Ron Callari - Social Media Scientist

Ron CallariWelcome to my Social and Digital Media and Trends Homepage.

As a freelance writer and editorial cartoonist, my published work explores current trends on the digital horizon, social media, humor, politics and innovation. I treat global geo-political issues with the same weight of importance as cartoons and Twitter. My published work includes the satirical "kidd millennium" cartoon series, Facebucks & Dumb F*cks, a graphic novel satirizing Facebook and Crude Behavior and Uncle Dubya's Jihad Jamboree, two parodies of the Bush Administration. In a world where we are barraged daily by data overload, I try to cut through the clutter by delivering new insights with off-center, but hopefully insightful commentary.

Here is a sampling of some of my more popular posts:

Your comments and feedback are always welcome. If you're on Twitter, please give me a follow. If you need a friend, let's connect on Facebook! But in any event, please come back often!

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Will Robots Social Network When They Eclipse Man's Intelligence? [Videos]

by Ron Callari

'Singularity' for those mere mortals who are unaware is the theoretical emergence of a super-intelligence through technological means. First proposed by mathematician John von Neumann, it is the time when "ever accelerating progress of technology and changes in the mode of human life, which gives the appearance of approaching some essential singularity in the history of the race beyond which human affairs, as we know them, could not continue."

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There's A Rash Of 'Jash' On YouTube's First-Ever 'Comedy Week' [Videos]

by Ron Callari

To understand Jash, you need to know what the YouTube Channel Initiative is all about. Funded by Google with the specific goal of bringing innovative content to YouTube, it's a 100 million dollar program that kickstarted Google TV's entree into original programming.

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Gain Additional Clout on Klout When You Play For No Pay?

by Ron Callari

While still considered a punchline by many, for others that are happy to receive the perk of free access to American Airlines Admirals Club, Klout has been diligently trying to find ways to up its game. No longer content in just assessing one's social media score, Klout is morphing into a social network of sorts.

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Redditors Willing To Meme Their Opposition To Death

by Ron Callari

While the "Party of No" desperately seeks something to say yes to, their fight to rebrand themselves is met by aggressive social media opposition by the Redditors. While bookmarking sites the likes of Digg have withered on the digital vine over the past few years, Reddit seems to be not only the one with staying power, but the one whose "up" or "down" votes can sway public opinion quickly.

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Google Glass Sees Its Users As Big Brother [Video]

by Ron Callari

Quicker than George Orwell's ink could dry on the page, "1984" introduced the world to a whole new level of paranoia that's kept us looking over our shoulders for the last sixty years or so. From the "Red scare" of the 1950s to Presidents justifying unjustifiable wars in the 21st Century, to the Patriot Acts's reduction of citizen rights -- right up to today's CCTV cameras surveilling us à la 'Person of Interest,' Big Brother has carved out a permanent foothold in our society.

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Marissa Mayer's Intuitive Search Meets Work Ethic At The Corner Of Bing & Yahoo

by Ron Callari

What's a $36 Million-Dollar lady to do after bailing from the world's largest search engine only to join the ranks of a bit player the likes of Yahoo? A player that was losing so much market share, it needed to enter a 10-year partnership agreement with Microsoft's Bing to stop the bleeding.

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Caveat Emptor, When Rippln Comes Rippln [Videos]

by Ron Callari

Normally, MLM (multiple level marketing) pyramid schemes appeal to desperate folks who are down on their luck and/or are willing to buy into anything that promises them a quick return. It's built off a non-sustainable business model that promises payments or services, primarily for enrolling other people into the scheme, rather than supplying any real investment of sales of legitimate products and services.

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'iSteve' Movie Examines An Unexamined Life From The Great iBeyond

by Ron Callari

The just released movie "iSteve" is a creative spoof satirizing the life and times of Steve Jobs, in a way that not only takes liberty with the historical facts but also ironically casts in the title role the actor that helped make "Mac" a household name. That's right, while Ashton Kuthcher's portrayal of Jobs is still a way's off, Justin Long of "I'm a Mac" fame has assumed the role of iSteve in this online mockumentary, available to any and all, on a computer near you!

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Branson & Virgin Altantic Use Hard Sell To Poke The Competition

by Ron Callari

When the competition goes highbrow, what's the CEO of a competing airline to do? Well, if you're Richard Branson you might seek out advertising space that goes below the belt. That's right. . . while politicians, the likes of U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner have lost their jobs over public images pertaining to to their 'junk,' Virgin Atlantic's number one publicity junkie exposes himself to the world at large - and to boot - getting off "Scot" free (literally)!

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Facebook Hits A Homer, While G+ Strikes Out? [Videos] [Updated]

by Ron Callari

When Facebook rounds 3rd base for a home run On April 12th -- with it's new Android app called "Home" -- one has to wonder if Google missed a golden opportunity? With a stock uptick of 3% as a result of this announcement, the new FB app is boasting its functionality to turn any compatible Android phone into a socially-smart Facebook phone.