Final Blog!

As the final term paper and campaign presentation creep closer it is important to discuss how my campaign is progressing and how my topic collaborates with how the media advertises online communication in this new era of communication.  I have put in multiple hours of research to be able to discuss how the media tries to attract different age groups with their commercials whether it be on television, the radio, or article advertisement.  My views on the topic of online communication has not changed since the beginning for the semester even after all this research was conducted.  My campaign will still focus on how online communication is prevalent through social media networks and how newer ways of advertisement has emerged because of this way of communicating.  I will make sure to discuss how commercials use Facebook and other social networking sites to promote their products and the site itself. Companies realize that Facebook is a primary way of communicating and changed their campaigns because of this.  By using different real life examples to connect with the class, I believe by the end of this campaign presentation, everyone will have a better understanding of online communciation and the persuasive advertisements that come along with it. I hope you had a happy thanksgiving, now its time to wrap up the semester!!! 

Online Communication Through The Media

Online Communication has established itself on multiple levels of communication including through the media. When thinking about online communication you must consider certain ways people communicate online through social media networks like Facebook and Twitter.  To communicate with friends and family online you must use online communication.  With the invention of the internet only a decade ago, online communication has exploded in a good way, and is now a primary way of communicating.  Not to mention how Facebook is advertised constantly on the television, so subtle it seems but every commercial these days have a Facebook or Twitter symbol at the end of their advertisement.  That is just one example of how online communication is advertised through symbols.  Also, as I was watching the news one night I noticed that a reporter actually said "Follow me on twitter @ blah blah blah". The reporter intentionally asked the public to use online communication to get in contact with the reporter through twitter.  This all revolves around how in this technological era, society has adapted to use online communication as the new way to converse.  Generally, I do believe the overall goal is the same for the social networking campaigns.  They use television and radio like all the other companies to try and get their name out to the public watching and listening, using advertisement to persuade individuals to connect using social media networks.  The only difference between televised advertisement and online campaigning is that persuasion through television is unavoidable.  Unless, you can skip commercials which must t.v's can not, people are almost "forced" to watch the advertisement commercial on the screen front of them.  Online campaigning on the other hand is voluntary.  Individuals more or less search for certain social situations and products online.  Either way, it is known that both television, radio, and now the internet are the most important ways to advertise in today's society

The Negatives of Online Communication

For the campaign project and term paper to conclude the semester in Persuasion, I have chose to focus on the negatives of online communication.  This topic intertwines with my first presentation on the negatives of social media networks like Facebook.  I wanted to tackle this subject in attempt to become more specific and concentrated on a communication commidity that is very important in this technological era.  For this presentation I plan on painting a communicative picture on how different age groups of people act and feel differently when conversing online with others.  Previously, I have done a countless amount of research on adolescent friendships and romantic relationships online so I thought it would be interesting to expand my initial research, and not only focus on adolescents but also college students and elderly people.  The information I collect will determine how these three different types of people interact, socialize, and react when communicating online, whether it be through social media, email, memos, etc.  The audience I plan to focus on is still up in the air since I am doing research on a varierty of age groups.  Realistically, I would like my target audience to be college students like myself because they will be able to better visualize and understand the points I am making from a college students prospective.  There is a ton of evidence I have yet to discover about the negatives of online communication.  To gather this information I will use scholarly articles from an online database that will provide information and statistics about different age groups and the ways they communicate online.  I believe the best way to collect this information is to locate a survey of some sort and derive information from that, and of course the information will be cited.  This topic clears a beaten path to the public controversy associated with online communcation.  It is already known that online commuication can be detremental to a persons interpersonal communication skills, but many will argue that online communcation is just another way to converse with friends, family, and loved ones online.  Additionally, there is no hiding the possibility of online predators, but many parents are clueness to the potential threat online thus allowing their child to browse online freely which is dangerous.  There are positives and negatives to every situation, but from a child's perspective the positives of online communication drown out the negatives.  This campaign is intended to get the word out about the negatives of online communication so people of all ages can be safe and "sane" when communicating online.  As I grew, I noticed online communication become more popular by the year.  I have witnessed first hand how important online communication has become which makes me think, when will technology become more obsolete than human?  The publics view of online communication has altered ever since the beginning of social media.  I remember way back when to a social media network called MySpace.  Ever since that network became popular, society starting using online communication as a primary means of communication.  Personally, I think society would be a lot more safe and personable without the means of online communication as peoples initial way to talk.

Don't Dismiss, Dissoi Logoi!!

            There is much to debate on the topic of social media networks and how they can affect relationships.  The points I have made in my persuasive speech are valid and honest, but there is always a devil’s advocate in any persuasive situation.  In persuasive communication we like to call an opposing side of an agreement the “Dissoi Logoi”.  In Greek this term literally means different words.  Without this rebuttal of ideas, there would be no two sides of the story, which in turn makes no reason to debate. Many people have different views about social media.  I’m sure I could find a bunch of people who would love to debate my topic on how social media is negative.  People of all ages use social media networks like Facebook and Twitter on a habitual base and most likely cannot live without it.  A good argument would be that social media keeps people connected in a positive way.  I cannot assert a comeback for that response because it is true…but my point is there’s always two sides of the story, with the good comes the bad.  Social media is nothing but an overrated fade that starts rumors and lies for people to converse and complain about, in my own personal opinion.  But I’m sure someone could dig up a ton of artifacts and evidence as to why I am mistaken.  I’ll give you an example; social media is excellent in the workplace.  Corporate systems use these networks as the new means of communication inside and outside of the workplace, both internally and internationally.  And I agree that this online communication benefits companies, but it’s using social media for recreation that gets you in trouble.  This describes how different audiences could be affected differently by social media.  Like I stated before, companies benefit off of this way to communication because it’s simple and everyone knows how to use it.  On the other hand, what is the point of allowing a ten year old child to use social media?  When I was that age I had no clue how to navigate my way around the internet.  By doing this, it’s only more likely for adolescents to become online prey.  Children of that age should be riding bike and joining the soccer team, not seating on a couch with a microphone around their head suffocating their brain!!!  Everyone is under the assumption that social media is the next hip thing, and that might be the case.  I believe eventually everyone will have a social media account of some sort.  You can call me a hypocrite if you’d like, since I will admit I use social media SOMETIMES, but my views are probably different than most.  I am on the other side of the spectrum when trusting social media sites.  If these networks are so overpopulated and misconceiving now, what are we looking at in the next 21 years of my live?  I don’t know what it is but something’s fishy in the waters of social media, and I’m staying dry on land.

Everyday Persuasion

Whether we recognize it or not, persuasion is everywhere.  From the time we wake up in the morning until we lay our heads at night, we are constantly trying to be persuaded.  Companies advertise their product through television and radio and try to convince the public that their product is better than the rest.  A prime example that pops into my head when thinking of persuasion through advertisement are the car dealership commercials on the radio.  In particular, this one dealership that advertises on the rock radio station near my hometown.  This Kia dealerships spokesman has a very loud, memorable voice that no one can forget, plus the commercial replays multiple times an hour.  Every time you mention the name "Tom Ring" in the Easton area people automatically know who you are talking about.  They intentionally make these advertisements loud and annoying so everyone remembers who the company is and their purpose for the commercial.  The target audience for this type of commercial would be radio listeners who jam out to rock and roll.  So typically, a majority of listeners would be middle aged people tuning  into the radio at work or during their commute.  Coincidentally this same type of middle aged audience would be the ones purchasing the cars for "Tom Ring".  I also find it interesting how television commercials persuade different types of people depending on what show they are watching.  It's funny how during Monday Night Football you watch an assortment of grilling and beer drinking commercials. This catches the men's attention in between witnessing Michael Vick throw a touchdown pass for my Philadelphia Eagles.  Companies advertise "manly" commercials during the game for a reason, trying to persuade the audience watching that they really want or even need the product.  My favorite time to watch commercials of this kind is during the Superbowl.  These companies are willing to pay millions of dollars for thirty seconds of air time because they understand how many potential customers are watching, which in turn, makes them more money.  But persuasion through television isn't just for the men.  Shows that women usually are interested in have commercials catching their attention too.  While watching "The Bachelor" airing Monday's at eight, the television station ABC plays a majority of jewelry and make up commercials for the women watching the show.  ABC know exactly who the target audience is and uses that to their advantage.  But persuasion doesn't just have to come from commercials.  During the half time show of the Giants Vs. Cowboys game, they added a short segment of the Democratic National Convention.  For a portion of this segment, they showed a short, interview styled clip of former president Bill Clinton (one of my most respected  presidents).  The whole interview was based on praising current President and 2012 Democratic candidate Barack Obama.  I personally enjoyed the clip but it got me thinking...The democrats are some smart people.  They realize how many generalized people are watching this first game of the season the same night as the convention, so they took advantage of it.  Using an American icon and former president to attempt persuading the viewers to vote Obama, smart move.  And on that note, one must understand that persuasion is in our everyday lives.  We just have to open our eyes and recognize it!!