CHICAGO — So, you fail to take a deep breath and to count to 10 — and you post something you probably shouldn’t on Twitter or Facebook, or somewhere else online.
It may blow over without doing too much damage. But what if you’re famous and have thousands, if not millions, of virtual followers?
NFL star Larry Johnson was released by the Kansas City Chiefs after questioning his coach and posting gay slurs for all the world to see. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was criticized for pulling out a big knife in a video that was posted as a “thank you” to constituents for suggesting ways to cut the state budget.
Those are but two of the recent controversies that social networking helped ignite — and far from the last in an era when fans and gawkers are just waiting for the latest gaffe.
“Yes, I get that this is a great promotional tool. It can also be a dagger if not used properly,” said Matthew Pace, a New York lawyer who works with agencies that manage athletes and who cautions them about the damage social networking can do to a career.
One could argue that some celebrities, athletes and politicians have done a pretty good job of making fools of themselves for a long time without social networking. An online stumble can just make celebs seem more real.
“It’s a way to understand that they are human,” said April Francis, 26, who works as an “identity consultant,” which includes help with wardrobe, branding and public relations for her clients.
On Twitter, she follows everyone from burlesque’s Dita Von Teese to basketball’s Shaquille O’Neal, but recently dropped author Margaret Atwood; she thought Atwood was “mind-blowingingly boring.”
For a lot of fans, it is that — not controversy — that’s the kiss of death these days.
More often, though, Hollywood types are more than happy to share what some might consider too much information. It’s all part of the school of thought that controversy helps a celebrity’s career by getting them noticed, said Richard Laermer, a New York publicist.
Of course, there are limits, Laermer said, noting that most high-profile people don’t go “astray from who they want their fans to think they are.”
