The concept introduced by David S. White and Alison Le Cornu (2011), has sparked different views on how exactly it is defined as. Many of us embarked on the research of the concept and found some interesting pieces of information that were pretty insightful. I was able to relate some of the information that was posted by my course mates to our past modules such as HRM and Strategic Marketing Decisions.
This concept may be valuable in the marketing context where information may be relayed easily to those that “reside” in the digital world. What would pose as a challenge for Marketers are targeting the “visitors” who are wary of their “footprint” online. Even though the target audience of the web may be vast, “segments of one” (Capon & Hulbert 2007) is crucial in the industry. This point was raised indirectly from Ebrahim’s (2014) post on the vulnerabilities of digital “residents”.
Another key factor that was taken from this topic is the “learning” that takes place around the online environment. Yvonne (2014) raised a point: stating that human interaction may not be well received by students. I do agree to a certain extent in her point. However, I do believe that there is a need for students to be exposed to the online environment as the expectation of future employers on Millennials may lie in our “online network” (Forum 2014).
With that being said, I do see a huge potential in how this concept may be brought forward. Is it just digital “visitors” and “residents” that Marketers or future employers should be concerned of? Many of us do not realize that sometimes, it is not even a choice for us whether to leave a “footprint”. A swipe of a card at any stores would simply mean, “signing off” our personal information to companies!
References:
Capon, N. & Hulbert, J.M., 2007. Managing Marketing in the 21st Century: Developing and Implementing the Market Strategy, Wessex Incorporated. Available at: http://books.google.com.sg/books/about/Managing_Marketing_in_the_21st_Century.html?id=RQFticcBQRwC&pgis=1 [Accessed November 28, 2014].
Forum, W.E., 2014. Five way Talent Management must change. World Econmic Forum. Available at: http://forumblog.org/2014/10/don-tapscott-talent-management-millennials/ [Accessed November 27, 2014].
Loh, Y., 2014. A new age of “Digital Residents”? Available at: http://yvonneblogs.wordpress.com/2014/11/27/digital-visitors-and-residents/#respond [Accessed November 28, 2014].
Shakir, E., 2014. The World Online. Available at: https://ebrahimshakir.wordpress.com/2014/11/27/the-world-online/.
[Accessed November 28, 2014].
White, D.S. & Cornu, A. Le, 2011. Visitors and Residents: A new typology for online engagement. First Monday, 16(9). Available at: http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3171/3049 [Accessed November 27, 2014].
Comments made on:
Loh, Y., 2014. A new age of “Digital Residents”? Available at: http://yvonneblogs.wordpress.com/2014/11/27/digital-visitors-and-residents/#respond [Accessed November 28, 2014].
Shakir, E., 2014. The World Online. Available at: https://ebrahimshakir.wordpress.com/2014/11/27/the-world-online/.
[Accessed November 28, 2014].
Exploring the Evolution of Marketing. 