Friday, February 17, 2012
Valentines Day
I received a “HeyTell” message on the Monday before Valentines Day from my best friend Gretchen Reimen saying, “I can’t wait for my candy fruit basket to come in the mail!” “HeyTell” is an app on the iPhone that lets you talk as if you were on a walky-talky; it is essentially texting with your voice. Earlier in the week Gretchen posted on my Facebook a link to a website of fruit baskets. However, I wasn’t planning on buying her a fruit basket for a few reasons: it cost sixty bucks and she is not my girlfriend. But because I realized she was serious about getting a gift and she is my best friend, I decided to do something. I also realized that she is single and would really appreciate a Valentines Day gift. I “HeyTell” her back saying, “ummmm yeah I ordered you hugs for valentines day.” Having people hug her seemed like the best option; it is free and easy to accomplish with the help of Facebook. I wrote on Gretchen’s sister’s, brother’s, and friend’s walls asking them to give Gretchen hugs on Valentines Day and say they were from me. I also asked them to get as many people as they could to hug her. Facebook made it easy to communicate and spread the word: the post turned into action on Valentines Day. Facebook allowed me to get the word out to people that I didn’t know, making the number of people that much greater. At the end of the day, Gretchen got about twenty hugs, including one from her lacrosse coach. Social media has countless uses, whether it is simply connecting with friends or starting a movement. Social media is a way to turn posts and tweets into actions.
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3 comments:
I like how Facebook carries information like a modern-day word of "mouth" - and how the two merged together, given that after you messaged a few people, they told more. It makes me think of how these days a lot of kids use Facebook groups and event pages to plan events, and things can be organized much quicker., especially with collaborating devices (ie Heytell and FB)
PS - that is SO sweet of you
Do you think that Hey Tell will ever catch on as a serious form of communication? Right now, it is popular because it's new and original; but will it retain its popularity a year from now? Receiving a Hey Tell is a bit more personal than a traditional text message, so I guess it does fill some gap in our lives. However, it seems like a gimmick. When you actually had to reach your friends, you used Facebook and text messages, not Hey Tell.
Do you think that Hey Tell will ever catch on as a serious form of communication? Right now, it is popular because it's new and original; but will it retain its popularity a year from now? Receiving a Hey Tell is a bit more personal than a traditional text message, so I guess it does fill some gap in our lives. However, it seems like a gimmick. When you actually had to reach your friends, you used Facebook and text messages, not Hey Tell.
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