MSI replaces social media team, apologizes after post causes outrage

[midian182]

Facepalm: Stories of social media accounts making ill-advised posts aren't new. It's not something limited to the Western world, either. MSI, for example, made the mistake of posting a jokey message about a girl deleting all her boyfriend's games on Chinese social media, a move that has led to the company making a public apology, replacing the social media team, and a high level of trolling by rival Asus.

MSI's January 17 Weibo post was supposed to be a joke about a girl using her boyfriend's PC to delete some of his game shortcuts because she felt neglected by him, reports ITHome.

While the person who created the message might have found it amusing, it seems they were one of the very few people to feel that way. The post was met with a barrage of complaints from users, many of whom threatened to boycott MSI's products.

Fellow Taiwanese rival Asus was quick to capitalize on the situation, posting a trolling message a day later that read: "Buy Asus, don't delete the game," (according to Google translate).

With all the anger and related hashtags appearing on Weibo, MSI issued an apology on January 20 and tried to explain that it was trying to make a funny joke. To ensure this sort of thing never happens again, MSI said it has stopped all work with the social media team behind the post and replaced it. The company added that at the same time, the relevant personnel are being held accountable - which sounds ominous.

Need for Speed had enough pic.twitter.com/QsEDuxLd26

– Dexerto (@Dexerto) November 23, 2022

While social media managers can massively improve a company's or product's image, they also have the power to tarnish it. One of the most famous instances of the latter was the Need for Speed account. In November 2022, the game's official Twitter (as it still was then) account, which had already received complaints and plenty of headlines over its antagonistic responses to users, called an individual who complained about NFS's early access plan a "Milkshake brain." More insults followed, and both the account and EA apologized. Not surprisingly, the person behind the messages was reportedly fired.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/101614-msi-replaces-social-media-team-apologizes-after-post.html

 

[nnguy2]

I feel like there are some valuable info missing from this story that got lost in translation. Why did users feel so strongly about the post?

 

[GodisanAtheist]

I feel like there are some valuable info missing from this story that got lost in translation. Why did users feel so strongly about the post?

- Yeah this must be one of those things specific to that region or culture. Maybe its sort of a sexist equivalent of *angry jilted woman keys man's car or throws all of his belongings out of a window* meme that has gotten kinda stale here but might be taken more seriously overseas.

 

[RudyBob]

Holy Cow...what non news.

 

[Stingy McDuck]

I feel like there are some valuable info missing from this story that got lost in translation. Why did users feel so strongly about the post?

If this had happened in the West I would think it's about people outraging about making fun of a woman for deleting shortcuts thinking she deleted the games.

 

[Farkinell]

I feel like there are some valuable info missing from this story that got lost in translation. Why did users feel so strongly about the post?

I thought the same. It sounds like they made a post with a bit of a gender stereotype slant but hardly a matter for a grovelling apology and firing the social team. Would have been good know to what cultural reasons why this seemed to offend so many. I see ads on bus stops here that sounds more “offensive” than this.

 

[bviktor]

I feel like there are some valuable info missing from this story that got lost in translation. Why did users feel so strongly about the post?

Because it's the age of neglected snowflakes who want to get outraged about anything and everything.

 

[Plutoisaplanet]

A bunch of gaming customers don't want their girlfriends to get any ideas. Either that, or they got offended by not having any girlfriends. I have no idea what the outrage is

 

[lripplinger]

This story needs more context. Something must have been lost in translation? There must be a cultural thing here that we are understanding?

 

[wujj123456]

The original message was about deleting the games, not just shortcut. The author also taunted multiple commenters that tried to remind them about their brand and audience, and went as far as using the clown emoji.

 

[nnguy2]

The original message was about deleting the games, not just shortcut. The author also taunted multiple commenters that tried to remind them about their brand and audience, and went as far as using the clown emoji.

Ah so it was the social media team fighting with commenters/customers. That was the missing piece of this article. Thanks for the info.

 

[sauri]

Reading news like that makes me feel way too old for the modern world.