A new wave of ideas

Though the Internet is only less than half a century old, it is hard to imagine life without it. Society has integrated the World Wide Web into its everyday life, allowing us to relay information faster and more efficiently. From sending emails, to doing research, sharing YouTube videos, and updating your status on Facebook, none of these activities would be possible to do without the Internet. Nowadays it is very easy and common for us to get plugged in. Through laptops, tablets, and even our smart phones, we always have access to the latest information as close as our back pocket. The availability of the Internet creates endless possibilities for new outlets of advertising.

Before the Internet, print advertising was limited to magazines, newspapers, billboards, or posters. It was not very personal and almost out of reach to consumers. What's interesting about current advertising is the ability to interact with it. Facebook is one of the strongest ways to advertise, especially to consumers ages 18-28. The software memorizes your browsing history and is able to show you things that you would be interested in on the sidebars. This isn't that affective and is monster seen as annoying, but the fact that technology has advanced this far is worth noting. The more effective way to utilize social networking is through creating fan pages, events, and sharing. Through fan pages, we are allowed to keep up with current trends in society and get updates about our favorite artists and brands. The ability to share links and pictures,I think, is the most effective form of advertising today. When someone posts pictures of food from a restaurant on Facebook, it's like free advertising for that restaurant! This is also a great way to relay information about exclusive sales or events going on locally. This is more effective than print ads because you're able to see that your friends trust the products being sold. When we see familiar faces using something we haven't used, we have more trust in trying something new.  

The most exciting thing about advertising in this time is the public interactive displays. Using monitors for people to look at or having a way for consumers to use their phones when looking at an ad creates a longer impression on them. It creats new challenges for advertisers and designers to think about. Not only do they think about the design or the message of the advertisement, but they also have to think about the function of the ad - whether it's easy to use or not. 

As a student trying to make it into the industry, it's exciting to think about the latest technology and how there's always something new to create. We've come so far from print design and I can't wait to see what will be the next idea unfold for interactive advertising.