Social Media: In Sickness and in Health?

(Josie Tao, Hong Kong)

Social Media is Fun and Games

Social media is about having fun–sharing your new photos from the junkboat trip, commenting on your besties new outfit on her profile picture. So what happens when you are not living like a rockstar and feeling more like rock bottom? How does Social Media measure up?

A Dedication
Vienna, a woman in her early 20s, have been in and out of the hospital for SLE (Lupus) more times than she can count on her fingers and toes combined in the past few years.

Although she is in serious conditions (an attack left her in a coma for days and in the hospital for months, recently she has had 2 epilepsy in 2 weeks), we slowly learnt that Vienna is actually one of the luckier ones with Lupus in the hospital. Only a few beds away, Jennifer* has been in a coma for 2 months after a fatal attack caused by Lupus. While another woman in the same wing is confined to isolation —her skin is so inflammed and in such poor condition it will be easily infected from airborne germs.

(Yup, LupusOrg is following LadyGaGa, who revealed she tested for Lupus just a couple weeks ago)

Finding support: Online and Offline
Vienna is the kind of woman that can make anybody laugh. Very quickly, she became the nurses’ favourite for her positive outlook and energy. One day, one of the nurses came up to her and goes, “it will be really good if you can talk to Jennifer’s mom, she is having a very difficult time dealing with all of this.”

I can tell both Vienna and Jennifer’s family find relief in talking about her disease with other families going through the same thing—but not everybody in this position is 1) quite as open or 2) get to meet other people going through the same experience. And if the ultimate goal of digital media is to connect with other people and to share your experience, how will it measure it in the time of crisis, sadness and sickness?

Can digital media Band (us) Together?
With Women between 20-50 being most at risk, it is not surprising that http://www.lupus.org developed by Lupus Foundation of America is very digital forward. While visitors may choose to donate online, the website also lists all a variety off offline donation and volunteering options. Connected to a Facebook,twitter, youtube, blog and myspace, LFA is the most interactive and informative assocation for Lupus online. The facebook page has an active discussion board while their website has a Q and A blogpost every month with Doctors that specialize in treating Lupus called “15 questions with”. Each month, visitors to their website submit questions on a specified condition of Lupus.

Digital gets Fashionable--or is it the other way around?

By Josie Tao (Hong Kong)

(Image taken from londonfashionweek.co.uk)

Next minute you're out
Anyone who watches Reality TV knows Heidi Klum's tagline in Project Runway-- "In fashion one day you're in, the next day you're out". But a look at what is happening at London Fashion week will prove that Fashion is moving a lot faster than what Miss Heidi has anticipated. Thanks to digital and social media, reactions to what's hot and what's not pile up to millions by the time your minute rice comes to a boil.

London Fashion Week brings new meaning to Fashion Forward
New this year to London fashion week is a "LFW Digial Schedule" where you can find information and access to realtime streaming of live fashion shows. Viewers can now have front row seats to any show that catches their interest in their comfortable and less stylish pajamas. Viewers may also watch Fashion Films via the website--one of the most notable movie is probably one put together by British Fashion Council celebrating 25 years of British Fashion with a showing of 25 most stylist and innovative dress designs.

(image taken from alomoda.ro)

Fashion going Digital= Fashion Editors working a double shift?
Realtime access to shows at London Fashion Week is bound to send Fashion Magazine Editors straight for their 9th double espresso--- now bloggers and fashion addicts are reacting instantaneously to the new looks and styles. Indeed editors reveal that they definitely feel the pressure to duck backstage immediately after each show, interview, or meeting in order to constantly provide updates online. Because lets face it, being fashionable means having access to the newest, coolest and most exclusive---now this information of what is new is no longer exclusive. What's trendy about finding out the latest style a couple days--if not a couple weeks later in Vogue Magazine when that "news" is already day old bread?


Henry Holland and model Agyness Deyn aka Aggy(Image taken from www.nahuo8.com )

Fashion going digital---what's the appeal?
It is no secret that Fashion Week is the craziest and most important moment for designers, not to mention the most stressful--just look at what happened to Alexander Mcqueen. So why add the extra stress of up-to-the-minute tweeting and exposing your collection without the flattering filter of your editor,model,celebrity friends??

The House of Holland even developed a Blackberry application that allows anyone to buy the collection immediately as they see the designs parade down the runway. This allows dedicated fashionistas to get first dibs on designs before they are even launched in-stores.

One key advantage designers like Henry Holland sees in going digital to associating their name to some of the most innovative technology. In 2010, where not knowing what facebook is equals a social death-sentence, going digital means you're one of the cool kids--and this is the most important image for a designer to broadcast.

Follow me on Twitter: josie_tao
E-mail me at: jtao@prosperity-research.com
Visit my blog: http://josietaonews.wordpress.com

Digital gets Fashionable--or is it the other way around?

By Josie Tao (Hong Kong)

(Image taken from londonfashionweek.co.uk)

Next minute you're out
Anyone who watches Reality TV knows Heidi Klum's tagline in Project Runway-- "In fashion one day you're in, the next day you're out". But a look at what is happening at London Fashion week will prove that Fashion is moving a lot faster than what Miss Heidi has anticipated. Thanks to digital and social media, reactions to what's hot and what's not pile up to millions by the time your minute rice comes to a boil.

London Fashion Week brings new meaning to Fashion Forward
New this year to London fashion week is a "LFW Digial Schedule" where you can find information and access to realtime streaming of live fashion shows. Viewers can now have front row seats to any show that catches their interest in their comfortable and less stylish pajamas. Viewers may also watch Fashion Films via the website--one of the most notable movie is probably one put together by British Fashion Council celebrating 25 years of British Fashion with a showing of 25 most stylist and innovative dress designs.

(image taken from alomoda.ro)

Fashion going Digital= Fashion Editors working a double shift?
Realtime access to shows at London Fashion Week is bound to send Fashion Magazine Editors straight for their 9th double espresso--- now bloggers and fashion addicts are reacting instantaneously to the new looks and styles. Indeed editors reveal that they definitely feel the pressure to duck backstage immediately after each show, interview, or meeting in order to constantly provide updates online. Because lets face it, being fashionable means having access to the newest, coolest and most exclusive---now this information of what is new is no longer exclusive. What's trendy about finding out the latest style a couple days--if not a couple weeks later in Vogue Magazine when that "news" is already day old bread?


Henry Holland and model Agyness Deyn aka Aggy(Image taken from www.nahuo8.com )

Fashion going digital---what's the appeal?
It is no secret that Fashion Week is the craziest and most important moment for designers, not to mention the most stressful--just look at what happened to Alexander Mcqueen. So why add the extra stress of up-to-the-minute tweeting and exposing your collection without the flattering filter of your editor,model,celebrity friends??

The House of Holland even developed a Blackberry application that allows anyone to buy the collection immediately as they see the designs parade down the runway. This allows dedicated fashionistas to get first dibs on designs before they are even launched in-stores.

One key advantage designers like Henry Holland sees in going digital to associating their name to some of the most innovative technology. In 2010, where not knowing what facebook is equals a social death-sentence, going digital means you're one of the cool kids--and this is the most important image for a designer to broadcast.

Follow me on Twitter: josie_tao
E-mail me at: jtao@prosperity-research.com
Visit my blog: http://josietaonews.wordpress.com