1b. Professional communication technologies

It is amazing how fast technology is progressing! "Pen friend" is now a term we don't hear very often!  Its strange to think years ago it was the norm to communicate to each other through letters!  Now if I get any sort of letter through the post I get excited as it's more of a novelty (however most of the time the excitement wears off when I realise it's just another bill that needs paying).

Whilst reading the Reader 1 I read the question "What is web 2.0?" and I started to panic! However once I had calmed down and just read what it was I realised I use it all the time! It now makes sense! The 2.0 stands for second generation of web based communities e,g, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Blogging Google etc. So instead of it being very "one way"between the creator and the reader.  We now have a bigger part to play and can interact and share ideas and opinions and in a way that makes the reader the creator instead.

Below is the "meme" of web 2.0 developed by Tim O'Reilly.

This diagram shows the concepts, ideas and processes that have made web 2.0 successful.

Thanks to these social media sites the world is smaller than ever making the song "its a small world after all" spring to mind.  We are also living in a world where every thing is instant.  No more waiting days for a reply in the post, instead we are posting our lives and views on the internet and someone has something to say within minutes! Sometimes seconds!

Web 2.0  has huge advantages for the performing industry as many castings are posted hourly on websites such as "Talent cast", "Dancers Pro", "Star Now "and even Facebook pages such as "The Hustle".  If we were still using letters, we wouldn't have half as much choice or opportunity and by the time our reply had got back the audition would have probably been over!

"Think about what people are doing on Facebook today.  They're keeping up with their friends and family, but they're also building an image and identity for themselves, which in a sense is their brand.  They're connecting with the audience that they want to connect to.  It's almost a disadvantage if you're not on it now".
 Mark Zuckerburg

The quote above couldn't be more appropriate for a performer.  We use a lot of sites on the internet to connect to different audiences.  For example, we use YouTube to send showreels to employers and this allows us to not be in the same room or even country as the person you are auditioning for but they can still see what you are capable of.  We use sites like Facebook to advertise.  For example, I use Facebook to advertise the workshops I teach so it can be seen and then shared to reach a wider audience. We also contact employers via Facebook if that is where the audition has been posted and it is very easy for them to look at your profile to get an insight into who you are as a person, which is why you have to create a good professional image and not post things you wouldn't want them to see as it is representing you! Web 2.0 is good as you, the creator, is in control.  So can change and add anything in you want so we have to chose wisely!  Some people even create two different accounts, one for personal social interaction and another for professional interaction this way you can make sure you keep the two separate.

Although you have to be careful because the ease in which you can just create a profile can be dangerous.  I have recently watched some episodes of the TV show "Catfish" on MTV and it is about people who fall in love with others who pretend to be someone else online through a made up profile.  Therefore, employers are taking a risk when using information seen over the internet as people aren't necessarily being honest with their abiltiy and personal data.

You particularly have to be so careful choosing what photos and videos you are uploading as there are so many ethics we must consider today and you must make sure you get the permission of whoever you maybe posting photos or information about and especially when working with children!  With our workshops we get parents to sign a photo release form in order to use any photos taken and to film the end show.

Mark Zuckerburg also quotes,

"By giving people the power to share, we're making the world more transparent" 

This quote I couldn't agree more with!  People are now having more of a say and an opinion and we are revealing information about ourselves on sites such as Facebook that any one can see from any where around the world!  But this is where we as performers need to be careful! We are more exposed than ever!  However, it also works the other way round as well because we get to have more of an insight into different companies and agencies.  If they are a bad company or agent they won't get away with it as much as they might have used to.  For example, on Facebook their is a group page called "The Hustle" where performers can post and get the opinions of other performers.  In this instance we can ask questions about whether any one has a view on a particular company/agency from past experience.  Fair enough everyone has different opinions, however if the majority are the same opinion, you know you should take the advice.

I have mentioned Facebook a lot in this task as this is the social media site I use the most. Statistics from Facebook (2013) Do You Know What's Up?, show there are 1 billion Facebook users as opposed to 25 million Myspace users and 30 million Bebo users.  This then made me question "Why do I along with many others use this site more?"

I believe it's because:

• It has a simple and easy to follow layout
• Its free
• It is very user friendly
• It is very popular around the whole world so can contact more people
• It is easily accessible due to apps on mobile phones etc

Here is a pie chart showing the distribution of people using social media sites on the web.

As you can see Facebook is the most popular with 44% so others must also share my view.

What is your favourite social media site and why?

The fact these sites are easily accessible is good as it means you can see information while you are "on the go", however on the other hand I can see it as a disadvantage.  There are 640 million Facebook mobile users! Is this to blame for turning our generation into unsocial zombies? And if it carries on progressing what will the next generation be like?

I find that a lot of children today can't make eye contact or hold a confident conversation as they are so used to having conversations online and not talking to people face to face.  This is not good for people wanting to be a performer, as social skills are extremely important in our field to "sell" ourselves, as we are constantly meeting new people and trying to convince people we are what they are looking for.

I met up with my friends recently and we were waiting at a bus stop and this is what I saw.....

Instead of talking to one another, every single one of them were on their phones! However, the man from the generation before us was not. They are all performers and I asked them what they were all doing as I wanted to use this in my blog and three of them were on Facebook and one on Instagram.
How would we cope without it now? Where is technology going to take us in the future?


So in conclusion I feel web 2.0 is very useful in our profession and the advantages out weigh the disadvantages.  This task has definitely made me more aware of how it can be used wrongly and hinder us, but at the same time if you use it correctly and wisely it can really be advantageous in forwarding our career and for that reason I will definitely continue to use it,