I am a traditional realist who wants to be a
non-traditional idealist.
This
persona keeps me on my toes because no one wants to engage with someone
who isn't distinct or set on one set of values. My values are the same
as most - I want to have financial freedom with a healthy family and a
doting husband - what's wrong with that? While obtaining all my life
dreams I decided to take the world along for the ride. My
blog will encompass my crazy rants, original articles, research papers
and anything else interesting I deem fit for dissemination.
Stop by every now and again to experience life through Leona's View.
Advancing technology has improved every industry from 3G to 4G smart phones to hybrid cars that are more efficient on gas, its not surprising that these technologies are helping with sustainable energy as well. Green Energy campaigns educated and informed the public of the earth's health status. In 2003 a global warming initiative was launched to educate and develop renewable energy sources (Pierce, Steel & Warner, 2011) that are now being implemented for today's use. Some of these sources utilized military technology with domestic farmers needs developing agricultural drones (Anderson, 2014). With fossil fuels accounting for 80% of the United States global pollution (Greenpeace, 2014) and scientist tracking extreme weather and sea level rises mass media was used as the resource in transmitting immediate attention to this matter.
When politicians began to campaign on green energy, society took notice, it resulted in shifting cultural views on worldwide sustainable energy strategies. Current technology can produce wind, solar and geothermal energy sources to provide 96% electricity and 98% heating utility demand (Greenpeace, 2014). With the advancements in big data software and unprecedented forecast accuracy wind power and solar power grids are being utilized by utility companies (Bullis, 2014). Overall, mass media campaigns have reached a large audience that have allowed renewable energy advocates to influence the world to actively use new technologies to push social change. Cultural expectations in today's mass media is socially conscientious and knows that social media can impact world decisions.
References:
Anderson, C. (2014). Agricultural drones. Retrieved from http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/526491/agricultural-drones/
Bullis, K. (2014). Smart wind and solar power. Retrieved from http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/526541/smart-wind-and-solar-power/
Greenpeace. (2014). Stop global warming: energy [r]evolution. Retrieved from http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/campaigns/global-warming-and-energy/
Pierce, J., Steel, B. & Warner, R. (2011). Cultural considerations in alternative energy development: an oregon and washington case study. Retrieve from http://epi.boisestate.edu/media/8382/4_brent%20steel%20%28paper%29_cultural%20considerations%20in%20alternative%20energy%20development,%20an%20oregon%20and%20washington%20case%20study.pdf
I can still remember a time when I actually had to get up to turn my television channels. Hopefully that is not disclosing how old I am but my children seriously asked me if there were color tv's in my day. New millennium youths can't relate to the four channel, non-remote, non-streaming tv of the past. YouTube is the go-to for the majority of my kids entertainment. I have not invested in the nice quality digital tv's (DTV) that are now so popular but I do consume my entertainment differently then I did when I was an adolescent. The technology advancements in mass media has changed the way society accesses their entertainment.
My walk-man has been updated to an ipod, I listen to Pandora rather then the radio and I use my ROKU (on-demand programming) to view my favorite shows and movies. I can participate on social media through my phone and I use my laptop for work. These new elements of communication have conveniently changed the way Americans consume entertainment (Curtis, 2012). There are new platforms that are emerging such as more use in cloud computing, multimedia 3D entertainment and IoT connectivity (IEEE, 2013). The cultural shifts of today are motivated by new technologies and new age entertainment will continue to form innovative creators who utilize all available platforms.
References:
Curtis, A. (2012). Mass media influence on society. Mass Communication Department.
University of North Carolina at Pembroke 910.521.6616
http://www2.uncp.edu/home/acurtis/Courses/ResourcesForCourses/Media&Society/MassMediaInfluenceOnSociety.html
IEEE Computer Society. (2012). 13 Technology Trends for 2013. Retrieved from http://www.computer.org/portal/web/pressroom/IEEE-Computer-Society-Announces-13-Technology-Trends-for-2013
With changing times we see changing technologies, societal shifts and cultural shaping. All are intertwined and help feed each other. The 2008 election showed how new technology developed a societal shift towards acceptance and has laid a new foundation to youths of the limitless potential being an American citizen can achieve. Obama's campaign chose to communicate with younger voters who were increasingly using mobile devices for social media correspondence, the campaign used the fairly new platform of social media as a window to pour unsolicited information to a mass audience (Carr, 2008).
The American culture had changed to cell phones, laptops and tablets as the major medium in consuming music, media and news (Curtis, 2012). These new avenues of communication were directly related to the technological advances that software and hardware companies were developing. Citizens simply utilized the new technologies and now we use them in most aspects of our lives. We have our ipads, iphones and ipods that are used daily and now our kids and grand-kids can't imagine a time before the existed.
References:
Carr, D. (2008). How obama tapped into social networks' power. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/10/business/media/10carr.html?_r=0
Curtis, A. (2012). Mass media influence on society. Mass Communication Department.
University of North Carolina at Pembroke 910.521.6616
http://www2.uncp.edu/home/acurtis/Courses/ResourcesForCourses/Media&Society/MassMediaInfluenceOnSociety.html
Communication professionals of the 21st century will have to be adaptable to new technologies, have the ability to write engaging and informative content and possess a strategic understanding on how search engines work. This knowledge is needed to be a successful and sought after writer within the communication industry. Basic understanding of computer programming language is crucial to manipulate successful results on the web (Reid, 2012). Web optimization or search engine optimization can take a company's website from obscurity to the front page of a search engine.
References:
Reid, B. (2012). The 10 skills modern communicators have (or need to get). Retrieved from http://blog.wcgworld.com/2012/05/the-10-skills-modern-communicators-have-or-need-to-get
The role of a communication professional entails engagement. In attempting to engage with the public interesting content must be created. To gain an audience you must utilize the tools on social media platforms to construct an effective outreach model. Online communication conceptualizes human uses of the Internet by examining what people are doing with technology, socially and communicatively (Cairncross, 2001). Using Google Analytics and other tracking software to rate your engagement campaigns will give you greater insight on what is keeping your readers interested.
Using trending hashtags and commenting on other interesting post will highlight your effort to interact (Reid, 2012). Audiences repost and share comments that are funny and interesting the most (Roger, 2013) so it is important for communication professionals to stay aware of what is going on in society as well as how people are sharing interesting news. Take risk and try new styles of marketing that are innovative and ethically sound. These risk are a gamble but one post could go viral so putting in the effort could definitely pay off.
References:
Cairncross, F. (2001). The death of distance: how the communications revolution is changing our lives - distance isn't what it used to be. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=brOQAgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=culture+and+communication+changes+with+technology&ots=b8Lz83PqiN&sig=gLwZaOfUE0EUA5c3orIlCEBtOww#v=onepage&q=culture%20and%20communication%20changes%20with%20technology&f=false
Reid, B. (2012). The 10 skills modern communicators have (or need to get). Retrieved from http://blog.wcgworld.com/2012/05/the-10-skills-modern-communicators-have-or-need-to-get
Roger, K. (2013, February 19). Integration of push marketing campaigns into social media. Social Media Today. Retrieved from http://socialmediatoday.com/freelancewriter/1247226/squeezing-pull-marketing- campaigns-social-media.
The one thing constant is change. It is apparent in the field of communications with the advances in technology and how information is being distributed. With new communication devices and multiple internet platforms being developed several times a year, professionals in the information industry must possess a basic understanding of new technologies. Without the ability to adapt to the onslaught of new industry practices some companies may fall by the wayside. Among companies currently facing or anticipating a skills shortage, 66 percent anticipate a loss of business to competitors, 64 percent face a loss of revenue, 59 percent face eroding customer satisfaction and 53 percent say they will face a delay in developing new products or services (Accenture, 2013).
Communicators must be proactive in their careers by participating in new media. Companies will review how active a social media specialist claims to be by browsing their current profiles. Without a cyber footprint communication professionals will more then likely be lost in the shuffle of other ordinary candidates. New technologies need to be tested, they are essential for productivity and must be utilized properly because the technology themselves are specific to information and communication endeavors (Hare, n.d.). Technology has changed the way we communicate and we as professional communicators must have the ability to adapt with these changes.
References:
Accenture. (2013). Accenture 2013 Skills and Employment Trends Survey: Perspectives on Training. Retrieved from http://www.accenture.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/Accenture-2013-Skills-And- Employment-Trends-Survey-Perspectives-On-Training.pdf
Hare, C. (). New technologies and the education of information professionals. Retrieved from http://campus.usal.es/~teoriaeducacion/rev_numero_02/n2_art_hare.htm#Destino_06
