Is social media the communication method of the future?

My goal for my third post is to discuss if social media is going to continue to be the communication method of the future. The third topic I would like to discuss is the future for social media and what that means for communication. My audience for this posting would be anyone who uses social media, students and teachers in this class, anyone in the communication field and anyone who uses social media for communication.

This week’s reading discusses communication for development. It says that ‘mobile phones have created opportunities that we never dreamt of and two-way communication is exploding all over the internet.’ Do you think that social media can assist in developing communication for the future?

I, myself am not so sure. I think it’s gotten to the point where communication has felt like it has become so impersonal. When people see their phone ringing for a phone conversation they will deny the call, then proceed to text that person, did you call in hopes of avoiding a phone conversation. I have personally noticed this at work with both myself and co workers. We rely so heavily on email, texting and other impersonal modes of communication that we do anything we can to avoid people coming into the office and phone conversations. My boss will kindly have to remind all of us that email is good to track infromation but there is definitely a time and place that a phone call or in person meeting is warranted and that we shouldn’t forget that.

In addition, with technology continuing to advance, it’s increasing the unique ways we can communicate with one another. For companies, according to getvoip.com, this includes but not limited to live chat or video call option with staff on websites, opt-in text messaging notifications, mobile friendly account access, 24 hour customer service, social media personality. I have used the live chat option on clothing websites and am a huge fan. I feel that it get’s the information I need quicker and makes me feel taken care of.

It’s unsure of social media will continue to be the communication method of the future but I think from the way things have been going there is a strong chance that it will continue on that path.

Benefits of social media

My goal for my second blog post is to switch gears from the dark side of social media in my last post to the light side. The second topic I would like to discuss is the benefits of social media. My audience for this posting would be anyone who uses social media, students and teachers in this class and companies or people who market or campaign through social media.

Whether we like to admit it ‘our’ generation eats, sleeps and breathes social media. It’s reach and popularity is without doubt. According to www.quantumrun.com, “It’s estimated that by 2018, 2.44 billion people will be using social networks.” Yes, this might not be the healthiest trend for us to participate in however, there can be benefits from this. As we rely more on technology the need for social media platforms increases. Platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Podcasts allow for instantaneous news coverage, access to limitless information and connects us with the world all within the click of the button.

The opportunities that social media can create are endless. With recent social and political issues being brought to the surface Twitter and Instagram can be used to create awareness by trending hashtags. They can also provide information and rally people for a cause such as creating a buzz agent for the Women’s Rights Marches, Black Lives Matter protests and Most recently the March For Your Lives. If you click on the hashtag or a tagged photos it will literally connect you with millions of other people who are supporting the same cause. What method of getting information out can literally beat that?

Chapter 17 in this weeks Scott reading discusses a newer tool in social media which is Podcasting. This is something I never used to care to listen to until I found an interesting Podcast that caught my attention. I see this platform continues to take off and joining the more well known ones.

Whatever social media platform you follow, the limitless benefits are undeniable.

 

Social media depression

Is social media depression a real thing?

This weeks reading helped me come up with the theme to my next three blog posts that all stem from the power of social media. My goal for this posting would be to shine some light on the darker side of social media. The audience for my postings would be anyone who uses social media, students in this class and the teachers.

The first topic I would like to define and discuss is a term called “social media depression.” According to howstuffworks.com, social media depression can be defined as “depressive thoughts associated with using social media.”

I first started using social media as a time filler until it grew into a daily habit and from there to an almost obsession that I didn’t even realize I had. Before I knew there was an actual term for this I started to notice that the more time I spent using social that I felt an almost sad or anxious feeling after, yet I still couldn’t stop using social media and the vicious cycle continued. I subconsciously started comparing my life to the picture perfect lives that I saw on social media because I assumed that people were posting these images of their ‘real’ lives. Now I’m not sure how many real or genuine posts come from social media. Mendelson says “Social media is not a game played from the sidelines. Those who participate will succeed—everyone else will either have to catch up or miss the game.” I came to find out that a lot of those accounts were coming from people who were so busy trying to prove their happiness to their followers that they weren’t actually happy themselves. There is this pressure to post the ‘perfect’ image for followers that most of us don’t even know.

The good news is that if you have ever felt “social media depression” you are not alone. What I have come to find out in talking to my peers is that many of them also felt this way. If we are all feeling the same way then why can’t we come together and stop? I think a solution for this could be to take a step back from social media. Limit the amount of time spent looking at other people’s lives and being more present in our own. Don’t get me wrong, it’s okay to post picture of you being happy on social media but I do think there is a strong difference behind the motives of social media postings. Remember that your social media accounts should be for you.

 

Armed teachers?

I don’t often browse news websites in my free time so when trying to find an article to use for this assignment I looked at a few mainstream media organizations. The article that I ending up choosing is from the website USA Today. I researched online how accurate articles from this site are just out of curiosity and it was reported as being highly factual and used the least amount of biased sources. It did note that there is a slight left leaning editorial bias. This was pretty obvious by the article I chose. Credibility is interesting to think about when reading articles because people tend to have the assumption that news reports online have to be factual when almost more often than not there is a hidden agenda.

The article I ended up choosing is titled “Trump’s awful plan to arm teachers is straight from the NRA playbook.” I am not someone who is really knowledgable on or into politics but I am able to immediately tell that the title alone highlights the agenda of the article written by the columnist James, Alan Fox.

James starts off giving credit to Trump for meeting the grieving survivors of the recent Parkland, Florida shooting.  He then dives straight to his point by the specific choice of language he uses. He talks about Trump’s ‘cozy, political alliance with the National Rifle Association’. This assists in getting his opinion across to readers. He also mentions Trump feeling caught between the students demands for stricter gun laws and his supporters concern for their second amendment rights. Trump’s NRA backed ‘solution’ is to have armed teachers in schools. I think a good counter argument to Trump’s solution would be to mention that there was an armed security officer on site that didn’t even enter the school. He was someone who was trained his whole life with guns and wasn’t able to enter the school and stop the shooter. How could we then expect our teachers to especially on their $40,000 a year salary?

I think the author did a good job of criticizing Trump’s solution from a leftist perspective but he could have offered a perspective from the other side. What would someone who supported Trump’s solution have to say? Because this topic is so controversial and currently trending I have seen what the supporters, who are mostly parents on my Facebook news feed have to say. They said that they would feel safer bringing their kids to school with armed teachers. I am not a parent yet so I don’t know what I would feel comfortable with at this point but I think at least hearing the two perspectives could assist me in forming a more knowledgable opinion. What I do know is that arming teachers is not going to be the only solution dealing with such a complex issue.

 

Invest In Yourself

Who doesn’t want to feel good? No matter what your age, race, gender, weight, healthy eating in combination with exercise will positively impact YOUR overall health. Yes, I said YOU. There are so many other weight loss products on the market right now that promise miraculous weight loss and boost in energy. The only promise they will fulfill is a dent in your bank account. The only proven way to look and feel better is through good old fashioned eating healthy in combination with exercise.

Think of eating healthy as an investment to your body. Eating out is not only expensive but can lead to poor food choices. The top 5 benefits of eating healthy according to Heathline.com highlight why committing to a healthy diet can be one of the best decisions you’ve ever made.

1) Controls weight

2) Improves mood

3) Combats disease

4) Boots energy

5) Improves longevity

I get it, everyone has really busy schedules, but the gym doesn’t have to be a huge time commitment. The top 5 benefits of exercise according to naturalbalancefoods.co.uk highlight why adding just 30 minutes of exercise 3-5 times per week can change your life.

1) Get a natural high

2) Sleep better

3) Look good

4) Get a healthier mind

5) Improve your health

Do all of these benefits sound like something you are interested in? There are obvious benefits to each action but you cannot be successful with one without the other. Imagine the endless possibilities that eating healthy in combination of exercise will bring to your life.

What price tag can insurance companies put on a human life?

As a healthy 125 pound female, type 1 diabetes is not something that has effected me. It does not run in my family and up until recently was not a disease that I knew much about. I, like many of us, am guilty of having the mindset that if something doesn’t directly effect me I naively turn a blind eye to it. Type 1 diabetes is huge epidemic and creating awareness to the high cost of insulin is the only way to make it affordable for everyone.

Flashback to this past summer. My best friend growing up calls me to tell me that her 26 year old brother passed away because he was left uninsured after he turned 26 and was taken off his parents insurance and could not afford his insulin. I was shocked and instantly put myself in her position because I also have a younger brother. I didn’t know that he had diabetes because he didn’t fit the ‘profile’. Diabetes was something that he was genetically predisposed to and not something that could have been prevented.

My shock soon turned to anger as I attended his funeral service. How can insurance companies get away with this? Having access to insulin is literally the difference between life or death for someone with type 1 diabetes. If someone has a preexisting condition how can they just be removed without proof of new insurance. I wanted to know more and so should you.

How many other people are dying because they can’t afford their insulin? Charity Shuster-Gormley also shares her story and the cost of staying alive.

What can be done to promote change? In a generation of social media let’s create awareness together and get involved.

-Sign the petition and help make insulin affordable to all.

-Join the team and walk to raise awareness

For more information visit: https://donations.diabetes.org

We First

Mainwaring’s message about wanting to live in the best world possible caught my attention right away. This is something I can understand. Being a part of the millennial generation, we have been classified under having the ‘Me First’ mentality. He says we need to use our collective minds and put our hands to work. We essentially need to work together to be the change we want to see we want to see in the world. As someone who was recently living outside the United States, I see the need for this. I do agree with Mainwaring that with the millennial generation, social media will be the best tool in promoting this type of change.

My audience for this post is my classmates, professor, fellow millennial generation, anyone who is interested in the change of capitalism, and thinking in terms of a more collectivist versus individualistic point of view.

My goal for this post would be to inform my audience on my reflection of his article and include my stance.

I would start my blog post off with an attentiongetter. I would then reflect on the article and voice my opinion. I would end it with take a ways and a link to additional information on the topic.