Future Implications

The Social Media Landscape is continually changing, technology is constantly evolving and the way we get our information would most likely scare my grandparents. I was on an airplane recently with a colleague; the majority of our fellow travelers were playing on their smartphone, tablet or laptop prior to takeoff.  However, there were a few passengers reading the newspaper (yes a newspaper!) These were the only folks on the plane that qualified for AARP. I leaned over to my colleague, pointed to those reading the newspaper and said, “I think when this generation moves on it’s the end of the newspaper industry”. She agreed with me.

We now have access to all the information we want--anything we want to know is only a Google search or a mobile app away. There is a mobile app available called News Republic, with the tagline “it’s my news.”  With News Republic, the user gets to build their own new channels for news that is relevant to them. The user can build a personalized home screen and choose which topics to be alerted about. With this app, I stay up to date with news across the globe all from my mobile device.  Sharing these articles is easy as well--just a quick click of the mouse will share articles the user finds interesting and relevant to their Facebook Friends and/or Twitter followers. There is now no reason to waste time at the store purchasing a bulky newspaper with limited news stories--and there is no more ink on my fingers!

With changes in human behavior and technology, why would we continue to pay for news and information? I’m reminded of the scene from Good Will Hunting when they’re at the pub near Harvard and he says to the pompous Harvard student with the pony tail, “you dropped a hundred and fifty grand on education you coulda’ got for a dollar fifty in late charges at the Public Library.” He’s obviously talking about education and at the time the movie came out today’s technology wasn’t available, but the concept is the same; why pay money for information that is available for free and more conveniently accessed?

Viral Marketing Initiatives

I have never created a “viral” video. In fact, most videos I’ve posted to YouTube have been for work and have either been set to “private” or were “unlisted.”  With that being said, I’ve certainly watched my share of viral media. It’s pretty easy to get lost in one after another after another and before you know it, you’ve just wasted your Saturday morning or lunch hour watching YouTube videos.

But, as a viewer and a sharer of viral videos, I know what I am looking for. Here are five things I am looking for in a viral video:

Relevance - First, your viral video needs to be relevant to what is going on in the world around you.  Some good examples of relevant viral videos are Suli Breaks, a spoken word poet whose videos about changing education have gone viral worldwide.  Or, the “Bad Lip Syncing” videos that dubbed over some film of NFL players and coaches around the time of the Super Bowl.

Entertainment - Whether it’s funny, sad, informative or just plain odd, I want to be entertained by it. This will keep a viewer watching it over and over as well as showing as many people as I can.

Simplicity - Keep it simple. Your video is a way to spread your message and if it is simple, people will share due to its value.

Uniqueness - In the same vein, people will perceive a video’s value by how unique it is. Again, if a video is perceived as valuable people will share it.

Unexpectedness (Edginess)-  “In a world where over two days of video get uploaded every minute, only that which is truly unique and unexpected can stand out the way that viral videos have,” Kevin Alloca, Trends Manager at YouTube.com. People do not want to see the same thing over and over again; they want something unexpected and edgy.  That is why Suli Breaks has success with his videos; education reform is such a hot button issue at the moment and he takes it right to the edge.