Week 1: How the Web Has Changed Marketing Strategy

Materials Covered:
-"Does the internet make you dumber?"
-"Does the internet make you smarter?"

9 June:
This week was difficult to get set-up and start getting ready for the summer semester due to the Kelley Connect week at the beginning of June.  However, there was some interesting marketing points that I took away from Kelley Connect.  The case study that was utilized during the week was drawn from a real-world company called UAP Insurance who conducted business in Kenya.  They sold crop insurance to small, impoverished farmers to ensure that farmers would not go empty handed in drought times.  The main point during the case was developing a marketing plan utilizing celluar technology.  Even though Kenya is less developed in terms of technology as compared to the rest of the civilized world, it shows that technology is revolutionizing marketing.

In regards to the articles, I was really interested in the debate over the internet and its effects on human intelligence.  I can relate to both articles and see each respective article.  However, I would side with the theory that the internet has made individuals more intelligent rather than dumber.  The vast amount of information available makes people more informed and more likely to seek out information.  Looking back to  early education, all required information was gathered via books, journals, etc.  The amount of time required to gather the minimum amount of information needed to properly write reports was astonishing.  The bulk of a project was dedicated to research and information gathering.  Now, people are able to search multiple research outlets and gather vast amounts of information and data with relative ease.  The consolidation of information on the internet has added more value and ultimately has helped produce better products.

Conversely, the main point in the argument that the internet makes people dumber is very valid.  With the increase of information and activities associated with the internet, people are having to multi-task like never before.  However, there is a fine line between multi-tasking and being distracted.  Personally, this point is driven home at work and on-line school.  There is so much work that needs to be done and I try to accomplish as much as possible while being as efficient as possible.  I start one task at work which leads into  another tasks which leads into another tasks.  As a result, while trying to complete one task, I find myself now working on another more important task.  Furthermore, while working on school work, I find myself researching for a class, find some good information about another class I am taking, start working on the other class and then revert back to the other class.  Basically, the point trying to be made is that with so much information and differing tasks, the internet allows people to not properly multi-task and drift between tasks.