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5 Reasons Why Social Media Is Fashion’s Best Friend

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In the dynamic and constantly evolving digital age, social media is one of the most important tools that businesses can use. Contrary to popular belief, fashion is a business and its ultimate goal is to sell a product. A lot of trees are killed to produce the meticulously created glossy pages of magazines and fashion shows may seem like an excuse to dress in the most ostentatious outfits. However, these are just processes in the business of fashion. Social media is fashion’s best friend because, in a sea of content, visuals produced by the industry capture and connect the audience to these glossy pages and fabulous shows.

So why is social media fashion’s best friend? Here are my top 5 reasons:

1. Connectivity to the World

Social media platforms make it possible to connect to millions of people around the world. Many platforms are easily translatable across borders and have an international following. This includes fashion, which has major fashion capitals spread around the world. Social media consequently allows for quick access internationally.

2. Visual Content

The fashion industry’s favorite platforms are those that make visual content the hallmark of their existence. Platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram are perfect for giving a behind-the-scenes look at the biggest names in the industry or enabling fashion addicts to create a collection of stylish items.

3. Rapid Updates and Information

The nature of social media is that it is constantly transforming and there is always something new to talk about. As in fashion, one day something is in and the next day it is out. These platforms are therefore able to keep up with the fickle side of the business, offering a frequent flow of information and keeping the audience talking about different brands and features within the fashion industry.

4. Connection to the Everyday Consumer

Before social media revolutionized the industry, fashion was mainly controlled by magazine editors and socialites who wielded the power of influence. However, with the various platforms available now, the everyday fashion connoisseur can connect to the inner workings of the industry and develop their own voice on the trends being exhibited in the shows and on the pages.

5. Interactivity

Digital editions of magazines and perfectly manicured fashion websites give the everyday person a voice in the industry using interactive elements such as street style submissions, contests to become a guest editor, and insider video content on the latest trends. Bloggers are also gaining influence in the industry, with the blog format allowing them to feed more information to their readers and enabling readers, in turn, to consume the latest trends and styles.

 

Charity Gates is Everywhere Agency’s Summer 2014 intern and resident fashionista.

Runway Image Source: http://www.fabsugar.com/Yigal-Azrouel-Runway-Fall-2011-New-York-Fashion-Week-14207658

Social Media Creeper

Confessions of a Creeper and Other Reasons I’m Single

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social media creeper

My name is Lindsay and I’m a creeper. Specifically, a social media creeper.

In this day and age, I view social media creepiness as more than a weird compulsion- it’s a survival tactic. I can very efficiently discover if ‘what’s his name’ from the bar has a girlfriend, or if ‘so and so’ actually graduated from college. And let’s not even talk about the seemingly commonplace act of catfishing.

This compulsion has been fairly longstanding, but it really came to a head last month. I’d met a very cute guy at a concert and everything was rosy until I lost him in the crowd. Armed with just his first name and college alma mater I used the mighty powers of Facebook Graph Search and found him in a matter of seconds.

Did I feel like a terrifying person? Yes. Did I stop there? No.

Due largely to peer pressure and my inability to forget this boy, I friend requested him. It was in this moment that I realized I had a problem.

Our ability to have someone’s entire internet personality at our fingertips has broken down a very important reality: We don’t actually know these people. I can look at your LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter all day long and, yet, I’m no closer to knowing who you actually are.

This infinite information presents a real problem in relationships. We feel as if we know all of these little facts about people without even having a conversation with them. “Oh, I don’t need to ask you about your siblings on this date, I looked at their Facebooks yesterday.” We’re forging opinions about people and stunting the longevity of potential relationships. Instead of finding out about past relationships on date 3, we’re creeping on their exes after date 1 and canceling date 2 based on our findings.

Very recently, a Tinder chat (a story in itself) grew into an actual chance to grab drinks. I fought every impulse to creep on this guy.* I wanted for once to go on a date without any extra information. And believe it or not, it went well. I didn’t prompt him with questions based on his Facebook interests and yet we still had plenty to talk about. The freedom of a clean slate helped me gain actual interest in this person and who knows, maybe there will be a second and third date.

I’m Lindsay. And I’m trying to get better.

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*Okay. I admit it. I looked at his Facebook. I don’t need some catfish swimming into my life.

 

 

 

 

vine

Vine: Will Instagram Kill the Video Star?

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By Meredith Lorch

vine

Photo Credit: Gizmodo

All the foodie photos and selfie snapshots on your Instagram feed are about to be brought to life. Vine has largely dominated the video-sharing world in recent months, but Instagram has just added video features to its iPhone and Android apps, creating quite the buzz. The question is clear: does Video on Instagram mean the downfall of Vine?

Only time will tell whether Video on Instagram will outcompete its rival. Some continue to see real potential in Vine. Gary Vaynerchuk, a brand consultant and industry thought leader, is even creating a talent agency for Vine stars, called “Grape Story.” Despite this, it’s hard to believe that Vine will amount to anything more than a fad. While its novel six-second looping video format is initially charming, Vine’s brief, repetitive nature quickly becomes overwhelming. Add in the effect of camera shake and erratic Vines can be dizzying.

instagram-vs-vine5

Photo Credit: Tech Crunch

Both Vine and Video on Instagram employ a simple tap-and-hold-to-record feature, but Vine fails to capitalize on post-production features. The beauty of Instagram lies in the 13 brand new filters created exclusively for video—not to mention an image-stabilization tool called Cinema for capturing crisp, shake-free video. Users can also browse Instagram videos on a website—unlike Vine, which solely allows for video exploration within the app. Overall, Instagram’s new 15-second video capability allows users to share the adventure and splendor of their worlds unlike ever before, posing a serious threat to competitors.

instagram

Photo Credit: ABC News

So what’s on the horizon? Rumor has it Instagram has potential for Google Glass integration. The possibilities are seemingly endless. With its latest update, Instagram has solidified its place as a classic sharing tool that is here to stay—and not just for the foodies.

Everywhere has a robust internship program and we invite our interns to participate by writing on our blog. Meredith Lorch is an intern from Emory University. She authored this blog post.

Danica Kombol sets her New Year's resolutions.

6 Social Media Resolutions for 2013

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by: Danica Kombol

New Year’s Social Media Resolutions

On Christmas Eve, as we were decorating our tree, my kids moaned, “No more Instagramming.” Both my 20-year-old daughter and I were more fixated on creating artsy Instagram pics than we were adorning our tree. The next morning, my other daughter laid down the law, “No social media until after breakfast.” My husband piped in, “How about no social media all day.” I managed to make it through the day with only one brief visit to my Facebook page. If your teenage and twenty-something kids are begging you to lay off the social media sauce, it may be time for a few social media resolutions. Here are my 6 social media resolutions for 2013:

1. Social Media Diet: Put yourself on a social media diet. Three solid social media meals every day. By that I mean, check into your platforms three times a day – and no snacking in between. Pinterest (which in my house is like crack cocaine) is reserved for dessert.

2. Be in the moment: Recognize that not every moment is a social media moment. Special times with family, like decorating the tree, should be experienced in real time and the Instagram and Facebook photos kept out of the picture.

3. Be respectful: I’m pretty slap happy about posting pictures on Facebook but I always ask first. Randi Zuckerberg was rightly outraged when one of her friends tweeted out a private family holiday moment she had shared on Facebook. Ask before sharing – different people have different attitudes about what is public and private.

4. Set a goal: If you are using social media for business, set some goals. Create a clearly outlined goal for what you want to achieve through the use of social media and measure against those goals. Hint: Increasing your Facebook “likes” is not a goal. Building leads or building positive PR buzz is.

5. Spend Wisely: Yes social media is free, but think before you spend your tweets. Mindless content just to fill up your feed ends up annoying your followers and will never get you to a goal of building a community.

6. Be a good friend: Social media really is first and foremost about relationship building. It’s about sharing and being part of a community. Nobody likes a friend who is all about ME-ME-ME. Think sharing and building an alliance.

So let’s make a toast instead of a Tweet to our 2013 Social Media Resolutions Diet!