My New Blog

1. What were the top three social media sites, in terms of traffic, in 2020? List them in order of popularity.
   The top 3 social media sites listed in order are 1.) Facebook, 2.)YouTube, and 3)WhatsApp.
2. Provide a brief summary of how each social media site works and why people use it. 

Facebook is a social media platform where people can add friends and post information that they wish to share with their friends, in addition to sharing facebook users can communicate with people that they may not have been able to connect with otherwise. Youtube is a platform where users can upload or view videos on a wide variety of topics, a lot of people use youtube to start their own channel and to publish their own unique content. WhatsApp is owned by Facebook, but it is specifically used so users can send voice messages, make video calls, or voice calls, in addition to these features text messages can be sent through the app.

3. What are “demographics” and why is it important in social media?

Demographics are specific groups within a larger group. 6 types of demographics include (age, gender, occupation, income, family status, education). It is a factor in social media because these sites often tweak their advertisements/marketing to fit what is being marketed toward your demographic.

4. Explain any demographics that stand out among the three social media sites you listed above. (More popular with a specific age group, are majority of users male or female, married or single, employees or self-employed, etc.)

Facebook is most popular with millennials, about 7 out of 10 adults use Facebook. There are more men on Facebook than women by about 10 percent. YouTube is popular with all age groups, however, it is slightly more popular with users 35 and under. WhatsApp is most popular with people ages 26-35, about 27% of this demographic uses WhatsApp. Close to 20% of ages 19-25, and ages 36-45 use WhatsApp.

5. On average, how much time do users spend on each social media site during a day, week, or month? Provide a resource that supports your answer.

On average most people spend 58 minutes a day on Facebook, youtube an average of 40 minutes a day, and Whatsapp an average of 28.4 minutes a day.

6. Which of the three social media networks is growing the fastest? Why do you think that is?

The three social media sites that are growing the fastest are Facebook, youtube, and WhatsApp. These are the same three that get the most traffic. I think the reasoning for Facebook and WhatsApp is growing rapidly is because it allows people to connect with a lot of other people easily (sometimes people they may have lost touch with otherwise). I think youtube is growing because it is can be entertaining but also can be educational and interesting.

7. How are the majority of visitors accessing these three sites (computer, mobile device, tablet)?
   The majority of people that use all 3 apps (Facebook, youtube, WhatsApp) use their mobile devices to access these sites.

https://www.dreamgrow.com/top-15-most-popular-social-networking-sites/

https://www.omnicoreagency.com/facebook-statistics/

https://blog.hootsuite.com/youtube-stats-marketers/

https://www.statista.com/statistics/814649/whatsapp-users-in-the-united-states-by-age/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2021/06/24/americans-spent-more-than-1300-hours-on-social-media/?sh=6f7168c32547

https://techjury.net/blog/time-spent-on-social-media/#gref

An example of bad online behavior occurred in 2013 when Target Corporation was the target of a data breach. The data breach impacted 41 million accounts. The cyber attackers responsible for the data breach stole information through a 3^rd party vendor. With the information that they stole from the 3^rd party vendor, they were able to gain access to a customer service database. Once they gained access, they installed malware on the system. As a result, names, telephone numbers, email addresses, credit card numbers, verification codes and other private data became exposed. After the security breach, Target offered customers free credit monitoring services. In addition to credit monitoring, they agreed to pay up to 10K to customers with evidence of financial loss as a result of the data breach. Target was part of a 10-million-dollar lawsuit and has paid 18.5 million in damages. To prevent another data breach from occurring they implemented an independent security expert, maintain data security software on their companies’ network, keep cardholder data on a separate network, change passwords frequently, and require 2-factor authentication. The data breach affected the company’s reputation, the following year sales were down 40 percent according to a New York Times article. The hacker responsible for creating the software used in the Target Breach was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

If I had my own business, I would implement the security measures that Target adopted after the breach, I would have two-factor authentication, frequent password changes, sensitive information stored on a different network, and the best security software that I could get.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/05/23/target-pay-185m-2013-data-breach-affected-consumers/102063932/

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/27/business/target-reports-on-fourth-quarter-earnings.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/hacker-linked-to-target-data-breach-gets-14-years-in-prison/2018/09/21/839fd6b0-bd17-11e8-b7d2-0773aa1e33da_story.html

• Know your enemy: As of Summer 2020, what are 5 sources/types of potential digital threats to your organization. Examples include external malicious actors or internal human error. Provide a thorough description and examples; be specific

Digital threats that the company should be aware of are 1.) Phishing: this is when digital threats try to trick users into sharing personal information. 2.) Ransomware, this is malware that encrypts files and locks users out of their connection, it holds the information ransom and asks for a fee. 3.) Malware; this specifically infects computer systems and steals account information with the intent of stealing money from the account. 4.) Outdated software: this can be a threat because if the software doesn’t have the updates and firewall that it needs it can be susceptible to digital threats.5.) Password theft: the company should change passwords frequently and make the password something that wouldn’t be easy to guess containing (numbers,symbols,caps,etc). The company should require two factor authentication.

• Know yourself: Identify at least 5 digital processes, systems, and/or functions your company has in place. Importantly, address how could those be exploited or manipulated in order to gain access to valuable corporate or customer data?

One process the company has in place is data encryption for important documents and information that is stored within company computers. Additionally, the company educates the employees on internet safety by informing employees to exercise caution when opening emails or clicking links within emails. If something seems questionable it is always best to call the person to verify that they were the one that actually sent the email before opening it. Thirdly the company will have anti-malware software on all of their computers to detect viruses and to identify potential threats.  Another way to protect the company would be to lock the wireless network, which would allow only employees to use the network, anyone outside of the company would not be able to connect to company Wi-Fi. Lastly, another strategy that the company would use would be to limit user accounts, only specific people would be allowed to manage the IT information.

• Develop your strategy: As the chief technology executive, make 5 recommendations that your company should adopt to be more safe, secure, and reliable. Again, consider hardware, software, networks, and human policies and procedures. (e.g., appropriate use policy on corporate computers; firewall; SSL/web encryption; backup/retention)

The company strategy to protect the company’s digital information would be to have strong passwords with two-factor authentication. Locked wifi: for internal users only. Limited access to IT information, only people with IT training and the company leads would have access to that information. The company would have strong anti-virus protection with up-to-date software and computers. Additionally, the company would train employees on internet safety and how to exercise caution when clicking on links or opening emails. The company would have important data encrypted, and they would have information on a backup system to be safe.

https://fraudwatch.com/5-common-digital-threats-how-to-mitigate-defend-prevent/

https://www.executech.com/insight/top-15-types-of-cybersecurity-attacks-how-to-prevent-them/

https://www.iberiabank.com/business/business-resource-center/protect-online-threats/

Creating and Applying Master Pages in InDesign Tutorial: Published May 6, 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40Vsy56ytaE

This youtube video that I found is from 6 years ago. It was posted by a channel called Good Creative Academy. The gatekeeping method for this type of information would be up to the viewer, the viewer would need to determine whether this video is relevant and worthy of their time. Unless the channel or contributor deletes the video it will remain available to the public. The person speaking in the video seems knowledgeable and easy to follow. However, since design programs are continually updating and offering new or different features, I feel that it would be better to find a video that is more recent.

11 inspiring graphic design trends for 2021

https://99designs.com/blog/trends/graphic-design-trends/

This information was posted last year. It doesn’t specify a date that it was posted however, the title states that it is discussing and presenting visual examples of design trends for 2021. The article was posted by a website called 99 designs. It is presented in a manner that looks in-depth and like it was posted by someone that is in the design industry. The website is hosted by Vistaprint. The gatekeeping takes place within the team that runs the website, it looks like the website is ran by individuals that keep a close tab on what is going on in the design world. The information was easy to follow each design topic had a header with photographs and clear descriptions. This is a website that I would trust getting information from because of how detailed and well presented the information is.

The Rise Of Design Thinking As A Problem Solving Strategy

https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2021/06/design-thinking-problem-solving-strategy/

The third website that I looked at was an article on smashingmagazines.com. The article was posted in 2021 and was written by an established UX designer named Josh Singer. I trust his advice because the website consists of contributions of people that have been in the design field for quite a while. The site has established a dedicated following, having 190,000 followers. The gatekeeping takes place by whoever runs the website, I imagine the articles and contributors probably have to be reviewed before being published. The information is thorough and the writer states that he has 20 years of experience in educational technology. He goes on to describe Design Thinking, this is a resource that I feel would be useful in the future. It is helpful to know about his design thinking process and other designers’ perspectives.