Category Archives: Technology

IT’S A WONDERFUL, SOCIAL LIFE

December 18, 2012 – 1:10 pm

by Hans Eisenbeis The holidays underscore some conflicts in the American psyche around instant gratification, conspicuous consumption and the ties that bind us to those on our gifting lists. These themes get a close-up in the annual TV-driven recurrence of It’s a Wonderful Life. At its core, the movie speaks to one of the most […]

By Iconoculture | Also posted in Consumer Trend, Economy, Social Media, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Pinterest photos help therapist gauge clients’ moods

December 11, 2012 – 2:45 pm

by Cree McCree WHAT’S HAPPENING Forget Rorschach tests. Pinterest is the latest therapeutic tool. Relationship counselor Crystal Rice scans people’s emotions by viewing the photos they post on the popular social media site. Rice, who runs Insieme Consulting in Hagarstown, MD, asks clients to pin pictures that reflect their mood every day. When clients return […]

By Iconoculture | Also posted in Consumer Trend, Health, Social Media | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Laffster discovers what makes an app user laugh

December 4, 2012 – 2:59 pm

by Jana Branch WHAT’S HAPPENING For app users on the search for funny, Laffster has the answer. The content-discovery start-up serves up comedy based on a user’s online footprint. Its first app, Mock the Vote, focused on political comedy and was launched in time to lighten the 2012 election cycle. Apps focusing on other types […]

By Iconoculture | Also posted in Consumers, Entertainment, Social Media | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

AND “GANGHAM” FOR ALL

December 4, 2012 – 2:52 pm

by Robert van Alstyne By now you’ve probably seen “Gangnam Style,” the gloriously goofy music video from South Korean pop star Psy that recently eclipsed Justin Bieber’s “Baby” to become the most-viewed clip in YouTube’s history (a whopping 854 million views as of this writing). While it might appear that brands have little to learn […]

By Iconoculture | Also posted in Consumer Trend, Consumers, Social Media | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

BlueState/RedState dating sites let young adults show their true colors

November 27, 2012 – 2:27 pm

by Cree McCree WHAT’S HAPPENING Red state, blue state, which one is your true state? Young adults don’t have to second-guess each other’s politics thanks to an online dating service that works both sides of the aisle: BlueStateDate.com and RedStateDate.com. Cheeky videos at both sites help naive politicos unveil unworthy running mates. “Did you see […]

By Iconoculture | Also posted in Consumer Trend, Social Media | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

DuckDuckGo gives privacy-prizing consumers a Google alternative

November 27, 2012 – 2:23 pm

by Robert van Alstyne WHAT’S HAPPENING Search engine startup DuckDuckGo is growing by leaps and bounds by giving consumers a streamlined search experience that prioritizes privacy. Unlike Google, DuckDuckGo does not track its users or attempt to generate personalized results based on previous searches. It’s also devoid of advertising clutter. What DuckDuckGo does have is […]

By Iconoculture | Also posted in Consumer Trend, Social Media | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

A CLICK AND A PROMISE

November 20, 2012 – 2:18 pm

by Sumaa Tekur Technology reporters and bloggers around the world are busy writing the early obituary of the Aakash-2, priced at $42 and touted as the world’s cheapest tablet. In November 2012, the Indian government unveiled version two of the tablet with less fanfare than the first model, having learned from their marketing gaffes during […]

By Iconoculture | Also posted in Consumers, Health | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Belgium’s Cardrops delivers goods to car-owners’ trunks

November 13, 2012 – 1:39 pm

by Sara Bivigou WHAT’S HAPPENING Cardrops is a “frictionless” delivery service launched by Antwerp creative agency Board of Innovation. It aims to take the planning and hassle out of receiving parcels (BoardofInnovation, 8 September 2012). The Belgian service reasons that cars are parked 90% of the time and so their trunks can be used as […]

By Iconoculture | Also posted in Consumer Trend, Retail, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Insurance companies use Facebook to reject or reduce claims

November 13, 2012 – 1:35 pm

by Hans Eisenbeis WHAT’S HAPPENING For years now, experts have been warning social media users to be careful what they post on their favorite websites because it can come back to haunt them in the future. In October 2012, author and attorney Chris Davis said that many insurance companies are now using sites like Facebook […]

By Iconoculture | Also posted in Consumer Trend, Social Media | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Lightt condenses time and life into sharable bursts

November 6, 2012 – 3:20 pm

by Jana Branch WHAT’S HAPPENING Add Lightt to the list of free social apps attempting to capture“the essence of experience” in a fast, sharable way. Lightt’s approach is to construct “highlights” — 10-second series of still photos that play back without sound in just over one second, then repeat. And repeat. Think of it as […]

By Iconoculture | Also posted in Consumer Trend, Social Media | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Not sure about that dish? Check Instagram for #menu pics

November 6, 2012 – 3:00 pm

by Tory Davis WHAT’S HAPPENING Recently opened restaurant Comodo in New York City observed numerous photos of their dishes on Instagram and realized that the platform could be used as a marketing tool. The business now prints “#comodomenu on Instagram” at the bottom of their menus, to clue diners in that photos exist and encourage […]

By Iconoculture | Also posted in Consumer Trend, Food/Beverage, Social Media | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

PredictGaze pauses screens when consumers look away

October 30, 2012 – 11:07 am

by Janelle Gergen WHAT’S HAPPENING Who needs a remote to pause a show or movie? Camera-lens-driven media service PredictGaze can be used to pause TV programs automatically when the viewer walks away (GizMag.com, 12 October 2012). PredictGaze uses a standard webcam to detect faces and can tell when no one is watching. It resumes the […]

By Iconoculture | Also posted in Consumer Trend | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off

TOGETHER APART

October 30, 2012 – 10:56 am

by Hans Eisenbeis Many thoughtful people have argued that the Internet has not brought us together, it has separated us. Separated us into passionate, backslapping cliques where we only read articles that agree with our opinions, only interact with people who share our beliefs, and only watch media that comports with our worldview. This, they […]

By Iconoculture | Also posted in Consumer Trend, Consumers, Culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

QR codes make digital memorial to British dead

October 23, 2012 – 11:29 am

by Rebecca de Vaux WHAT’S HAPPENING A funeral company in Poole, Dorset has developed a digital way of bringing back the life stories of deceased people, with a swipe of a smartphone (Guardian.co.uk, 5 September 2012). Customers of Chester Pearce Associates can upload text, videos and photos to a tribute page in memory of their […]

By Iconoculture | Also posted in Consumer Trend, U.K. | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

The xx offers the album leak as work of art

October 22, 2012 – 9:15 am

by Robert van Alstyne WHAT’S HAPPENING Blogger-loved Brit band the xx cleverly parlayed its high online profile into an elegantly executed digital marketing campaign for sophomore album Coexist. Rather than go the traditional route and share a full stream of the album with the usual big media suspects like NPR, the xx gave the details […]

By Iconoculture | Also posted in Consumer Trend, Media, Music, Social Media | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 98 other followers