Emily Papp @emilypapp1-blog - Tumblr Blog

Not to go on and on about Taco Bell on social media...

But I’m about to. Sorry!

https://www.facebook.com/tacobell/videos/10154039435084697/

So you would have to live under a rock to have avoided the format of recipe video that has taken hold of social media, specifically Facebook as of late. I’ve been watching them for quite some time, just like everyone else. Something about the simplicity of the idea and the fact that foodporn is a real desirable thing elicits a positive emotional response!

So, naturally, like anything else on the Internet that people like, we started making fun of it.

Taco Bell is not the only page on Facebook who has riffed on the recipe video format. Here are some other examples:

This recipe video that not-so-subtly pushes back against extreme desserts

Or this Buzzfeed feature on Trump’s steak recipe

As much as I enjoy the original recipe videos, I think this is such a hilarious development. And look what each of these pages was able to do by parodying this concept!

Taco Bell turned their parody into a smart, witty and (imo) effective ad for a breakfast menu item. Buzzfeed combined the troll wars over Trump’s unusual steak order and the popularity of recipe videos into a political statement that was fun to watch. That, to me, is the true American Meme.

emilypapp1-blog

I just posted my farewell blog post, but I just saw this and need to comment on this. I think that this post is extremely relevant. A good majority of my Facebook and twitter feed is taken up by these “recipe” videos. Being the horrible chef I am, I always watch each and every one of them, in the hopes that somehow I will become better at cooking by watching them.

I feel like if I almost need to go back and edit my first blog post because it’s what takes up an entire chunk of my newsfeed. I’m not necessarily complaining though, but after a while they do get old. I think my “filter bubble” has been altered because of how many times I click to watch the videos/share them with friends. I’ve even fallen for the clickbait and “checked out the recipe” from the sketchy URL

I think it’s about time that someone made fun of these videos. They’re extremely cliche with their background music and minimalistic settings. I find it funny though that Taco Bell, of all fast food giants, capitalized on this. Hey, good for them, they reached their target market AND managed to make us all craving cinnamon bites.

Farewell

Starting this blog five months ago, I never thought that I would be the kind of person that would actually like blogging. I wouldn’t necessarily label myself as creative and therefore, I was somewhat nervous about coming up with original blog topics, other than the prompts. However, once I started writing in my blog, I began to like the concept.

I thought it was so interesting to see what other topics people chose to write about, and I liked following their posts as the semester progressed. I found it interesting to read through everyones posts, because by doing so, I was able to come up with more content for my blog that was essentially inspired by their posts.

Going into this assignment, I didn't expect people to come up with particularly exciting blogging topics. However, the variety that we had was excellent and really helped to further/start conversations in class.

However, I believe that this assignment had much greater implications than just finding something I liked to write about. Since starting my blog, I have noticed a significant improvement in both my informal writing and my writing for social media. I feel like I write with more fluidity and clarity and can identify what pieces of a story have the potential to be “sticky” or “spreadable” and fit those pieces into 140 characters or less.

I liked how we had a mix of specific prompts and free writing during this blogging experience. In one of other my classes that I am taking this semester we also had to create a blog. However, all of the blog posts that we had to do were free written. The blogs themselves had no clear theme but only acted as a platform for you to display your work on. I had a lot of trouble writing blog posts for this particular class because I felt like my posts were all over the map. I dreaded posting blogs for that class and found myself looking forward to posting blogs in this class.

Overall, I really liked this experience. Going forward I will definitely take the blogging + social media skills that I learned throughout the course of this assignment wherever I go in life. Hopefully, if all goes well, maybe I'll have my own blog one day!

carlysdigicommblog-blog

It's sometimes amazingly accurate, too.

On the heels of their Tay chatbot fiasco, Microsoft is back with a new AI fail.

Captionbot is an experiment that analyzes photos in hopes of independently identifying what it sees. Sometimes it succeeds, and sometimes it really goes awry.

I laughed out loud at some of its attempts which, although probably a bit embarrassing for Microsoft, seems like an important follow up to Tay.

Where Tay quickly became terribly offensive and bigoted, Captionbot is kind of just naïve and useless. For everyone that found themselves feeling jolted and nervous about the future of AI after Tay, they can now feel a bit more at ease, knowing that there is still a long way to go and that what they saw before was simply another error being ironed out.

emilypapp1-blog

I find this so funny because I saw a buzzed article about Tay’s attempts on twitter and laughed out loud at some of it’s attempts (though I probably shouldn't have). They ended up having to shut Tay down after a day because of the racist comments, referencing Hitler etc.

However, this post just reminded me of a new Donald Trump styled bot called DeepDrumpf. The bot is designed to mimic Trump’s tweets and language and tweet messages just as Trump himself would. The bot was developed right down the road, at MIT and is continent upon “just a few hours of transcripts of Trump’s victory speeches and debate performances.”

Some of the bot’s tweets are:

“We have to make the United States. They can’t do it. Because I’m going to pay for the country.”

“OK, it's amazing right now with ISIS, I tell you what? I don't want them to vote, the worst very social people. I love me.” (LOL)

The algorithm itself was inspired from a study conducted last year that showed that trump speaks at a fourth-grade level. Additionally, the name was based upon a recent Last Week Tonight segment with comedian John Oliver, who pointed out that Donald Trump’s ancestral last name is, in fact, Drumpf.

The creators not that “It didn’t take that much work,” to get a bot to sound a whole lot like Donald Trump. He quickly began getting “crude”results that were “sort of like English, and very similar to political rhetoric.”

rachelsdigitalblog-blog

TopPitch

The concept of “wearable tech” has been trending ever since the release of the Apple Watch. I recently went to the new Fashion Tech exhibit at the MFA and saw many different fashion prototypes that incorporated technology, from LED outfits, to purses with phone chargers, and 3D printed dresses. The problem with most of these innovations is that they are extremely expensive, and not very accessible to the public - until now. Topshop has just announced that they will be creating a new and affordable “wearable tech” line, in collaboration with emerging tech start-ups. Referring to it as “when fashion meets function” the brand is currently accepting pitches and ideas for potential tech collaboration until May 22nd. The start-ups will present their product to the CEO, and the winning company will win a chance to see their creation produced for Topshop in a new line called TopPitch. The CEO made the following statement that really resonated with me:

“Every single day, there are people looking to reinvent, in some way, the consumer experience. You cannot sit idly by. It’s a place we’ve got to be in, it’s something we need to be doing. We have got to be a part of that next generation.”

I find this statement very true, and it makes me realize the power that staying ahead of technology truly holds. I think they are choosing a smart business approach through targeting consumers who have yet to experience an aspect of fashion tech. It is also interesting how fashion brands are actively seeking out technology companies, instead of the other way around like Apple did with the apple watch.

As a regular consumer of the brand i was both intrigued by the new product, and happy to see the large corporation also supporting small businesses. I will definitely be on the lookout to purchase when the line is released.

emilypapp1-blog

I’m so glad someone did a post on this topic. I also went to the MFA to see the Fashion Tech exhibit and loved it. I thought it was so interesting to see all the designs and concepts. My favorite was a dress which was controlled by an iPad. The user of the dress could essentially decide what pattern they wanted to appear on the material. I think this design could have several implications in the real world, if it was actually marketed towards regular consumers.

Maybe around a year ago, a shoe company, Indiegogo, created shoes that changed colors based on an app the user had to download. They were called “ShiftWear trainers” and they made their rounds on social media and even DailyMail.com.

I think that the concept behind wearable tech has been around for years, like you mentioned. Definitely since the release of the Apple iWatch people have been crazed, looking for the next best thing. TopShop is definitely the right store to start this trend, since it already has an established brand and customer base.

Hopefully this concept of this wearable tech will go off without a hitch and prove to be the new way we wear clothes.

When I was 12...

I feel like my parents say it all the time “When I was your age I (fill in the blank)” and unfortunately, I have become that person. I went on vacation a couple weeks ago and saw one of my cousins who is 12 years old. Her and her brother (8 years old) are completely obsessed with their phones. Both of them actually have phone plans and are free to text their friends. When I was 8 I had all of my friend’s home phone numbers memorized so that I could call them at home, not message them.  

Personally I think 12 (6th grade) Is a little young to have a phone, but 8 (4th grade) is really pushing it. The sad thing is that my little 8 year old cousin was one of the last ones in his grade to get a phone. They both use all of the apps that we all do, Vine, Music.ly, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp, etc.

These kids are way too young to be posting their own content on social media, let alone understanding the privacy policies. As a 20 year-old adult even I struggle with understanding some website’s privacy policies…so then how are 8 year-olds supposed to understand these terms? App developers definitely take advantage of the younger generations and their click-happy demeanors. One incident that comes to mind regarding this, would be Kanye’s rant about in-app purchases.

North, Kanye’s daughter, racked up a pretty hefty fine in in-app purchases while playing one of her games from the app store. Kanye basically said what every parent was thinking, why do games targeted for 2 year-old children offer in-app purchases, and why is there no security measures put in place to stop children from purchasing all of this content? I have to say, I agree with his logic behind this one.

An article by the Huffington Post, What Does it Mean to Be a Kid in the Digital Age, believes that children love social media because it gives them unlimited access to their peers and allows them to preform many standard developmental tasks such as identity development. However, though this may sound wonderful, these children need to learn about the social world both in the real and virtual world (which can prove difficult at times). This is essentially what helps to lead to cyberbullying and internet-shaming amongst youths who don’t necessarily understand the implications technology and harassment have on others.

There’s no clear solution to this problem, it is what it is. In regards to social media and children, the article believes that Ironically enough, if you try to keep children away from social media and technology when they are younger, they’ll end up using it when they are not with you and you can’t help them learn and model safe behaviors. The trick is to stay involved at all times, and make sure they learn in manageable doses.

My love/hate relationship with GIF’s

I was always very hesitant to use gifs in my blog posts, not only for this class but on my personal blogs and other social media sites. I always felt like they were one huge inside joke that all the people in technology knew about. As your average social media user, I felt like I never had the credentials/power to use them.

I know in one of our previous classes we talked a lot about some people having a social media “image.” As much as I hate to admit it, I think I am one of those people. I don't go as far as assigning my blogs or social media profiles “themes” but I defiantly am extremely selective of what I post.

I follow a lot of my family, employers, and professors on my social media sites so every time I go to post something, I consciously think about how they would react to what I post. I try to stay away from all of those “Who’s your hottest friend” or “What celebrity do you look the most like” quizzes. That being said, I rarely post on my social media sites like Facebook and Instagram. For the most part, my Facebook is just pictures that either a friend or I have posted.

I always see people that I follow posting GIFs along with their tweets and Facebook posts, and I always laugh at them (especially if they are from Parks & Rec or of Beyonce). However, that being said, I think that there is a right way to use GIFs and a wrong way to use them. I have seen posts where the GIF actually helps get the message across/adds to the message, and I have seen posts where either the GIF completely distracts from the message or actually has a different conniption that is irrelevant to the original post.

Knowing myself, I would use it in the wrong context and completely confuse my viewers. That’s why i’ve been experimenting with GIF’s on my blog posts on here to work up my confidence. My classmates, @carlysdigicommblog, in particular, uses them perfectly and has actually inspired me to use more in my posts.

So, we’ll see where this takes me.

Cinco De Mayo

This past Thursday, more formally known as Cinco de Mayo, trump committed social media political suicide. To show his “love” for Hispanics, trump talked about how much he loved the Trump Tower’s taco bowls. Basically the same thing right? Wrong!

Rightfully so, thousands of people are up in arms. I’ve seen some creative renditions from people who find the humor (and racism) in the tweet. One of my favorites came from Nathan Fielder:

So many people have sarcastically interacted with this tweet that it really appears as more of a cruel joke instead of a political statement (like trump was somehow trying to make). I can’t decide whether i’m appalled or surprised at the amount of people that have interacted with this Donald’s tweet. As you can see from the picture I attached from his tweet, he has well over 17 thousand likes and retweets.

Obviously it’s hard to tell whether this tweet was liked/retweeted sarcastically, but either way its so interesting that he can post something with such racist undertones and still get so many likes and comments from it. Apparently Donald’s method proves “spreadable” in some shape or form.

In my opinion I think that people like and retweet his content not to necessarily show solidarity with his ideologies, but to almost say “look what he’s doing now.” The Daily Show's Trevor Noah was wondering (as many others probably were), how Trump could think that such a simplistic and cliche tweet could make up for calling Mexican immigrants rapists and murderers.

I think there is such a double standard present in the elections that Trump can tweet and Instagram these obscenities and get away with it. However if Hillary or Bernie dare to mention a race in a sarcastic context like this, they would be ostracized.

Google’s New Painting Tool

Somewhere along my journeys on social media today I found out that google created a new software (if you could call it that?) that allows for users to “paint in a 3D space with virtual reality.” Essentially, you put on 3D virtual reality glasses which are synced with the HTC Vive phone, and the room becomes your canvas. All you have to do to create masterpieces is hold a large paintbrush scraper shaped object and draw where you want your art to appear.

I’m fully aware my explanation of this new product does it no justice, so I have attached the promotional video to further explain:

I think that this is an amazing idea and could be extremely useful for people like architects and designers to sketch their ideas in an interactive environment. The social media post that I originally found this in talked about the implications that Tilt Brush could have on the future of art. It suggested that in the (near) future we might see Virtual Reality museums and galleries popping up. That way, individuals can interact with the art instead of viewing it from afar.

I wonder how this product will do going forward. I can imagine that it comes at a price, though I couldn't find the exact number anywhere but I've seen some estimates at around $800 for the full package (app, headset and tool). Several years ago, Google released Google Glass which was supposed to be a huge success. Google Glass is, in it’s simplest form, smart glasses. Like if you combined your iPhone with your reading glasses type of deal. When it was released it was something that everyone wanted to get their hands on... but then it seemed to disappear. I hope that this is not the same for Tilt Brush!

I’m excited to see where this product goes and hope that the price goes down the longer it’s on the market so that normal people can actually have a shot at getting this product... We’ll see!

Project Update

I am extremely happy to announce that everything printed perfectly! A few minor bumps along the road but I finally made it to the end.

(how I feel about finishing my project)

As (i think) I mentioned in my previous post about my project, I printed two. One to hand in and one to show to potential employers. I have an interview for a summer internship coming up this week and I am excited to add this piece to my portfolio.

Funny enough, right after I finished my project a new app caught my attention that actually has similar features to mine. The app is called SafeTreck and is all over social media. I think the company is paying twitter users to tweet about their app, because I have seen the same tweet that has been posted from several different accounts. Essentially, the app’s premise is wherever your walking you hold down a button on the app, whenever you feel safe again you enter a pin that you set up through the app. If you fail to enter your pin, police will be notified.

The website for the app is professional looking but seems to have too many users for only being around for about 30ish days... Also, you have to subscribe to the service. There are three payment plans, a free 30 day trial, 2.99/month, or 29.99/year. There’s also a button to inquire about pricing for an organization. This app seems extremely similar to one that I actually have called Companion. It has the same premise, hold a button until your safe or the police will be notified. I have actually never had to use the app, but I don't know if it would be the first thing to come to my mind in an emergency situation. I think I would much rather call the police than going through a third party source.

After doing my project on a school safety app, I think that it is really good that these kind of safety apps are starting to come out now. The school safety app market is essentially a blank slate, there really are no apps that effectively work to protect schools and students. However, if this app SafeTreck is actually a real thing, I think it could really find itself successful in marketing towards schools and colleges.

Check the safetreck website out for yourselves :https://www.safetrekapp.com

What I’ve Learned About Designing an App

For my final project in this class I have decided to create a concept for an app. I essentially did everything but make it functional (way past my realm of knowledge). Being 98% done, I can honestly say that this has been one of my favorite projects to date.

I think this project is one of my favorites because I didn’t need to follow any sort of specific guide line. It gave me the ability to express my creativity and put exactly what I want to see implemented in an app. Because I'm so obsessive compulsive, this project has probably taken me longer than I would like to admit but hey at least all the text is lined up perfectly.

Embarrassingly enough, It took me probably a day or so to try to figure out what font to use. However, I ended up researching what default font Apple uses on for iPhones and used that one (Myriad Light...I think).

Overall, I’m extremely happy with how it came out (on the computer). It has yet to be printed...which I’m sure will be a whole ordeal. But I’ll be sure to report back after that happens.

After it’s all said and done (and printed) I’m hoping to make this project one of my strongest portfolio pieces. A lot of my minimalistic-esque style is represented through this app and (I think) is a really good reflection of the work that I am able to produce.

As a final note, I realize this post’s title doesn't necessarily correspond with the content because I'm not exactly speaking to what I learned from this experience.However, I guess you’ll just have to read my (short) App-book to find out what I learned!

Donald Trump + Social Media

Per our decision in class today, I decided to further look into Donald Trump’s social media habits.

I found an interesting article by CNN titled “Trump:The social media president?” The article actually related exactly to what we had been talking about in class regarding where each of the presidents sit regarding their uses of technology. The article labeled FDR as the “radio” president, rightfully so. JFK was labeled as the “television” president, and Obama emerged as the “internet” president.

The article then takes a leap, assuming that Trump will be our president, and labels Trump as the first “social media” and “Reality TV” president. The article makes a pretty good point that a Trump presidency is possible. “In every generation, the triumphant politician is one who first masters his era’s tools.”

Interestingly enough, Donald is 69 years old. This isn’t his “era” per say. Most people in their late 60′s that I know, barely have figured out how to log onto Facebook (if they even have one) and always mistakingly like Instagram’s because they are trying to zoom in. So therefore, I have no idea how he does it (except with the help from his aide’s)

The article also talks about how the more outlandish his comments, the more fame he gets. “In the old system of carefully controlled images, going wildly off message with bombastic statements would terminate a campaign. But not on a reality TV show. There, saying and doing crazy stuff just makes you more famous.” It’s so sad that this is the reality that we live in now. The article argues that Trump is not necessarily breaking the rules of social media, he is instead, playing by a whole new set of rules.

I hardly ever expose my political views on topics, but I just want to make clear that I do not support trump in any way. However, that being said, I have absolutely nothing against those who do. Opinions are opinions.

Overall, I think that it’s so interesting how effective Trump’s social media campaign is compared to the other candidates. Is it successful because it’s so raw? Or is it so successful because it’s Donald Trump who is posting it? Who knows...

Link to the article:

http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/26/opinions/jones-trump-social-media/

The Evolution of Texting

Ten years ago (or so) I can remember reading a Tiger Beat article about Miley Cyrus (that should be able to tell you how long ago it was). In the article Miley talked about how she had trouble focusing on conversations when she was texting. I don’t remember exactly what she said, but it was something along the lines of her getting in trouble from by mom because she was having two totally different conversations, one with her mom and one with someone that she was texting.

This article has stood out in my mind for years for a couple of reasons. When I read it in the magazine, I couldn't understand how you could have a full conversation over text message. Back then, I would only text simple things like yes or no or those sort of things. It was hard to keep a conversation because with the phone that I had (Lg Chocolate) you couldn't see your entire conversation history. Instead, the messages would pop up one by one.

Looking back, I think it’s so funny because I can finally sympathize with Miley. At any given time I have about three different conversations going on over text. I constantly hold conversations with people in person about one thing, while I am also having a conversation over text with someone 300 miles away.

It’s become extremely hard, not just for me, but for society in general, to pull ourselves away from conversations on our phone. These conversations have spread past texting and are present on Facebook messenger, Twitter direct messenger, Instagram messenger, Snapchat messenger, Email, etc... I know people who are constantly switching between apps just to reply to their various messages on all of these platforms.

I worry that because we are devoting so much time to all of these different apps, messages, and conversations, is the content of our actual (face to face) conversations changing? When talking to someone who’s texting, most of the time, it’s extremely evident that they are disengaged from what they are saying to you. How did our phones become more important than our face to face communication?

-Just some food for thought curtsy of Miley Cyrus circa 2006

Fandoms (In the realm of the Bachelor)

Michelle McCudden gave us her two cents about fandoms and her research (dissertation) on them, over the course of her career. Michelle specifically identified four major fan-based identifications: Casual fan, big fan, true fan, and too big fan. These identifications certainly apply to a broad range of fandoms, ranging from high culture shows like Game of Thrones to low culture shows like Dance Moms or Real Housewives.

I would personally loosely identify myself as a big fan of the Bachelor (no surprise there). I enjoy it so much i’m actually writing a literature review on the way that the show is constructed (through gendered norms, hegemonic ideology, sexism, etc...) for one of my other classes. I don’t have viewing parties, though I wish I did... Instead, it’s just me and my roommate yelling at the TV from our respective beds.

Believe it or not, we (my roommate and I) have tried to call into the show multiple times. We never got through, unfortunately, but there’s always another season! If i’m not able to watch the show live, I search the #bachelor to find out the latest scandal or who was sent home, and occasionally retweet some of the things people have said about the contestants.

It took me a while to come to this point of being labeled a big fan of the Bachelor. I’m really bad with names, so therefore I never really thought that I would be able to follow the plot line of the show until this last (most recent) season. My roommate, however, is amazing with names so when I say “the girl with the brown hair who cries a lot” she will be able to say “oh, do you mean Rose?” and that’s basically how I followed the show this entire past season.

I find it funny that I never really considered myself part of a “fandom” until now. I thought I was just your average Bachelor fan, who participated every once in a while. I find it cool, though, to be identified as a big fan of something. Maybe one day i’ll run a bachelor forum (who knows).

Zombies and Digital Culture?

Author of Present Shock, Douglas Rushkoff, talks about ways in which we (society) are struggling, as well as how some of us are thriving. Rushkoff talks about the theoretical apocalypse, referring to it as “Apocalypto,” something that we necessarily don't realize we need. In Rushkoff’s mind, this will happen when the intolerance for presentism leads society to fantasize a “grand finale.”

People identified as “Preppers” stock their underground shelters, (like any right-minded individual would) while the rest of society ponders a zombie apocalypse, all hoping for a simpler life without of pings, updates, or responsibilities by any means necessary. Rushkoff believes that through Apocalypto, “Human evolution will surrender to that of pure information.”

Rushkoff believes that collectively, as a society, we aren’t used to stories that just keep on going. All of our books, movies, and video games have defined endpoints, to which we have become accustomed to. We are used to winning, or losing, which we perceive as better than an infinite game. For many of us, Rushkoff believes, it’s preferable to create something of a zombie apocalypse.

As concerning as Rushkoff’s thinking is, it makes sense to me in a way. As finals come closer, deadlines begin to loom, and group projects never stop emailing me, I think that a zombie apocalypse would be nice once in a while.

A Closer Look at Venmo

For a while, venmo seemed like a myth to me. I never really knew about it per say, but I had heard of it. I chose to take a closer look at this brand because of how relatively new to the app-world it is, but also how visible (and successful) it is across various existing social media platforms.

On April 4th, in honor of Baseball opening day, venmo tweeted:

The tweet hardly got any interaction. After looking at previous tweets, I found that there really was no interaction amongst any of the tweets, let alone this specific one. It’s interesting to me that such a presumably successful company is somewhat struggling on social media.

In order to make this specific tweet “more spreadable” I think it would be interesting to make a video or maybe make a contest associated with the partnership. That way, it would encourage Venmo users to not only interact with the tweet (by replying), but also interact with the app/partner. It could also be considered an incentive for non-venmo users to download the app in order to be part of the contest.

Overall, I think that Venmo needs to produce more content in the form of images, videos, contests, polls, etc... in order for them to gain more interaction with their tweets, Facebook posts, or Instagram’s. Since the app could be considered “social media” in the way that it operates, it would be beneficial for the app to have a good social media presence as framework.

Final Project Progress

So far, so good! My work has yet to veer from my original proposal, and has stayed pretty much on track. As of now, I have spent time researching gun-safety/school-saftey app competitors mainly online. The most useful resource has been the Apple App store, specifically the comments section.

Another useful resource has been google. I have looked through several reviews of the competitors applications and have been jotting down specific ideas for my own app.

I have yet to actually design my application but I have sketched up ideas. I spent a good amount of time trying to make a Logo for my application, and got so wrapped up in choosing a typeface that I had to remove myself from the process. However, I have some good ideas for the logo going forward. Looking at different apps in the app store has given me a good idea of what I want to ideally do.

My next steps are actually transferring my sketches to the computer. I plan on having them all done within the next three weeks if everything goes according to plan!

rachelsdigitalblog-blog

The End Of Digital Advertising Is (NOT) Near

The name of the article that I chose to examine this week is an Op-Ed from Social Media Week called “The End Of Digital Advertising Is Near And You Know It,” by Demetris Stefani.

I disagreed with this article because I actually think the opposite, that the concept of Digital Advertising is actually just beginning, and has the potential to evolve into an entire new platform for reaching audiences.

The article states that because advertisers started to “spam, spam, spam” audiences at the start of the digital age, there is no longer a tolerance for advertisements in the digital space. I agree that there is not a tolerance for “in your face” advertising in the digital space, however I’ve already seen major signs of a big evolution in the works.

For example, Instagram added “sponsored posts” as a new form of paid media. This way the content being generated by brands is more creative and relatable, generating more interest & impressions. These posts are clickable and lead directly to a company’s site, just like traditional digital advertising.

Another evolution I noticed is the trend of using influencers to generate content about your product or service. This creates a shareable appeal for audiences because it gives brands both a story, and credibility. What is even better about using influencers is that the brand already aligns with content the audience wants to see. This way, it doesn’t feel invasive or intrusive.

These are just some of the ways that digital advertising is taking new forms, and why I believe the possibilities are just getting started. I would agree with the article if its reasoning wasn’t so terminal and definitive, but suggested more of a change to digital advertising.

emilypapp1-blog

I enjoyed reading this post because it was similar to one that I had done previously (Cleanliness is next to godliness). From what I can tell, it seems like both articles referenced the idea of (digital) advertising significantly decreasing. Though that would be a wonderful thought, I side with you, Rachel, and agree that advertisements are nowhere near done.

To add to your examples, I know that besides Instagram, Twitter has also established “promoted” tweets and Snapchat now has “snap stories” of different events all over the world, with different advertisements dispersed amongst them. I completely agree with your point that digital advertisement is not dead, rather just taking up new forms, it’s essentially adapting to the up-and-coming social media platforms. The more platforms that develop, the more we’re going to see these advertisements.

I know that personally, I sometimes don’t even register something as an Ad. I have become able to either scroll or click right past it without even thinking twice about it. It’s concerning that this day in age, we sometimes can't even differentiate between what is an advertisement or what is actual content.

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