The Supreme Court famously quoted Peter Parker’s dear,
departed Uncle Ben in a recent 2015 case ruling regarding patent laws: “In this
world, with great power there must also come great responsibility.” “Great power” and “great responsibility” are
two key phrases I think about when I think about Mobile as an emerging
media. While it certainly isn’t recent
(Mobile technology has been around in some iteration since the late 80s) its
use in today’s developed societies has completely changed day to day life for
many of us. Mobile still has the potential to change the rest of the world as
well. In 2012, nearly 2/3 of the world’s population was still not technically a
part of the internet population. By 2015, that number had jumped to ½ (The
Future of Mobile.) Mobile technology has and will continue to provide fundamental
change in parts of the world that are still developing.
One of the biggest questions currently facing strategic
communication professionals is how can we use Mobile technologies (platforms,
applications, the Web, SMS, voice, etc.) in an efficient and ethical manner? We
have a responsibility as communicators to reach as many as we can, as efficiently
as we can, and as ethically as we can, regardless of the medium. So how
can we channel Mobile (“Great power”) and wield it in our communications plans effectively
(“Great responsibility?”)
Let’s start with how Mobile is helping people get connected
(many for the first time.) Mobile’s biggest area of potential has always been how
it can connect us. It has the power to bring about positive change for
underdeveloped or still developing countries through its capabilities of
connecting people with the Web, and thus the rest of the world. Having access
to Mobile features, such as SMS and Web applications, has the potential to
improve the lives of those in rural communities by giving them access to information
they have never had before. Though it
has been argued that introducing Mobile can do more harm than good in some
cases, if these communities are educated on how these processes work and how
they can utilize them within their own communities, we could see serious
improvement and positive impact in the developing world (The
Mobile Web to Bride the Digital Divide.) And it’s all thanks to Mobile.
Mobile has already demonstrated how important a tool it can
be for connecting us and enriching lives by giving ready access to information
via the Web but it also has another component – one with both personal and political
applications. Every smart phone now comes equipped with a camera of some kind.
Even older model phones from ten years ago have them, and with the way second
hand and older generation phones find their way into developing countries, it’s
not ridiculous to assume that half of the world’s population have the
capability to capture what they’re seeing, hearing, or thinking in real time
via Mobile technology. This means big
change for governments, news networks, and the general population, for better
or worse. (Mobile
Phone and the Public Sphere.) Every event and conversation now has the
potential to end up online on some form of Mobile Web application for the world
to see. We as communicators have to be aware of this and start to think about
Mobile when we map out strategic communication plans.
Mobile can function as one of the best tools professional
communicators have in our arsenal (as demonstrated by its ability to connect us
and help us document our lives,) however it has be used in efficient and
ethical ways (used for the “greater good”, so to speak.) The biggest example of
this that I can think of currently is the Black Lives Matter movement. This
movement began because of citizen journalists taking pictures, audio, and video
recordings of instances of police brutality on minorities. These breaking news
stories would not occur as rapidly, nor would they have been able to inspire a
new Civil Rights movement, if mobile was not a tool offered to the general
public of the United States. Think back to those developing countries I
mentioned earlier, particularly those in Africa. Unspeakable tragedies occur
there, much like here at home, but they are under reported, under represented,
because they lack the real, tangible evidence that mobile can provide. Mobile
can be used for accountability (with ourselves and our societies,) it can
connect us with information we might have never had access to before, and it
can provide us with various means to get messages across to each other.
Now that I’ve talked about Mobile’s “great power” and a
little about it’s “great responsibility,” let’s talk about using it in our communications
plans. Harnessing the power of Mobile and making it work how your organization
needs it to be is an entirely personal thing. Much like Mobile and Social
Media, it is all about the personalization. As communicators, we don’t want the
messages we send out on behalf of our organizations to be annoying, tacky, or
deemed worthless by the masses we are trying to reach. We have to make our
Mobile strategies count. We also have to make them valuable to everyone, from
the owner of the new iPhone 7+ to the owner of the old Android phone that still
works just fine, even if it can’t show GIFs. With that in mind, we have to
always remember that it is not always about the medium, but rather, always
about the message. Maintaining an ethical, reliable voice for our organizations
(and thus our audiences) has to always be a top priority. “See something, say something,” right? What
good is a fully developed medium (a user friendly app for instance) if there is
no valuable content for users within it? Much like this section of my post you
can throw in something shiny or adorable to catch your user’s eye...
 |
| Look! Puppies! |
but if there is no substance they won’t come back. (I hope
you don’t think that about this blog!) “Mobile First” logic only works if you
are mobile centric, meaning you are an app start-up of some kind. If you will
not be exclusively on mobile you should not be “Mobile First.” There are ways
to make money and connections through mobile, as through every channel of
communication currently on the market. Native Advertising on Twitter feeds and
Facebook timelines is one great way to start. Also the intuitive nature of
mobile helps advertisers connect. You could have searched for a dress on
Instagram, an ad for the dress shop you followed on Instagram pops up on your
Facebook feed, and the company’s ad is on your Twitter Feed asking you to
follow them for deals. Mobile shouldn’t be forgotten about in strategies but it
shouldn’t be top priority either. For
me, the biggest advantage of Mobile are its timeliness and relative ease of
use. We can get messages out to the public accurately and fast, and we can make
those messages as dressed up or dressed down as we want to ensure that all
audiences, no matter how they come to us, find what they need and are looking
for.
I hope you enjoyed this week’s post! See you next week!
Paige, I thoroughly enjoyed your blog post. It's true-Mobile devices are only used in the way in which the user decides to use it. They have played a huge part in pushing the Black Lives Matter Movement further into society. I have never considered other countries and families that may not have a mobile device to capture the moment. It definitely gives you something to think about. I agree that mobile devices also can be used as a major convenience for companies to spread their message, encourage online conversations that all people can participate in regardless of demographic. It is a lot of responsibility to use a mobile device within the work place. Especially, if you have access to your job's server and you can work from home. Protecting a consumer's information is important and if an employee is reckless it can violate HIPAA policies and procedures. I use this as an example because I am apart of the Outreach team for a dental clinic. I have found mobile devices to be extremely helpful in my job. Especially, when I need to get a document to someone ASAP. TurboScan has been a app that has served as a lifeline for several reports that need to be submitted and forms that need to be sent to company partners. It's also very helpful in my personal life as well. We rely on mobile devices so much that sometimes, I make myself memorize a telephone number in case I lose my phone.
ReplyDeletePaige, what a great post this week! I agree that although mobile technology is not new, the way it affects its users has vastly changed since its debut. Now, more than ever, people are constantly attached to mobile devices and it has completely changed the conversation of communication. The challenge we as communicators face is the issue of ethics. With so much power at our fingertips, how do we judge when too much is enough? There is a fine line that must be walked by those that hold the power of informing the public. I like that you pointed out how with the mobile devices of today's technology, everyone has the power of information. That mean that everyone has a responsibility to be ethical in their use of mobile technology. As technology continues to change, so should the way and mean by which we communicate. Awesome post this week Paige, I think your blog is off to a great start!
ReplyDelete