Living Vicariously Through Another

     Chapter 12 of “The Essentials of Social Media Marketing” highlights the strengths of blogs, vlogs, podcasts and webinars. To be honest, I feel these forms of communication are a bit outdated compared to other social media platforms and communication techniques. However, every platform has its positive and negative outcomes. When I think of blogs, vlogs and podcasts it takes me back to my childhood. I think when we were in middle school, these networks were at their peak. This change happened because people started to become obsessed with being able to see and hear about someone's life while multitasking. Rather than sit down and read a memoir, people can listen to a vlog about someone's travel guide and cook dinner. Most people love multitasking to make efficient use of their time. Plus, it is more interesting to see someone’s experience rather than just read about it. 

    The main communication network that I believe is still popular today is vlogging. I don’t follow any vlogs, but as a younger kid, I remember watching people get ready with me for school vlogs and traveling spots. These vlogs resonated with younger children because they allowed people to see other people’s experiences and learn from them. Vlogs allow viewers to grow a personal connection with the creator. One benefit of vlogs is that they allow people to feel like they went through the experience together. Even though the viewer wasn’t at the destination or experiencing that event, they went through the emotions of the journeys with the vlogger. Additionally, sometimes it’s easier to show experiences through action rather than describe them with words. 

These methods are still utilized today to gain viewers' attention; however, I think TikTok has become more popular than vlogging because you can show get ready with me videos and cooking videos in shorter times. Therefore, more people are interested in watching shorter videos that get to the point. Overall, you can see more people's experiences in shorter periods and a variety of them. 

    Another form of communication they discussed was blogging. The first thing that popped into my head was people still blog. My only experience with blogging before this class was from the show Dog With A Blog. I think blogging is beneficial, yet time-consuming which pushes people away from it. Blogging is like Facebook but more lengthy in the sense of a journal. Social media platforms such as Facebook have taken over because people can share their experiences without having to write pages detailing them.

    In essence, I think this chapter was very helpful in learning more about blogging to improve my blog. Furthermore, understanding the benefits of these communication methods has allowed me to think about how other techniques can be utilized to reach viewers. In our world, it’s all about how you market yourself. These platforms allow people to showcase their authentic selves and share their experiences with people around the world.