Kinda Social Media Less

I don’t do much; I’m like Perry the Platypus. Since I don’t go anywhere that’s Instagram or Snapchat worthy; I don’t visit any major social media sites. No Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, anybody I want to talk to I have their phone number. I tried just about all of these when I was in high school but I’m lazy, and it took too much time to filter, format, post witty comments, and catch up with so-called “friends.”

While I may not have those social media sites, I stay up to date through Buzzfeed. I love it; it’s a mix of serious news with silly quizzes and gossip. The rest of my time is spent on YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and Spotify; I like media but not the social kind. As from the list presented, you can tell that I don’t stick with one video streaming site. They all offer different varieties of viewing, and one is not superior over the other. But for music streaming, Spotify is superior to all other music sites. It’s not only the maneuverability of the app; it’s the student discount and add-ons that come with it. Not only do you get music, but you also get Hulu and Showtime for $4.99 a month.

My reactions to digital media are mostly positive. I love reading tweets and watching TikTok videos on Buzzfeed. I don’t hate social media; it’s just too much work to buildup and maintain the sites. Plus, I’m more comfortable interacting with people face to face rather than through a social media platform.

I get hundreds of emails from companies. I’m usually struggling to clear my inbox with all the ads and sale reminders I get. Though, all this trouble is my fault. I tend to sign up with my email for discounts, and never use them or unsubscribe. The emails that catch my attention are the ones from companies I shop the most at; JCPenney, Michael’s, Nike, and Megabus. I’m always looking for a sale, and when I see those emails pop-up, I’m out the door and to the store.

I grew up in an era where internet advertising/marketing was still getting its legs; it was nothing like it is today. I would see a few ads here and there, but you mostly had to go to that company’s website to view sales and ads they didn’t track your purchases or try to advertise to you through social media. But now, it's everywhere. You put something in your Amazon cart and suggestions just like it, follow you around to just about every other website; you have to watch your cookies. But my favorite show of advertising through digital media is the IHOP/IHOB twitter reveal fiasco.

On June 4, 2018, one of the biggest upsets in restaurant and media history happened. IHOP announced through Twitter that it was changing its name from IHOP to IHOB. Everybody was shook, the name had been IHOP for years and to change it now was just, wrong. They then stated that it would reveal what the 'B' in IHOB stood for on June 11.  This suspense created a buzz that had everyone talking about IHOP, something that hadn't happened in that magnitude in years.

When that fateful day, June 11, appeared the world descended into complete and utter chaos. IHOP had announced that its main game was going to be burgers instead of pancakes.  After a few days of panic and the funniest tweets I’ve ever read, IHOP revealed that it was just a marketing ploy and that it would still be IHOP. This changed the game for them; they used digital media like it had never been used before. They knew just who to target and how to do it. It worked, I went in to try their burgers, and they were pretty good.