Farewell to COM 6630....It's been fun!

This week COM 6630 comes to a close, as we are in the final week of the course, which also means that I’ll be closing out my professional blog with this post. 

We learned more about the future of technology and communication this week. My, my, my, how technology has advanced so much in such a short time. Predicting the future of technology can be exciting and perplexing at the same time. We have come so far with digital discoveries, and it makes me wonder how much further we will be in the next few decades, and beyond. The advances in technology are limitless.

Just think….

In the 1960’s, the first Internet connection was established. It was about 20 years later that the World Wide Web was invented by Tim Berners-Lee. The usefulness of the Internet has since exploded, and technology has done the same.

A few decades ago, companies like AT&T and Apple were broadcasting ads with creative, technological innovations that were only envisioned, but yet to be discovered. At that time, they were being explored.

Not too long ago, we only imagined borrowing books from thousands of miles away, using a GPS navigation system to get us to our road-trip destinations, video chatting with someone on the other side of the globe, shopping for groceries while sitting at home in your bed, renewing your driver’s license on a mobile device (Yes! No lines!), and so much more. These past envisions have become a reality.

Speaking of the future….

I am excited to see what the fields of communications and media have in store for me. COM 6630 has been a pleasure. I have realized that my strategic communication abilities expand far beyond what I consider myself capable.

Thanks so much for following along these past nine weeks as I shared with you some of the interesting topics in this course. 

Farewell! 

~Janice 

A Generation of Digital Dwellers

Fortunately, a typically evening or weekend in the Sanders’ household does not involve children obsessively glued to the technology gadgets of today’s age, such as smartphones, tablets, video game systems, or any of the other popular digital technologies. I say “fortunately” because a national survey conducted in 2009 shows that children 8 to 18 years old interact with technology for entertainment purposes more than seven hours a day, according to the Kaiser Foundation survey. This takes away from their ability to learn, dream and be creative. This statistic does not include the media that they use for learning. Our children seem to be plugged into the digital world and slowly disengaging from the real world. Are we raising a “generation of digital dwellers?”

Technology and Learning

It was not until last year that my oldest received his first cell phone (with none of the high-tech features), and it was for security reasons; whereas, most of his friends and peers have owned multiple mobile phones. A few months after receiving his first phone, we decided to purchase the Kindle Reader for his birthday, and that was only because he is an avid book reader. We are advocates for utilizing technology when it promotes our children’s learning.

That brings me to this week’s topic. This week we discussed the collaborative topics of children, technology, and learning. Children are innovators, and they seem to have an intuitive instinct in their interactions with digital technology. A study headed by Jessica Reinis, an analysis at Latitude, revealed that "38% of children’s innovations called for more immersive content experiences than are commonly available now, with features like 3-D effects or seamless integration of digital technology into the physical world” (2010). This generation of children are surrounded by and immersed in the influences of digital media; after all, they have been birthed into a digital world. We seem to be raising digital natives.

Because technology is so intuitive and influential to our children, it has been integrated into all areas of their lives, and it comes with advantages and disadvantages. We love that it can enable our children’s dreaming, encourage their expression and creativity, nurture their development and inspiration, and the like. On the other hand, we hate that it can lessen their attention spans, interfere with academics, discourage physical activity, and expose them to inappropriate content, among other effects.

Children need to be educated on the safeties and dangers of technology. Technology is a tool, "not a learning outcome." It is a “means to an end." A means for educating, for communicating socially, for recreational purposes, and so much more. It can motivate our children and promote teamwork. To ensure they receive the benefits of technology, it is important that we as parents and educators are aware of the positive and negative effects of its use.

Digital citizenship is an effective way to promote safety and awareness with technology. During Week 5, we discussed digital citizenship (Read Week 5’s blog post, “Citizen Journalism: In Blogs We Trust?” here). Digital citizenship helps us as parents, teachers, and technology leaders to understand the appropriate use of technology. It can be used as a creative tool to teach and prepare technology users.

Children need real-time social interactions. The passive use of technology can be problematic for children, even more so than adults, because their brains are twice as active. Brain activity drops when we become adolescents (DOE, 1997). During childhood, the brain cells that we are born with are being “linked with the complex networks that are needed for mature thought processes to take place.” Passively sitting and watching television for hours can lead to social, emotional, and cognitive development issues. Children need to be engaging and interacting. It is those engagements and interactions that stimulate the brain “causing new connections to form neural pathways (which we might think of as "learning pathways") and strengthening existing ones” (DOE, 1997).

Children need to be monitored. Once you feel your children are “of age” to use technology, they should be carefully monitored of their activities to lessen and eliminate any harmful effects. As they are on the internet, they are making digital footprints, which are visible to not only us, but also to others in the digital world. A great way to monitor your children and encourage digital learning is to do it together. 

As I mentioned, children are intuitive when it comes to using digital devices. One of our readings this week stated that “young people report a growing dependency on the internet for activities ranging from managing their daily lives to building and maintaining virtual communities.” This growing dependency can result in growing concerns.

While in some cases technology can be used to solve social concerns, it can also be the cause of them. It can inspire creative communication in a generation of digital dwellers or it can weaken communication. A room full of people lost in their digital devices is not an uncommon scene. More and more, both kids and adults are disconnecting from people and turning to their devices. It seems as if face to face communication is becoming a legend. This is why it is so important for us to facilitate the appropriate use of technology. 

Technology has extended our thinking, and at the same time it has proven to hinder it. Cognition involves the process of acquiring knowledge and understanding. Unfortunately, some uses of technology put limitations on our level of thinking.

Regardless of its disadvantages, technology is here to stay! Its benefits are just as extensive as its pitfalls. Technology has advanced the ways in which communicate and interact, and has paved the way for innovative practices. With careful attention, it inspires a generation of digital dwellers to dream and be creative. It inspires our children to learn. We are a generation of digital dwellers.

References

Department of Education. (1997).Making connections: how children learn. Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/ReadWithMe/makconn.html.

References

Kaiser Family Foundation. (2010). Generation m2: media in the lives of 8- to 18-year-olds. Retrieved from http://kff.org/other/event/generation-m2-media-in-the-lives-of/. 

The Beauty of Branding

We live in a digital age, and it is apparent that innovation continues to drive the developments of our global world. Innovative technology has changed our lives and society as a whole. In a manner of a few years, technology has changed how we communicate, how we learn, how we conduct business, how we establish and build relationships, and a great deal of our day to day interactions, if not all of them. It has changed our world!

The public benefits from utilizing emerging media developments, such as the Internet and social media, which have become increasingly effective and necessary in this influential digital age. They contribute to efficiency, productivity, and expansion on a large scale. Out of all the mass media, the Internet is the most “democratic,” being that just about anyone can create a website and have an online presence. “Internet has made real what in the 1970’s Marshall McLuhan, a visionary of communications, called the “Global Village” (Internetworldstats.com, 2014). It has taken online competition to another level, which brings me to this week’s topic.

This week we explored the topics of branding and online reputations. With so much “competition” and with so many options to choose from, branding and establishing an online reputation is important; especially since there is such a large audience of internet users. There are more than 2 billion internet users in the world, and internet usage continues to grow at an exponential rate.

Check out the chart below of “World Internet Usage and Population Statistics” for 2012, which can also be found at www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm.   

WORLD INTERNET USAGE AND POPULATION STATISTICS June 30, 2012
World Regions	Population ( 2012 Est.)	Internet Users Dec. 31, 2000	Internet Users Latest Data	Penetration (% Population)	Growth 2000-2012	Users % of Table
Africa	1,073,380,925	4,514,400	167,335,676	15.6 %	3,606.7 %	7.0 %
Asia	3,922,066,987	114,304,000	1,076,681,059	27.5 %	841.9 %	44.8 %
Europe	820,918,446	105,096,093	518,512,109	63.2 %	393.4 %	21.5 %
Middle East	223,608,203	3,284,800	90,000,455	40.2 %	2,639.9 %	3.7 %
North America	348,280,154	108,096,800	273,785,413	78.6 %	153.3 %	11.4 %
Latin America / Caribbean	593,688,638	18,068,919	254,915,745	42.9 %	1,310.8 %	10.6 %
Oceania / Australia	35,903,569	7,620,480	24,287,919	67.6 %	218.7 %	1.0 %
WORLD TOTAL	7,017,846,922	360,985,492	2,405,518,376	34.3 %	566.4 %	100.0 %
NOTES: (1) Internet Usage and World Population Statistics are for June 30, 2012. (2) CLICK on each world region name for detailed regional usage information. (3) Demographic (Population) numbers are based on data from the US Census Bureau and local census agencies. (4) Internet usage information comes from data published by Nielsen Online, by the International Telecommunications Union, by GfK, local ICT Regulators and other reliable sources. (5) For definitions, disclaimers, navigation help and methodology, please refer to the Site Surfing Guide. (6) Information in this site may be cited, giving the due credit to www.internetworldstats.com. Copyright © 2001 - 2013, Miniwatts Marketing Group. All rights reserved worldwide.

The chart shows us the “big picture” of internet usage in the world by region.

It is apparent that creating a brand and reputation has been drastically affected by emerging media. Obviously, in regions where technology and emerging media is more advanced or prominent, such as North America, Asia, and Europe, the number of internet users is greater. Thus, this demonstrates that online branding and establishing an online presence is critical in a digital world. Having a strong, identifiable brand and online presence is like making a “promise” to your audience, whether your audience includes employees, customers, partners, students, members, or the like. All stakeholders get a sense of confidence in a promise that can be upheld, and also in knowing that they are linked, in some capacity, to something unique, reputable, valuable, meaningful, identifiable, purposeful, and trustworthy. This is what effective branding does. It is a commonly used marketing practice; a tool that strategic communicators use to help identify and differentiate a brand, a product, or a service. It helps to establish a reputation or image and engages a targeted audience. Branding is a great way to leverage an organization because it helps to influence a desired behavior.

Consider these companies……

Facebook, Starbucks, Coke, Apple, Apple, and Ford

They are all companies that we are familiar with because of effective branding strategies and strong, identifiable reputations. As reputable organizations, they have all established their own individual “personalities that are clear, consistent and compelling” to their audiences (Rosen, 2013, para. 10).

The beauty of branding is that it includes the efforts an organization or individual makes to establish a name for itself. It is used as a tool to communicate values, vision, purpose, and commitment; encourage democracy; promote productivity; and establish trust among stakeholders. This might be in the form of logos, slogans, news releases, press releases, product or service reviews, newsletters, brochures, cards, flyers, mailers, presentations, decals, banners, billboard signs, interviews, broadcasts, blogs, and a variety of other advertising and marketing efforts.

Two tools that are used when branding and establishing an online presence include logos and slogans. They are typically the most memorable to stakeholders. When a company displays its logo or slogan, this is a part of its branding efforts.

How many of these logos are memorable to you? Probably the majority. That’s the beauty of branding.

Benefits of Branding and Establishing an Online Reputation

Though the benefits of a strong brand and online reputation can be numerous, here are a few. Branding:

Identifies and differentiates. The advances in technology and emerging media have increased competition, especially in the online universe. When competing with other companies, branding is a great way to make yourself stand out in the “crowd” of competition, which is important when you have products and services that are widely offered.

Promotes growth and expansion. We know that the Internet can go into places that we may not ever have the opportunity to go into, and influence people in areas that we may not particularly be able to. A strong brand and online reputation can increase awareness, act as a platform for growth, and broaden the reach when entering into new markets or when expanding to offer additional products and/or services.

Influences audience behavior. In many instances, branding has a strong association with value and perceived quality, which is a major influential factor when choosing between brands. The result of a positive connection through brand quality is its influence on audience behavior. Companies with a favorable brand and online reputation will experience a more positive audience behavior.

Promotes trust, loyalty, and advocacy. Sometimes, as consumers, we are resistant to new or unknown brands, but not without good reason. Many companies put a great deal of effort into branding, which enables them to build a strong relationship and establish a loyal customer-base.

Commands a price premium. Customers are willing to pay more for a strong, reputable brand. In the consumers’ eyes, when quality is associated with a brand, it is worth sacrificing on cost.

An organization’s branding efforts and online reputation have definitely influenced my decision when choosing between brands. As a consumer, more times than not, I turn to reputable organizations that I know have had a history of offering quality products and services (based on their branding and online reputation). This is the case, even if I have to pay a little more for a product or service. My purchasing behaviors demonstrate how influential branding and an online reputation is.  

Before you go, I’d like to share a few fun facts with you relative to branding and slogans.

5 Fun Facts

1.      Folgers was introduced in 1850, but it was not until 1985 that the slogan “The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup” was first promoted.

2.      Nike’s slogan  and trademark “Just do it,” which was coined in 1988, was inspired by Gary Gilmore’s last words, "Let's do it." Gilmore was an American criminal who was executed for murder.

3.      Although known for its catchy jingle, “I know what you do for me, Toyota,” Toyota’s actual slogan is ‘Let’s Go Places.’

4.      KFC’s first slogan in 1956 was “North America's Hospitality Dish,” but its most popular was “Finger lickin’ good,” which expired in the U.S. in 2006.

5.      Since 1978, Campbell Soup Company has had 6 slogans; the most predominantly used slogan being “Mmm Mmm Good.”

How many of those fun facts did you know? Comment to leave feedback.

It has been a pleasure! Be sure to visit back next week! Save this link to your favorites: www.myworldofcomm.blogspot.com. You can also subscribe to receive my new blog posts via email by entering your email address at the top right corner. 

Until next time!

References:

Mini Watts Marketing Group. (2012). Internet users in the world: distribution by world regions – 2012 Q2. Retrieved from http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm. 

Rosen, N. (2013). Fundamentals of personal branding. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/fundamentals-of-personal-branding-2012-10#!Im0EX.