Tag: opinion

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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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Nov. 9, 2016. The day after Presidential Candidate Donald J. Trump was elected into office brought heightened demonstrations across the nation. Groups of protestors set their sights on vandalizing media property in Los Angeles. Photo by Ashlyn Ramirez.

President Trump’s win over former Secretary of State and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton is something that has not only left a permanent distaste for diehard progressives– it’s also the cause of newfound yellow journalism.

But this is my opinion. Take it how you will.

Journalists are here to report the truth without bias. But the Trump Administration has hurled a cesspool of vitriol for the past three years at anyone who has questioned them.

People have been fired. People have been hurt because of misinformation. That damage is irreparable. Does this mean that journalism has become saturated?

No one thought that another country would pierce the soul of democracy here. Unfortunately that’s exactly what happened. And with the recent findings behind Trump trying to coax Ukraine’s president into another election fraud, journalists like me are wondering how this is going to impact the future later.

I read in one of my textbooks that over 200,000 journalists have been laid off since the early 2000’s. As far as this year goes, about 7,200 journalists have been laid off so far.

Once I joined the Daily Titan, Cal State Fullerton’s student newspaper, I was made well aware of how the term “fake news” would change my future.

A closeup of Pro-Trump demonstrators’ signs on Cal State Fullerton’s campus March 13, 2017. President Trump hadn’t even been in office for three months. Photo by Ashlyn Ramirez.

Yes, I’ve been directly called this tasteless term, over this article linked here that I wrote. It’s insulting and dehumanizing as a student to see those leading your country effectively making your career more hostile and violent.

In fact, I had an entire Letter to the Editor written about a basic new piece I wrote almost three years ago. It was so crass that the editorial board heavily redacted it. We were flabbergasted. At this point, I can’t even find it online anymore. I guess it was that bad.

Part of this happened because I was a crucial asset to the editorial section–and also wrote countless opinion pieces that often denounced President Trump. The entire student body–or at least whoever read the paper– knew my name then. Speaking out as not only a journalist but a journalist of color has become increasingly harder over such a short period of time.

Video footage from a Pro-Trump demonstration–just months after the Trump Administration took office.

Writing those pieces has given me jobs. It’s also caused many to turn me away, especially in a part of California that isn’t even close to being blue. But even those that are blue can lack media literacy all the same.

Opinion is not news and it never has been. How much more can be done to inform a reader about what’s fact and what’s not?

Sure, you can throw a disclaimer on a piece. You can write that this is an opinion article. And it’s unlikely you’ll see an opinion piece grace the front page smack in the middle anyways.

However, you’re only going to see what your thoughts will allow. Just like those currently in power.

To this day, our President insists on attacking any news media that is not considered conservative. It’s disgusting and vile. It’s a very real threat to the First Amendment, our human rights and our democracy.

This is how the media became saturated to the point of a pop culture joke. Blogging exacerbated the lack of source credibility and those that aren’t fond of our country saw our weakness and took advantage of it. That’s why fighting back against “fake news” is more important than ever. But it’s a match that can only be strategically won.

No one knows everything. Even the media. That’s why objectivity and research are vital to make a sound, informed opinion. And then it’s time to spread information–fact checking is everything. Even if the current administration doesn’t care for any of it.

“Fake news” is a term that an entire newsroom will either laugh or roll their eyes at. But since the general public lacks the media literacy needed to really differentiate from what’s legitimate and what’s not, it’s a problem that has to be addressed through the next generations.

It’s going to take more than writing in your Twitter bio that your opinions don’t represent your work. Without passing down media literacy to the public, there’s no way journalism is going to ride out this wave.

It’s going to get messy. Even other countries are feeling the burn.

Trying to start a journalism career in a rapidly changing industry is hard enough. Once you add the threat of yellow journalism into the mix, things start to get more complicated. Combating a monster that was probably created through the acts of Russia and various Republican representatives was something no one ever thought would be a thing.

Now, what does this mean for future elections? The key to changing everything is awareness, facts and voting. Without any of these things, a president can become a tyrant. Just like how the government relies on checks and balances, journalists have to rely on their ethics. Everyone’s a skeptic. It’s a journalist’s job to localize and humanize their writing for the general public to pay attention.

I was taught to not even register to vote. Old school journalists take ethics to a level that isn’t really seen anymore. It’s something that future journalists must keep in mind. Times are changing with us, but our core stays the same. Yellow journalism has been around for quite some time and we, as journalists, have to get craftier at handling it.

Those that utilize the internet and social media to spread their views ultimately push credible sources out the window. It’s to the point where many people have become so skeptical that science isn’t even something they want to believe in.

This is a problem that can only be fixed with understanding reality.

The next time you see an aunt or uncle on Facebook posting links to bogus news sites, don’t call them out in person. If you can, teach through education. Not everyone is going to listen to sources that don’t cater to their needs, but there’s always a middle ground to stand on while defending yourself.