Part of what I do for a living is help clients understand the importance and relevance of the technologies offered in the age of new media. Search, Blogging, Affiliates, Online Ad technology and now social media. Social Media has been around for a while but was really ushered into the Interactive scene in 2003 by the popularity of MySpace.com. A simple concept site that allows users to create a page about themselves and connect electronically with their friends has now become the 4th most popular English speaking website in the world. Followers were Friendster, YouTube, Wikipedia, Black planet, Mi Gente�, etc All these sites that allow users to generate their own content (including text, audio, or video) and share it with the world or just a select few. The concept behind these sites is age old. The simple yet complex dynamics of social/familial interaction played out on the web. Friends, groups, belonging, etc. Because social networking specifically appeals to tweens/teen/twenties, these sites have become mainstays within these demographics and of course the advertising world has taken notice. Now there are entire teams dedicated to marketing products/services/advocacy/political/ activism messages on social networking sites. There are people whose jobs are dedicated to infiltrating these networks and spreading a marketing message. A similar tactic has been used by gorilla street marketers for years. Planting marks (usually hot women) in bars and restaurants to start �organic� conversation that leads to a mention of a product. Social Media now facilitates this among friends and other �connected� users in a way that reaches further, faster and more efficiently. It�s a marketers dream.
The only downside to the social media explosion is its tendency to alienate the over 30 crowd. Cute animated fonts, grotesque videos, constant �friends� requests and blaring music aren�t of much interest to people who have real jobs, kids and a mortgage. Id suggest Eons (over 50), LinkedIN (professional), del.icio.us (social book marking) or connexion (if you wanna get laid). No matter what your poison, you�ll find other people out there with the same taste and an entire page dedicated to it. And watch out, we�re watching and marketing to you every chance we can get, whether you know it or not.
Next topic: Why Text Messaging is directly connected to the breakdown of the traditional Family.
2 comments:
I'm waiting to hear your explanation why text messaging is responsible for the breakdown of the traditional family. I can understand why it leads to lack of physical/oral communication, but the breakdown of the family?
Quick note on the demographics, more than 50% of MySpace users are now over 25 ... :)
Think about it, now could you possibly be the #1 site on the internet and not cover a HUGE range of users.
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