Gorodetska D.A., Mudrenko A.A.

Oles Honchar Dnipropetrovsk National University, Ukraine

CYBERCULTURE AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION IN MARKETING

The idea of cyberculture appears at the point of interaction of physical and virtual worlds and to the extant computer nets and technologies penetrate in our everyday lives, entertainment, communication, business. Since the boundaries of cyberculture are difficult to define, the term is used flexibly, and its application to specific circumstances can be controversial. It generally refers at least to the cultures of virtual communities, but extends to a wide range of cultural issues relating to "cyber-topics", e.g. cybernetics, and the perceived or predicted cyborgization of a human body and human society itself. It can also embrace associated intellectual and cultural movements, such as cyborg theory and cyberpunk.

Manifestations of Cyberculture include various human interactions mediated by computer networks. They can be activities, pursuits, games, places and metaphors, and include a diverse base of applications. Some are supported by specialized software and others work on commonly accepted web protocols. For instance, games, social networks, internet memes.

One of the most important peculiarities of cyberculture is extensive ethnography of cyberspace, which can not easily be expressed in single unified cultural space. Cyberspace is not monolithic or placeless, but rather technological and its features are used by different people in different geographic areas. It is malleable, perishable, and can be shaped by the vagaries of external forces on its users. For example, laws, social norms, market forces have a direct impact on the cyberspace, and as a result of the fact how cyberculture is formed and evolved. Thus, we can distinguish the spectrum of the main qualities that unites all terms using the prefix "cyber" in relation to cultural phenomena. Some of them are:

· a community supported by information and communication technologies;

· it is a culture "based on computer monitors";

· involves a very large, but weak ties between individuals;

· significantly increases the number of individuals involved in solving a particular problem, it is virtually impossible in the space of traditional cultures, taking into account the physical, geographical and time constraints;

· first of all, it is cognitive and social culture, rather than geographical;

· a product of like-minded people who have found a common place to interact;

· it is inherently more "fragile" than a traditional form of community and culture.

Cyberculture implies a very specific language and images which are hard to understand for newbies (newcomers). Almost all internet users familiarized with such names as "Y U NO" Guy, Philosoraptor or Derp meanwhile elderly people are far from understanding these notions. Such images are called memes and except the strange titles and meanings involve constantly changing contest. Some memes are inspired by common life situations, others – by certain events. There were a lot of memes participating the captain of the Costa Concordia when the accident occurred, but now there is none. As for the memes devoted to relationship problems they are always urgent.

So cyberculture does not have any territorial boundaries, and the censorship is almost absent. The wide range of opportunities for advertising is available. It is well known that the efficiency of common advertising forms such as TV commercials, outdoor advertising and poster panel advertising is increasing dramatically each year. People simply do not notice the boards and change the channel when it is a commercial break. That is why many companies (such as Pepsi and Skittles) produce creative advertisements specially for the internet users. Even US governmental project Kony 2012 was posted on Youtube instead of broadcasting on TV. The key advantages of such commercials are:

· low cost of placement;

· viral advertising;

· creation of company’s positive image.

But the most progressive organizations have advanced even further – they have become a part of a culture. For example, Nutella is an internet synonym to something very tasty and sweet as there are a lot of memes devoted to its adorable taste. One of them is a picture of a skinny model on which the phrase “calories can not make you happy” is written and there is a respond a little lower “girl, have you tried Nutella?”. Or “Y U NO” Guy saying: “NUTELLA Y U NO LAST FOREWER”. This means modern firms have a unique chance to become a part of a multi – billiard cyberculture without any abundant capital investments using only the sense of humor or interesting ideas.

Also there is a large undiscovered stratum – using games in order to promote the products. Gamers are numerous and peculiar caste. Let’s imagine that in World Of Warcraft (a massively multiplayer online role-playing game) would appear, for example, cereals that would give manna on-line and would be purchasable in real life. Players who pay real dollars to buy their characters some stuff would certainly prefer WOW cereals to any others.

To sum everything up, I would like to say that in this article only few aspects of cyberspace and its opportunities were presented. Modern life is impossible without internet and its concomitant effects, so entrepreneurs should take this fact into consideration to go with the times.