Evidence: Social Media and Osama's Death

In a post I made yesterday I talked about how I learned about Osama's death via Twitter and that a lot of my friends had also learned of his death via Twitter and/or Facebook. I just came across an article titled Turning to Social Media for News . This article talks about how when Osama died, the White House immidiately announced that Obama would shortly be addressing the nation. However, they failed to mention what the address would cover. CNN reporters were curious, and turned to social media cites to reveal the news. Just like myself and my friends, these reporters learned of Osama's death by logging onto their Facebook and Twitter pages. The article describes Facebook and Twitter as "early warning systems for breaking news."

This excerpt from the article perfectly sums up my argument on social media:

"Twitter saw the highest sustained rate of posts ever, with an average of 3,440 per second from 10:45 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Eastern time. There were more than five million mentions of Bin Laden on Facebook in the United States alone, as news of the raid at his hideout spread starting around 10:30 p.m."

Also, thanks to social media cites, I was able to see what was going on in DC and NYC. Twitter allows users to upload "Twit Pics," and several friends of mine studying in the DC and New York areas uploaded photos of all the American pride that emerged right after Osama's death was announced. Twitter allowed for me to feel as if I was right there in the middle of it all, when really, I was sitting in the library studying.

Social Media Intern

The title of my position at my internship this summer is "Social Media Intern." Just a decade ago, social media didn't even exist, and now there are positions just for social media. When I spoke with my future boss on the phone about my qualifications, one of the only questions she asked was about my experience with social media. Of course, just like the rest of my generation, I am extremely comfortable and familiar with using social media cites like Facebook and Twitter. On top of that, thanks to this blogging assignment of SSP 327, I was able to say I was familiar with blogging and that I'm currently maintaining a blog for one of my classes. She was really impressed with this and I was offered the position. While I'm not 100% sure yet of what my position will completely entail, I know that part of my job will be maintaining the social media cites of the company. I'm really looking forward to doing this since I have experience in this field on a day to day basis.

It's Impossible to Avoid the News

Earlier in the semester we had a discussion about whether or not you can avoid the news. I argued that you cannot avoid the news, and my example was when I was our of the country without a computer or a phone over Spring Break, I still managed to hear about the tsunami in Japan almost immediately after it happened. Whether it's via the Internet, TV, radio, newspaper, or word of mouth, news gets around and travels fast.

Another example of this is the death of Osama Bin Laden. The night it was announced Osama was dead, I was in the libary studying for an exam. I noticed a lot of activity on my Twitter page and decided to take a break and read some tweets. Sure enough, Osama was dead and the whole world was talking about it. #Osama was trending just minutes after his death was announced. The entire world was aware of this. Years ago, who would have thought that the way anyone would hear about major events like Osama's death would be via social media cites?

I asked a few of my friends how they learned about Osama's death and the majority of them said social media cites like Twitter or seeing people's status updates on Twitter. Forget about waiting for the newspaper to publish the story the next day, why wait for that when we can get an instant stream of the world's news?

Did She Facebook Me??

I recently was speaking with a women who is in charge of an internship opportunity that I am interested in and one brief, casual phone call and a few emails later, she offered me the position. My first thought - how does she know I'm fit for the job without meeting me in person and speaking with me? How does she know I'm a normal, sociable person? (considering it's a social media/marketing position, these are necessary qualifications)

Honestly, right after I even got this lady's name I immediately looked her up on Facebook to see if we knew anyone in common. Yes, this may sound a little creepy. But my question is, did she look me up also to try and learn more about me? And if so, did she approve of my facebook profile and offer me an internship without meeting me in person? I was discussing this with a friend today she has been in contact with a man regarding a summer internship and she also admitted to looking him up on facebook. I don't even think this behavior can be considered creepy anymore, but rather normal. Our world is becoming more dependent on social media everyday. It's pretty unbelievable (and convenient) that I could be hired without having a face to face interview.

MTV and PSB

The other night while I was watching your typical trashy show on MTV, The Real World, a public service announcement came on as one of the commercials during the show.

Before I talk more about this PSA, here is a description of the show, which is a series that airs in different cities each time the show runs: "Each year, series producers choose a group of seven people in their 20s, from different backgrounds and countries, to live together in a major city. The series presents their spontaneous, unscripted interactions with one another and the world around them."

I was really happy and almost relieved to see a commercial that I'm pretty sure it was a "live above the influence" commercial that encourages people, specifically teens, to stay away from marijuana and other drugs. I know that this may seem hypocritical that anti-drug videos are being broadcast during shows where the stars are doing drunks and partying, but I still think that it's better to show these advertisements somewhere rather than nowhere. Plus, teens may be influenced to indulge in activities, such as doing drugs, that they see on shows like the Real World and many others. Maybe, and hopefully, these teens are discouraged from doing drugs when they see these PSAs.

Internship Hunting

I'm actually curious as to what the answer to the question I'm about to ask is, and frighteningly, I can't come up with an answer myself.

I just spent an hour using online search engines and visiting websites of companies looking for internship openings for this summer. The Internet makes this really easy to do; there are cites whose purpose is just to compile a list of internship openings that match your interests and location. My question is, how did people search for internships, or even jobs, in the past? My resume is on my computer, and when asked for cover letters or writing samples, all I have to do is click a button on my computer and upload these documents to an email or to a profile on a website. Then, using the Internet, I can log back in and check the status of my application.

This is definitely a topic I'm going to bring up at the dinner table with my parents when I'm home this weekend. I think that the main difference in applying to internships now versus 20 or 30 years ago is that today, it is more expected that students obtain internships during their college career, and employers are seeking to hire students who have previous work experience. I know for my mom, getting an internship while she was in college was completely out of the question. Instead, she had to work as a waitress and earn a salary so she could pay to send herself to college. I'm really curious as to how people went about seeking jobs in the past because I feel like the Internet has made this process really easy for me and I'm sure for others also.

Okay...If I had to guess, I'd say the primary outlet for hearing about job and internship openings would be newspapers or word of mouth. Any other ideas?

Stereotypical Representations

Before I get into the main idea of this post, stereotypical representation, I really need to comment on the fact that the material in 3 of the 4 classes I’m currently taking right now overlap with each other!

In class on Tuesday, a group presented on “Media, Ethnicity, and Diaspora.” One of the topics they covered was “stereotypical representation.” Specifically, they talked about how the media portrays certain images of Western Life that creates stereotypes. This immediately reminded me of a discussion my Global Studies class had a few weeks ago. We were talking about an article by Appadurai (who was also featured in our text for his “scapes,” called “Grassroots Globalization in the Era of Ideocide.” The article “hates on” American life. It argues that people like the freedom America has to offer, but they don’t like what Americans have done with this freedom, especially in the case of sexual morality. In other words, the media has created a stereotypical representation of Americans, and makes the life we life undesirable for outsiders of our culture.

Dani's Blog: I'm Naked without my iPhone

Dani's Blog: I'm Naked without my iPhone: "In class we've talking about media outlets and their influence on how engaged we are with the culture and politics of our nation, and I coul..."

I really like this topic that Dani brought up and would like to expand on this. I know how Dani feels when she says she feels naked without her phone because my generation is extremely dependent on our phones and other types of technology (computers). However,when I was on Spring Break in the Dominican Republic, I kept my phone off the entire week and didn't turn it on even once. And you know what? It felt great. I remember saying to my friend "I wish I could shut my phone off for a week at school!" That would be impossible, though. If I even shut my phone off for a single day here at Lehigh, I feel like I would miss out on several events. For example, today after class I cancelled plans I had made with a friend. What if I didn't have my phone on me? I wouldn't have been able to let me friend know, and she would have showed up to find me not present. Or just now, I got a text from my sorority president declaring a mandatory meeting for our Executive Board at 6 tonight. Without my phone, I wouldn't be present at the meeting tonight.

Shutting off your cell phone makes you inaccessible to others and also excludes you from knowing what is going on in society, as Dani points out. When I find myself bored waiting for the bus or walking alone, I often whip out my phone to read Twitter and see what's currently going on in the world and what my friends are up to.

Is there a point in buying the newspaper and magazines anymore? I certainly would prefer not to spend the money on these readings, especially when I can get a news stream right to my phone for no additional cost.

Blind Dates. But Are They Really Blind Anymore?

The group that presented in class yesterday morning talked about online diaspora and private vs. public communication. They categorized social networking cites such as Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc. as a type private online communication. This struck me as interesting, because I always considered social networking cites to be predominantly public. People create profiles of themselves and share their information with their network of online friends. Of course, you can adjust your privacy settings to further control who can see what, but for the most part, I believe these cites to be public.

This leads me to a discussion on blind dating. Traditionally, you could get "set up" by a friend or family member to go out on a date with someone you've never met. You get to the restaurant and have no idea what this person looks like or anything about them. Today, however, things have changed. My argument is that blind dates are no longer "blind." With social networking cites, you can easily look up a photo or even more information about the person you are being set up with. For example, I just set my friend up with one of my other friends for our date party. Immediately, she said she was going to go check his Facebook. Now, before the date party, she knows exactly what he looks like and what his interests are. Also, with cites like Match.com, it's even easier to obtain information about your potential date. I'm curious to see what the rest of the class things about this topic of blind dating. Do blind dates exist??

Trashy Reality TV Stars...What Do Their Parents Think?

Channels like MTV, E!, VH1, etc. all have TV shows and programs that broadcast shows where the stars of the shows are partying, sleeping around, drinking excessively, doing drugs, revealing themselves, etc. Last night while browsing through channels on my TV, my friends and I ended up watching the last 10 minutes of MTV's famous "The Jersey Shore." While we were watching Snooki roll around on the floor with her underwear out for all of the MTV viewers to see, something crossed my mind. These reality TV stars have parents! Sometimes, these parents even have their own small role on the shows that their children are starring in. For example, I know this season on The Jersey Shore some of the cast members parents were filmed along with their kids. Would you ever even desire to star on a show, knowing that the audience could see you on your worst behavior? Not even parents, but the entire world can watch these shows and see these stars in their element.

Should stars like Snooki be proud of the celebrity status they have attained, or embarrassed that a large chunk of the world has seen her in her underwear or seen her incredibly drunk and with several men? Why are "trashy" reality TV shows so popular today, and why are there so many people that are eager to enter the field? Are people willing to gain a bad reputation just for stardom? I think the answer must be yes, otherwise I can't think of any reasons why someone would want to be a star on one of these shows.

Hardcore Biased Media Content!

Tonight I was lucky enough to have dinner with my parents. At one point during the meal, my mom made a comment that immediately caught my attention because it reminded me of our class discussions about biased media outlets. Particularly, when I wrote my first paper on the way the NY Times framed Obama's State of the Union, I noticed how the NY Times obviously supported Obama and the Democratic Party.

Well, going along with this, my mom commented that the front page of the New York Post today was about how President Obama attended Senator Sharpton's gala in NYC. Sharpton is notoriously known for not paying a huge amount of taxes on one of his vacation homes. Since Obama's attendance at Sharpton's gala is not something to be too proud of (showing Obama supporting a non tax payer), the NY Times tried their best to hide this article today in their newspaper. In fact, they had this story on the 16th page. Yes, 16. And it wasn't even an important headline, the title wasn't bolded or anything!!

My sister told me recently that she's going to start reading the newspaper. When I asked her which paper, she said the NY Times, as if there was no other answer. Considering she attends a very liberal school in Colorado, this didn't surprise me, and she doesn't know any better and isn't as educated as I am in the department of the media, particularly the biased content of the media. What is unbelievable to me is that if my sister only read the NY Times, she could easily skip over this story on the 16th page about Obama. She wouldn't even know it was a big deal. On the other hand, someone who only reads the New York Post could read this cover story and think it was the most important news.

Wise words of advice from my mother: you can never just read one newspaper if you want to get a somewhat accurate view of what is going on in this world of ours.

Encouraged or Discouraged?

I would like to continue discussing the final question of today's prsentation:

Do TV, magazines, the Internet, etc. enable and encourage us to engage with the culture and politics of our nation?

YES! These types of media are everywhere. At least once a day in class, one of my Professors will show a Youtube clip, or present a magazine/newspaper article to the class that relates to our class material. When I open my computer, I am bombarded with advertisements and links to news stories. When I sign onto social networking cites, I see posts my friends have created that link to news stories or content about celebrity or entertainment. While living at home rather than here at Lehigh, I always walk downstairs for breakfast to find my parents having coffee watching the news.

The point I want to make through all of this is that I think it is impossible NOT to engage with the culture and politics of our nation. With smartphones, you can access the news at any moment, no matter where you are.

If you want to argue, "well, I don't go on social networking cites and I rarely use my phone or computer," that isn't a good reason. You don't even have to log onto Facebook or go to class to hear about the latest news. We are surrounded by people, especially at a University like Lehigh, at all times. People love to talk, especially about current events or celebrity gossip.

Overall, it's impossible to stay "tuned out" when it comes to staying caught up on the news of our nation. Whether you stay informed via the Internet or just by conversing with friends, the point is that you are informed.

Does Privacy Exist Within The Public Media Sphere

Hilary and Jess discussed public spheres in their presentation this morning. A public sphere can be defined as, "an area in social life where people can get together and freely and openly discuss matters of mutual interest." This got me thinking about the public sphere that exists via the Internet. With social networking cites such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogs, it's really easy to stay connected with your different social networks. People post pictures, wall posts, and updates on their lives. This is a great thing because these cites are accessible and you can stay in touch with people all around the world.

My question is, do we have any privacy on the Internet? I'm sure we've all heard the saying that "anything posted on the Internet will be there forever," (I guess with today's technology you can access deleted things online) but what if you accidentally upload a photo that you didn't want to be visible to the public, or write something inappropriate on your blog that you regret the next day?

Another part of this issue of privacy is status updates on Facebook or posts on Twitter or frequent blog posts. Today's media-active society wants the world to know what they are doing. Some people "tweet" about every step they take daily, or are always adjusting their Facebook status to let everyone know what they are up to. Should we be constantly telling people where we are and what we're doing? What exactly is "too much" in terms of the information we are sharing online?

Dani's Blog: "Teens Becoming Pregnant to Get on 'Teen Mom'?"

Dani's Blog: "Teens Becoming Pregnant to Get on 'Teen Mom'?": "So I came across this ridiculous article, 'Teens Becoming Pregnant to Get on 'Teen Mom'?' by Rob Shuter and thought it would not only be a g..."

This is pretty unbelievable. The website has a quote that says, "The sad state of reality television has created a lowbrow vehicle for untainted train wreck personalities to display their private lives. Getting pregnant to be famous is like eating as many cockroaches as possible in a one minute period." This is sad, but true. People will take measures to the extreme just to be famous, and that is the type of thing that celebrity culture and the direction media is headed are fostering.

The Age of Social Media

My friend Megan comes into my room crying. “Everyone was invited to Jen’s birthday dinner except for me!” she said, in between sobs. I felt really awkward and didn’t really know what to say. I was going to Jen’s birthday dinner and so were all of the other girls in my pledge class. Jen and Megan are really good friends, and I was shocked that she wasn’t invited. Then I made the connection.

Megan deleted her Facebook page because she thought it was taking up too much of her time. Megan was addicted to Facebook and found that it distracted her from her homework, studying, and doing anything else. She thought that deleting her Facebook was a simple gesture and that it would just help her focus more on her schoolwork. Little did she know, removing herself from Facebook meant removing herself from her social network. In today’s day and age, social media have become such a central part of everyone’s lives. Obviously Jen didn’t mean any harm in not delivering the invitation via mouth to Megan, she just didn’t realize Megan wouldn’t get the invitation simply because she deleted her Facebook.

This story goes to show just how important social media our to our lives. By deleting her Facebook, Megan shut herself out from receiving information and distanced herself from her peers.

The media is incredibly powerful.

Case-in-point: Britney Spears. The woman is insane. She succeeded as a young musical artist, but then everything went downhill. Meanwhile, the media continued to follow Britney’s life, and today, portrays her as a musical superstar and role-model.

Lets recount all of the insane things Brit-Brit has done.
- Shotgun wedding in Vegas to Jason Alexander (lasted 24 hours)
- Proposed marriage to Kevin Federline
- Was caught driving with her baby on her lap
- Shaved her entire head
- Attacked a paparazzi with an umbrella
- Had a mental breakdown when the police had to come to her house
- Locked herself in a room with her kids so she didn’t have to give them to their father
- Exposed her private areas
- Infamous lip-syncing at concerts
- Pretended she was a lesbian

Yet, despite all of her radical behaviors, Britney is still a role model for teenagers. The TV show Glee dedicated an entire episode to Britney and worshipped her music and choreography. Britney is obviously not a good role model, especially for young children. She lost control complete control of her life and all of her absurd behaviors were publicized. Well, why then, is Britney portrayed as a role model and a star? Simple, the power of the media. This goes to show just how powerful the media is and the control the media has over society.

Public Service Broadcasting vs. Commercial Broadcasting

I just finished working on my group project that we are presenting tomorrow on Chapter 8 from the text. One of the questions that we are posing to the class is about the types of media content that is being produced. Specifically, what type of broadcasting (public service or commercial) do you support?

I have decided to be selfish and answer this question on my own. I believe that there are positives and negatives to both PSB and commercial broadcasting. Today’s TV audience wants to be entertained. They don’t want to watch educational programs or documentaries. They want to hear about celebrities and watch reality TV shows. If TV channels and radio stations only broadcast educational/cultural programs and documentaries, they are going to lose the interest of their viewers, lose money, and eventually go out of business. Because of this, I argue that it’s the viewers of media content that control what type of media content is being produced. If the producers want to make money, they have to please their viewers.

Although commercial broadcasting may be more popular today than PSB, it still has negative aspects. If often shows a lot controversial aspects of life, such as sex, alcohol, and drugs. This gives an unfair representation of our society and also can be bad if young children are exposed to this type of broadcasting.

Public service broadcasting, on the other hand, is informational and highlights the positive aspects of society. Although the content of PSB is of a better and more educational level that will benefit more people, the producers of media content need to broadcast more commercial programs in order to stay in business.

What Does it Take to Become a Celebrity?

How does one attain fame?  In today's World, it seems as if anyone can become famous.  People reach celebrity status for a number of things, such as having a special talent, their looks, their profession, etc.

I believe that in order to become a celebrity, all you need is money.  One can buy their way into attaining celebrity status.  As an example, I will use Rebecca Black.  Rebecca is a young girl from a wealthy family.  She wanted to get her name out there and was able to make herself famous because her parents were willing and able to invest a huge sum of money to secure her stardom. Rebecca's parents spent money so that Rebecca could produce a music video of a song she created called "Friday." Here is a link to the music video, if you haven't already seen it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD2LRROpph0

This song and music video, which is said to be one of the worst songs ever created, has over 60 million views on YouTube, and the numbers are increasing every minute.  By creating this song and video, Rebecca Black succeeded in becoming famous.  Although she may be known as one of the most horrible singers in the world, she is still well known.  The video has over 1 million "dislikes," and websites have been created to attack and make fun of young Rebecca.  Here is one of the countless websites thats purpose is to destroy Rebecca Black: http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Rebecca_Black.

Regardless of how good or bad her song may be, Rebecca achieved her goal in becoming famous.  How did she accomplish this status?  According to the nasty comments she is receiving, I would have to believe this celebrity status was not reached by Rebecca's musical talent, but simply by her access to money.