This, our last week of our class, we had to choose a writer from the New York Times series, "Writers on Writing." I chose Elie Wisel because I remember reading his book Night when I was in middle school.
Despite his commentary on religion and me being an atheist, I found his reflections about writing enlightening. He talked about how the magic of the Hasidic stories influenced his tales. It is the Western style of story telling where the wicked are punished and the victims come out on top in the end or as he states, "a world where miracles were a part of everyday life." He talks about Franz Kafka's predecessor, Rabbi Nahman of Bratislav who wished to see his tales turned into prayers, but instead Kafka turned his prayers into tales.
Maybe writing should be like that: to write stories that reflect what we hope to see in the world. That writing should have some kind of message behind it. Maybe our writing we should work to inspire people to bring about some change.
I also liked Wiesel's point about that no matter how little of a chance there is to be published, authentic writers still write because they have no choice. Nowadays, it is easy to have your writings viewed by the entire world; just create a blog. But his talk about how writers have characters that want to get out truly visualize the desire to write.
I am starting a blog focused on PTSD, even though I don't have PTSD myself. I feel that finding an outlet to express oneself could be the best way to help cope with the feelings that combat veterans felt during their time in combat. I think those of us who write have these emotions that want to escape and where we can't truly express how we feel directly, maybe a story or a painting may help us express those feelings.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Does Multimedia Enhance Our Messaging?
The answer to this question is of course it does. It gets boring to read a bunch of text and the internet has definitely shortened our attention spans. So to have blocks of text interrupted by pictures and video is definitely a relief on our eyes and our brains. With the rise of social media networks like Instagram, Pinterest, and Vines, multimedia is becoming a more important component of our messages.
With all the tools out there, the question becomes, so which tools are the most effective?
Well, there is Powerpoint. This link shows how to create dynamic Powerpoint presentations. But Powerpoint has become cliché. Personally, it reminds me of boring, stuffy business meetings or my time in the military when our superiors would use Powerpoint to demonstrate key points or safety briefs. It has become the modern version of the slideshow. I think Powerpoints have become dreaded. Sure you can use multimedia in Powerpoint slides, but things like audio are only confined to one slide; you cannot carry it on to the entire presentation.
Before this lesson, I've never heard of Animoto, but looking over at the site, I feel this would be one of the best ways to convey a message. It seems more fresh and light-hearted than using Powerpoint. Instead of just going slide by slide like in Powerpoint, Animoto allows you to add your own personal style to your presentations. It makes presentations seem less business-y and more fun. Sure, it's the same concept as a slideshow, but there is more detail to it, like the animations.
Overall, if I had an excuse to use Animoto, I would definitely use it. You can add your own personal touch to your presentations, especially if you are marketing to consumers.
With all the tools out there, the question becomes, so which tools are the most effective?
Well, there is Powerpoint. This link shows how to create dynamic Powerpoint presentations. But Powerpoint has become cliché. Personally, it reminds me of boring, stuffy business meetings or my time in the military when our superiors would use Powerpoint to demonstrate key points or safety briefs. It has become the modern version of the slideshow. I think Powerpoints have become dreaded. Sure you can use multimedia in Powerpoint slides, but things like audio are only confined to one slide; you cannot carry it on to the entire presentation.
Before this lesson, I've never heard of Animoto, but looking over at the site, I feel this would be one of the best ways to convey a message. It seems more fresh and light-hearted than using Powerpoint. Instead of just going slide by slide like in Powerpoint, Animoto allows you to add your own personal style to your presentations. It makes presentations seem less business-y and more fun. Sure, it's the same concept as a slideshow, but there is more detail to it, like the animations.
Overall, if I had an excuse to use Animoto, I would definitely use it. You can add your own personal touch to your presentations, especially if you are marketing to consumers.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Blogging
I actually like to write so I've tried blogging a few times. I started with a blog called Do I like Writing? 30 Days to Find Out where I gave it a shot. Then, I continued with blogs called the Social Media Rook and Vacilando. However, I just couldn't generate momentum and find my voice. I really liked doing it, but I didn't know why I was doing it. But since I started my social media/PR internship at the National Veterans Art Museum, I am about to start a blog about PTSD called Shell Shocked and I finally feel like I have generated some interest about it.
So what makes good blog practices? I actually subscribed to a course called Start A Blog That Matters run by Corbett Barr, who is in charge of Think Traffic, to learn how to blog. I actually learned a lot from it and I'm using these principles to hopefully succeed with Shell Shocked.
The most important part is to have great content. But not just great content, EPIC content. As Corbett Barr says, "Write Epic Shit." Mediocre and good writing is just the price of admission nowadays; anyone can publish a blog. However, to have a good blog, you have to stand out from the crowd. The internet is all about evoking emotion. We are exposed to many things on the internet, that you truly have to do something to captivate us. And we have the memories of goldfish, what is hot one minute will start to fade away in a few months. Take a look at Gagnam Style or the Harlem Shake. Those were the hottest things and, in just a matter of weeks, gone. So you truly have to stand out from the crowd and get people's attention to have a great blog. With Think Traffic, the blog posts are all relevant in how to get more people to pay attention to you. As bloggers, we definitely don't want to be writing just for ourselves and a handful of friends; we want to make an impact on the world.
Also, targeting a niche is important. If you target a niche, there is a purpose for the blog. If you just write for everyone, then no one will come. Just imagine if Think Traffic was also writing about fantasy football. It would get very confusing and it wouldn't garner as much traffic as it does now. Identifying a niche can help develop a brand as well. I also like to read the Art of Manliness and the Art of Non-Conformity. Both these blogs have a specific theme to them. They do attract the general public, but it started off with just a specific niche; Brett McKay of the Art of Manliness decided to write about men's issues, but not the superficial and shallow style that you'll find in Maxim or Men's Health and Chris Guillebeau of the Art of Non-Conformity just started by targeting those who like to travel and wanted to step away from the status quo.
There are debates whether design is important as well. I mean, you don't have to have flashes and amazing graphics to have a successful blog. But I feel the most successful blogs have the simplest designs. But you could have the most eye-appealing blog in the world, but if the content is not there, who cares? You could have pictures of attractive people holding kittens on every post, but if your blog is all about what you ate on a daily basis, I'm really not going to care. But then, some people would care, if it is well-written. Or I could just stop by the blog for the pictures of attractive people with kittens.
Also, a great blog is easy to share. There should be links for readers to share on their Facebook, Twitter, or Google+. I still don't mind copying and pasting the address to put on my Facebook status, but making it easy to share just makes it convenient for the readers and could even make it easy for your stuff to go viral.
Overall, I feel that it is content that should be king. You could have all the bells and whistles with fancy graphics and design, but it would mean nothing if you had crappy content. Think about the blogs you read today and why you read them. What if they had a $5 design template? Would you still read them? In my personal opinion, if the information was very valuable, I would keep coming back and I'm sure many readers would as well.
So what makes good blog practices? I actually subscribed to a course called Start A Blog That Matters run by Corbett Barr, who is in charge of Think Traffic, to learn how to blog. I actually learned a lot from it and I'm using these principles to hopefully succeed with Shell Shocked.
The most important part is to have great content. But not just great content, EPIC content. As Corbett Barr says, "Write Epic Shit." Mediocre and good writing is just the price of admission nowadays; anyone can publish a blog. However, to have a good blog, you have to stand out from the crowd. The internet is all about evoking emotion. We are exposed to many things on the internet, that you truly have to do something to captivate us. And we have the memories of goldfish, what is hot one minute will start to fade away in a few months. Take a look at Gagnam Style or the Harlem Shake. Those were the hottest things and, in just a matter of weeks, gone. So you truly have to stand out from the crowd and get people's attention to have a great blog. With Think Traffic, the blog posts are all relevant in how to get more people to pay attention to you. As bloggers, we definitely don't want to be writing just for ourselves and a handful of friends; we want to make an impact on the world.
Also, targeting a niche is important. If you target a niche, there is a purpose for the blog. If you just write for everyone, then no one will come. Just imagine if Think Traffic was also writing about fantasy football. It would get very confusing and it wouldn't garner as much traffic as it does now. Identifying a niche can help develop a brand as well. I also like to read the Art of Manliness and the Art of Non-Conformity. Both these blogs have a specific theme to them. They do attract the general public, but it started off with just a specific niche; Brett McKay of the Art of Manliness decided to write about men's issues, but not the superficial and shallow style that you'll find in Maxim or Men's Health and Chris Guillebeau of the Art of Non-Conformity just started by targeting those who like to travel and wanted to step away from the status quo.
There are debates whether design is important as well. I mean, you don't have to have flashes and amazing graphics to have a successful blog. But I feel the most successful blogs have the simplest designs. But you could have the most eye-appealing blog in the world, but if the content is not there, who cares? You could have pictures of attractive people holding kittens on every post, but if your blog is all about what you ate on a daily basis, I'm really not going to care. But then, some people would care, if it is well-written. Or I could just stop by the blog for the pictures of attractive people with kittens.
Also, a great blog is easy to share. There should be links for readers to share on their Facebook, Twitter, or Google+. I still don't mind copying and pasting the address to put on my Facebook status, but making it easy to share just makes it convenient for the readers and could even make it easy for your stuff to go viral.
Overall, I feel that it is content that should be king. You could have all the bells and whistles with fancy graphics and design, but it would mean nothing if you had crappy content. Think about the blogs you read today and why you read them. What if they had a $5 design template? Would you still read them? In my personal opinion, if the information was very valuable, I would keep coming back and I'm sure many readers would as well.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Crafting a Press Release: Joe Paterno Passes Away at the Age of 85
Hypothetically drafted before the Freeh Investigation conclusions and vacated wins:
STATE COLLEGE, PA (January 22, 2012) - The Penn State University family tragically reports that long, beloved football coach, Joe Paterno, has passed away today at the age of 85. He passed away due to complications from lung cancer. He is survived by his wife, Sue, and their five children.
Joe Paterno, or "JoePa," as he is known by the Penn State faithful, was born on December 21, 1926, in Brooklyn, New York. He was drafted into the Army in 1944 and discharged a year later. He attended Brown University where he played both quarterback and cornerback. He became an assistant football coach at Penn State in 1950 and eventually became head coach in 1966.
During his time at Penn State, he led the Nittany Lions to two national championships in 1982 and 1986, five undefeated seasons in 1968, 1969, 1973, 1986, and 1984. He is the only coach to have won all four major bowls - Rose, Orange, Fiesta, and Sugar. His overall bowl record is 24-12-1. Paterno won the Big Ten championship outright in 1994 and had two shared championships in 2005 and 2008. Joe Paterno's overall record is 409-136-3. He is second in the all-time college football wins list and ranked #13 out of the 50 greatest coaches according to Sporting News.
Outside of the football world, he worked to make sure that his players were also successful in the classroom, along with the football field. Penn State's players have consistently performed higher academically than their counterparts in Division 1-A football. Four-year graduation rates under Paterno were 78%, well above the 67% average all over the NCAA. He and his wife, Sue, have also donated $4 million to various departments around the university.
Facebook post:
Today, the Penn State family sadly announces the passing of Joe Paterno. He has easily become the face of Penn State football and one of the most recognizable names in college football. We at Penn State are grateful for the decades of service that JoePa has given us and making Penn State one of the premier football programs in the country. Thank you, JoePa.
STATE COLLEGE, PA (January 22, 2012) - The Penn State University family tragically reports that long, beloved football coach, Joe Paterno, has passed away today at the age of 85. He passed away due to complications from lung cancer. He is survived by his wife, Sue, and their five children.
Joe Paterno, or "JoePa," as he is known by the Penn State faithful, was born on December 21, 1926, in Brooklyn, New York. He was drafted into the Army in 1944 and discharged a year later. He attended Brown University where he played both quarterback and cornerback. He became an assistant football coach at Penn State in 1950 and eventually became head coach in 1966.
During his time at Penn State, he led the Nittany Lions to two national championships in 1982 and 1986, five undefeated seasons in 1968, 1969, 1973, 1986, and 1984. He is the only coach to have won all four major bowls - Rose, Orange, Fiesta, and Sugar. His overall bowl record is 24-12-1. Paterno won the Big Ten championship outright in 1994 and had two shared championships in 2005 and 2008. Joe Paterno's overall record is 409-136-3. He is second in the all-time college football wins list and ranked #13 out of the 50 greatest coaches according to Sporting News.
Outside of the football world, he worked to make sure that his players were also successful in the classroom, along with the football field. Penn State's players have consistently performed higher academically than their counterparts in Division 1-A football. Four-year graduation rates under Paterno were 78%, well above the 67% average all over the NCAA. He and his wife, Sue, have also donated $4 million to various departments around the university.
Facebook post:
Today, the Penn State family sadly announces the passing of Joe Paterno. He has easily become the face of Penn State football and one of the most recognizable names in college football. We at Penn State are grateful for the decades of service that JoePa has given us and making Penn State one of the premier football programs in the country. Thank you, JoePa.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Social Media Channels I have attempted
Blogs - I feel that blogs are a way to establish yourself as an expert in whatever field you are pursuing. Blogs are the biggest way to attract attention and get your name out there. A majority of those in the social media world says that if you want to make it in this industry, you have to have a blog. They provide great advice to people and I read many blogs myself, such as the Art of Manliness, the Art of Non-Conformity, and Seth Godin's blog. I've had multiple attempts at blogging. I love to write, but I've been trying to find my voice. In 2002, before I left for the Navy, I gave it a shot, but I couldn't gain any momentum. When I was in Thailand, I started a blog called Do I like Writing? I saw a TED talk that talked about doing something for 30 days to find out if you like it, so I tried my hand at blogging. I shared my stories from the Navy and whatever was on my mind. I like to write and I have a knack for it, but I feel that I can't carry any momentum. I landed an internship at the National Veterans Art Museum recently and I plan on starting a blog about PTSD to help the public understand PTSD. Hopefully, since this is work related, I can garner some momentum.
Photo Sharing Sites - I have also got into photography lately and I've been taking a lot of pics with my Nikon D3100 and editing them using LightRoom 5. I have a Flickr site that can be seen here. Sharing pictures is a huge deal on social media. Sites like Instagram and Pinterest are platforms that encourage members to share pictures and create stories. Everyday, people post their pics on Facebook. I feel that sites like Flickr and 500px are more for professionals, but people and companies are trying to capitalize on people's desire to share photos.
Video Sharing Sites - I only have brief experience using video sharing sites; I have only uploaded three videos onto Youtube, mainly my fights and an interview for the online English tutory company I've worked for. My YouTube channel can be seen here. YouTube is the largest video sharing site and according to Aids.gov, "it's the 2nd largest search engine, next to Google." Videos can help a brand go viral. If a person looks at their Facebook feed, their friends and fan pages are constantly sharing things off of YouTube.
Photo Sharing Sites - I have also got into photography lately and I've been taking a lot of pics with my Nikon D3100 and editing them using LightRoom 5. I have a Flickr site that can be seen here. Sharing pictures is a huge deal on social media. Sites like Instagram and Pinterest are platforms that encourage members to share pictures and create stories. Everyday, people post their pics on Facebook. I feel that sites like Flickr and 500px are more for professionals, but people and companies are trying to capitalize on people's desire to share photos.
Video Sharing Sites - I only have brief experience using video sharing sites; I have only uploaded three videos onto Youtube, mainly my fights and an interview for the online English tutory company I've worked for. My YouTube channel can be seen here. YouTube is the largest video sharing site and according to Aids.gov, "it's the 2nd largest search engine, next to Google." Videos can help a brand go viral. If a person looks at their Facebook feed, their friends and fan pages are constantly sharing things off of YouTube.
Friday, July 5, 2013
The credibility of things posted on the internet
For this assignment I chose to examine an article from the Huffington Post. The reason why I chose this is because I am a liberal and I know I tend to read publications that side with my point of view (although, I tend to shy away from MSNBC). With the polarization of the political climate in America, I feel it is very important to examine this part of our daily lives. A majority of us use the internet on the daily basis, and if you're reading this now, you are definitely using the internet. As the link for our assignment says, "Anyone, in theory, can publish on the Web; therefore, it is imperative for users of the Web to develop a critical eye to evaluate the credibility of Internet information." So examining this will be practical use for our global population.
Since the Huffington Post leans liberal, I tried to find an article that may seem to have a liberal spin on it. On the front page of HuffPo, I found this article, "Justice Scalia's Son Doesn't Think Homosexuality Really Exists." It definitely caught my eye and it could possibly be written in a bias that could be used to ignite us liberals.
My first alarm is that this article was curated from Right Wing Watch, as the bottom of the article has a link to the original article. Obviously, this organization is going to have an agenda which is to keep check on the political right and making sure they don't fabricate any stories out there. However, I can see this the other way as well, in that Right Wing Watch may overdramatize any little thing the opposite spectrum may say. Because of my bias, I definitely saw this on Fox News a lot, but I even see this on MSNBC. It's mainly the reason why I try to shy away from cable news in general.
Next, I tried to follow up on the author of the article, Brian Tashman. He is a blogger, and he is a research associate over at the People of the American Way, another activist group. I honestly couldn't find much on him, except that he has a LinkedIn and Twitter account. And I checked up on some of his writings, and he does point out, on his blog, some of the ridiculous things that the right-wing fundamentalists say, such as Glenn Beck calling Obamacare "Satanic" or Christian fundamentalist leaders claiming that gay marriage will bring down America. So he does a good job curating evidence of the extreme right-wing pundits overdramatizing the current state of America. But I have not found any writings of Brian Tashman published in scholarly journals. So he does a good job of providing whistle-blowing evidence of what the right-wing are saying, but he does have a liberal bias. I haven't seen anything where he criticizes MSNBC, but maybe I haven't dug deep enough.
So yes, anyone can publish anything they want on the web. But we should be responsible of the things we put on there. The cable news channels live on this 24/7 cycle of sensationalizing the news. It seems they are doing this for ratings instead of informing the public. And of course, the way to drive up the ratings is to create fear and hysteria about the current state of affairs. I may have said this before, but the documentary, Patriocracy, has made me more aware of what causes the climate of polarization in our country. Of course, we must be wary of the other side overdramatizing the news, but we must not lower to that level as well. Hopefully, with a more media literate public, we can break the gridlock in our country.
Since the Huffington Post leans liberal, I tried to find an article that may seem to have a liberal spin on it. On the front page of HuffPo, I found this article, "Justice Scalia's Son Doesn't Think Homosexuality Really Exists." It definitely caught my eye and it could possibly be written in a bias that could be used to ignite us liberals.
My first alarm is that this article was curated from Right Wing Watch, as the bottom of the article has a link to the original article. Obviously, this organization is going to have an agenda which is to keep check on the political right and making sure they don't fabricate any stories out there. However, I can see this the other way as well, in that Right Wing Watch may overdramatize any little thing the opposite spectrum may say. Because of my bias, I definitely saw this on Fox News a lot, but I even see this on MSNBC. It's mainly the reason why I try to shy away from cable news in general.
Next, I tried to follow up on the author of the article, Brian Tashman. He is a blogger, and he is a research associate over at the People of the American Way, another activist group. I honestly couldn't find much on him, except that he has a LinkedIn and Twitter account. And I checked up on some of his writings, and he does point out, on his blog, some of the ridiculous things that the right-wing fundamentalists say, such as Glenn Beck calling Obamacare "Satanic" or Christian fundamentalist leaders claiming that gay marriage will bring down America. So he does a good job curating evidence of the extreme right-wing pundits overdramatizing the current state of America. But I have not found any writings of Brian Tashman published in scholarly journals. So he does a good job of providing whistle-blowing evidence of what the right-wing are saying, but he does have a liberal bias. I haven't seen anything where he criticizes MSNBC, but maybe I haven't dug deep enough.
So yes, anyone can publish anything they want on the web. But we should be responsible of the things we put on there. The cable news channels live on this 24/7 cycle of sensationalizing the news. It seems they are doing this for ratings instead of informing the public. And of course, the way to drive up the ratings is to create fear and hysteria about the current state of affairs. I may have said this before, but the documentary, Patriocracy, has made me more aware of what causes the climate of polarization in our country. Of course, we must be wary of the other side overdramatizing the news, but we must not lower to that level as well. Hopefully, with a more media literate public, we can break the gridlock in our country.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
A philospohical insight
How do I know what I know?
Well....that seems like a philosophical question. It sounds like we are going to have an epistemological discussion. And I did study a little bit of philosophy. But simply, I gather my information from books and news sources. I'm a nerd, so I love to read books like on philosophy and international affairs. I get my news from CNN, ABC News, BBC, and Al-Jazeera. I may find a blog or two, but I try to think about the credibility of the source and see if there are any backlinks to any scholarly sources. From what I read, I use that to develop my own beliefs. However, I'm not an absolutist and I feel that my beliefs can change based on new evidence that is presented to me. I don't want to go too detailed into my thought process about gathering knowledge, especially since I know this entry is not supposed to be about epistemology. Basically, I gather the information and try to figure out if it makes any logical sense whether it aligns or conflicts with my beliefs.
What did I learn today from social media?
The main platform I use is Facebook and I don't like to think that I gather my news off of my Facebook feed. But I am subscribed to some publications on Facebook, like Al-Jazeera, the Bleacher Report, ESPN, the Chicago Tribune, etc. I admit that I am also subscribed to more liberal publications, like the Huffington Post. However, I know they put a liberal spin on the news, so I try to stay wary of what I read there. So on a superficial level, today, I learned the parade route and the rally times for the rally for the Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup for Friday. Do I believe it to be true? Sure. I actually got the route from a Chicago restaurant's feed, which was linked to the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Blackhawks also posted the events for the day. It's just a small event that does not need any hype or over-sensationalism, so I believe it to be true. Now things can change at the last minute, but the location is usually where Chicago sports teams have their rallies when they win titles (which is rare, I know), I have reason to believe that this article of news to be true.
Just now, I got a feed from Al-Jazeera stating that a U.S. general is in hot water for a leak on a cyber attack on an Iranian nuclear plant. I saw the same thing on CNN and ABC News. Right now, I'll take it at face value and believe it's true. I, honestly, believe in Al-Jazeera's journalistic integrity, but I always keep my guard up, no matter the source.
Is social media credible for obtaining information?
It depends. If it comes from a source that is fact checked over and over, then it is possible to trust that feed coming in. However, if I say something about the civil war in Syria, and I'm not an expert on Syria nor have I been there, then obviously, my words should not be taken for as fact. Also, there is the possibility of photos being airbrushed and Photoshopped, so we truly must be careful about what we pick up on our social media feeds.
Well....that seems like a philosophical question. It sounds like we are going to have an epistemological discussion. And I did study a little bit of philosophy. But simply, I gather my information from books and news sources. I'm a nerd, so I love to read books like on philosophy and international affairs. I get my news from CNN, ABC News, BBC, and Al-Jazeera. I may find a blog or two, but I try to think about the credibility of the source and see if there are any backlinks to any scholarly sources. From what I read, I use that to develop my own beliefs. However, I'm not an absolutist and I feel that my beliefs can change based on new evidence that is presented to me. I don't want to go too detailed into my thought process about gathering knowledge, especially since I know this entry is not supposed to be about epistemology. Basically, I gather the information and try to figure out if it makes any logical sense whether it aligns or conflicts with my beliefs.
What did I learn today from social media?
The main platform I use is Facebook and I don't like to think that I gather my news off of my Facebook feed. But I am subscribed to some publications on Facebook, like Al-Jazeera, the Bleacher Report, ESPN, the Chicago Tribune, etc. I admit that I am also subscribed to more liberal publications, like the Huffington Post. However, I know they put a liberal spin on the news, so I try to stay wary of what I read there. So on a superficial level, today, I learned the parade route and the rally times for the rally for the Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup for Friday. Do I believe it to be true? Sure. I actually got the route from a Chicago restaurant's feed, which was linked to the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Blackhawks also posted the events for the day. It's just a small event that does not need any hype or over-sensationalism, so I believe it to be true. Now things can change at the last minute, but the location is usually where Chicago sports teams have their rallies when they win titles (which is rare, I know), I have reason to believe that this article of news to be true.
Just now, I got a feed from Al-Jazeera stating that a U.S. general is in hot water for a leak on a cyber attack on an Iranian nuclear plant. I saw the same thing on CNN and ABC News. Right now, I'll take it at face value and believe it's true. I, honestly, believe in Al-Jazeera's journalistic integrity, but I always keep my guard up, no matter the source.
Is social media credible for obtaining information?
It depends. If it comes from a source that is fact checked over and over, then it is possible to trust that feed coming in. However, if I say something about the civil war in Syria, and I'm not an expert on Syria nor have I been there, then obviously, my words should not be taken for as fact. Also, there is the possibility of photos being airbrushed and Photoshopped, so we truly must be careful about what we pick up on our social media feeds.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
My use of social media
Basically, the only new media I use is Facebook. I've always said that I don't think my life is cool enough for Twitter and I need more than 140 characters to express myself. And I do have a LinkedIn profile, but I barely use it since I don't feel confident in my skills. However, I would like to be a social media consultant, so I am learning everything I can about all the social networks.
With the advent of social media, I'm more apt to take things at face value. When I see something an event happening on my Facebook feed, I'm more likely to take it as truth. However, at the same instance, I tend to be skeptical as well, because things I see on social media is making me think about things more in depth. I am definitely not a conspiracy theorist, but I feel that we should examine things more carefully because of our 24/7 news cycle and social media. The platform has leveled the playing field giving everyone equal journalistic integrity at the beginning. So it is definitely very important to make sure we truly think about what we read before we form our own opinions.
While that is the negative of new media, the positive is that you can get the news as it unfolds on the ground. The great thing about social media is that you have real-time access to the news, as where in the past it would take at least a couple of hours to get the breaking news. For example, social media was very helpful during the Arab uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. If it wasn't for social media, then the Arab spring may have never came about, since a Tunisian blogger helped to become the catalyst. Of course, you have to truly vet through the information coming out. But just like anything, social media has its pluses and minuses.
With the advent of social media, I'm more apt to take things at face value. When I see something an event happening on my Facebook feed, I'm more likely to take it as truth. However, at the same instance, I tend to be skeptical as well, because things I see on social media is making me think about things more in depth. I am definitely not a conspiracy theorist, but I feel that we should examine things more carefully because of our 24/7 news cycle and social media. The platform has leveled the playing field giving everyone equal journalistic integrity at the beginning. So it is definitely very important to make sure we truly think about what we read before we form our own opinions.
While that is the negative of new media, the positive is that you can get the news as it unfolds on the ground. The great thing about social media is that you have real-time access to the news, as where in the past it would take at least a couple of hours to get the breaking news. For example, social media was very helpful during the Arab uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. If it wasn't for social media, then the Arab spring may have never came about, since a Tunisian blogger helped to become the catalyst. Of course, you have to truly vet through the information coming out. But just like anything, social media has its pluses and minuses.
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