Post 2: Relationships

This week I wanted to focus on relationships in a social media setting between individuals and companies within the fashion industry. Last week I gave an overview, and went into a bit of detail regarding some of my practices as the senior copywriter for a local clothing company. From the readings, I learned about the term "social capital," which refers to the networks of relationships between those who live and/or work in a society. Reading about this concept made me think about the relationships which exist via social media between the so-called "leaders" of the fashion world (whether that be designers, corporate clothing companies, fashion bloggers, etc), and the subscribers to these messages.

Although fashion is most certainly cyclical, it's still interesting to watch trends develop. Which trends survive and continue (like distressed denim, for example), and which dwindle and die off (crimped hair and Loony Toons characters printed on ties), is something that's either aided or hindered in no small part by social media, and how skillfully the "tastemakers" can sway public opinion. Without the masses who populate social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Chictopia, Lookbook and Twitter, members of the fashion industry would need to work a lot harder to set the tone and focus of the conversation. Much like social media, which runs on user generated content, the fashion industry could not exist without the active participation of the public. As explained in the readings, "social media has the potential to dramatically improve the inner workings of every company." I feel this is especially true in the fashion industry, as so much of social media is about how you wish to appear to others. Choices are made as to how you'd like to physically appear (profile pictures), and the parts of your personality you'd like to showcase or present, which is displayed through status updates, tweets, etc. So much of our online presence is so carefully curated through a painstaking process of highlighting our successes (as we see them), and attempting to disguise or hide our failures.

Besides the physical act of going to a storefront and purchasing apparel from fashion retailers or designers, there are many ways in which subscribers can show their commitment to their desired brand. Obviously that's the clear-cut goal of the fashion-oriented businesses, but engaging the viewers/followers and enticing them to care can be achieved a number of ways with the help of social media. Hashtags which correlate to different days of the week is one such way this is accomplished. For example, fashion retailers might post content for #TBT (throwback Thursday), in which they can show a retro style, or photos from an older photoshoot in an effort to show the longevity of the company, while stirring feelings of nostalgia within the engaged viewers/readers.

With my own job I'm asked to work every day to discover new ways we can utilize social media in order to build relationships with our customers (and potential customers). I feel a good way to do this is to make sure the brand is clearly defined. A target demographic should be established, with information about the education level, income level, etc that will help the employees be more easily able to generate content that the customers will identify with. In failing to do so, the retailer will become a faceless brand which won't stick out in the customer's mind.

It's also important to be actively engaged through social media platforms like Linkedin with other individuals who share my goals or interests, in order to build social capital which will benefit me later in life. (Probably sooner rather than later). As a senior at Chico State, I'll be graduating soon, and although I have many years of work experience in a wide range of fields, the job market is an ever-increasingly competitive place. It's important to me to tether myself through digital platforms to any and all entities I'm interested in and think could be an area of interest in the future. For instance, as an avid reader of VICE, and watcher of the HBO show The VICE Guide To Travel, I feel the aesthetic, mission statement and message are extremely in line with my own. It's therefore important to follow the development of this company and its ventures through the use of social media.