The Future of TV

Season 13 of the Voice aired last night, and while the show itself gains a lot of social media attention what really caught my eye is the snapchat contest that goes along with the show. People all over the world can send in their voice auditions using the social media app, snapchat, and the coaches of the show get the view these top submissions. This time around the coaches have formed teams and each week one of the teams will pick two of the four submissions to add to their teams.
Not only is this such a creative way to add more buzz to an already extremely popular show, but I also think it's amazing they are giving people a chance to be recognized, when they otherwise may have been over looked. That feature alone is one of the coolest parts about social media in general. People are able to put out their content or ideas and able to receive instant gratification on it. This is something that did not exist 20 years ago. If you wanted to write a book or make an album, it took lots of connections, time, and money. Now if you are talented and have something to say or share with the world you can do so in a click of a button, which is pretty mind blowing.
I think what the Voice is doing with their current platform is genius. They have already been miles ahead or other reality shows as far as content and entertainment and now they are blowing the game even further out of the water with this new interactive feature. They have won countless Emmy awards for their show alone and even recently picked up an nomination for creative achievement in interactive media, for this specific snapchat feature. A category I didn't even know existed, which begs the question is this the new future for television? While this sort of interactive feature has always been rather incorporated with these vote in reality shows, I think things like this contest and live stories really elevate the whole interactive experience. The more involved a person can be with a particualr brand or show the stronger their feeling are going to be. It's like these people feel connected with the contestants because they can get to know them on a more personal and deeper level. I honestly do think this is the new way of the world and I'm excited to see what new fun and creative ways they are able to get people immersed into the shows.

The Awards Finally Get it Right

This Sunday the 69th annual Emmy Awards took place and proceeded to blow up social media, while many people dazzled in their expensive gowns it was the showcase of diversity that really had people talking. While people have always tuned into these big award shows, recently they have been getting attention about much bigger issues than just finding out who won. Political, social, and environmental issues have all been address by multiple award winners over the year, and while some people feel it's not their place to speak on these issues I on the other hand think it's great people are using these prestigious platforms to address such hot button topics. It is always good to see people using their fame for good and actually implementing change in the world rather than just blowing a bunch of money on unnecessary things.
While this is still an on going trend with award shows, what was really impressive about last night was the wide variety of diversity from which the awards were going too. Several individuals won in a lot of categories for which they don't typically excel in. For instance Lena Waithe became the first black female to win an Emmy for comedy writing, for her show "Master of None". This was even more groundbreaking because she recently came out on her show, of which she touched on in her speech which really resigned with the LGBQ community. Another ground breaking moment of the night was when Riz Ahmed took home the prestigious award of outstanding lead actor in a limited series for his work in "The Night Of" making him the first Muslim and South Asian man to take home an acting Emmy.
The big winner of the night was for sure Donald Glover who broke records before the night even started with his large amounts of nominations. He became the first African-American to win an Emmy for outstanding directing in a comedy series for his show "Atlanta". He also took home an award for lead actor in a comedy series for the same show. Overall last night was a huge leap forward for mankind, considering a lot of award shows have been rather infamous for white washing the winner's boards. While the world still has a long way to go it is very nice to see that people really are become more accepting of really seeing someone for who they are and what they are capable of rather than just how they appear on the outside. With all the tragic events going on lately in the world my faith in humanity has not been a very good one, but with positive events like other nights Emmy's it gives me a good feeling that there are good people still out there and we can hopefully get people back on the right track of moving forward in life in stead of backwards.  

The New Era of News

With the social media game at an all time high, consumer no longer have to go out and find whats happening, the news finds them instead. While some companies have struggled with making these adjustments, other companies, like snapchat for example have thrived. We live in a super fast pace world where things are always moving and changing. The age of technology has significantly increased this need for wanting to know everything and wanting to know it instantaneously. Being that snapchat has built its model around this fast pace culture they are really winning the game at delivering news quickly and efficiently.

Their news stories, in my opinion are one of their best features. I can click through a story and find out what is going on very quickly. Some times the information is solely for entertainment, but they also do a very good job with informative purposes as well. Marketers should really take notes if they want to stay in the game. If a company can't get there news out quick then it could become irrelevant before it even has a chance to hit the stands. While snapchat is still mostly targeted towards millennial, the way they market things really is ground breaking and should be applied on all types of platforms. By making things not only entertaining but also very interactive, it helps penetrated consumers natural advertising block. When done correctly it could even go as far as making consumers want to seek out this information for themselves again, which is exactly what marketers need to start doing again in order to stay in the game.

   

Social Media Saving Lives

While tragedy struck recently in Texas, many civilians found relief in very unusual ways. While Twitter and Facebook are usually pumping out the newest drama scandal, this past week has taken a more serious and social turn. Over the past several days hurricane harvey relief has been blowing up social media in the best way possible. Whether it's an informative add on how to donate to the cause, to a call for help on where people are located, these unusual social platforms have been doing some phenomenal things. We have seen people ban together though social media in the past when tragedy strikes, but never in such a high volume of which it is currently operating. People have been able to offer up where they need rescuing in real time and civilians have been able to respond by giving these desperate individuals a place to stay. Since officers were unable to respond to every 911 call in a timely manner, these volunteers that put forth their effort, time, and even homes were extremely helpful to the cause. While the awful amount of damage the hurricane has created is devastating, it is nice to see people using social media in a positive light for once.
Some social media users have even gone as far as creating a live harvey relief map. This map uses technology similar to google maps, in which people can share their location of where they need help and rescuing. Through these social platforms people have been able to get the help they need a lot quicker than they ever have before. Also those who want to help can do so in a much more efficient matter. Not only does social media help to get the word out but also when used correctly it can have a huge impact on those not even using it.