Social Media

Waitress slammed for insulting tweet after George W Bush and Laura gave her $40 and posed for a photo 

'Bush did 9/11 but he did me a solid and left me a hella tip':

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3511970/Waitress-slammed-social-media-taking-40-tip-George-W-Bush-trashing-Twitter-saying-did-9-11.html#ixzz44PXJ1QtE 
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• Leisa Smith tweeted the comment after she served George W Bush and wife Laura
• Bush left Smith a generous $40 on his $21.47 bill
• But tweeted a pic of her and the Bushes with the words: 'Bush did 911 but he did me a solid and left me a hella tip #'
• She has since been called out for her 'insensitive' and 'stupid comments'

 

Were you surprised by the reactions to the unwise communications?
First off, I don't think she should have posted the tweet at all, and definitely not the "Bush did 911" part.

 

In a way I am surprised by the reaction. I don't think the comment deserves the internet attention or time of day most people paid to it in the first place.

Sometimes our sense of humor gets us into trouble, and a lot of it. No doubt Leisa thought this was funny when she posted it and no doubt she thought that if someone really thought through her comment, it would be self evidently ridiculous. I wonder if the way we read has changed, especially in social media formats. Rather than reading in context and then processing and thinking before replying, maybe people just pick up key words and respond in a "knee jerk" fashion. Maybe the reaction serves to illustrate the point that when you are passionate about a topic, electronic media is not the place to express yourself.

 

 

 

It seems that electronic mistakes are judged much more harshly than real world mistakes. Is that fair?
I think there is a perception that when electronic communications are viewed, that there has been 2 things involved in their production: 1) initial consideration and thought in the making of the product, 2) some form of electronic editing, if only spelling and grammar checking. Also, electronic mistake are permanent. People forgive, but the internet does not. People forget, but the internet does not. So while the harshness may not be fair, the reality is that electronic mistakes can be almost impossible to fix.
There is also another factor I think we fail to consider. The media are collectively called SOCIAL media. The apps are intended to quickly PASS ON info, to SHARE thoughts, and not necessarily for private 1 to 1 conversation. I think quite often instead of an audience of 1 as the sender intends, he or she gets an audience that is the size of the world. It is usually possible to predict the reaction of an acquaintance or good friend, but it is impossible to predict the reaction of all the people in the world and if just ONE is offended . . .

  

Pampers ad

The first thing we can notice is the name of the product, Pampers swaddlers. To pamper someone is to give them unusually good and careful treatment, something this product purports to do. Notice also that the Mom is obviously loving and caring and having a good time with her child. The child on the swaddlers box is an actively engaged, happy, smiling, and  interacting with someone. Note further the use of text in the ad, #1 Choice or Hospitals, (supposed to be experts on providing great care), Brand spark label, the curvy lines on all objects except the box, and also note the use of primarily green and yellow in the add. Also wondering if the little yellow symbol is supposed to be a heart for love or a bright idea as in using the product.

Advertisers use images that will promote their products with their customers. The promotion might happen in some combination of the following uses. The image may be deliberately selected to represent a certain quality or characteristic about their product. The image might also be selected to trigger an empathetic reaction on the part of the viewer and thus make the product appear to be more desirable. The image may also be merely a illustration of the product in order that a potential customer may be able to recognize the product better. The surroundings in the image may also be used to help a potential customer visualize how the product would fit into their life or surroundings.

Please note in the ads that the names of the products are deliberately chosen to convey something related to or about the lifestyle of the user. For example, "Stronger Swagger" or "Expert" or "Pampers".


Further Reading:
http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/5909/volumes/v09/NA-09

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/image-advertising.html
"Attempt to create a favorable mental picture of a product or firm in the mind of consumer. This image aims to associate the advertised product and/or firm with certain lifestyles or values. Its three basic functions are to (1) increase consumer awareness, (2) convert the awareness into familiarity, and (3) use the familiarity to influence consumer buying behavior."