03.23.09

Picoult, social media and social interaction

Posted in Uncategorized tagged , , , , at 3:16 am by leannebull

Though I have many interests, one of them would definitely be reading. In fact, I would call myself an avid reader. I even have my undergraduate degree in English Literature.

One thing that I have noticed from my years of reading is that literature is usually not too infused with trends. However, lately I’ve been reading a lot of pop lit, and I have seen brief mentions of topics such as social media.

This past week, I read Jodi Picoult’s newest book, Handle with Care. But while I was reading, I came across a discussion by one of the characters that piqued my interest regarding the topic of social media.

The novel is told from the point-of-view from a variety of characters, all in first person. One character, a lawyer named Marin, says this at the beginning of one chapter: “Facebook is supposed to be a social network, but the truth is, most people I know who use it – me included – spend so much time online tweaking our profiles and writing graffiti on other people’s walls or poking them that we never leave our computers to actually socially interact.”

This led me to ask myself if I, too, replace social interaction with social media devices. The answer is: definitely. There are some acquaintances I speak with primarily on Facebook, and that works for me. I always make time for face-to-face interaction with my close friends, though social media allows me to keep up with more people than I could otherwise.

Academics have also looked into the balance between social media and social interaction. Researcher danah boyd (yes, with no capitals) has written a number of pieces about socialization and culture as they pertain to social media, including a dissertation. In it, boyd discusses how teenagers use social media as part of their identity formation, and also talks about the implication these online communities create in the social lives of teens. My teenage years were complicated enough without the added pressure of ‘fitting in’ online. It will be interesting to see how these teens a decade or so younger than myself will interact as they age.

I think social interaction has evolved; it doesn’t always make sense to talk to people on the phone, or see them in person, when it’s easier to send a Facebook message. However, I just don’t believe that social networking can ever truly replace human interaction. There are nuances and emotions that cannot always be detected through social networking tools.

Social media can also limit the amount of time people spend communicating. Many times, this can be helpful, such as in the business world. However, on a personal level, when interaction is reduced solely to 140 characters, important elements can be left out.

So what do I think the solution is? I think a mixture of social media and human interaction is crucial, but frankly, the ratio is up to each individual’s personal preferences.

03.18.09

Kids and the social media phenomenon

Posted in Uncategorized tagged , , at 2:11 am by leannebull

Recently, I had my first experience doing a podcast as part of a class assignment for my Online Public Relations class. We were to develop our podcast around a topic pertaining to social media. So, three of my fellow students and I chose to discuss how kids use social media. We interviewed Jen Lord from Corus Entertainment, who manages social media for YTV. I can safely say that in doing our assignment, we learned a lot about how social media engages and impacts the younger generation.

                As part of Gen Y, my use of social media revolves around Facebook, Twitter, blogs, Youtube, wikis and a host of other tools. I haven’t had parental control over my internet usage for quite some time, so decisions to use social media are all my own. However, there are a lot of considerations that have to be taken into account when it comes to kids using social media. 

                There are ethical dilemmas, such as privacy and minimum age requirements, that must be considered when kids use social media. This includes the issue of having 13-year-olds on Myspace, for example, with open profiles that are open to potentially dangerous audiences. This is reflected in the chatroom-related fears of my youth, but with more pictures and personal information than before, thus more danger.

                We discussed on a lot more in the podcast, which can be found on my friend Emily’s blog: It’s Social Media Time, Do You Know Where Your Children Are? . Please have a listen!

                I find it interesting to think about the future of social media, being that kids are utilizing social media tools at progressively younger ages. I have touched on this in previous entries, but it just happens to be something I think about often. Once again, however, how social media evolves with the younger generation simply remains to be seen.

03.11.09

Generational vs. lifestyle differences in the use of social media

Posted in Uncategorized at 5:37 am by leannebull

As a student that’s gaining new knowledge about social media by the week, I must say that I still find myself taken aback when people don’t know about various social media phenomena. I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but in the CC+PR program I’m in, we discuss these tools so often that they’ve become second nature.

I have previously made reference to generational differences in terms of social media awareness, but I’ve come to realize lately that it’s not just a generational thing – it’s a lifestyle thing. I’m no expert on generational differences or definitions of the GenX/GenY/Boomers, etc., so this is based solely on personal experience.

I have tried to explain what Twitter is to people in their teens and early twenties, plus forties and fifties. I have received the same blank stare from people of many ages. Facebook and Myspace are easier to explain because of the direct connect-with-friends feature, though others like Delicious and Twitter don’t resonate the same way. For example, earlier this evening I was beckoned to look at a video my father was fascinated with on EBaum’s World and noticed that EBaum’s pages have a Digg.com button. Thus, I tried to explain why someone would want to use Digg, but again, blank stare and confusion.

Yet, plenty of people in the field of  PR, marketing and communications – from all age groups – participate in social media. Whether it’s one’s job, or proximity to a computer, or involvement in social groups, a number of lifestyle factors affect the use of social media. Sometimes people just need to have the various tools explained and shown to them so the doors to wider forms of communication can be opened.   

I’ve found that using the term “social media” can often cause confusion, because some people engage in, or are aware of, social media without understanding that’s what it’s called. I had the same reaction last fall, since I’ve been reading blogs, using Facebook and wikis and so forth for years. I just didn’t know how to define what I was doing, and was unsure what it meant on a larger scale or in the field of communications.

Obviously some of us adopt certain forms of social media a lot more quickly than others, while some take longer to catch on. I mean, I just started using social bookmarking a few months ago (cue embarrassed face). I’m sure a lot of usage relates to exposure as well, plus the type of lifestyle one lives.

Marydee Ojala, in her article entitled “Social Media, Information Seeking, and Generational Differences”, states that “One hallmark of new phenomena is the lack of standardized terminology to describe it.” I definitely think this is why it can be so much harder for people outside of the world of social media to catch on. But hey, what would help me first and foremost would be a standard definition of corporate communications and public relations, because trying to explain the field to friends and family members can be tricky!

03.05.09

Engaging LOST fans through social media

Posted in Uncategorized tagged , , , , at 12:51 am by leannebull

I am one of ‘those’ LOST fans.

 

Yeah, I excitedly sit in front of my TV every Wednesday night at 9 p.m., and then I proceed to tweet periodically during the show itself. Even just in the Twitter community there are many loyal fans of LOST, judging by the ubiquity of the #LOST hashtag on Wednesday nights. But, LOST and social media interact in many more ways than merely by fans on Twitter.

 

The official LOST website exists within its network’s website, ABC. This website contains many elements of traditional TV show websites before the advent of social media, including a photo gallery, videos, basic character bios and merchandise. However, this site offers some forms of social media that allow fans to engage in the show on a different level.

 

ABC.com also offers an official weekly LOST podcast. There are both video podcasts, which allows for commentary and episode footage to go hand in hand, and audio podcasts which are more in-depth. These podcasts may offer commentary from the actors or the producers, and they incorporate questions which had been asked on the ABC blog.

 

The ABC.com blog, “Live from L.A.”, offers entries from many of the ABC primetime shows. It is written by a freelance writer named Dave Campbell. What is great about this blog is there’s a face attached to it, so it comes across a lot more personal. Plus, fans are encouraged to comment and interact with Campbell, creating more of an online community, just like social media is supposed to do.

 

The official LOST website offers a lot more by way of extras, including a widget, as well as a nickname generator inspired my favourite witty character, Sawyer (for the record, mine is ‘Tinkerbell’…) both which can be added to social networking sites.

 

There are many fan sites on the web that engage LOST fans through social media and communities. One large fan site is DarkUFO’s blog which offers a Twitter account, liveblogging from LOST events, a large fan forum and more. There is an extremely extensive LOST wiki, called Lostpedia, which also has a blog, forum, and all of the show information a fan needs. Plus, Facebook has hundreds of LOST groups and applications. Those are just a few of the LOST websites that exist – I’m barely scratching the surface.

 

Now, I like TV a lot. There are only so many hours in the week for just watching the shows! Thus, I don’t actively engage in too many of these forms of LOST-centric social media. But after looking into them for this post, I think that may change!

 

I do have to mention that supplementary information is especially helpful for a show like LOST, which has routinely made a point of being confusing and leaving questions unanswered. I’ve watched the show from the first season, and stuck by it during its low points, but it’s been worth it in the end, now that we fans are getting the answers we’ve been waiting for.

 

I believe that people trying to get into the show at this point would have difficulty without the aid of the previous seasons. If you’ve never seen LOST, I strongly recommend renting the first season and seeing what you’ve been missing!

02.22.09

Social media and the makeup industry

Posted in Uncategorized tagged , , , , , , at 4:44 am by leannebull

                One of my main hobbies and interests is makeup. I know that this can sound somewhat superficial, but I swear, there’s more to it than merely liking lipgloss. For me, makeup is an outlet for creativity, and a form of artistic expression. The bottom line: it’s fun.

                I am also interested in the ways customer-generated social media has changed the makeup industry.

                I started reading makeup forums and blogs a few years ago. At the time it was a way for me to learn about brands, products, techniques, and general makeup artistry. Now that I understand a little more about social media as both a theory and a practice, I see the fusion of makeup and social media in a different way.

                One of my favourite higher-end cosmetics brands is MAC (Make-up Art Cosmetics), a Toronto-based company that is sold worldwide. MAC has a significant presence in various cosmetics-driven social media sites. Much of the representation of MAC on these sites and communities is not even associated with the company itself, aside from a Youtube account and Facebook page that I know of. For MAC, I see this as an extension of the word-of-mouth marketing that has helped it become successful for many years.    

                There are various sites that demonstrate the impact customer-driven social media has had on makeup fans. Specktra.net, for example, is an online makeup community that calls itself “the definitive independent MAC Cosmetics authority,” though it discusses many brands besides MAC. Specktra has a blog, forum, photo gallery and videos, among other things. Specktra boasts over 40,000 members, though I’m sure more people visit the site without being a member. Specktra allows tens of thousands of makeup fans to discuss and recommend products, post pictures of their makeup, and learn tips and tricks.

                Youtube is also very important when discussing social media’s influence on the cosmetics industry. I can say from personal experience that watching makeup videos on Youtube has increased my desire to buy certain products. Judging by comments I see accumulate on makeup videos, I’m not alone.

                One common type of makeup video made is a “haul” video, in which Youtubers will show viewers recent items they’ve bought. This is not exclusive to cosmetics, but I find it very intriguing, since social media has done a lot to contribute to hype for makeup brands. Haul videos, combined with reviews and tutorials – these all contribute to a high level of hype that persuades viewers to buy featured products for themselves.

                What I find most interesting about the convergence of social media and makeup is that social media allows makeup fans to essentially “sell” products to each other, without much involvement from the company or brand. And who doesn’t like free, positive marketing?

02.17.09

Online Branding and Bon Iver

Posted in Uncategorized tagged , , , at 6:18 am by leannebull

A common topic that comes up in various classes of mine is the idea of “branding” oneself. A lot of discussion has also arisen about building an online brand.

                Last semester, I volunteered at Talk is Cheap, a web 2.0 “unconference” held at Centennial. At that time, the concept of social media was still relatively new to me. That experience was when the need to brand myself online first became apparent. It was suggested that night that an online brand could be the difference between getting a foot in the door and not. I may have been an avid Facebook and Youtube user prior to starting at Centennial, but I realized that my use of social media could lead to bigger things.

                This got me thinking about musicians and how the use of social media contributes to their brand, and how the internet can truly open doors.

                Last summer I was told about Hype Machine, the music blog aggregator. At first, I would just use it to search for remixes to songs I already knew and enjoyed. At some point in the fall, however, I started to read various blogs that featured artists I liked. There were some unfamiliar artists that I kept seeing, one of them being Bon Iver.

                Bon Iver is the stage name of Justin Vernon, whose music is best described as indie-folk. In 2007, Bon Iver self-released an album entitled “For Emma, Forever Ago”. An interview with Treble demonstrates that the blog world helped create an online presence for Bon Iver before he even got signed to indie record label JagJaguwar.

                In his early 2008 review of “For Emma, Forever Ago,” Jason Ferguson of Harp Magazine discusses the “blizzard of indie-blog hype that’s accompanied this disc since it was self-released”. This hype is still continuing, with blogs and other forms of social media attracting even more fans.

                Bon Iver’s online brand has been created largely at the fingertips of fans that have wanted to share his beautiful music with the world. To say that Bon Iver has taken the world of social media by storm is certainly an understatement – even Googling him leads to over four million hits. He may not be on the radio every few minutes like some artists, but his reputation as a talented singer-songwriter is recognized by bloggers, Youtubers, and music fans alike.

                I follow few celebrities on Twitter, but my favourite one has to be Rainn Wilson, who portrays Dwight Schrute on The Office (strangely, I keep relating things back to The Office – it’s not planned!). Rainn hasn’t had a Twitter account for too long, but now his follower count is up to 58,421. Recently, he tweeted this: “I was recently turned on to ‘Bon Iver’. His song “re: stacks” is one of the most gorgeous things I’ve ever heard in my life. Give him money.” I can’t help but think if Bon Iver built an online presence with the help of bloggers, I wonder what celebrity endorsement will do for him!

 

02.09.09

“I have got to make sure that Youtube comes down to tape this”

Posted in Uncategorized tagged , , , at 3:10 am by leannebull

On a recent episode of one of my favourite shows, The Office (US version), the loveable yet clueless boss, Michael Scott, remarks: “I have got to make sure that Youtube comes down to tape this”.

Even though Youtube has not been around that long – around four years now– it is arguably the most well-known video sharing website on the internet. I’m sure that’s why many companies have utilized Youtube for various forms of marketing. I’m also pretty certain that I would fall into the age range many of these companies would be targeting by using Youtube.

If I want to find a clip of something online, Youtube seems like second nature to me. It has for years. So I have to admit, I was a bit taken aback when about two months ago, I found out my father had no idea what Youtube was. He works in the skilled trades, so it’s not like he’s on the computer all day, but he does spend a lot of time online at night, often watching videos on his favourite site, EBaum’s World. I went ahead and introduced him to Youtube, though I’m not sure if he’s deviated much from EBaum’s.

So these generational differences have led me to really think about the future of social media, and really, the internet in general. I remember being maybe nine or ten years old when my family got our first PC and our “awesome” dial-up internet. I will sheepishly admit that at that age, my online entertainment revolved around Geocities fan pages for the Spice Girls.

Thankfully, my musical interests have long since departed the pop music genre, but I still keep track of my favourite artists online. Only now, it’s on Youtube, their blog and other music blogs (especially Hype Machine), their Myspace page, and their personal websites. I am able to appreciate music in a new and exciting way because of social media.

Back to the issue of generational differences: what I often think about is that the children that have been born recently are going to grow up with so many forms of internet technology being second nature to them. I can still remember life before the internet, but they will not be able to. I can only imagine what the internet and social media will be like when they reach my age, and I’m definitely not qualified to make any predictions of that nature. I am kind of jealous that they will be able to appreciate music in ways I could not at a young age!

The Michael Scotts of this world may not understand Youtube, but as the younger generations age, I can’t wait to see how social media will evolve with them.

01.23.09

Hello blogosphere!

Posted in Uncategorized at 7:02 pm by leannebull

Hi, my name is Leanne. I am currently a CC+PR student at Centennial College.

I’m hoping this blog will be a good medium for my thoughts on the interaction between the entertainment media and social media, maybe with some musings on PR in general thrown in for good measure.

You’ll be hearing more from me soon!

In the meantime, follow me on Twitter!