In my Principles of the Internet class our teacher has assigned us a project that requires us to gather information and demonstrate knowledge of the use of computer-mediated communication tools in the application to; academic study, business operations, and consumer activities.
I shall begin my blog assignment with the application to business operations.
“Communication is constantly evolving in the technological world we are living in today.” ("" 41) This quotation has depth to it, it reinforces that we are in fact living in a world run by technology, from our cell phones to the internet, in the age we live these things are becoming more of a necessity rather than a commodity. We are evolving, the way that consumers are exposed to advertising be it through SMS, a 30 second clip before a YouTube video, or a notification on Facebook that your friend is a “fan” of a business or service.
The world of advertising is changing to keep up with a new generation of tech savvy adults. “According to the Mobile Marketing Association, 89 percent of companies use text and multimedia messaging to reach their audiences.” ("" 42) Consumers can now be reminded of appointments and businesses can be kept in the mind of those they are trying to reach. This is a popular means of advertising because it’s not that complex and generally people aren’t found with out their cell phones
YouTube as an outlet to plug your business can be beneficial for a few reasons. Both academically and from a sales point of view, this is a great way to “ Take three to five minutes talking about the importance, the benefits, and to introduce your business.” YouTube also allows others to engage in conversation about your video, gaining insight to how your service is being received is certainly a good thing. With a fresh outlook on how you are perceived allow you to make important decisions on whom you are marketing towards and if generally people have the information needed to get on board with you. Technically posting a video on YouTube is as simple as recording a video and uploading it to the site.
Moving forward the impact of computer-mediated tools in terms of Academia.
In the document I read entitled “How Social Media Can and Should Impact Higher Education” the author Mark Blankenship regales the readers in a story about how a professor from North Carolina invites the author who lives in New York to lecture her students via Skype. “The professor who invited me to her class did not have the travel budget to get me a Metrocard for the subway, let alone a plane ticket to North Carolina.” (Blankenship 40) Skype is a VoIP service that lets families and friends stay in touch, but our author explores a different avenue, “ connecting students and guest faculty.” Why not? Blankenship likened the experience to being “remarkably similar to the experience shared with students in the actual world.” (Blankenship 40)
Skype uses a camera for video conferencing, which obviously doesn’t restrict the use of the service to specifically student-faculty, peer-peer, or family-family contact. B2B or any facet within the hierarchy of a business can now hold conferences virtually at anytime and any place.
This progression in the way we engage is quite remarkable. It’s beneficial to look at the person you are talking to; although not as personable as a physical conference it retains a level of character. So I question why not use Skype? It could potentially cut costs on a lot of travel and is seemingly as effective as the real thing.
Finally I move on to the Consumers side of things.
Again YouTube proves to be a powerful tool, not only for businesses but for consumers too. Consumers are now using the service to promote, mock, or trash businesses. Sometimes it’s unclear whether a person is heeding a warning to others or maliciously attacking a company. For example, “The Poor Bastard’s ‘Starbuck’s Ad’” is a video on YouTube is “a consumer generated advertisement characterized by a creator motivated to change the perceptions of viewers.” The spoof, “mocks consumers of their self indulgence.” reminding viewers that for the price of a frappuccino could feed a kid in a refugee camp in Sudan for a whole week. This type of anti-advertising can be detrimental to a business because it provokes thought, and even though Starbuck’s hasn’t necessarily done anything wrong they have become demonized for their product.
“In this age of social media, even basic e-mail exchanges are already verging on obsolescence for people under age 30. More young people now use Twitter than e-mail.” (Seeman, Seeman, Seeman, and Seeman 18) In an article on using web-based communications for patient doctor interactions, one of the first things mentioned is that Its becoming easier for physicians to stay in touch with their patients through Twitter or Skype. “The advantage in patient-doctor exchanges is that they all originate at times convenient to the sender and recipient; appropriate phrasing can be thoughtfully chosen; concerns can be reflected on; and decisions can be considered before being uttered. Standard answers and qualifications to commonly asked questions can be composed in advance, which saves time and trouble for physicians.” (Seeman, Seeman, Seeman, and Seeman 18)
Work Cited
(2009): 41-43. Web. 1 Apr 2011. <www.amtamassage.org/mtj>.
Campbell, Colin. "Tracking Back-Talk in Consumer-Generated Advertising ." Analysis of Two Interprative Approaches (2011): 224-237. Web. 2 Apr 2011
Blankenship, Mark. "How Social Media Can and Should Impact Higher Education." Hispanic Outlook on Higher Education 21.7 (2011): 40-42. Web. 7 Apr 2011.
Seeman, Mary, Marc Seeman, Bob Seeman, and Neil Seeman. "E-psychiatry: using Web-based communications to connect with patients in real time.(SPECIAL REPORT: PRACTICE MANAGEMENT).." (2010): 18. Web. 3 Apr 2011.
