Introduction
Whenever an information gap or an unresolved scientific topic emerges, misinformation will likely arise as people attempt to reason, better comprehend, and connect the dots. This has been the case with COVID-19 vaccines, which have been met with both appreciation and skepticism. Recently, some celebrities such as Joe Rogan have found themselves in trouble for promoting misleading remarks about COVID-19 on his show. Rogan, who owns, The Joe Rogan Experience, the world’s most popular podcast, signed a deal with Spotify to have his content exclusively hosted on the streaming platform (Dickson, 2022). With pressure mounting on Spotify to eradicate misinformation on the platform and take decisive action against Rogan, examining how the bedeviled company can win the public’s opinion is imperative.
The Joe Rogan Case
Joe Rogan’s podcast is considered the most popular worldwide, meaning that it attracts millions of viewers and listeners. According to Rolling Stone, Rogan’s podcast has approximately 11 million listeners per episode (Dickson, 2022). Without a doubt, any COVID-19 misinformation emerging from his platform can be catastrophic. Spotify faces a big challenge because Rogan was allowed to host Dr. Robert Malone, an anti-vaxxer banned from other platforms such as Twitter. Malone made anti-vaccination remarks throughout the episode, including pushing the narrative that hospitals are financially motivated to report false COVID-19 fatalities (Dickson, 2022). Rogan is under fire because he seemed to embrace these ideas, with more emerging evidence that he had made racist remarks in many of his earlier podcasts. Therefore, further actions from Spotify should seek to win public trust, primarily through effective communication.
Spotify’s Position on the Matter
Spotify does not believe it has a duty to police content posted on its platform (Holtermann, 2022). This is a reckless statement from a public relations perspective. The company has assured the public that it will add content advisory on some podcasts. This is a welcome move but should be implemented faster. Spotify has not dismissed Joe Rogan or shown intentions to investigate him. This is a blatant show of irresponsibility and lack of concern for public safety. Finally, Spotify lacks a discernible policy to tackle fake news or misinformation. These missteps from the start of the issue have continued to shape a negative attitude and public opinion about the streaming company. Without a quick solution, the company’s troubles may not end soon.
The Communication Process
The ability to communicate with one another is a fundamental feature that distinguishes humans from other species. The act of communicating is the ability to transmit stimuli – usually verbal – to other individuals to change their behavior (Lecture January 24). The purpose of communication often revolves around persuasion for three reasons: Shaping, reinforcing, and changing. According to lecture notes, shaping is helpful in creating a favorable mood (attitudes) or brand identity, changing for influencing behavioral transformation, and reinforcing (most commonly used) for strengthening existing behaviors (Lecture January 24). Therefore, the company should incorporate all three strategies to tackle its problems effectively.
Communication and Action for Persuasion
Spotify executives are under pressure to address COVID-19 misinformation spread on the platform. In response, the company has claimed that it has no obligation to tackle the misleading information on the ongoing pandemic. Unfortunately, the public and various leaders have not received this well. As a result, some musicians have removed their content from the platform, and many others threaten to do the same (Holtermann, 2022). Many users also suggest that they intend to replace Spotify with alternative streaming companies. This underscores the urgency of deescalating the situation. Spotify can start by using three rhetorical elements to change, shape, and reinforce public opinion. These include ethos, pathos, and logos, as proposed by Aristotle.
Ethos
According to Aristotle, ethos speaks to the audience’s moral status. Spotify has not come out openly and admitted that Rogan’s show violated its ethical policy. It has emerged that the company has no policy regulating fake news on its platform (Dickson, 2022). This needs to change, and Spotify must start appealing to the public’s moral understanding. As Spotify looks to improve its policy on misinformation, it should come out openly and declare Rogan’s remarks as unethical. This will show that the company has a moral stand. More importantly, Spotify must reshape its organizational culture to embrace accountability. The picture Spotify has painted currently is that it lacks accountability, which is highly unethical.
Pathos
Pathos refers to a communicator’s appeal to the emotions of the audience. Spotify’s actions have shown a lack of concern for people who have succumbed to COVID-19, including health professionals working tirelessly to beat the virus. The pandemic has occasioned an endless period of suffering globally, and a large corporation like Spotify should empathize with those affected. Many people expected Spotify to condemn Malone following his disparaging remarks towards health professionals on Rogan’s show, but this did not happen. Thus, Spotify should release an apology statement to healthcare workers to show the company’s support and understanding for their endless sacrifices during this pandemic.
Logos
Logos is the use of rational arguments to appeal to the audience. This can include the use of facts and figures to reinforce the argument. Spotify has succumbed to public pressure and removed some of Rogan’s podcasts from its platform. However, this may not be enough because the public expects Spotify to do more. Many argue that Spotify has not taken stringent action against Rogan because of his influence and million dollar deal he signed with the company. Therefore, the company should dismiss Rogan indefinitely pending an investigation into his conduct. It must remove all content related to spreading COVID-19 misinformation from the site. This action should be extended to users abusing the platform’s lack of tight misinformation policy.
Additional Strategies
Spotify needs to show that its operations align with basic corporate social responsibility guidelines. Spotify should outline clear strategies it intends to use to tackle misinformation. This should include an intention to train employees on effective content moderation and hire more staff to increase its content moderation capacity. More importantly, the company should announce its commitment to developing or investing in a robust artificial intelligence system that will be used to track content and flag inappropriate ones before they reach the public domain. Such actions would reinforce people’s trust that Spotify is correcting its mistake.
Conclusion
In summary, Joe Rogan has put Spotify in a precarious situation. The company risk damaging its reputation further it fails to tackle the issue effectively. This could also lead to huge losses in revenue from streams if many users make good at their threat of leaving the platform. At the same time, Rogan plays a crucial role in the platform because his podcast attracts millions of listeners worldwide. Notably, his podcast is currently the leading globally in terms of followers and revenue. Despite these impressive statistics, Spotify, like any other company, has a social responsibility of ensuring its existence does not threaten public wellbeing. Since this has happened, Spotify needs to move swiftly and reassure the public of its ethical and legal obligations. It can achieve this by implementing the persuasion strategies discussed in this presentation.
Reference
Dickson, E. (2022). Doctors Demand Spotify Puts an End to Joe Rogan’s Covid Lies. Rolling Stone. Web.
Holtermann, C. (2022). What Should Spotify Do About Joe Rogan?. The New York Times. Web.