Face Recognition, Social Media Marketing & A New Wave of Privacy Invasion

Facial recognition software is sure to take hold in the near future as the latest tool for social media sites and direct marketing campaigns. The implications of such software developments will increase direct marketing accuracy, increase social media interaction and for sure begin a new wave privacy invasion.

Today, websites like face.com, that has developed face recognition software that allows users to scan internet for pictures of themselves, makes it easy fro any one to upload a picture search and put a name to every face on the internet. On one hand, this might be a helpful tool for a user to find and delete pictures they would not otherwise like to be posted.

On the other hand, for example, this gives employers an unprecedented power to find a slew of information both public and private that might cause discrimination of employment. For instance, an employer could get a hold of an applicants’ mug shot even if the applicant in question may have had all charges acquitted or found not guilty. The point is it doesn’t matter! If a picture of you that you do not approve makes its way on the Internet, finding it and putting a name to the face is now easier than ever.

Facial recognition technology development also has the potential to become an invasive and creepy advertising tool similar to scenes from the movie “Minority Report,” where digital hologram ads address a person directly by name. This scenario is not far fetched nor far from manifesting as the electronic giant, NEC, has already been testing its take on facial recognition ads in malls throughout Japan. The humanoid billboard has the capacity to scan passerby shoppers faces and indentify the shoppers sex, ethnicity and approximate age with an 80%-95% accuracy. The humanoid billboard then reaches into its database and begins to bombard the shopper with suggestions of products they might like.

As facial recognition technology advances and its accuracy increases we are sure to see and even more aggressive and personalized “face” to social media marketing and direct marketing in general. This is sure to become another reality of living in The Digital “Marketing” Age.

Sources:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1305191/Facial-recognition-software-allow-ability-identify-people-photographs-internet.html

face.com

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2010/sep/27/advertising-billboards-facial-recognition-japan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQbVD5hlddk&feature=related

Myspace Needs to Win Social Media Content War

Myspace needs to cover its loses and realize that the social networking battle is over and that Facebook has won it. At this point, Myspace needs to redefine what having a Myspace means and how it’s different from Facebook. Granted, Myspace’s music integration is a step in the right direction, but its still not enough; especially since the introduction of Ping, a social network for music just recently launched on the iTunes store . Myspace has to step out of the confines of its old identity as the once “biggest social network in the world,” and start thinking about what they can become. I believe Myspace should simply look at its name and realize what it offers. It is literally a space on the web for people to manage, interact, share, work, play, entertain, read and whatever else they want to do on the internet.

Think about it, Facebook, in its very essence, is a social network that helps people connect and manage the social aspect of their lives; for the most part. But, what about all the other aspects of our lives like business, hobbies, interests, news, fashion, shopping, politics, music, the environment, social issues, economics and so forth? This is where Myspace needs to concentrate its efforts and capitalize on its still impressive, 70 million monthly visitors in the US alone. Myspace stands at a cross roads with very unique advantage over other media portals, it has a social network set up.

As Jason Nazar, Co-Founder and CEO of Dotstoc.com outlines in step one of his article “How to Save Myspace: The Seven-Step Plan,” Myspace should compete with sites like Yahoo as a next generation portal. Myspace can enter the market with its user database advantage and create a social media content network in which users can manage all the other aspects of their lives besides social. Users should be able to profile the various areas of interest in their lives with website bookmarks, news feeds, articles, music, video, photos, original works, blog postings and anything that is relevant to their particular interests. This in turns truly makes myspace a virtual space where users can organize and manage the various aspects of their lives with all the tools and benefits that the internet has to offer.

Along with content overhaul, Myspace needs to retract from its intrusive and irrelevant ads to users. As Matt Rosoff of CNET.com states in “How to Save Myspace,” the company needs to make its ads relevant to the user's profile. Many people complain of the amount of irrelevant and cheap commercial product ads they get on their user page; not to mention how big and intrusive they can be.

In short Myspace need to think beyond the confines of social networks and embrace the managing of users content and media desires from all over the web. That’s what I would call my space on the web. Just another reality of adapting in the Digital “Marketign” Age.