Relating to Growing Up Online

The "Growing Up Online" video is a recent, and in my opinion, extremely relatable perspective on what it is like to be a young person during the internet revolution. As a student, the internet plays a great role in our experience in school. We use the internet as our main source of information and communication. This brings up a wide array of issues that the video discusses. One of these issues that we are faced with is plagiarism. The internet's vast information also allowed for a great possibility of plagiarism. Since student's were so much more skilled in using the internet, it was initially very difficult for teachers and professors to catch this. Interestingly however, there has been a recent action taken against this. Turnitin.com is a website that the video mentions, which is a tool that detects plagiarism, and is something that professors here at Marist College have been using in some of my classes. I think it is a great way to keep students from using other people's work as their own, while professors can rest assured students' works are original.

Another topic the video raises is young people keeping "online lives". They have Myspace and/or Facebook to make an online identity and are able to communicate with anyone anywhere. I found myself relating to the family that talked about how their parents wanted to know the passwords to their Facebook accounts, and how private they considered that information to be. I remember first creating a Facebook account when I entered college, and my mom being so curious as to what I was doing. When she would enter the room, I'd exit the screen because I would never want her to see the pictures of me and my friends. I think this is something that many young internet users can relate to.

On a very serious note, this "online identity" that is kept hidden from loved ones has on rare occasion lead to some of the gravest of circumstances. "Growing Up Online" talked about a young boy, teased in school, to use the internet as an escape. He was able to go online and talk to people who he felt could relate to him. One of these people he began chatting with ended up providing him with the information and "support" to take his own life. His parents, completely unaware of what was going on, were shocked to find that the boy hung himself. Upon further investigation, the boy's father was able to get an inside look at what drove the boy to do what he did. This situation reminded me of something going on here at Marist College. With the recent popularity of the website juicycampus.com, a website that allows students to anonymously bash eachother, I began to wonder about the effect this could have on the well-being of the students whose names are posted. With people encouraging others to kill themselves, it is scary to consider that this anonymous slander could be enough to push someone over the edge.

In all, "Growing Up Online" gives a very realistic look into the various ways we as young people use, and are affected by the online culture. Between research, e-mail and instant messaging, and social networking sites, the world wide web is an indispensable tool for us. The video however, shows several dangers on great spectrum of severity, all important to acknowledge. It was suggested in the video that the key to this internet revolution is to not fear it, but rather be educated on it. I could not agree more. It is essential that young people be socialized in an educated manner when it comes to the internet. As the internet grows to play a greater role in everyone's lives, not just those of the young people, we can be learn from past mistakes and become educated and efficient internet users.

Who is Watching the Watchdog?

In the section of the text titled "Who is Watching the Watchdog?" by John Dunbar, he discusses the issues of the "spinning door", "frequent flying", and what goes on "behind closed doors". These terms serve to discuss the controversial relationship between the FCC agency and the media industries.

Firstly, the "spinning door" refers to the "revolving door" syndrome. This is when FCC officials leave the FCC and begin working in the media industry. This "spinning door" refers to this discovery that former FCC officials were very common in the media industry, and vice versa. "Frequent Flying" refers to the financial link between the agency and the industry. The text talks about a study that showed "that the FCC had accepted nearly $28 million from outside sources in travel and entertainment over eight years, most of it from the telecommunications and broadcast industries the agency regulates." It is very interesting that the FCC would be receiving money from industries that it plays such a big role in creating laws for. It makes the money appear as if it could be a bribe. Upon looking into this, the relationship is suspiciously inappropriate. "Behind closed doors" has to do with what goes on in the private meetings between the FCC and the industry. The meetings are so private in fact, they are not recorded and the participants do not need to keep detailed minutes of the sessions. This is another example of the strange friendliness between the two organizations, and makes one suspicious of any intentions for keeping the best interest of the public in mind.

It is very interesting that Chairman Powell, a huge supporter of deregulation, believes that the industries great influence over the FCC has gone too far. In reference to what's been said on this issue since 2003, I found an article from September, 2008 in which the author talks about how he is "skeptical of making the FCC the nation's network neutrality cop." He talks about a case from earlier that month where Catherine Bohigian, chief of the office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis at the Federal Communications Commission stepped down. Her next job would be with cable giant Cablevision. Most likely, she would use her personal knowledge of the regulatory process and even her ties to other FCC staff members in order to gain regulatory advantages for Cablevision. This article suggests to me that despite Chairman Powell's statement, this "revolving door" is still a common process, and goes on under the radar of most everyday media consumers.

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20080831/0618342133.shtml

Selling Cool

The “Merchants of Cool” video was an interesting inside-look at the various ways advertisers attempt to reach young people in America. We learn that advertisers are not only trying to figure out what is cool, but they are also trying to find out the best way to sell this “cool” back to America’s youth. Since “cool” is ever-changing, the challenge is in keeping up with the change. The video shows different tactics used to pick the brains of teenagers and in turn, sell a product in a way they can relate.

In one of the first segments of the video, young people are given pieces of paper with all different types of logos on it. They are to circle the logos that they feel positively about. This is a type of neuromarketing because logos are a way to evoke a certain emotional response from the brain of the target audience. Marketers are always designing logos that are unique, memorable, and call to mind positive feelings. The advertising situation that interested me most was Sprite’s take on reaching an audience. Their perspective was that they needed to become friends with their young audience. They wanted to give teens the impression that “Sprite understands them.” One of the techniques Sprite used to achieve this was something called “under the radar” marketing. This is when they hired young people to pose as fans, throw parties, distribute promotional materials, and to raise hype in general. Eventually, Sprite threw a launch party for their website. They had big names in hip hop come to perform on the Sprite stage right underneath their logo. This was all in the efforts of creating what is called a brand “culture”. The Sprite Corporation was not satisfied with becoming just a marketable product, and aimed at becoming a culture into itself. The video showed that Sprite ultimately considered itself just as important a piece of the hip hop culture as “sneakers or baggy pants”.

As the “Merchants of Cool” video was a bit outdated, the techniques shown in the video as well as new techniques are all around us as advertisers are trying to communicate with us. In giving it some thought, some strange and different techniques advertisers use on audiences come to mind. An interesting one is the neuromarketing technique the clothing store, Abercrombie and Fitch, uses to create its image. While the store is notorious for sexy print ads and billboards, they utilize a less traditional approach as well. The stores spray all their clothing with their perfumes and colognes to the point that the store oozes with fragrance. When consumers in a mall walk by the store front, their attention is drawn to it. The alluring fragrance combined with lively music makes the store a focal point that is hard not to notice. The nose, eyes, and ears sense the sexy, trendy atmosphere which serves as a lure for shoppers who want to be a part of that image.

Another interesting technique that the “Merchants of Cool” video discussed was the method of poking fun at advertising. People tend to be irritated by commercials being shoved in their face, so by mocking it, they make light of it while still pushing the “cool factor” of the product. The video talks about Sprite as the people who first used this tactic, when they showed a famous basketball player overacting and over-pushing Sprite soda. This proved to be successful for a while, until kids started to catch on. This made me think of another case in which this technique was used. The movie, “Wayne’s World”, also uses this clever product placement tactic to promote not just one, but a series of products. Both characters, Wayne and Garth talk about how “people only do things if they get paid, and that’s just really sad”, as they are dripping in logos. It is an extremely comical way to expose people to marketing with out them feeling bombarded by advertisements.



The future of these advertising techniques lies mostly in the internet. The internet is the fastest means of communication, and information can be traded and shared by millions of people. Also, since so much of what we can do online is free, using the internet as a means of advertising can be extremely inexpensive. An example of this fast spreading, cheap advertising, is online videos. Anyone, individuals or big companies can post videos on youtube, myspace, or other websites. They can be motivated by commercial products, political or social causes, and pretty much any other idea under the sun. If it catches people's attention, it can spread like wildfire, and for practically no cost. Below is an example of a viral video advertisement:



In conclusion, I think that many would agree that the future of advertising has everything to do with the world wide web. Whether it's viral videos, pop-up ads, or advertising hidden within games or services, it is probably the fastest and easiest way to reach as many people as possible.