According to a 2012 Demand Gen report, 93% of marketers love gamification. Ford Motors increased sales by more than $8 million and boosted their Facebook likes by 600% with gamified content. (OptInMonster 2020) After using points and badges to gamify their website, Verizon Wireless boosted browsing time by 30% among half their users. (OptInMonster 2020)

Well doesn’t gamification just sound amazing?

Gamification in the marketing world is skyrocketing and according to Statista, the gamification market will be worth a whopping 18.48 billion AUD in 2021. It’s something we cannot (and should not) ignore. Gamification elements are already integrated into our everyday lives through apps, education and work whether we know it or not. It’s only logical to think of how successful gamification could be from a marketing perspective. Increasing sales, customer engagement, brand loyalty and awareness are just some of the many goals marketers aim to achieve when marketing for a business. But how effective is gamification at doing this? And at what cost to the consumer? Is it all too good to be true?

Let’s back it up for a second and really explore what gamification is.

If you haven’t read my previous blog posts, you might not know what gamification even is. So far you’ve probably gathered it can be a powerful tool… and you would be correct in thinking so. According to OptInMonster (at to put it extremely simply and from a marketing standpoint) Gamification is when you apply techniques and concepts from games to your marketing strategy. Remember playing Hasbro and McDonald’s fast-food Monopoly game? That’s gamification. Always checking out the latest Snapchat badges you’ve earned? That’s gamification too. Getting your next stamp when you purchase a coffee at your local coffee shop so you can get your 10th one free? Yep, you guessed it, that’s gamification!

In a 2020 Journal of Business Research study, gamification was deemed a “popular technique in marketing.” Their research showed that “gamification can positively affect brand engagement and further increase brand equity, and that gamification appears to be an effective technique for brand management.” The study compares traditional marketing techniques such as “customer loyalty programs, point-based management and member- ship systems” to gamification marking techniques. The traditional techniques showed a lack of participation, involvement and engagement from the users, whereas gamification elements “can trigger continued service usage”. Their suggestion to marketers is to integrate motivational affordances of gamification into their current marketing systems and techniques.

Okay, okay, I’ve convinced you how amazing gamification can be for marketers, but how can you possibly trust me? With another example of course!

There are loads of examples of how gamification has helped businesses thrive! In an Ohio University blog post, they discuss M&M’s 2010 gamified social media marketing strategy that promotes their new pretzel-flavoured version of candy. The campaign was basically a simple eye-spy game where users had to find a small ‘pretzel guy’ in the midst of a LOT of multi-coloured M&M candies from an image posted on the brand’s Facebook page. The post went viral and gained 25,000 likes, 6,000 shares, and 10,000 comments. This campaign, I can imagine, only did wonders for their further user engagement statistics.

But maybe gamification isn’t actually as fantastic as it’s made out to be?

In a 2019 Journal of Business Ethics study, the ethics of gamification are questioned. The study shows that “as research developments advance and become more integrated into practice, more effective gamification will emerge and ethical issues will intensify.” It explains how gamification experiences may become so sophisticatedly compelling in the future, that users will be more enticed to purchase products – and they won’t even realise they are being subconsciously exploited to do so. 

We seem to be on a slippery slope to gamification’s transformation to becoming a widely known controversial topic. I’ve explored it’s ethicality further in the video below.

Thank-you all so much for reading, I’d love to read any comments on my blog post or video below. Feel free to reach out on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or anywhere else you can find me! My profiles links are below.

Until next time xoxo

References:

• Xi, N & Hamari, J 2020, ‘Does gamification affect brand engagement and equity? A study in online brand communities’, Journal of Business Research, vol. 109, pp. 449–460, viewed 27 April 2020, <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=psyh&AN=2020-14705-038&site=eds-live&scope=site&gt;.

• Thorpe, AS & Roper, S 2019, ‘The Ethics of Gamification in a Marketing Context’, Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 155, no. 2, pp. 597–609, viewed 27 April 2020, <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=heh&AN=135067495&authtype=sso&custid=deakin&site=eds-live&scope=site&gt;.

• Ohio University. 2020. Gamification Marketing Examples Being Used In Business | Ohio University. [online] Available at: <https://onlinemasters.ohio.edu/blog/gamification-marketing-examples-being-used-in-business/&gt; [Accessed 27 April 2020].

• Statista. 2020. Global Gamification Market Value 2021 | Statista. [online] Available at: <https://www.statista.com/statistics/608824/gamification-market-value-worldwide/&gt; [Accessed 27 April 2020].

• Demandgenreport.com. 2020. The State Of Interactive Content Marketing: Statistics And Trends. [online] Available at: <https://www.demandgenreport.com/resources/infographics/the-state-of-interactive-content-marketing-statistics-and-trends&gt; [Accessed 27 April 2020].

• OptinMonster. 2020. Using Gamification In Marketing To Level Up Conversions. [online] Available at: <https://optinmonster.com/gamification-in-marketing/&gt; [Accessed 27 April 2020].

Theresa Cramer from EContentMag explains how “gamification is becoming an integral part of any good, multifaceted marketing strategy.”

So if I want to succeed in the Digital Marketing world, I need to know about gamification!

After working at as a Content Creator at a social media marketing agency, I can confidently say that this career is something I love and I could see myself in this industry for the rest of my life. I love to create content and help businesses grow, and having my own agency one day is a goal I’d love to achieve.

Through my university unit ALM201, I have learnt so much about gamification. Wait… what is gamification, you ask?

Gamification is the idea of applying game mechanics, game plan procedures or incorporating Big Data in a manner that is pertinent to your computerised advertising measurements, Return on Investment (ROI) and objectives.

Gowtham ashirvad kumar, A. Ravi kumar

This definition has been taken from the International Journal of Engineering & Advanced Technology and is particularly written for its integration in digital marketing, despite Gamification being relevant in many industries and situations.

This study sums up perfectly how Gamification “includes an approach to improve abilities or show signs of improvement at something, in addition to it includes some sort of prize.” (Kumar, GA et al) That’s right, it not just about the prize! It’s about the process and sense of accomplishment that comes with it it. This is a perfect interactive opportunity for in-house employee’s at digital marketing organisations to achieve business goals. And this is also universal and gamified productivity softwares can motivate employees in any any work place.

The main reason why gamification and digital marketing go hand-in-hand, however, is not just it’s use on employees in the digital marketing businesses, but the potential consumers of their client(s)!

A simple form of gamification that businesses use is loyalty programs and has been used for decades. But now, “these simple tactics are amplified and can become intricate campaigns that create a whole new level of engagement” on the web! (Cramer T, 2014)

Thanks so much for reading my introductory blog on Digital Marketing in a Gamified World. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please feel free to leave a comment below or any critique you have about my writing, referencing, photos etc! I’d love to hear your feedback!

Until next time! xoxo

References:

• Kumar, GA( 1 ) & Ravi kumar, A( 2 ) n.d., ‘Employing gamification methods to increase customer engagement in digital marketing’, International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering, vol. 8, no. 2 Special Issue 8, pp. 869–872, viewed 23 April 2020, <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edselc&AN=edselc.2-52.0-85073466076&authtype=sso&custid=deakin&site=eds-live&scope=site&gt;.
• Cramer, T 2014, ‘Applying the Secrets of Gamification to Your Digital Marketing Strategy’, ECONTENT, vol. 37, no. 5, pp. 8–10, viewed 23 April 2020, <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edswss&AN=000336475800003&authtype=sso&custid=deakin&site=eds-live&scope=site&gt;.

First impression ARE everything, and let’s just say, first impressions of SuperBetter were not the SuperBest…

I downloaded this SuperBetter app under the goal of ‘weight loss’, a current goal I have for myself. I wanted to see if this app would really help me with my exercise and nutrition goals.

After downloading the app, it seemed really… ‘off’. The first reason being the app’s incompatibility to my screen. It seemed to accommodate perfectly for screen sizes much smaller than mine, so I was left with two thick rectangles of black at the top and bottom of my screen. UGH! Very annoying to say the least.

Something else I noticed was as soon as my account was created, BAM, I had access to everything. It was almost overwhelming. I would have much preferred a bit of a tutorial or some information of how the app actually works. I felt like I had just been thrown into a classroom and knowing NO ONE! (We all know how that feels, I’m sure!)

The third reason (and yes, I’m still going) was the colour scheme and text font. Okay, MAYBE I’m being a little picky, but as someone extremely passionate about graphic design and the visual appeal to anything and everything digital, it was a bit of a let down. And it definitely didn’t help that everything was that tiny but blurry. It didn’t feel as ‘3D’ (if that makes any sense).

Were there any positives? I’ll have to get back to you with that one. Let’s see how this app works for a while and maybe I’ll do an update to how it works, and of course, what weight loss progress I make!

I’d love to hear any thoughts or experiences that anyone else has had from the app so please comment them below!

Until next time xoxo

I’ve spent the past couple of days watching Snapchats of people in the year below me posting about their high school graduation and I am BEYOND confused.

It felt like yesterday that I graduated… Walking out of the place I spent most of my time at for 6 years, with a group of girls I have been through a lot with. Friend’s, acquaintance’s or enemies, we all left those school grounds a little sad. There was a lot of history we were leaving behind.

And now? The year below me is graduating and I honestly can’t wrap my head around it! I have just finished my first year of uni. I am currently a third of the way through my Communication’s degree. C-R-A-Z-Y!

This year has gone so fast, and now I’m left wondering, how have I found the university life? And what now?

I’ve never been a stressed person, so it’s no surprise that university life has been nothing short of relatively relaxed for me. What do you mean that I only have to go to university twice a week for a few hours at a time? And that it’s not even mandatory to attend my lectures? I can just watch them online?!

Maybe it’s the fact that my Communications (Digital Media) degree is more practical based that I’m not feeling the heat, but either way I’m loving it! I’m enjoying most things that I’ve been studying and practicing and I’m super excited to explore more units next year. (particularly my graphic design and web design units!)

While it’s still chill and steady-seas, I can’t help but think about what path I want to take in the future. There’s no right or wrong answer, but I’m so passionate about doing something for the rest of my life that I LOVE and enjoy doing! But I just don’t want to start pursuing something, that I realise I don’t actually want to do in the future. While I do have my whole life to work it out, I don’t want to waste any time!

Ideas of Marketing, Graphic Design, Social Media Marketing, Videography or even a combination of these are what has been floating around my head for the past few months. Hopefully the next few years, including the multiple internship opportunities I undertake, will help me realise my potential and my passions in the media industry.

For the next few months, until uni starts again in March (CRAZY), I’m planning to work at my two jobs, (one of which is at a Social Media Marketing firm!), finally travel overseas for the first time (to Thailand) and just relax and hang out with my friends and boyfriend as much as I can! After all, that’s what breaks are for! 😉

While the uni year has wrapped up, the calendar year hasn’t, and I don’t plan on disappearing anytime soon, so please come back to my blog and leave me any feedback!

I’d love to hear more from you guys and if there is anything more you want to know about me, LET ME KNOW!

Until next time xoxo

Welcome back to my blog!

I’m going to analyse my latest YouTube video. (Click the image above to watch it!)

I couldn’t move past choosing to create another video about surveillance, it’s just too interesting!

In my video, the main point I wanted to get across was one of the given prompts… “A balanced perspective is the key to understanding the contemporary surveillance society in which we live.”

By including another experiment, I hoped to appeal on a more personal level to my audience. It’s also a fun and interesting segment to watch. I also wanted to emphasise the idea that it is a BALANCED perspective that is key, and, therefore, I decided to include 3 arguments for and 3 against government/online surveillance.

I started off writing a long script. This took a lot longer than anticipated and I need to keep in mind that the time limit was a lot longer than my last project. I edited it to make sure it made sense and ran on time. I used my old framing and positioning trick by taking a timer photo of myself, to position the camera correctly, before I began recording. This was an effective technique I also used last time. I ensured I was in the centre of the frame, and the two curtains behind me were of equal distance from the side frames. I made an effort to look directly in the camera for the whole time I was recording myself, and it definitely got easier with practice! I thought that by using my mum’s camera as a prop, would emphasise the idea that I was discussing the topic of surveillance, in a creative way! My audio recording was from my Canon 1100D camera that I recorded myself with, but also through the Voice Memo’s app on my phone, for voiceovers. I found this very clear from when I used it in my last video. Editing took much longer than I thought! 8 minutes really is a long time to edit, especially for a perfectionist like me! Because I was more time conscience, I found my Premiere Pro timeline much messier than my last projects’, although there was no editing application I would rather use! I used heaps of overlays, once again, as I found them effective, especially pairing them with video transitions. I also though overlaying with different opacity levels was an effective technique for quality content. My source material was all found from the Creative Common’s (old) search engine, where I usually found my resources off Google Images or YouTube. The music I used was my regular intro dance track, as a way to enforce familiarity and I also used another soothing track I found fit well, from SoundCloud. I chose this track as it was quieter and therefore would be easier for my voiceovers to be heard over the top. I also made an effort to reduce this background noise further, to avoid musical distractions. The intro and outro were the same as last time, which I think my viewers would now associate with my channel. One of the best things about this video, I thought, was definitely my lighting! I was so pleased with the outcome from my three point setup, my face illuminated really nicely with barely any shadowing.

Something new I chose to do was to add boxes on the screen for my audience to click on. I thought it would bring a new tech-savvy feel to my video as they are basically image hyperlinks! I had to watch a tutorial on how to make this possible, BUT what I didn’t realise was that I had to be an exclusive YouTube member to be eligible to do this! I didn’t realise until after exporting, so the links were in my description box only. UGH!

Any issues I faced were mainly solved through a quick Google search and YouTube tutorial. Some of these problems included rendering errors, green screen removals and exporting tips. A new feature I used was Ultra Key, which allowed me to get rid of green screen footage, to ultimately transform it into a transparent background. As my topic was surveillance, I thought security camera footage would be effective to use in my film, but I actually struggled to find a lot of good quality footage that I could use, as many videos were almost indecipherable. I guess those surveillance camera’s really do have ‘crappy quality’! Once again, I learnt not to leave these things to the last minute, because as everyone says… EDITING TAKES LONGER THAN YOU THINK!

Thank you all for coming along my journey for this year on Hayley’s Hideaway! I am hoping to keep blogging in my own time, so finger’s crossed I will be back again soon!!

Content:

Internet Privacy Prank 2014, video, BuzzFeedVideo, Los Angeles.

Hanrahan, C 2017, Young people do care about privacy, despite what Mark Zuckerberg and George Brandis say,ABC News, retrieved 26 September 2019, <https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-27/digital-privacy-surveillance-facebook-young-australians/9179240>

Surveillance Studies Network 2016, An introduction to the surveillance society, Surveillance Studies Network, retrieved 26 September 2019, <https://www.surveillance-studies.net/?page_id=119>

Gaille, B 2015, 12 Internet Privacy Pros and Cons, Brandon Gaille, retrieved 26 September 2019, <https://brandongaille.com/12-internet-privacy-pros-and-cons/>

Jauncey, ME, Taylor, LK & Degenhardt, LJ 2005, ‘The definition of opioid-related deaths in Australia: implications for surveillance and policy’, Drug & Alcohol Review, vol. 24, no. 5, pp. 401–409, viewed 26 September 2019, <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=19477600&authtype=sso&custid=deakin&site=eds-live&scope=site&gt;

Clement, J 2019, Share of internet users who are more concerned about their online privacy compared to a year ago as of February 2019, by country,Statista, retrieved 26 September 2019, <https://www.statista.com/statistics/373322/global-opinion-concern-online-privacy/>

Regoli, N 2019, 16 Pros and Cons Government Surveillance of Citizens, ConnectUs, retrieved 26 September 2019, <https://connectusfund.org/16-pros-and-cons-government-surveillance-of-citizens>

Shroff, M & Fordham, A 2010, ‘“Do you know who I am?” Exploring identity and privacy’, Information Polity: The International Journal of Government & Democracy in the Information Age, vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 299–307, viewed 26 September 2019, <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=55777180&authtype=sso&custid=deakin&site=eds-live&scope=site&gt;

McGowan, J 2018, Financial Crime Management’s Broken System, Celent, retrieved 26 September 2019, <https://www.celent.com/insights/358053968>

Travis, A 2013, Six people falsely accused of crimes after errors in internet data disclosure, The Guardian, retrieved 26 September 2019, <https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/jul/18/people-falsely-accused-internet-data-disclosure&gt;

Houston, T 2017, Mass Surveillance and Terrorism: Does PRISM Keep Americans Safer?,University of Tennessee Knoxville Thesis Projects, retrieved 26 September 2019, <https://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=3085&context=utk_chanhonoproj>

Music:

‘Upbeat Dance’by Atoga(CC BY 3.0)

‘VCV Rack and Modular Synths – Part3’ by Reyhne(CC BY 3.0)

Imagery:

‘Blogger Cellphone’by Pixabay

“29/1/2012” by beezly (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

‘Stock Footage-Social Media-Facebook’ by The Lab Bench(CC BY 3.0)

‘4K Free Stock Footage: World Map (10 videos)’ by Mário J.R. Matos(CC BY 3.0)

‘SVG > people demonstration public crowd’ by Pixabay(CC0 1.0)

‘Sea waves & beach drone video | Free HD Video – no copyright’by Free HD videos – no copyright(CC BY 3.0)

‘Calendar font awesome’by Dave Gandy(CC BY 3.0)

‘Facebook f logo’by Facebook, Inc.(CC BY 3.0)

‘Animated Hand Giving Thumbs Down ~ Green Screen’by Crude Animation(CC BY 3.0)

‘Animated Hand Giving Thumbs Up #1 ~ Green Screen’by Crude Animation(CC BY 3.0)

‘Working at the Office – Free HD Stock Footage (No Copyright) — Computer on a Work Desk’by Free HD Stock Footage(CC BY 3.0)

‘QUESTION MARK ANIMATION – VIDEO GRAPHICS [FREE STOCK] [NO COPYRIGHT]’ by Creative Graphics (CC BY 3.0)

‘Reading an old Book 03 / Free Stock Footage (4K)’by GreenLight Stock Footage (CC BY 3.0)

“Watching you” by jonathan mcintosh(CC BY 2.0)

‘4K Traffic camera video – free download now!’by Karol Majek(CC BY 3.0)

‘Footage of People Walking / Free Stock Footage (1080p)’ by GreenLight Stock Footage(CC BY 3.0)

‘Rotating globe’ by AzaToth(CC BY 3.0)

‘Politican man speaking’byPixabay

‘Gnome-computer’by GNOME Project(CC BY 3.0)

‘Walking Crowd Silhouettes In Greenscreen’by Digital Footage(CC BY 3.0)

‘Surveillance’by Yeong-Nam(CC BY-SA 2.0)

‘Balancing biomass harvesting and drying tactics with …’ by NCSU Libraries(CC BY 3.0)

‘Instagram icon’by Instagram(CC BY 3.0)

‘Twitter Tweet’by Pixabay

‘Subscribe to My Think Channel on YouTube’by Gaurav Shakya(CC BY-SA 4.0)

‘Bicycle Thief CCTV footage of Nepal ..’by Namseng Ghising(CC BY 3.0)

‘People Walking Past the Camera – Free Stock Footage For Commercial Projects’by Cinesim Media(CC BY 3.0)

‘Beautiful Eyes 02 / Free Stock Footage (1080p)’by GreenLight Stock Footage(CC BY 3.0)

‘Reading an old Book 01 / Free Stock Footage’by GreenLight Stock Footage(CC BY 3.0)

‘Criminals Caught on Camera by Ring Owners’byKozio Productions(CC BY 3.0)

‘Security Camera Monitor – Green Screen Animation’by footageisland(CC BY 3.0)

‘Hands Typing On Laptop – Free HD Stock Footage (No Copyright)’by Free Stock Footage 4K(CC BY 3.0)

‘Free computer terminal code video sequence’by Eric Paul Goldie(CC BY 3.0)

I decided I wanted my video to be about surveillance because it really interested me in class, especially government privacy invasion conspiracy’s. Social media is of a big interest to me as well, and it’s extremely relevant to my generation! I wanted to use two thirds of my video to inform my viewers about what social media surveillance is actually all about and how it’s used today. The last third of my video I wanted to use a real life (and cute) example of my dog, Molly! It brought a fun twist to the messages of danger I wanted to convey.

I firstly typed out a script that I would read into my ‘voice memos’ app. I sought out reliable sources, including a scholarly article, using Deakin Library. I then used the Creative Commons search to locate images, videos and gifs that related to my topic and obeyed all copyright laws. I double checked every source as it was crucial to get right. I began and ended my video with videos of me (and my dog for entertainment) as a way to connect more authentically to my audience. The same intro/outro music was used as I wanted to create a sense of familiarity; it is now my staple soundtrack! The beats to this song aligned with my transitions. The other underlying music was perfect as it wasn’t distracting but also helps the audience stay attentive with the slightly creepy and suspenseful music. This perfectly complimented my personal stance on social media surveillance, trying to convey the government as secretive and warning the public to be cautious about their online behaviour. I specifically tried to use as much overlay footage as I could and challenge myself by using an incredibly large amount of creative common licensed material; all the practice my referencing skills!

I found it quite difficult to come up with EXACTLY what I wanted to focus on, because the topic was so broad, and there was nothing specific that needed to be included. This left me room to change things around as I needed, however, I realised after watching my video back after a long export, that my voiceover’s were quite different. One I had done in my bedroom during the day and the other at night, when I was trying to stay a little quieter. My whole tone of voice was different and I seem to have talked with a higher pitch in one scene! I definitely learned that I need to manage my time better as editing really does take longer than you think! This is especially important, as I am a perfectionist and will make sure every transition works well and the music beats match the video footage! I had to search MANY YouTube tutorials for help with Premiere Pro, the editing software I used. Although I have used it before, it seems to surprise me every time with new problems! It’s quite ‘fiddly’ and not the most user friendly software to use, but I want to learn more about it so I can get the most out of my video making experiences. Some common problems were with audio not working, transitions not fitting right and how to export quicker! All were solved through the trusty help of YouTube!

Bibliography:

Scott, JD 2016, ‘Social Media and Government Surveillance: The Case for Better Privacy Protections for Our Newest Public Space’, Journal of Business and Technology Law, no. Issue 2, p. 151, viewed 2 September 2019, <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edshol&AN=edshol.hein.journals.jobtela12.12&authtype=sso&custid=deakin&site=eds-live&scope=site&gt;.

Handeyside, H 2018, We’re Demanding the Government Come Clean on Surveillance of Social Media, ACLU, retrieved 1 September 2019 <https://www.aclu.org/blog/privacy-technology/internet-privacy/were-demanding-government-come-clean-surveillance-social>

Wikipedia 2019, Surveillance, Wikipedia, retrieved 1 September 2019, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surveillance>

Gerea, A 2017, Social media is making mass surveillance easier than ever — and we’re just embracing it, ZME Science, retrieved 1 September 2019, <https://www.zmescience.com/science/social-media-24072017/>

Music:

‘ambient-techno’ by Aliasjan (CC BY 3.0)

‘Upbeat Dance’ by Atoga (CC BY 3.0)

Images/Videos:

‘Girl on Phone – Free Stock Video Footage’ by Videvo Free Stock Footage (CC BY 3.0)

‘The Australian Senate Chamber’ by JJ Harrison (CC BY-SA 3.0)

‘Australia location map recoloured’ by SonNy cZ (CC BY-SA 3.0)

‘Free Stock Video – Megaphone In A Protest – Free Download at videvo.net’ by Videvo Free Stock Footage (CC BY 3.0)

‘Network Plexus Loop 4K – Free HD Stock Footage – No Copyright – Motion Graphics Background’ by Free Stock Footage 4K (CC BY 3.0)

‘Royalty Free Videos | Extreme Closeup of Someone Scrolling Through Social Media Posts’ by StockVideos (CC BY 3.0)

‘Person Turning The Pages Of A Book – Free Stock Creative Commons Video’ by Freestocks (CC BY 3.0)

‘Looking at PC Monitor 01 / Free Stock Footage by Green’ by Light Stock Footage (4K) (BY NC 3.0)

‘Woman Using Social Media On The Phone – Free HD Stock Footage – No Copyright – Office Smartphone’ by Free Stock Footage 4K (CC BY 3.0)

‘Texting on a iPhone 6 – Creative Commons Stock Footage – Free download’ by 

Creative Commons Footage (CC BY 3.0)

‘Facebook icon’ by Facebook

‘Instagram icon’ by Instagram

‘snapchat social media photograph’ by Pixabay

‘Texting Mobile Phones Hands Two’ by terimakasih0 at Pixabay

‘2 Boy Sitting on Brown Floor While Using Their Smartphone Near Woman Siiting on Bench Using Smartphone during Daytime’ by Pixabay

‘Australia Government National Free Picture’ by 1343024 at Pixabay

‘Social Media World Communication’ by Stux at Pixabay

‘Students in Class’ by Tulane Public Relations (CC BY 2.0)

‘Oeil’ by yoann cormier (CC BY-SA 3.0)

‘Security Camera Vector Art’ by GoodFreePhotos (CC0 1.0)

‘Rectangle Rounded 30’ by Clker-Free-Vector-Images on Pixabay

‘Clock’ by palomaironique (CC0 1.0)

‘Tablet social media’ by ijclark (CC BY 2.0)

‘A&Z Market Surveillance Camera Footage 8’ by Rochester Indymedia (CC BY 3.0)

It’s time to reflect on my first YouTube video uploading experience! And god, did I learn things.

I will refer to the word ‘authentic’ throughout this blog post which I believe I should define to make things clearer. Authenticity is not revealing my true self or identity, but actually the perception that I am from viewers.

I began my video with the tagline “Hey Hey its Hayley” which is the username of my private Instagram account. I used this to portray myself as quirky and likeable. I took the time to make an intro to establish a professional and serious YouTuber persona. My whole video is actually quite editing with lots of cuts. This was an intentional decision and I chose to do this as personally, I can only watch videos with the same editing technique. It fastens up the video and only allows important bits to be shown, so the audience doesn’t have to sit through periods of silence or moments when I fumble. I included multiple scenes which I used purposely to appear humorous and relatable to my audience. This included dropping balls, inserting funny text and exaggerating my piano skills. By using this kind of content, I hoped to be viewed as a more ‘authentic’ person, someone who is genuine in their portrayal of self; a naturally funny human being. The end of my video was aimed at encouraging my audience to connect with me and engage them in my channel. My background also contained personal items to give a sense of ‘authenticity’ also!

My pre-production plan merely consisted of a pages document with a list of things I would mention in the video. I glanced at this document in-between cuts to remind me of my primary focuses for the video. I used my Canon DSLR1100D camera and wasn’t sure where my head would sit in the frame once I had sat down, with no way of checking. I ended up changing my camera setting to self timer, and took a photograph of me in the position I would be in, for my video. This helped me position my head with my eyes along the first horizontal line in the camera grid, and off centre to create a more open frame composition for my audience to watch. I asked my little sister to actually focus my camera once I was sitting down, as I couldn’t focus it myself without moving out of position, and I did NOT want out-of-focus footage. I had to repeat a few lines I wanted to say, as I noticed I was looking away from the camera and I knew looking down the barrel roll of my camera’s lens would create a more engaging video for my audience. I chose to record my audio separately, which I did through the ‘voice memo’s’ app on my phone, located near me. I clapped my hands for easier editing in post production.

I definitely learnt NOT TO SLOUCH! My eyes went from where I wanted them at the beginning, to much lower because I was slouching! I have also learnt to leave more time for editing! I am quite the perfectionist and editing wasn’t even necessary for my video, but I had to do it! And I love doing it too! I refocused my camera by using my little sister to help out. I used multiple lamps and lights to illuminate my set, but I still need to find a way to make my eyes appear less like I’m crying! It’s just the lighting I promise!

Until my next video!

I’d never made a podcast before, but the time had finally come for me to re-download that voice memo app on my phone and get talking.

I used this opportunity to explore the benefits and limitations involved in using digital media to facilitate student learning and engagement. Not only was this a topic option, but I was also very interested to explore it. The podcast is now available on SoundCloud and I have linked it just below:

I began my podcast by introducing my topic and discussing how I would break it down. Although only one scholarly article was necessary, I wanted to include two as it would give more balance to my arguments. I felt as though only providing one scholarly article for one side of the issue, would be unfair. I also chose to explore multiple articles from websites that I felt provided my podcast with logical and relevant arguments for both the limitations and benefits. Separately exploring my key example, which was Google Classroom, seemed important as it was a real life example of an interactive online program. I found it more difficult exploring the limitations to using technology in the classroom as personally, I don’t fully believe in some of the arguments. As millennial, and a student studying Digital Media for the matter, technology and digital media have played an important role in my upbringing and educational learning. I find it extremely engaging and have found it effective in assisting my primary to tertiary school education. Despite my own views, I thought it was important to balance the content between the limitations and benefits as best as I could.

I decided to use Garage Band as the audio editing program for my podcast. I downloaded and tried to use Audacity, however I found it too difficult with it’s old-styled formatting and unfamiliar buttons. I have grown up using Macs and hence have been using GarageBand for years. I decided that it would be efficient if I used GarageBand as I would be able to work quicker and create a better quality finished podcast. As suggested, I used the Voice Memo’s application on my phone to record my podcast and was pleasantly surprised with the quality! I recorded my podcast in parts, reading off my script and stopping after each paragraph. Whenever I made a mistake, I would stop, wait a couple of seconds, and begin the sentence again, helping me greatly in the editing process. I then emailed myself each voice recording so I could access them on my laptop and dragged them into my GarageBand track to edit. I decided to use a Creative Common Licensed piece of music that I found on SoundCloud. It was upbeat and full of synths and after quite a while of searching, I thought it would be the best fit for the podcast I wanted to create. I used the SoundCloud filters to locate the song after searching the terms ‘Intro music’.

I found that writing the script was quite difficult as I had to continuously cut down on words due to it being over the 6-minute mark. I also found it annoying having to re-record my voice to see if it would sit within the required time frame. If podcasting has taught me one thing, it’s that listening and editing your own voice for hours on end is DRAINING! It’s a narcissist’s dream! I have always had a passion for editing and hence found it easy and enjoyable to do!

The verdicts are in… and I’m definitely pro-podcasting!

References:

• Nguyen, T, Mark, L 2014, ‘Cyberbullying, Sexting, and Online Sharing: A Comparison of Parent and School Faculty Perspectives’, International Journal of Cyber Behaviour, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 76-86, doi: 10.4018/ijcbpl.2014010106

• Tabor, S, Minch, R 2013, Student Adoption & Development of Digital Learning Media: Action Research and Recommended Practices’, Journal of Information Technology Education, vol. 12, no. 1, pp 203-223, doi: 10.28945/1882

• Google Classroom Tutorial, YouTube video, Technology for Teachers and Students, 10 August, retrieved 27 May 2019 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTWYf4PTLPw&feature=youtu.be&gt;

• Capella University 2017, ‘5 Reasons to Incorporate Technology into Your Classroom’, Capella University, 23 May, retrieved 27 May 2019, <https://www.capella.edu/blogs/cublog/benefits-of-technology-in-the-classroom/&gt;

Online presence can be a rich and complex ‘thing’, and after reading my first speed blog post, I hope you had the opportunity to reflect on your own online presences. So let’s explore and dissect mine. Through my own use of social media, my biggest portal to the online world, I have realised the importance of Facebook profile pictures in many people’s lives. Another interesting aspect I would like to investigate is how I maintain my relationships online, through a range of communication platforms.

I currently have three existing profile pictures, my last one being updated on the 4th January 2018. How much can one change in a year? Am I cat-fishing my friends or anyone who views my profile? Do I really look like that anymore? Despite all these questions racing around my brain, I never seem to update what my visual self looks like to the world. I have begun receiving notifications from Facebook telling me to update my picture! Despite other social media platforms catering for the uploading of profile pictures, Facebook has by far been the most crucial one to master. What’s holding me back, however, is the fact that I see myself more attractive in that picture, than any picture I have taken since. Obsessed with the number of likes, the ‘prime time’ to post and whatever filters should be used, my peer’s sense of belonging and worth from Facebook profile pictures has influenced me and become my own. My flattering pose and great lighting have been aspects from that photograph I am yet to master again and so the wait continues… I know, I know, I know. I really shouldn’t care about this all anymore, but the thought of getting less likes on my next profile picture, than my current one, is a daunting thought.

Sanja Kapidzic and Nicole Martins’ academic article “Mirroring the Media: The Relationship between Media Consumption, Media Internalization, and Profile Picture Characteristics on Facebook” outlines some fascinating ideas regarding Facebook profile pictures. The article features a study conducted by P. Cougar Hall, Joshua H. West and Emily McIntyre, analysing the profile pictures of 24,000 individuals on their MySpace accounts (However still relevant to Facebook profile pictures). Kapidzic and Martins concluded that “users purposefully selected such pictures to highlight their looks and appear sexually attractive”. (pg. 278, 2015) The authors almost made connections between the attractiveness of individuals and the level of narcissism they possess.

While the use of Facebook profile pictures is intriguing, I want to additionally explore my communication methods with others through the use of social media and other online networks. After the introduction of phone technology, it seemed impossible to imagine there would be other methods of communicating with others other than phone calls. Texting, emailing, snapping, skyping, DMing, tweeting and gramming are now daily communication methods in many millennial’s lives. I, for one, use all of these methods, mostly at a constant daily rate. Sanja Kapidzic and Nicole Martins’ academic article also features their own experiment, analysing the Facebook profile pictures of 288 students, which speaks for itself in regards to what was a popular communication networking site in 2015. Let’s have a look at my own methods.

Twitter. It’s quick and effective, especially for professional reasons. I have used twitter to further my online presence and post multiple tweets the show my humour and also potentially further my career. I don’t DM people on Twitter as I find Snapchat a better method. Most peers I know, also don’t even have Twitter!

Instagram. I use much less frequently, and although I do use it daily, it is merely to observe and waste time scrolling through the ‘explore’ page. On Instagram, I have two accounts, my private and my public account. This is relevant to David Marshall’s theory regarding the “public self” and “public private self”, which I explored in my last blog post also. My public account is strictly ‘good photographs’. And by that I mean, filtered, cropped, edited and posed. It is my facade and exterior life for those looking in. My private Instagram features humorous photographs that are often inappropriate for employers to see. It is only for my closest friends to view. I very rarely use the DM aspect of Instagram as I have other platforms that fulfil my needs better.

Messanger. My main communication platform. It’s where I communicate with both my friends and family regularly, in group chats and privately. It hold the longest conversations and where most of my plans are made.

My online identity sure is complex!

Bibliography:

• Kapidzic, S & Martins, N 2015, ‘Mirroring the Media: The Relationship between Media Consumption, Media Internalization, and Profile Picture Characteristics on Facebook’, Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, no. Issue 2, p. 278, viewed 15 April 2019, <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edshol&AN=edshol.hein.journals.jbem59.21&authtype=sso&custid=deakin&site=eds-live&scope=site>.
• Marshall, PD 2010, The promotion and presentation of the self : celebrity as marker of presentational media, Routledge, viewed 15 April 2019, <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ir00031a&AN=dul.30050334&authtype=sso&custid=deakin&site=eds-live&scope=site>.
• Hall, P. Cougar, West, Joshua H, McIntyre, Emily 2012, ‘Female Self-Sexualization in MySpace.com Personal Profile Photographs’, Sexuality and Culture, vol. 16, no. 1, p. 1-16, viewed 15 April 2019, <https://link-springer-com.ezproxy-b.deakin.edu.au/article/10.1007%2Fs12119-011-9095-0#citeas>