Sunday, 8 December 2013
TIME 14:52
Digital Activism


Digital activism is a concept that it not apparently clear to me upon first thinking about it. However upon pondering it quickly I can begin to understand the simplicity of the two words, digital and activism. Activism is not a new term or activity however much like everything else these days it has and is becoming more digitised, that is it is being expressed more openly on a worldwide and open forum such as social media. There are many activists who have been influential on a number of subjects throughout history, whether it be for peace, anti-war, freedom or anything else deemed a worthwhile cause. In the modern era activism is open much more broadly to anybody for any reason. Julian Assange and Occupy Wall Street are some examples of people or organisations taking to modern, digital technology to spread the word of their causes in order to achieve their goals. Julian Assange is someone who has been made very popular in various forms of media because of Wikileaks, I will discuss this in more detail in a later blog. Occupy Wall Street was a phenomenon aimed at ridding social and economic inequality. While now I cannot recall the exact end result I do remember how popular the movement was. Occupy Wall Street coined the term “We are the 99%”. A term that it was impossible not to see or hear for weeks, maybe even months after the protest first started. Like most protests however it was subject to criticism mainly drawn to the fact that the 99% they were claiming to be was an outdated and inflated figure. Luckily to good people at South Park were able to shed some humorous light on the matter and simplify it in this sort video.
 
But how did Occupy Wall Street use digital activism to get their message across? Organisations such as AdBusters and Anonymous were used to spread the word using their pre-existing worldwide member base to inform those with similar view as to what was thought, desired and planned. Both of these organisations use an array of social media and other digital technology to send their messages across. Digital activism is still relatively young, and while there are organisations such as AdBusters and Anonymous around, any issue be it important or not, as the possibility to be made public should there be enough interest in the subject matter.

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Saturday, 7 December 2013
TIME 16:23
Twitter for Business

Many business big and small have found a voice using various forms of social media. Twitter is one of the most prominent and with over 550 million active users it is an easy way to reach out. Businesses have found many different methods of connecting with their followers, to raise brand awareness, announce new and upcoming products or even just entertain with interesting facts of figures about their industry. The most successful businesses have found a balance of letting their followers know about what they are doing but also engaging with them on a personal level. In recent times twitter has developed into a customer service tool which depending on how well and quickly it is done can have positive or negative effects to the brand. By responding positively and quickly to customer complaints or queries, not only is the asker satisfied, but the brands whole following is also able to see how well they have dealt with the issue and potentially answering a question many other also have. Alternatively, not issuing a response or not making an effort to satisfy or rectify the issue is also seen by the entire following which will have negative results.
Twitter lists a number of success stories on their business site. By use of ‘promoted tweets’, essentially an ad dressed as a tweet that shows up on the twitter feed of anybody who fits into your demographic, businesses are able to expand their reach and use twitter to enhance areas of their business, be it visitors to their website, more online sales or just extra twitter followers. Bigger brands too have found success with many finding large followings. The image below (link) shows the 25 most engaged brands out of the largest 100 followings. As stated on the right, the 10 most prolific content creators were not on the list of most engaged. This could be due to tweeting too much which doesn’t allow followers the time to read, think and engage before the next tweet come along.
With all this said, twitter is not for everyone. There are many brands which will not see any benefit of twitter and there are many which will not want to put in the time to generate followers and constantly engage. Like most forms of social media for business, creating an account is one thing, but failing to follow through and create interest, connect with people and be regularly active will prove to be a waste of time. Twitter is around to keep users in the know and if a business wants to capitalise on what twitter has to offer then finding the right balance between regular updates, connecting effectively and generating interest is the only way.

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TIME 16:06
Mobile Devices

It is clear that mobile devices are taking over our lives, it is hard to go anywhere without seeing somebody motionless staring deep into their smartphone screen. To owners of mobile devices the benefits are obvious, instant access to information, entertainment, socialisation, shopping and anything else you could want. But does this take away our human interaction and lower our face to face socialisation skills? It is hard now to have a conversation with somebody and add your own creative spin to your argument without somebody pulling out their phone and “googling it” only to prove you wrong and promptly end the discussion thanks to Wikipedia’s take on the subject.
As a mobile device owner, you essentially become ‘always connected‘, meaning that no matter what you are doing, where you are somebody can get hold of you. Even when on holiday it is common to receive a work email and feel obliged to respond, the sender too may feel that because you are contactable you should respond despite the situation. As 63% agreed in a New Zealand employment survey, technology resulted in them doing more than they used to (link). This can make it hard to break down the work-life barrier which leads to many doing work late into the night or on weekends, this is particularly bad for people who have international connections or colleagues which can cause the stream of conversation to flow steadily from when you finish a day to when starting the next.

Self-reliance on mobile devices is also a particularly worrying trend. Many people have become less organised that those of the past thanks to being able to send a text or make a phone call. It is rare to make plans with a group or individual to meet at a set time, at a set place and not be told at the last minute someone is late or unable to make it. For me it appears as though the ability to plan ahead and ensure that they are there is rapidly becoming less common.

All these points mentioned highlight some of the negatives of mobile devices, however it is easy to see how they can be used positively too. Mobile devices have the ability to make our lives much simpler and easier to manage if used well, and like anything else should be used in moderation. Especially in children, attention should be paid to make sure social development is not hindered by means of constantly playing with a tablet or phone. Mobile devices can be a powerful tool but they can also be damaging to society if not used well.
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Sunday, 24 November 2013
TIME 20:26
Introducing the Pub Couch

Much like most of you reading this, I have written this post not because it will be graded or examined but to introduce myself and this blog with something to look at, rather than a blank page with "No Posts" staring you in the face.

I figured since this blog is about social media I should work out what breed of social media user I am. From my research there are many form and this image Social Media Breeds breaks it down for you (its pretty big so I thought I better not clutter my new, tidy blog and link it instead). From this like many people as it seems, I'm a "Lurker", hiding in the shadows of cyberspace.
By birth, and no fault of my own, I'm a "millennial" or "Gen Y", not happy about that. However, my parents are part of the "Silent Generation", so I figure since most of my mates come from "Baby Boomers", we can use simple maths average it out and just say I am Gen X, they have a better reputation. Maybe in time I can convince people of this idea. I do have many traits of a millennial and I think I am going to have to accept it.


Essentially I don't think social media is a new idea, it is just more accessible on a larger scale. The expansion of social media has benefits and disadvantages which I'm sure I will understand more in the upcoming weeks.

That's enough dribble, come back for something more in depth next week. Until then, what social media breed are you?
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