Category: Dogs

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One of my many ads that I’m getting on Twitter currently. I happened to just start working at a trucking commercial insurance place so, makes sense.

No, I don’t want to spend 15 minutes watching commercials during an hour-long episode of Game of Thrones. However, I’ll admit that I’ve found services and products through ads frequently.

The streaming service Hulu lets you choose your ad experience, so some places it’s not so bad to deal with. If I have to watch ads, I’d rather do it at the expense of having some sort of personalization. Mainly because I could benefit from it later.

But if you’re on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, expect the ad experience to be vastly different. Since I’m using vaping to quit smoking–which is really hard to do when you’re stressed out by the way–I regularly get ads regarding cancer lawsuits against that company. It’s funny, because now a previous Marlboro CEO is running what’s supposed to stop us from vaping.

Seems that smoking, at all, is specifically aimed at a teenage demographic. Even without ads, look at what marketing has done now. I’m 27 and I’m over here huffing these things everywhere. But how did that happen? Because of the way these things were essentially marketed and then advertised to us. All of it matters.

Digital convergence is everywhere. It’s one of the biggest things I’ve learned about the past quarter. And now I’m here at 1 am on a Thursday morning, working at a brand new marketing job at 7 am…at a place where I can’t really get any extra work done.

Although I’m determined to publish the two blogs that I’ve written regarding these topics the past two weeks. This particular blurb about advertising took up quite a few front and back pages in my notebook.

From my notebook. The blog before the blog.

It’s imperative I get my feels out, as some might say. And in short, I’m really creeped out that I, along with many others, have to zen out this weird big brother dystopia out of a George Orwell novel that no one thought was actually going to happen.

Except maybe another writer. I mean, I figured we all knew by now that no facet of our lives is really private.

Ads are meant to personalize, they just go to a whole other level. There’s been a lot of outrage, especially amongst women. I mean, if you have any smart device, all of you other devices are going to know what your routine is to a tee.

But sometimes algorithms and whatever mess up, leaving huge molten craters behind. Some people can’t have children. Or might have miscarried. And they’ll still get baby ads. Other women have realized that the ad experience trickles even down to your damn period app.

It’s disgusting to think that we have no privacy in our lives. These are like, the kinds of things that mortified me growing up. I grew up in a family so tight-knit that it was actually considered textbook dysfunctional. Just not the type one usually thinks of. It’s an overbearing lifestyle.

This is how I feel with ads. Seriously. I’m really, really “zenning” it out though. And uhhh, how many of these ads that we are seeing are really vetted and valid? Not everyone is going to check the comments before purchasing that Furbo dog camera treat dispenser off Facebook. They will just think it looks cool.

The lack of transparency and accountability behind companies buying ad time is so astronomical that it’s laughable. So many people end up unhappy after being scammed by these strange ad things on their favorite social media page.

If there’s so much digital and media convergence, why isn’t everyone else catching up in terms of media literacy? It’s pretty sad. It’s pretty simple.

Not only are the public hindered by the second screen experience, they’re now engrossed by the digital divide. And no one wants to address the monsters behind native advertising and brand marketing. But we all keep going on.

I spent Wednesday at my new job messing with everyone’s privacy settings. Heavily. And for a Mac user to figure it all out on a Windows desktop was phenomenal. But it reminded me that even if I completely disabled these settings, everyone’s smart phones connected to WiFi would give away their information to whoever wants it anyways.

Even the fact that I follow more left-leaning politicians on Twitter means that my ads are well…very snowflake-y. I’ll get ads for products, services and pushing blogs that are 95 percent clickbait. And let’s not even discuss the spam emails. I’m getting hundreds of emails a day. Professional some, but mostly stuff like date Groupons.

Every time I complain about some sort of ache or pain, you can count on good ol’ WebMD shooting me a trusty email about overlooked cancer symptoms. It’s creepy. It’s invasive. However it’s highly convenient, especially in a world where instant gratification is key from all angles.

You can’t get away from it. I’ve continuously blog-preached that those in the communications field have to adapt to these types of rapid change or else it could mean the end of our industry as we know it.

So how do we harness a demon that’s transitioning into a monopoly? It’s so vital to strive for strong ethics in communications. If people don’t believe what they see, they won’t partake or consume in what’s put in front of them.

In short, is everything in life about pulling at the heartstrings behind our love for humanism? What about transparency and the simple act of being genuine? There’s so many questions left unanswered, so that’s why it’s crucial to continue to learn how our field truly connects to others.

Why are influencers so popular? Because they are also effectively closing the digital divide. It’s not just Kim Kardashian with ‘Flat Tummy Tea’ or Cardi B constantly repping Fashion Nova. If you have any type of following online, it’s that much easier to get your foot in the door as a brand influencer. I’m not sure if it’s good or bad. It just depends on what it’s being used for.

I mean why not be a walking advertisement. If you have any type of following or adhere to some sort of niche, it’s possible to become that. If enough educated individuals in journalism hop on this bandwagon, it could mean a life or death difference for this particular industry.

I don’t have all of the answers. It’s impossible to do so with everything, especially technology, constantly changing. But that’s also the scary beauty in the profession. No one can be a complete expert in it and no one ever will be–there is ALWAYS something to learn.

It’s clear that continued research and expansion into the impact of advertising and marketing is imperative for the future. When all fields of communication thrive, everyone involved prospers.

Marketing needs advertising, who needs public relations…and they all need journalism. And since journalism needs monetization to exist, knowing the ins and outs of marketing and advertising is essential.

Seeing what types of advertising are beneficial is also completely needed. In short, not all types of advertising are good for the seriousness of journalism. Such as native advertising. I can’t explain how frustrating it is to see the lines blurred so much to where people fail to harness any concept of media literacy. The complacency is astounding.

I’d rather deal with organic and inorganic outreach than native advertising. Although it’s sad when you can tell that likes or follows were bought, not earned. I can’t knock what pays someone’s bills too much.

Even brand marketing is better than native advertising. Anything where it seems like I’m going to be an actual human. All in all, this industry is like unique ways to push a form of telemarketing. A new way to connect to consumers without having to show up on their doorstep to convince them that your product or service is worthwhile.

Everyone wants organic outreach the most. But making that happen when you aren’t internet-savvy is pretty much like climbing Mt. Everest with improper protective gear.

Advertising is a numbers game. It’s like giving an investigative journalist raw data in a folder and telling them to find the story in it. You have to be completely calculated to plan out an advertising or marketing campaign.

It’s planning the future of an enterprise. And if you can’t sell it with your soul, that’s where brand marketing and native advertising come into play though. I can run around in circles talking about how much I hate or love their outcome for any general brand.

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Can you imagine a time before you could record your dogs every moment they do something remotely funny? Me either. But I’ve personally taken a step back from digital technology recently, for a time. Now my use is in full force. Dog multimedia all the time. Photo by Ashlyn N. Ramirez.

“What would your average day look like without access to digital technology?”

It’s hard to say whether or not I’ve been able to live a life without the use of digital technology. I guess that use was minimal while growing up. I enjoyed being outside and in the moment.

I mean, I even had a skateboard from Toys R’ Us. I was rockin’ on. At least I thought.

But in the end, I’ve really spent over two decades connected to some kind of screen. Even if it wasn’t initially an iPad or iPhone.

That want for catching things as they happen has transferred from one catalyst to the next. This is how journalism continues to adapt and evolve.

Considering how the news has recently jumped to this medium, it’s no wonder that multimedia journalists have to use a combination of digital technology and old school proficiency to do what they want to do.

Not everything is what it seems, but they all make for great examples.

When you have to focus on using your five senses to figure out something, some will come to realize that digital technology just makes the process faster. It’s still just as tedious though. Immediate doesn’t mean perfect.

Without digital technology, my online schooling wouldn’t be possible. Neither would my profession. Nothing would be instantaneous.

Therefore, I feel like I’d end up spending most of my time hanging out at home. Maybe even writing a crappy book because I’m really just that bored?

Sometimes it comes down to an existential moment.

A piece of mindfulness and enlightenment. Then you’ll appreciate the technology you have that much more.

Right before I started this graduate program, I took my first break from technology. And it wasn’t even that big of a break. If anything, I just stopped communicating through my phone. Only in person instead. It’s something that rejuvenated my life and helped me connect to my old self again.

And my old self always loves a good scoop, found through hard work and perseverance.

Never would I thought that at some point in my life, I would have access to research, data and statistics all in the palm of my hands. I always compliment Twitter and Reddit for their ability to quickly share news globally. It’s something that while many may not use those platforms still, there’s still enough buzz about them to keep them around.

But think about the scrutiny that comes with this gift. Everyone that’s a later millennial remembers the Monica Lewinsky scandal. It’s something that former President Bill Clinton has actually been able to recover from.

Our current president continues to use digital technology in order to bend the law for him, thus harming our democracy while getting his agenda. How is it that a women gets shamed online and loses everything?

All while our president is the center of a handful of investigative inquiries.

Democratic, indeed.

Digital technology often causes bias and misinformation. However, if we didn’t have it at all, there’d be no way to really keep a set of checks and balances in our country. We simply wouldn’t know who is running our country at all. Instead, we have to work off of.

https://twitter.com/rmayemsinger/status/1188655276120891393

The one thing about waking up and not touching your phone is that everything seems sweeter. Making that calendar, brushing your teeth and hair, a good exfoliating face wash…all of that has more meaning. It’s about the simple things. And when I took the time to slow down, I really got to catch up on a few things–my sleeping, free writing, watching Netflix, art, cleaning, cooking AND reading.

I even picked up photography again.

Catching things in the moment is one of my favorite past times. Even if it’s blurry. Not everything has to be so serious. Photo by Ashlyn N. Ramirez.

I don’t even remember the last time I read a book for pleasure. But I highly recommend The Book of Mindfulness. Suddenly, all this time I spent sitting on my phone was taken up with actually taking time to care for myself.

That way when I did start getting back online for school, I was more careful to really handle my time management the best I can.

Sure, I’m writing this in the middle of the night after a random spark of inspiration. Yes, I binge watched the Netflix series Prank Encounters. My fingers hurt from cracking them. I can definitely say that I am not stressed anymore though.

If you can let go from the necessity of needing an online presence, I feel like it’s ultimately that much easier to create one on your own without even trying.

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Social media is a way for everyone to connect–even for dog owners. Here’s a picture I shot of one of my dogs for his Instagram during a walk this month. Yes, my dog has an Instagram. And I’ve been able to find more dog owners that have the same breed. It’s great.

“What’s the biggest impact social media has made on how we interact with one another?“

Who do you talk to these days? And how are you talking to them the most?

For many, it’s through our smartphones. Asking for an Instagram username is like calling someone’s house phone back in the day and asking them on a date, or to come outside to hang out.

Interaction–something that has drastically changed over the past two decades. It’s crazy to think that the days of growing up outside as a child are massively different.

Everyone has a phone in their hand; I received my first phone in middle school. My younger sister? She had one in third grade. My mom’s reasoning was for safety. It was something foreign to me. The difference here is our age gap of seven years.

I’ve read every single Harry Potter novel. And I could read an entire novel in a day. I’m not special for it. I’m sure a lot of people have too. It’s just that now, that kind of dedication is rare, especially when your phone is lighting up every fifteen minutes with a new notification.

Since technology and social media altered our society’s attention spans, I’ve never been able to read a novel quickly since. I get bored easily and at some point, I’m going to check my phone. I have to even use my phone to go to sleep.

Not having access to social media is like cutting off one of my index fingers and an ear. Without it, I’ve lost a way to vitally interact with others. That’s one of the many cons of social media.

Now, harboring some kind of presence takes precedence over knowledge. It’s frightening for our future.

However, there’s those that have actually developed enough media literacy on their own to actually use their platforms to not only make people laugh or smile, but to bring awareness that impacts the global population in a million ways.

For me, Twitter has become the best place to find breaking news. Instagram has become a place for me to showcase my photography.

Thanks to social media, everyone can be a model, actor, artist and citizen journalist, to name a few things. A business can grow from local to worldwide if you’ve got the right marketing tactics.

While this has caused for saturation to accelerate in terms of actual talent in many fields, it’s also brought plenty of new talent that might have never been discovered before without the help of the internet.

Let’s talk about rapper and actress Cardi B. She gained her fame through social media by posting her life to Twitter and Instagram. She went from rags to riches, and then some.

She’s now considered one of the best female artists in the pop realm. Her openness and realism through various social media platforms is what makes her relatable.

Social media has really pushed forward commercialization for businesses and individuals alike, especially in the case of celebrities.

Think about the Kardashian family. Would they really be this famous if it wasn’t for them jumping on the social media bandwagon?

Kylie Jenner made an entire empire through her Instagram account before she turned 21 years old.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3pmU43HNNX/

She’s become a staple for women across the country–a roundhouse millionaire, all thanks to social media. Without social media, there’s no way her makeup line would’ve flourished the way that it has.

It’s pretty common to see the younger generation have more than 1k followers these days. Life is measured by the likes you get online. If you’re able to push your passion out there to the right people at the right time, it could change your life for better or worse.

President Barack Obama used Twitter, Reddit and Instagram to stay connected to the general public. Now every Democrat running for office is adopting the same routes.

It’s a thing that other individuals, regardless of the field, have latched onto for the same reason.

An instant way to provide information and answers, social media has actually provided an easier catalyst for journalists to give out news consistently, 24/7.

As social media continues to change, it’s going to further change the way society interacts with others. On one hand, social media brings people together that might have not been able to interact before. Think about online dating, for example. Suddenly, the world is not that small.

When I was in fifth grade, I joined a Linkin Park message board for die-hard fans. I ended up staying friends with people I met on there till this day, even if we don’t live in the same part of California.

But then again, social media has also brought newfound body dysmorphia and isolation. Kids would rather sit on Youtube and TikTok instead of enjoying what’s probably the last decades of affluent nature.

Like I said, our lives are now dictated by the likes that we get. And when you can’t fulfill that satisfaction, you don’t want to associate with anything at all. At least some of us have that awareness. For others, they don’t know anything else.