A term that has been heard all over the news and social media for a while. Cancel Culture basically stands for disregarding a song, movie or even artist for behavior that is considered unacceptable or out of the norm. While it is a system that doesn’t have any set rules and basically anyone could get “canceled”, most of the time there is a good reason for canceling them. People get canceled for different reasons, sometimes celebrities are caught sharing their personal opinion about matters such as politics and are met with a huge disapproval from social media users which led to the celebrities losing popularity and not getting chosen for roles, because they were caught sharing their opinion that not many agree with. For example we have someone like Joe Rogan who has been canceled many times for sharing his political beliefs and thoughts about certain topics. Here is an article that explains more about cancel culture and how it works https://www.goodto.com/
Even cartoon movies are not safe from being canceled. Kids nowadays aren’t able to watch “Dumbo” and “ peter pan” on Disney Plus as they were “canceled” by social media critics due to some scenes that were described as inappropriate.
Another celebrity who got canceled for sharing their opinion about the new Covid-19 vaccines is Aaron Rodgers, quarterback in the NFL. He was widely criticized for misleading the public about his vaccine status He later made an appearance to discuss his opinion on why he doesn’t want to get the vaccine.
The new iOS tracking update from Apple has been a topic visited a lot by social media marketers and users. The new update gives people an option to allow a certain app to track the users data across that app and other apps as well. Before iOS 14.5 marketers and developers were able to gather a lot of information and data about their users through third party tools as well as an Apple controlled system called Identifier for advertisers (IDFA). Now in order for developers and marketers to gather information they need to ask the users for permission. Whenever a user downloads a new app they are asked if they are okay with the app tracking their data. If the user does not accept then the developers cannot track their data through the app. There are of course some exceptions, for example, if a certain company owns more than one app, then they are allowed to track their user’s data across both apps.
Some people were not too happy with the new way Apple decided to do things, including Facebook. The argument here is that the new update makes it harder to track data and therefore more expensive to get leads. Because most people probably won’t want their data tracked, the cost of reaching a target audience is going to be much more expensive. Digital marketing agencies that base their marketing on Facebook ads might have to change their methods to find a way around this issue. Other than that, people who are involved in the digital marketing space are worried that there might be some sort of bias with Apple apps, as Apple is the one who controls who can track what. Apple has confirmed that the rules will apply to the apps just like everyone else. We trust that Apple is doing it’s best to ensure user’s data is not accessible to anyone unless authorized by the user.
The Metaverse is virtual reality immersive technology that allows you to communicate with other people through specialized apps. You are able to use your hand gestures, your voice and movement is expressed through it as well. People in the Metaverse can have digital representations of themselves. This does not only change social media and the way we use it, it also changes the way we communicate and view the internet. In just a few years everything would be immersed within VR, and marketing companies would effectively be fighting to get your attention in a 3D environment. Here is a link I thought explained the Metaverse very well https://time.com/6116826/what-is-the-metaverse/
As exciting as this may seem, it is also scary as well. People will most likely become addicts of the metaverse and may prefer that reality to our own. As it is a new thing and we are not 100% sure what kind of negative aspects it may have, this means that before everything is set in stone the government should work with the metaverse creators to create some sort of legislation or law to help make sure the metaverse is a safe environment for its users. We should analyze the down sides of our current social media platforms and try to fix all of these down sides in the metaverse.
Some are implying that Jobs will soon be available through the metaverse. I have heard that some people in 3rd world countries are already working on the metaverse and making more money than they are making working their real life jobs.
The Metaverse is for sure going to have a huge impact on our future. Hopefully we are able to regulate/control it better than social media. I’m very excited to see how this can change our lives
BLOG # 1 Social media the Yin and Yan of the future
Just Like most things in Life, Social media has it’s Dark side. The pros however, can easily outweigh the cons. If social media is used properly it can be a great place to connect with loved ones, save your precious memories and sometimes can be the reason you find what you are searching for. How can something meant for a great cause be used to destroy lives you ask? That is what we will be discussing in this Blog, from all the pros that social media has to the social media at its darkest hour.
Every now and then, we remember friends we’ve met along the way and wonder how life has been treating them. Social media is a great way to reconnect with people,as life gets busy and it’s hard to maintain relationships the old fashioned way . The fact that you can search the name of someone you went to highschool with and find them on social media, makes it very convenient to keep in touch with friends and family. While that is all amazing, having that much information about your life easily accessible to everyone including strangers, can easily backfire. I’m sure there are a few stories about people struggling with identity theft and social media scams, but the one story that recently caught my eye, was about this group of Youtubers who have had their work and identity stolen from them and used to make NFTs. To Explain what NFTs are this blog would have to be much longer, so here is a link to an article that I think explains it well: NFTs, explained: what they are, and why they’re suddenly worth millions – The Verge
They have discovered that someone has been making NFTs of influencers across social media and selling them to make profit without their permission. The youtubers were very upset as this is technically intellectual theft. In this article you can read more about the story and how those Youtubers reacted: https://www.creativebloq.com/amp/news/nfts-ignite-controversy-amongst-gaming-youtubers
Another interesting aspect of social media is the effect it has on people’s mental health and self confidence. While social media can act as a huge moral boost, through likes and comments, it can also be the cause of depression and insecurity. I have to admit, it feels good when I see a lot of likes and positive comments on my latest social media posts. Whether it’s a picture of myself on my latest adventure or if it’s an opinion I have on a certain topic or trend. That assurance and acceptance that I feel when I read those comments can boost my confidence and mood no matter what I’m going through that day. It’s almost like an escape from reality. On the other hand, when I read one or two negative comments, they get to me. The power it has on my mood works both ways. I can easily fall into depression if someone has a negative comment on what I’m wearing or on my opinion about something. I can only Imagine what impact that can have on someone who already struggles with depression.
One of the most exciting things about social media is the marketing side of things. It is safe to say that social media is a game changer in the Business and E-commerce worlds.Working at a social media marketing agency myself, I have experienced first hand the power of social media and its ability to change lives. We have had countless clients , who to be fair were already making around 100k-150k a month, scale their businesses with our help, to earn 400-600k a month. As long as you know the product you are selling and have an eye catching offer, scaling your business is a piece of cake. We as an agency study our client’s offers very aggressively and we design ads to attract that specific audience to generate a lot of leads/sales. As social media evolves, I’m excited to see what more can we get out of it in terms of reaching marketing goals and changing lives.
To sum it all up, Social media is intended to be used for good, but like everything else in life it’s what we make of it. I encourage everyone to be as positive as possible on social media, share your greatest moments and opinions, but most importantly draw the line where privacy begins and social media presence ends. Always remember that you don’t know someone’s story just because you looked at their profile picture or how many followers they have. Be kind and treat people the same way you want them to treat you. As social media evolves, I am very excited to see where the future takes us.
taking time away from social media will really show you how we are constantly taking in information and opinions that aren’t even ours. take some time to reconnect with yourself and sort through the noise
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 