Influence: From the Digital Era

The internet has its way to influence individuals in making their choice. TripAdvisor, Amazon.com, and other online-based stores have this section where their customers could provide comments and recommendations to future viewers of the product. The new thing in the hospitality indutry that has rise up to popularity is the site called AirBNB.

“Founded in August of 2008 and based in San Francisco, California, Airbnb is a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around the world — online or from a mobile phone.” (https://www.airbnb.com.au/about/about-us) Thats how AirBNB define themselves. They currently have 800,000+ listings and have already catered for more than 17 million customers to those who lists their accommodation there.

Me, myself also have a listing on AirBNB. Customer reviews are the main medium for influence. People who are looking at my listing are influenced by customer reviews. One of the strategy that I used is to ask my friends who came over to my place to book my place and pay for the booking fee, then make a review to it. By that, future customers who are looking at the page can at least be sure of my listing, that it is actually a legit cozy listing that got people feeling comfortable living there. Things got really good after that because now, I have a listing that people can’t possibly resist. My place is always almost full book 30/30 days in a month. That is how the communication ways in the digital era could influence the residents of the internet a.k.a netizens.

Elsa Melinda's Listing on AirBNB - https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/3012787

Elsa Melinda’s Listing on AirBNB – https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/3012787

I do not regret my actions as what I provide is really what is on the internet. What I wrote on the listings are true. There are even now more reviews on my listing as people do really enjoy fully of my hospitality to them. My action has given me a really positive impact on the branding of my room renting business. People trust me, they love my place. It is fair and good to use the digital communication as to influence other to try something new if it is a legit thing. But it is not acceptable if it is fraudulent.

Digital era has given many people ways to make themselves more visible and popular to others. It has the power to make brands look more attractive than the other, especially if the other brands do not use digital communication as their medium to advertise their products. Nowadays, it really is important and crucial to know and use the internet as a way to promote products as it could help them to reach out the world that can’t be reached through the touch of the hands. Plus, it is a very cheap alternative compare to other medias.

24 Hours without my phone? CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

Hey guys!

It is easy for most people to don’t have a boyfriend/girlfriend for moths, but it is nearly impossible for them to not have their phone by their side. I experienced a whole lot of things when I do this thing where I switched off my mobile device for 24 hours. I’ll list the things that I experienced while doing this research:

Positive ones:

1. I feel peace

This is mainly because of how I don’t have to deal with people’s comments, how the people in the digital world think about me, and focus more on what is happening in front of me. The digital world is a cruel world. People could do things anonymously. With our bare eyes and feeling, we receive responds through comments that might just hurt our feelings. So being disconnected from the digital world, somehow it made me feel like I don’t have to deal with these haters out there. I just feel.. peace.

2. I pay more attention to my surroundings

Dogs strolling with their owners, drivers not obeying the traffic light, people trying to cross the road and mostly.. people holding their smartphones. It is fun to see what the world has become to now. I spotted a lot of changes happening to people around us since the digital age has become more and more significant. Customers at restaurants don’t just eat their dinner right away, they do ridiculous stuffs like climbing the chair just to take picture of their food. But most of all, I realized more about the stores that just opened at the corner of the street and discover more of Perth as a city filled with diversed people.

Negative ones:

1. I feel less updated about the world out there

Not checking out social medias for one day has surely took me back by a lot of updates from my friends and families. I used to open my phones for every 10 minutes to check on what my friends were doing and whether there are new places to go to, what movies are on the top list and the new hot music that shoot up to the top 100 billboard list. Without them, I don’t have full access to it. Sure I can do it at home, but it’s not like I don’t have a life and just stay back home everyday right? (no offense intended yea! just my pure opinion).

2. Limited access to communication with friends

In order to meet up with friends that day, I have to first make a call from back home to my friends as I won’t have any access when I am outside of the house. So it surely was hard to communicate with them when I already reached our meeting place. I couldn’t make sure if they were already there yet or I might be just at the wrong place, or even maybe.. they cancel the meeting! But I made it through and met with my friends that day. But it surely was hard to keep up before meeting them.. as I reached there first and I have to wait in front of the bus station in the cold winter weather without knowing where they were and can’t possibly call them and scold them because they were not on time haha!

So.. it was both an interesting and challenging day for me. Regardless of what I said, I still need and love my phone! It is useful. But just as a self-reflection, I would like to use my phone less frequently and focus on what I could achieve without hanging onto it every 5 or 10 minutes. It is not possible in this era to actually be totally unconnected from the digital world, but maybe we as human beings has gone too far in the reliance on smartphones.

This video shows a bit about smartphone addiction:

Digital Zone ALERT!!!

Hey guys!

It’s rare for woman to be writing about the digital age that we are in right now, but.. oh well.. I’m different.

So today I will be talking about the digital age that we are in right now. The generation where all the kids are holding iPads (in contrast to wooden blocks and toys) and the adults can’t help but check their tiny little phone that holds a lot of information every 10 seconds (http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/addicted-your-smartphone-what-to-do).

First off, Im gonna start with what I like about the digital age.

1. Smartphones. Smartphones are magnificently upgraded motorola*** phones that holds and stores heaps of information at a fingertip. They are convenient, having the ability to access the World Wide Web, and.. stylish. I use this as a mean of communication, through social medias mainly. They are getting more and more fashionable as the year goes by, so I can also regard it as a fashion accessories. Well.. sometimes 😉

2. Social Media. They are supposedly a virtual place where we can freely express ourselves to other people who are our friends (or not) and our followers (or haters!). I love how I could actually be connected to my friends who are far away in another galaxy country and not feel left out. I could post my selfies, what I am doing right now, where I am and even what songs I am listening to and with. Very easy to find past friends as well. Great choice for actual loners out there! Haha! Apparently, I got thousands of friends on Facebook (that I might just know or.. probably hate)

3. Online Stores. As a legit woman and loyal shopper (occasionally businesswoman as well!), I find the access of online stores very useful and important nowadays. The importance of it just got magnified. It is a really effective means of communication from seller to buyer. I, myself, have a residential listing on AirBNB. It really is just easy to set up and attracts a lot of customers. With the help of reviews, it even boosts more attracted customers. This is the the part that interest me the most. I would like to even expand my business in this because booooooyyy.. I could actually receive a lot from this. It’s a good done deal.As a fashion designer, this is also helping me in a lot of aspects. Marketing my products and communicating with money customers out there who actually have real interest in my fashion line.

Enough about what I like. I also have questions.

Eventhough I see this thing as something that upgrades us a human beings, I am also wondering about the future implications. Is there a limit to what we can do with the technology? Will we be the slave of them? Will this just grow inevitably? and what will be the negative impacts that we have to face? Sure we all see this as something that is really cool and good for the current state being, but we don’t just live for the moment you know. We’re gonna have kids and grandkids and even more. So we have to be open minded to every chances of technology being too much as well.

Well guys, that’s my view of our digital age. Hope you like my writing and tune in for more topics 🙂