Social media used in the right ways is a tool that helps people interact with each other. It also has become a useful tool for communicating between individuals and large brands. When there are customer service issues, customers sometimes go to the Support social media pages of brands which feels more personal to resolve any particular issue. One company is now removing that option as Sony announced it will be shutting down its PlayStation support account on Twitter.It was announced early this afternoon that Sony would shut down its AskPlayStation Twitter accounts in a few weeks' time. The tweet states that 1-to-1 PlayStation support will no longer be available and encourages PlayStation users to use the Support tab on the PlayStation website for FAQs, support articles, and "self-help resources." Sony also linked its PlayStation Support YouTube channel for video explanations of PlayStation issues and how to resolve them.The AskPlayStation Twitter account shutdown also extends to region-specific support accounts AskPS_U, PreguntaPlay, AskPS_ANZ (Australia and New Zealand), and potentially others that sent out the same tweet. This message was not sent out on the Japanese Ask PlayStation account. These Twitter pages will shut down on August 1, cutting off an estimated 2 million followers from direct support through Twitter. Sony has not given any further reason as to why these accounts are shutting down.
Fan response is predictably negative, especially under the biggest PlayStation Support account. Sony may feel confident enough in the data it can consolidate most of its possible issues into short videos on its YouTube channel or through its Support website. It may feel that now the Support accounts are redundant and are just used as sounding boards for abuse on social media and would rather streamline support issues after years of data gathering and solutions to the most popular known issues with its products.
Going to Support pages on Twitter can feel like one is talking to a computer, sometimes answering in mechanical ways, and leaving users with unresolved issues. At one time the PlayStation Support Direct Messages would end with a person's initials at the end, making it feel a bit more personal. But Sony is now doing away with that in favor of preset issues and guides to troubleshooting before possibly escalating a PlayStation user's issue to a person at the other end of a Support chat box. It's bound to be an unpopular decision, but unlike other Sony shutdown decisions, this one seems irreversible.