"Generation Like" Discussion Questions:
1. Engagement is the number of people interacting on social media. It's a form of communication that depends on how well you can capture the audience's attention. You are engaged in content if you are truly interacting with it. For instance, Facebook would likely describe engagement as cumulative number of likes, comments, and shares.
Interaction is close in relation to engagement. It measures the responses among people who are communicating on the internet. An interaction can have a mass, one on one, or individual approach.
Reach is the total number of people that have been exposed to internet content, but more specifically, advertisements. Reach helps advertisers see how successful they have been in connecting with the audience.
Targeting is when you cater to a specific demographic, whom you know will be interested in your product, whether it's a YouTube video, or an advertisement.
Each of these concepts are crucial to modern day society. The internet has the power to expose information to a mass audience. In the documentary, we learned about the YouTube sensation, Tyler Oakley, who created an audience, which resulted in interaction, and eventually reached an incredible amount of people. He did this all by targeting the teen to young adult crowd, which is prominent on YouTube.
2. To me, liking someone's post on Facebook means that I truly enjoy what I'm seeing. I don't use Facebook much, because I don't like reading people's opinions. When I like something it's usually just a funny video, or good song. The "like" button doesn't mean much to me, but I have to admit, it feels nice when people dig your posts.
3. I am partially influenced by knowing other people like what I like. Sometimes it can be a great way to realize you have something in common with a friend that you didn't realize before. Social media is can be see in a positive light in terms of learning about people, and being able to connect with them through common interests.
4. An influencer is a person of high authority. This person uses persuasion to manipulate a mass audience. Basically, people can be influenced to become loyal to certain ideas and brands. When a person of authority uses or promotes something, it will persuade people to follow their footsteps. Influencers are especially prominent in social media.
5. Oreo supported the legalization of same sex marriage by using rainbow colored cream in between those glorious chocolate cookies.
Marketing Oreo with this current issue boosted their sales because they were catering to a popular topic that many people support.
6. Companies use social media to advertise, by using data that is able to advertise products of the consumers interests. Social media can be used to specifically target a certain demographic. Social media advertising also comes back to the concept of likes. Creating an online brand is easy when your product can be liked and shared with a simple click. It's almost a popularity contest. The more likes you have for your product, the more times your advertisement is seen.
7. Marketers are using social media to build brand trust by interacting with consumers in a personable manner. In relation to my last answer, marketers can build trust by being liked. If a large number of people like and support your product, you are making a great name for your brand. The fact that people who are loyal to your brand can also share your social media posts with their friends. increases the chances of your name spreading even quicker.
8. Celebrities use social media to advertise because they know they have loyal fans who will support them. They are already well-known, and their name is a brand within itself. They can use their credibility to advertise. It's common for celebrities to have Facebook and Twitter accounts, which also allows for fan interaction. In the documentary, a girl who was a fan of the Hunger Games, was able to interact with her favorite actor in the film. It must have been a special feeling.
9. A corporate sponsorship is a form of advertising in which companies pay to be associated with certain events. They know if their name is attached to a successful campaign, it will increase their revenue. For example, in the documentary, the kid who made skateboard videos was sponsored by popular skate brands. They knew that the videos were getting a ton of views, which means their products were reaching a large audience.
10. Marketers are very capable of being transparent when using technology as described in the documentary. Marketing is a well planned out strategy, that most audiences are oblivious too. Celebrities even use marketers to increase their fan base. By staying in the shadows, marketers are maintaining a successful approach to what they do. If they are figured out, it will make them less credible. They are just using a little trickery.
11. The Hunger Games plot is a lot like advertising using social media, because people are competing to stay on top. In the Hunger Games, the strongest competitors survived the longest. In social media, the most popular users dominate the weaker ones. Also in the Hunger Games, getting sponsors was a crucial aspect of survival. In social media, as well as the Hunger games, in order to get sponsors, you need to get people to like you. Go Peeta.
