We have been told for years that the internet is forever. Usually, that warning came with advice like, “Be careful what you post” or “Think before you hit send.” But I think we've reached a point where the lesson is bigger than protecting your privacy or cleaning up your social media history. The internet has fundamentally changed accountability.
We've watched years-old posts resurface and force public figures to answer for things they said long before anyone was paying attention. Actress Karla Sofía Gascón entered the 2025 awards season as an Oscar frontrunner before offensive posts from years earlier resurfaced. More recently, a newly hired Portland Trail Blazers announcer lost his job within hours after old social media posts surfaced.
Sometimes, no old post needs to surface. Remember the Coldplay jumbotron incident I wrote about a few months ago? A few seconds captured at a concert turned two Astronomer executives into an international story and eventually contributed to the company's CEO resigning.
Then there is the far more serious case involving the Cornell 7. Messages, photographs and other digital records from 2024 have become central to a national conversation surrounding allegations of sexual assault and the actions of those involved afterward. Those records matter because they give investigators, journalists and the public something previous generations often did not have: documentation.
That is where our PR lesson lies today. There are fewer opportunities now to control the story because, in many cases, the public has access to pieces of the story themselves. Screenshots, videos, messages and archived posts can challenge a statement almost as quickly as it's released, so reputation can't just be something you manage when attention turns your way. It has to be reflected in how you operate when you think no one is watching, and in how you respond when something goes wrong. If the facts are already in front of people, trying to minimize, deny or reshape them usually creates a bigger credibility problem.
The internet being forever is no longer just a warning about what we leave behind online. It reminds us that the public has more visibility than ever before and with that visibility comes an expectation of honesty, accountability and a response that can stand up to the record.
