Wednesday, 18 November 2015

Final Accessed Post

Reflection, Evidence & The Future

Credit: Apple, iMac via Apple.com
Personally, this module has proven to be extremely challenging, but also beneficial and rewarding. The insightful PowToon video will serve as the basis of my reflection for my entire module, and how I plan to take these useful skills forward into the future. Unlike every other module I’ve taken in this university, MANG2049 has equipped me with indispensable capabilities on how to use the internet effectively. Not only did I develop essential digital literacy skills, but an online identity which will indubitably aid impending future employment prospects. Below is the PowToon video:

Credit: (Myself) Ryan Chew, Ryan's Portfolio Via YouTube

Prior to this module, I wasn’t a big fan of blogging because I thought of it as a chore. However, I have now developed a wholly different perspective.  Blogging is a great way to help marketers like me to brand and promote myself. Also, the world has been revolutionized ever since the internet became more accessible and wide reaching. Blogs are vital tools simply to help people stay connected with one another by sharing stories, ideas, and information online.

Credit: Neighborhood Loans, Social Media Guide For Realtors via neighborhoodloans.com

After all, like what I mentioned in Topic 1, I aspire to become a digital resident in all social, academic, and professional contexts. It would be prudent to construct a single online professional brand identity. Most importantly, by witnessing at the amount of page views I have obtained throughout the module, I know people are reading my blog on a daily basis. This has made me realise how much more cautious I should be about the digital footprints I am leaving behind online.


Total amount of Page views over the course of this module.
Image by Ryan Chew via http://talktoryanchew@blogspot.com

Lastly, it’s all about striking a balance in using the digital tools effectively and the responsibility to update my online profiles frequently. Striking a balance means to separate one’s private life from their professional one.  This is important because prospective employers can potentially find your online profile and will look for professionalism.  On a related note, updating profiles frequently is beneficial because you never know when prospective employers will view them.  An updated profile will also seem more professional.

You can access most of my social media profiles by clicking on the widgets which are located at the side of my blog, or by clicking on the respective profiles shown below:

Image Map

Once again, let me take this opportunity to thank Dr Lisa, Sarah, and Nicholas for this wonderful experience. I really enjoyed this module, and it certainly enhanced my knowledge in light of digital literacy. Lastly, I will look forward to seeing you in January.

[400 Words, excluding references]

References

iMac image (2015) Apple.com [Accessed November 16, 2015]

Neighborhoodloans. Social Media Guide For Realtors (2015) Neighborhoodloans, Your Neighborhood Lender

Final Portfolio Video (2015) PowToon.com [Accessed November 19, 2015]

Ryan Chew, Ryan's Portfolio (2015) YouTube Video [Accessed November 20, 2015]

About.me TalkToRyanChew profile (2015) about.me [Accessed November 16, 2015]

Twitter TalkToRyanChew profile (2015) Twitter.com [Accessed November 16, 2015]

Facebook RyanChewable profile (2015) Facebook.com [Accessed November 18, 2015]

LinkedIn TalkToRyanChew profile (2015) LinkedIn.com [Accessed November 18, 2015]

Instagram TalkToRyanChew profile (2015) Instagram [Accessed November 17, 2015]

Pinterest TalkToRyanChew profile (2015) Pinterest [Accessed November 17, 2015]

Thursday, 12 November 2015

Reflective Summary on Open Access


While doing research, I chanced upon this [article]. As marketing students, I think it is absolutely beneficial to know more about web content producers and their job scope. A web content producer is a hybrid position that combines aspects of journalism, design and marketing (Deahl R., 2015). Those who are interested in being a web content producer should read the following article:

Deahl R. (2015) How to  Become a Web Producer About Careers

This topic on open access has established itself to be an extremely thought-provoking one. While my previous blogpost focused on the academic content producer, Tian Yi’s blogpost presented an array of benefits and weaknesses of open access in regard to market researchers. Here are examples which could be found in her video:

Credit: Ong Tian Yi (2015) Marketing Research via YouTube

After watching Tian Yi's video, I felt promoted to do further research on how open access affects marketers. 2 key areas I have learned from this [article] are listed below:

Credit: Andrews N. (2012) What does Open Access mean for marketing? DataSalon

That being said, from Crystal’s blogpost, I have learned that content producers might acquire intrinsic benefits through work satisfaction and recognition. However, she falls short in explaining the concept on the financial deficiency of content producers. If content producers are distributing their work freely online, where do they get their main source of income from?


Credit: Gee Melody (2013) Daniel Kertcher via Pinterest

Like what I discussed in my previous blogpost, when one content producer’s work is freely available online, and when his/her work gets popular with the public, he will earn a portion of his income through invited academic talks or project involvements (McVeigh J., 2013). Additionally, I learned that Research Councils UK policy on open access pertained to peer review research articles have been funded by the Council. Here is an [article] by RCUK:

RCUK (2014) Policy on Open Access via rcuk.ac.uk


Moreover, Crystal identified a commendable point about “Quantity over Quality” as a disadvantage to a content producer of making their work available online. Here is a valuable [article] I found which could be used to support her point in regards to the lack of quality control:

Pickler R., Noyes J., Perry L., Roe B., Watson R., Hayter M. (2014) Authors and readers beware the dark side of Open Access Wiley

This week’s topic undeniably required the most research of the entire module. For a topic which I had little knowledge about prior to this blogpost, I was amazed at how strongly I felt about it.

Finally, let me take this opportunity to thank Dr Lisa, Sarah, and Nicholas for this great experience. I really enjoyed this module #MANG2049, and it certainly expanded my knowledge in light of digital literacy.

[328 Words, excluding citations & references]

Commented Blogs


References

Deahl R. (2015) How to Become a Web Producer About Careers

RCUK (2014) Policy on Open Access rcuk.au.uk

Pickler R., Noyes J., Perry L., Roe B., Watson R., Hayter M. (2014) Authors and readers beware the dark side of Open Access Wiley

Andrews N. (2012) What does Open Access mean for marketing? DataSalon

Gee Melody (2013) Daniel Kertcher Pinterest

Tian Yi (2015) Marketing Research YouTube Video [Accessed November 12, 2015]

McVeigh J. (2013) Advantages and Disadvantages to a content producer of making their material freely available online via WordPress.com. Available at: https://jasminmcveigh.wordpress.com/2013/09/29/advantages-and-disadvantages-to-a-content-producer-of-making-their-material-freely-available-online/ [Accessed November 12, 2015]


Wednesday, 11 November 2015

Open Access

A quick introductory video about the concept of open access in universities:


Credit: McGill Library (2010) Open Access via YouTube

What is open access? In simple terms, open access is the practice of making research and other materials freely accessible online, ideally under licenses that permit widespread dissemination of knowledge, culture and ideas (Harmon E., 2015).  Contrary to the concept of open access, a recent study suggested that 90% of online content would probably be held behind paywalls in the future (Lepitak S, 2013). Furthermore, Shockey N. and Eisen J. argued that it’s extremely illogical to pay scientists to do research when all their work is going to be compressed on a paper and not made available to people (“Open Accessed Explained”, PHD Comic, 2012, 2:29).   

Credit: Piled Higher and Deeper,  (PHD Comics) 

Did you know that the average fee of accessing scientific journals is now over $1000, with some subscriptions costing in the range of $40,000 (PHD Comic, “Open Access Explained”, 2012, 1:42)?  As a marketing student, it is undeniably frustrating when I can’t afford to gain full access to online journal articles. It is essentially discriminating that only the wealthy have access to the copiousness of knowledge. Here is an example:


Credit: Peacock J. (2014) 

Steakley L. (2013) presented an article regarding a teen cancer researcher, Jack Andraka who emphasised the importance of open access not only concerning the field of medicine but also towards innovation and universal knowledge. He argued that ideas could only be exchanged more easily and swiftly if the financial barrier to knowledge was eradicated. Here is a video featuring the young prodigy and his speech:




Credit: TEDx Talks (2013) Paywalls vs. open access: 

When I was doing my research, I chanced upon this [article] by Kendzior S. (2012) which proved to be extremely beneficial for my understanding on this specific topic. In 2013, at the age of 26, Aaron Swartz took his life whilst battling a two-year legal nightmare between himself and US prosecutors (Mumby F., 2014). Does it really matter if content such as academic journal articles are available for free online? Ironically, education is so encouraged in today’s society, so why would the US government prosecute Aaron Swartz? Here is a documentary regarding Aaron Swartz:
Credit: The Documentary Network (2014) 


Advantages
Credit: Kingsley D. & Brown S. (2012) Benefits of Open Access via AOASG
When work is freely available online, it is easily accessible. This heightens the profile of researchers through the exposure of readership, downloads, and citations, which in turn enhances reputation. As a result, an individual’s earning capacity can increase through paid academic talks and project involvement (McVeigh J., 2013).

Disadvantages
Credit: Kyle S. (2015) The Advantages & Disadvantages 

Accessing the above, it is vital to consider the numerous advantages of open access, and free online content establishment. This applies not only to the content producer, but also to the public as a whole. After all, education is a matter of sharing (Wiley D., 2012).

[410 Words, excluding citations & references]


References

Harmon E. (2015) Open Access Week 2015 EFF

Wiley D., Green C., and Soares L. (2012) Dramatically Bringing Down the Cost of Education with OER Center for American Progress


Kingsley D. & Brown S. (2012) Benefits of Open Access AOASG

The Documentary Network (2014) The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (CC available) YouTube Video [Accessed November 11, 2015]

TEDx Talks (2013) Paywalls vs. open access: Jack Andraka at TEDxUNPlaza YouTube Video [Accessed November 11, 2015]

Piled Higher and Deeper (PHD Comics), 2012. Open Access Explained! YouTube Video [Accessed November 11, 2015]

The Documentary Network (2014) The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (CC available) YouTube Video [Accessed November 11, 2015]

McGill Library (2010) Open Access YouTube Video [Accessed November 11, 2015]

Kyle S. (2015) The Advantages & Disadvantages of Open Access via WordPress.com. Available at https://sarahkyle27.wordpress.com/2015/05/02/topic-5-the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-open-access/ [Accessed November 11, 2015]

Mumby F. (2014) Access to online materials: yay or nay? via WordPress.com. Available at https://freyamumby.wordpress.com/2014/12/07/open-access-yay-or-nay/ [Accessed November 11, 2015]

McVeigh J. (2013) Advantages and Disadvantages to a content producer of making their material feely available online via WordPress.com. Available at https://jasminmcveigh.wordpress.com/2013/09/29/advantages-and-disadvantages-to-a-content-producer-of-making-their-material-freely-available-online/ [Accessed November 11, 2015]

Kendzior S. (2012) Academic paywalls mean publish and perish aljazeera


Peacock J. (2014) Access Denied Jessica and the world wide web [Accessed November 11, 2015]

Geib A. (2013) Advantages and Disadvantages of Open Access edanzediting

Tuesday, 10 November 2015

Reflective Summary on Unethical Issues

Credit: Iqbal M. (2014)
Business Ethics: What is the Role of Business
via TopMBA
The invention of social media has revolutionised how we communicate in today’s society. Most people would say that it’s great. For many, it’s rekindled old friendships, allowed us to meet people from all walks of life and closed the communication gap felt by long distances between families, friends, colleagues, and organisations. This brings me to my first learning point about the importance of building one’s network online. Fair N. (2015) has emphasized that building a larger network of connections can be advantageous to one’s future career prospects. Here’s an article by Spencer D. (2014) which is pertinent to what Fair N. has discussed in the hangout video earlier:
Credit: Spencer D. (2014) Power Networking in 3 Steps. Entrepreneur

For all positive things that come about with social media, there are also unpleasant truths that ensue. Some unethical behaviours like cyber bullying, identity theft or even damaged reputations were briefly presented in my previous post. Before I move on to other learning points I gained throughout this topic, here’s an animated clip which I found to be rather valuable for supporting my previous post on privacy:

Credit: leadinginnovation, Dos and Don'ts when

In response to Tian Yi’s blogpost, I questioned her understanding on the distinctions between online bashing and cyber mobbing. From this I developed a greater understanding of both terms. Additionally, she supported her argument with a useful article about Cyberbullying by Wallen K. (2015). However, I disagree with one of the “advantages” she presented in her blogpost. She specified that online bashing offers organisations a comparison point. Personally, I feel that organisations can just exhibit an overview of their product/service specifications against their competitors online. For example:

Credit: Rosen E. (2014) Comparison of Airline Elite Status - Which Program is Best? via ThePointsGuy



Furthermore, I questioned Crystal with a peculiar question regarding her future career prospects. I was genuinely impressed with her response, and it certainly reflected well in her blogpost. Also, I was rather shocked to see that Singapore’s renowned telecommunication company committed such an unethical act by defaming other organisations for their personal gain. Lastly, I learned that as marketers, building brand loyalty and trust is a vital part of a long-term strategy for organisations (Manjur R., 2015). Therefore, organisations should always be ethical if they want to grow their business in this competitive world.

[328 Words, excluding citations & references]

References

Iqbal M. (2014) Business Ethics: What is the Role of Business TopMBA

Spencer D. (2014) Power Networking in 3 Steps. Entrepreneur

Manjur R. (2015) Content marketing lessons from the Singtel Gushcloud saga Marketing

Pollitt C. (2014) Advertorials in the Age of Content Marketing and Promotion SocialMediaToday

Harris L. (2015) Living and Working on the Web #MANG2049 #hangout10 YouTube Video [Accessed November 10, 2015]

Wallen K. (2015) Cyberbullying Companies and Brands WonderHowTo

Rosen E. (2014) Comparison of Airline Elite Status - Which Program is Best? ThePointsGuy

leadinginnovation (2011) Dos and Don'ts when using social networks YouTube Video [Accessed November 10, 2015]

Clayman M. (2011) 12 Most Important Reasons I Don't Bash People Online 12most.com

Fair N. (2015) on Twitter.com Available at
https://twitter.com/nic_fair [Accessed November 10, 2015]

Ong, Tian Yi (2015) on WordPress.com. Available at:
https://tianyiblogstoo.wordpress.com/2015/11/09/the-war-of-we-can-do-better/comment-page-1/#comment-36 [Accessed November 10, 2015]

Moh, Crystal (2015) on WordPress.com. Available at:
https://crystalmohwrites.wordpress.com/2015/11/09/realities-of-social-media-trusted-vs-tainted/comment-page-1/#comment-37 [Accessed November 10, 2015]

Monday, 9 November 2015

Are You Revealing Too Much on Social Networks?


Credit: Chung J., You're Being Watched Online
via makeuseof.com
Privacy in the social media era can be seen as an oxymoron. For decades, consumers, organisations, institutions, media and government regulators have struggled with the problem of online privacy in an increasing social domain. Chretien KC, (2009) concluded that 60% of medical institutes reported indications of unprofessional online postings by students. Yet, less than 50% of educational programmes had or were in the process of developing policies addressing online postings by students. The numbers speak for themselves. Pharmacy educators were struggling with the myriad of ethical and legal issues pertaining to social media communications and relationships with and amongst students (Cain J. 2010). For example, one legal matter is the act of "cut-and paste"/plagiarism from Web-based materials by students. One ethical matter is the ambiguous criteria for judging online personas since interpreting personal character and professionalism for information contained on social profiles is a complex task. While online personas may provide clues to one's true personality, they may not be wholly accurate.  

Credit: Chung J., You're Being Watched Online via makeuseof.com
Credit: Chung J., You're Being Watched Online via makeuseof.com
Likewise, as marketers we are customarily out there promoting and advertising our business, yet neglecting our online privacy.  Despite this, online privacy and anonymity should be paramount to us, especially as ecommerce continues to gain traction. Privacy intrusions and threat risks are typical considerations for any website under development. Moreover, online privacy is a cause for concern for any consumer making an online purchase, visiting a social networking site, participating in online games or attending forums. If a password is compromised or revealed, a victim’s digital identity may be duplicitously used or stolen.    

By contrast, there are severe consequences to making your information publicly accessible and available. Here are some penalties for poor privacy:

Credit: Mlot S, Infographic: Public & Private via pcmag
Undoubtedly, privacy is the prime issue over social media. According to Trend Micro, Mlot S. (2012) reported that more than 20 million U.S. Facebook consumers include their birthday in their digital profile which can be the key for hackers to infiltrate their network or personal data. From the above, it can be construed that consumers may either include excessive personal information on their profiles, or they do not know how to adequately safeguard those profiles effectively. Here is an extremely useful auditory article by Victor E., (2014) on how to better manage your social media privacy settings:


Credit: Victor E., How to Check Social 
Media Privacy Settings via SocialMediaExaminer


Lastly, as the saying goes, better safe than sorry. Here are some guidelines by Oliur, (2012) to ensure a strong privacy:
[410 Words, excluding citations & references]

References

Greenwald G. (2014) Why privacy matters. Ted Global

Cain J., Joseph L. (2010) Legal and Ethical Issues Regarding Social Media and Pharmacy Education. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education

Kleinman Z. (2015) Who's that girl? The curious case of Leah Palmer BBC Technology

Jayson S. (2014) Social media research raises privacy and ethics issues USA Today

Chretien KC, Greyson SR (2009) Online posting of unprofessional content by medical students NCBI


Chung J., (2014) You're Being Watched MakeUseOf


Oliur (2012) The Sad State of Social Media Privacy The Ultralinx


Victor E., (2014) How to Check Social Media Privacy Settings SocialMediaExaminer

Friday, 6 November 2015

Reflective Summary on Managing an Online Professional Portfolio

Credit: Ram Castillo via AIGA, the professional association for design

First, I would like to credit Sophie Pitman for sharing her experiences and opinions on this module. Intrigued to know why? Feel free to read my previous blogpost. This topic has proven to be a captivating one because its broad nature has permitted it to be approached in unique ways by different individuals.

I found Tian Yi’s blogpost to be rather inspirational for my learning process because she developed a checklist of steps for aspirants to shadow in devising a professional portfolio via social media. Specifically, I considered that her final point, “Engage and Reach Out” to be somewhat valuable. I will remember it going forward because being in the Marketing industry, it is certainly crucial to build mutual beneficial connections with people like clients, top managers, and more. Here is a video illustrating how social media platforms like Twitter and Google Docs help educators from different institutions to connect with one another in making education so much more dynamic than usual:


In addition, I questioned Tian Yi about her understanding on authenticity and innovation. I was fairly impressed with her response because she provided supportive evidence from the video which is shown below. Furthermore, she could turn my query into an erudite discussion. Therefore, to develop an appealing virtual portfolio, an individuals’ authenticity, innovation, connections with people and self-branding have to be consistent.  They cannot exist alone.

Credit: Graeme Anthony. C.V.I.V – Intro via YouTube

Also, on Tian Yi’s blogpost, I have learned that recruiters are replacing resumes with social media technology and here is an enlightening article by Milner R., (2015).


Patrick’s blogpost took a markedly different perspective on devising an online portfolio in light of him being an Entrepreneur. Comparable to marketers, start-up entrepreneurs need to brand themselves prior to success. Through this article by Georgiou M. (2015), I have learned that not only must entrepreneurs brand themselves by establishing a professional portfolio, they need to be customer-focused at all times.

In summary, it all boils down to striking a balance in using the digital tools effectively and the responsibility to update online profiles frequently.


[320 Words, excluding citations & references]

References

Edutopia. Social Media – Making Connections Through Twitter. YouTube Video [Accessed November 06, 2015]

Graeme Anthony. C.V.I.V – Intro. YouTube Video [Accessed November 06, 2015]

Milner Reade., (2015) Has Social Media Replaced the Resume? Adam Smith, Leadership In Life.

Georgiou Michael, Co-Founder & CMO of Imaginovation (2015) 6 Ways Entrepreneurs can Successfully Brand Themselves. Entrepreneur

Kihn Susan (2013) Why it is so important to have a good resume.  CareerMiner

Ram Castillo. AIGA, the professional association for design [Accessed November 06, 2015]

Wong, Patrick (2015) on WordPress.com. Available at: https://lifeofpatblog.wordpress.com/2015/11/05/topic-3-how-does-an-authentic-professional-identity-relates-to-entrepreneurship/comment-page-1/#comment-18 [Accessed November 06, 2015]

Ong, Tian Yi (2015) on WordPress.com. Available at: https://tianyiblogstoo.wordpress.com/2015/11/05/whats-your-personal-brand/comment-page-1/#comment-14 [Accessed November 06, 2015]

Pitman, Sophie (2015) on Twitter.com. Available at https://twitter.com/Sophiee_Pitman/ [Accessed November 06, 2015]

Thursday, 5 November 2015

Managing an Online Professional Portfolio

Discuss the ways in which an authentic online professional profile can be developed.

Credit: Social Media Comparison Infographic via Leverage, New Age Media


Can you visualize yourself not using any of the social media sites shown above? Ayman N. (2014) advocated that the general population spends nearly four hours a day on social media which is equivalent to half a working day. So why aren’t we using social media more to our advantage in career searches? Social media offers both applicants and employers the opportunity to be more proactive in their job hunt (Holmes R., 2013). 

As marketers, I think self-branding plays such a vital role in today’s fast-moving society. Chamorro-Premuzic T. (2013) suggested that self-branding is about being a signal in the noise of human capital; the stronger your brand, the stronger that signal. It is clear that without an idiosyncratic presence, recruiters will not be able to spot you from the vast crowd online. Therefore, users are highly recommended to present an authentic and professional profile of themselves.

Here is an extremely useful video by Rose A., five steps to creating your personal brand:

Credit: Rose A., TV. 
via YouTube

At the end of the day, organizations are looking to recruit people with innovative ideas rather than monotonous automatons. Thus, users should use the right social media networks effectively to attract potential employers. For example, Twitter did not emerge immediately as an apparent professional platform online. Twitter is only said to be emerging as one of the preeminent social networks used by organizations to recruit new employees (LeViet S., 2014). Additionally, Ronson J. (2015) has presented an article regarding a racist comment made by Justine Sacco that ruined the latter’s public persona. Thus, individuals should acknowledge how influential social media is. Hence, consumers must be mindful of what they post online.    

LinkedIn is certainly one of the most commonly used sites in the recruitment process for numerous organizations. Undoubtedly, it is essential to many marketing recruitment agencies like Blue Skies and Major Players. Here is a video on how you can set up a professional LinkedIn account:

via YouTube

Furthermore, yes, LinkedIn will definitely benefit individuals especially the ones who have working experience, and are looking for managerial positions. However, I have to agree with Sophie Pitman, a final year student from University of Southampton. She suggested the use of other social media platforms that would be more advantageous for students and fresh graduates like about.me and WordPress. Ultimately, it solely depends on individuals and what career paths they are pursuing. Nevertheless, as the saying goes, better safe than sorry. Therefore, I will be constructing my LinkedIn and about.me profiles by the end of this week. 

Lastly, it is essential to make the utmost out of the virtual tools which are readily available to us. Also, it is important to ensure consistency and professional presence on the various social media platforms online.

[420 Words, excluding citations & references]

References

Marketing Recruitment Agency. Blue Skies [Accessed November 05, 2015]

Marketing & PR Jobs, Advertising, Creative & Design Jobs London. Major Players [Accessed November, 2015]

Ronson, Jon (2015) How One Stupid Tweet Blew Up Justine Sacco's Life The New York Times Magazine.

Le Viet, Stephane (2014) Twitter's Redesign Makes the Platform Ripe for Recruitment. MashableAsia

Leverage, New Age Media, Social Media Comparison Infographic (2014) https://leveragenewagemedia.com/blog/social-media-infographic/ [Accessed November 05, 2015]

Nyman, Nik (2014) Using social media in your job search. Web Science MOOC, University of Southampton

Holmes, Ryan (2013) How Social Media Is Job Hunting Better - For Candidates & Companies. Hootsuite

Chamorro-Premuzic, Tomas (2013) The Future of You. Harvard Business Review

Tapscott, Don. (2004) Five ways talent management must change World Economic Forum, Agenda

The Employable (2014) How blogging can help you get a job.

BBC News (2013) Job hunting: How to promote yourself online.

Jobvite (2014) Social Recruiting Survey Statistics

Carruthers, Richard (2012) Managing Your Digital Footprint. University of Southampton

Harris, Lisa. Living and Working on the Web #MANG2049 #hangout7 YouTube Video [Accessed November 05, 2015]

Rose, Amanda, TV. 5 Steps to Create Your Personal Brand by Amanda Rose. YouTube Video [Accessed November 05, 2015]

Lead Creation. How to Create a Professional LinkedIn Profile. YouTube Video [Accessed November 05, 2015]

Wednesday, 4 November 2015

Reflective Summary On Online Identity/Identities

Credit: Sharkayartist, Internet Brofist via deviantart

This topic has established to be an extremely thought-provoking one, its comprehensive nature has enabled it to be interpreted in several intriguing directions. Some saw that having multiple online identities could be an advantage while others deemed it to be a disadvantage. Likewise, Andrea’s blogpost has outlined a clear distinction by contrasting one pro with one con of having a variety of identities online. Additionally, it was interesting to read about how the anonymity of consumers could severely influence marketers’ assessments on the formers behaviours. For example, it would be an arduous task for marketers to evaluate and create essential values to satisfy customers needs.


In response to Tian Yi’s blogpost, she argued that having multiple identities to target different consumers is extremely effective for Marketers. In her conclusion though, she stated that she will only own a maximum of two online identities. Hence, I questioned the consistency of her blogpost. That brings me to my next point that having multiple identities might seem to bring an abundance of benefits. However, it definitely has its fair share of limitations. After watching this Video posted by Essena O’Neill, an eighteen year old Australian Instagram sensation, it brought to my attention that social media can indeed have an adverse effect on peoples’ lives. Most people have been yearning for social acceptance by constructing multiple online identities to build on a “perfect” brand for themselves. However, I questioned to myself whether they are genuinely happy with their lives or is it all a façade? (A quick shout out to @lisaharris @Sophiee_Pitman, thanks for this tweet, definitely beneficial for my blogpost)


In contrary, as the saying goes, there are always two sides to every story. Essena might have generalized the entire social media community to be a murky one. However, Meghan McCarthy developed a YouTube video today in response to Essena’s one-dimensional generalisation. Meghan put forward an argument that not all social media sites emulate negativities:

via YouTube

Ultimately, different people have absolutely varied perspectives on what it means to have multiple identities online. There are numerous benefits and shortcomings for both professional and social contexts. In summary, there is no specific way to use the internet, it all boils down to specific individuals and what they want to achieve for their personal brand online.

Sometimes, it’s pretty nice to receive words of acknowledgement from your peers. Anyway, you’re welcome @wjang012:

Credit: Vjay, @Wjang012 for the comment Via Twitter.com

[328 Words, excluding shoutouts, citations & references]

References

Sharkayartist, Internet Brofist, deviantart from http://sharkayartist.deviantart.com/art/Internet-Brofist-337026049 [Accessed November 03, 2015]

iKaryn. Essena O'Neill - Why I REALLY am quitting social media - The Truth. YouTube Video [Accessed November 04, 2015]

McCarthy, Meghan Girl Quits Social Media Response / Essena O'Neill. YouTube Video [Accessed November 04, 2015]

Mensono, Andrea (2015) on WordPress.com. Available at: https://andreamxsq.wordpress.com/2015/11/03/yes-or-no-to-multiple-online-identities/ [Accessed November 04, 2015]

Ong, Tian Yi (2015) on WordPress.com. Available at: https://tianyiblogstoo.wordpress.com/2015/11/04/are-you-who-you-are/ [Accessed November 04, 2015]

Pitman, Sophie (2015) on Twitter.com. Available at https://twitter.com/Sophiee_Pitman/status/661562651454083072 [Accessed November 04, 2015]

Harris, Lisa (2015) on Twitter.com. Available at https://twitter.com/lisaharris/status/661600177069891589 [Accessed November 04, 2015]

Ang, Wei Jie (2015) on Twitter.com. Available at: https://twitter.com/wjang012/status/661891851264221184 [Accessed November 04, 2015]