The milestones of a social media addict

Now, I am happy to confession I am a facebook Junkie and I think that a lot of people would nod in agreement. The other day I nearly sent my friend Sam into a fit when I emailed her some  startling news that our mutual friend Jesse had just deleted Facebook as she “wasted to much time on it and need to finish her uni degree”. Sam was shocked. And couldn’t believe the social suicide Jesse had just committed. Sam replied “Some people surf, some read, some even whale watch, but I, I Facebook.” Has Facebook really become a listable hobby? Why are we all so obsessed? And where did it all begin? For me the beginning was MySpace.

Social media fun facts

Everyday I stumble along new facts and stats on social media. Here’s a fascinating video I stumbled across recently…

Twitter saves the day

As Twitter detractor’s often sneer that nothing of value can be said in 140 characters. The UK Parliament and The Guardian newspaper would now beg to differ. When reporter  Alan Rusbridger, left the office on a Monday evening after a frustrating day, after lawyer Carter-Ruck persuade a judge to suppress a confidential but embarrassing document which has fallen into journalists’ hands on the Trafigura fiasco. Rusbridger’s tweet:

  “Now Guardian prevented from reporting parliament for unreportable reasons. Did John Wilkes live in vain?”

These 15 words sent internet uses into battle to reveal all, marking a historical victory for the power of the internet after a gagging attempt on routine act of journalism.

The results are unparallel. As Rusridger writes

“By lunchtime – an hour before we were due in court – Trafigura threw in the towel. The textbook stuff – elaborate carrot, expensive stick – had been blown away by a newspaper together with the mass collaboration of total strangers on the web. Trafigura thought it was buying silence. A combination of old media – the Guardian – and new – Twitter – turned attempted obscurity into mass notoriety.”

Is this a lesson of the times on how to usesocial media for the greater good. The internet is an important tool for freedom of speech and used correctly it can seek justice.

Read the full story here:
The Trafigura fiasco tears up the textbook
Trafigura: A few tweets and freedom of speech is restored

Can pictures tell a thousand words?

The profession of photojournalism – an investigation into objectivity, principles and ethics

 

 

Jabaliya Refugee Camp, Ahmed Jadallah (Rueters)

In 2004 Ahmed Jadallah won the World Press Photo of the Year Award for his image of refugees in the Gaza Strip. The picture was taken in March 2003 in the aftermath of an Isreali tank attack in Jabalya refugee camp. At the time Jadallah and his group had been hit by a bomb. Jadallah describes the incident stating “It’s really hard, you know, to see people dying in front of you and I was feeling that I was also dying.” (cited in Leith, 2004, p. 200) He then describes a big hole opening up in the ground and he felt he was falling. After waking up he realised he too was injured. “My legs had been broken, I thought I was dying, and I couldn’t move but I did my job and I took pictures of the dead people beside me.” (cited in Leith, 2004, p. 201) Ahmed Jadallah’s picture captures the horrific scene, the brutal reality, the chaos and the sad truth of death and conflict. Jadallah claims there were no gunmen in the vicinity when they were attacked, only civilians. Ahmed Jadallah’s story, like many other photojournalists, allow us to see the need for photojournalism as a powerful voice within society as well as the danger of the profession and ethical and moral issues involved. “For me I don’t have any power, only the hope that there is change and only the ability to try my best as a journalist, as a photographer to show what is going on.” (cited in Leith, 2004, p. 203)Jadallah’s humble words poignantly reflect the essential role of photojournalism – to inform and educate the world.

One dress – 365 days 365 ways

Like every I know, chances are somewhere in your closet will hang the staple LBD – Little Black Dress. Or in my case five. The importance, necessity and need for this most valuable fashion item is undisputed. One can add accessories, don a jacket in winter and  interchange stylish ballet pumps for killer heels to take the you from day to night. The possibilities, as they say, are endless. To ask a girl why they need yet another black dress, is a crime punishable by a startled stare and a roll of the eyes. Girls turn to their LBD’s like they would their morning coffee, their best friend and their afternoon chocolate fix. And this leads me to my favourite blog  –  The Uniform Project.

Russia tops social media

The beautiful St Basil's Cathedral

Story by Matt Rhodes from Fresh Networks 

Earlier this year we reported on how Russia is the fourth largest social networking market in Europe. Data from TNS showed that use of social media and social networking in Russia is widespread, making it the fourth largest market in Europe for social networking behind the UK, Germany and France. In part this position is driven by strong local social networking sites, principally Odnoklassniki (Одноклассники), which reports some 30 million registered users, and VKontakte (В контакте) with some 28 million registered users.

These numbers are truly impressive and perhaps the rate of growth in membership of social networking sites in Russia is even more so. But recent research from comScore shows that Russians are the most engaged users of social media in the world.

The research showed that in May this year, 1.1 billion people went online worldwide, and 75% of these visited social networks and online communities. In fact, the typical user of the internet spent 3.7 hours on such sites in May. But users from Russia led the way with the typical internet user in that country spending a total of 6.6 hours ever month on these social media sites. Brazil was second with an average of 6.3 hours per user and Canada was third with 5.6 hours per typical user. These numbers compare with 4.6 hours spent by the typical UK internet user on social networks. And a typical 4.2 hours for people in the US.

By this simple measure, the Russian internet audience appears to be perhaps the most engaged in the world in social networking and online communities. This highlights the danger of focusing on English-language-centric developments in online communities, social media tools and social networks. In Russia, two local sites each reach more than 40% of the entire Internet population in the country. Facebook, by contrast, reaches only 2% of the Russian internet audience.

Some of the most interesting developments in the use of social networks and online communities are happening where the users are most engaged and where the user bases are growing most rapidly. This is more likely to be in the markets where the audience and access is developing quickly. Perhaps we should all look to Russia and Brazil more when we want to know what comes next.

Creating a click

“If you don’t like the news…. go out and make some of your own.” — Wes “Scoop” Nisker

Nisker’s words can be a tribute to citizen journalism today. I thought it’d be good to compile a list of organisations where people are making some news of there own. Here is a list of citizen journalism publications,that are demonstrating the strength of this new media platform:

The end of TV?

When I want to get my Gossip Girl fix, I don’t wait for 8.30 Tuesdays on Fox 8 to roll around, I simply hop on line. Now, with websites such as TVshack, Surf the Channel and Youtube, internet users have the ability to watch what they want when they want it. My friend is obsessed with John Mayer… I mean obsessed… and he was so excited that he could preview the latest John Mayer clip for Who Says on Youtube rather than waiting for it to hit the radio or MTV. More and more we are heading to our computers and using the internet to access entertainment that we would normally seek in mediums such as TV and radio.

I’d drink to that

My friend has recently been part of the launch of PRinks, the monthly social get-together for people in the communcations industry, and as as she talks to me about the birth of PRinks, she refreshingly reminds me of the power of online networks to build relationships. It’s also given me an interesting view on traditional networking and where the value of these events lies.

Welcome to the future

Despite being about America, these recent facts and figures and show the dramatic change in the media landscape. The shift society is taking towards online and social media are nothing short of mind blowing! If you are questioming the power of online then look no further for a inspiration…