Technology + Life

Friends in Real Life

Is it possible to recognize someone you’ve never actually met? Sure, there’s a romantic notion that all people are connected to each other. Of course there are people who say souls can be connected—everyone’s looking for a familiar face in a crowd. I’m not talking about that. I’m asking: Is it possible to recognize a person whom you’re “friends” with online in real life?

I would say it is one of my primary inquiries, what weight can I put on online relationships. Are they real relationships, real friendships; can you break that digital barrier that blocks one-on-one interaction? Is it possible?

Really?

"A March 2010 Retrevo Gadgetology Report found that 49% of under-25's said they would answer a text message while eating; 24% while they were going to the bathroom; 22% during a meeting; 10% during sex" (Mintel, 2010). REALLY!? So disturbing. Put the phone down. PUT IT DOWN.

Adapting Marketing to a Nomadic Generation

This is a paper I recently wrote for a marketing class I took; thought it was fitting for the blog. 

Comm Theory meets Marketing. Enjoy nerds!

Adapting Marketing to a Nomadic Generation

Mobile technology has changed the way humans interact; cellular devices have literally become the extension of man’s hand. Instantaneous information and constant media attainability has created an everything anywhere generation. Marketers have long struggled with exactly how to attain and maintain a nomadic generation’s attention. New technologies are adapting older forms of medium, i.e. print to web and notebook to webpage. Technology has created a constant stream of multimedia advertisements to keep young customers engaged through nomadic intractability, mobile sales promotions, and personalized encyclopedic data. 

Culture of Creators

A lot of people, particularly Boomers—which is, a lot of people—view younger generations as overly entitled, loose cannons with no experience. I’m not saying that’s untrue, however, as a general observation, more and more millennials seem to be creating things, or doing things.

Perhaps it’s because many of them are so hyper stimulated that they’re overly inspired, those answers I’m still on the hunt for, but one thing is for certain: This generation doesn’t believe in no. They constantly live in the ‘why not’.

Pinny-Pintrest

Younger people today, especially those under 25, are extremely mobile because they can be. To borrow a philosophy from Marshall McLuhan (whom I've been reading a lot for class lately) "media is the extension of man’s arm,” and in young people's case the translation is quite literal. My aunt recently said, "I like going out to lunch with you, you let me check my iPhone at the table." It was an interesting statement because I know no different, whereas my father tends to get a little frustrated if I set my phone on the dinner table. Young people live with mobile devices strapped to their hands; it only makes sense that advertisers use that to their advantage.

Don't Call Us...We'll Call You