I enjoyed reading your post because it brought up two realities that I saw regularly. In regards to your mention of AT&T and the ad, let me first say that I work for a major tech company and one of my responsibilities is to get our product into peoples hands. On an almost daily basis I am selling phones to children, and by children I literally mean kids younger than 13. I have even sold phones to five year olds, a mind boggling experience really. I always wonder, what do these 5, 7, and 11 year olds need phones for? But the reality is, many of the parents tell me they buy the products to keep their children safe, to know where they are at all times, to track, them, and to always reach them if need be. This I understand as a concerned adult, but I ask myself, do you really need our product, our brand, this luxury item to fulfill those needs? Regardless, it’s my job to get my product into peoples hands and create not only a consumer, but a loyal promoter and follower. I do only sell AT&T phones I work with all of the major phone carriers, whatever it takes to get our product out. Also, to clarify, I am not solely a phone sales person, I don’t work for any of the carriers, but it is still my job to get them new subscribers. Always, going back on track, like you said, it really is all about communication, and how we justify it. Be the justification the need to reach your children at all times, or the desire to communicate on the most in demand product, communication seems to justify just about any use/purchase of technology these days.
In regards to instagram, I remember just a couple weeks back reading all over the news about the Insta-Purge. The cleansing by instagram corporate to block, erase, and delete the millions of fake/unused profiles. Of course this led to people loosing hundreds if not thousands of followers. What was most comedic was the negative response instagram received all over social media, from people loosing followers and demanding them back. I myself, lost probably less than twenty. What a superficial and entitles act, to demand fake likes and followers back. In the end, it’s just another strive towards a popularity contest. Makes me sad really because I see instagram as a solace where I can be expressive and share my life without the need for words or worry of who follows me.
Thanks for sharing, really had me thinking!
– Felipe Carbonell
]]>