Kiwi government brings home the dangers of kids’ online activities; advertisers say ‘Bye-bye Tucker’

by Chris Powell

New Zealand government brings home online dangers

The government of New Zealand is warning citizens about the potential dangers that children might encounter if their online behaviour is not properly monitored or regulated.

Developed by Auckland-based agency Motion Sickness the “Keep it Real Online” campaign uses humour to address the dangers lurking for children on the web, from pornography to child predators.

Aimed at parents and caregivers, the six-week campaign uses TV, digital and social, as well as print, OOH and a dedicated website. It’s highlighted by a series of video ads that show unsuspecting adults encountering real-world representations of their child’s online activities.

In the “Pornography” ad, for example, a woman is surprised when a pair of (strategically filmed) adult film stars show up unexpectedly to warn her about her son’s online activities, and express their concerns about how their performance online could be misconstrued by a young person.”We don’t even talk about consent, do we?” the woman offhandedly says to her partner. “Usually we just get straight to it.”

All of the spots conclude with an inner monologue by the adults about the need to talk about the differences between online and real life, and the real-world implications of people’s online behaviour.

Advertisers exit Tucker Carlson’s show in wake of BLM comments

The last advertiser holdouts are fleeing the Fox News program Tucker Carlson Tonight following a series of attacks on the Black Lives Matter movement made by the controversial pundit.

This week saw Disney, Papa John’s and T-Mobile all pull their advertising from Carlson’s show, which has included a litany of thinly-veiled racists jabs—including one broadside aimed at the Sesame Street character Elmo (!)—in response to the protests that have arisen around the world after the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.

“Got that Bobby. America is a very bad place and it’s your fault,” was Carlson’s takeaway from that particular segment, which showed Elmo talking to an adult about the BLM protests and the daily injustices perpetrated against people of colour.

Earlier in the week, Carlson (recently described by Last Week Tonight host John Oliver as a “human boat shoe”) opined: “This may be a lot of things, this moment we’re living through. But it is definitely not about Black lives, and remember that when they come for you. And at this rate, they will.”

Fox News claimed that by “they,” Carlson meant the Democrats and “inner-city politicians,” but that wasn’t enough to mollify angry Americans. The most public advertiser breakup came courtesy of T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert, who responded to a tweet by a customer saying they would drop its service if this is they type of message it supports.

“It definitely is not. Bye-bye Tucker Carlson!” wrote Sievert, followed by the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag.

Twitter wants users to think before posting

At a time when social media platforms are once again under the microscope for their power to shape the global discussion on important issues like public health, racism and democracy, Twitter has taken another step to encourage better use of the platform.

In this case, it’s a suggestion for all those users who have shared something without actually reading it (raises hand), to well, actually read it themselves before sharing.

Twitter is testing the new prompt with Android users first: “Sharing an article can spark conversation, so you may want to read it before you Tweet it. To help promote informed discussion, we’re testing a new prompt on Android—when you Retweet an article that you haven’t opened on Twitter, we may ask if you’d like to open it first.”

 

 

 

Chris Powell