THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OG BLOG MONETISATION

INTRODUTION

The possible monetisation of blogging has caused uproar amongst many within the blogosphere. The distaste for this possibility comes with many concerns that may kill the very essence of blogging in and of itself. This assignment will discuss the negative impacts on monetisation of blogging. A definition of monetisation of blogging will be given below as well as the impact on the quality of the content, the type of content allowed on the blog, readership membership, distrust amongst readers, and the feel of the blog itself.

MONETISATION OF BLOGGING DEFINED

Monetisation, from the word monetary which is defined in the Oxford dictionary as being “connected to money” (Oxford, 2010: 955) is essentially the making of money through the creative endeavours, personal thoughts, and opinions that have been are continuously being posted on one’s blog. A blog being a “website where a person writes about what interests them” (Oxford, 2010: 145). It is published on the World Wide Web which is free to the user (blogger) and allows discourse on anything and everything the blogger feels is relevant, interesting, and important to them. The belief that it is impossible to work with brands without 'selling out’ is a major concern that comes with the monetisation and the belief that the restrictions that come with it will make the experience less genuine. The personal control that a blogger has over their blog is the cornerstone of the core ideals of blogging and as Friedman has stated (Levinson, 2013: 95) the models followed by PayPerPost, for example, pertain to the advertiser owning the blogger’s voice in its totality.

TYPE OF CONTENT ALLOWED

Monetisation of blogs through advertising using Google AdSense, PayPerPost, and Amazon Associates are three of the five general ways that advertisers try to “buy a blogger’s voice (Friedman, 2007)” (Levinson, 2013: 95) is seen in many of the blogosphere’s eyes as “soul-selling”. Advertising is a way for brands who want to align with bloggers while retaining more control of how they are presented. This meaning that the blogger’s voice is no longer theirs but instead it is that of the advertisers. In extreme cases advertisers have stopped bloggers publishing certain content as it had gone against the ideals of the advertisers’ brand. It will always be about emulating the brand’s ‘unique’ voice and signing a contract will be a part of the package deal (http://www.aliciaradeswriter.com/steps-finding-blogger-emulate-brands-voice/). The stress of always being put on a leash, so to speak, on what type of content you are allowed to publish on your own- though it is now owned by the advertisers- blog, will not make it the once personal journey it was in the beginning. This might show in the content published.

THE DECLINE OF QUALITY OF CONTENT

A lot of bloggers publish content that is not particularly focused and very confused and in the end readers don’t bother reading them. The relevance of the content published is important as it is the one thing that keeps the reader coming back for more. In the case of the commercial blogger, Jeff Goins, the majority of comments on his blog have been that he had “too much advertising” on the blog itself and also to “concentrate more on content” as it had declined ever since he had started monetising it. Another commercial blogger, Sarah Wilson, had blogged “I read blogs because I love the little window they give me into another person's world. I read blogs to be inspired, to learn something new, to be entertained and to be moved: I don't read blogs for a re-worded media release (and I've written plenty of those in a former life)” (http://www.sarahwilson.com/2012/11/soul-selling-my-position-on-sponsored-posts-advertising/).

Once a blogger generates traffic, thus making money off of their blog, they tend to loose inspiration to write and with it the trust of their readers. They are often criticised for promoting or blogging about products or experience that they themselves would never pay for with their own money and also for having no integrity as they would and in many cases do blog anything for freebies (http://hungryaustralian.com/2013/11/bloggers-and-brands-why-were-mostly-doing-it-wrong). Others have also been accused of fabricating content just to boost readership membership on their blogs thus in turn making more money.

READERSHIP MEMBERSHIP

If advertisements are not placed correctly they can demolish a blog’s readership tremendously. The utilization of the hated pop-up ads is, according to Eridon, the top reason of fifteen things people absolutely hate about the monetisation of websites- mainly blogs (http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/32307/15-Things-People-Absolutely-Hate-About-Your-Website.aspx). These pop-up ads thus distract readers from the actual content of the blog and are mainly seen as an annoyance by readers too. According to Eridon, it is the top reason that websites loose traffic and why new visitors abandon it completely. With the content unfocused and not worth reading in the readers’ eyes they will move on to something else and probably not return.

BLOG ATMOSPHERE

There are so many blogs out there that look like they have been put up purely to make money and are plastered with ads. Many of the followers may feel that the pop-up ads are in abundance and may appreciate the lack of ads. The initial atmosphere presented by the blogger which attracted readers in the first place will become lost in a cluster of advertisements. The tone created by the placement of advertisements in blogs will cause the personal nature of the blog to be lost completely. It will no longer be the personal space that it had initially been before.

CONCLUSION

This assignment has discussed why monetisation is incompatible with the ideals of blogging. A clear definition of monetisation of blogging has been given as well as the type of content allowed on the blog, impact on the quality of the content, readership membership, distrust amongst readers, and the blog atmosphere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Available at: http://hungryaustralian.com/2013/11/bloggers-and-brands-why-were-mostly-doing-it-wrong) [Accessed 14 August 2014]

Available at: http://www.sarahwilson.com/2012/11/soul-selling-my-position-on-sponsored-posts-advertising/ [Accessed 14 August 2014]

Eridon, C. 2012. 15 Things People Hate about Your Website. Available at: http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/32307/15-Things-People-Absolutely-Hate-About-Your-Website.aspx [Accessed 14 August 2014]

Levinson, P. 2013. New New Media. 2^nd ed. Pearson. Boston

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary: International Students Edition. 8^th ed. 2010. Oxford University Press. New York

Rades, A. 2014.3 Steps to Finding a Blogger to Emulate your Brand’s Voice. Available at: http://www.aliciaradeswriter.com/steps-finding-blogger-emulate-brands-voice/ [Accessed 14 August 2014]

THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN GENERAL ELECTIONS

INTRODUCTION

This assignment will discuss the use of social media in the South African general elections. It also includes a brief history of electioneering and campaigning in the country’s twenty year democracy. And the social media’s effectiveness in campaigns and the impact social media will have on future elections.  

A BRIEF HISTORY OF ELECTIONEERING AND CAMPAIGNING IN SOUTH AFRICA

The first ever general elections in South Africa, in April 1994, marked a critical moment of freedom for the majority of the country’s citizens who were refused the right to vote by the apartheid government.  These elections saw more than just a simple transfer of power but also a moment of liberation and the final victory over racial oppression. The country has seen another four general elections taking place since then and in each the ANC (African National Congress) have been victorious. Campaign strategies used in all the elections seen by the country have evolved with the times simultaneously. 

 

It is very evident that with the social media that is readily available to us today in 2014 was not available back in 1994. The most effective way that politicians could connect to the general public at any and all levels was to physically be present and interact with the electorate. The use of People’s Forums succeeded in giving the ANC a presence on the ground, making leaders accessible and generating the necessary momentum for the impending poll. With the combination of roadshows in the ensuing months accompanied by the customary handshake, head-patting and smile, and by dancing drum majorettes, music and entertainment, plus a speech by Nelson Mandela, which became a common spectacle across the country, further enhanced the party’s campaign. Another technique employed by the ANC was that of a ‘postage paid coupon’ permitting non-attendees to write to Mandela directly, stipulating their biggest concerns and suggesting solutions to overcome mentioned concerns (Twala, 2014: 564). Other campaign techniques that are still used today are election posters and negative campaigns. Noted by Ferree (Twala, 2014: 564) to be the most memorable of the negative campaigns in the 1999 electioneering period is when the ANC clearly attacked the Democratic Party’s (DP’s) ‘Fight Back’ slogan by printing look-a-like posters reading ‘Don’t Fight Blacks’.  With the social media having become a big part of our lives, it is not surprising that electioneering and campaigning has moved online as well.

 

THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN ELECTIONEERING

 

Social media (Facebook, Twitter, Mxit, etc.) are interactive web-based media platforms that offer ordinary citizens the opportunity to connect, share opinions, experiences, views, contacts, knowledge, and expertise (Adibe, et al. 2012: 6). Social media due to their cost-effective nature has no doubt become a veritable instrument for carrying out election campaigns and other electioneering activities. Abubukar (Adibe, et al. 2012: 12) observes that social media has created online platforms that serve as a new “political capital” where people resort to and participate in a political discourse. Before the advent of the new media, political campaigns and other electioneering activities blossomed in the traditional media. But the arrival of new media and lately social interactive media has greatly affected the way the game of politics is played. Their ability to attract the majority of populations in any country in the world, in this case that of South Africa, is one of the many reasons why politicians have turned to them  to attract voters. This has constituted in the increased use of social media by South African politicians in the run-up to the recent 2014 general elections.

 

Some parties, Agang SA, in particular used the social networking site, Twitter, to raise issues that have been swept under the rug by the ANC and at most largely avoided with their hashtag  #VoteAgangSA in March of this year (http://www.sabreakingnews.co.za/2014/03/31/agang-sa-says-it-it-like-it-is-on-twitter). Their tweet campaign got tongues wagging and was even thought to be negative campaigning on their part against President Zuma and effectively the ANC. Another politician, Julius Malema, of the EFF (Economic Freedom Fighters) led the online popularity contest according to eNCA news (http://www.enca.com/elections-2014/malema-ahead-online) with 447,000 followers with Hellen Zille and President Zuma coming in second and third respectively with 411,000 and 319,000 followers each.

 

 

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN CAMPAIGNS

 

Social media has a tremendous effect on the campaigns as there are no definitive regulations as to what someone writes about another opposing party. Perhaps, the most worrisome of it all is the problem of weak or absence of regulation of the technology as Kidafa, Odoemelam and Elechi (Adibe, et al. 2012: 8) observe that “regulating traditional media in the face of issues like obscenity, copyright, right to privacy, etc, was upheaval, but have became more difficult with the emergence of social media”. But with low penetration and access especially in the rural areas of the country and areas that does not have access to electricity, the issue of not having access to information still lingers. For many who still live below the poverty line it is , in their eyes, at the moment very much impossible to reap the abundant benefits of the information revolution that is happening as we speak (Adibe, et al. 2012: 4). High concentrations of social media use are still mainly found among urban residents. The increasing use of social media and other online tools has indeed led to greater privacy challenges. This is to say that with the great potentials of the internet and other digital social media, is included the challenges of monitoring and regulation.

 

With the negative campaigning practices adopted by the political parties mentioned above, it is apparent to see how easy it is to tarnish the image of the opposition in an instant. It affects campaigns in such a way that damage control on the part of the party tarnished has to ensue, which then takes away from the electioneering and campaigning that is more important. The perceptions of the voter will be changed as well causing a decreased confidence in the manifesto of said party and its competence.

 

CONCLUSION

Electioneering and campaigning has evolved over time from the traditional People’s Forms used by politicians in 1994 to more modern technologies such as the social media in combination with traditional methods such as mass rallies an election posters. Though the rules have not changed they have gained some speed as politics moves into the virtual realm.

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Adibe, K.N. Odoemelam, C.C. & Chibuwe, A.  2012. Social Media, Electioneering and Sustenance Democracy in Africa: A “Swot” Analysis. Africa Media and Democracy Journal. 1 (1):

Twala, C. 2014. The Historical Significance of the African National Congress (ANC) Election Campaigns 1994-2014: A Genuine Process of Political Liberalisation? Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences. 5 (7): 562-568

Matroos, J. 2014. Agang Says it Like it is on Twitter. Available at: http://www.sabreakingnews.co.za/2014/03/31/agang-sa-says-it-it-like-it-is-on-twitter [Accessed 28 July 2014]

Malema Leading the Online Popularity Contest. Available at: http://www.enca.com/elections-2014/malema-ahead-online [Accessed 30 July 2014]

1: INTRODUCTION:

-In this essay will be discussed about the impact of the digital divide on democracy and the government of South Africa. By digital divide we mean an economic inequality between groups, broadly construed, in terms of access to use of, or knowledge of information and communication technologies. The digital divide refers to the difference between people who have easy access to the internet and those who do not. A lack of access is believed to be disadvantages to those on the disadvantages side of the digital divide because of the huge knowledge base that can only be found online.

-By democracy we means, is a form of government bin which all eligible citizens participate equally. Either directly or indirectly through elected representatives in the proposal, development, and creation of laws.it encompasses social, religious, cultural. Ethnic and racial equality, justice, liberty and fraternity. Democracy is a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.

2: EXPLANATION OF THE IMPACT OF THE DIGITAL DIVIDE ON DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNEMENT OF SOUTH AFRICA.

-According to Norris P, the global information society that links around the people with the power of information, by using the internet. In the global information society, all information is made avaible to everyone.  Digital divide refers to the gap between individuals , households , business and geographic areas at different social economic levels in order words the rich and , which the regard both to their  opportunities to access information and communication technologies and their use of internet for wide variety of activities. Digital divide reflects various differences among and within countries.

-Democracy means the government by people. That means that all the people should be able to have a say in everything that affects their lives. Democracy can be also exercised directly by the people through their elected agents. (Peter Gelderoos 2004)

-Government in regulation, supervisor or the control which is exercised upon the individual members of on organised jural   society by those invested with the supreme political authority, for the good and welfare of the political body. The difference in the access to information and technology with normally result because of differences in race, status, age and geography and other factors can cause other citizen to be deprived in the global economy (globalisation) this difference is known as digital divide. Digital divide in South Africa is somewhat evident that 4, 5%of the total population are the informed ones and the other 95, 5% are that do not know anything about the internet.

 The main reason for digital divide in South Africa is because of the Apartheid legacy which promoted separate development, which provided inferior education and poor and no access to learning opportunities for non-whites. (Lewis C, 2007).

-According to Chisenga Jonas (2004), the existence of digital divide is also caused by high levels of poverty and lack of telecommunication services and the high cost of connectivity; this also goes beyond the access to hardware and communication systems. For example there is still a gap in generational and educational divides between those who are capable of getting information using the internet and those who still cannot.

-How to digital divide impact democracy and the government , democracy and government are influenced in various ways such as poverty , even through other countries such as America and Europe want to help  South Africa government close the gap of digital divide , the cost of technology balanced against other priorities , such as healthcare and famine well take precedence over the spread of technology and also literacy is major challenge for the government furthermore; English  is the language that are first language .In South Africa , excluding English there are 11 others official languages .This makes the literally challenge even greater.(Verlonen 2004).

-According to Trusler (2003), for example South Africa has to deal with a number of challenges before they can begin with any initiatives for bridging the digital divide .They challenges issues are follows Trusler (2003):

 -A high level of inequality.

-A weak ICT (Information Communication Technology) infrastructures, particularly in rural areas.

-A lack of ICT readiness in government.

-More pressing demands in the public services that makes ICT.

3: THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL DIVIDE.

- According to Sarah Newton, The impact of digital divide on British families, the term is used to describe an economic inequality between group, where some have access to information and communication technologies and other don’t .But it’s also used to describe the knowledge gap between parents and their children. The gaps created by inequate infrastructures and lack of basis knowledge about the digital world are late obstacles to genuine mass connectively. But late adapters don’t always have the knowledge they need to use the internet to its full extent.

 

 

-A such, same parent have left standed. Their children know a great deal more about how to drive a computer, tablet, laptop or Smartphone than they do.

 Today’s children and teenagers have grow up with digital technologies, and they take to new development perfectly naturally, accepting then as the norm and often leaving their parent behind. The knowledge gap between parent and children, it’s difficult to keep your children secure when you don’t understand what they’re doing online. But once you understand the basic of cyber bullying, you can spot the signs.

-There are possible solutions to bringing the digital divide; a technology culture can be developed in South Africa universities and communities where programmes can be developed in order to teach people about the internet and hoe it functions. However information, and more importantly knowledge, has the ability to empower people. Therefore , it is necessary to bridge the digital divide help small communities that do not know about the internet concerted effort to provide graduates who have the knowledge and skills to become technology leaders , and who will help those in need.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4: BIBLIOGRAPHY:

-Chisenga, J. 2004.Africa Governments in Cyberpace.are they bringing the content to digital divide. Cape Town.

-Lewis, C. 2007. South Africa [Online} Avaible: htt://www.digital divide. Org/filed/pdf (Accessed 19 April 2013).

-Norris, P. 2001. Digital divide: civic engagements, information poverty, and the Internet worldwide. Cambrige: Cambrige University Press.

-Newton, S.2012. All right reserved. New Thinking for a new generation.

 

The  impact that social media has on societal and individual relations

INTRODUCTION

This assignment will explore the positive impact that social media has on the societal and individual relations in modern western society. It will also, through deductive reasoning, explain the reasons why the individual has become the most important basic unit of society.

The network society is a “social structure based on networks operated by information and communication technologies based in microelectronics and digital computer networks that generate, process, and distribute information on the basis of the knowledge accumulated in the nodes of networks” (Castells & Cardoso; 2005:52).  In basic terms it means that because our society has become more technologically advanced, modern western societies are merely moving into the virtual communities of the World Wide Web by utilizing new tools of technology- social media- to improve and increase communication in interpersonal relationships. This combination of social and media networks has turned communication into a social dialogue, and dominates the younger generation and its culture. And according to van Dijk (2006) this justifies social media as being the so called “nervous system” of advanced high-tech societies.

The defining characteristics of social media are what make the impact felt throughout societies so profound (Levinson; 2013:6).The basic level of entry in most social networking sites is the setting up of a 'profile' - a personalised page developed by the user in which he/she presents him/herself to peers, through text, photos, music and videos amongst other functionalities. This allows the user to mobilise and organise their social contacts and profiles the way they want. It has an impact on how we view ourselves and the people around us and is essentially, through the theory about the development of self-concept- looking-glass self-(Steinberg; 2007: 143), a tool that we associate with on an intra- and inter-personal level. Examples of common social media sites that have millions of users include Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and YouTube.

The social media landscape provides user generated content, which can be described as content developed and published by users of these social media sites. This puts social inclusion- the empowerment and participation of every individual in the network society, irrespective of age, gender, socio-economic status or ethnic background (Castells & Cardoso; 2005:58) - as one of the defining reasons why we communicate as supported by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Steinberg; 2007:22) which describes people’s desire to fulfil a sense of belonging through support from relationships with others. By communicating online, it allows people to see past physical differences and focus on a deeper connection by discovering similarities that may have been previously disregarded.  It creates a sense of unity and belonging in people who might have previously felt alienated in society because of an inability to relate to people in the traditional communication process.

Social media is an interactive media while at the same time transcending time and space (Levinson; 2013:9). The sequence of action and reaction is so fast that the physical presence of the person communication is occurring with is not necessary. It is just as fast and efficient as it would occur if it were happening in a face-to-face situation. It also provides those who would otherwise be isolated by disability or environment with a rich and fulfilling social life that is available to them on their timetables through the form of support groups to discover and communicate with others who have similar problems or health issues. This has been found to benefit people in these situations as they find comfort in knowing they are not alone in what they are dealing with. An example of the benefits of this form of online support is dubbed “Health 2.0”. The results of a study conducted to evaluate the relationship between social media use and relationship satisfaction between people who did not get to see each other physically or in face-to-face situations showed that the use of social media helped to maintain and in other cases make stronger the relationship between the individuals (http://journals.chapman.edu/ojs/index.php/mc/article/view/340).

Another benefit of social media is the impact it has on intercultural dialogue. Intercultural dialogue is critical today in our globalized and blended world, where different cultures encounter each other daily, especially through social media such as Facebook, Tumblr, YouTube, and Twitter. With the active promotion and communication competence to achieve harmony and understanding, turmoil and violence would cease to exist (Georgetown University, 2010). Social media essentially promotes the tolerance of people of different ethnicities, backgrounds, languages, opinions, and ideas. A popular example of this is the social network Facebook where there are more than 70 translations available on the site, and about 70% of users are outside the United States of America (http://journals.chapman.edu/ojs/index.php/mc/article/view/340).  According to Mark Zuckerberg, “If Facebook were a country, it would be the 6th most populated country in the world.”

In a study funded by the European Commission that explored the social impacts of ICT (information and communications technologies) in Germany (2007) yielded results that shows some benefits of social media. It concluded that social media affords the opportunity of lifelong learning, both for the job, in formal education and in leisure time. This new way of learning through the easy access of innumerable sources provided by the ICT/social media in workplace and in school setting has shown to bring about different ways of thinking to traditional and new ideas. This has seen a stepping up of the education and training drive in the European Union to successfully absorb digital technologies into traditional ways of teaching and use them to best effect as per the preconditions of the Lisbon European Council’s goals.

Social media contributed to the distribution of social capital and the strength of social cohesion in society. Social capital being “the sum of the actual and potential resources embedded within, available through, and derived from the network of relationships possessed by an individual or social unit” (Neelamalar & Chitra ; 2009:19). The digital natives, in this case the users of social media, see these technologies as a logical extension of traditional communication methods, and perceive social networking sites as often a much quicker and more convenient way to interact with their “friends” wherever and whenever they choose. With that said they are also aware of the dangers and risks involved in using social media as a go-between when communicating with others. This shows that the user possess a social consciousness towards the world at large.

CONCLUSION

Social media has in the words of Weiser (1991) disappeared and weaved itself into the fabric of everyday life and is now virtually indistinguishable from the more traditional methods of communication (http://www.jrc.ec.europa.eu; 2008: 13). Its positive effect on the individual and society has led to its overwhelming usage the world over.

 

REFERENCES

Castells, M. & Cardoso, G (ed). 2005. The Network Society: From Knowledge to Policy. Washington: The Johns Hopkins University

Dr. Neelamalar, M. & Chitra, P. 2009.  New media and society: A Study on the impact of social networking sites on Indian youth. Research thesis. Anna University Chennai

European Communities. 2008. IPTS Exploratory Research on the Socio-economic Impact of Social Computing. Available http://www.jrc.ec.europa.eu [Accessed 10 March 2014]

Levinson, P. 2013. New New Media 2^nd edition. New York: Pearson

Porter, Mitchell, Grace, et al. A Study of the Effects of Social Media Use and Addiction on Relationship Satisfaction. Chapman University. Available http://journals.chapman.edu/ojs/index.php/mc/article/view/340 [Accessed 10 March 2014]

Steinberg, S. 2007. An Introduction to Communication Studies. Cape Town: Juta