The News

What the news media ignores, or omits. For example, how strong those umbrellas are folded out and used in street protests in Hong Kong. I wonder who manufactures them.

How news can be repeated throughout the day, whether anyone is tuning in or paying any attention to them.

How sensational news is prioritised over good news.

How advertorials continue to be blatantly pushed through in news items, without respecting the intelligence of the recipient.

How breakfast shows can thrive with the unimportant, the trivial and in rush hour of early morning.

Why there is a proliferation of read news at set times of the day or night, when the public wants to be able to access the news at their own leisure.

How the agendas of broadcasters and web site publishers reinforce the attitudes and mindsets of people who already think alike, instead of opening their mindsets.

How news can be faked, how authentic news can be twisted, and how facts can be selectively argued.

How news can be emphasised according to culture, lifestyle and ignorance of the target audience.

How local news still dominates in a more globalised and inter-dependent world.

How broadcast news just increasingly makes us listen to what we want to hear anyway.

How news is often seen or interpreted through the goggles of the political spectrum.

How personal opinion is presented as news.

How news is withheld, crafted or selected.

#yongkevthoughts

Advertisements

Advertisements!

Are they the bane of website readers or media viewers, forced upon us, or allowed to be skipped, whether on a You Tube vid or during the finale of a sporting event or more.

Commercial parties with large funding ability still churn out so called unique editions of ads aimed at millions of potential viewers, presumed all tuning in at the same moment. This defies the ability of target consumers to view at their own leisure, on separate media platforms and on reshared channels.

Do advertisements work by playing on our emotions when purchasing the products or services focused on? Do our products really live up to the hype of the emotion suggested in the ads?

What have advertisements become?

Customers can get turned off when the marketing and selling are put in their face. So subtleness and indirect influence have begun to be utilised, hiding behind other formats.

Advertorials now appear more often on so called news bulletins, especially when there is nothing much to report for the day. The most blatant use of such techniques is evident on breakfast shows, whether visual or audio. Advertorial techniques are also increasingly used by You Tubers sponsored by undisclosed or transparently mentioned sponsors.

Businesses are therefore using celebrity social media stars to help sell.

This approach combines the power of fan obsession, feel good experience and apparent independent validation of services or products in cyberspace.

There was a time when unsuspecting party goers were interacting with cool dudes or charming gals planted by sponsors to promote things. The trick by these paid influencers was to not make your target market feel they were directly being influenced.

Every one loves to have a pleasant experience. Applying psychology is a significant tool in sales techniques. The art of the successful deal is not just to persuade new buyers to try, but to obtain customers satisfied sufficiently and willingly to return to buy.

So one may reckon that returning customers are surely rewarded. No, the pressure by contemporary businesses these days seems to achieve results by getting new customer numbers, instead of showing appreciation to existing and retained loyal customers.

This churn technique can stress out staff who have to sell more and obtain new names of customers. Sectors involved in this manner are banking, utilities, telecommunications, direct selling, travel, education and more - it permeates the daily life of modern society.

Indirect advertorials can appear as well in feedback by rating agencies, social media opinions, hype of so called public opinion, fake news campaigns and reinforcement campaigns by parties targeting on groups of people who think alike.The level of trust for advertisements can vary. 

Together with the current lowering of respect for society's institutions like banking, government and more, how can marketing and sales move beyond the well and tired ad, in whatever form they come from?

Having catchy, unconventional and humorous ads may no longer have their desired effect. Visual repetition was thought to create indirect, hypnotic suggestions for people to try a product or service.

In the end, the quality, consistency and practicality of your product or service and pist sale customer engagement continue to be most critical. Do not underestimate your market to not identify a lemon in the long run.

Do not fool your customers, when interacting with them, with a reality far removed from the promise of your ad.

#yongkevthoughts

That Hand Held Device

Do we change smart phone, computer and electronic screen models and pads more often than our smartest wardrobe?

At the end of each calendar year, the major electronic screen device makers launch new models, new shows, new buzz.    Software and App providers add more fancy and content to ensure we require more operating power and capacity to run them.   Screen devices have become more useful to capture, send and store images rather than be used for oral communication. 

Don't we text or image more than talk to other people in our daily lives?  Each of us listens more attentively to the ting from a software App than from a telephone ring. 

We cannot help to check our electronic devices several times a day, as we store and rely more on that hand held gadget more than on a physical folder, the desktop or our bag.   We can access daily used information on that small device that increasingly costs more than the rate of inflation each year.   When we travel, we only need a passport and a mobile phone  - the travel ticket, money wallets and any other documentation are electronically stored on that hand held screen.

When we cross barriers, whether they are airport checks or transport fares, increasingly all we need to do is tap with our smart phone.  So called Millennials do not pack much when they roam, around the world on business or leisure  - and demand more enabling screen devices.   Commercial businesses do not ask for paper copies, only screen versions.

Human kind loves to adopt the fusion of our flesh, blood and mind to artificial intelligent machines, not just for health, but for all aspects of the life cycle - buying, selling, entertainment, communication, mobility, hired help, financial transactions and more.

We do rely more on the energy needed to run Apps, bluetooth, Wi-Fi and linking the internet of things.   

Do we pause to think about the resources utilised to make new models, new equipment and new features?

What happens to the increasing mountain of discarded models, some as new as only two years old?

It is more captivating and fun to check the contents of your hand held device than to go through a file of papers. 

#yongkevthoughts

More Than A Train Ride

Yesterday afternoon, I had a most unexpected catch up with an ex colleague on the train from Sutherland.

It was positively delightful. It was encouraging. We smiled.

We eased off our own separate individual concerns for the day. It was something that money cannot buy.

Fortunately it was not a quiet carriage that we were sitting in.

Scott and I quickly got in to easy conversation, even if we have not caught up for a few years. We talked of over coming challenges that crop up inevitably in our career and personal timelines. 

I learned how Scott transformed and changed whatever recent lemons were thrown his way. He spoke of how his young family adapted and supported the things he had to do to navigate from a discouraging environment to one where now he finds he can optimally practise his professional passion with engaging work team members and bosses.

He had to make sacrifices along the way but he never wavered. On a 50 minute train ride, I was inspired, moved and became stronger myself. What positive building energy was he transferring to me...

We do unexpectedly meet angels in surprising forms. I have learnt more than ever to not take such encounters for granted. They can fly in and touch your inner heart when I was not expecting any thing uplifting.

Throughout it all, I was reminded of the personal strengths and inner attitudes that Scott always possessed, from the first day I got to know him. Life is a journey for each of us to navigate, but it is made better by people like him.

Lurking Dangers In Over Using Cyberspace

There is nothing free for convenient access to Apps and information from the Web.

Something is taken by us inevitably for something else seemingly so amazingly without cost.

How much of yourself are you willing to give up, and how much of this can come back to bite you?    It is not just privacy, integrity, dependency, addiction and vulnerability that we are at risk of. There are health risks with over use of eyes and slack posture when dealing with mobile and desktop devices.

Human invented tech and devices have shown a long track record of being abused and misused, apart from bringing benefits.    The inter-connectivity of various smart devices can amplify the risks arising from just using one. 

On the other hand, it is not a zero sum game between us individuals and the powers that rule us in cyberspace.   The latter obviously make use of us, but how can we make use of them as well?   As with any danger, the first step is to realise and acknowledge. 

Then comes the greatest risk of all, to do nothing on our part. I observe users and the media continue to wallow in known risks, but carry on irregardless of the progress of the dangers posed. 

We continue to add more Apps, get reminders to update systems, rely on data tracking websites in our daily lives and get distracted by fancy gadgets which can work on the basis that they did not fully tell us the truth.

Our individual relaxation, commercial and usage patterns begin to be controlled by forces we normally do not want to be acquainted with.  Just like news of drug busts by authorities, the frequency of data hacking on a massive scale shows that reported incidents are really just the tip of the iceberg of events.   

Don't you want back a world which does not know so much of your identity, inner thoughts, activities and joy? 

Don't you want a world where aggressive, greedy and fraudulent intentions cannot continue so much to exploit you?

I have read unrequited, unnecessary, sensational and divisive comments, information and feedback on social media.   

A good first step in responding to this dangerous world is to moderate use of the mechanisms by which we are being exploited.

Use less Apps, less internet search engines, less storage mechanisms that deliver convenience but can disappear in the Cloud.   Always back up critical and significantly important data elsewhere in non-digital form.

Diversify your usage, storage, identity and communication activity across all fronts and do not put all your proverbial eggs in one basket. Over dependence can lead to obsession and higher risks.

Balance your lifestyle away from over interactions with machines, artificial intelligence and robots to deal more with humans and Nature.

Increase the use of your own brain, thinking and intelligence in various aspects of your own life.

Increase your self realisation and recognition of hype in the promotion of more products, newer models and temporary fun on a regular basis.

Where possible, go direct to the source of information and assistance. Be wary of middle parties and brokers lurking in cyberspace.

Get more healthy sensations elsewhere instead of overly depending on wi-fi. 

Feel the love of your pet, look up to the sky, just talk with family and friends face to face or learn a craft, instead of constantly just pressing our thumbs on electronic devices.

Plant something natural, watch it grow and enjoy its harvests. 

I assure you the experience can be better than keeping track of the number of likes on an App.

Always be mindful that cyberspace tech is a tool to be utilised by us - and not the other way around.


#yongkevthoughts