Introduction
Technology has permeated into everyday activity, facilitating efficiency. With the advancement of technology, most functions are being conducted virtually through the Internet (Lee, 2020). It involves the use of technology to share promotional information with consumers. The use of technology in advertising improves the output of the advert and aids in gaining more leads and popularity. As such, technologies include social media, emails, paid media, and search engine optimization.
Online Advertising Technologies
Social media is relevant in making the product more common, and establishing the brand of the product by reaching out to the already existing clients and new ones. This form of technology identifies the target audience and blends the content to be relevant to the audience. Hootsuite is the major tool used in social media to enhance output (Lee, 2020). Its users can update many networks in one action as it supports more than one hundred integrations. Due to its efficiency, it is a recommended tool for first-timers to aid in the management of social media platforms. The top social media platforms with the highest audiences include Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Paid media technology works by paying for any online advert. It includes paid click advertising, display ads, and branded content. This technology is efficient as it selects the right platforms and aims at a specific demographic. It also allows for extended visibility to reach out to a larger audience. Tools such as the lead pages suit underdeveloped businesses that strive to get to their core audiences (Lee, 2020). The technology is founded more on delivering a quality advert to the audience rather than achieving a greater audience.
Search engine optimization technology works by maintaining visibility on the search engine results pages. Though it is advantageous in reaching out to a larger audience, it makes it difficult to compete with other sales as Google keeps on changing. Its tools, such as Moz, ensure its success by providing relevant educational resources and various capabilities (Lee, 2020). The deep Crawl tool is used for website crawling that offers the user the opportunity to have a deeper overview of the advertising site.
The email has become a major communication channel in recent years. Companies and individuals promoting their products by email provide detailed information that is attractive and can create value for their recipients. Tools such as the mail chip enable email marketing automation with testing, simple template, and email designers, making it easy to monitor the success rate (Estrada-Jiménez et al., 2020). The emails are more efficient as they offer a dialogue chance with the audience. The messages are sent to notify the customers with updates that pique their specific desires.
Online Advertising Impacts
The use of technology in online marketing has caused both positive and negative effects on my daily life. Communication amongst various people has been enhanced regardless of time and location. They offer a chance to have new interactions with people and making friends of different kinds has been enabled. The technology has enabled both marketing and trading at the same time. Therefore, physical shopping has been bypassed as one can purchase a product online and have it delivered at their doorsteps (Estrada-Jiménez et al., 2020). This also promoted democratized retail trading by eliminating the expenses needed to establish a physical shopping Centre.
Unlike the ancient strenuous periods of seeking information on a specific product, online marketing technologies have made it easy to research and access available information on any particular good or service. The data is well arranged and documented on web pages providing vivid explanations of each product. Social lives that offer the waking of others’ lives through platforms such as Snapchat, Tik Tok, and Instagram make life more enjoyable (Estrada-Jiménez et al., 2020). Online technologies have made the work schedule more flexible by enabling working from home. This has provided a flexible routine, a lessened workplace impact, and the choice of the place of work.
Though the technologies provide a wide range of positive effects, they also offer negative effects. As such, they include the breach of personal privacy and space. Accessing information online provides desirable levels of convenience. This, however, researching the websites leaves a footprint enabling hackers and scammers an exploitation chance. This is possible as they can access private data on an individual and manipulate it. Social media platforms can be a source of fun and can cause detrimental mental health effects, affecting self-esteem.
Social Issues Involved in Online Advertising
Problematic advertising technologies cause devastating effects on society. This includes an escalation of the crime rate, especially amongst the young, aggressive generation. The techniques tend to exploit weaknesses in the community, such as the women and children, and through deliberate advertising of immoral products (Chandler & Fuchs, 2019). In most cases, information spread on a product can be deceptive and manipulative as it differs from reality. The validity of the information shared in most cases cannot be validated. The consumer’s freedom of choice is also limited to the power of advertising as it can distort the buyers’ decisions. In some incidents, advertisements such as the ads are offensive and irritating to people who could not like to view them.
Political Issues Involved in Online Advertising
Technology and online advertising have caused political issues as it is being used as a campaign platform. Disinformation, manipulative and antidemocratic communication has become rampant. Leaders from deceptive front groups act as imposters and use fake social media accounts, and search engine algorithms to distort information and contacts (Chandler & Fuchs, 2019). Individual data hacked is used against the owner, and they are turned into political advertisers to manipulate the target audiences effectively. Online advertising platforms have also been turned into activism zones.
Politicians from online groups use the popularization of their manifestos and spread their initiatives to the public. In the current governmental world, misleading and fake information has become a buzzword through fragmentation of information specifically to create political cause amongst political rivals (Chandler & Fuchs, 2019). The development of democracy has been promoted through online advertising technologies by providing a theoretical foundation for knowledge sharing and connection amongst different people.
Ethical Issues Involved in Online Advertising
Online marketing strategies have caused ethical dilemmas, especially because of how they are conducted. The messages and images presented present ethical violations such as the portrayal, the language used, and pictorial viewing. These aspects at times suggest a bad underlying hidden connotation. The use of naked graphic imaging of women violates society’s moral standards (Chandler & Fuchs, 2019). Advertising forms such as subliminal and psychoactive ads disobey the human welfare perspective, raising an ethical worry.
This is because subliminal and psychoactive ads cause feelings of anxiety, low self-esteem, and a self-feeling of hostility which can cause depressive disorders. Ethically, everyone has the right to privacy and personal space. Most online marketing technologies violate privacy rights by accessing people’s data and, in some cases, exploiting the information obtained. Sexuality and sex appeal adverts present a serious ethical concern as they reflect women as objects of use and submissiveness.
In conclusion, online market advertising is a developing trend incorporating the use of technology. Through social media, emails, and mobile ads, companies, and individuals have had an opportunity to popularize their products to the public. Business people do not only use the platforms but activists and politicians as well. Though it presents an effortless facilitated trading style, it has repercussions on society and undermines various ethical considerations.
References
Chandler, D., & Fuchs, C. (2019). Digital objects, digital subjects: Interdisciplinary perspectives on capitalism, labor and politics in the age of big data. University of Westminster Press.
Estrada-Jiménez, J., Parra-Arnau, J., Rodríguez-Hoyos, A., & Forné, J. (2019). On the regulation of personal data distribution in online advertising platforms. Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence, 82, 13-29. Web.
Lee, H., & Cho, C. H. (2020). Digital advertising: Present and future prospects. International Journal of Advertising, 39(3), 332-341. Web.
