Filed under: Small Business, Internet, Mobile Technology, Computers, Toys, Social Media
If you thought the recent #AlexfromTarget social storm triggered by teen fangirls was over the top, get ready for selfie-snapping newborns. New social toys from the Netherlands called New Born Fame let babies post to Instagram and tweet from the crib. The fuzzy-wuzzy GPS and camera-loaded toys also let babies take selfies and automatically upload them to Facebook (FB).
On the heels of Huggies TweetPee, which allowed babies to tell their parents via Twitter (TWTR) when their diaper is wet, comes this next step in recording every moment of our lives. Did baby turn over? Babble her first da-da? No worries, no one will miss it. Not mom, dad, grandma, or the billions of people on the Internets.
As babies are too young to use laptops or smartphones, Netherlands grad student Laura Cornet developed a crib mobile with soft toys dangling down in an infant-engaging way. Each of the toys interacts with the baby's social profiles, which are created and synched by parents. Isn't that birdie cute? Pull on it and baby tweets! Pull on the Facebook logo and baby updates his status along with his current location (3:13 a.m., Crib, left corner). Pull on the toy that looks like a camera and an up-close-and-personal video is taken and lands on Instagram.
Internet-famous by 3 months? What a concept. Design innovator Cornet came up with the idea to encourage parents to start thinking about what they post about their children online. All of which is obviously done without baby's consent. This new generation will have an Internet footprint before they can walk. Apply to an elite kindergarten? Oh-oh, those drooly selfies could block that acceptance. Star in the middle school play? Too many potty-shots online. Eventually, prospective employers may have a digital record of their potential employees diapers and drool.
And while Cornet developed all this in the name of social research, for marketers this is truly the proverbial cradle-to-grave strategy. Does baby have flushed cheeks? Better send that Amazon drone over with some Pedialyte and flu medication. Look how cute baby looks in pink!
