In this age of changing technologies, like smartphones, remote work, AI, and social media platforms, direct access between company and consumer is at unprecedented levels. This shift has changed the way products are bought and sold, with consumer-facing social media platforms creating a lucrative tool for corporations to connect directly with the consumer base. Similarly, a product seller or other high-profile individual can post on social media and immediately engage with the public.

However, social media can present a double-edged sword, such as when individuals use social media to harass or embarrass a company or its employees. For example, consider a person who acts poorly in a restaurant, berating staff and causing management to ask the customer to leave. The now infuriated ex-patron then takes to social media to post incendiary comments on the restaurant’s Facebook page in retaliation in an attempt to tarnish the restaurant’s reputation and harass the restaurant’s employees. Does the restaurant have any options?