The increasing use of Internet and new media technologies in business has resulted in the increasing significance of the possible impacts of using these technologies on customer behavior. The use of Internet knowledge base affects organizations’ abilities in tapping online communities as part of their target markets. The use of the new media online significantly affects the relationships between companies and their customers. Think about it.

What brands do you use on a daily basis? Do you like them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter? Businesses are now using new media technologies to connect with customers and to create a loyal customer fan base. Brands and companies have essentially become neighbors in the digital age. The technology one consumers currently use can track their usage and apply advertising and suggest products for them. Once a consumer selects a product, they will most likely have the option to connect in some way with the company. Businesses are latching on to this trend as it becomes a marketable selling tool to increase product demand and profit.

Technology requires passwords for verification of identity to authorizing access. Some consumers like myself, have a plethora of passwords for the numerous accounts. Some are long, some are short. Some have words, others just letters; passwords represent the diversity of the world’s population.

But… some have very special passwords consisting of their birth date, name, or other personal – easily identified – information. But for some, such as the President of Syria’s email that was hacked by Anonymous previously on February 7, 2012, it is as simple as “12345.” Anonymous was able to retrieve pertinent information from the mail servers concerning president affairs.

One may be laughing but I will bet one hundred dollars that a friend probably uses that exact same password. It is no wonder that consumer’s identities are so easily confiscated by crooks and criminals. Now, ask yourself, how well do you passwords hold up? Do they compare to an easy “12345?” I few helpful things I have found are to use another language, mix letters and numbers, and to capitalize.

But most importantly, do not use personal information. Do a self-check up on the passwords for the accounts you use.

I told you, I know your password.

http://mashable.com/2012/02/07/anonymous-assad-email-password/

Media surround us in our lives. Billboards, television, cell phones, the internet, etc. The list goes on.  Some are often overwhelmed by the amount of media consumption that our society has. Neil Postman explores and discusses just that.

Postman was born on March 8, 1931; a native of New York. Postman attended the State University of New York at Fredonia and obtained his master’s from Columbia University where he began teaching at New York University. The Steinhardt School of Education graduate program was founded in 1971 by Postman who went on to become an appointed University Professor.

Postman’s most known book is Amusing Ourselves to Death written in 1985. It centers around the idea that mass media consumption is steadily increasing with the development of television.

Postman argued that television is demeaning of our topics and spoken word as it decentralizes serious issues whether it be political or public safety and covers them up with images that are more about the entertainment.

The author has gone on to discuss other major media issues and topics with Informing Ourselves to death and Technopoly, both written in the early 1990s. Neil Postman died from lung cancer in October 2003 but his works continue to be discussed in college courses all over the US.