Social Media: Bad for Business

I drew my inspiration for this week's blog from the AJC article, "Alcohol, Facebook don't mix well for eatery".

This article brings up an interesting point about the fine line between the wonderful feeling of connectedness social media bring and the increasingly "big brother" tool it has developed in to.

Yes, we all love Facebook: it keeps us connected to our world without all that hassle of actually leaving your room. You can keep up with high school friends, or stalk the people who aren't so much your friends, and see what type of life they are living. It has become the ultimate form of expression. People can find out anything they want about you, from what you did last weekend to who you are dating. They know how many friends you have, what their names are, and even what they look like. Many college students spend hours critiquing their own profile. It serves as a major way they are judged as a person, after all.

One of the things that seems to be popular amongst students is showing how much "fun" you are having in college. From wall posts to album names, and to extremely embarassing pictures, many young adults post pictures scandalous enough to horrify their grandmother.

Because many students jumped on to Facebook when it was just meant for universities, many think that whatever they put on here will only be seen by the people they want. Not true.

It doesn't take much intellect or creativity to find those tell-all photos. You never know who is viewing them or whose "Facebook Feed" you are showing up on.

Just today, I got on to discover that my mom created her own Facebook account. I did not learn this because she friended me, instead I saw on the feed "Lisa Rowe Lee is now friends with Leslie Nolan".  Lisa, my mother, had no idea that I would ever discover she had her own page. She no doubtedly created it thinking she could spy on my younger brother. Why would she add her high school friend and not her own son/daughter? Not only is my brother now running the risk of being grounded for an inappropriate wall post, this little story also illustrates how I was able to discover this fact without my mom ever finding out. The moral of the story is that you never know who is looking at your profile or what kinds of things people can find out about you.

We've all heard a million times that employers are using Facebook as a way to screen potential employees. Graduating seniors will now have to ask themselves what is more important to them? Showing off their "fun" factor to all of their friends, or use Facebook as a tool to promote yourself as a professional? Hiding your profile only tells employers that you have something to hide.

It has also been an interesting case study for businesses. Many are taking advantage of the network Facebook offers by creating their own profiles, groups and events. At first, it seems like a wonderful advertising asset.

But as the Kennesaw restaurant has proved, it more bittersweet than a PR goldmine. Big Brother is now lurking around every corner, in every digital camera and in every cell phone. If you are involved in any type of nefarious activity whatsoever, all it takes is a second and the eternalized proof of your blunder can be blasted across the nation.

Social media has drastically changed our world in many ways, and watching the way we all scramble to react to this increasing phenomenon will be interesting.

new media in politics

“Any politician who fails to recognize that we are in a post-party era with a new political ecology in which connecting like minds and forming a movement is so much easier will not be around long."

Andrew Rasiej said this in a recent New York Times article, How Obama Tapped into Social Networks' Power.
As the article said, Jefferson had newspapers, FDR had radio, JFK understood TV, and Howard Dean used the Web to raise political money. Now, Obama can successfully claim social networking media. Recently named Marketer of the Year, it is difficult to argue that Obama's campaign was anything short of genius. He and his staff truly understood the voters and connected with them on an innovative new level. A level that illustrated to them that he was forward-thinking technology-wise, that he was relatable because he liked the same applications they liked (from text messaging to Twitter), and that he cared about connecting to them as individuals. He's friends with important individuals like Marc Andreessen (Facebook!), he sends them personalized texts, and he even has his own ringtone. According to young adults, Obama could be the epitome of popular.
This strategy very likely put him in the Oval Office, so now what?
But will Obama's popularity with his oh-so-loyal fan base chalk up to just a passing fad? Like so many other things made popular by YouTube or viral videos?
Or will he maintain these relationships? If so, what does that mean to the White House, traditionally a place that values confidentiality in the name of things such as national security? What will this new transparancy mean, not only to the way people view the White House in general, but to how a president lives his life? Supporters are going to expect the same level of committment to personalization from Obama, otherwise they may feel neglected. While he's in the middle of a campaign, he texts them, but now that he's gotten where he's going, they don't hear from him again. Silly, but it may leave many feeling cold.
Not only his campaign, but the overall experience that the pervasiveness of media creates puts added stress on a president. They are constantly sharing each moment of their life with millions, some who are eager to critique. Everywhere they turn, there is a reporter, a broadcaster, a blogger, a YouTube-er. Anyone can disseminate any kind of information to thousands instantly.

Rasiej authored another chilling quote in the article:
"Yes, we have met Big Brother, the one who is always watching. And Big Brother is us.”

New Web TV Shows Change the Face of Entertainment

I want to talk about yet another way technology is slowly changing every little facet about our surroundings.
Recently, my class held a conference call with Hayden Black, the writer and producer of Goodnight Burbank and Abigail's Teen Diary. These shows are made for the internet and have garnered a large following and fan base. They are currently looking at advertising to increase their revenues.
The fact that so many people are now choosing to receive their entertainment over the internet raises countless interesting questions.
How will this new medium change the type of messages that are delivered? Abigail's Teen Diary is a series of diary messages a teenage girl delivers through her webcam. This type of story would never work for regular TV episodes. Thirty-minute long monologues would put viewers to sleep. However, internet shows are typically much shorter than regular TV shows, so five-minute monologues work well.
That also raises the question: what is the ideal length of an internet show? The Abigail shows average five minutes. Many other web episodes last around ten to fifteen minutes.
How will these short increments affect the way we take in our entertainment?
It seems that as we get used to this general time frame, it could make us all even more ADD than we already are.
Finally, how does this affect the way people write? Writers for web episodes will have to conform to completely new standards.
Hayden Black also mentioned the fact that writers for the 21st century will have to be able to do it all: write for TV, write for web episodes, and be able to use all of the multimedia (everything from iPods to Facebook) to promote your show.
It is interesting food for thought.