Digital Culture and Social Media @marceau-comm323 - Tumblr Blog

chloe-meck

This crime was solved with a Fitbit

While scrolling through news stories this week, I came across an unexpected headline: “Police use murdered woman’s Fitbit to charge her husband.” I never doubted today’s technology to be helpful with police investigations, but never realized how many devices should actually be considered in that category.

The husband’s original story of an intruder murdering his wife did not sit well with police. They were able to get a search warrant for her Fitbit to track her movements before the crime and the IP addresses associated with them. The tracking information that was revealed did not match the husband’s story, proving he gave a false statement and reason to charge him.

I think that using everyday technology like fitness tracking devices for something as crucial as a murder investigation is fascinating, yet unnerving. In this case, it was extremely helpful in revealing the truth and hopefully giving the victim’s families closure and justice. Though, the fact that it is possible to see a person’s movements and locations at any given time is a bit concerning for privacy issues.

This reminds me of the whole find my friends app situation and the current debate over privacy that I’ve previously discussed and blogged about. It’s interesting that in our current digitalized world anyone can be tracked. As to how this will effect crime I think that it will be a useful way to trace criminals steps through various things such as cell phone locations, IP addresses, social media posts, video monitoring systems and even now through devices such as fitbits. While our world may not be any safer, it is certainly making people aware of their actions and how traceable those actions are. I think that technologically moving forward people will self-monitor and society will become more pan-optically centered.( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panopticism) With the knowledge of how technology tracks people, people may begin to slightly change their behaviors.

The Benefits of Measuring Trends

http://www.sparksandhoney.com/

Picture this. A bunch of diverse, quirky, cool people sitting in an open office behind huge mac monitors intently staring at their laptop screens and occasionally taking sips of their americanos. Around a month ago I had the opportunity to go with Andy and PRSSA to Omnicom in New York City. One of the events scheduled for the day was to sit in on a daily briefing at Sparks and Honey which is a company that measures and tracks trends so that their clients can utilize this knowledge of trends to better reach their target audiences. The topic of that days briefing was the 90′s. How fitting right?! The briefing consisted of a presentation referencing a lot of buzzfeed articles including style, music, crime, pop culture, makeup and the overarching theme of nostalgia. At the end we even watched this iconic 90′s music video https://youtu.be/0P4A1K4lXDo. During the briefing employees were able to elaborate on the topics brought up and give their personal insight. At the end of the meeting employees had to speak with the group about how they would share any applicable information with their clients. It was such an interesting and fun experience and I would love to work there, but with that aside it was also incredible to see how these big name companies are able to perfectly craft campaigns so specific to their target audience. It was crazy to think that before attending this briefing I felt that when I identified with a product or a certain campaign it was just due to my personal interests, but after this meeting it was so very clear to me that everything that companies do is so specific, thoughtful and direct. This experience has given me an overall awareness of how trends are being tracked and measured to target specific people and generate success and capital.

It’s all fun and games until robots take over...

https://www.buzzfeed.com/nicolenguyen/amazon-echo-look?utm_term=.yvqxxgXOjw#.nnk66KNE8B

“Today in Bizarre Gadget News: Amazon has unveiled a hands-free camera, powered by its voice-activated assistant Alexa, called Echo Look. It’s essentially an Amazon Echo speaker with eyes and no fear about telling you how your ass really looks in those jeans.” This concept aside from it’s obvious surveillance/privacy and trust concerns sounds pretty amazing. I like to think that I know what looks the best, but sometimes you just need a second opinion! I think that the inner techie in me loves this concept, but the simple, anti-technology grandma would NEVER buy this. I feel like this device could go wrong in so many ways and if this surveillance got into the wrong hands it could create a huge privacy problem. Moving into the future I feel like surveillance products will become more popular, but I also feel like things should stay simple, especially with the whole current debate over technology and privacy.

Privacy In the Age of Technology

Last night, I was made aware of an app installed on all of the current iphones that allows your friends to locate you anywhere you are. The app “find your friends” invites your friends and loved ones to have the ability to find your location on a map anywhere you are. Initially I thought this was awesome because I love being able to stalk people, but then my second thought was “wow this is actually really creepy!” Given, you can pick and choose who you allow to have access to your location, it still sends shivers down my spine to know that not only other people have that information, but the fact that Apple constantly has my location as well. Sitting at Thorntons a couple drinks deep I began to have a privacy epiphany. It dawned on me that even when you think you’re alone or if you want to go off the grid for awhile you are never truly by yourself because Apple as well as your friends have this location information. While these technology innovations are useful, they evade our privacy in more ways than one. Even if we choose to unplug from our digital devices, they are still completely intertwined with our identity as humans. All in all, I allowed two of my friends to have the ability to see my location, which doesn’t really bother me quite as much as the fact that Apple constantly knows my whereabouts and even if we are separate from our technology we will always be a part of it.

Fandoms are actually cool and complex

After listening to our guest speaker discuss fandoms I realized that there were myriads of intricacies that are involved in fandoms as a topic. The breakdown was almost overwhelmingly large, but Michelle did an amazing job at touching on the most important aspects and explaining them in a consumable manner. Initially I thought of fandoms as majorly those sketchy hardcore fans that troll the message boards and dress up and go to comic con, but after Michelle’s presentation I felt way more in the know about fandoms as a whole. One of the more interesting subjects in fandoms that we discussed were race and gender. When we went around the room introducing ourselves at the beginning of class I said that I was a fan of Game of Thrones, and later on in the presentation Michelle used Game of Thrones as an example of a gendered fandom. This was something I had given little thought to. I found it extremely interesting that she said that it was an emasculate show, because I have been told that I have a masculine personality and characteristics. It was interesting to hear that even fandoms are gendered in our society. The comparison she made between Twilight and football resonated with me and made me think about the ways I have gendered things subconsciously and then made judgements based on those assumptions. Moving forward I think that I will keep this new information in mind and use it to my advantage when discussing aspects of pop culture and gender, because it is another example of how gender is so deeply ingrained in our society.

rachelsylvia13

Wouldn’t it be nice?

Ever since examining the amount of hours we spend consuming content on our phones, I’ve felt myself become hyper-aware of my device use and the use of those around me. Suddenly, I feel a little guilty about the amount of time I spend using my phone and started reflecting on the reasons why I use it. I’ve elected to moderate some of my device behaviors, from the times I engage with it to the kind and amount of content I consume while using it.

Looking around I’ve started to feel like I’ve chosen the red pill in The Matrix. I feel so aware of mine and others consumption, while everyone around me doesn’t seem to realize or consider the amount of hours and reasons they are on their phone.

Prior to reflection, I used my phone (and admittedly sometimes still do) for many reasons beyond just communicating with others. My phone was the perfect tool to get out of every awkward or uncomfortable situation. If I didn’t want to talk to someone while waiting to walk into the classroom, I would whip out my phone and suddenly I was untouchable, invisible; no one would approach me. If there was an awkward silence in conversation, I would fill it with screen time, oftentimes continuing the conversation with something I just read on my phone. Need a distraction from the existential dread that comes with being an upperclassman in college? Not a problem, that’s what scrolling through social media feeds is for. I spent so much time using my phone to get away from things that made me uncomfortable that isolating myself from the world happening around me was a talent, which turned into a pretty nasty habit.

When I started recognizing that my phone use was having a negative impact on my relationships with others and myself, I decided to take a step back. I set boundaries for myself. I don’t use my phone when I am with others, I think twice before absentmindedly hitting the like button and I stopped taking out my phone to fill a spare moment and started people watching. These choices, however irrelevant they may seem, have had a profound impact. I feel more confident when speaking to others and I feel closer to my friends and family. While I still find myself needing a distraction sometimes, I have stopped distracting myself from important relationships and present moment.

The difficulty, then, is that those around me still use their devices the way I used to. I find myself looking around a room full of my peers and every one of them is looking at their phone. Even starting a conversation does not pull their eyes from the screen. In order for our relationships to improve with others there needs to be reflection and adaptation of our technology habits to each relationship.

Do I expect people to have a technological epiphany and change their habits for the better? No. But it would be nice.

I feel the same way. I have recently become more aware of my habits and have actively decided to change my screen time. When I am with friends or in public I try to make an attempt at putting my phone down and engaging with those around me. I agree that I don’t think that people will have a “technological epiphany” and look up and away from their phones, but maybe if just one or two people start to do it other people will follow and catch on and it might in turn create a domino effect.

beccaruesch

Why I think Amazon is Slowly Taking Over the World

Last week, Amazon announced that they acquired the rights to stream the NFL’s 10 Thursday Night Football games for the 2017 season, which Twitter did this past season. Not only does this show that TV and cable packages are starting to become less popular, but it is also another deal Amazon has made to make them one of the number one brands for all consumer’s needs.

They obviously have a wide variety of products and services, already making them a “one stop (online) shop”. They also introduced drone delivery within one-hour of purchasing online. Yes, this proves how far we have come with technology in the digital world, but it also is slightly terrifying to think just how much ownership and influence Amazon has on our lives. Amazon Prime currently has around 65 million members in the U.S. and that number is only growing. Streaming NFL Thursday Night Football I think will result in an increase in Prime memberships and I also think is another step closer to Amazon becoming the sole provider for most human experiences.

It’s a weird topic to think about, but Amazon has made huge traction over the years, and I believe that as our technology continues to advance, so will Amazon. I would not be all that surprised if in 10-15 years, we were all using Amazon for shopping, watching TV, buying groceries, and every other daily activity.

Also, in regards to Amazon, I think it is strange to think that a company that was started online is beginning to try and open brick and mortar stores while many businesses and stores are doing just the opposite. You mentioned that Amazon is “becoming the sole provider for most human experiences” and while their user experience is incredibly personal and intimate I think that by expanding into brick and mortar stores, they are hoping to establish their brand even further as a business that creates those experiences. By expanding from online to in-store, Amazon is becoming more accessible to those who do not have access to computers or the internet and they are growing their brand and their target market. It’s scary to think that maybe in a few years Amazon could be creating a “monopoly” not only online but in person. They are definitely still gaining traction and I don’t foresee them stopping any time soon.

Social Media and Activism

I wanted to touch on some main points that we discussed in class. #1, “slacktivism” and how this term kind of defines millennial culture and #2 how we can change this stereotype and use slacktivism as a launching pad for “real activism”, since we didn’t really brainstorm any ways to begin to make change in our own lives. Most of us in the class admitted to utilizing slacktivism, but we didn’t offer solutions as to how we could be better.

#1. Most of us, including myself are guilty of slacktivism. It’s really easy to change your profile picture on FB to have a filter of the LGBTQ flag, the French flag or “I stand with Planned Parenthood.” It’s easy to share articles about activism and join activist events for a day. Millennials notoriously look for the easiest solution. While we enjoy the quick and easy way, we also enjoy being active in our communities.

#2. We don’t have to stop this notion of “slacktivism”, but we have to be more aware of what and what we aren’t doing for these causes we “support.” We can continue sharing articles and joining events, but we have to insert our own commentary. We have to share these articles, but we have to include text, we have to start dialogue and conversations. We can change our profile pictures, but we must show support in many more ways than that.

Participating in activism over social media is growing and becoming one of the most popular and advantageous ways to do activism and is doing so many great things for the causes we support, but we must use social media as a tool, not just as the sole platform for activism.

Should Snapchat be laughed at for being a marketing tool?

chloe-meck:

Of course, not all organizations should start snapping. I feel that there is a mutual understanding amongst many people though that Snapchat should not be taken seriously as a marketing tool at all, but I wonder how accurate that is.

Recently, I came across a commercial while watching television for the upcoming Power Rangers reboot. As someone who was born in the ‘90s, this caught my attention but it was kept by an interactive Snapchat icon. This teaser trailer posted as a digital short is very similar to the television spot.

I unfortunately wasn’t able to grab my phone quick enough to test it out myself. However, I looked up other viewer’s experiences later on to find that by adding the Power Rangers Snapchat account through the television icon, it unlocked a Power Rangers themed filter.

I am not sure in the end how successful this campaign was, but I do find this strategy to be very interesting. I think the user interaction across multiple platforms could increase a more loyal and informed fan/customer base.

This post reminds me of an interview and blog post that I just did at my internship. I discussed social media with our expert who not only handles our clients social media, but our own internal social media accounts. One of the most important things she stressed to businesses trying to create social media plans is not feeling like that have to utilize every single digital platform. While something like the new Power Rangers reboot may utilize snapchat effectively, a client such as MIT, may not even need to have snapchat as part of their program. She advised to businesses that it is most important to first assess who your audience is and where they are and then figure out which social media platforms will best reach them.

While Snapchat may seem like an odd tool for marketers to be using, I think that it has its time and place.

Competitor List

Direct:

1. Google maps

2. Yelp

3. North Adams Tourism FB page

Indirect:

1. WOM

Screener

Age: 16- 65

Location: Berkshire County

Smartphone owners