Generation Like, Who Seeks Attention?

Zack Kennedy

Professor Weiland

BUS306 Th. 6-7:50

October 30th, 2018

Mini-Article Write Up #11:

Generation Like, Who Seeks Attention?

        Social Media is today what a poster was to kids decades ago in their bedroom. It defines a part of who you are, what you are passionate about, and enjoy doing. Nowadays, social media is a way of life for kids and marketing companies see that and exploit it. Big companies know that young people seek attention; Social media has increased the possibilities to get noticed ten fold. People compete for attention and the ocean of comments, videos, and likes make it more challenging, but also opportunistic for companies to build their brands and build trends. More likes lead to more attention and more buzz about that company.

        Posting about a product on Facebook is free advertisement for the company of the product. Since kids are so active on social media and some have grown thousands of followers, companies are willing to donate to their personal pages just so they can advertise and reach millions of followers. Potential to make money from companies that want to advertise on your page is another motivator for those that seek more attention.

        I personally only use social media for business and to talk to friends. I will advertise my company in the future, but not let my ads encourage others to change who they are or promote hostility. Kids seeking more attention and more followers (popularity) go out of their way to do crazy things and post them online. The knew attitude is “If it gets a lot of views, but is offensive, who cares… right?” “Relax bro, it is just a video.” I believe it isn’t just a video because it represents who you are regardless of whether or not it is a joke. Since it reaches millions of people, not everyone will see it that way. One thing leads to another and an argument rises in the comments section. Gradually, this happens more and more and defensive responses have become the go-to rather than constructive communication. People, just like companies, worry more about their own image than everyone as a group. Social media has distanced people from effective communication and many kids today talk like there is a reputation or spotlight they have to uphold, connecting their profile with the everyday routine even if the profile is not who you are as a person. Its kind of funny actually because the kids end up using the same marketing techniques on other people that the companies used on the kids themselves!