I make a concerted
effort to stay abreast of new media technologies but last week I was introduced
to something new by the intern in my office. It is called Snapchat. The idea
behind this relatively new phenomenon is a conversation through images (i.e.,
photos or piece of paper with something written on it by the sender; photos of
them or a group; or even just a random photo). Often it is up to the receiver to
deduce the meaning of the message; that is only available on their mobile
device for 10 seconds, then disappears and cannot be retrieved. I had so many
questions about the medium, why it was so popular and of course the deviant
uses; none the less it was fascinating and interesting to watch photos pop-up.
I would ask, “What does that mean?” and she would interpret the things I didn’t
understand.
Then this
weekend, I discovered a new social media platform, Pheed (Feed) and it is
giving Facebook quite a scare (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-kanalley/pheed-app-iphone-facebook-twitter_b_2760027.html).
I
quickly downloaded the app, began to browse and quickly saw why it was becoming
such a hit. Their catchphrase is “A new way to express yourself" and you
can do so in text, photos, videos, audio, voice or live broadcast (Kanalley, 2013) . It is literally a
convergence of every social media yet it’s intuitive and well designed. I sent
a text to the intern to gauge her interest but surprisingly she knew nothing
about it. So, I took the liberty to inform her and she has now signed up.
Pheed started
in October of 2012 and quickly has become the preferred social media platform
for youth demographic. Facebook has publicly admitted they have a problem with
the sector of their demographic (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/craig-kanalley/quit-facebook-teenager-problem_b_2782512.html?fb_source=timeline&ref=profile&refid=17).
Media and
technology are all around us; we are engaged and yet disengaged all at the
same. I believe a great way to learn, educate and retrieve valuable information
is a conversation or exchange of thoughts, perceptions and ideas. The manner in
which each individual manages the overwhelming amount of information and
technology that is flooding our lives daily differs from person to person and
from generation to generation and to understand the differences it requires a
conversation. It is
these kinds of conversations and exchanges that provide a framework for
education and enlightenment for all.
My Mantra
To educate and enlighten by providing
a fun and intellectually stimulating platform to discuss our media and
technology reach society and how it impacts us.
Sources
Kanalley, C. (2013, February 25). Retrieved from
Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-kanalley/pheed-app-iphone-facebook-twitter_b_2760027.html
