienate potential employers before you’ve even congruent with mission of zoos. It can garner support almost
embarked on your career! (the flipside of this, of course, is that by instantly in times of crises and it can be that melting pot of ideas and
being able to filter out candidates in this way makes drawing up a expertise that are crucial when trying to understand animal behaviour,
shortlist so much easier in these times when each vacancy attracts or when planning a new exhibit, or when trying to make an ethical
dozens - if not hundreds - of applicants) judgement on a management practice. It is a true asset in the right
hands.
It is a fairly frequent phenomenon that disgruntled keepers turn to
social media to vent - presumably with the intention of causing Before the dawn of the Internet age, when ABWAK members wanted
damage to a particular collection or just to be listened to when they to find information or to debate or to campaign, they used the pages
perceive their opinions are not taken into account. Amongst the of Ratel or waited till workshops or the Symposium for the
myriad of Facebook groups on any given day, there is a high chance opportunity for face-to-face conversation. Looking at the Ratel
of encountering the outpourings of a zoo employees that feels a sense archives and the letters pages the journal used to contain, it is almost
of injustice. inconceivable now how slow communications could take - but also
how much more informed the protagonists were.
If you are a keeper, or are invested in the industry in any capacity,
think very carefully before publicly slating your employer, a former At our 50th Symposium at London Zoo next year, we will be
employer, a colleague or another collection - however impassioned examining the progress of the last 50 years of zoo keeping. Animal
you feel in the heat of the moment. We engage in this industry because welfare, conservation activities, the recognition of keepers have all
we are passionate (its certainly not for the money) and in such an improved considerably and ABWAK has played no small part in that.
environment clashes of opinion are inevitable. But there are There are some clues as to the changes we can expect over the next
mechanisms for approaching malpractice which must be trusted and 50 years of zoo keeping. But what is certain is that social media will
pursued before thinking about social media as a weapon. play a heavy part in that. Let us all make the very most of the media’s
role in promoting our profession - and in parallel, remain acutely
If you have a strong opinion on a particular practice or decision in conscious of the detrimental effect of ill-advised or rage posting as it
your zoo, ensure you understand context and the bigger picture that reflects on all of us.

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