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CCT 300: Critical Analysis of MediaClass 10: Concluding thoughts and more on Internet meme propagation

+Administration

Comic creation marking almost done – returned by next week

Final project questions? (More on this today)

Remember message, medium, audience

+Three Trends to Consider (Pink)

Abundance

Automation

Asia

+Abundance

The developed world has most its basic needs sorted out – people don’t necessarily need more stuff

New products not about need but want (and engineering that want…)

Difficulties resulting from this? See Annie Leonard’s Story of Stuff.

+Automation

Products are increasingly produced by machines (e.g., robotics in manufacturing - reduced labor costs, higher precision in most cases)

But so are professional services - e.g., DIY law, accounting services, etc.

The more clear the task, the more likely a machine can do it cheaper and better.

+Asia

Alliteration! (Think globalization - also includes BRIC countries and elsewhere)

Global work transfer - not just cheaper manufacturing labour but also cheaper information economy labour

Many qualified scientists, doctors, engineers in BRIC - often available at a fraction of cost (*until wages normalize at least…)

+Rise (and Flight) of the Creative Class (Florida)

“Creative class” growing in number and power

Talent, technology and tolerance (e.g., the “gay hypothesis”) drive creative class

National/worldwide competition for creative talent

Creative class thrives in creative communities – and leaves those that aren’t

+The Conceptual Age: High Concept, High Touch

Previously privileged talents increasingly automated, outsourced

Creativity - not just information processing - is the real value-added activity

More complicated than following rules - must be able to manipulate and create them to new ends

+Implications for (Your) Education and Employment

A troubling trend in higher education – standardized testing (and teaching to the test) and programmatic learning via rubrics

But…creative class defines rules, not blindly follow them!

Mimicry of instructions is not education – e.g., McCloud’s surface vs. deeper engagement

In the workforce – high end careers define rules, low end follows: which do you want to be?

+In-class assignment (due today)

What will you do to ensure you’re someone of value in today’s economy?

What shouldn’t you do if you want to keep that position?

+Final Exam Tips

Check exam date/time/location (location can change!)

10-15 MC questions (20-30%) – more factual

Set of short answer questions related to case(s) (70-80%)

Case questions – more interpretation and application than regurgitation - don’t just repeat concept definitions – apply to case context

Study by taking concepts and applying them to new situations - if you can do that without issue, you’re probably in good shape

+Internet Content Dissemination

How does some content go viral?

Concentric circles (Stratten): 1) you to your friends; 2) your friends to their friends; 3) friends of your friends to their friends, etc.

By the third circle, people are sharing based on quality of content, not personal obligation

His example – if he shares something and 1K bother to see it = not viral

Someone with 30 followers = can still go viral, but content has to be compelling because it leverages further circles

+People share awesome (and unawesome)

Build it – they won’t come.

People do share about their dinner being OK, but they really should stop – it’s boring for everyone involved.

People willingly share exceptional experiences

People willingly and eagerly share negative experiences

If either speak to a universal human condition or interest, they can spread rather incredibly

This interest can be puerile, infantile, silly, pointless, etc.

Authenticity counts – which is why “viral marketing” is hard!

+Notes on tools

All sorts of social media tools out there

All depend on active community – if there’s very few active users, or people are just lurking but not sharing, it’s not really a functional place

Many have their own profiles, audiences, etc. (e.g., Pintrest seems to be skewed highly female audience – if that’s relevant, leverage that.)

+Facebook

Good to reach your first circle

But after that? Depends on the diversity of your network and quality of your content

Getting your friends/colleagues to like something isn’t particularly hard

+Twitter

Churn of updates from the interesting to the mundane

Can cascade into sharing through retweets through “hijacking” hashtags

Hashtags and folksonomies – how do such things come into being?

How do you get people to follow you?

Who are “you”? (e.g., many memes are concepts, not individuals)

+Tumblr/Pintrest/other microblogs

Good for quick content creation/uploading

Intensely social spaces – sharing expected and encouraged

Being a good citizen helps – if people follow/share your stuff, return the favour.

If you have multiple people in your group, you can probably approach multiple angles/tools – otherwise, focus on one intensely

+Hitch a ride on a star

80/20 rule – 80% of traffic goes to 20% of locations/individuals – common across most media, applies as much or more on social media

Your mom sharing your content = meh (she’s your mom, she’s forced to like your stuff.)

Big Content doing so = quite effective

Big Content can be anything – mainstream media, blogs, individuals, etc.

Less gatekeeping role (traditional media) than enablers/amplifiers

Smaller stars work too – e.g., one meme got local radio coverage.

+Leveraging existing communities

There are communities for anything (e.g., how many Danish pastry fans are there? More than you think.)

If your content taps their passion (or enflames it), use this to your advantage

Language/ethnic communities work too

Community participation important – many places don’t allow full participation until threshold met, and that might not be possible given timing.

+Meme Communities

Reddit – ideas/threads voted up and down, with strong threads getting significant attention

4chan - /b (if you dare?)

Meme generator/aggregator sites – often open platforms for setting up and launching silly ideas

+Be careful out there

You’re putting yourself out there – and that’s not always positive

How to deal with negative comments

How to deal with threatened lawsuits (it’s happened.)

Perhaps time to create/maintain a separate account (although be wary of account timing restrictions)

+A note on metrics

Many sites/services will count hits, shares, retweets, etc.

Some map to account data (e.g., YouTube Analytics)

Look at this to gauge meme propagation

Look at this to gauge new target markets

+Have fun, be awesome

Explore what’s out there, take a few (calculated and reasonable) risks

Be awesome, and see what happens!