Currently, United is facing a storm of criticism over a story that exploded because they told some passengers they were dressed inappropriately for their flight. The world went crazy, slamming United This is the kind of story that proves my point. The initial postings had no context - people flying on employee passes have to meet dress code - and suddenly a monster is born. There's outrage, consternation and thousands of people sharing what's essentially a non-story. And now United is forced to deal with it. Of course, their initial "we reserve the right" response didn't help, and neither does United's generally non-customer service experience that they regularly deliver.
But the fact remains, that the original story contained no context and in our 'share first, think second' world, context will be even more important, especially for brands. This one was clearly a tempest in a teapot for me.