2024 Democratic Convention Night 3: Analyzing News and Social Media Coverage
For reviews of nights one and two of the Democratic Convention, link here. Media coverage and social media responses to individual speakers is shared below. Night three of the 2024 Democratic Convention provided a vivid example of how political events are covered and interpreted across different media landscapes. The blend of entertainment and policy discussion was both a strength and a potential weakness, with reactions varying widely depending on the platform and the audience.
Media Impact of Night One at the Democratic National Convention
The opening night of the Democratic National Convention on August 19, 2024, was not only a political gathering but also a highly orchestrated media event designed to influence public perception across multiple platforms. The speakers, performances, and overall presentation reflected a deep understanding of media theory and its power to shape narratives. Through the prism of media ecologists like Marshall McLuhan, Neil Postman, Douglas Rushkoff, and Sherry Turkle, I'm sharing insights into how the narratives were crafted and received with a focus on the speakers, their media effectiveness, the choices they made, and the impact they had on the television audience.
Alphabet Decides the Cookie Monster Can Continue to Eat: Google's Controversial Decision to Retain Cookies
In a not so surprising twist, Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company, has decided to maintain the use of cookies in its Chrome browser, introducing a new approach aimed at elevating user choice rather than outright eliminating third-party cookies. This move, articulated by Anthony Chavez, Vice President of Google's Privacy Sandbox, signifies a pivotal shift in how online privacy and advertising might coexist in the digital ecosystem. A topic that in and of itself has been controversial for some time. Meaning can privacy and advertising coexist.
Embracing Change: Jack Myers' Vision for the Future of Business
In the emerging machine intelligence age, the profound changes in business organizations resulting from digital advances over the past two decades will accelerate, requiring both a rapid generational transformation and major investments in non-human decision-making. Jack Myers, a forward-thinking media ecologist, offers a compelling vision for the future of business organizations, recognizing the inertia that has historically hindered agile responses to change. Myers' offers insights into the need for businesses to adapt swiftly to technological and generational shifts, proposing solutions for fostering success in this new landscape.
Echoes of Postman in Berners-Lee's Vision: A United Call to Reclaim the Web and Restore Humanity's Place in the Digital Age
Bridging the Gap Between Technology's Promise and Reality, From the Internet's Inception to Its Current Crossroads
Career Lessons Revisited.
Three years ago I published 12 Career Lessons which has remained among the three most read pieces. Today, in a workplace altered by COVID, anticipating the impact of AI, and roiled by new mindsets whether they be of generational differences, a rise of a multi-polar world or a breakdown of trust in many institutions around the world, I am republishing the piece which has stood the test of time and change with some additional learnings and refinements to reflect the past 1000 days.
From Drucker to the Digital Age: Imperative of Revenue Optimization Management (ROM)
Drucker's "Concept of the Corporation"
Talent Retention: Keeping the Grass Greener on Your Company's Side of the Fence
"They're leaving for a granola bar," a CEO recently told me, frustrated with retention and other companies that seemed to lure employees away.
AMC 's Thriller "Dark Winds" Takes a Deep Dive into Navajo Culture
The compelling thing about AMC's Dark Winds doesn't only lie in its story and the stellar performances of the actors bringing it to life, but rather in its level of cultural accuracy. Set in the 1970s Southwest, Dark Winds follows Navajo police officer Lt. Joe Leaphorn and his partner Chee as they search for clues in a double murder that may or may not be linked to a high-profile bank robbery. This almost dynamite thriller gives viewers an intimate look into Native American culture, traditions, beliefs and some actual history that somehow only ever serves the plot in a positive way. Based on the Leaphorn & Chee novel series by Tony Hillerman and created for television by Graham Roland (Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan), Dark Winds takes us deeper into the reservation than we probably even deserve to be.
CNBC Healthy Returns Summit: Is Health Tech the Cure?
During a gathering of healthcare professionals and industry leaders at CNBC's recent Healthy Returns Summit, which included Joaquin Duato, Johnson & Johnson CEO and Dr. Nancy Brown, Dean of Yale School of Medicine, we were given a glimpse into a future world of ubiquitous health, powered by cutting-edge technology and personalized care at scale. Duato summed it all up by declaring "there will be more innovation in health care over the next ten years than in the past century." That unrelenting pace is dictated by the urgency of an increasingly larger aging population and the frenetic rate of technology advancements.
A Future Beyond Cookies in Web3 -- Part II
More than ever, people are concerned about their data: 91% of consumers are concerned about the amount of data that companies can collect about them and 79% of Americans question how companies use their data. Yet, popular methods for digital advertising strongly rely on third-party data practices that often lack transparency or user consent. This status quo is antithetical to Web3, the new iteration of the world wide web defined by the principles of decentralization, transparency and user autonomy. As third-party cookies are phased out and data protection regulations become the norm, brands have the opportunity to generate more trust and meaningful engagement with their audiences, all through first-party data and Web3 capabilities.
To Avoid the "Mommy Track," Speak Up in Hybrid Work Environments
As offices reopen, working parents are facing a new dilemma: how to continue remote work but avoid a career off-ramp. The global pandemic ushered in remote and hybrid work, giving working parents much-needed flexibility to juggle family and careers. Now, with employees returning to in-person work, these parents don't want to be forced onto the so-called "mommy track." To stay in the game, veteran working moms say companies should continue prioritizing flexibility and equity, and that working mothers -- and fathers -- need to self-advocate and stay visible.
How to Keep Employment Burnout at Bay
Americans are notoriously overworked and stressed, but lately employee burnout is reaching epic levels. The pandemic has left American workers anxious, isolated and overburdened, and employers are struggling to retain and recruit talented staff. To support workers, savvy companies are prioritizing wellness, support and empowerment.
A Future Beyond Cookies in Web3 -- Part I
Recent news too often focuses on the loss of cookies -- a cookie-less future -- and not enough on what we all stand to gain. The retirement of third-party cookies will require substantial and bold adjustments, but the future without cookies is perhaps better understood as a future with more transparent and secure consumer data practices. Leveraging the rise of Web3, brands can move beyond cookies to generate trust and meaningful engagement with their audiences. To do so, they will need to depart from the status quo of data collection that cookies have enabled in exchange for asking for users' permission, incentivizing users for their consent, and building their own first-party databases.
What Is Web3 Advertising?
Good advertising is part science and part art. Economically speaking, quality advertising helps close the information gap between producer and consumer, seeking to build trust and motivate action. Culturally speaking, advertising embeds iconic symbols and euphonic catchphrases into everyday life. More than that, the field’s most revolutionary brands are able to predict, or even drive, cultural trends.
The Fractionalized Employee
Most of us need to work. It is central to our identity. Yet, even though work is important most of us do not define ourselves solely by work. We have many other identities and responsibilities (parent, caregiver, sailor, artist …) that make us who we are or passions we wish to pursue. To integrate and deal with the spectrum of what life brings we could work at a job with all its benefits but also constraints or be a freelancer/independent worker with all its freedoms but uncertainties. Today, due to several forces there is the possibility of another way as we architect the future of work … a way that benefits both the individual employee and the firm.
GM at CES 2022: The Sleeping Giant Wakes Up
General Motors has transformed itself. From a company that once played it safe, GM is now at the head of the line when it comes to electrification, speed to the marketplace and technological innovation. And for the second year in a row, GM had one of the most compelling presentations at the Consumer Electronics Show.
Evolution of Work: Trust, Transparency and Transformation in a Hybrid Reality
Work will never be the same again. The global pandemic has forced companies to pause and reevaluate what drives productivity, employee empowerment and ultimately the bottom line, at a time when old rules and established norms no longer apply. During the recent FQ Equality Lounge panel on the topic "How Flexibility Weighs in The Search for Talent," leaders in the technology and advertising agency world shared some important insights on how to approach the hybrid road ahead.
Telemundo Launches "Orgullo Imparable" (Unstoppable Pride) for the Latino LGBTQ Community
Telemundo, NBCUniversal's Spanish-language broadcast network, doing a June outreach to mark Pride Month and the contribution of Latino LGBTQ citizenry to society at large is not new. What's new -- and notable -- is the comprehensive and thematic nature of this June's special content, presented under the name Orgullo Imparable (Unstoppable Pride).
Don't Get Left Behind In the Cookieless Future
An identity sea change is upon us, whether we're ready or not. It seems that every other day there's a new article or announcement that changes the rules of data engagement and making sense of the nuances and updates can be overwhelming. But our industry is at a critical mass when it comes to consumer privacy protections. Now is the time for advertisers and publishers to acknowledge reality and reclaim the narrative around privacy through a consumer-first approach by proactively educating and empowering users to own their part in the data value exchange.
