Cell Phones.

3. Why do we treat electronics as our most prized possessions?

I think that they are our most prized possessions because not only are they expensive but we cannot function without them. They are the way we get in contact with people and check our mail. We use them for GPS and checking our bank account. Our world runs on digital and so our phones are our constant access to them. Without our phones is it hard to access the digital world that rules. 

4. How do you feel when someone is using his or her phone during a conversation with you?  Do you do this too?  Why?

I am definitely guilty of this even though it is something that I hate. When I really am trying to talk to someone and need them to listen to me it does start to bug me when they only look at their phone. However it is hard not to and I understand where they are coming from because I always have people who are needing to get ahold of me so I am scared that if I do not check my phone I am missing  something or a possible emergency. 

5. Are you in control of your electronics, are are they in control of you?  Give examples.

I want to think that I am in control of them but in reality they probably control me. I cannot go a day without using my phone and so that to me says that my electronics are controlling me. 

6.  Would you rather have no phone at a party for 4 hours straight or spend the night playing on your phone with friends who are playing on their phone.  Why? 

I would rather have no phone at a party for 4 straight hours. I prefer human contact rather than only ever communicating through my phone. 

7. Do you prefer texting or calling?

Definitely calling. It is faster and much more personal. My mom always tries to text me lots and lots of information and its hard to read and text back everything. Also things get miscommunicated through texting and fights happen because of it. 

Digital Networks and Cell Phones

In what ways have access to online digital networks put more power in the hands of the citizens of countries?

Similar to what happened in Egypt, I recently read an article talking about what is currently going on in Ukraine. You can find the article here: http://caracaschronicles.com/2014/02/20/the-game-changed/ The article talks about how no one is talking about Ukraine right now. I found a video that was saying how no one is talking because reporting rights have been denied and so there are no reporters. However the video I watched had gathered all of its information and pictures of what is currently happening from Twitter. However, the government then proceeded to block all images on Twitter. The citizens have still been able to communicate though though this medium. Online digital networks have shown the world what is really going on in places that are hard to get a reporter in. Not only can the world find out and the citizens can communicate, but the rest of the world can find out instantaneously. This gives the county more power as they have the potential to find help from other countries or citizens faster than ever before. 

4. How has the introduction of the ‘personal computer’ and ‘the World Wide Web’ changed our way of life?

I consider the personal computer nowadays to be a cell phone. People do everything on them from booking a flight to checking their bank account to sending emails. We are moving away from traditional computers and onto portable and easy to carry devices. I found an articles that you can read about how everything is going mobile. Here it is: http://thoughtwiremobileandwebsites.com/blog/websites-are-going-mobile-are-you/. It talks about how there are 6 billion mobile subscribers. This has caused all webpages to have not only an app but a mobile page as well. Users are not ok with zooming in all the time. We expect mobile pages that are easy to read and easy to use for a cell phone or tablet. It causes businesses to now develop 2 webpages instead of one. 

TNT

1. How have social media and the internet changed the way businesses (and more specifically, the entertainment industry) approach marketing and advertising?

I personally think that the internet has changed advertising forever. We are exposed to so much that what used to work doesn't anymore. We no longer remember the TV ads we see or the billboards we drive by unless they really hit us. Our brains are being stretched in so many different ways that it becomes difficult for us to remember everything we see even if it did make an impression. There have been many times I have seen an ad or something on TV that I wanted to look into more and simply forgot. 

What does all this matter? Well it is making advertisers change the way they advertise. The first thing that came to my mind is when companies perform a stunt, film it, and then use the internet to share it with the rest of the world. For example this stunt done by TNT. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=316AzLYfAzw.

This video has gotten nearly 50 million views on Youtube. Producing a stunt like this would never have been feasible before. Not that the company couldn't have, but there would have been no incentive before the internet and social media. Now companies and advertising agencies can produce wild stunts and events in the hopes that they go viral and become advertising for the company even though only a couple of people saw it in person. 

Spreading Media

Question #1: Why does media spread?
I personally think that media spreads because it is something that touches us in a large enough way that we feel the desire to share it with others. Some of my friends share videos that draw out emotion while other videos are extremely funny. Some of the videos are extreme sports videos that draw that viewer in because they are so incredible that it is hard to imagine how someone could base jump from so high or do three flips off of a jump. Other times people share relevant content that resonates. For example all of my friends are sharing videos about the Olympic luger Kate Hansen who is from BYU. Even though she is not currently winning, she is a BYU student in the Olympics and so we want to share relevant content that we think is cool. Here is one of the pages about her:

http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2014/2/10/5397916/kate-hansen-luge-sochi-2014-winter-olympics

Question #4: What is the most effective way to spread media?
I think that the most effective way to spread media is simply to make it something that people want to share. We are a selfish kind and only will share content when we want to. People are not getting any incentives for sharing the videos that they like, they are sharing them because they want to and in their own self interest. No matter what you try to do to get people to share something, the hard reality is that they will only do so if they want to.

Question #5: Is humor simply a matter of taste or is it a vehicle?
I think that humor is a vehicle. We purposefully choose different tones for different videos depending on the message we want to send. Some videos are emotional while others are extreme. While some people may like humor more, you can't make all videos be humorous. The tone has to match the message.

Question #6: How is “timely controversy” a factor in spreading media?
Most videos and pages that go viral have to do with something going on during that time period. When the Harlem Shake was big everyone was making their own versions. The BYU Adlab even joined in. You can see the video here: http://vimeo.com/59700792. No one would have found that video or wanted to make it unless it had a timely component. However, once the harlem shake fad was over people completely stopped watching the videos.

Here Comes Everybody Blog Questions

1. How has social media changed our perception of who is a professional/expert in a given field? ex. photographer?

2. How has social media changed business management?

3. What have we lost because of the freedom social media gives us?

4. What is your birthday?

5. Because users can post instantaneously, how has this affected the quality of the content?

Communities.

Let's talk about Community. No not the show. Actual communities. One of the questions asked if it better to be apart of a large group/community or a small group/community?

My personal experience has been that you make more friendships and connections in a small community versus a large one. At BYU I have made the most friends in my classes with only about 20 other students. You get the chance to meet everyone and work with them. However, when I took American Heritage and sat in a lecture hall of 600 people I surprisingly never made a single connection. You would think that there are so many more possible connections that one should make at least one connection. However with such a big community, you never saw the same person twice. No one knew anyone and the result was no one talked. There were never any conversations to join. However, in the smaller classes I saw the same people everyday. From the very beginning the class built a community of friends. I always had someone to get notes from or work on a project with. 

I lived in a very small community in high school. We always had parades for the 4th of July. The whole town would come together. I knew every house in the town I lived in. Even though our town was located in a very populated area the community was very small and close. Not only was it fun, but our community looked out for everyone even though it was not what you would call a small town. I think that small communities are better and give us more connections and make us feel more apart of something. 

The Prisoners' Dilemma

For this post I will be responding to a couple of questions by Matt about the prisoners' dilemma. When I was a kid my dad sat my brother and I down and did a similar simulation with us but with money. It was interesting as we cooperated for more of the simulation. Then my dad lied and told us that one of us had taken more and the other would get less (which was false). Once my brother and I lost trust in each other it went downhill from there. But while we both trusted each other and helped each other out we made a lot of money and were willing to not be selfish.

Why would cooperation between a business and their customers be so important?

When my brother and I cooperated, we both benefited. We made more money and were not bitter towards each other. However, once one of us lost our trust in the other it was never gained back. I think this is similar with corporations and their customers especially on the customer's end. When a customer trusts a company because that company has cooperated with that customer they are more likely to recommend the company and keep using the products. However, once a customer is skeptical about a company they will tell everyone and usually switch products.

How can you promote cooperation on social media?

One way I have seen companies cooperate over social media is on Twitter. Many times my friends have complained to a company and that company responds VERY quickly. Not only does this show the customer that the company care about the customer's needs, but it also shows the friends of that customer. I think this medium is perfect for promoting cooperation because the customer can voice their concerns and a company can provide instant customer service that gives their company a good reputation. 

When should a person cooperate and when should they be selfish?

Some people might say that a person should always cooperate. However, in the real world people only cooperate when they people they are interacting with are cooperating also. No one wants to be taken advantage of. We have a selfish nature, however we are more likely to get rid of that nature when we like the person we are working with and there is a benefit for us.