Hopelessly Twitter-pated
Disney's Bambi learned about the birds and the bees by watching his forest friends, Thumper and Flower, get 'twitter-pated' in the annual rite of Spring. Today we seem to be suffering from an epidemic of 'twitterpation', but the passion is less primal. Or is it?
- A survey by AAA reveals that 86% of teens drive while distracted, despite 30 states having laws against texting while driving. William Van Tassel, manager of AAA's driving training programs said "... Driving is the first real adult responsibility, but let's face it, they're still teens whose brains aren't fully developed." (USA Today, 08/02/10)
- Buzz Bissinger, acclaimed author of "Friday Night Lights" decried texting as "the complete dumbing down of our society" before becoming addicted, himself. He claims wife #3 is threatening drastic measures if he can't step away while with the family. (NYT, 08/02/10)
- Tumblr is described as "a space between Twitter and Facebook" by Mark Coatney, the company's "media evangelist"; its positioned as a way for traditional companies and media outlets to build a relationship among a young crowd, with "creative expression in mind." (NYT, 08/02/10)
- Just Dukky merges junk mail with social marketing and web technology --"direct marketing on steroids." Customers get give-aways but provide personal info to redeem the on-line coupons, using texts or email. Their online activities are tracked at each stage. A marketing bonanza! (Entrepreneur, July, 2010)
- On a less progressive note, the United Arab Emirates are planning to block BlackBerry email and text messages, citing security concerns. YouTube, Facebook and Google have had their own challenges within the Persian Gulf. (NYT 08/02/10)
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