WDW Social 'Media' and Conspiracy

Originally Posted By ChiMike

He is a hip and edgy blogger. A real cool guy.

What do you expect from him? A regular head shot with a smile? That's so Y2K.

 

Originally Posted By Bolna

<<He is a hip and edgy blogger. A real cool guy.

What do you expect from him? A regular head shot with a smile? That's so Y2K.>>

Have you seen his picture on the official blog? It is a regular head shot with a smirky smile, but somehow strangely grainy.

If that is hip and edgy in the US in 2011, I can tell you that Europe is way hipper and edgier!

 

Originally Posted By leobloom

<< This is sort of in line with Bolna's and Spirit's so-called research on the Corporate Blog. >>

>> 'So-called'? I think we did some fine work if I do say so myself ... <<

>> They should not be too difficult to find for someone who is a good researcher - and not only a so-called one. ;-) <<

Just having some fun with the obscurity of what we're studying here -- pixie-dust-induced mental illness and corporate-controlled messages.

Of course you two are the best darn researchers LP has to offer. (Well, at least as long as we aren't talking about the history of Disney restrooms.)

Really, though, this may be a somewhat obscure subject -- especially to people who don't visit Disney theme park message boards. But I think there is something very important about what Spirit pointed out way back around the first pages of this 2500 page thread. The use of the internet/social media/technology by corporations is a subject that is ripe for examination and discussion. In academic circles, it's something of a truism that capitalism absorbs any resistance to or criticism of itself. From the looks of this thread, it certainly appears that the medium that permitted and encouraged free-thought and critique of the Disney corporation back in the 1990s and early 2000s is now throughly used to solidify high levels of the pixie-dusted message by the p'dusters. You think about the way that we absorb information about our world apart from what we know about Disney's parks and you realize that this discussion about corporate-controlled messages isn't small potatoes. (Did I spell that right, Dan Quayle?)

Kudos to LP for allowing this thread to exist. Not many Disney boards that would've tolerated it, I suspect.

 

Originally Posted By Bolna

<<Of course you two are the best darn researchers LP has to offer.>>

Wow, thanks!

<<You think about the way that we absorb information about our world apart from what we know about Disney's parks and you realize that this discussion about corporate-controlled messages isn't small potatoes.>>

I absolutely agree, the issue we are discussing here is much wider than just Disney - even though it makes sense that we are focussing on Disney since this board is about it and it is an interesting example.

But that wider context is the reason why I find it so interesting. And it has changed my view on Social Media quite a bit. Seemed like it did the same for others as well. I remember there were some people saying a few pages back that they deleted their facebook accounts (I did the same a few weeks ago btw).

And it is the reason why this thread will get to the 1000 posts (I just hope nobody blunders on the following dalmations post!!).

 

Originally Posted By skinnerbox

<<From the looks of this thread, it certainly appears that the medium that permitted and encouraged free-thought and critique of the Disney corporation back in the 1990s and early 2000s is now throughly used to solidify high levels of the pixie-dusted message by the p'dusters. You think about the way that we absorb information about our world apart from what we know about Disney's parks and you realize that this discussion about corporate-controlled messages isn't small potatoes.>>

This statement beautifully explains what Disney Social Media is all about. It's also the best explanation I've read so far about why I'm leery of Disney Social Media, and always will be.

I've always known subconsciously that the Mouse manipulates my emotions and nostalgia in a deliberate effort to get me to spend more and more of my money. But prior to the Social Media explosion, these efforts weren't always glaringly obvious to me. There was a fine art to their manipulation, which was often too subtle to be consciously noticed most of the time. But that ship has long since sailed.

It's the difference between grandpa watching a 1910 burlesque striptease vs junior getting a 21st century lap dance. Nothing is left to the imagination anymore. The Mouse is all over the net, constantly spewing the pixie dusted saccharin sweet blogs and tweets of self-congratulatory praise for its latest mediocre offerings, much like a drunken Toad throwing up behind Steve's Chevy after trying to prove his non-existant coolness via hard liquor in 'American Graffiti.' Debbie can handle the booze but Terry can't, even though he desperately tries to fit in by drinking. Like with Toad and the hard stuff, Disney and Social Media is a bad combination that doesn't particularly fool anyone.

If enough Disney fans feel as I do, as we do, then Social Media will ultimately cost Disney financially, through oversaturation of heavy handed messaging that will turn off a significant percentage of their customer base. Perhaps those of us participating in this thread who see the damage that's being done to the Disney brand are in the minority, but I strongly suspect this isn't the case.

Social Media has its place in commercial ventures, such as my local food store advertising special sales or offering new recipes. But the manner in which Disney is utilizing it is not much different than the 21st century lap dancer. It looks like the real deal from a distance, but not when it's your lap that Disney is gyrating all over.

 

Originally Posted By ReelJustice

Disney has been using the hashtag #disneyfyi on Twitter, but they never preface with information, only questions.

Do Thomas Smith et al not know the meaning of "FYI"? Feel free to chime in Thomas. We don't bite.

 

Originally Posted By Spirit of 74

^^Thomas will NEVER chime in here ... he'll lose his job first ... but I'm sure Walmart is hiring ... but I really wonder what he'll my next post and what kind of damage control Disney will have to do to 'splain this kind of crap.

Get ready ... here it comes ...

 

Originally Posted By Spirit of 74

"Disney social media team rocks!PapiBlogger family is entering Magic Kingdom for the first time together today. We'll be posting stuff today!" (2/26/11)

Oh, Papi! Papi ... why do I want to vomit while reading your Tweets?

In my continuing Spirited analysis of Social Media and its forward march on independent voices, I have come across the 'papiblogger'. A dude who has presented a near-perfect/textbook example of how sinister this incestuous relationship TWDC (and others in business who are co-opting the medium) engages in is. How it impacts the consumer, and how it degrades the product and the BRAND.

Papi, as we'll call him, is a former and short-lived journalist at the Miami Herald who has turned into a powerhouse in marketing to a Latino audience. He is considered 'a name' in the PR world. Only, to those in Social Media he is simply 'Manny the Daddy Blogger'. And therein lies one helluva problem.

He touts himself as 'the first and only' Latino daddy blogger, a flat-out lie and the kind of self-promoting bluster/BS you find too often in public relations. He presents himself as a voice in the community, speaking to the original and true intent of Social Media, but Manny is anything but.

Right now folks, he is living the (Social Media) dream.

Papi and the family are in the midst of an 11,000-mile cross-country vacation covering 18 states from Florida to Alaska in 37 days including trips to WDW, DLR, and even a MAGICal DCL cruise. Sounds great, right? Trip of a lifetime for 98% of Americans and gets better ... Especially with Disney picking up the bill, Buick providing the new Enclave (or as he refers to it, the 'papimobile') to drive around this great nation, and ... wait for it, folks ... TWDC paying him an undisclosed daily 'reporting fee and stipend'.

Yup. TWDC and Buick (I think OUR tax dollars bailed that company out) are footing the bill for this incredible experience delivered to 'Papi' Manny, his wife and three kids. Oh yeah, his wife is a former executive with the international PR firm Edelman and Associates, I'm sure again that's just a coincidence too! ;-)

And get this, this isn't Manny's first trip of this kind ... he did a tour like this one last year. And people were upset over who got which resort at WDW's 'whorefest' in January? This takes things to a whole 'nother level. Now, before you get all bothered and say 'why can't I' get TWDC and Buick to pay me to take my family on vacation, remember this isn't just another blogger. Papi is not a product of Social Media.

Papi Manny is a tool of corporate America. He is an imposter in Social Media, like so many who can only aspire to this level of success. You simply whore to the world.

To be sure, all of his Tweets and Facebook comments and postings and blog entries are tightly scripted to deliver EXACTLY what TWDC and Buick want delivered to the many who follow 'Papi Manny' and his life adventures. Only, they do not realize these are not his actual life adventures but are paid placements for Disney and a car company. No less brazen than a pack of Marlboros in a major motion picture or a Budweiser or Coke or iPhone in the hand of the A-lister.

Of course, there are those adorable pictures of Manny's little ones. Not to mention his attractive wife. Frequently, oddly enough, they can be found wearing or surrounded by something with TWDC BRAND emblazoned on it. But, hey, everybody does that, right? ... I sat through Cars 2 and Winnie The Pooh merchandise on ABC Daytime's canceled soaps this week, and that was almost more natural.

Well, not quite. This guy and his family are being PAID for this. For the media savvy, and those reading this, it will be obvious this 'papi' is a front, a shill for Disney. BUT to the Social Media collective, he's just Papi Manny ... you know, the Latino Daddy Blogger.

So, when his family appeared to experience some true Disney MAGIC by being selected to open the MK to start their WDW stay, this was a well-orchestrated photo-op prearranged by WDW Co.'s Social Media Dept. When Papi Manny and his family were snapped in front of the castle with the letters L-O-V-E written in the sky above, that was prearranged too.

Everything being posted, Tweeted, sent out to the collective was/is selected to further the corporate agenda. Just like your MAGICal vacation ... right?

Or, as Papi put it, referring to last year's 46 day vacation, "We approached McDonald’s, Sprint Nextel, Chevrolet and Sony to sponsor this one of a kind Latino family adventure and from the start they loved it! We chronicled every day of this great adventure on our blog with stories, photos and videos. Along the way we had the best vacation of our lives and a wonderful Hispanic social media case study."

A case study in what? The dangers of Social Media?

Now, settle down. Papi Manny does disclose that he does NOT review any product or experience that he does not enjoy. Meaning, if he can't gush about it and justify receiving the product/payment, you won't read about it. As one person pointed out in a comment that likely slipped by with his busy travel schedule, it would appear anyone following this blogger is reading selective endorsements and not reviews.

But really, who cares? I don't like seafood, so I'll just take free meals that don't include sea creatures. I don't like staying in cheap motels, so I won't stay at anything along the Interstates. Who wouldn't just select companies and products that they favor, if they knew doing so (and never saying anything negative) would mean winning the Social Media Sweepstakes?

And, yeah, that is one of many big problems with Social Media and the corporatization of it. Instead of hearing from independent voices in your community or out and about in the world, you are reading the highly selective and carefully distilled marketing messages of a corporate giant being presented as though it came from your neighbor next door.

Then, you have the casting of the children. Did those children sign-up for this exploitation? Are they covered under the contract 'Papi Manny' has with TWDC and Buick? If not, what are the implications of this? More importantly, isn't this a profoundly dangerous thing to be engaged in? Exposing/exploiting the family as well as using a faux personal relationship (or the illusion of an independent voice) to entice or otherwise mislead the general public or really anyone reading what Papi Manny is pushing (or the many others out there)?

Come on, Disney (and GM). Really. REALLY?!?!!!

A highly-paid PR hack is sent on a MAGICal tour of all that Disney offers from coast to coast and beyond that TWDC presents as just another Joe Average. Unless, you too can get TWDC and Buick to pay you to take your family on a vacation of a lifetime (or two or...).

 

Originally Posted By ReelJustice

^^Wow! Papi really does make Lou look smalltime.


And I think I may soon find myself on Thomas Smith's wanted list.

 

Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer

I had dental work done this morning, Spirit. Why are you making my head ache, again?


That is TERRIBLE.

How are people so accepting of this!? It's OUT THERE.


..wait, I know the answer...

 

Originally Posted By leobloom

There's a picture of TOT on that guy's blog that -- from the angle it's taken -- sure looks to me like it was from backstage. Papi and crew probably got to skip lines on all these things he's gushing about. Not that he admits it -- and not that we should be surprised. If Disney's picking up the check, they'd probably send the plaid-vest team with Papi's family.

Oh, and check out what the dude wrote about Midway Mania:

"The last ride we were able to do before our abbreviated visit to Hollywood Studios ended today was the Buzz Lightyear ride. This ride is actually very addictive and the kids, my wife and I agreed that as good as the Magic Kingdom Buzz Lightyear ride is, this version is better. Like the Magic Kingdom’s Toy Story ride it features a shooting game but this one seems more competitive. (There are actual web site postings about how to score more points in this game)."

Uh, Disney, if you're gonna pay the guy to vacation at your parks and to sponsor and promote the place, maybe you could explain to him that both MK and MGM don't have Buzz Lightyear rides...and the Midway Mania isn't a different "version" of the Tomorrowland ride. (Although some of the tougher fans might argue that last point, I'm pretty sure Disney would never admit the resemblance.)

Sloppy, Disney.

Get it together.

You're making Uncle Walt cry frozen tears.

 

Originally Posted By leobloom

Dude also tweeted that Space Mountain goes 45 mph and calls Philharmagic a 3D ride.

Looks to me like Disney just forked over the cash and said, "Please say stuff about us!"

I would've expected them to at least have some quality-control measures. Guess not.

 

Originally Posted By MousDad

Well I started to throw up a little in my mouth, but then I actually kept reading Spirit's post, and then . . .

Well, needless to say, I'm off to Best Buy. (Since computer peripherals and copious amounts of projectile vomit don't mix.)

 

Originally Posted By Bob Paris 1

Why are we even assuming this is a real "family". I just assumed it was a very clever guy and some actors hired to appear as his "children".

Either way, it is just another nail in the credibility of social media, as far as I am concerned!

 

Originally Posted By Bolna

I really don't know what to say... How, why and when became blogging about your personal life a career?

But I guess it is only one step further from reality TV: there the human fascination with watching other people's lives was exploited for TV ratings, now it is used as a billboard for a company's product.

But what if things turn out to be not so happy and clean under the surface? We've discussed this before with regard to the Disney bloggers etc. One would think that they did look at this papiblogger in depth before handing over all of that money. But you never know, things can change easily and end up nasty.

 

Originally Posted By Bolna

<<And I think I may soon find myself on Thomas Smith's wanted list.>>

Why? But if you end up there, I guess you would see it as an honour. ;-) And you would be in good company with the Spirit on that list...

 

Originally Posted By Bolna

<<There's a picture of TOT on that guy's blog that -- from the angle it's taken -- sure looks to me like it was from backstage. Papi and crew probably got to skip lines on all these things he's gushing about. Not that he admits it -- and not that we should be surprised. If Disney's picking up the check, they'd probably send the plaid-vest team with Papi's family.>>

That would also explain why he used an old Spaceship Earth picture in the Day 3 update: with the Leave a Legacy decoration on the legs - as far as I know that has been gone by now.

Perhaps we should ask papiblogger about that? He might be more responding than the some of the Disney bloggers?

 

Originally Posted By ReelJustice

<<Why? But if you end up there, I guess you would see it as an honour. ;-) And you would be in good company with the Spirit on that list...>>

I've been confronting @DisneyParks on Twitter about their shenanigans. Namely, their silly and incorrect #disneyfyi tweets that contain no information.

And on Friday, they were trying to distract people from talking about Potter and Universal opening Wizarding World free for moviegoers by spamming Twitter with senseless tweets and old concept are for New Fantasyland.

 

Originally Posted By ReelJustice

And yes, I would consider it an honor. Better to be on the sames list as Spirit than be on a list with the 3 Shillketeers (Tom, Lou, MAGICalSteve)

 

Originally Posted By Bob Paris 1

Do you think maybe, just maybe........