Social Currency

In our world today, social currency often times lead one further than actual currency. Social currency is defined as a level of popularity that can be used to their advantage.

When I think of people who are rich in social currency, I think of those people who have millions of followers on Instagram and Twitter. These people manage to gain followers in various ways and usually receive sponsorships from companies. The free mercy these people receive are given in the hopes that they will post about it. For these companies, this is a great way to gain customers through a platform they may not have thought about. 

When thinking of those who are poor in social currency, what comes to mind first is cyberbullying. Negativity in cyberspace can really get into the heads of those with that negative social currency. 

Social currency can help you or sometimes it can hurt you. The best thing to do is to know where to draw the line.

slow and steady wins the race

This chapter felt like Inception. While I was reading the section where Rushkoff discusses how our brains fly through large amounts of information in order to grasp the gist of it. While I was reading this I found myself doing exactly what he was describing. I found my eyes darting around the page trying to condense as much information as I could into my mind as fast as possible. 

I've been running around nonstop (physically and mentally) since my plane finally landed in Logan Airport early Tuesday morning. For me this was a sign. Slow down and smell the flowers. 

We're always in search of ways to collect large amounts of information in short periods of time. Rushkoff talked about how that information is not fully processed in a short amount of time. He used the example of studying for an exam days in advance rather than the night before. All the info being crammed into the brain during an all-nighter is less likely to stick in the brain than if one start studying earlier, and actually has time to process the information fully before having to take an exam. 

I think the most important lesson to take away from this chapter is to remember that as cliche as it might sound - slow and steady wins the race. While it may take a little more time in the moment, in the long-run (no pun intended) more data will be processed.

Free People & Digital Spreadiblity

Not to sound biased, but Free People does a great job designing for digital spreadability. 

Social media has really helped their brand take off. I was hired because the hiring manager at my local Free People liked my Instagram account. They keep all of their platforms (particularly their Instagram) updated daily.   

Every store, has their own Instagram and Facebook accounts that they update regularly. This makes the brand seem localized and really helps them connect to their customers.

They launched a community just over 2 years ago called "FPme" which is a place for Free People lovers to post and share how they style their Free People product. Since it's creation, the community has really blossomed. Now there are thousands of users from all around the world! This community can be accessed on their website or through their mobile app.

Their website is updated weekly with new product and lookbooks to inspire their customers. 

Free People makes it so easy for customer to engage with the brand. Whether its by downloading their mobile app or by scrolling through the 

Predictions for Journalism

Reyhan Harmanci talks about the current state of freelance work. According to Harmanci, freelance writers are now being pooched and primed to become staff writers. She paints a picture of what being a freelance writer means - begging for pay checks, pending deadlines, and pitching story ideas to no avail. Harmanci preaches that soon the world of freelance will be dead and staff writers will be the norm. This I can agree with. I believe that the time for freelance writers has passed. No one wants to deal with those issues mentioned above. Unless you're someone who needs freelance - family life, travel, fluidity, etc. - being a freelance writer provides very few benefits. Staff writers typically receive benefits including healthcare, retirement, etc. while freelancers do not. New sources and other medias are looking for voices they can rely on for the long haul. They need to consistency. Freelancing sucks 

Jacob Harris talks in-depth about the rise in the amount of "PR data." Nonsense information from companies like Starbucks that claim that the sales of the PSL lift the American economy each fall, BS info that is created to increase sales and create an overall positive image for a particular company. Harris discusses the amount of unnecessary info circulating the web these days. How do we sift through all the BS? I suppose step one would be to not allow this information sway your opinion or decision to buy into that company. As a PR-Marketing student, I feel that this is valuable information for me to understand.

Felix Salmon discusses Facebook's shift from desktop to mobile. His article touches upon the majority of Facebook's users becoming strictly mobile users - so much so that Facebook is not considered a "mobile company." I can really relate to this. The only reason I even check my Facebook page anymore is if my phone sends me a notification. I never feel the necessity to check my news feed on my laptop unless I'm really, profoundly bored. 

These three articles were extremely insightful. My reasons for choosing each of them were their relevance to my own use of the internet and social media. They also touched upon issues that I found impact me directly.