Blog Final Paper:
This was the first time I have ever kept a personal blog on a subject that interests me. I find that keeping a blog is much like keeping a journal, except I was able to personally analyze my findings. My blog topic was based around social networking tools such as the facebook.com and myspace.com. I decided to pick this topic, because one day I found myself asking the question, “What would I ever do without the facebook or myspace? I couldn’t even begin to think of a lifestyle that was not based off of the internet. This then frightened me because just a few years ago I functioned well without it. Delving into this topic really taught me a great deal about an average generation y-er’s newfound, internet based lifestyle. I now consider myself the poster girl for social networking software.
Introduction of Social Networking
My blog first introduced all of the social networking software tools. Friendster.com, Facebook.com, Myspace.com and the new, Icelounge.com. It is safe to argue that Myspace is globally aware of the power it has on our generation. I like to view my myspace.com profile, as my identity, online. It has gotten to the point that teenagers do not even have to leave the comfort of their own home to socialize and network. Yes, this is helpful, but almost unethical at the same time. The beauty of being young is to meet new people and make new friends. Myspace has now eliminated the beauty of a simple task such as shaking someone’s hand and converted it into clicking on their profile followed by clocking the “add friend” button. Society is convinced that this is just a more convenient form of networking, but they fail to take into account what myspace really is. Myspace was created so that large corporations can buy spots and advertise on it. Myspace is no godsend or special friend making tool, it’s a trap for media friendly youths who are blinded by the corporate American threshold of advertising. I personally think this is effective for marketing and advertising firms, because these interactive software sites collect target audiences to create niche markets. I do not think I would deem this ethical if I did not plan on entering this field. Facebook.com, Friendster.com and Icelounge.com all take after the theory that myspace has conglomerated.
Posts that gained much feedback
One of my posts was a reiteration of a conversation I overheard while one spring break. A group of girls were conversing at a restaurant about the facebook phenomenon. They claimed that their lives have been made easier due to facebook, which helped them make friends and boyfriends. Personally that is my main problem with these websites. How can major events such as making new friends be simplified down to the click of a mouse? There was a comment on this post that stated, “What's wrong with using a good tool to make your life easier? People have been doing it for centuries?”. My major problem with facebook and myspace is the way it affects teenagers without them knowing it. This blog assignment has helped me understand how these sites are really benefiting corporate American businesses rather than the teenagers who are commenting on friends’ pictures.
Another post was based around the addiction of facebook.com. I wanted to take a hands on approach to understanding how addicted students were to the facebook. The outcome of my qualitative and quantitative data was just as I had expected. Teenagers use these sites to their advantage on a regular basis. Personally, I am addicted to these sites as well and I do not mean to appear hypocritical. Keeping this blog has made me wonder what I did for year s without it. How did I communicate with people or spy on friends pictures? The answer is, I was not a part of the social networking services that I am today, and I functioned brilliantly.
Advertising
Advertisers and marketers have struck gold with the facebook.com and myspace.com. There is a new type of marketing that I addressed in my blog titles, emergence marketing. This type of marketing is formed around these sites and deals with how many kids use these sites. Professionals that use emergence marketing find it beneficial because they do not even need to target an audience. These sites do the job for the advertisers. Myspace and facebook both have profiles that are mandatory for its users to fill out. This then helps create niche markets because teenagers specify what exactly interests them. Now advertising agencies can create a featured profile on myspace that gets millions of hits per day because it is displayed in a small box in the login page. This is cost effective and a beneficial way to have millions of people read the ad, even if they are not a part of the target audience. Companies have also created profiles on myspace as well as facebook and have begun adding people of their target market. These websites make it simple for advertisers to target their audience in a very specific manner.
How my topic ties into class topics
Audience research is a subject that helps companies analyze specific audiences. This class has helped me understand many different topics within the advertising and marketing realm especially guerilla marketing. I view these websites as both internet marketing and guerilla marketing because the reach goes farther than the computer screen. This form of guerilla marketing targets teenagers or people who use these websites, and offers them various different tools to utilize and make their lives easier. This then helps advertisers and marketers target their audience properly.
We learned about different processes and research tools that help companies target consumers; I think this is backed up by social networking websites. These sites have now been implemented within society and have become a norm. In class we addressed buying patterns of consumers. These sites regulate these patterns as well and pay close attention to their consumers. For instance, Icelounge.com targets skateboarders and introduces new skateboarding brands to them. What other tool could target a market as well as Icelounge.com did to skateboarders? Audience research embodied the questions how do we target our audience appropriately and what type of media do we use? It is safe to assume that these websites have taken internet marketing a step further and implemented forms of guerilla marketing into it. Personally, I am happy to have researched this topic in depth. I do think these sites will stick around for a long time, at least until a new phenomenon is created.
Kim- Some of my blogs are entered on the same date due to the fact that I did not have a computer over spring break or when I went home on the weekends. You told me to write you a little reminder that I do not get penalized. Thanks again, it is greatly appreciated!