There are plenty of unavoidable “evils” that Disney has to cope with.

Sometimes big storms in Orlando mean that rides inside the Disney World theme parks have to shut down for a while. Inflation on merchandise materials and food products may hurt their profits (although the trend of price increases we’ve seen likely helps to alleviate the impact on the company). But there’s one thing in particular that Disney just CAN’T escape, no matter how much they may want to: social media.

Disney’s Relationship with Social Media: “It’s Complicated”

You might think that Disney’s relationship with social media is unproblematic. The company has several accounts on many different platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and more. There are accounts for the Cruise Line, the theme parks, and Imagineers. They use those accounts all the time to promote events and products, which spreads awareness and advertisements to millions of people every day.

But the relationship isn’t always positive.

One of the biggest problems Disney runs into with social media is that the Company no longer has control over the broader message. Disney isn’t the only source for Disney information anymore. Influencers, content creators, and pretty much anyone who wants to share their opinion can publish their thoughts, good or bad. And while Disney can’t stop people from posting negative things about the Company, they also greatly benefit when people post positive things, which is essentially free advertising. As we said, it’s a complicated relationship.

On social media platforms, news travels FAST. Disney may not even have time to address an issue before millions of people are made aware that it exists. Whether that issue is as simple as a ride breaking down or some funky snack ingredients, or as complex as insensitive comments made by a Company Executive or a problematic performance that took place inside the park, Disney has to be on their toes when it comes to keeping track of what news is going around about them.

For example, in March of 2022, the Port Neches-Grove High School marching band and dancers performed in Magic Kingdom with a drill team routine made up of dancers who called themselves the “Indianettes.” Videos of the performance spread quickly online, and the event immediately drew heavy criticism.

Tara Houska, who is Ojibwe from Couchiching First Nation and is an attorney, tweeted about the incident, stating “Cuz a bunch of kids in fringe chanting ‘scalp ’em Indians, scalp ’em’ is honor, right? And any Natives who attend @pngisd should prolly just accept their classmates dehumanizing them cuz “tradition”, right? Shame on @DisneyParks hosting this. Nostalgic racism is RACISM.”

Disney responded to the incident, stating, “The live performance in our park did not reflect our core values, and we regret it took place. It was not consistent with the audition tape the school provided and we have immediately put measures in place so this is not repeated.”

You can learn more about this incident here.

More recently, Bob Iger made some comments about the actors’ strike in Hollywood that caught the attention of social media as well. Many Disney fans, executives, and celebrities communicated strong approval of Iger’s return to the company back in 2022 and have applauded the recent changes he’s made to the parks and company. However, all of Iger’s popularity didn’t shield him from intense criticism regarding a statement he made in a recent interview.

Shortly before the SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike was called, Bob Iger commented on the possibility, stating that the industry is still trying to recover after COVID-19 shut down many productions. He said, “This is the worst time in the world to add to that disruption.” He also claimed that the writers’ and actors’ expectations were “just not realistic.”

Iger’s words spread quickly through social media and were turned against him multiple times by many actors on the strike lines and beyond. Things really started with Fran Drescher, SAG-AFTRA President, who spoke up against Iger saying “If I were that company, I would lock him behind doors.” She also said that Iger’s comments were “repugnant,” “out of touch,” and “tone-deaf.”

Several other celebrities spoke out against Iger’s statements. Actor Sean Gunn — who worked on Guardians of the Galaxy — chimed in saying, “I think when Bob Iger talks about, ‘What a shame it is,’ he needs to remember that in 1980, CEOs like him made 30 times what their lowest worker was making…Now Bob Iger makes 400 times what his lowest worker is…and I think that’s a [] shame, Bob.”

Although Iger was hugely popular just a short time ago, it only took one insensitive statement from a single interview to turn him into a villain in less than 72 hours.

Find out more about how Bob Iger went from hero to villain in 72 hours.

Iger seems to have taken some of those comments to heart. During the company’s third-quarter earnings call, he again commented on the Hollywood strikes again, this time using a much more diplomatic approach. The CEO started his comments by saying, “Nothing is more important to this company than its relationships with the creative community.” He went on to say, “I have deep respect for all those who are vital to the creative engine.”

Iger ended his short remarks during the earnings call by saying, “It is my fervent hope that we quickly find solutions. I am personally committed to working to achieve this result.” His change in tone from the CNBC interview to the earnings call shows how he had to respond to the criticisms leveled on social media.

Those are some more extreme examples of how Disney can be hurt by social media and the lightning-fast spread of information online. But on the other hand, good news about Disney also travels quickly.

People might see a picture of a snack inside the theme parks and then decide to go buy it themselves. Whenever a new ride or restaurant opens, the Company can get that news out and instantly access a huge audience.

Just how huge is that audience really? Check out the numbers of social media followers on just a few of Disney’s accounts:

• Disney Instagram: 38.1 million
• Disney Parks Instagram: 2.5 million
• Walt Disney World Instagram: 9.1 million
• Disney TikTok: 4.3 million
• Disney Parks TikTok: 5.7 million
• Disney Facebook: 54 million
• Disney Parks Facebook: 1.3 million
• Disney Threads: 2.1 million
• Disney Parks Threads: 289,000
• Walt Disney World Threads: 405,000

We can assume that there is some overlap in followers between the various accounts and social media platforms, but if you add up all of the followers for all of the main Disney accounts (not counting their additional accounts for the parks, cruise line, etc.) on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Facebook, that’s an audience of 98.5 MILLION followers. That means Disney can access almost 100 million people within seconds of posting news.

Learn more about Disney’s complicated relationship with social media here.

Complicated or Not, Disney Doesn’t Have a Choice

But whether they like it or not, this new world of brand management that’s constantly affected by outside influences is here to stay. A study published on Statista shows why Disney has to stay in this complicated relationship. When looking at the sources that influence people’s choices on where to vacation, social media was definitely at the top. 75% of respondents say they are influenced by social media when they’re deciding where to travel next, and it outranked TV, news, movies, family, and friends in this study.

As a travel destination, Disney — and other vacation destinations — can’t ignore the power of social media as an advertising tool. They may not like all the potential problems that come with it, but losing that kind of influence would be devastating for the Company’s theme park destinations.

This Is All Good News for You!

This whole conundrum might be a pain for Disney to handle, but it’s actually great news for Disney fans like you! Because of social media, you can follow honest, independent creators (like Disney Food Blog!!), whom you can trust to share a realistic look at the Disney World restaurants, rides, and hotels. We’re not on Disney’s payroll, which means we’re free to share the good AND the bad of the parks.

We’ve had some super tasty snacks and meals in Disney World, and we’re always glad to tell you about those. We’ve also encountered various problems, bad treats, and overpriced souvenirs, and we do our best to warn you whenever we encounter one of those.

Having so many independent creators covering Disney creates a system of checks and balances that naturally prevents large companies like Disney from sweeping things under the rug. Historically, newspapers have served that purpose, and now the expanding relevance of social media is continuing that tradition.

Sometimes Disney even takes feedback from creators like DFB and makes changes in the parks. In general, Disney has embraced the dominance of social media — they really don’t have a choice. To compete in the travel industry, you have to be present where everyone is scrolling.

Keep following DFB for more news and updates from Disney World.