Online Communication, Business Assessment

     In today's era, with how the internet and social media becoming more of a part of our everyday lives, it was only a matter of time before companies from all over would join the table and find a way to reach out to potential customers.  Oftentimes, they hire tech savvy individuals who are versed in social media to assist in this endeavor.  To help explain further , I have decided to use the gaming and entertainment company Nintendo as an example.  

  For over 130 years, Nintendo has constantly found new ways to provide quality entertainment to individuals in Japan and later expanded to Korea, Hong Kong, North America, Europe, and Australia.(https://www.nintendo.co.jp/corporate/en/offices/index.html)  From a simple Hanafuda Card Company, to one of the most famous gaming giants known today, Nintendo has set the curve in terms of technological development and is constantly adapting for its customers.  Its corporate website provides an overview of the company as a whole as well as contact information and lists the social media outlets that they utilize for communication. (https://www.nintendo.com/about/prcontact/) 

    On the homepage of the company's main website, the very top appears to show one of its featured products.  Upon scrolling down, you're greeted with an option to access their online store, which sells merchandise ranging from the latest games, the Nintendo Switch, accessories, clothing, etc. And finally, below the online store is the company's news section, relating to its games as well as upcoming events. (https://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/)  The site is well-organized and easy to navigate.

    The business does a great job at communicating its online identity, presenting itself as a welcoming presence that has gone out of its way to promote not only its products, but also advertise and sponsor company related events, such as tournaments, expos, and other pieces of media that people of any age can enjoy.  

    In terms of improvement, there's not much I can really say at least in terms of communications other than for the company to keep doing what they've been doing since they were founded in 1889, and that is adapt and keep the customer happy and entertained.  Who knows?  Perhaps they'll outshine Disney one of these days.  After all they already appear to have a theme park.

 

Digital Immigrants

    

    According to Marc Prensky, people using the internet are divided into two groups.  The ones who were born in the digital age and are more familiar with cyberspace and its inner workings.  They are known as Digital Natives.  Then you have the other group born in an age before computers took over and have to actively adapt as time marches on.  Those people are referred to as Digital Immigrants.

    Digital Natives are the young folks.  Those usually born in the middle of Generation Z are exposed to computers at a young age.  Because of this constant exposure and because children tend to pick up on things faster, these are the individuals who will are more likely to be tech savvy as they grow.  

    Digital Immigrants meanwhile were not exposed to computers in contrast to the younger generations; therefore, it is more difficult for the digital immigrants to adapt in comparison to the digital natives of today.  The unfortunate reality has somewhat created a rift of sorts.  Older generations aren't used to internet slang and all these high tech features their younger peers are simply more used to, and sometimes it is not as easy for younger folks to be as patient, which why would they especially when a large majority of them are more likely to still be children?  

    One thing I'd like to point out however is at the end of the day, one could argue that we all become Digital Immigrants at some point.  I was asked if whether I consider myself either a digital immigrant or native, and I'd like to think I started off as the former, but slowly became the latter.  And that's simply because I had to adapt with what I had technologically available during my time.  I was born in 1997, right around the era when tech was still taking off.  I experienced disks, floppies, and dial-ups, and modern gaming consoles was the Playstation 2, Xbox, and Nintendo Gamecube.  But right around the end of my time in high school was right around the time they started integrating the Internet more in school.  Needless to say, things have changed quite a lot in what feels like a short span of time.

Relationships

 

    

https://www.communicationtheory.org/knapps-relationship-model/

 According to Mark Knapp, all relationships are divided into ten different stages, five constructive (Initiating, Experimenting, Intensifying, Integrating, and Bonding) and five destructive (Differentiating, Circumscribing, Stagnating, Avoidance, and Termination) To help put this model of his to the test, I will be using my relationship with my two best friends, Morgan and Kyle Z, (also simply known as Z.)

    I met Morgan and Z when we were all in Middle School together.  Up until that point, I didn't really have a lot of luck in terms of social interaction.  But fortunately for me, Morgan and Z weren't exactly much of being social butterflies either, as we were all in a program for individuals who struggled in that department.  The three of us had nearly every class and often had group assignments together.  Through all of it, we realized we all had a lot in common and through initiations provided to us in the form of school, we slowly became inseparable.  

  

    Even after the three of us completed high school, we remain close to this very day.  We have our own issues, from college, to parenting, to work, etc.  But through bonding, we manage to get through everyday by communicating and building each other up.  

    

Oversharing Online

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2022/08/how-childhood-friendships-sway-economic-mobility/

When we access social media, it's only natural we like to share aspects of our lives with our friends and family.  I mean why wouldn't we?  It's human nature to interact with one another and share.  But perhaps there are times when we occasionally take things overboard.  And for whom exactly?  People we consider friends we've made on the net?  And what is it that makes someone our friend?Every social network site is unique in its own way.  Sites like Twitter and Reddit appeal to reaching multiple audiences at once, while sites like Facebook allow for one to control who sees what post.  Then you have more direct means of social networking, such as Discord or WhatsApp.  But either way, they have their drawbacks and imperfections.  None of those sites can 100% gurentee that the person behind the screen is the person who runs the social media account, which can sometimes be rather scary especially with younger users of the net.  Anyone can make an account claiming to be whomever they say they are.  

    This brings me to answering my question above.  What makes someone a friend?  I personally do not believe you can become close friends with someone unless you have some sort of personal interaction or history with said individual.  Now that doesn't necessarily mean you can't become buddies with someone on the net.  Rather, one should simply remember to put up boundaries until you 100% know who it is you are speaking to.   My younger brother for example utilizes Discord to talk to a lot of people and play D&D, organize watch parties, etc.  Thankfully, those people are without a doubt kids from his high school and he is old and wise enough to not overshare anything about himself.  

    Another thing I'd like to point out is you can have hundreds of "friends" or "followers" on all sorts of social media.  But it is much more preferable to have an actual close friend or two that you can be an open book to.  Having that sort of relationship where you can be vulnerable and 100% yourself is best when you're with someone who you have an interpersonal relationship with, whether it's a family member, a best friend or two, or even a romantic partner.  

    The problem today is some people often blur the lines when they're on social media sites all the time, confusing community with close confidants.  Many see their hundreds of followers as their best friends and overshare with complete strangers, which carries the potential to be quite dangerous.  I think a metaphorical line needs to be drawn that separates followers, fans, and acquaintances from actual close relationships, and it wouldn't hurt these sites from finding some way to address this and include ways to still use their services but keep it between individuals in particular social settings.