Can one have too many Social Media accounts?

Last week, while presenting a Social Media 101 for an organization I am currently doing a placement for through UOIT with another placement student (and a fellow PR classmate), I came to realize that our current generation forget that not everyone is aware of what the heck we are talking about when it comes to Social Media!

The employees we were presenting to were completly thrown off when we used the example of the White House now  having a Tumblr account. After some silence, the audience all asked, “What’s Tumblr?!” and mentioning Flickr just completly confused everyone.

It is understandable, because our generation were born into when technology and social media were introduced and being utlized for personal and professional use. That’s not to say older generations do not know how to use Social Media – there are plenty of people, in fact 65% of adults ages 50-64 and 49% of adults over 65 use social media.

Most adults are on Facebook and Twitter, but now with the emergence of hundreds of new social media sites, how much is too much?

I realized by the end of writing this post I am active on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Flickr, Instagram, MyFitnessPal, and embarassingly quite a few more.

However, it looks like the more I get involved with other social media sites, the less interested I am with Facebook. There are many speculations that Facebook is losing its appeal.

So, on that note, do you think Facebook will lose it’s popularity? Do you think Twitter and Instagram will follow? Do you think there are too many social media sites to keep up with?

The Power of the Hashtag

 

In my last post I talked a little bit about the hashtag #BreaktheInternet and how corporations utilize and bandwagon on trending hashtags to grab whatever attention they can get – and who can blame them? It is exactly how social media works.

But hashtags are also utlized heavily for social change. There has been a lot of debate with social media social movements and slactivism, however persistence and a strong group behind the efforts, social media movements can be very successful.

Recently, a fellow PR classmate introduced me to the hashtag #TakeDownJulienBlanc, a Twitter movement that worked hard to literally take down the racist and sexist self-proclaimed “pickup artist” Julien Blanc and the “Real Social Dynamics” (RSD). Julien Blanc, travels the world and offers lectures on picking up woman to hundreds of people for $3000 per person. However as soon as his videos of him grabbing women by the neck, commentary about the “easiness” of taking advantage of foreign women, and posts advocating violence towards women surfaced, it created a public uproar.

Soon enough, a young girl that goes by the Twitter handle @JennLi123, launched the petition after seeing the horrific videos to have Julien Blanc and RSD’s lectures cancelled. The petition up until today has 52,292 signatures and still 22,708 short of the goal. Yet, several hotels and places holding Blanc’s lectures have cancelled his appearance after thousands of people on Twitter tweeted them about the kinds of material he teaches, they were more than happy to comply. In fact, just recently, Blanc’s visa was withdrawaled, and Canada and Brazil and working to keep him out of the country.

Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister, responded to the hoards of tweets he recieved regarding banning Blanc and RSD:

After being publicly shamed, Julien Blanc hid his tweets and disappeared from social media for a bit until the other day where he agreed to come on CNN and make a public apology.

It is clear social media can play a HUGE role in making social change.

What are your thoughts on the future of RSD and Blanc? Do you have any examples of successful social media social movements? And failed ones?

#BreaktheInternet

I’m sure you have already seen the infamous Kim Kardashian “Break the Internet” photos for Paper Magazine that have been circulating on the web.

Whatever your thoughts are on the photos, love or hate Kim Kardashian, it did not take one second for average folks, celebrities, businesses, and just about anyone to talk about the photos online through social media.

One thing we failed to recognize was how Kim Kardashian’s photoshoot was definitley a publicity stunt and it is no question Paper Magazine will be making money.

According to theStreet, Kim Kardashian earned 578,000 mentions on Twitter in just the two days following the big reveal. The hashtag #BreaktheInternet also had 360,000 mentions. The hashtag also slowly evolved to other topics, other than Kardashians posterier.

It did not take long for other brands and corporations to take advantage of the popular phrase and hashtag.

For more click here.

Looking at the amount of retweets and favourites, you can’t really blame them!

Kim Kardashian is a brand, her brand will possibly lead to some higher sales for many companies, but it’s social media that really made it happen.

If Kim Kardashian did not tweet her photo of herself on the front page of Paper Magazine, do you think we would have heard about it?

My Thoughts on the Jian Ghomeshi Scandal

Jian Ghomeshi’s scandal continues to unfold and just when you think you’ve heard it all, something new comes along.

If you don’t know about Jian Ghomeshi, he is the host of CBC’s popular and successful show Q. He caught media attention when he was fired by CBC after a sexual abuse allegation made its way to CBC executives. Before CBC announced anything regarding the situation, Ghomeshi decided to announce and defend himself on his Facebook account where he states he was fired by CBC because of a “jilted ex girlfriend” who made false allegations.

Upon reading his message, I actually gave him the benefit of the doubt, it sounded like a heart felt message that first. If it was in fact true, Ghomeshi may have done the right thing. Well it appears that he may have 9 “jilted ex girlfriends”, because after one brave woman stepped forward about a horrific encounter, many others did as well. Now his message looks like a complete lie and it proves that there needs to be more discussion on this matter. It is no surprise his PR firm and anyone ultimately related to him on a professional level cut ties with him.

It is interesting to see how Facebook, a social network, was used as a tool to announce a serious matter. These kinds of scandals were often once expressed on the news – whether it was on paper or television. Facebook, to me at least, seems like an informal method for for sending such a message. Perhaps Ghomeshi and his PR firm at the time, saw it as the best way to reach out to the direct audience – the fans and the public. However, it’s interesting to see how social media changed the landscape of public relations.

Whatever the case, his message on Facebook showed in fact that it did help him – until multiple victims stepped forward. In a matter of few days, Ghomeshi’s fans continue to plunge.

Facebook Likes before and after his sob story:

(For more graphs click here.)

It is clear that I am not a fan of Ghomeshi, but I hope that this situation is handled correctly by the authorities and the women who have spoken out have the courage to continue being strong and move forward with their lives.

So on that note, what are your thoughts on Ghomeshi and how do you think social media played a role in this scandal? Has the fine line between social media and traditional media outlets diminished? Do you think Facebook was the correct method of reaching the audience or should Ghomeshi and his PR firm have chosen another way to better?

 

 

 

 

What It’s Like to Join A New Social Network

About a week ago I wrote a blog about the new social network Ello (click here)!

If you haven’t heard about it yet, it is a new social media site currently running a beta version and invite only. Unlike Facebook, it will not sell user information and respect privacy. The only catch is it will cost to use certain features.

I found a halarious video that asks questions that I’m sure many social media users are asking:

What will compel you to join another social media network?

Would you join Ello once it’s open to the public?

Social Media as a News Source?

One of the great things about social media is how fast and accessible users are to the most current news.

It is no surprise that Facebook, Twitter, and others similar sites are increasingly becoming the main news source for many. I came across an article that released some graphs that illustrate how many people use social media as a news source and which sources are the most popular.

Before the prevalence of social media, my main news source was Breakfast Television, morning news and entrainment program that would go over the weather and highlights of the news of the day. I would also pick up the Metro newspaper on my way to school to read things that interested me – and of course the horoscopes. However, as soon as Facebook and Twitter became widespread, I found myself being more aware and proactive in conversations about issues today.

I remember when there was a 5.0 earthquake from Quebec through Oshawa to parts of Toronto in 2010; I immediately noticed my friends and family posting about the quake before seeing it appear on the news.

I think another reason social media is a great news source is because of the interactivity of social media websites. We are able to interact with each other about certain issues or even talk to the news source it self -many photos new sources use are sent to them through tweets!

Although social media is a great source for news, there is definitely a huge difference in the way the news is carried out to the public. Of course there are professional news sources on sites like Twitter, but we also learn about certain issues like this for instance:

As you all may know by now, Ebola is a deadly viral disease, and with the recent outbreak, it is the main topic of the news.

However the news media talks about Ebola as a pandemic and social media, well…

That’s not to say that it’s a horrible thing, personally I think its great that the younger generations are more aware and at least talking about issues that they may have not mattered to them.

What do you use as a news source?

 

Non-Selfish Communication

Chris Gostling, the founder of Momentum Visual, gave a wonderful presentation on non-selfish communication to our COMM4510 class.

We learned that the key to effective communication is to speak in the language of the audience. Language in this case does not necessarily mean English, French, Chinese, or such – although this type of language should be considered. However, in this case language refers to directly speaking to the audience in the manner in which they understand the meaning of the message. A great example Gostling used, was if a scientist were to give a message to a general audience, he/she would avoid using scientific words or jargons only understandable to scientists like himself/herself and confuse others.

He also mentioned that the two methods of using non-selfish communication is ‘translation’ and ‘interpretation’. Translation means using the right words, which is often used in marketing to avoid mishaps like this:

For more like this, click here.

Interpretation, is the best way to say it, which is the main focus for PR. As Gostling states, it is “less about yourself, more about engaging the audience”.

Gostlingalso introduced the elements in understanding the audience.

Comprehension, is what the audience currently understands. Here the person or organization sets the language.

Interest, is how much does your information matter to the audience. In this segment, the organization defines the tone of communication.

Threshold, is that in the time you have with the audience, can you tell them everything. This determines the amount of content created and also what distractions are possible.

The most notable thing Gostling stated in his presentation is that due to diverse interpretations and opinions, “nothing is a solidified fact”, thus the marketer or PR team really needs to understand the audiences to be an effective and successful communicator!

 

 

Goodbye Facebook?

Ello’s Logo

Ello.co, a new social media site, claims to offer everything Facebook already does, expect one more element: privacy. The company reports that they are ad free, in fact here is their manifesto:

“Your social network is owned by advertisers.

Every post you share, every friend you make and every link you follow is tracked, recorded and converted into data. Advertisers buy your data so they can show you more ads. You are the product that’s bought and sold.

We believe there is a better way. We believe in audacity. We believe in beauty, simplicity and transparency. We believe that the people who make things and the people who use them should be in partnership.

We believe a social network can be a tool for empowerment. Not a tool to deceive, coerce and manipulate — but a place to connect, create and celebrate life.

You are not a product.”

I was hoping to join the website and see for myself but I learned that it was invite only for now.

However upon reading this article, I learned that the reason for the ad free social network was because the creator himself states that the internet has become a “billboard”.

The only catch however is that it will charge for certain feature since they will not be making money from ads or selling user info – but only for a few dollars.

Would you leave a free service to pay for one if it means having privacy?

“Meet My Love” Campaign by Addition Elle

A happy and heartwarming video to start your day!

Addition Elle, a plus size fashion retail company, launched a contest called #MeetMyLove where the audience have to upload a picture of themself and their partner and describe their love story. They entry date is over but we are able to vote the best story here. The grand prize is a romantic trip to Montreal among other things!

I think it’s a great contest that cater to the plus-size audience that are often ignore or overlooked in the fashion world and a great way to reminds plus-sized women that they are beautiful and their significant loves them for the way they are.

 

 

Should Public Messages be Regulated?

I find it absolutely surprsing and horrifying that ads like this are allowed to be displayed publicly:

According to this NewsWeek article, this ad was launched this month in New York city and will be displayed across 100 busses and two subway stations. It recieved a lot of criticism for being anti-Islamic but was widely criticised for originally posting the image of John Foley minutes before his beheading by ISIS. Foley’s family had the photo taken down and the image is now like the one above and with 6 other designs.

This ad reminds me of many other contraversial ads in the past (I apologize if the following images offend anyone):

Pro-Life campaign

Childhood obesity ad

Peta Ad

However these particular ads are not only subjected to political, religious or other social messages but companies that also sell products:

An ad for Burger King in Singapore

A Lego Ad: “Kids shouldn’t watch too much tv”

Antonio Federici: “Ice Cream is our religion”.

The advertisments above made me cringe, but I think it is interesting – kind of great on some levels – that we have the freedom to spread messages on public advertisments without limitations. However, I do believe that organizations should regulate the kinds of messages they send the public in case it does spread hate or offend people. Clearly that is not the case, but that’s just my opinion!

What do you think?

Should material posted in the public sphere have limitations?

Why do you think some companies create campaigns to stir controversy knowing there will be backlash?