Dream Job: Official Facebook Ambassador

In my musings about communications, I stumbled upon an interesting new movement in company promotion.  There is a program based out of New Orleans that works with entrepreneurs to enhance their social media presence.  Aspiring business leaders must apply and be accepted, and in turn receive guidance throughout the production of their companies.  This program, called NOLAbound, cites many specific ways to improve upon the professional face of one’s company.  They assist business people in becoming social media ambassadors, a term I had never heard before.  A social media ambassador runs campaigns that vocalize and characterize the company, as well as attaching it to pertinent communities online.  Their success is quantified by how well they reach various populations, and specifically in attaining access to greater resources.   Being able to network efficiently allows one to gain fruitful partnerships, ideally propelling them into a position of authority within their market.  One of the main way social media campaigns gain attention is by targeting prominent bloggers and figures within the market, and using their appeal to acquire more followers. It was interesting to think about companies actively selecting people to represent their company online.  Essentially, a social media ambassador is an online public relations professional.  Companies must be very selective about who they choose to represent their company online, especially because once content is released to the Internet, it can never be completely destroyed.   Social media ambassadors must be creative, strong writers, and reliable. These professionals especially have to make themselves present enough online to draw in consumers, but not overbearingly so.  I appreciate the fact that social media has become a quintessential part of brand success and loyalty.   As a communications major, it is encouraging to see the skills I am learning applied to a real-worldly environment.  

Check out the NOLAbound website here!

Google is Not the Gallery

As an advertising major, and an art minor, I am always invested in topics that bridge the gap between these two worlds. Of course, I was very excited to be doing a presentation for class on new media art and creativity. In researching for this project, I found a multitude of interesting trends on the rise.  From  video game imagery to speed-art videos, there is truly a wealth of creativity flourishing on the digital platform.  While I uphold the majority of new media art as brilliantly vivid, interesting, and innovative, there is one facet of it that I particularly disheartening.  Call me old-fashioned, but I am somewhat disturbed by the idea of online art galleries.  I know it is a convenient way to sell art and expanding one's market reach significantly, but I hate to see fine arts so commercialized.  I have always been worried about the technique and detail of drawing and painting being replaced by digital art.  It is true that both are excellent sources of self-expression, but I just hope that time can preserve the texture of gesso peaking through oil paint and the delicate lines of graphite.  That is not to say that online art galleries would be completely replacing fine art, especially because it is the selling of fine art online, as is done with apparel and books.  However, it is a step towards eliminating artistic interaction in the real world.  Art is something one cannot fully grasp online; one misses the immensity, proportion, textures and mood alive in a gallery.  I experienced this first hand when I went to the Art Institute of Chicago. My favorite artist is Edgar Degas, and I love his chalk pastel pieces especially. As I walked into the impressionist wing, I was completely blown away.  I had seen his drawings on the internet, but never had I been in the presence of a real Degas.  There is something so moving about seeing real art in the flesh; I hope the experience never disappears from the modern world.  Society needs the Blue Period just as much as they need the digital age.

Fun and Educational, In the Same Sentence!

It is no secret that my favorite game is Sims.  I love to make people, dress them up, ruin their lives, drown them in the pool... Needless to say, it is a world where I can do whatever I want without experiencing real-world consequences.  That being said, Sims is not without its drawbacks.  My biggest problem with Sims is that I get addicted to it so easily; throwing my social and academic calendars out the window to pick the perfect wallpaper for my virtual victorian-style home.  Today, I unearthed some information that could placate my addictive tendencies.  There is a new version of SimCity that is to be utilized as a learning tool. That's right.  It is an educational Sims game, called SimCityEDU.  I could play Sims, and learn at the same time, which makes me feel far more productive. Basically, teachers can upload lesson plans, and encourage students to play along with them.  Players are asked to build virtual cities, around which lessons in business, economy, geography, and other subjects are centered.  Produced by EA in coordination with GlassLab, SimCityEDU is specifically geared toward students studying in the STEM format, meaning science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.  GlassLab is a nonprofit organization dedicated to merging electronic and education companies for the edifaction of modern learning.  What I love about this idea is that it directly relates to the students of the millennial generation.  We primarily  understand and learn through technology, yet so often we are taught through old media vehicles.  By placing education in the context of gaming, I would argue that a student would be far more receptive to educative materials.  Students would not only learn better because their attention is more engaged, but learn more through the interactivity associated with human-computer technologies.  I really hope these methods can continue to be developed, especially for the sake of younger generations.  Play on Sim lovers!

From Neanderthal to Business-Chic

Today in my Comm class, Professor Yoo showed us a very fascinating website.  We talked about search engines today and in the past.  He gave us this link: 

This Way to the Time Machine!

It is a website that allows one to find earlier formats of websites from their inception until today.  We looked up my school's website, which looks drastically different today than it did in 1996.  I am amazed not only at how far technology has advanced since the 90's, but also at the evolutions of design.  The 1996 Loyola website is humble in its appearance, with one picture, a logo, and 8 basic links on the cover page.  Today, there is a slideshow cover photo, links at the top and bottom of the page, and far more detail.  While the design of our website presents much more information than that of the past, it does not clutter or overwhelm the page.  There is far more emphasis invested in creating an interesting and inviting website.  As an advertising and public relations major, I fully understand the necessity of constructing an interactive and engaging home page; it is a prospective costumer's first introduction to a product, idea, or service.  The 1996 version of Loyola's page very clearly represents the primordial attempts of web design.  Since then, many steps have been taken to transform paragraphs on word document into an engaging work of design.  I think it is important to note how essential modern design is in marketing to the millennial generation.  We respond best to updated formats because that is all we have ever known.  I would even argue that we expect advertising and digital signage to be formatted correctly and with thought because this treatment has been applied to all visual communications of the current age.  I hope that a dedication to design and artistry, customizable to individual and group interest can continue into the future as well.  

The Force May Be With You, Sooner Than You Think

Last week, one of the presentation groups talked about mind controlled games.  While still in their infancy, many companies are developing video games controlled by ones brainwaves.  It is the next evolution of gaming platforms; transcending handheld controllers and body recognition software.  I was very curious about this mysterious new format, so I researched mind-control technologies.  I found that gadgets, usually in the form of headsets, have been created which can translate brain waves into digital codes that are then sent to various computer devices.  This technology has been utilized in other physical objects as well.  For instance, NeuroSky produced a headset with cat ears on it, which adjust according to ones varying moods and energy levels.  These ears actually read the mind and translate those thoughts into  realistic feline ear positions. In video gaming, mind-reading technology is being used to create scenarios in which one can control gun shots single-mindedly.  While the capability to perform specific actions through thought are still in the beginning stages of development, technological engineers have been able to create sensors that track relaxation and concentration in the brain.  Games revolving around achieving various levels of meditation are currently on the rise. For instance, "Mind Labyrinth" is a mind game imploring users to navigate through 52 levels of an ancient temple, progressing as their concentration goes deeper and deeper. Some psychologists argue that these sorts of mind control games are beneficial to humans in that they support brain health.  The meditative exercises, especially, work as a sort of cognitive therapy.  I am very excited to witness the progress being made in mind-control technology, yet also wary of its effects. To be able to move and affect change in front of one’s eyes by simply imagining it is an exciting and intriguing experience to behold.  That being said, this progression could aide the potential for humans to become so completely dependent on technology, that their own autonomy is abandoned.  I also fear the possibility of the virtual world becoming so intertwined with reality that one becomes incapable of divorcing the two.  Should such an event occur, I predict that the violence of video games could transcend into real violence.  Overall, it is important for technologists to advance the mind-control platform, but it is also imperative to be cautious of public usage.  

Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304707604577426251091339254.html

If You Like It Then, You Should Put a Sign on It

Digital signage is an engaging and informative wave of new media influence.  Essentially, this format is understood as any sort of electronic billboard in which messages are sent out.  Signage is utilized in education, businesses, public transportation, hospitals, and advertising.  One of the most stated examples of digital signage is Times Square in New York City.  I think digital signage is so effective because of its ability to capture the interest of busy consumers, but I am simultaneously wary of its potential to distract.  Flashing lights and bright colors so easily warrant the attention of the target audience. In addition, because screens can be easily modified, one can change the outgoing message as often as they desire.  It is quick, cost effective, and resourceful to embrace digital signage.  I loved the idea of a digital soda machine. It is interactive and tailored to specific interest.  Not only does an electronic soda machine engross the reader in a stimulating game-like interaction, it also advertises the product effectively.  In this way, the product becomes more than the object, but also the means it took to attain it.  Every business wants someone to have an enjoyable shopping experience from start to end.  The one matter I worry about with digital signage is how dangerous it could become.  Signs, while beautifully intriguing and eye-catching, are also horribly distracting.  I fear for the safety of drivers everywhere as digital signage becomes more prominent in our cities and towns.  While billboards have been a common existence for ages, electronic signs reach an entirely new level of response.  Digital signs involve movement, and even sometimes sound, unlike the print billboards of the past. The more these signs are erected, the more likely car accidents will become.  The implementation of electronic billboards slightly counteracts the push to eliminate texting in driving situations, as they are just as distracting.  I hope for the sake of our generation that media sources have the foresight and logic to promote their ideas without endangering the community. 

We are Humans, Not Robots

In the past lectures, our class has conceptualized a dystopian and a utopian Chicago of the future. In thinking about this, I came to realize some important truths. First of all, a truly utopian city would not have an over abundance of technology. A utopian world is one where all aspects of society and life are in their elements. Utilizing technology to do all tasks, especially ones humans used to be able to do on their own, is often perceived as a great benefit of a digital empire. I argue that this is not the case, because the more humans rely on technology, the more they loose their self-autonomy. Don't get me wrong; I love all the gadgets that I'm blessed to have. In fact, I'm writing this blog post from my iPhone at this very moment. That being said, I cannot help but worry that as technology evolves, we do too. But instead of evolving into better people, we are turning into robots. I question the necessity of many developing products in our time. Do we really need Google glasses, which are essentially computers in the shape of eye ware? Have we really become so lazy and self-involved that we need the  instant gratification of on-demand information? So often I hear stories about children and teenagers harboring serious video game and computer addictions. Kids used to rely on their imaginations to have fun, but now it seems that imagination is handed to them on a glossy touch screen. Their thoughts and ideas are no longer their own. I feel that a true utopia would not encourage its members to sit back and have media and technology fed, or even shoved, down our throats.  Indeed, a true utopia would establish the perfect balance between technology and human action. It is an environment where we are aided by its efficiency and accuracy, yet we are not completely reliant on it. A utopian city would spend more time using technology to fight illness and poverty, as opposed to promoting countless products for which the middle and upper classes have no true need. I know this balance exists in a truly idealized state of mind, but in that lies the utopian mentality as well. I sincerely hope, for the sake of humanity, that we can come to respect natural human ability and come to place that in the foreground.