Smart Media vs Dumb Media , Big Brother and Sexy Friend

[Ken Gigliotti]

Testing an idea to  a critical thinking exercise.
Smart Media vs Dumb Media , Big Brother  and Sexy  Friend , creates Big Sexy Barcode  for every viewer , with love.  The subtle  sophistication of DATA USE to create and connect  buyers to sellers in ways that make subliminal advertising look primitive .
  Social media is taking the idea of focus groups  and simple shopping mall and telephone surveys to a scientific level that is so revolutionary  , scary and cool, it makes  sense to  switch from manned aircraft to drones in combat or selling scented hypoallergenic soap to individuals and not just soap to the mass audience like in the past.
   In the realm of selling in the media of TV , radio and newspapers , we have always just sold soap .
  Newspaper's , haphazard , mass , broadly based unsophisticated  appeal is replaced with a custom made "suit of information" that even the consumer  doesn't know they need. The history of selling in a nut shell.  Boy, how  can a mere city editor at a daily paper play in that game.
  It is ironic that newspapers  invented surveys , that were used for strategic effect by political parties and advertisers to put newspaper out of business . The new platform with permission.


If there is a “smart Bomb “ there must be a dumb one to , same for a  “smart phone” . With news websites  that many describe as , “there are some good ones'  and another selling for millions or was it billions  what can be said ?

You ain't say'n nothing that ain't been said ,
You ain't been doin nothin that ain't been done ,
Ain't started somethin' that ain't begun ,
But you ain't breakin nothin that ain't already broke

paraphrasing a new cowboy song
 
"Logical" like Spock.
 
We  report on the news , we are a pillar of democracy , and we sell advertizing .And we are getting asses kicked.
 Today the mandate of journalism is being carried to it's highest level across Canada in a way that hasn't been matched in the modern era of newspapers .
  The business of news media is spilt into too many parts . Our online competitor is scary smart in both aspects of journalism and selling .
Another new media has emerged that does not depend on repetition or cycles .
What has become to be known as “social media”  has changed everything.
Unsophisticated efforts to commercialize social media , from the  beginning  of e-mail with “spam” , to “pop ups”  in   social websites  and  twitter , have been met with an evolution to side step unsolicited unsophisticated commercialization .
   Media's clumsy  efforts to turn turn every aspect of life into a buying opportunity  are being met with a strong push back .
   It maybe that our culture is not what we think it is. Yes people drive Cadillacs but more people are joining food banks , students are left  migrate from  low pay job to low pay jobs. Social media allows people to engage in a “survivalist “ life style , not by choice , but by circumstance . Peope are being down sized in one area and super sized in another .The need to connect and be involved , is trumped by access to information freely given.
   The culture of constant buying can only be sustained through credit and we are seeing the  results of that around the world . People want information ,  and entertainment , value , they want to be connected . The isolation of TV and video games  and dealing with a narrow view  beat and press release based media created a repressed need to see media as “more” and “personal”.  Taylor made , customer service in the fourth dimension plus . We are expert in what we do , but it seems people want more and are willing to trade not buy.
   The decline of newspapers started in the mid 1980's with the explosion of media , mostly TV , the publics buying habits changed and other countries emerge. Cash to credit , cashless , really cashless .We are currently in a role reversal where Dominant Western European cultures are trading hard currency for trinkets from developing countries . The opposite of colonialism . Ironic really .
   Our business has experienced over 100 quarters of decline in a row .What do you think is going to happen. We just transfer our commodity to different modes.  The medium is not the message it just the medium.  The message is specific , tailored  and the media is genetically modified and strong .
  The biggest mistake of the 1980's was not creating   quality when newspaper companies had the advantage . The the profits that were being making were astounding , yet there were people in power ,who  didn't think that was enough. Cost cutting on a high was a prevailing practice , but economic  conditions changed  and outside influences  created  a downward spiral. Today if companies can maintain quality , the ones that don't or can't will fall away and leave a bigger peace of the pie for those who stay the course . You have to imagine the amount of profit that with stood 100 quarters of decline. The money is still there the ability to deliver the message has moved beyond tab vs broadsheet  , and  sticking a for sale sign on your Buick .