Mona Self is not an inventor of a new media app; she is not a social media expert and she is not a specialist. Instead, Mona Self is one individual who took to the outlets within the media to publicize her activist efforts. Mona was involved in the democracy protests in Cairo. Through Twitter, Facebook, and contacts in her cell phone, Mona was able to inform thousands of the current goings on in Egypt.

Jan. 29: Announcing a general strike starting tomorrow#Jan25

Feb. 1: I want my internet back! #Jan25

Feb. 9: clashes bt ppl & police in Kharga new valley, police opened fire, 3 dead & over 100 injured #Jan25

Social media played a pivotal role in the revolution in Egypt, as well as having a role in popular protests ranging from Libya to the Philippines. More recently, the role of social media has even played a part in the uprises throughout Libya, Yemen, and Bahrain.

Marketers are surprised at the sudden rise of media as an actual social tool. However, they lack to realize that above all, media has the power to influence others, and make others rise to action. Through these tools, teenagers and adults alike were able to keep tabs on the day to day happenings in Egypt. Therefore, social media proved to be more informative than the news.

This blog is one that focuses on the media and its role in politics, it's quite informative and interesting to find how the media shapes politics and how large a part it plays.

Network,Network, Network; It's not okay just to do your job and go home

This article from Advertising Age discusses the idea of new media in the Advertising Industry. It seems so obvious to our generation that social media will be a part of our lives forever. However, for those now in the industry, its a relatively new tool that is opening up endless possibilities. New media is sometimes overlooked as an important aspect of business, but the tools to getting connected are more open to us than ever. Making connections, and forming a network or community can prove beneficial for ones career.

This idea is not new for our generation, but many adults are struggling with losing jobs in the industry due to lack of networking. Many new hires are based on insider information given through these online connections. This leaves the artistic side of the industry, "the creatives" at a disadvantage since their job does not focus as solely on business.

The author mentions that this network effect is actually making us smarter, through these new opportunities and capabilities. I find it intimidating that networking is so highly required for the industry, especially since I cannot maintain so many different online communities; although I do see the many benefits that it reaps. As I think ahead to the future, I wonder what new technologies will become prevalent in the industry as well as society.

the really superbowl

So we've been discussing new media in class, and if there is one example to show the progress being made towards to new media, its the Superbowl. In the past, advertisers spent millions to get their ads seen by more than an estimated one million. However, this past weekend, there was a record number amount of fans watching the advertisements and updating their statuses. Whether it was Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, etc., advertisers tapped into a new way to keep a captive audience.

Some commercials were better (the Dorito's commercial) and some were worse (that weird Droid commercial) but its seen that perhaps the advertisers were more focused on generating follow up content, and spreading their message across media channels, than creating entertaining ads.

Not that the ads will be the best ever. It may be that 2011 Super Bowl advertisers now are so focused on spreading the message across so many media channels that many forgot to focus on the content of the central message itself.

This new eruption of media generated content is compared to the famous "1984" Apple commercial, which immediately changed the style of Superbowl campaigns. 2011 is expected to be remembered as the game that forever changed advertising, in the means of expanding platforms.

"Welcome to the first Transmedia Bowl." - futurist Watts Wacker

Mobile Ads Getting Click-Throughs

Just when we thought we had a safe outlet in which we aren't being sold to, iPhone and Volvo partner up to take that away from us. Volvo and iPhone have partnered up to create multimedia mobile advertisements that generate a larger "click-through" rate. The mobile marketing division of Havas Digital, Mobext, led the campaign which consisted of thirty second videos which the option of viewing the S60 in 360 degrees.

Traditional ads tend to see click-through rates of .4 to .7 percent, which is a large divide from the 3.91 percent that the S60 is generating. These rich mobile media advertisements are growing rapidly and gaining popularity.

I believe that while this is a good strategy for companies to receive higher views and "click-through" rates, it also seems as though the advertising industry will stop at nothing to get our attention. Just when we thought that our phones were advertisement free, we are once again being sold to through our own mobile device. It appears, to me, that there need to be some boundaries as to where and when advertisers can target their audience. The privacy that we so desperately seek in our generation is being intruded, and we are being manipulated to believe its okay.