kelliesauve

[kelliesauve]

Challenges in Implementing Social Media Recommendations

Through class this semester, I have learned how to create a social media strategy and vision for my client, Ace of Diamonds jewelry store. Looking into the future, the “Implementation” lecture shared insight on the potential challenges that my client may face in implementing the recommendations I’ve provided. By watching the video, I have found several obstacles that Ace of Diamonds will have to overcome in the process of building its social media presence and becoming a social organization.

Challenges that Ace of Diamonds may face in implementing my recommendations include losing focus on purpose, changing the view of social media from a task to a tool, and being resourceful with a limited budget. First, my client will have to maintain a consistent purpose through their use of social media. This purpose must be the driving force behind all content publication and Ace of Diamonds must work to keep their focus on this main objective, rather than the technology that will be used. Next, staff at Ace of Diamonds should view social media as a tool, rather than seeing it as a task. Currently, content is not being uploaded as often as my client desires, so shifting the team’s mindset on why they are creating and sharing posts will help the business maintain a valuable social media presence for their customers. Finally, my client does not have a large budget for social media. As the lecture mentioned, it is vital that Ace of Diamonds acts resourcefully, despite monetary limitations. Hiring the right person or people to perform social media duties will help my client achieve their goals while sustaining a large enough staff to handle sales at the store. Though my client may face several challenges in implementing my social media recommendations, once these challenges are overcome, Ace of Diamonds will be leaps and bounds closer to their goals in the journey to becoming a social organization.

Chiechi, Theresa. “Tips for Successful Social Media Management Company.” The Balance. 2019, https://www.thebalancesmb.com/start-a-social-media-management-business-1794528 Accessed 17 Dec. 2021

Implementation [video file]. Retrieved from https://chipcast.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=83dc63e3-464c-4709-a393-ef4f4bba243e

[kelliesauve]

Hi Autumn! I have enjoyed reading your blog post this week! While completing the modules, I was also taken aback by the amount of work that goes into developing and sharing effective content online. Before this week, I had not heard of a content calendar and was unaware of just how much planning is required for businesses to maintain a consistent routine of posting. Like yourself, I created a content calendar for my client that detailed when posts should be distributed, when sales were held, and when the store was closed. I really like that you developed a comprehensive weekly schedule that will help your client be decisive about their social media activities. Looking at your calendar I notice that most of your client’s posts are being published in the morning, which is when my client also prefers to make posts! Timing posts correctly in this way can help organizations maximize their reach, with content published early in the day able to capture the attention of viewers before they get their day started. As you mentioned, the material emphasized the importance of looking at each online platform as a unique, separate opportunity for growth. Content that performs well on LinkedIn, for example, may perform poorly on Facebook or Instagram, so businesses must tailor their posts to best suit the site used. The emergence of meaningful communities from an online audience is an indication that a company has successfully mastered the process of creating and distributing content. Through leveraging these groups, businesses are able to reach their goals and maintain strong relationships with their customers all the while. From reading your blog post, it is clear that you have a great understanding of the material we have covered about developing and sharing content online!

Week 7

After completing modules three and four on Hootsuite, I learned what it takes to develop and share effective content. To my surprise, there is a lot that goes into social media content. Without effective content that will engage your audience, social media is pointless. The first thing an organization should do is create a content strategy. This will make sure that what you are posting is relevant and entertaining to your audience’s interests and goals. It gives your content a purpose and tells a story about your organization. 

After you have a clear strategy, Hootsuite suggests creating a content calendar. This is a weekly/monthly calendar detailing what you will be posting, when you will be posting it, and what time it should be posted. This will keep everything organized, and it will allow you to observe how your content is doing. Here is an example of a weekly calendar I made for my client, Boomerang Backpacks, a non-profit organization geared towards feeding hungry school children.

Another point Hootsuite makes is to know your platform. In the third module is goes through trending social media platforms and describes what effective content looks like on that app specifically. For example, Instagram thrives off visuals, while Twitter is based on shorter statements. 

All in all, posting effective content is so crucial because it is one of the first steps of becoming a social organization. Quality content brings your audience together– it creates community. It will spark conversation, build trust, and build relationships. All of these things will then lead to the ability to reach business goals and objectives. Effective content and community building are vital to becoming a social organization. 

[kelliesauve]

Hi Kylen! Great work on this blog post! I really appreciate that you included the infographic, as I think it does a wonderful job summarizing what we have learned from Hootsuite Modules 3 and 4 about how best to develop and share effective content. You raise an important point in mentioning the significance of a business connecting with its online audience in a natural, human way. Too often today, it seems like automated systems are behind brand profiles due to their posts consistent use of monotonous, robotic tone and repetitive structure. When a business is able to humanize itself in the eyes of the consumer, I find that it is much easier to build a relationship between an external audience and the brand itself. Companies that share curated content, such as real images of their customers with their products, typically stand out to me above their competitors as more community friendly and gain my personal favor. Beyond including user-generated content, I have found that the businesses that are most successful on social media are those that consistently engage with their followers, responding to comments, liking related posts, and actively replying to direct messages. When I feel that I matter to a brand or that they have noticed me specifically, I am more likely to devote my loyalty to them over a brand that does not get personally involved with its audience. Overall, you did a great job of summarizing the material we’ve covered concerning the development and distribution of effective content!

Week 7 Blog Post

For effective social media content, the 3 main goals to keep in mind are to make sure you’re connecting with your audience, make sure all posts reflect the brand and its values, and to make sure you have a strong strategy. 

I think connecting with your audience on a human level is one of the most important aspects because they are your customers and the way they view the company is a major factor in their purchases. To connect in this way, its a good rule of thumb to keep content 40% created and 60% curated and to make sure self promotion is only 1/3 of content. This will ensure that your company has more human qualities that the audience can connect with. 

A strong strategy will be based on research and analysis of the current content. It will also include target audiences by platform and content specific goals. An example of a content specific goal would be to reach 30 more people on twitter within 1 week. A content calendar is a great way to keep track of goals, posting, research, etc. 

I thought this infographic perfectly tied in to what we learned about effective social media content. 

https://www.socialsamosa.com/2020/10/infographic-rules-effective-social-media-automation/

[kelliesauve]

Sharing Content as a Social Organization

Having completed the third and fourth Hootsuite Modules, I gained an understanding of how meaningful content is developed and distributed. From the chapter materials, I learned about the process that businesses should perform to determine what content to create for publication. First, a company should gather research about the effectiveness of their current social media strategy, their best performing content, and what their competitors are posting, looking at each platform as a unique opportunity for growth. With this data, the organization can best decide which types of posts will be most successful on each of their social profiles. The process of developing content involves scheduling, facilitated through the use of a content calendar. In the graphic below, an example of a more general, monthly content calendar that I created for my client, Ace of Diamonds, can be seen, detailing when sales were held and when posts should have been made to different platforms. Content calendars act as a resource for employees with social media access to use when determining when to post, on which account, and what specific information to include.  

Beyond the development of engaging content, Hootsuite Modules 3 and 4 also shed light on the best practices for sharing posts to an organization’s audience on various social sites. In general, effective content is attention-grabbing, tends to have visual appeal, is varied over time, and ends with a clear call to action (“Effective Best Practices”). For example, advertisements from The Human Society and the ASPCA, like the one seen below, are memorable because they involve shocking visuals of animals in various desperate conditions that capture audience attention and always wrap up with an ask for viewer donations. Posts shared by a business should be focused on eliciting a response, physical or emotional, from a specific group of customers. For example, in November, my client Ace of Diamonds shared a Black Friday post detailing the store’s sale on Pandora jewelry with the hope that readers would respond by coming in and making purchases. In all, developing and sharing effective content on social media is a process that involves research, scheduling, and a strategic vision for the achievement of goals.

In order to become a social organization, a business must be able to implement the principles of effective content development and sharing. Once a routine of consistent distribution of valuable content has been established, a company can focus on social expansion. A large, engaged audience can be leveraged to create a self-sustaining environment of a brand’s customers where questions or concerns can be addressed. By standing apart from competitors through consistently providing customers with meaningful content, rather than useless advertisements, businesses that are able to develop and share effective content can become social organizations, able to harness the power of their expansive online audiences.

Works Cited

“ASPCA Action.” ASPCA, https://www.aspca.org/about-us/aspca-action.

“December 2021 Calendar.” Free Printable Calendar, (n.d.), https://www.free-printable-calendar.com/december-2021-calendar.html

 “Effective Best Practices for Sharing Content.” Hootsuite, https://education.hootsuite.com/courses/take/social-marketing-course/lessons/2540632-effective-best-practices-for-sharing-content

 “Social Advertising Fundamentals.” Hootsuite, https://education.hootsuite.com/courses/take/social-marketing-course/texts/5749792-chapter-4-overview

“Social Content Marketing.” Hootsuite, https://education.hootsuite.com/courses/take/social-marketing-course/downloads/2581004-chapter-3-overview

[kelliesauve]

Hi Regan! I enjoyed reading your blog post! You did a great job of outlining the important principles of community building shared in our reading of The Social Organization. First, you mentioned the significance of determining when community collaboration is appropriate, and when it is not. In general, the text gave me the impression that online collaboration is best suited to situations where a company wants diverse viewpoints from a group that has formed around some point of support. When private information or a need for consensus is involved, collaboration is best done in smaller groups, not in the eyes of the public. Like yourself, the reading exposed me to the “Six F” model of attitudes, which I found very interesting. As time progresses and the value of social media becomes ever clearer, I am curious how many businesses still find themselves in the “folly” category. 

In regard to our Hootsuite Module, you provided a thoughtful review of the concepts we learned about online advertising. The linkage between Facebook and Instagram is particularly useful for marketing. Facebook’s Business Suite and Ad Manager can be used to schedule posts to be made across the two platforms, promote published content, and review audience analytics. Checking customer response to content was emphasized throughout the module as a way to track progress and make improvements to facilitate the achievement of organizational goals. By following the guidelines for online advertising shared in the Hootsuite Module, your client will be able to bring awareness to existing content and create ads that reach wide audiences of potential brand advocates.

Week 6 Blog Post

After reading chapters 4 and 5 I learned a lot of effective principles on online community building with social media. First you need to understand when it is okay to collaborate. Collaborating can be very useful to gain following if done correctly. The more you misuse social media the higher your failure rates will be. I also learned about the Six F model of attitudes, these include… Folly, Fearful, Flippant, Formulating, Forging, and Fusing. Next you need to decide your who and what targets. Who will deliver these benefits and what is the value for the organization. Next it is time to develop a strategic approach to community collaboration. It is important to find your companies purpose in this step. I plan to use the No, Go, Grow process discussed in chapter 5 to help my client in the client project. 

After completing Hootsuite module 4 I learned about growing an online community. These principles apply to helping my client, The Human Development and Families Studies Department because they break down how to effectively use ads on different social media sites. For example my plan was to focus on their Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Hootsuite gave valuable information on advertising for each of these. For Facebook they recommend starting by making a business page first. Once the page is complete you can promote and boost your ad posts. It is important to frequently check the interactions on the ad. For Twitter you can participate in Tweet Engagement campaigns, these help tweets reach a bigger audience. They also have a Followers campaign to expand following. For instagram they break down the differences of posting to your story and posting on your feed, they also explain the three different ways to post ads on instagram. First is to promote native posts. Second is using cross platforms and pairing with Facebooks Ad manager. Finally, it is beneficial to add instagram as a targeting option. 

[kelliesauve]

Hi Katlyn! Great work on this post! You pointed out some of the key community building principles that were discussed within Chapters 4 and 5 of The Social Organization. Having a strong vision of the future and purpose for the proposed community is crucial to success. By conveying the benefits that customers can experience when they join the organization’s community, businesses can entice their audience to begin interacting with the brand with purpose. With a large number of people actively advocating for the company online, a community is formed that will facilitate further growth and marketing opportunities. As you mentioned, it is vital to have enough resources to fund a community building project. Emphasized within the chapters, meaningful groups of customers do not successfully establish themselves without a business’ engagement and supervision. In both The Social Organization and our Hootsuite Module, the sentiment of starting small in social media projects, before adapting to suit the company’s and customer’s preferences. For example, rather than opening a business account on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Pinterest, a company should first invest time into one or two online distribution channels, developing an effective social media strategy, before opening up to new avenues.

In regard to applying the Hootsuite Module principles to your client project, I can tell that you are doing a great job! As the brand is in its infantry, I completely understand the owner’s desire not to spend money on further advertisement of content. Given this restriction, your recommendations of developing a content calendar and posting highly consumed video content on Instagram and TikTok should like ideal options to promote the shop without breaking the budget. The brand’s purpose of helping women feel beautiful and confident wearing affordable jewelry is one that I feel will resonate strongly with a wide audience. With a clear purpose established, your client will be able to follow your suggestions to build a strong community of women within the expansive jewelry market. 

Week 6 Blog Post

There are a number of effective principles to be used to build an online community. Some that I have found that seem to be the most effective is to create a powerful concept, commit the time and resources, and start small. I believe that having a powerful concept will be what will originally draw people in, and will be what interests them. You want to have a powerful and interesting concept or topic to talk about. Whatever the concept is, you want to be able to commit the time to it. You don’t want to overwhelm yourself. I have found that this will just cause you to get burnt out. Whatever you do in your business, if you don’t have the resources to keep up, then it will start to negatively effect your business. Which is why you want to start small. If you start out small, you can work on slowly building up to larger ideas and concepts.

After going through the Hootsuite chapters this week I thought about how it I could apply it to the business I am working with. I am working with a small Etsy business called The Divine Geminine https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheDivineGeminine?ref=usf_2020. This shop has only been live for about a year and MaCayla is still trying to figure everything out. She wants to reach a larger audience and has asked me to help! One thing is, I don’t think MaCayla wants to pay for ads right now. So we have been trying to brainstorm some ways she can bring in more traffic to her shop without paying for ads. So far we have creating a content calendar, posting more reels and TikToks, and doing more lives on both Instagram and TikTok. She already has a concept that she wants to start with, which is helping people feel beautiful and confident in affordable jewelry. She wants to reach women that enjoy learning about crystals, and jewelry. So I hope to be able to help her do this!

[kelliesauve]

From Chapter 4 of Hootsuite Module 3, I learned about different ad options that Ace of Diamonds may want to use to further advertise themselves online. As the store’s most valuable social media outlet, Facebook’s options for promoting posts should be examined closely. Specifically, the Boost and Promote buttons offered could be utilized to either increase engagement on a post, with more likes, comments, and shares; or to increase exposure to the post to a general online audience (“Social Advertising”). Due to its link to Facebook, Instagram posts can be promoted through Facebook’s Ad Manager, making increasing engagement on a cross-platform post simple. Whichever paid advertising option is chosen, a common theme from the text highlighted the importance of checking audience analytics after. By evaluating customers’ responses to advertisements online and adapting ads accordingly, Ace of Diamonds can optimize their social media presence and create value for their community.

Works Cited

“Social Advertising Fundamentals.” Hootsuite, https://education.hootsuite.com/courses/take/social-marketing-course/texts/5749792-chapter-4-overview

How to Build an Online Community

This week’s material, including chapters 4 and 5 of The Social Organization and Chapter 3 of the Hootsuite Modules, discussed the concept of community building within an organization. From both activities, one major shared theme is the idea that businesses should treat each audience on their various social media platforms as a unique community. Beyond this common sentiment, each reading shared insight on key principles of growing a strong community of online participants.

Through analyzing chapters 4 and 5 in The Social Organization, by Anthony Bradley and Mark McDonald, I learned about the key steps in community building that a business follows as it moves towards becoming a social organization. First, businesses must develop a vision statement. The purpose of a vision statement, as described within our text, is to help community building by showing leadership’s buy-in to collaborative efforts and where value can be added to the organization through social activities (Bradley 40). Being able to convey the significance and benefits involved in community collaboration allows businesses to gain trust and participation from their target audiences. However, vision statements are not “one-size-fits-all” and must be adjusted based on the organization’s initial attitude towards social media. The “Six F” Model of Attitudes, detailed in Chapter 5 of our book, describes the six common perspectives on social media use from a business standpoint, ranging from folly to fusing (Bradley 47). Depending on how close an organization is to holding a fusing viewpoint on social media, held by social organizations, vision statements should be contain more explicit information, with emphasis on specific points of value. For example, if a business fits the “folly” attitude most closely, their vision statement should not contain general phrases, but should share “tangible benefits tied directly to recognized organizational goals or challenges,” (Bradley 48). Chapter 5 of The Social Organization delved into the significance of creating a community collaboration strategy as a way to guide these groups’ efforts. As described within the text, this strategy involves figuring out a way to choose a collaborative effort to pursue and the process of investing in particular communities (Bradley 57). Setting these policies in place early will allow a business to effectively manage its community collaboration efforts throughout its life. Of utmost importance to the success of a community collaboration strategy, a well-defined, clear purpose must be defined, encouraging the audience being targeted to involve themselves in the movement. Based off those shared on page 60 of our text, an example of a purpose for McDonald’s fast food chain might be to “Engage our McRib customers to collaborate on product improvements, timing preferences for distribution throughout the year, and pricing determination in order to increase customer satisfaction”. Backed by a strong sense of purpose and holding a vision for the future, businesses can find success in their community collaborative efforts.

Having completed the Hootsuite Chapter 3 Module, I gained further insight on methods that businesses can use to build an online community and have determined several areas where these principles can be applied to my client, Ace of Diamonds jewelry store. A focal point of the reading was the idea each audience housed within each of a business’s social media platforms should be treated differently. A content strategy and a content calendar must be developed, detailing the organization’s organized plan for dispersing content on specific profiles. Once a business has created a strategic schedule for publishing content, the focus can shift to maximizing the effectiveness of individual account’s posts.

Creating a content strategy involves research, identifying the business’s target audience, determining organizational goals, and deciding on a distribution method for content. First, an organization’s current social media use should be analyzed, looking specifically for top-performing posts on each site, to determine what content is most effective (“Social Content”). In the case of my client, Ace of Diamonds, Facebook posts involving videos and pictures of people wearing jewelry products experience the highest levels of customer engagement. For this reason, I recommend that the store’s staff work to generate additional video content and images involving people to be posted on Facebook. Beyond a strategy for publishing content to each platform, a business should create a content calendar that outlines when different posts will be made to various channels. If possible, this document should house all of the information pertaining to a future post, including the topic, the written copy, and the actual content, being a photo or video, that will be posted (“Social Content”). Relating this principle to my client, Ace of Diamonds should build a calendar defining when content will be shared on the store’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. For example, with new holiday hours coming up, a post detailing the updates to when the store will be open should be scheduled to be published a day or two before the intended changes are to take place. This will allow Ace of Diamonds’ audience time to digest the news and distribute the information to friends or family who may be interested. Another principle from the Hootsuite module that can be applied to my client project is the use of created versus curated content. Created content is produced within an organization, whereas curated content comes from external sources (“Social Content”). Much of Ace of Diamonds’ published content is created content, being graphics with text overlays, images taken by the store’s staff members, and informational posts written by the store’s owners. Since curated content offers an opportunity to connect with a brand’s audience, Ace of Diamonds should consider gathering and publishing images from their customers of products purchased at the store. For example, a picture of a newly engaged woman’s ring could be reposted to the store’s Facebook profile as a cost-effective and community-friendly content option. Overall, following the ideas laid out in chapters within The Social Organization and Hootsuite’s third module will allow businesses, like my client Ace of Diamonds, to establish an online community that will aid in the achievement of the organization’s goals.

Works Cited

Bradley, Anthony J., and Mark P. McDonald. The Social Organization: How to Use Social Media to Tap the Collective Genius of Your Customers and Employees, Harvard Business Review, Boston, MA, 2011, pp. 39-76.

“Social Content Marketing.” Hootsuite, https://education.hootsuite.com/courses/take/social-marketing-course/downloads/2581004-chapter-3-overview

“What is the ROI of an Online Community.” Sitel Group, 18 Dec. 2018, https://www.sitel.com/blog/the-roi-of-online-communities/. Accessed 2 Dec. 2021.

[kelliesauve]

How to Build an Online Community

This week’s material, including chapters 4 and 5 of The Social Organization and Chapter 3 of the Hootsuite Modules, discussed the concept of community building within an organization. From both activities, one major shared theme is the idea that businesses should treat each audience on their various social media platforms as a unique community. Beyond this common sentiment, each reading shared insight on key principles of growing a strong community of online participants.

Through analyzing chapters 4 and 5 in The Social Organization, by Anthony Bradley and Mark McDonald, I learned about the key steps in community building that a business follows as it moves towards becoming a social organization. First, businesses must develop a vision statement. The purpose of a vision statement, as described within our text, is to help community building by showing leadership’s buy-in to collaborative efforts and where value can be added to the organization through social activities (Bradley 40). Being able to convey the significance and benefits involved in community collaboration allows businesses to gain trust and participation from their target audiences. However, vision statements are not “one-size-fits-all” and must be adjusted based on the organization’s initial attitude towards social media. The “Six F” Model of Attitudes, detailed in Chapter 5 of our book, describes the six common perspectives on social media use from a business standpoint, ranging from folly to fusing (Bradley 47). Depending on how close an organization is to holding a fusing viewpoint on social media, held by social organizations, vision statements should be contain more explicit information, with emphasis on specific points of value. For example, if a business fits the “folly” attitude most closely, their vision statement should not contain general phrases, but should share “tangible benefits tied directly to recognized organizational goals or challenges,” (Bradley 48). Chapter 5 of The Social Organization delved into the significance of creating a community collaboration strategy as a way to guide these groups’ efforts. As described within the text, this strategy involves figuring out a way to choose a collaborative effort to pursue and the process of investing in particular communities (Bradley 57). Setting these policies in place early will allow a business to effectively manage its community collaboration efforts throughout its life. Of utmost importance to the success of a community collaboration strategy, a well-defined, clear purpose must be defined, encouraging the audience being targeted to involve themselves in the movement. Based off those shared on page 60 of our text, an example of a purpose for McDonald’s fast food chain might be to “Engage our McRib customers to collaborate on product improvements, timing preferences for distribution throughout the year, and pricing determination in order to increase customer satisfaction”. Backed by a strong sense of purpose and holding a vision for the future, businesses can find success in their community collaborative efforts.

Having completed the Hootsuite Chapter 3 Module, I gained further insight on methods that businesses can use to build an online community and have determined several areas where these principles can be applied to my client, Ace of Diamonds jewelry store. A focal point of the reading was the idea each audience housed within each of a business’s social media platforms should be treated differently. A content strategy and a content calendar must be developed, detailing the organization’s organized plan for dispersing content on specific profiles. Once a business has created a strategic schedule for publishing content, the focus can shift to maximizing the effectiveness of individual account’s posts.

Creating a content strategy involves research, identifying the business’s target audience, determining organizational goals, and deciding on a distribution method for content. First, an organization’s current social media use should be analyzed, looking specifically for top-performing posts on each site, to determine what content is most effective (“Social Content”). In the case of my client, Ace of Diamonds, Facebook posts involving videos and pictures of people wearing jewelry products experience the highest levels of customer engagement. For this reason, I recommend that the store’s staff work to generate additional video content and images involving people to be posted on Facebook. Beyond a strategy for publishing content to each platform, a business should create a content calendar that outlines when different posts will be made to various channels. If possible, this document should house all of the information pertaining to a future post, including the topic, the written copy, and the actual content, being a photo or video, that will be posted (“Social Content”). Relating this principle to my client, Ace of Diamonds should build a calendar defining when content will be shared on the store’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. For example, with new holiday hours coming up, a post detailing the updates to when the store will be open should be scheduled to be published a day or two before the intended changes are to take place. This will allow Ace of Diamonds’ audience time to digest the news and distribute the information to friends or family who may be interested. Another principle from the Hootsuite module that can be applied to my client project is the use of created versus curated content. Created content is produced within an organization, whereas curated content comes from external sources (“Social Content”). Much of Ace of Diamonds’ published content is created content, being graphics with text overlays, images taken by the store’s staff members, and informational posts written by the store’s owners. Since curated content offers an opportunity to connect with a brand’s audience, Ace of Diamonds should consider gathering and publishing images from their customers of products purchased at the store. For example, a picture of a newly engaged woman’s ring could be reposted to the store’s Facebook profile as a cost-effective and community-friendly content option. Overall, following the ideas laid out in chapters within The Social Organization and Hootsuite’s third module will allow businesses, like my client Ace of Diamonds, to establish an online community that will aid in the achievement of the organization’s goals.

Works Cited

Bradley, Anthony J., and Mark P. McDonald. The Social Organization: How to Use Social Media to Tap the Collective Genius of Your Customers and Employees, Harvard Business Review, Boston, MA, 2011, pp. 39-76.

“Social Content Marketing.” Hootsuite, https://education.hootsuite.com/courses/take/social-marketing-course/downloads/2581004-chapter-3-overview

“What is the ROI of an Online Community.” Sitel Group, 18 Dec. 2018, https://www.sitel.com/blog/the-roi-of-online-communities/. Accessed 2 Dec. 2021.

[kelliesauve]

Hi Regan! Nice work on this post! You bring up a great point in mentioning scam links being sent on hacked social media accounts. I was recently talking with an older family friend who had received a phishing link via her Facebook messages, unaware of the danger, and clicked on it! Luckily, her computer had virus protection software that blocked the site from opening, but this conversation showed me just how many people are vulnerable to these kinds of attacks. It is so terrible to imagine our grandparents being targeted by these greedy individuals. The scammers are getting more and more creative with their tricks too, using the power of clickbait to entice their victims to continue clicking.

I totally agree that companies need to prioritize their customer’s best interests over profits, as unrealistic as that may be. It seems that businesses have lost faith in the value of consumer’s loyalty and experience and instead believe that putting as many ads in front of their audience as possible is the best way to make a quick buck. I feel that we, as consumers, must choose to put our money behind companies that respect our data, protect it from attacks, and provide options for the deletion of personal data from their databases.

Week 5 Blog Post

After listening to “The Legal Side of Data” I am way more aware of the information people have access to. I always get messages from friends on Facebook that tell me to click a link. I know better to not click the link, and normally a post follows later that says, “my page was hacked don’t open my message!” But then I think about my parents and grandparents and how they aren’t as familiar with their devices and think how easy it would be for them to get confused and click the link. This is a big problem when dealing with data leaks because your social media accounts hold so much information about you. I think companies should start to shift their interest more towards respecting the customers behind the screen rather than creating the plan that only benefits them through money. Creating loyalty will help businesses more than annoying ads. After reading “The Internet’s Original Sin” I learned more about how pop-up ads were created and how they help companies make money. Advertising is the original sin of the internet. Throughout the article stats “our intentions were good” this stands out to me because they wanted to use other companies to get more costumers but didn’t see what was being created in the big picture. Everyone can agree how annoying pop-ups ads are, but this was the best way to advertise.

[kelliesauve]

Hi Noah! Great work on this post. You did an excellent job highlighting some of the key areas of concern for businesses and individuals relating to big data. It is extremely important to limit people’s access to the massive collection of stored data because the information can be used in malicious ways. For example, as you mentioned, data leaks are growing more common and affecting more people than ever before, it seems. Everywhere you turn, a different company is releasing a new statement apologizing for their lack of security after a breach. As individuals, you raise a great point in saying that we must be aware of the value of our personal information. Day by day, data security is becoming less of a desire and more of necessity in the modern household. With the power we have as consumers, we must advocate for businesses to use protective measures to safeguard our information. By using our spending as our voice, we can shift the market towards favoring only those companies who are respecting the public’s personal data over money-hungry giants leading the tech industry today.

Thank you for the thoughtful post!

Kellie Sauve

Week 5: Blog 1 Post

Hello Everyone,

While watching the video, “The Legal Side of Big Data” I was able to expand my knowledge on so many different concepts.  The video discussed big data and hacking of this data that is within different businesses and the government. Prior to this video, I wasn’t aware of how often data is leaked within different businesses. There are so many different security breaches and leakage of personal information around the world. I’ve always been aware of how much of a significant impact big data has on social media but wasn’t aware of the legal side of it.  

Businesses should be aware of many things when using big data due to the amount of data and information they have on individuals. First, they should be aware of all the data they have on individuals and the importance of the different data. Only certain employees who have been cleared within the company should have access to the data that is being kept on individuals. Consumers should be aware of many things when it comes to big data due to the number of leaks that are happening around the world. Consumers should be aware of the different leaks that are occurring in different businesses and understand how dangerous this is. Giving out any information puts you at risk for different hacks and security breaches. You should always have a clear understanding of where your personal information is being sent and where it is being kept to limit your chances of being hacked. The best way to balance the opportunities and threats presented by the development of big data is to find a way to keep this data more secure. If there are possible threats and ways for people to hack businesses, then they should work on having more secure servers. Different businesses need to do whatever they can to ensure the safety of individuals data.

After reading the article, “The Internet’s Original Sin” and watching Maciej Ceglowski’s talk I was able to expand my knowledge on so many different concepts regarding data surveillance, hacking, advertisements, and the internet business model. It was super interesting being able to take a deeper dive into these concepts as they have such a significant impact on society today. Internet business models influence surveillance and data gathering on the internet in numerous ways. The business model is set up for companies to use which makes total sense on what is happening behind the scenes. Advertisements play a huge part into the internet as well as social media platforms because companies are reaching out to consumers this way.

Thank you,

Noah Tatum

[kelliesauve]

Online Surveillance

As the internet grows and expands globally, the impacts of online surveillance through mass data collection, storage, and sale are being uncovered, revealing threats and opportunities to businesses and consumers that had not previously been considered. After watching Doug LaLone’s lecture, listening to Maciej Ceglowski’s talk, and reading Ethan Zuckerman’s article, I have gained a deeper understanding of the dangers involved with the use of big data, important information related to data collection to be aware of, and how online business models act as a driving force behind surveillance on the internet. Each speaker and author of this week’s content agreed that consumers should be aware of the issues surrounding online surveillance and that regulatory changes must be made in the future to ensure our own privacy.

This week’s lecture “The Legal Side of Big Data” discussed key concepts of online surveillance that businesses and individuals should be aware of and provided recommendations for mitigating the associated risks and opportunities. In today’s market, companies that collect extensive customer information online must be aware that their databases make them a target for data hacks and breaches. For example, LaLone noted the leak of 740 million records from Target’s system in 2013 (LaLone). Time should be spent assessing risk factors for potential hacking and a plan of action should be determined in the event that the company is breached. Businesses also must be attentive to contracts they agree to, such as confidentiality agreements with vendors and employee agreements, to ensure that the policies limit these individuals’ access to user’s data. Data collected should be the lawful property of the company that gathered it and should be used solely to make products better and longer lasting, to help the company gain a competitive edge, and for the consumer’s benefit.

On the other side of the spectrum, individuals must be aware of several critical facts including the fact that “cloud” servers retain all data entered into the system, regardless of whether it has been deleted by a user. This means that private information, search histories, locational data, and so on, is stored and cannot be destroyed, even upon the request of the source of the data, the consumer. Additionally, individuals should recognize that companies storing their personal data are not immortal and may end up falling to bankruptcy, being sold, or merging with another company. In these cases, data is at risk of being distributed to the highest bidding business, especially if the original company did not have a strong privacy policy in place. To balance the threats and opportunities involved with big data, we must be proactively working against immoral online surveillance tactics by granting businesses only limited access to our personal data. Specific agreements on how gathered data can and will be used by a company should be outlined in permission requests and contracts shared with customers, vendors, and employees. In simple terms, to avoid risks and take advantage of returns involved with big data, individuals and companies must be intentional with their respective distribution and collection of information.

Both discussing the ideas of Maciej Ceglowski, the article and the second video for this week delved into the topic of how internet business models influence surveillance and data gathering online. Although advertising is thought to be the main source of profit source for businesses marketing themselves online, the film and article highlighted “investor storytime” as the key revenue-builder. Investor storytime is described as “when someone pays you to tell them how rich they’ll get when you finally put ads on your site,” essentially the process of convincing investors that your company’s ads are more valuable than others (Zuckerman). This emphasis on getting large sums of money from small numbers of rich investors seeking wealth in the future differentiates investor storytime from traditional advertising, which aims to collect small amounts of money from as many consumers as possible. By selling potential future gains to investors, investor storytime encourages further data collection as it is driven by the need to prove that advertising will be successful through its utilization of constantly expanding databases of customer information. Persuaded by the idea that massive amounts of data should be collected in order to improve advertising exponentially, online surveillance becomes the natural system of gathering this information. We have grown accustomed to our internet activity being recorded, with most consumers accepting this form of tracking as an exchange for “free” access to information. Data collection is further encouraged by the lack of current legislation that would shed light on what data can be stored, how long it can be kept, what happens in the event of bankruptcy, sale, or acquisition, and would allow users the right to download and destroy their own personal data.

As much as we would like to think that we can take a stand against being surveilled, it is almost impossible in our current climate to avoid these prying tactics. As the article mentioned, once everyone you know is using a social media platform to communicate and share content, it’s hard not to join them, even if the app’s policies are not focused on consumer’s best interests. In this way, large social media platforms are able to yield participation from almost every user along the spectrum of concern about personal privacy violation. As an example, my mother is notoriously very conscious about protecting herself from internet surveillance, using alternative search engines and rarely entering data about herself into websites. All this being said, a quick internet search would reveal that my mother has a long-standing Facebook profile, showing that even those with the highest awareness of these issues, actively defending themselves, still fall prey to the online companies they are trying so desperately to avoid.

Works Cited

Ceglowski, Maciej. “The Internet With a Human Face.” Vimeo, 20 May 2014, https://vimeo.com/102717446

Chappatte, Patrick. “Cybersurveillance.” International Herald Tribune, 13 March 2016. Accessed 23 Nov. 2021. https://medium.com/enrique-dans/when-it-comes-to-spying-on-internet-users-who-s-out-of-step-here-9574ccd06618

LaLone, Doug. “The Legal Side of Big Data.” Panopto, 16 July 2015, https://chipcast.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=4fe95594-73e5-4b1a-8a3c-83896b88b6d9. Lecture recording.

Zuckerman, Ethan. “The Internet's Original Sin.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 14 Aug. 2014, https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/08/advertising-is-the-internets-original-sin/376041/. 

[kelliesauve]

Hi Kara! You have written a fantastic blog post about this week’s article! Like yourself, concepts within the reading reminded me of what was shared throughout the Social Dilemma documentary. Almost all of what we will see and interact with on the Internet has been predetermined by computers, calculations, and previously collected data on our online activity. In my review of the article, Howard’s mention of algorithms limiting our access to diverse perspectives stood out to me. It is extremely disheartening that we are not able to receive an accurate representation of information on a subject when searching on the Internet. Instead, we are presented with results that have the sole aim of capturing our attention, holding it for as long as possible, and showing us a few ads in the meantime. With it already being difficult enough to change opinions on certain topics, algorithms make it even more complicated to expose oneself to ideas that challenge one’s own.

In terms of advertising’s role in the spread of junk news, you highlighted a key point, being that the Internet and social media are not without cost. Although signing up for a new profile is free, we begin paying for the use of these outlets the moment we accept the company’s permission agreement or begin clicking and scrolling. In my own post, I also discussed how clickbait on YouTube is an example how advertising can impact the spread of misinformation. With catchy titles or intriguing visuals, people can easily be deceived into consuming content that has little to no value. Personally, I try to avoid falling victim to clickbait tactics and content creators that misguide their audience in this way.

Finally, you did a great job tying selective exposure back to algorithms in that they both work to restrict our exposure to information that may not align with our interests and established opinions. Politics is a perfect example of this as I can imagine that we all can picture someone whose Facebook timeline consists of posts only supporting their party, while it seems the other party’s members are mute. Knowing that we play a role in the search results and recommendations we receive on the Internet, we must actively work to not base our opinions off of one-sided information.

Overall, great work on this post!

Week 4 Blog 2

The first reason Howard discusses on why junk news spreads so quickly across social media is algorithms. Howard states, “the ways in which algorithms select and prioritise information have been heavily criticised: instead of promoting the free flow and transparent exchange of ideas that is necessary for a healthy democracy, the personalisation of content has created filter bubbles that limit information flows and perpetuate bias.” (Howard, 2018). This reminds me a lot of what we watched in the Social Dilemma. The algorithms are purposely created to show you information that will generate the most engagement. Howard also mentions a point I have noticed as well stating, “although the Internet has provided more opportunities to access information, algorithms have made it harder for individuals to find information from critical or diverse viewpoints.” (Howard, 2018). This is because algorithms try to show you things that will keep your interest, and a lot of people are mainly interested in content that they believe or stand for. This is prevalent during elections, and things having to do with politics. If you are someone who stands very strongly to one side, of course you’re only going to engage with information about the side you stand with. Even on the news, people tend to watch the news stations that promote and provide information standing with whatever political side you stand with. This creates a huge divide, and it’s all because of algorithms.

The second reason Howard discusses on why junk news spreads so quickly across social media is advertising. The first paragraph of this discussion also reminds me a lot of what we learned about by watching the Social Dilemma. The discussion about why social media accounts are free is something directly talked about during the documentary. Nothing about social media is free, except the sign-up. Users are the product, the user’s attention is the product, and it is being sold to different advertisers who are competing for your time. Howard breaks down the advertising aspect into two different parts. “First, the advertising model itself rewards viral content, which has given rise to clickbait. Second, is by empowering various actors to micro-target potential voters, with very little transparency or accountability around who sponsored the advertisements or why.” (Howard, 2020). I have seen multiple youtube videos with an exaggerated title that makes people want to click on it, and then the video is nothing like the title. This is an example of clickbait. It’s misleading content.

The third reason Howard discusses on why junk news spreads so quickly across social media is exposure. “Online friend networks often perform a social filtering of content, which diminishes the diversity of information that users are exposed to.” (Howard, 2018). This ties directly into the example of algorithms, because people are more subject to see what they’re friends are seeing and sharing with them. “The partisanship explanation suggests that people pay attention to political content that fits an ideological package that they already subscribe to. If they’ve already expressed a preference for a particular candidate, they will select messages that strengthen, not weaken, that preference.” (Howard, 2018). This ties directly into what I mentioned earlier with algorithms creating a huge divide.

Overall, these three reasons all tie together to spread junk news quickly across different social media platforms. To prevent this from happening and respond to these conditions, individuals need to be more open to different viewpoints, and stop relying on social media for their updates on the news. We need to find credible resources to obtain information about what’s going on in the world, instead of relying on biased social media platforms that only show you information about what you support.

Resources

Howard, P. (2018, March 26). Three reasons junk news spreads so quickly across social media. Oxford Internet Institute. Retrieved November 18, 2021, from https://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/blog/three-reasons-junk-news-spreads-so-quickly-across-social-media/.

Orlowski, Jeff, director. The Social Dilemma, Netflix, 26 Jan. 2020. 

[kelliesauve]

Hi Caitlyn! Great work on this post! Your mention of searching for a product on Google, and then seeing that same product in an ad elsewhere on social media or the Internet resonated with me so much. I cannot tell you how many times I have been in the same situation, looking up an item, and then finding that item plastered across every newsfeed or search result page I visit. This is definitely, as you said, not a coincidence; instead, it is exactly what the social media and advertising companies are striving to make happen. Research supports the idea that repetitively showing a consumer something they may want to buy several times, reminding them at “random” intervals, can increase sales (for a period, until consumers are “worn-out”) (Magloff). With a voluntary search made on our end, advertisers and social media companies need no further encouragement to display a potential purchase to us at every opportunity. For this reason, we need to be aware, as buyers, of the tricks that are being used on the Internet to entice or convince us to spend our money. Not everything on the Internet is as it seems, with clickbait being a perfect of example of this, so we cannot take search results and recommendations from the web at face value. Rather, to avoid the deception involved with algorithms, advertising, and selective exposure, we should be investigating outside of the results first displayed and seek out perspectives that oppose our own.

Works Cited

Magloff, Lisa. “Repetition as an Advertisement Technique.” Small Business - Chron.com, Chron.com, 1 Feb. 2019, https://smallbusiness.chron.com/repetition-advertisement-technique-24437.html.

Week 4: 2nd Blog Post

I think it is always in our best interest to read about these aspects of our everyday life to understand what we are exposing ourselves to. In the article “Three Reasons Junk News Spreads so Quickly Across Social Media” by authors Phillip Howard and Samantha Bradshaw, we read how advertising, algorithms and exposure are the reasons we see certain things while scrolling. With algorithms, we view certain posts due to the fact that they are coded for in a very complex system to sort and deliver what we want/need to see. This is the craziest thing to me. There have been so many times I have searched a product on google, and then 20 minutes later I’m scrolling on Facebook and I see an advertisement for it. That just isn’t a coincidence. The platforms on our phones place certain ads and messages in all of the various social media apps we use just so we see what it wants us to. As read in the advertising portion of the article, it explains that certain economics of clickbait help explain why so many stories around the events of 2016 and 2017 were designed to provoke particular emotional responses. It shows us advertisements and posts that we know will trigger us in a certain way that they know we will want to respond. The more we get into this class, the more I am reading about the craziness that has to do with our phones. It makes everything just a little bit scarier. 

[kelliesauve]

How Junk News is Spread

Despite having benefited society in many ways, the propagation of junk news is a major issue that has resulted from the widespread use of the Internet and social media platforms. The article, Three Reasons Junk News Spreads So Quickly Across Social Media, delved into three main reasons behind the limits on dissemination of transparent, truthful information. In this blog post, I will discuss my view on the key roles that algorithms, advertising, and selective exposure play in strategically promoting false or misleading information.

Algorithms act as mediators between consumers of social media and the massive collection of information available on the Internet. In this role, algorithms have been given the power to make decisions for the user, determining what content will be displayed based on calculations that use data gathered on every aspect of an individual’s online activity. To put it simply, all of the information shown on our timelines has been carefully selected through an algorithm’s processes, with the goal of keeping us happily looking at our screens for as long as possible. If functioning ethically, algorithms would, in theory, produce a fair representation of results, where information freely flows to users (Howard). However, in reality, common algorithms generate results that are limited based on the user’s individual interests and online activity, showing information that will best capture the viewer’s attention rather than fulfill their desire for accurate, unbiased answers. In this way, algorithms have made it more difficult to find opinions or ideas that do not align with an individual’s personal thoughts or preconceived biases, since these processes entire aim is to use the data collected about our behavior to predict our points of view. By filtering information to a maximum, algorithms act to impede and obstruct access to truthful, reliable search results, thereby promoting the spread of misinformation.

Advertising contributes to the spread of inaccurate information by promoting viral content, which is itself spurred by the use of clickbait. The article defines clickbait as “content designed to attract attention – often by stimulating outrage, curiosity, or both,” and can be found in written forms, such as misleading titles in the news, and visual forms, like provocative pictures in advertisements. In a general sense, clickbait encourages viewers to consume content through the use of exaggeration and deception.

As a regular YouTube user, I am highly familiar with seeing clickbait images in the thumbnails of videos, clearly fabricated in such a way to invoke intrigue and capture attention. More often than not, these thumbnail photos have little to nothing to do with the video, or are a small fraction of the content within, leaving the audience frustrated while the creators profit from their views. As an example, YouTube channel ‘The Ace Family’ (The Ace Family's YouTube Channel) has been called out in the past for their use of clickbait images, such as a photo of Catherine McBroom, member of the Ace family, on an operating table with a liposuction tube in her arm, displayed above a video titled “REVEALING MY NEW BODY! (MOMMY MAKEOVER)”. If anyone is interested… which is the channel’s entire goal here, I must add… here is the link to the 30-minute video. I would like to save a half hour of your lives, though, by letting you know that only two minutes of the video actually contain footage of Catherine in the operating room. Classic clickbait.

In addition to outside forces mentioned, we, as consumers, also play a role in the filtration of information ultimately shown on our social media platforms and the Internet beyond through selective exposure. As described within the article, people tend to engage with and share content that “conforms to their pre-existing beliefs,” (Howard). By determining what sources are worthwhile based on compliance with one’s pre-conceived biases or discomfort with challenging one’s assumptions, we limit ourselves to a small subset of the vast amount of information available on the Internet. The fact that “voters tend not to change political parties or favored candidates,” because they engage with content that fits with their established preferences, is a great example of the impact of selective exposure discussed in the text (Howard). It is easy to imagine that agreeable information is much more palatable than conflicting ideas, but the consequences of avoiding differing opinions from one’s own must be considered. When disregard is given to content that does not support one’s personal thoughts, individuals act to limit themselves from receiving all-inclusive, accurate information.

In all, businesses and individuals must be aware of the impact that algorithms, advertising, and selective exposure can have on the widespread consumption of false information. Knowing that algorithms can produce skewed results, people should actively seek out multiple points of view from several sources to better inform themselves on subjects of interest. Mindful of the deception involved in clickbait, consumers and companies should avoid relying on content that uses tactics aimed at increasing virality and attention over promoting valid information. Finally, to avoid the effects of selective exposure, individuals should consume content that challenges their own beliefs, whether that contains new information or an opposing outlook. By making conscious choices in relation to algorithms, advertising, and exposure, businesses and individuals can avoid associated obstructions to access to fair, truthful information.

Works Cited

Howard, Philip, and Samantha Bradshaw. “Three Reasons Junk News Spreads So Quickly Across Social Media.” Oxford Internet Institute, 26 Mar. 2018, https://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/blog/three-reasons-junk-news-spreads-so-quickly-across-social-media/.

“REVEALING MY NEW BODY! (MOMMY MAKEOVER).” YouTube, uploaded by The ACE Family, 12 Oct. 2021. [Screen capture by Kellie Sauve], https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDZ7_PUKseA

The Truth About Fake News. 2020. Texas State University, https://www.txstate.edu/commonexperience/pastsitearchives/2019-2020/stories/blog/2020-03-30-truth-about-fake-news.html

[kelliesauve]

The Role of a Social Media Consultant

Through this week’s lecture on social media consulting, I gained insight on what a career in consulting involves and what a consultant needs to know in order to be successful. In my opinion, the most important qualities for a social media consultant to possess are openness to new ideas, innovative thinking, a social personality, and organization. First, an individual in this role must be willing to consider and accept new ways of thinking and opportunities, such as emerging technologies. For example, consultants must decide whether communication with customers will be facilitated via more traditional channels, such as email or phone call, or whether their company will adapt to communicating through modern networks, like social media messaging and online chat functions. As an additional example, a relatively new social media platform, TikTok, has taken the world of online marketing by storm, and social media consultants of today must evaluate the value of expanding their company’s social media presence into the app. Beyond openness to ideas, an effective social media consultant is able to think innovatively to solve problems, address opportunities, and develop marketing plans that capture attention. Given that in the world of consulting, the client’s problem is rarely ever presented clearly upon initial contact, successful online advisors are able to creatively apply their knowledge to define and solve complex issues (Social Media Consulting). Additionally, a social personality is a key characteristic of an individual who is well-suited to be a consultant. In this position, regular interaction with different clients is required as it is the consultant’s duty to educate and advise clients about potential problems and opportunities. For example, a social media consultant may work with a client to determine their target audience and decide on which channels of communication would be most appropriate. Due to these essential attributes of the job, the ability to enthusiastically and effectively communicate with all levels of clients, from small business owners to leaders of major corporations, is necessary to be successful in the role. Organization is another key quality of a valuable social media consultant in the modern era. With several online profiles being maintained for each client, a functional system of management of these sites must be in place for high quality work to be produced continually. As an easy example, issues could arise if an established brand’s voice is not sustained on all social media profiles used by the company.

If I were acting as a social media consultant to myself, I would enact several plans and strategies to improve my professional social media presence. Up to this point, my employer-focused online presence is limited to a profile on LinkedIn, as my other social media profiles are personal, private accounts. On LinkedIn, I have developed my profile, adding a profile and cover photo, writing a detailed bio, and sharing numerous posts regarding my career development throughout my time in college. In addition, I have managed to attain 519 connections on the site to individuals I’ve been introduced to in the past, at CMU, and through previous employment. To enhance my profile, I would like to update my professional headshot and more actively post about academic and career-related activities. Given the importance of a good first impression, I feel that it is vital to have a high-quality profile picture, clearly dressed appropriately and shot in proper lighting. My current photo was taken against a white wall in my bedroom, with an iPhone, so it is definitely not the best representation of myself as a professional. Further, I would like to implement a practice of making posts more regularly about my involvements on campus and beyond. For example, I have accepted an audit internship with Ernst and Young for next summer, but I have yet to share this news with my LinkedIn network. By making consistent posts, my profile will be more frequently seen by those I am connected to, potentially resulting in opportunities being extended in my direction. While drafting these posts, I will also be able to develop my own personal brand voice and persona that employers will recognize as unique to myself and may contribute to making me a memorable job candidate. Overall, through the concepts I have learned about social media consulting this week, I can implement several simple updates to my current professional profile to improve potential employers’ first online impression of me and strengthen my individual brand.

Works Cited

Sauve, K. (2021). LinkedIn Profile [Image, screen capture]. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelliesauve/

Social Media Consultant. 2013. Brandignity, https://www.brandignity.com/tag/social-media-consultant/

Social Media Consulting [video file]. Retrieved from https://chipcast.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=c179ac90-6eb7-4492-b72a-687a941e24b0

[kelliesauve]

Hi Noah! Great work on this post! It is so scary to know that someone, or more likely some system, is analyzing every move I make online. Even more scary, the data that is gathered about me, is being used to predict my future behavior, to a terrifyingly accurate degree. Although there are benefits to having this data collected, like the creation of curated recommended feeds based on individual’s interests, there are also huge dangers to big data, as you described. In my own review of the material, I found it frightening that our data is being used to manipulate our behaviors, causing us to spend longer looking at sites, spend money on products or services we would not have otherwise, and even change our opinion on subjects. I wonder how many items I would not have purchased, if not for a subliminal “push” from online advertising. One social media site that does a fantastic job with subliminal advertising is TikTok. On several occasions, my friends and I have come together to discuss whether we will purchase products that have been made popular on TikTok. Before this week, I hadn’t realized that by having these conversations about advertised products, we are doing exactly what the developers and advertisers behind the app want. Beyond that, every second I spend on social media sites, scrolling through sponsored posts and ads, feeds into the pockets of these mega-rich businesspeople. Rather than fitting their automated predictions and being complacent in these company's plans to increase their profits, we as consumers must be aware of our value on the internet and spend our time and money on businesses that respect our right to information privacy. In my own life, I plan to actively avoid companies that immorally collect and sell data to third parties, and instead, support companies that cater to individuals, like myself, who are concerned with issues of data security. The more awareness that we can raise about the issues involved with big data and algorithms, the more we can help others protect themselves from the manipulating tactics of social media sites. 

Week 3: Blog 1 Post

Hello Everyone,

While watching the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma I was able to expand my knowledge on many concepts regarding social media companies. The Social Dilemma focuses on how big social media companies manipulate users by using different algorithms that encourage addiction to their platforms. The different platforms of social media that we have access to in our life have a significant negative impact on our lives. My biggest takeaway from the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma is that there are people who are tracking our engagement times on each post we come across. In the simplest way, this doesn’t sit well with me and I find this to be super scary to think about. People are sitting behind their screens keeping track of every single thing we do while we use our social media.

Big data is the collection and use of information from multiple sources to help companies make better decisions & projections. Big Data is such a powerful tool because it helps different companies generate valuable insights about their consumers. Algorithms are such a powerful tool when it comes to technology because they generate content that we enjoy the most. The different things that go into big data consist of our engagement times, which influencers we watch the most, how many friends we talk to on certain apps, etc. For example, on TikTok, if you’re obsessed with cooking videos there is a huge chance that you’re ‘for you page’ will have tons of cooking videos. The different algorithms that are behind the scenes of these social media companies are accurate and precise with what the consumers like and want.

The dangers of big data consist of companies having all of this information about our private lives and being able to use it any way they want. They have access to anything we post and lookup for a certain amount of time. With this being said, companies can use our information to manipulate our decisions and this is something that should be taken very seriously. Lastly, all of this information that is being stored about their consumers have the potential to be hacked and have a detrimental security breach. The dangers of algorithms are insanely frightening to think about because all of the actions that we take online are being analyzed heavily. The different dangers with algorithms are so exact that they can exploit weaknesses in human psychology.

These problems can be dealt with on a personal level by ensuring you’re aware of what is truly happening behind the scenes of these social media companies. Once you’re aware of what they have access to then I promise you will try to limit yourself from social media as much. One thing that people can do to deal with these problems is to be aware of what you’re posting on your social media accounts as well as others. This is super important to be aware of because a lot of these social media companies keep what we send on file for a certain period. People can deal with these problems on a professional level by ethically using our private information in the correct manner. Different professionals should only have access to certain data that will help them have better projects about their business, the rest should be deleted and thrown away. Lastly, these problems can be dealt with on a societal level because these social media companies can help sometimes prevent a major crime or terrorist attack that is going to take place. Furthermore, moving forward in life I am going to try and limit my social media usage so I never have to worry about any of the things that were discussed in my blog post.

Thank you,

Noah Tatum

[kelliesauve]

Hi Katlyn! I wish I had watched this documentary before! It seriously was terrifying to hear how ex-employees spoke about the moral issues surrounding data collection by companies like Google, Facebook, and so on. Knowing that many of the individuals who developed the world of social media as we know it don’t allow their own children to have profiles on the internet, just goes to show how much danger there is in being online, that the average person isn’t aware of. One major reason to keep children, and adults for that matter, off of these sites is the potential for addiction, as you mentioned. People can become infatuated with recognition on the internet, whether that be followers on their profiles, likes on their posts, or being mentioned online. As the documentary mentioned, even the simple act of refreshing your feed can become an addicting behavior. When people are addicted to something that is feeding them false information, while gathering mass amounts of data about every aspect of their life, major problems arise. One of these issues that you touched on is the division of our world. As a simple example, the spread of COVID vaccine misinformation and related conspiracies upon release of these treatments truly separated groups of people. Some people’s thoughts and opinions on the vaccine depended entirely on what search engines showed as suggested search results and top sites to them individually, despite the fact that their neighbor could search the same question and receive different results. As a whole, I agree that companies need to be held responsible for their actions involving violating privacy. An important way that we can take action as individuals is to support only companies that ethically and morally collect data, as needed, to improve their business for their customers. 

Week 3 Blog Post

I have actually watched this documentary before on Netflix, but I completely forgot about it. So, I re-watched it for this assignment. And it brought back all the memories of how horrified I was after watching it the first time. It was honestly very disturbing to hear current and former employees talk about how scared they are for society because of technology and social media. It really showed how powerful these companies are and how powerful their algorithms are. The danger of it is that it is affecting people’s mental health. Everyone is obsessed with how many likes, comments and views they get on every post. It has also become a space for fake news which is when false information is spread. People have started believing every single thing they see on the internet and studies have shown that the world is more divided than it has ever been. Which is causing more and more issues in society. There is more hate in the world than ever.

I believe that the companies that have started these issues, need to be held responsible. Something needs to be done to help combat the social media epidemic. The way people are so obsessed with their phones and technology is extremely concerning. But at this point, we can’t function without technology. But there are ways each person can try to combat this. We need to spread awareness about how we need to put our technology down more often and spend more time technology free. The more we spread the word about this, the more people will likely understand and take action against it. I know that after watching that documentary I have become more nervous about what is going on in the world.