Building Brand Trust

November 14, 2022

Ciarra Kennedy

(Photo by Marvin Meyer on Upsplash)

Building Brand Trust

In today’s world, it is not easy to trust everything you read or see. Identifying and knowing just what to believe can be so hard to distinguish between what is real or fake. Branding can be a chance to enhance a company or its business media outlet and show the brand’s values. First impressions are everything and a lasting, positive impression should be the goal, even as the business continues to grow.

I am currently a social media manager, therefore, I understand the importance of helping brands market each business to fit their audiences best. I will highlight how companies or businesses use social media for social networking and marketing. Grabbing the viewers’ attention by having well-known people to help promote my brand is a strategic effort. When real people, or people in the limelight, are being connected to what is being promoted, buyers and viewers tend to have a better connection. It makes it real to them.

Social Media and Marketing

Companies use advertisements on social media such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, etc. to not only gain a wider following but to build a better brand trust. For instance, advertising on social media helps promote brands that would otherwise not reach some outlets and audiences. Not all the same people groups view every single media outlet there is. People’s likes and dislikes vary, and this goes with social media as well. Because of social media development, consumers are able to share their brand experiences. They also are able to comment online and see comments regarding their brand. This allows for interaction with others through social commerce and use reviews, recommendations and rate the brands. (Chen et al., 2011; Hajli, 2014; Liu et al., 2018; Ridings & Gefen 2004).

Social media has become a two-way street between the audience and the media itself. Being able to reply and respond to messages or posts on social media gives a way of communication. Also, when seeing trends that have evolved and different outlets and adopting these new trends for oneself, this is a result of trend-setting. Being free to ask for advice and to give advice or opinions is a way of communicating. Within the posts, we are able to see how and what to do in order to strengthen our media platform. The public today is more opinionated now more than ever. People are not afraid to say how they feel about a brand. Today with “cancel culture” running rapidly, many businesses are more couscous now more than ever. It is important to stay unbiased and remain within the code of ethics. Social media allows one to be informed, entertained, have access to social networking, seek social status, as well as, communicate with the government and various organizations. Social media and the possibilities it can provide are endless. (Hajli, 2014; Liu at al. 2018). All these possibilities and ways of exploring social media play off of each other and intertwin at times.

(Photo by Merakist on Upsplash)

I found it very interesting that a survey was done before COVID-19. “While more and more people use social media daily and spend tremendous amount of time on social media, a survey of more than 80,000 people in 40 countries before the COVID-19 pandemic revealed low levels of trust in digital news and rising concern about misinformation online, despite the efforts made by journalists, editors, politicians, and public health officials to convey truthful messages to the general public” (Newman, Fletcher, Schulz, Andi, & Neilsen, 2020).  Since finding this information out, I was curious how statistics were now since COVID-19 is in the past. I am certain these numbers have increased because of so many being home bound and having only the internet to visit since visiting other people and businesses was literally put on hold. I found research done by the Pew Research Center and posted on April 7, 2021 shows that every age group searching the internet, which includes all the social media platforms we hear of, has increased since COVID-19. They also did a breakdown of Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube, TikTok and a few more online platforms. YouTube and Facebook were used most. (Pewresearch.org, April 7, 2021)

(Photo by Jason Goodman on Upsplash)

Media Usage and IMC

IMC stands for Integrated Marketing Communication. This focuses on many different things, such as public relations, sales, and advertising. This article relates to IMC and helps bring a better understanding to the reader of how social media is used in our society today to help build brand trust and elaborates on how companies and organizations use these platforms to help in public relations. This article is great for industry practitioners because it addresses the different avenues and methods used within brand trust today.

I came across a particularly important and informative article, 10 Steps to Building Personal Brands on social media, which can help you stay on top of your social media accounts. Fully Update Social Media Accounts, Identify Your Expertise, Use Social Media Apps to make posting easier, Keep Posts Positive, Be Consistent, are just a few of the steps. I feel being consistent is most important. Get a handle on scheduling, schedule reminders and take notes throughout your day and you will create the most efficient social media brand you can.

Article Reference:

DMI, Simon @. “10 Steps to Building Your Personal Brand on Social Media.” Digital Marketing Institute, Digital Marketing Institute, 1 Sept. 2022, https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/10-steps-to-building-your-personal-brand-on-social-media.

“Social Media Fact Sheet.” Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, Pew Research Center, 11 Jan. 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/.

Zhang, Mingmin, et al. “Trust In Social Media Brands and Perceived Media Values: A Survey

Study in China.” Www.elsevier.com/Locate/Comphumbeh, Elsevier, 2022,

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0747563221003472.

Racial Bias in Social Media and How it Can Affect You

November 14, 2022

Lillie Daughtridge

Racial Bias in Social Media and How it Can Affect You

Photo by Davide Pietralunga on Unsplash

What Is Racial Bias?

In 2020, Amalia Triantafillidou performed and analyzed an experiment on the effects of social media on the reputation of organizations in racially charged crises. Racial bias is a term used to explain someone or an organization that placed unreasonable judgment on someone solely based on the color of their skin. Unfortunately, racial bias is something that is seen daily among individuals as well as organizations as a whole. Racial biases prove to cause the most damage to organizations and those who were affected by the crisis.

Social media can be known as a place for connectivity and love, but it can also show the opposing sides of society, such as racism. Racial issues are typically emotionally charged and receive much more public attention. These issues always receive extensive media coverage because it is a serious matter today.

What Can A Company Do?

Triantafillidou based her study on an incident that occurred in 2018 when an African American man was racially profiled and accused of trespassing by a security guard at a Doubletree hotel. The guest recorded the incident and proceeded to post the video on his social media platforms. This incident sparked outrage, and quickly went viral. Before social media, the public could not voice their complaints; now that social media has evolved, everyone can view the industry’s successes and failures daily. 

The DoubleTree hotel had several different ways to respond to the racial crisis. They decided to deny the claim and shift the responsibility for the incident to the security guard. They publicly announced through their Twitter profile that the security guard responsible for the verbal attack was removed from the company. 

Due to the current climate and public sensitivity to racial issues, companies must be aware that “misuse of social media during a crisis can add fuel to the flames and tarnish an organization’s reputation” (Triantafillidou, para. 2).  

How To Keep Racial Bias From Happening In The First Place?

In order to help prevent racial biases from happening, organizations can be one step ahead if they understand the effectiveness of different crisis response strategies across three social media areas: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Organizations can have the ability to receive feedback from their audience through comments and likes. An organization can create a post that is directed at a certain niche audience to receive the feedback that they need. Using the audiences’ feedback will make sure that the organization is getting its message out to the right group of people, the people who were offended. 

Photo by Stephen Phillips – Hostreviews.co.uk on Unsplash

Racially motivated incidents happen to most organizations at least once or twice. In order to be prepared for the worst, understanding what communication crisis is will help save companies’ reputation and brand image. This study shines a light on the importance of a company’s social media usage, online engagement with their customers, and the customer’s reactions. 

For someone in the service industry, it is imperative to understand that actions have consequences, and one never knows who is watching. To keep or maintain a company’s reputation, there are specific measures that every employee must take. These biases are easier to handle when all the company must do is change its bylaws. Bylaws is a legal guide of rules and regulations for organizations to follow. If an organization was brought to court, or received public scrutiny, the bylaws would prove that it was not the organizations liability. This means that if a racially motivated situation happens again, they can blame employees for not following their bylaws and guidelines.

Why Should I Care?

Entering the workforce can be a daunting task. There are many factors to take into consideration that some people may not think about when entering the workforce. The company’s credibility is critical when applying to jobs and deciding where would be the best fit. A simple Google search can do the trick to ensure the company is in good standing. For example, if a company has received multiple accounts of racial disparity and proceeds to allow that behavior in their workspace, there is no room to tolerate that behavior. It is important to note if a company has been mentioned in multiple crises when applying to work there. 

Photo by Brittani Burns on Unsplash

Another important topic to research is if the organization’s values interfere with one’s personal values. A person of color should not want to work at a company that does not take diversity and inclusion seriously. If an organization fails to provide an acceptable apology after making a mistake, whether racially or morally motivated, that organization might not be the best fit. It is very important to work for a company that shares the same values as those working there.  Racial bias is a topic that still needs to be researched and practiced in both the professional and personal setting.

Works Cited

Triantafillidou, A., & Yannas, P. (2020). Social media crisis communication in racially charged

crises: Exploring the effects of social media and image restoration strategies. Computers in Human Behavior, 106, 106269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106269

Posting with a Purpose in IMC

November 10, 2022

By: Amberlyn Pearce

(Photo by: Josh Krakauer via LinkedIn)

What does it mean to post with a purpose?

Posting with a purpose means understanding the goal behind what you are posting in order to achieve the results you are looking for. It’s posting with intent; this will help you get information across successfully and make the difference you are hoping for. 

Building a Plan

Many people associate quality with quantity, and most of the time that is not the case with social media. You can post multiple times a day, but if the content isn’t good, it will either be ignored or misunderstood. It is important to be passionate about your brand. Whether it’s a product, a service, or an idea, you must be willing to stand behind it 100%. People want to see content they can connect with. This will change depending on your audience. This starts with evaluating your audience, having a plan, and finding ways to attract customer engagement. 

Attracting your Target Audience

In IMC it is very important to be able to alter your communication depending on the target audience. For example, if you were trying to gain a child’s attention, you wouldn’t post the same thing as you would if you were trying to gain an adult’s attention. You first must figure out what your target audience likes, you can do this by practicing different posting strategies to see if you can attract a bigger audience. You can do things like posting more frequently, “centering posts on topics of interest, such as coming up opportunities for scholarships, continuing education credits, conferencing, or other upcoming events” (Rieger & Rozmus, 2019). You can also try adding more visuals such as photos, videos, and website links along with the usual weekly posts to make it more appealing to look at. Feedback from your audience can also be very helpful. You can request feedback by engaging in participatory posts. Examples of this would be surveys, asking questions, or posting opinion polls. Your post becomes more personal when your audience can interact and feel as if they are a part of your brand. This has been proven to be a successful way to learn about your audience. After experimenting, you can compare the engagement from before to the engagement now. Navigating new strategies to attract engagement and making the changes necessary is crucial to success. 

(Photo by: Neil Patel)

Keeping your brand diverse!

Having a diverse brand is essential for the success of your business. Diversity is having a variety of genders, sexual orientations, cultural backgrounds, races, ethnicities, and skills in the workplace. It is important to acknowledge and support differences and celebrate the change in the communities. This will not only help satisfy your customers but will also bring in new customers. That’s why it is key to be able to communicate in a way that relates with these different groups of people so that they will see personal value in their belonging.  “The generational diversity of the workforce continues to evolve and, with it, the communication strategies to reach and engage each cohort” (Rieger & Rozmus, 2019).  

How to maintain your growth

When trying to maintain the growth of your brand it is important to know your consumers, understand the market of your brand, stay updated on the latest trends, and keep up with what is going on throughout the world in relation to your business. Keep your content inviting and interesting, this will make your customers want to come back for more. Stay dedicated to your brand and focus on your long-term goals. In efforts for your brand to continue to grow, you should always be on the lookout for new opportunities and ideas. Analyzing your competition, identifying their weaknesses, and capitalizing on their mistakes will only make your brand stronger. It is also good business practice to keep records of your progress and make sure to have a solid plan moving forward to keep your business moving in the right direction. Be willing to make sacrifices and take losses in order to find out what works best for your business. Stay openminded to new ideas, think outside the box, and be willing to accept change. It is important for your brand to be unique, having something that makes you stand out over the rest is crucial when growing your brand. Remember, your customers should always be your top priority, for they are the main source of your revenue. Lastly, make the most of every opportunity and don’t take your success for granted. 

(Photo by: Kayla Matthews)

References

Social Media in the Workplace

November 10, 2022

By Emily Wolfslayer

( Meyer, M. (2018, February 23). people sitting down near table with assorted laptop computers. UnSplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/SYTO3xs06fU )

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the term social media? How about the first thing that comes to mind when I say social media at work? Before reading this article, I would have immediately said social media does not coincide with work. However, what if I told you there was a scientific study that proved social media can actually increase productivity within the workplace? R. Jafar of Shenzhen University concluded in his study there are many aspects of social media (further noted as SM) that can surprisingly improve work performance. Here, I’ll explore his findings and how they relate to my experience as a student at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. 

Study Findings

One of the main points from the study to evaluate first is the difference between personal use of SM and work-related use of SM. The study defined these terms as follows: “Personal use of SM by employees helps them share various information or feelings with their workmates as well as obtaining various types of information from their peers, which could potentially be beneficial to their jobs.

Work-related use of SM by employees allows them to connect with their workmates or customers, thereby facilitating the sharing and gaining of useful information for performance enhancement” (Jafar, 2019). Both uses of SM in the workplace– or in this case– as a student have reasons as to why they can positively affect work performance. I will discuss how both personal and work-related SM uses have improved my work performance at UNCW. 

Knowledge Sharing

According to the study, “the effective use of [social media] can enhance employees’ capabilities associated with employees’ job performance and organizations” (Jafar, 2019). One of the first reasons SM use is significant in increasing work performance is the ability to access and share knowledge with fellow employees or peers. In relation to my experience as a student, SM has provided me with many ways to obtain new information as well as share information with others which has improved my experience at the University. SM provides opportunities for students to follow clubs, the school page, and other students. These outlets make it perfect for a quick way to release new information about events on campus, class cancellations, or information about upcoming club meetings. I have learned about so many new clubs and events they’re planning just because of SM. Thanks to SM, I have become a more active and aware student on campus which has improved my life as a student. 

( Distel, A. (2019, July 24). person using phone and laptop. UnSplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/gUIJ0YszPig )

Interpersonal Communication

The second way SM has helped me become a better student is through improved communication. Jafar states, “Usually, employees share and obtain information from friends and colleagues to maintain a sense of social relationship, and this is how knowledge sharing or obtaining phenomenon positively influences job performance and learning capabilities. It is essential for an organization to enhance internal consistency and to smoothen the communication process among the employees by taking advantage of SM” (Jafar, 2019). 

SM has given me a whole new outlet to communicate with my peers. I have been able to use SM to communicate with fellow students on a professional and personal level which has provided me with new friends and connections. I have used SM to meet my roommate, other students, and even friends within the communication studies department. My work performance would have lacked if it wasn’t for the communication among my peers on SM because I would not have met so many people and felt like a valued member of the community. Feeling included is one of the ways communication through SM has helped me become a more focused student as well as a better communicator. 

( Campaign Creators. (2018, November 20). man standing in front of people sitting beside table with laptop computers. UnSplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/gMsnXqILjp4 )

Conclusion

I found this article extremely interesting because it talked about social media within a workplace, even though a career in IMC would be all about social media! I learned about work-related SM use and personal SM use. This article is important to the practice of IMC because it shows how significant social media is in today’s society. Not only is it necessary for personal communication, but it is necessary for brand communication now. Every company needs a social media/IMC team that will help grow its company and expand its outreach. What I liked about the article was how it explained that using social media is actually a good thing, because normally social media is referred to in a bad light. However, in regard to work, social media is a positive thing that can strengthen employee relationships as well as company relationships with their consumers.

Making the Most of Social Media Influence

November 10, 2022

By Joshua Hodges

To fame – or to obscurity, social media influencers can make or break a brand’s image. Whether you’re a rising social media star trying to navigate brand deals or looking for tips on how best to work with influencers in brand marketing, it can be a difficult space to navigate, so we’ve got some tips to help make sure you end up on top.

Ads perform better when the influencer is present in the post. There are a lot of brands that ask the influencer to merely post a picture of the product to show it off, and have a showcase on a platform with numerous followers – but not all exposure is effective exposure. For an ad to perform well, the influencer posting needs to be visible and front and center. It might seem counterintuitive, but ads where the product is merely an accent to tack on to the influencer’s image seem much more natural to the audience and are better received – they follow for the influencer, not for the advertisements, so it is absolutely vital to intertwine the two (Jin & Muqaddam, 2019). 

It’s also crucial to note that the influencer not being present in an ad won’t just make the ad less effective. Posting advertisements without the influencer present has been shown to actually sharply decrease the social credibility/reputation of the influencer and negatively affect brand attitude – an ill-placed and ill-created ad could very well result in lasting damage to the reputation of both parties, so it’s best to be careful and connect the two in a natural fashion.

Ads Need to be Believable

Believability is absolutely key and crucial. The ad needs to seem like it could have been voluntarily posted by the influencer. In many brand deals, influencers are required to say certain phrases or hit upon certain points – when an ad is clearly not in the influencer’s own words, the audience is far more likely to react in a negative fashion and gain a negative perception of the brand being featured. Instead, a more popular technique that has been on the up and coming is facilitating collaboration between the brand and influencer. If the influencer is able to make the posts in the way they would like to, the advertisements are far more likely to come across as natural and feel consistent with the content that the audience is used to. 

It may actually be in your favor to address cons alongside the pros of the featured product, as well. Research suggests that showcasing both the good and the bad of a product, known as two-sided messaging, appears far more credible to a consumer than simply going over the upsides (Jin & Muqaddam, 2019). This isn’t to say you address the greatest weaknesses of your brand, or that an influencer should treat a product harshly – lightly covering one or two minor downsides to a product can still do wonders, and provide a mostly positive impression when compared against the high notes that the influencer will also be covering. 

Keep it Natural

Finally, it’s important to ensure that the brand or product itself is actually congruent with the image of the celebrity. This might seem like the most obvious point, but it’s the most important by far. A fashion blogger can easily get away with posting ads from clothing companies, for example, but might find themselves in hot water when promoting a furniture or sports deal. If an ad clearly doesn’t belong, consumers feel as though it’s intrusive, and may believe that the influencer is only posting for the monetary benefits (Jin & Muqaddam, 2019). An audience overwhelmingly believing that an influencer is only doing something for the money can spell disaster – for smaller influencers, this can severely damage their credibility. Larger influencers feel the effects of this less, but damage to reputation can add up over time if not careful. Interestingly enough, brands will consistently take hits to their overall credibility when advertisements go awry, so navigating these waters carefully from the get-go is key; before extending an offer to an influencer, or before accepting an offer from a brand, the first step is always to consider if this will feel natural. 

Promoting sponsored content on social media is a very fragile effort, and can easily become a double-edged sword for brand and influencer alike. However, it also remains one of the most effective ways to garner social credibility and reputation both offline and online, so it’s an important practice to engage in – just make sure you take care in your efforts, and keep it natural!

References:

Felipe, M.C. (2020). Woman in black and yellow crew neck t-shirt holding blue and white box. Retrieved from https://unsplash.com/photos/sztWS6R3UlA

Felipe, M.C. (2020). Woman in black long sleeve shirt holding white smartphone photo. Retrieved from https://unsplash.com/photos/ZKJQCWsKmPs

Jin, S.V., & Muqaddam, A. (2019). Product placement 2.0: “Do brands need influencers, or do influencers need brands?”. Journal of Brand Management, 26, 522-537. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41262-019-00151-z

Lotz, G. (2019). Person using Android smartphone. Retrieved from https://unsplash.com/photos/-UsJoNxLaNo

Are Online Brand Communities really all THAT?

November 10, 2022

By: Nikki Noomé

(Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash)

It’s true, that every brand out there has the goal of gaining brand loyal customers. Customers who believe in what the brand is doing, and the products and or services they offer. With the rise in technology and online platforms in recent years, brands have found a new and intriguing way for their customers to interact with one another and gain insights into the products and or services offered. This new form of interaction known as online brand communities, albeit not a new concept, can increase brand loyalty.

What is Brand Loyalty?

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, brand loyalty is “the habit of always choosing to buy a particular product or brand.” Brand loyalty is an integral part of companies and is perception-based which makes brand image and experience key factors of it. Kopp (2022) writes, “companies with high scores on brand loyalty grow revenues 2.5 times faster than industry peers.” Thus, incorporating initiatives that help develop and maintain brand loyal customers is fundamental. 

Online Brand Communities

This leads us to online brand communities (OBC). An OBC is a digital platform centered around a certain brand where customers can come together and connect with one another and share their love and appreciation for the products and or services provided. OBCs can be on any mainstream social media platform or an addendum to a company’s website. These OBCs create a space for community identity to form, which is when the customers recognize a brand’s “traditions, goals, and habits, including cognitive and emotional identity” by belonging to a brand community (Fan et al., 2022). OBCs thus help connect customers to one another and to the brand.

Fan et al. (2022) conducted a study to see the influence that OBCs have on brand loyalty. It comes as no surprise that the study determined that there is a positive correlation between customer-to-customer interaction and brand loyalty. People have an innate need to be a part of something, and these online brand communities can create that sense of belonging through community identity. This community identity can induce an emotional bond between the customer and the company which can instill brand loyalty. 

A great example of an OBC is Lego; the beloved brand, which is known for its plastic construction toys, in high quality I might add, has brand loyal customers all over the world. One way in which Lego continues to build brand loyalty is to offer their customer a place to take part in an online platform called Lego Ideas. On this platform, customers can interact with one another by sharing their creative and unique creations, participating in online competitions, and even becoming Lego Fan designers. This designation is granted to customers whose Lego creations are voted on by fellow fans and chosen to become an actual Lego set (The Lego Group). Now I don’t know about you, but that seems like a pretty awesome way to engage and maintain brand loyalty. 

(Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash)

Creating an online brand community?

Fostering an OBC environment where customers can share with one another can prove to be beneficial for creating and maintaining brand loyalty. The customer-to-customer interaction creates an authentic dialogue on the perception of the products and or services offered to make it believable and trustworthy thus, adding a positive impact on brand image and value as well (Fan et al., 2022). When tasked in the future with expanding brand loyalty, why not pursue an online brand community when there are such favorable outcomes?

References

Cambridge University Press. (n.d.). Brand loyalty. In Cambridge Dictionary. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/brand-loyalty

Fan, J., Shang, G., & Wang, H. (2022). Customer-to-customer interaction in online brand communities influences brand loyalty. Social Behavior and Personality, 50(6), 1-8. https://doi-org.liblink.uncw.edu/10.2224/sbp.11483

Kopp, C. M. (2022, June 8). Brand Loyalty. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/brand-loyalty.asp

The Lego Group. (n.d.). How it Works. Lego Ideas. https://ideas.lego.com/howitworks

Data Collection & Communication

November 10, 2022

By: Corbin Minor

Figure 1

(Photo by Markus Spiske via Unsplash)

Introduction

Did you know that all the data in this blog is being used to generate algorithms to predict what we are going to do in the future? The internet first became available to the public in 1993 with very limited data being produced. In the beginning stages of the internet, very few people knew how to use it which resulted in limited data being processed. As the internet has evolved into what it is today, there are a lot of questions about data privacy concerns.

Using IMC to Gather and Analyze Data Effectively 

As an IMC student, this topic is essential to be involved with. When we communicate through the internet, it is being used to “help” predict what our interests are. Have you ever googled something and next thing you know it’s showing up on your timeline on social media? The apps on our phones and our computers communicate with each other to “improve” our overall user interface which is considered to be IoT or Internet of Things. 

            As an IMC student, it is essential to gather data from consumers to predict what works and what does not. The more data you collect, the higher the security risk becomes. According to Sailm et. al (2022), as the SM- IoT dataset is generating significant volumes of data. There is a need to effectively achieve the principle of privacy preservation for keeping the private data secure. For example, banks and high traffic websites like Amazon are at a high risk for security leaks due to the amount of data being processed through them.

                        Figure 2

(Photo by Israel Palacio via Unsplash)

Acknowledgement of Social Media and IoT (Internet of Things)

Have you ever felt violated from an advertisement while you were scrolling through social media? I know I have. While scrolling through my personal social media, I have seen hundreds of ads pop up on my screen that interest me in some way. The majority of the ads that are target me have either been something I have Googled or even discussed with my friends. My social media platforms know exactly who I am simply from my interactions online.  In today’s time, a countless amount of information is shared by us on the internet. For example, Salim et al. (p.3, 2020) points out how many posts are generated on two of our largest social media platforms:

On Twitter, the popular microblogging platform, comprised of profiles, connections, short messages, and images, 500 million tweets were generated per day and 330 million monthly active users in April 2020. Facebook, the largest general-use SM, has up to 2.6 billion active monthly users in May 2020 and generates petabytes of data per day.

Researchers are actively putting algorithms together to help with the overall user interface on the internet. They are also putting algorithms together to predict how they can sell consumers on a specific item. Even though all of the main social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are extracting data from us, they are also protecting us from terrorism, fraud, and fake news. There are a lot of data stored about us on these platforms, both publicly and privately. Law enforcement can use this information to try and discover, and prevent crime as well as companies use it to sell you products. 

It’s essential to utilize and analyze this public information to succeed as an IMC student. We can use these connections to generate higher traffic which could lead to more sales and profitability. It would be negligent as an IMC student to allow these things us to happen without understanding what is going on behind the scenes. Even though it is difficult to completely understand the components of social media and components of IoT, acknowledgement is one of the most important things. 

(Photo by Bence Boro via Unsplash)

Communication is Everywhere

Prior to the internet, communication could only happen on a peer-to-peer basis. This means that we would need another human on the other end to communicate back.  Now, the internet is able to communicate with us and with itself without any human interaction to tell it to do so. Smart homes are able to detect if we are home or not and will turn off other electronics. Smart cars are now able to tell us where we last parked our car on our mobile device. The end goal for enhancing our overall experience through the internet is to make tasks on a daily basis easier. For example, when we go downtown, our phone knows our location and assumes we might need a ride, so taxi services begin popping up to give us a ride. Or if we are thinking about buying an item, the advertisements start popping up on our social media pages. All of these things are automatically happening whether we like it or not.

Since the internet is getting more technological, it is becoming easier to manipulate the consumers. As IMC students, how do we utilize these features of online communication without being subjects? The younger generation is becoming susceptible to communication practices on the internet. The younger generation (5-18yrs) is easy to manipulate because they are uneducated within the realm of IMC. There is a vast amount of information on the internet that can easily be misinterpreted or manipulated. 

Conclusion

The internet as we see it today is vast and continues to grow on a daily basis. Human civilization has been able to study history in order to predict our future. No individual can predict the future of the internet because of the limited history that falls behind it. As IMC students, we must adapt to the fast, evolving forms of communication through the internet to stay on top and not become subjects. Of course, data equals money but at what cost? 

Sources

Salim, S., Turnbull, B., & Moustafa N. (2022). Data analytics of social media 3.0: Privacy protection perspectives for integrating social media and Internet of Things (SM-IoT) systems. Ad Hoc Networks, Volume 128.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adhoc.2022.102786

Figure 1

Photo by Markus Spiske via Unsplash

Figure 2

Photo by Israel Palacio via Unsplash

Figure 3

Photo by Bence Boro via Unsplash