Don't Go Viral - Tips for Radio Users in a Social Media World
20/05/2024
According to statistics, approximately 5 billion people use social media platforms worldwide. Everything from funny mishaps to iconic sporting moments get shared, applauded, and even scrutinised in equal measure. And whilst you may not think it, even two-way radio conversations get uploaded to platforms like TikTok.
And this got us thinking. How many businesses, who use two-way radios, realise that their conversations may end up on social media sites? One TikTok video we found has over 90,000 views, 1,900 reactions, over 200 bookmarks.
The video in question involved a TikTok user recording a conversation between two school staff on a PMR 446 frequency (meaning the school uses licence-free radios). The video gained enough traction that the school in question should consider how they use two-way radios on site.
To help combat the possibility of your radio conversations ending up on social media, here's some tips to avoid going "viral".
Don't relay sensitive information
Whether you use licence free or licenced radios, you must avoid relaying sensitive information. In a school setting, this could be the names of young people, or explicity revealing key areas of the building. In other industries this could also be in respect to building space or giving away details that could put you at risk of attacks or malicious behaviour.
If sensitive information is discussed over radio frequencies, and the video ends up on social media, the consequences could spiral out of control. Earlier in the blog we mentioned the fact one video had over 90,000 views. This is 90,000 opportunities for the conversation to fall into the wrong hands.
It takes less than a milisecond to find bad news stories on Google about attacks in schools, so as much caution as possible needs to be taken in respect to radio conversations - even if the intent of the TikTok user has innocent intentions with the video footage.
Avoid using licence-free PMR frequencies
This leads us on to more about the TikTok video in question. Using their own radio, the TikTok user was able to scan for 446 frequency conversations in their area to see who they'd pick up on the airwaves. This led to them finding several radio conversations in different industries. The one with the most exposure happens to be the school conversation we keep referencing.
Whilst switching to licenced radios won't guarantee someone can listen in, it makes it harder for someone to channel scan on a licenced device than it is on a licence-free radio. By this we mean there's far more digging and work required to find a licenced frequency than it is on PMR 446.
PMR 446 frequencies are open, so anyone with a licence-free radio can use it straight it out of the box and pick a channel. The downside of this is the ability for other users in the area being able to listen in very easily - as evidenced by the TikTok video.
It is a worthwhile exercise checking what encryption a radio has and decide how much device security you'd like (depending on your circumstances).
For more information on the differences between licence-free and licenced, please read our licence-free v licenced radios blog.
Take the approach that anyone can hear you
In conclusion, you should take the holistic approach that anyone could be listening in, and anything can be shared on social media. Aside from this, always have these four golden rules in mind for radio communication:
1. Security - never transmit confidential information, unless you're 100% confident you have the right encryption and security technology in place.
2. Brevity - be precise when making your point. Don't overcomplicate things, especially if it leads to a slip of the tongue.
3. Simplicty - keep your messages simple and straightforward. Make it clear for the other person to understand - so you're not repeating yourself.
4. Clarity - make sure your voice is clear and legible. You don't want somebody mishearing you and them thinking you said one thing and you both end up in a situation where sensitive information is accidentaly shared.
Contact Eemits today about two-way radios
If you think your business could benefit from using two-way radios in a way where they won't end up as a hot topic on TikTok, then contact us today. Alternatively, call us on 0800 328 0100 between 8:30am and 5:15pm Monday to Friday.
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