Well, this is what we have all been anxiously preparing for this entire course… the TED talk. This infamous talk will be the pinnacle of the Communications class. When we first got the assignment I have to say I was slightly overwhelmed. The TED talks that we had seen in class were impressive, to say the least. I was not sure if I would be able to thoroughly express my ideas in a clear way. After taking some time to think about my topic I came up with an idea based on an area of technology that directly relates to me.
I want to explore how substantially Facebook, texting, and other sources of social media directly affect the lives of people of my generation. Texting alone has taken the place of phone conversations. Additionally Facebook has changed from being a way of staying in touch, to the only source of communication or lack there of between people. If deactivating your Facebook is the end of the world…you know there is a problem.
Twitter sounds like a verb in itself. It has been transformed from a word into a website. Then, that website became a way of life for many people. People wake up and Twitter, they eat breakfast and Twitter, they even go to class, work, and to the bathroom and Twitter. Twittering is a brief 140 message that is posted to your profile. It can pertain to whatever, whoever, and however you are feeling at the moment. When a message is posted it is referred to as a “tweet”. You can involve your friends by tweeting them in your post.
Let us back up and start from the beginning. In order to even starting the Twitter experience, you have to sign up. A new Twitter member must create an account with a user name and password. This allows you to access the site and view other Twitterers…For example; I follow Andy Roddick, Perez Hilton, Soledad O’Brien and many others, including friends and family.
Verbs play an important role in social media. Through Twitter a vast variety of verbs are used. Such as: tweeting, tagging, posting, following, designing, re-tweeting, composing, showing, and many others. Re-tweeting is a message that multiple people have tweeted. In order to follow someone you must find him or her on the site by searching their Twitter user name.
The users of Twitter are endless. Celebrities started using Twitter as a way to connect with one another. Due to Twitter’s popularity it has become a networking hot spot for celebrities to post to their fans about upcoming events, movie premieres, C.D. releases and other important events. Twitter is a social media site centered around connecting individuals, often to people who the normally may not have been able to connect with.
I focused on the pros and cons of Twitter. In relation to the positive aspects of Twitter I have found that many major corporations use Twitter as a source of Public Relations. There are people assigned to be designated Twitter “updaters”. Ford, General Motors, Honda, Jet Blue, South West Airlines, Carnival Cruise line, are just to name a few. Even sports teams use Twitter to highlight games and update fans.
The car companies listed use Twitter as a way to give buyers and customer’s valuable information. They update people on promotions, sales, and offers. Twitter makes it accessible and offers a humanistic element to an online source. Often it makes customer’s feel relatable to the company. Twitter is not overwhelming, and considering there is limited amount of space to write, it usually straightforward. It is a current technology that engages its audience.
Users of Twitter are able to access these major corporations conveniently from home, work, school or even their phone. Twitter adds a fast pace momentum that is able to keep up with the non-stop society we are a part of. In addition, users are able to receive feedback directly from the source. They are offered answers and information in a friendly and social way.
I investigated the people who work for these companies. And explored their duties as Twitter updaters. Employees explained that Twitter was used as an experimental tool to promote their companies. It expanded into a phenomenon of updates and became a community based off its users longing for knowledgeThe negative side of Twitter should be examined as well. Considering that anyone can make an account Twitter is not always a reliable source. There have been multiple occasions where a person has created a false account, therefore creating a fake identity. Celebrities have had people making Twitter accounts for them and posting misleading and often confrontational things. There have been occurrences where people have tweeted that certain celebrities have passed away, when in reality they have not. Since Twitter has become a source of news this is an issue. People will ultimately be misguided with faulty information. There is no way around this problem.
In addition to misleading Twitter accounts, there were instances where people were rallying together on Twitter ending in an actual uproar in Iran. Twitter has become a community in which people are comfortable with the idea that they are enveloped in other peoples lives. It is another for of voyeurism just like Facebook. As a society we have become obsessed with understanding and knowing about the lives of those around us.
Consequently, Twitter offers a compelling aspect to social media, luring its users in with bold updates that are solely directed towards their wants and needs. It is easy to use and therefore becomes available to all ages.
YouTube is a website that lets people watch, upload, and listen to movies, music, tutorials etc. It is easy to navigate. When a user types in a song or movie it gives you other songs or movies that relate to the one the user typed in. Youtube makes an average person a movie star or even a director. It has brought small time musicians to fame from short movie clips that may have seemed significant to others.
It gives people a creative voice. On the other end, it allows its users to create a username and comment on videos and music that other “youtubers” have uploaded.
I use Youtube daily to listen to music and watch funny videos. It has become second nature to look up music on youtube rather than download it.
Social Media is a term used to describe the technologies (such as websites) that people use to keep in contact with one another, through sharing, discussing, and even commenting.
Facebook is an extremely popular site that is used by many different age groups. Different social groups are determined by factors such as age, race, profession, interests…etc.
Facebook is a way for college students to meet people going to the same school as them. Also it is a way for them to stay in touch with friends from high school, from other colleges, and family at home.
For adults, Facebook can be used as a way for them to reunite with long lost friends from high school or college. It can even connect them with former teachers, boyfriends/girlfriends… Another way adults use Facebook is in the workplace. Businesses form sites and use the site as a way to deal with clients. In addition some companies use it as a resource when they are hiring employees. A compromising Facebook could cost someone a job.
Facebook provides its users with the ability to create a profile where they are able to show whom ever they choose their “life”.It allows them to upload pictures and create photo albums of family and friends. Obviously there are privacy settings, which allow people to dictate whom they want to view their profile, pictures, comments…etc.
I love Taylor Swift. Actually, love may be an understatement. I love and know every song by heart, yes I know I sound like a 13 year old but for some reason I have become obsessed with her over the past couple of years. I was lucky enough to get BOX SEATS at Madison Square Garden to see her this summer. It was definitely up there on my list of “Happiest Days of MY LIFE”.
…She is perfect.
I am currently listening to “Tell Me Why” which is a song off her album, Fearless.
This is the BLOG I told you about that I am following. Look how cool this app is. It is Photoshop on your phone. This application gives you the ability to edit your photos on your phone. Ultimately there is no use for doing them on the computer if you can do it from your phone. This app offers numerous effects and editing tools that are found in Photoshop There really is an app for EVERYTHING.
Our movie ideas have been circulating throughout our group and I think we may have finally figured out our dramatic question…”Why didyou come to St. Joe’s?” and then…”Why are you still here?”
We want to capture the underlying reasons for being a successful student here. Successful can mean academically, emotionally…etc. As a group, we all came from different places, upbringings, and have each been effected by situations and people at St. Joe’s that have given us reason to stay.
Considering we have two seniors and two sophomores, we can bring this video to life from different aspects. I know that the seniors have a wise and different perspective on school, where as sophomores feel like as if we are just beginning to learn everything.
We are lucky to have a very technologically advanced member of our group aka Lauren, who is willing to be more than a helping hand on this project.
CLICKthis post and you will be able to access the blog I am following. I love my MacBook and thought this would be a great blog to follow. I am always interested in learning new things about Apple in general. I think that I want to get a cover for my Mac. Did you know that you are not supposed to keep your battery in all the time. I had no idea that your Mac can work without the battery in it. It is better for the computer if you leave it out for a little while especially when it becomes fully charged.
I realized today how much I rely on my MacBook. I use it for almost everything. I check the weather on it…read the news…use its calculator…contact friends and family through I-Chat…store my pictures and basically everything that is important to me on this hard drive. It is almost scary how much I value the ablities of this computer.
As for the usability of my blog, I think that it is definitely easy to navigate…that is probably because there is barely anything on it. I need to add visuals asap.
Media Usage: I am adding media as we speak…or as I type.
Scanability: I am aware that I can ramble in daily life, so I am trying to keep my posts short and precise. I hope that they haven’t been too short and lacking substance. I just want to make sure I am not putting anyone to sleep.
Design: As for design this is where i need help!! I want to make this page more visually attractive and be able to draw people in. Please leave any suggestions.
Jessica's Blog 