There are some things that aren’t fundamentally changing—Jersey Shore is still on air, people still watch the Superbowl just for the advertisements, McSteamy is still McSteamy, and as far as I can tell, The Bachelor hasn’t changed a bit. (Minus the quality of men playing the role of the Bachelor.)
But some cultural phenomena are changing, both rapidly and unpredictably. Online social networks and how they are being used are shifting every single day. The line between individual and corporation is blurring, as brands can blog and socialize with their customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. People self-brand by turning their hobbies into microenterprises online. Success can start from simply launching their homemade videos on YouTube channels, pouring their specialized knowledge or artwork onto blogs, or selling their goods on their websites. And the opposite is true for existing and successful companies and organizations, who can take on a grassroots aesthetic and viral marketing through Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
As with all things in our world, what goes up must come down. Unfortunately, not everyone can reap the benefits of new technology—there has to be some collateral damage. Recently, companies like Rogers Video, HMV, and Blockbuster have suffered significant losses. The price of real estate in conjunction with online competitors has hastened the pace of storefront demise, and perhaps they can seek refuge in cyberspace. Personally, I am sad to see the stores go—renting a movie and buying a CD now and then were familiar pastimes that—though I partook in less and less frequently—I still miss today. Perhaps more so now because the option is no longer there, but no matter.
What I find particularly fascinating about current social media technologies is our ability as users to adapt to changes just as rapidly as they come. Take Facebook’s timeline, for example. The pseudo-mandatory conversion to a timeline profile had me instantly defensive and even angry. I didn’t like the look, the banner, the rearrangement of my profile, the substitution of “wall” with “timeline”, none of it. But I voluntarily converted just the other day and, as if my eyes had grown accustomed to poor lighting, I now see the timeline as normal and even more attractive than the previous layout that I had only weeks ago clung on to.
With such sophisticated, meticulous and constant analytical data software measuring each new app, social media platforms may feel pressured to change and “keep up” with the times, yet traditional media—though more proactive to new technologies and trends in the last five years—have held on to familiar formats, scheduling and content. Are online developers simply creating the very changes and trends they are trying to stay ahead of?
