The Banality of the Ubitioquous Pursuit of Self-Expression
Of all the great advances of Media and Society, the internet likely has had the most impact since the advent of the printing press. Self-expression is easier than ever. I for one can create my blog (and have), share my feelings on any subject I choose (I do), I can scour message boards to post comments on any particular item (I do) and I can create avatars that may highlight existent or non-existent aspects of my personality I feel should be better showcased(no comment). The internet contains gazillions of opinions and more than a few people who do what I do.
I think this is a result of one of the two great halves of American culture: Express Yourself. The second half is of course: Conform. So why is there this need for self-expression. In many ways, I (more…)
The Sanctity of the Sitcom
Did the MTA pay?
The New York Times ran a snapshot of where we’re at in the ‘evolution’ of Product Placement. We’ve come a long way from The Price is Right but probably will go a lot further. Writers are being tasked with brainstorming ideas for advertisers – a tremendous boon for the creative resources of advertisers- while advertisers are often elbowing their way into approval over the script. When an advertiser buys placement in an episode at about $100K, its usually bundled with a traditional advertising buy. The debate about how the advertising should be disclosed to the public and the ethics of this time of advertising are going full speed.
Personally, I think its a bit of nonsense. Teach people to think for themselves in the first place and maybe all the ‘advocacy’ groups will find some other cause.
Clinton is so Aol…
And Obama is Facebook.
Social Networking was a big reason for Barack’s success. He was able to tap into a constituency that could utilize their knowledge to create spontaneous buzz, online gatherings and public interest that translated directly to dollars. It was a big part of his $31m haul and as this UK article points out it came in sums of $200 or less.
His URL is My.BarackObama.com .
Online Privacy – an oxymoron? (Ethics News Item)
Facebook recently introduced Beacon, software that tracks data about Facebook users when they are shopping on certain external sites and shares that information with their Facebook friends as well as advertisers (See Computer World Article). Beacon has been controversial, as many believe Facebook provided misinformation. They failed to disclose that in addition to Facebook members, all users of the other sites were being tracked. Facebook has since allowed users to turn-off the feature.
A recent ComputerWorld OpEd points out the good that came from this: public awareness of the sophisticated activity tracking software already in use. Having worked in online advertising, there is pressure to grow online revenue by providing the most segmented and logical user-paths possible. It is a competitive advantage for retailers and ad spenders (whose next spend depends on performance of recent campaigns).
So what’s to do? Ironically the information that is typically the least useful is what is most private: name, address, kid’s names, etc. The biggest indicators of future performance are the ‘RFM’, recency, frequency, monetary variables. How online advertising is able to bridge this current divide and harness the software is an ethical question that will shape the direction of the Internet. Hopefully, a middle ground is reached where users can have some privacy, while sensible software tracking allows for targeted advertising.
A recent ABC article, “You’re Being Watched Right Now” summarizes just how powerful online surveillance will be in the very near future. Fascinating and Scary!
Negotiation
If the way people negotiated moved steadily to an online platform, I would be willing to wager many of those who are used to getting what they want through negotiating would resist such a movement.
It is fascinating to me is how much literature and coursework is available for improving negotiation skills. In a Forbes ‘In Pictures’ Article, the author lists out steps for effective negotiation and matches them up with their quotes. The 12 steps contain human elements (establish trust, understand the other side) that to me sound like ways to try to better understand what can’t be completely known (i.e incomplete or imperfect information).
In comparison to structured and strategic negotiation theories (like Game Theory) these are rather arbitrary. However, I do think the article points out how some people have a powerful understanding and ability for the art of negotiation. It is this human factor, talent or compassion, which I think online systems will lack.
Game Theory
As I was bouncing around the internet reading about negotiation topics, I came across this short clip about Game Theory.
