Life in the Digital Age

Wiki is giving me a headache, so I am posting this assignment - finding 3 examples of how life has changed during the digital age - on the blog.

#1 Marketing has changed dramatically over the past decade. Online websites and social networking sites allow people to market themselves and promote their work, or whatever product it is that they are trying to sell. Record labels are scouting MySpace and Facebook for talented musicians; employers are checking out websites, and companies are spending millions of dollars promoting their products through banners, links and online advertisements. The digital revolution gave the average Joe the opportunity to get his name out there into the world and develop a following. This is evidenced by the handful of people who've become popular because of a YouTube video, or because so many people view their blogs on a daily basis. This blog addresses marketing yourself as a blogger and designing your site/blog: Authentic Marketing

#2 In addition to record labels scouting talent differently, the music industry has changed in the sense that artists no longer make the majority of their profits from records. Most people do not buy records anymore, opting to buy or download mp3s, or even stream music (for free) from sites such as Pandora. While artists fought this change in how we receive music (years ago when Napster first exploded), today, artists are aware that they have to have an online presence, and they cannot fight the inevitable: the music industry and how we consume music, more importantly, has changed dramatically.

#3 This one is my favorite: Datemysinglekid.com. The way that people are meeting (and dating) has changed dramatically. Even just a few years ago, I remember I was going on dates with guys I met online, and my friends thought I was CRAZY! Today, online dating is not only acceptable, it's encouraged as a great way for a busy professional to meet people. The new site Date My Single Kid was started by a mom who couldn't figure out why her cute and smart son (age 31) was still single. Sites like this are popping up all over, in addition to match.com and Eharmony. I think they're brilliant, and if I wasn't in a relationship, I would definitely be posting cute pictures of myself on these sites....(and probably driving traffic to my blog at the same time, huh?)