I knew about the Cambridge Analytica issue months ago, as did numerous researchers - but such is that way of the web nowadays - where the mainstream is typically months and often years behind the 'crackpot' groups of 'conspiracy theorists' online ;)
Clearly, this 'discovery' by the world about data mining and exploitation for political gains by Cambridge Analytica and Donald Trump's campaign team is just the tip of an iceberg that could, if the world actually paid more attention, result in Facebook being totally dumped by even billions of users! (Something I have always thought should be have occurred long ago, but apparently people are easily distracted away from reality to the point that they don't make the best decisions in many cases).
The Independent reports that a UK advertising trade body is pulling it's weight to attempt to cause changes in Facebook (good luck):
Trade body ISBA, which represents more than 3,000 brands, wants a full account of what happened as well as reassurances over how users’ personal data is secured.
"When we meet with Facebook tomorrow we want to understand the scope of the inquiry Mark Zuckerberg announced yesterday," said Phil Smith, director general of ISBA.
"We want reassurances for our members that it will get to the bottom of the issues and any implications for the public and for advertisers."
If Facebook cannot instil confidence that people’s personal data is safe, advertisers will start threatening to pull their content from the platform, the boss of one of the UK’s highest-profile ad agencies said on Thursday.
“I don't think they're bluffing. They are going to exert real pressure,“ M&C Saatchi chief executive David Kershaw told the BBC’s Today Programme.
“I think that clients have come to a point, quite rightly, where enough is enough,” Mr Kershaw said.
“It is much more likely to be hard money from advertisers rather than consumers running hashtags on Twitter,” he said, referring to hashtags such as #DeleteFacebook and #BoycottFacebook.
The loss of advertising has the potential to be highly damaging for Facebook, which makes the majority of its money through selling ads targeted at users.
The firm has already seen around $50bn wiped off its market value in less than a week since the scandal broke.
However, Mr Kershaw conceded that advertisers are reliant on the platform to reach customers because “we live in a very strong oligopoly with Facebook and Google”.
He said that “in the digital space, plurality doesn't exist”.
Source: Independent
Steemit Needs Better Marketing
The message from this advertising body is clear - they have major problems with Facebook, but don't think there are valid competitors with whom to advertise with. While it is true that Facebook offers highly targeted advertising that marketers value highly and Steem does not (and I am glad about that) - it is also true that the new paradigm of rewards based promotions here is almost completely unknown by the big money spending advertisers and promoters.
I'm not really sure I like the idea of having such characters on Steem, but at the same time if handled properly it could be a huge boost to the value of Steem and therefore also to the creative ways in which we can adapt, adopt and improve. If promotional space was offered in exchange for Steem, for example, we would not only put some end to the bot 'craze' but we would also create an entirely new market for Steem that would see promoters actually want to pay for ad spots, instead of seeing the 'Promoted' page on Steemit as a waste of time and resources.
Where has the $50 Billion gone from Fakebooc stock? What if just 0.5 or 1 of those billions were invested in Steem by forward thinking and aware investors? They won't be doing it while they don't even know Steem exists and what it's benefits are!
Maybe Steemit Inc just wants to wait until they have reach certain objectives before marketing at full steem - which is fine, but I really still feel that huge opportunities are being missed here constantly.
Fakecbook T-Shirts
Don't forget my Anti-Social Networking T-shirt, Hoody and Gift range is still available in my shop:
Wishing you well,
Ura Soul
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