Social media is a phrase that us as users throw around these days, often to describe what we post or use on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter for example. These platforms are so heavily used by humanity to this day with over 3.8 billion social users across the world. This equals to a lot of people connected from all parts of the world! For most social media is used to post (upload) about our everyday life and what we are doing in that point in time. This is the same for artists too but further they must take advantage of the free marketing it offers. This is where we delve in further to understand how important social media is for artists, specifically EDM artists but more importantly What are the best social media platforms for artists to use ?

First we must look at the target market for EDM artists. This is vital for an artists to evaluate as they are able to pin point who they should be pushing their campaign towards and too will help to come down to what social media platform is best. Overall, the ‘Electronic Music Fan’ is majority male, but not by much. A heavy portion of the listening population falls in between the age of 18 to 24 for both males and females. From my research I broke down social media platforms to 4 platforms as these were found the be the best 4 platforms for artists to use, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and Twitter.

On multiple sources it was found that Facebook had the best results for artists in marketing themselves. For EDM artists Facebook would produce you the best results as its most active users are over 18 years of age. The majority of Facebook users have been found to have completed a higher education (74%) and for artists it is key to think financially as fans are what bring them to this ever desired fame. It was found that that about 72% of users have an income of over $75,000 therefore showing that Facebook users are both educated and have money. What really sets Facebook aside is its targeted digital advertising platform feature. Although this will cost you it goes a long way as Facebook ads allows you to target those interested in your product or market as an artists. This takes Facebook high above the rest through its extremely user beneficial.

Next is Instagram, Instagram allows a much cleaner and easier viewed layout slightly above Facebook. Instagram hold a very the more you post whether it be videos or stills, the more reward outcome for users as this further conveys creativity to fans but also builds some noise around your profile. With more than 1 billion active users as of 2019. It was found that 80% of Instagram users follow brands or campaigns making it very persuasive for an artists to jump on. Although just like Facebook it is important to breakdown the statistics of your target audience to really determine the best option. For Instagram it was found that 72% of users are 13-17 closely followed by the 64% of users are between the key age of 18-29. This throws Instagram off a little compared to its competitor Facebook although I would not quite fault it above the rest as it too offers the same targeted digital advertising platform feature as Facebook.

Another heavily used social media platform for artists to allow themselves to gain exposure and share their talent is YouTube. Youtube was founded in just 2005 making it one of the newest but most affective platforms out there. In general YouTube is deemed the second largest search engine in the world making it extremely affective channel for reaching and engaging targeted consumers due to its ability to share compelling and engaging video content. YouTube racks up just over 2 billion users worldwide ranging from 18-49 years of age. It is too important that artists look at the gender demographics too which for YouTube is predominantly male at 55% followed by 45% being female. The best feature that YouTube offers for artists that need to grow is its ability to intwine with other platforms. You can take your YouTube uploads to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and even Google as it uses your videos as a search engine optimiser. This means the content posted on YouTube can also be searched on Google. This highlights how user friendly and audience reachable YouTube is.

Finally we come to Twitter. Twitter averages around 330 million users worldwide, which brings the platform into this top 4 best of the best. Twitter has been regarded as one of the best places for users to go to follow latest news and trends across the world. With its easy ability to create status’ it becomes a very key tool for making brand updates for your artist profile. Again it is key to look at demographics of the platform with 24% of users being male and 21% being female. Audience of the platform tending to be younger with 36% of users being 18-29 which is extremely ideal for EDM artists as mentioned this is the target audience age of listeners. Features of the app that stand it out are the ability to hashtag posts and being able to follow and participate in these hashtags which is a key feature when you are trying to reach an audience and get them engaged.

With the ability for people to follow, subscribe and friend request it makes it so easy for us to stay connected to each other. Once we hit that connected button we are on a journey with that person, following their day-to-day life as they upload it. For artists social media is a business asset, key for their marketing as it is free advertisement (to an extent) of themselves. This is where they stay relevant to users when they are off the stage. It creates an almost second and in some cases bigger stage of light as they are being watched by fans who want to see more. In todays era artists are connected to almost every single social media platform. Not only does social media help an artist market themselves but also becomes too a resume for other artists as a lot of collaborations and brand/ record signings are created through social media. The observation which I take away from this research findings in answering the question What are the best social media platforms for artists to use ? is that social media is the best marketing tool in the world for artists. It enables artists like never before to reach out further to audiences and essentially shove their music in users face in a discrete way that just runs so smoothly. I believe that Instagram is the best social media platform for artists as it allows you to not only share photos and videos but also allows you to follow and participate in hashtags, share YouTube videos to the site as well as enables you to pay for promotion of your page to get your profile onto users feeds. This becomes an all in 1 package that makes it the best of the best.

Throughout the entirety of the Visual Communication and Design course for semester 1 I was taught new ways and techniques in creating and manipulating images. Through the guidance of software systems such as Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator, in changing and image from its original format for example changing an images colour through hue and saturation or the use of image tracing for example. These skills that I adapted to enabled me to then take on the next task on the agenda, this being Task 2.

Task 2 as quoted from the subject outline to “Visual Problem Solving (building upon skills from Task 1). Response to a design brief – studio based project. Conceptual (research, ideate, prototype, refine)” and finally come away with the skills to “• Show consistent and critical engagement with the subject matter. • Demonstrate use of media, materials and processes with skill. • Present work that is imaginative and innovative”. This task was both skill testing as well as very hands-on. Task 2 became a reflection on our skills in the various softwares and how we put all this into a practical booklet. A booklet that conveyed a monogram that we thought of, created and designed on illustrator. Two pieces of writing that showed in our setting for sense knowledge taught to us through weeks 9 and 10 through the InDesign software, including one of each typographic category i.e Grid, Text, Alignment and Signals, for example “Composition 1: Use of a two column Grid, Left aligned, 10pt on 13pt, Garamond, using Drop Capital.”  Lastly, the inclusion of a ransom quote thought up of from a designer or typographer.

This task has taught me not only the basics of the differences between Serif and Sans Serif and the various categories that are apart of typography to the fundamentals behind monograms and its design of letters that are made up of things such as initials or a brand-mark. This was not although easy, along the course of this task I found myself face challenges in which I required help and/or another opinion of how I was going about what I was up to in the task. For starters I struggled to really find a way to intertwine my initials (CQ) into a monogram that perceived this design and artistic look of letters put

 built together. With many trialled examples of thoughts and ideas such as shown in figure 1. I initially thought of something such as the C flowing into the Q to create an intertwined and artistic appearance about the image, but this did not convey any negative and positive spacing as required. Then I came up with technological looking design, the C next to the Q. This logo still conveyed a sense of connectivity with the letters and I knew I could then use a negative and positive spacing. Next was whether I wanted a shield like box around the logo. This quickly was a ditched attempt from peer opinion and my unsure attitude towards it. To finally settle of the monogram in which is included in my booklet. My next struggle point was the ability to find letters that went with the colour scheme I wanted for my ransom quote. I had to search through around 10 magazines finding the perfect letters for my chosen quote of “Don’t mistake legibility for communication” by David Carson. Then once this was overcome the way in which I would display them on the A4 piece of paper. This had to be a stacked form with the words flowing down the page together. These were the three trails I made.

 

Skills and knowledge in which I have been able to take forward due to this task is the understanding of how type works and the meaning of a message through its type. The ability to understand the technicality between monograms that company’s themselves use. Most importantly the software skills involved in design. I have gone from knowing absolute basic in changing and editing a photos colour and brightness etc to now being able to completely change and manipulate letter forms and images to a better or more interesting format. I enjoyed this course greatly as I was able to gain more in-depth knowledge on softwares I have always wanted to work with.

As the word fake news is starting to become a hot topic amongst the tongues of journalists and news anchors across the world, has it made you question what they really are talking about? It is in the name of the subject “fake news” but what does this come down to and how can practitioners avoid being caught up in this?.

SO WHAT IS FAKE NEWS/ADS ?

Fake news is, as quoted from the Cambridge dictionary ” false stories that appear to be news, spread on the internet or using other media, 

usually created to influence political views or as a joke:” This an ethical issue that more commonly is seen in social media. Fake news creates a ripple affect when created. It persuades a viewer to a false realisation or belief through the writing material and too has been found to ruin individuals reputation and persona.Social media platforms are now one of the best ways for a company to get their advertising material across to its target market as social media is so widely used. These platforms although have an obligation to check the legibility of the material put up.

 WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR MEDIA SITES ALLOWING FAKE NEWS/ADS?

Media platforms such as twitter, Instagram, Facebook and many more major go to social mediums create a mass of revenue from advertisement. Without the adequate monitoring of fake advertisements that creep its way into the media platforms are at threat of losing money every time a user clicks on the fake advertisement says the ACCC. A person that has been involved in a fake ad scam that depicts them wrongfully can sue both the company creating the advertisement as well as the social media platform that allows the advertisement for defamation.  In Australia celebrities are constantly associated with fake ad scams that are put on social media platforms that claim that these individuals use and endorse their product, most commonly these being weight lose pills and skin care. Facebook and Google have been found to be the worst offenders in allowing this fake ads on their sites landing them in deep trouble. These platforms retaliating in reassuring advice to those affected saying ““From January to March 2018, we took down 837 million pieces of spam, nearly 100 per cent of which we found and flagged before anyone reported it,” Ms Sanda told Sydney Morning Herald.

AFFECTED BUT WITHOUT A FIGHT

As fraud companies use the face of well-known celebrities, using staged quotes never even spoken by the celebrity themselves. Well up until now Eddy McGuire, TV show host of Millionaire Hot seat and AFL Footy Show . A company in which claimed to profession in the issue of erectile dysfunction and treating this disorder with supplements. Mr McGuire’s own personal reputation was in jeopardy to this fake ad on something that I’m sure no one would want to be publicly displayed to the world

and even his own colleagues. It wasn’t the company although that Mr McGuire threatened legal action against, it was Facebook. As stated previously, social media platforms are being paid to have these adverts on their sites but this means they too have the mandatory obligation to monitor what is actually going up and whether it is non – fictitious. Eddy McGuire and his legal team took action against Facebook and their claimed statement to fake ads “it reviews sponsored material”, threatening legal action for defamatory comments if Facebook did not admit its wrongs and fix the ability for fake adverts to be allowed onto Facebook. Facebook declined to comment but had a spokeswoman for the company outlined that it did not accept any misleading or false advertising but would remove any content that was false in regards to Mr McGuire.

 

WHAT’S BEEN LEARN’T?

The Eddy McGuire case in which found him perceived in a pharmaceutical supplement advert has been one of the first ever celebrities to take action against these fake advertisements. Many celebrities have ignored or just dismissed the issue with a removal request from the social media platforms but Mr McGuire took threat and action to Facebook against his personal attack. This case has been beneficial in tackling down this issue of social media platforms allowing fake adverts onto their sites. Platforms now are to remove any misleading content (advertisements) straight away upon upload. Platforms will find lose of income every time a user clicks on the advertisements and those who are inflicted upon are able to sue platforms for defamation charges.

WARNING TO PRACTITIONERS!

Practitioners in both the social media industry and advertisement need to be aware of the implications and ramifications if they break ethical codes of practice. Advertisers must ensure their ads are 100% liable and back up claims and quotes that they make in advertising material. A person cannot use pictures or names in advertising material as they are not covered under freedom of the press otherwise they can be sued against by the individual whose identity is being used https://www.marketingprofs.com/ea/qst_question.asp?qstID=12714 . Social media sites too must caution what is put onto their sites and remove any misleading or false advertisement that may slip onto their sites immediately.

 

Fake news and advertisements are a cruel and dishonest perception on an individual. It is a harm against ones reputation and persona. Fake ads are a cheap and easy ploy for companies to bring in customers by using false celebrity endorsement. As fake news/ads are such a talked about topic in the push for awareness against them it is important that we really know what they are and how to identify them before we are influenced. Now that your knowledge has been better understand you too can identify what really is a fake news/ad.