The Rise of Social Media E-Commerce and Why it Works
The Rise of E-Commerce
Since 2007, the rise of social media e-commerce (or electronic commerce) has changed the way that consumers buy goods forever. Social Media Commerce is a form of e-commerce that integrates its platform into a virtual shopping experience. By using targeted advertising and product placement, social media has become a place to get news, an entertainment source, and a shopping experience on top of that. From Facebook Marketplace to TikTok Shop, every platform wants a piece of the e-commerce pie.
In 2022, Social Commerce generated 728 Billion dollars, and this number is only expected to grow. Nowadays, a social media strategy is at the core of every company's marketing mix. This is no coincidence. A personalized ad campaign on social media is proven to increase sales and allows for a unique opportunity to bond with a target audience.
“Social commerce is the next digital shopping revolution and it will change people’s shopping behavior as profoundly as internet shopping did over the last twenty years.”
TikTok Is a Rising Force in Social Commerce, 2020-2026
social buyers by platform, millions
Why it works
Social media commerce is effective due to its clickable nature. With targeted marketing plans directing certain content to consumers, digital social media platforms have evolved to include in-app purchasing from the ads they see. Taking advantage of its user base, platforms can use their predetermined algorithm to promote specific products, all for a cost, of course.
Facebook marketplace is known as the staple for e-commerce on social media platforms. An estimated 485 million, or 16% of active users, log in to Facebook for the sole purpose of shopping on Facebook Marketplace, according to Capital One Shopping statistics. Facebook found its niche of used furniture and appliances very early on in the e-commerce boom, getting a head start on its brand identity and establishing itself as a credible platform. The Facebook marketplace requires participation from both buyers and sellers, but they have no issue targeting their users to do both.
Marketing With Influencers
Today, most big brands choose to partner with “influencers” to promote their products to a younger audience. A social media influencer is a user with an established following or credibility. These virtual celebrities use their online content to share opinions, engage with their followers, and, of course, promote products. Influencers and brands often collaborate to push their product into a medium with a trusted figure.
One influencer, Chloe Caldwell, uses her platform to promote clothing items and other fashion brands. While some companies offer her clothes and accessories to promote, others pay big money for her to advertise their product to her followers.
The Big Winners and Losers
The social media commerce industry is expected to grow within the next several years. While Instagram and Facebook are at the top of the pack, other social media platforms are taking advantage of the landscape ahead. TikTok has begun developing its social media commerce platform TikTok Shop, but it has yet to be nearly as successful as Instagram or Facebook. Loosing almost 500 Million dollars within their first year, users blame Tiktok’s approach.
TikTok has shown to use the algorithm it controls to its advantage and make certain products within its own shop “go viral,” resulting in a boom in sales. Well-known products like the pickle sweatshirt and chamoy pickle from the TikTok Shop were so widely advertised most TikTok users have seen an ad. Allowing for tremendous discounts and over-pushed products, some users report the products as cheap, repetitive, or even counterfeit.
Even though TikTok shop is one of several social media platforms finding their niche in the e-commerce world, these shops are just the beginning of the digital marketing revolution to come.
Artificial Intelligence is Contributing to the Spread of Misinformation
The Rise of AI
Claiming to make our lives easier, the rise of Artificial Intelligence has opened unimaginable doors. From face recognition to enhanced drug development, the advances in tech are limitless. While AI has begun to revolutionize how we live our everyday lives, convenience is a small price to pay for the potential damage that AI poses on our present and future.
Due to its clickable nature, fake news thrives on social media platforms. While some are harmless, several instances have had devastating repercussions. One instance, in particular, is the rise of “deepfake technology”. A deepfake is a form of artificial intelligence that uses digital software to create convincing photo, video, and audio hoaxes. While manipulating video is not a new concept, this 21st-century Photoshop method is challenging to spot and is continually weaponized in modern media.
With the upcoming 2024 elections, experts are worried that this type of technology will be used to weaponize politicians and mislead voters based on false information, Associated Press reports.
However, this isn’t the first time AI has been used to incite violence and mislead voters. Earlier this year, the Official Republican National Committee created a 30-second ad campaign generated entirely with AI. While this type of campaign uses a fear tactic to sway voters, all of the scenarios within the video were artificially generated using unfamiliar AI technology by the Republican Party.
AI Contributing to Media Distrust
As AI continues to develop, the line between what is real and what is fake has become blurred. Since the beginning of the news media, viewers have relied heavily on video and audio evidence as a bedrock of truth. The issue arises within the premise that most US adults now rely on social media as a news source.
This progression of hyperrealistic AI has created mistrust within the general media. Reluctant to double-check news sources, misinformation is everywhere, and it is getting progressively more challenging to spot. While some social media platforms use AI detection to filter false information, it is not always perfect. In fact, according to the Pew Research Center, 7 out of 10 Americans say that as a result of these social media filters, unreasonable censorship is now rampant, along with the promotion of false information still not under control.
On social media, “shadowbanning” is becoming another consequence of this new technology. Shadowbanning is the practice of a social media company’s AI algorithms preventing a user's content from being seen by others without notifying the user. With the use of AI, Instagram users are now accusing Meta of censoring and shadowbanning posts related to Palestinian viewpoints amidst the Gaza conflict.
Meta stated in a blog post that “it is never our intention to suppress a particular community or point of view.” Additionally, Meta also acknowledged that its policies in censorship are not perfect every time.
Social media within the last several weeks has been flooded with numerous posts displaying coverage of the recent events happening within the Gaza Strip. Due to many Palestinian users having their posts censored based solely on their beliefs, Meta companies like Facebook, Instagram, and Threads have been overwhelmed with one-sided information regarding a deep-rooted and complex historical topic.
Considering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is such an emotionally charged topic, many Palestinians feel they have no space to share their beliefs on social media without fear of censorship or violence.
In addition to sitewide censorship due to the fault of artificial intelligence, Meta came under fire again after some users documented a glitch that translated “Palestinian” followed by the Arabic phrase “Praise be to Allah” to “Palestinian terrorists” on multiple accounts. These faults led to several strikes and banning accounts, censoring Palestinian voices. Deborah Brown, a senior researcher and advocate on digital rights at campaign group Human Rights Watch, stated in an interview with Wired that this censorship on social media “seriously hinders the ability of journalists and human rights monitors to document mounting abuses [on the Gaza strip].” The censorship of media coming out of Gaza affects not only those absorbing the information but those living in it as well.
“I don’t have the truth anymore; I have to watch it happen through the lens of Western media,” says a Chapman Palestinian student, who requested to stay anonymous. Without proper education, “People who had no knowledge of the last 70+ years clung to the first thing that the Western news pushed out to them.” Following Gaza's internet blackouts, my interviewee feels they have no other choice than to turn to independent journalists who haven’t been censored, such as Motaz Azaiza, to stay informed and educated about the atrocities happening within Gaza. “I fear that Palestinians are being killed in the dark,” and for the sake of others, following threats they have experienced on Chapman campus, they will continue to use their voice to educate others.
“I fear that Palestinians are being killed in the dark.”
Misinformation regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is pervasive. In the sea of content, it is essential to double-check sources and not blindly believe everything posted on the internet or within news outlets, regardless of any side or bias.
UK SUMMIT FINDINGS
Today, delegates from 28 nations, including the United States and China, met at The United Kingdom’s AI Safety Summit to discuss the potential harm of artificial intelligence. Many of the representatives pushed for possible legislation and signed an agreement that the United States, European Union, and China would work together to manage the imminent risk from artificial intelligence.
Kamala Harris stated in her speech at the summit, “President Biden and I believe that all leaders have a moral, ethical, and social duty to make sure that AI is adopted and advanced in a way that protects the public from potential harm and ensures that everyone is able to enjoy its benefits.”
As AI continues to develop, it is essential to remember that we live in a world of misinformation. While artificial intelligence has claimed to make our lives easier, it is not the answer to our problems and often causes more harm than good. Right now, legislation is being formed to combat the dangers of AI, but experts are still determining the long-term risks and consequences.
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/oct/09/x-twitter-elon-musk-disinformation-israel-hamas
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/16/world/middleeast/israel-hamas-war-social-media.html
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/oct/18/instagram-palestine-posts-censorship-accusations
https://www.wired.com/story/palestinians-claim-social-media-censorship-is-endangering-lives/
Immersive Exhibits Take Center Stage as Museums Embrace Technology
Why Museums are integrating modern technology to cope with their recent identity crisis.
Traditional Museum, Stock Image
In recent years, the world has undergone a severe makeover. Most of our day-to-day life is centered around our phones and modern technology; for some museums, it is a wake-up call. Traditional museums have often had the stereotype of being boring and stiff, lacking diversity and excitement. But now museums, galleries, and curators around the globe are finally turning to technology to keep this industry alive and current. From immersive experiences to AI generators, curators have successfully begun the transition to keep up with the times.
For years, adolescent-targeted educational museums have successfully integrated modern technology into their exhibits to excite a wide range of visitors with diverse preferences. Children’s museums are often immersive and interactive, but the same cannot be said for the traditional art museum. With the continuing decline in engagement with their audience, museums must work towards integrating technology to stay relevant and survive.
Integration of Social Media: The Fight to Stay Relevant
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, some museums have used social media and other online tools to stay current. In 2020, the Getty Museum led the way by starting an online trend to recreate famous artworks such as The Scream by Edvard Munch to get people excited about art, even when they cannot attend a museum in person. Getty also created a ‘Show your creepiest object' trend, a lighthearted ‘battle’ between curators to showcase artwork in museums online. While everyone was stuck at home scrolling through an endless cycle of social media posts, these trends involving museums and art galleries created a new way for people to interact with art and museums.
From these trends, social media involvement in artwork has increased. Last week, the Los Angeles Museum of Modern Art collaborated with Snapchat to release: “LACMA x Snapchat: Monumental Perspectives.” This new collaboration allows users to utilize Snapchat’s augmented reality feature to display virtual monuments and artwork that explore the history of diversity within Los Angeles. Featuring arts such as Mercedes Dorame, I.R. Bach, Glenn Kaino, Ruben Ochoa, and Ada Pinkston, not only will make art more accessible but will also promote a combination of modern technology and historical art.
Children's Museums: The Pros
While traditional art museums are beginning to adapt to integrate social media and modern technology into their exhibits, educational museums are ahead of the curve. From the Discovery Kids Science Museum Organics Wate Lab to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles ‘LA Underwater’ exhibit, these curations are the mecca of modern technology. Mainly appealing to children and adolescents, these museums are leading the way in cutting-edge technological innovations, and their audience is engaged and interested in the content they are seeing. Some of these exhibits include interactive games, labs, and physics demonstrations so visitors learn a thing or two while staying engaged in a high-tech way. Art museums around the country and the world are struggling with this. Engagement with all audiences is crucial if they want their audiences to engage and retain notable information about historical and modern pieces of art.
Discovery Cube of Orange County: Organic Waste Lab
The Transformation of the Traditional Museum:
Santa Ana’s Bowers Museum and the Chapman Escolette Permanent Collection are prime examples of traditional art museums that have learned to adapt to the changes and challenges of modern technology and the audience they attract. “With new technology, we are now able not only to curate exhibits faster but can include different mediums of art in various ways, " says Bowers Museum intern Hayden Yoss. Hayden has worked for the Bowers Museum for almost a year, seeing the technological improvements firsthand. “Bowers Museum has integrated videos explaining art pieces, but also scavenger hunts, with prizes, as well as the Kidszeum, which is open once to twice a month and hosts art lessons, coloring stations, and events that gear towards younger age range,” Yoss says. Additionally, the Bowers Museum now offers private virtual tours to those who want to enjoy beautiful art from the comfort of their own homes. Bowers is a small museum, and even they have recognized the need for this change and is actively taking steps toward keeping its audience fascinated in a modern way.
Bowers Musuem, Santa Ana
Curators now have an added challenge of integrating social media and technology within their field, and Chapman University is also getting ahead of the curve. Chapman’s Escolette permanent collection has seen a significant makeover in recent years. Since its initial founding in 2010, students can now submit their own perspective and explain what a piece of art means to them via QR code through Chapman’s Panther Perspective Program. The Escalette exhibit strives to see adaptations within its boundless walls through its podcast, blog posts, and virtual galleries, setting an example as to what all exhibits and galleries aspire to be in the future.
What Now?
These days, curators of educational museums and traditional museums are left with the question: What Now? The answer is limitless. With recent developments in AI, some museums are turning to the new software to curate exhibits online and in physical galleries, seen through a personal cell phone camera. Other museums are beginning to display NFTS (Non-Fungible Token) or use virtual reality to create state-of-the-art immersive experiences. While many museums are resistant to change, it is necessary to boost engagement, ignite a lost passion in younger generations for the arts, and bring back the eagerness to visit your art museums.
Sources:
Discovery CubeMuseums & Social MediaTech in Museums