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Famous philosopher and author Marshall McLuhan, in 1967 before computers or the Internet were even dreamed of, claimed that, “The medium, or process, of our time - electric technology is reshaping and restructuring patterns of social interdependence and every aspect of our personal life. It is forcing us to reconsider and re-evaluate practically every thought, every action, and every institution formerly taken for granted.” His claims were at the time thought to be outlandish and far off, but look at us now in 2010. We are a nation of consumers that has reshaped our entire social interdependence and every aspect of our social life around the newest and greatest technology. Be it the newest smart phone technology or a hyped-up Internet craze, the times they are a changin.

It seems as though technology is dispensable in our digital savvy society where everyone is looking for newest and greatest technology, so I wanted to take sometime to pay tribute to our fallen technological soldiers by counting down the five best/most memorable digital devices and technological crazes plus their 2010 replacements.

In no specific order:
1. Cassette tapes. Okay maybe it is just me but I miss those cute rectangular little buggers that fit so nicely into the boombox I begged my mother for. Not to mention they work great for recording music off of my favorite radio station, little did I know that at age 8 I was committing quite the piracy crime.

Replacement: The MP3, with the ability to surf the Internet for songs you like there is not waiting around while you fast forward through a cassette tape trying to get to just the right place on the tape, or in my case waiting for Kube 93.3 to play your jam.

2. Duck Hunt: a video game for Nintendo in which players use the Zapper to shoot ducks on screen for points.

Replacement:  Duck Hunt was awesome, but so is it’s replacement, the Wii The Wii took the idea of the controller moving with the user to a whole new level.

3. 35mm film: used for photography and in films. editors would take the original film used to shoot the movie or photograph and edit the film directly.

Replacement: It is all about the digital baby, with programs such as Final Cut Pro and Avid available there are a million more possibilities than before.  

4. Home phone lines, pre-caller id: how exciting being able to pick up the phone and have no idea who was on the other line, its like a surprise with every ring.

Replacement: cell phones with caller id: I guess sometimes the element of surprise is not too exciting, as there are some people you do not really care to talk.

5. Napster: was a free file sharing service that became a pay service after some issues with copyright.

Replacement: websites such as Pandora and Grooveshark are a positive alternative that make listening to music more convenient as you can choose a song and form playlists to listen to instantly as many times as you would like.

So here is to you our fallen heroes and to our hot newcomers!

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User-Generated: Becoming the Creator not the Consumer

It has become increasingly evident that user-generated content has become the newest  trend in the online media, advertising and marketing, but amongst young creatives via online websites. Thanks to user-generated content and a participative web, business and online media is transforming Internet users from a a nation of consumers to a nation of creators.

So what is user-generated work? It is a simple subject actually,  as I sit here composing this digest I am contributing what we call user-generated content; content that is comprised of various forms of media and creative works that is created and shared by Internet users. Creative works and media can be written, audio, visual, or a combination of the three. Really the possibilities are endless and only limited by ones creativity.

Wikipedia is a perfect example of a company that relies on user-generated work; a series of one page entities that give information about specific areas subject matters based on user submissions and edits. Any user can aid in the collaboration by editing the pages content and adding information/sources.

Though WIkipedia is an outstanding example of user-generated content, it is not the perfect  example of the creative use of user-generated works. Artist Girltalk demonstrates perfectly the use of user-generated content amongst the creative youth. Girltalk works in an office sampling biological data by day and is a musician by night. Well he is a musician of sorts, he creates what are called remixes to restore what may be considered old into something brand new. For example he will take the beat of one track and add lyrics from another, creating a mashup. He then shares his new song on several web/social platforms, and he does so successfully. Girltalk has quite the group of followers and has inspired fellow creatives to join in the remix fun which has taken several forms such as videos, songs, and even re-writing plots to favorite screenplays.

The Internet was made to contribute ideas, and user-generated content helps give Internet users  some control in sharing; the control to be creators rather than corporate consumers.

Girltalk:

Lawrence Lessig Lecture on user-generated content:

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http://zooppa.com/users#latest-topics-2

 

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Ten Handy Tips For Entering Ad Competitions

The advertising industry is getting more difficult  to step  into without any real working experience, or an extensive portfolio.  So what is the inexperienced filmmaker or print artist supposed to do to make their advertising dream come true? what about entering an advertising competition, there are a ton of companies asking for user-generated commercials and print ads for their brands. There is also a lot of money awarded in winning one of the many contests out there.

If you’re already used to concepting, storyboarding, organizing, shooting and editing, then why not throw your hat in the ring for some of these advertising competitions? It can be a great way to make some side money- to fund more extensive projects, to purchase equipment, or just to fund your lifestyle. Who knows? Maybe you’ll decide you dig advertising.

Josh Barnes of Zooppa.com, a people -powered brand energy  site shared with me some tips for when it comes to entering advertising contests.

First, select your contest wisely.
1) Money. You want to make it worth your while if you win, but too muchmoney can mean steep competition. See about balancing these interests against your confidence as an ad maker.

2) Time frame. Simple. How much time is left in the contest? How much time will it take you to make a finished product?

3) Prize types. This could easily be it’s own post. Jury prizes require high quality film making. For prizes based on views or votes, while quality is still important, it is equally important to be a good promoter.

4) What’s it about? Can you immediately get ideas? It’s not necessarily a bad thing if you can’t, because maybe nobody else can, either. What’s the flavor of the submissions so far? Do people seem to be riffing on the same theme? Can you think of an idea that will really shake things up?

Concepting
READ THE BRIEF. STUDY THE BRIEF.
People/companies are putting on these competitions for a purpose. In general, advertising contest sponsors are looking for two things

A) Creative that they can use (for broadcast, closed caption, trade shows, online, etc.)

B) Viral exposure

An entry that succeeds in furthering the first type may not work so well for thesecond, and vice versa.

If they’re looking for creative they can use, then you should try to do somethingmore polished and conventional. If they’re looking for the second, you can go more lo-fi, and push the boundaries of taste more.

Study the requirements. Advertising contests can be very specific with their requirements. To make sure you don’t doom your submission from the start,

check for these:

5) Is there a time length requirement for the videos?

6) What visual elements do you need to include? Do you have to
have a product shot? Do you need to show a dog? A mother?

7) Is there a general point of view or perspective you’re supposed to follow? Is it supposed to be a public service announcement, or is it supposed to look like a game show?

8) Many times they will require you to include specific branding elements
– Do you need to include a logo? Is there a tagline that needs to be
included? A specific call to action?

On Advertising in General
Think about who the client is trying to appeal to with this ad: who is the target market? What kinds of themes would resonate with that target audience?

How does the client want the product or brand positioned versus its competition? This is something you’ll have to try to glean from the creative brief. Levis wants to be seen as rugged, yet urban and sexy. McDonalds wants to be regarded as fun and youthful. Mountain Dew wants to be seen as alternative or counterculture. The homiest of home runs in advertising is the creation of a franchise advertising theme. If you come up with an idea, a situation, a setup, that can be extrapolated across many different ads, you’re gold. Think of the Energizer Bunny. DDB Chicago came up with that little gem in 1989. How many commercials have been
made featuring that stupid little bunny? Every time one of those commercials gets aired, the creator of that bunny gets paid. If you can come up with a repeatable theme like that, you can live the rest of your life on the residuals. Because of this, you may want to find out:

9) Who will own the content you upload?
When you upload to a contest, you may be giving up the rights to your work. Check into the term & conditions of the contest to find this out.

10)Finally, I want to leave you with this thought. In advertising contests you have 15 seconds, 30 seconds or one minute, usually. You have time for one theme. One joke. Don’t over complicate it. Keep it simple.

Good luck, and I hope to see you competing!

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REmix, It is beneficial to share ideas

RIP: Remix Manifesto is a documentary about remixing and participating in culture. It expresses the desire to create with what we are given rather than just being the consumers.

The Convergence Culture

"Define media...on the first, a medium is a technology that enables communication; on the second, a medium is a set of associated "protocols" or social and cultural practices that have grown up around that technology." Jenkins, Convergence Culture

As a young adult with my eyes set on becoming a productive member of the creative society I understand that we have entered a new phase within the creative circle, participation. Especially in the digital realm we see more and more young creatives expressing their imagination through the convergence of different media types; taking the old and making it new once again, participating.

The new social "protocol" in digital media is the remix. Taking a brand or video and putting your own spin on it. Lawrence Lessig, author and professor, gives a TED talk on remixing and the laws that choke creativity.