Conclusion

              Social media can be an extraordinarily powerful tool, when used properly. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Snapchat, and many other sites/applications in which users can connect and interact with others can be used as tools for communication, career interests, politics, fundraising, organizing, and bringing attention to worthwhile causes. Social media can be used for entertainment, political, professional, and personal reasons, and should be used responsibly to prevent negative outcomes for users such as cyberbullying, letting social media interfere with daily life, and potential effects on a person’s future. I hope that you have enjoyed this Blog and learned a couple of things about Social Media.😊

Social Media and Politics

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, politicians often turn to social media to communicate with citizens regarding political issues, amongst other things. The President of the United States has a Twitter and Facebook account. Hilary Clinton is active on Twitter. Senator Elizabeth Warren is very active on social media, especially in voicing her stance on certain political interests. This activity on social media by politicians and citizens allows citizens to communicate with and hear many different voices in our government, but it also allows for a more “fierce” battleground when it comes to elections. In the 2016 presidential election, we got to see a lot of activity from every angle on social media. Whether it was the Democratic party, the Republican party, or anywhere in between, social media heavily influenced the way that platforms were laid out and the way that campaigns were run. Instead of people watching the debates at home or viewing commercials on their televisions, a lot of the presidential election action occurred online. Even when things were released on television, they were usually published online as well. This prevalence of political action on social media because many people do not have cable/satellite television, the domino effect and how quickly things can be shared, and the ability for ordinary citizens to interact with other citizens and politicians quickly, easily, and efficiently. Many people, whether it is by choice or due to some other circumstance, do not have cable, personally, it was a useless expense to me because I feel that I can access anything I want to as long as I can connect to the internet. I was able to view any footage I wanted to view about any of the candidates just by using search bars online or tuning into what people were viewing and discussing on Facebook or Twitter. This ties into the ability for news and information to spread like wildfire. Things I wanted to see, typically someone else had already shared on Facebook or mentioned on Twitter. Everyone seems to have an opinion when it comes to politics, so it’s sort of a mutual interest for nearly everyone. So, Donald Trump posts something then my friend’s cousin’s uncle shares it, then my friend’s cousin shares it, then my friend shares it, then there it is, on my timeline. Multiply that by thousands and Donald Trump’s post is all across the world in minutes. Social media also allows for ordinary people to Tweet directly to a politician or post to their Facebook wall (it is important to note that these politicians often have others running their accounts for them.) Even though the politician may not be the direct recipient of the tweet or Facebook post, those who are running the accounts for the politician can pass along messages or even get a general idea of how the public is feeling about certain topics and issues based on what they are receiving on social media.

              A study done in 2016 by the Pew Research Center shows alarming results of how people were feeling about the political environment on social media. Many people expressed discontent and wariness with the amount and types of political posts they were seeing on Facebook and Twitter. 

Kati's Social Media Story

A couple of years ago, a student right here at Northern Kentucky University, felt the firsthand effects of what it’s like for her own post on social media to go viral. Kati, a now friend of mine and a classmate, was devastated when she misplaced her wallet only to find it a few minutes later, with two-hundred and forty dollars in cash missing. In a frantic, she ran to the nearest emergency call switch to call the on-campus police and file a police report. What she did not expect was for the police officer to reach into his own wallet and hand her his own money to replace what had been stolen from her. After the incident occurred, Kati uploaded this video to her Facebook page.

              Not long after she posted the video, it went viral. Kati said, “I posted the video because I had just made a status about someone stealing my wallet and it had a ton of concern. So, I figured instead of trying to type what happened to keep family and friends updated, I would just make a video. I had no idea [it would receive the attention that it did.] All I knew is I went to work and forgot about posting it really and then people -news channels and people trying to pay back Officer Liles- were calling Hooters asking to talk with me. My manager went to my Facebook and saw how many views it had in an hour's time, and then called me in the office to tell me.  I received mostly a good response. People from all over were messaging me and adding me [as a friend on Facebook.] It got to the point that no one could even add me on Facebook anymore. Some people even tried to pay my tuition. Officer Liles ended up getting paid back by his department and getting recognized, his GoFundMe raised $3,300 that he donated to the Wounded Warriors Project, and a kind person who happened to work somewhere in South Carolina sent him [Officer Liles] and his sons on a cruise.” Like Kati said, she was reached out to by news channels, and everyone was covering her story.

Social Media for a Cause, Pt. 2

Mannequin Challenge

              The Mannequin Challenge is when a group of people take part in a video, but appear to be motionless or frozen, like mannequins. The ultimate goal is for every person in the video to remain COMPLETELY motionless (like, not even blink) as the camera pans through the scene. This sounds a little weird if you have never actually taken part in or viewed a mannequin challenge, but it has actually been a really unique and popular way to bring attention to things, raise awareness for issues, and even express political messages. Sometimes the videos are just for fun, and sometimes they represent very serious matters. These videos are mostly to the song “Black Beatles” by Rae Sremmurd (but some of them use other songs instead), and I’m going to show and discuss a few of them.

The first video that I want to show is relatively local to my area. It was posted by the Grant County Sheriff’s Department in Kentucky, and shows the scene of a heroin overdose. Knowing about and being affected by the heroin epidemic in this region (many of my family members are addicted to heroin), this video truly brought tears to my eyes. No matter what your stance on addiction (while addiction IS a disease, a lot of people cannot seem to agree whether it should be classified as the addict’s fault or not), this mannequin challenge really tugs at your heart strings, and allows a platform for discussion. Children and young adults who see this video may be saved from potential addiction is the future by knowing what a heroin overdose actually looks like, and it allows them to have that dialogue with their parents or guardians, or friends or whoever it is that has their best interest at heart. It allows shows people that maybe feel like society should not care about addicts (for whatever reason they may feel that way), that it is not JUST the addict involved. Often times there are so many people around the addict that are affected by the addiction. Whether it’s parents, siblings, children, or friends, this video opens your eyes and SHOWS you that, even if you do not care about the heroin addict, someone else does and that someone needs the addict to recover, too.

              Another Mannequin Challenge that I want to show you is a Mannequin Challenge from the Black Lives Matter community which flashes through a few different instances of police brutality. What REALLY made this Mannequin Challenge strong is the use of sound/sound effects. You can hear the dialogue between civilian and police officer, and it is not just made up dialogue, it is actual dialogue that was caught on footage of real events involving police officers and civilians. It pans through the instances of Philando Castile, Sandra Bland, Alton Sterling, and Trayvon Martin. It also shows Professional football player Colin Kaepernick kneeling on the side of the road (Kaepernick is known for kneeling during the national anthem of NFL games to protest inequality) while a Malcom X speech is playing. You can see protesters standing in a group as the scene comes to an end with the sound of a hospital monitor flatlining. In my opinion, this Mannequin Challenge speaks volumes.

Social Media for a Cause, Pt. 1

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge:

First, I’d like to start this post off by explaining what ALS is. ALS, short for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spine. People who are diagnosed with ALS are only expected to live for about two to five years after their diagnoses. In 2014, a golfer in Florida by the name of Chris Kennedy was nominated by a friend to do the “Ice Bucket Challenge” which involved dumping (or having someone else dump) a bucket of ice water on you(rself), and, when Kennedy was dared to do this, it had nothing to do with ALS, but instead participants would take part in the challenge (which was typically recorded and posted on social media), and then donate money to any charity of their choosing. Once the video was uploaded, the participants could choose people on their friends list and challenge them to do the same. Kennedy, who had known someone suffering with ALS, chose ALS as his desired charity, which, on July 15, 2014, appears to be the first time that the Ice Bucket Challenge and ALS were linked. Kennedy then challenged a few others who he knew would not turn him down, and the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge began to spread under various hashtags. The challenge eventually reached Pat Quinn of Yonkers, NY, who was also diagnosed with ALS. The campaign spread through Quinn’s social media community and ultimately reached Pete Frates, who was very involved in the ALS community and also had a large follower base. Frates posted his own video on July 31, 2014 and the challenge went viral. The ALS association started seeing a serious uptick in donations, which is believed to be a total of two-hundred and twenty MILLION dollars! A year later, scientists claim that that money helped them to uncover a gene that is linked to ALS and had previously not been discovered. This infographic shows the history of the Ice Bucket Challenge.

Social Media for a Cause, Intro.

In addition to the various other ways that people are utilizing social media, many organizations and individuals are turning to social media and its power as a means of mass communication to raise awareness to causes. This works because of the power of sharing and, in some cases, the interactivity that allows people to PHYSICALLY get involved instead of JUST financially. This topic, along with many others can be tied back to some of the previous topics that I have discussed such as: celebrities on social media, the Dakota Access Pipeline, and using social media as a fundraising tool. 

Fundraising on Social Media

Not only are people using social media for business purposes, as a means of communication, and as a way to remain social/express themselves, but many people have taken advantage of social media as a quick means of communication to raise funds for various causes. Certain sites are geared specifically at raising money. Some of these sites are merely an existing platform to allow you to communicate your cause and pull funds in in a way that people can feel secure about donating money, while some provide that platform, but keep a percentage of the funds donated as a profit, and others allow you to create your own website to raise money. People have been able to raise generous amounts of money using these sites. I know a family who turned to the popular GoFundMe.com to try and raise $10,000 for the medical bills of one member of the family, and once the story began to spread (it was even featured on the local news), so many people donated that the family exceeded their goal by more than $30,000. Their grand total was just over $40,000! It’s truly incredible if you ask me. Some of the sites that people are using for crowdfunding/fundraising are:

https://www.classy.org/

https://www.crowdrise.com/

https://www.firstgiving.com/

https://fundly.com/

https://fundrazr.com/

https://pages.giveforward.com/homepage/

https://www.gofundme.com/

https://myevent.com/

https://www.razoo.com/

and

https://www.youcaring.com/

Cyberbullying

              Since the surge in social media usage we have new issues arising that were not present before social media became popular. One such issue is cyberbullying. While bullying has always been a societal issue, cyberbullying is different because it is bullying that occurs online. It can occur on any site at any time on any device. Cyberbullying can come in the form of mean text messages, rumors spread online, embarrassing images or videos, websites being created to harass someone, or fake profiles being created. Cyberbullying can often be worse than “traditional” bullying because it can occur anytime and anywhere. So, if Lucy is at school being bullied for her lunch money, she can escape that when she leaves school, but if Lucy’s bully gets a Facebook account and starts posting mean things to Lucy, Lucy cannot really escape that. She can block the bully, but that bully can always make a new account or even a fake account to harass Lucy with. So, cyberbullying can take a person’s sanctuary/safe place away from them. Another piece of cyberbullying that makes it difficult to escape is that there are apps/sites that allow users to post things anonymously. I know one site that allowed people to do this was formspring.me, which was popular when I first graduated high school, and boy do I remember the HATEFUL things people would say what they felt that no one could trace it back to them. Another thing that is difficult with cyberbullying is getting rid of embarrassing/harassing posts after they have been sent. I know a girl who had pictures of her performing sexual acts taken without her knowledge that were later posted to someone’s Facebook account, and even though the pictures were deleted, people had already taken screenshots of the images and now several people have copies of those pictures and there is no way of knowing who has them or making sure that the images are deleted. Often times, the effects of cyberbullying can last long after the actual cyberbullying has stopped. People who experience cyberbullying are more likely to fall into bad habits that can affect their lives for years to come such as alcohol/drug use and skipping school. People who experience cyberbullying also tend to experience low self-esteem and mental illnesses such as depression and/or anxiety. It has been reported that over half of adolescents experience cyberbullying and about half of those that are cyberbullied do not tell their parents when it occurs. 

Personal Usage of Social Media

               Social media allows virtually anyone to create and manage their own profile, but what are people using this feature for? The answer honestly varies depending on the person. Some people create profiles to promote businesses, some people use it as a way to communicate with others, and there are many other reasons that a person might create a social media profile, but what many people, especially younger people do not realize is that potential employers are starting to use social media to screen applicants for jobs, and once something is put on social media, even if you delete something, sometimes there is no way to actually take it down. For example, if I search my own name on google, even though my accounts are all private, certain images that I DELETED from old accounts still show up. Not sure why or how this is a thing, but like a lot of people say, once its online, there is no taking it back. Social media is all fine and dandy if you use it properly, but sometimes people do not think about the impact that some things can have on their future. It sort of comes across as a “it doesn’t matter now” mentality, and when life changes and your interests and goals change, sometimes those things you posted from a party 5 years ago when you were in college can haunt you. Also, sometimes, fake profiles are created so that people can secretly watch your accounts to see what you are posting. I know this is true with a local college (they create a fake account to screen applicants). So people could be spying on you without your knowledge.  Here are some tips for using social media responsibly:

1.      Log the time you spend on social media: Some people do not realize that using social media for ten minutes or so every couple of hours can seriously add up.

2.      Keep discussions respectful: Behind a computer screen it becomes so easy to let yor vocabulary become something different than it would be in person. Remember that just about anyone can see what you are saying (even if your account is private sometimes) so remember to stay respectful and not to use any potentially embarrassing/disrespectful vocabulary.

3.      Only add people you know: In a world where many young people are measuring their own worth based on the likes they receive on social media, it is easy to feel like you should add a lot of people so you can receive more likes on your posts, or maybe you are interested in meeting new friends so you just add people you have mutual friends with. Realistically, it is always safer to only add people you actually know. There is a term called “catfish” that means that someone tricks you into believing they are someone they are not online. Sometimes people are catfishing for various reasons that could be dangerous and/or life-threatening, but you cannot be catfished if yo only add people you know in person!

4.      Understand the consequences of your online actions: If you are posting illegal things or exhibiting behaviors that are not allowed/acceptable, know that you can be punished! Especially in cases of internet bullying, also known as cyberbullying.

5.      Filter your posts: People should ask themselves the following questions before submitting any post: is this true? Is it helpful? Is it informational? Is it necessary? Is it kind? If the post is none of these things, there is probably a chance that you should not be posting it.

6.      Remember that nothing is private online: People can always save your posts in different ways without your knowledge (screenshot or in other ways) so even if you think that there is no way the wrong person will see it, there is. If you would not want your boss or teacher or grandma to see it, you probably should not post it.

7.      Anonymous isn’t always anonymous: If you would not be willing to say it in person or with your name attached, you should not say it at all. Even if you think something is being posted anonymously, there is always a way that it can be traced back to whoever posted it. 

Black Lives Matter: Social Media and a Social Movement, Pt. 4

Social Media: How Hashtags Help

Hashtags usage on social media, and most significantly on Twitter, allows commonalties among thoughts and expressions to be grouped together into categories. Anyone with internet access can create a hashtag at any time, and when a hashtag is used more than once, you can simply click the hashtag to see all of the other postings that have included that hashtag. This helps social movements because anyone can attain access to the internet. Whether it’s paying for your own at home, going to a place that offers a free connection, or using data on a mobile device, there are so many places that you can find and use the internet, so social movements founded on social media do not exclude people of lower socioeconomic status. Also, Social media is vastly popular with young adults, so it allows people to connect to others with similar interests. You can use social media to show images, words, and videos to SHOW more than tell a message. Because of its popularity and a generation of people who have grown up using social media, hashtags have been an important way to gain attention to different topics, educate people on them, and generate discussion. The #BlackLivesMatter movement was officially founded online, but online usage has also contributed to spreading messages of physical, in-person protests and kept many people up to date on different events throughout the United States. 

Black Lives Matter: Social Media and a Social Movement, Pt. 3

Diction: Why “Black” Lives Matter

               There is one aspect of the Black Lives Matter movement that has not been discussed as much as other aspects: the diction of the message itself; why was “black” chosen instead of African-American? One aspect of this is the fact that Twitter, where the hashtag is often used and where its usage originally surged, only allows for brief messages to followers. You are permitted 140 characters to express your message, therefore, it makes sense to use a shorter word, but this is not the entire explanation. Black is short, to the point, and expresses emotion in a way that the term “African American” cannot. Black has a certain connotation and allows for a more charged message because it is not always what people believe to be the “politically correct” term. Also, according to a blog posting by a social scientist named Taylor Jones, the importance of the phrase “Black Lives Matter” from a linguistic standpoint correlates with a technical term called “implicature.” Implicature refers to a way of communicating something without stating it directly. Jones discusses implicature and provides examples of how it is used in every day conversations and later explains that people are using implicature to negate the movement and that “Black Lives Matter” uses implicature to focus on the movement rather than exclude other races/ethnicities. He says that when you express a message, people will have different interpretations of it. For example: if you say: I watched half of a movie, people may believe that you ONLY watched up to and including one half of the movie while you may have watched three-fourths. Similarly, when a person uses “#BlackLivesMatter,” people could infer that the person is expressing that ONLY black lives matter, when that is not the case, making the phrase significant in its ability to create that dialogue without every degrading another group of people. Another aspect of the phrase that is linguistically important is its ability to say so much in such a brief statement. The fact that “Black Lives Matter” even needs to be said generates a lot of emotion and dialogue on as a stand-alone phrase.

Black Lives Matter: Social Media and a Social Movement, Pt. 2

Growth: Instances that Allowed for A Movement

As I mentioned previously, the phrase “Black Lives Matter” was first officially introduced in the summer months of 2013, but according to an article titled, “Beyond the Hashtags: #Ferguson, #BlackLivesMatter, and the online struggle for offline justice,” authors report that the phrase did not come to signify a movement until the later months of 2014. The most prominent reason the hashtag came to be widespread and significant at this point time Is due to a situation that occurred in Ferguson, Missouri in which a Ferguson police officer by the name of Darren Wilson fatally shot a man by the name of Michael Brown. There was a lot of speculation surrounding this occurrence. Ultimately, many people felt that the death of Michael Brown was unjustified and took to the streets to protest and were sometimes met with military tactics in a battle for control of the city. This was when the phrase truly made its biggest stride in the making of the modern Civil Rights Movement. According to an article in the Huffington Post, the only bigger surge in the usage of “#BlackLivesMatter” was in November of 2014 when a grand jury declined to indict the officer on charges related to Brown’s death. Shortly after the non-indictment of Officer Wilson, it was announced that another officer, by the name of Daniel Panteleo would not be indicted on wrongful death charges for placing an African American man named Eric Garner in a chokehold that led to Garner’s death. This sparked another surge in the usage of “#BlackLivesMatter” on social media. The fourth most prevalent surge in the usage of the phrase came about after a man named Freddie Gray died in police custody in what has been perceived as suspicious circumstances. Although these different surges all came about early in the movement, they are still very significant building blocks in the growth and development of the #BlackLivesMatter movement.

Michael McLaughlin. Figure 4. Digital image. Huffington Post. Huffington Post, 29 Feb. 2016.

Black Lives Matter: Social Media and a Social Movement, Pt. 1

               Origin: A Phrase is Born

               Today, many people feel that racism is no longer the societal issue that it once was, but recent events have led to a modern Civil Rights Movement in which a community is bringing awareness to a cause by utilizing a twenty-first century tool, called a hashtag, to convey a message: Black Lives Matter.

               During the summer months of 2013, three women founded the Black Lives Matter Movement online, using social media as an accessible tool to ignite the sociopolitical campaign for equality for the African American population. These women were Alicia Garza, a domestic worker rights organizer in Oakland, California; Patrisse Cullors, an anti-police brutality organizer in Las Angeles, California; and Opal Tometi, an immigration rights organizer in Pheonix, Arizona, first encountered one another through an organization called BOLD: Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity. After an incident in which a teenage boy by the name of Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by neighborhood watch coordinator George Zimmerman in a situation that many people felt was only incited due to the color of Martin’s skin. When Zimmerman was acquitted for the alleged crime, Garza, Cullors, and Tometi determined that the fight for African American equality needed a stronger, more accessible movement that would encourage people to become more actively involved in the Modern Civil Rights Movement. Per an article titled, “The #BlackLivesMatter Movement: Marches and Tweets for Healing” by the staff at the National Public Radio, the phrase “Black Lives Matter” was first produced an emotionally charged Facebook post by Garza in which she concluded, “Our Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter.”  Later, Cullors established the phrase as a hashtag, and although the hashtag was not used very often after its immediate introduction, recent and repetitive instances of African American people being killed by police officers in situations that many people deem as unjustifiable have allowed for widespread popularity of “#BlackLivesMatter” on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and similar social media web sites. 

Celebrities and Social Media, Pt. 2

I want to take a look at a specific instance when a celebrity used her social media presence to communicate to her followers about a cause that she was fighting for. First I want to tell you a little bit about the cause: the Dakota Access Pipeline. A pipeline was proposed to transport crude oil from North Dakota, through South Dakota and Iowa, and to Illinois. The pipeline, also known as the Bakken Oil Pipeline is being built because it is believed by the company proposing it to be the safest and most cost-effective way to access and transport the undiscovered oil located in the U.S. portion of the Bakken Formation. The issue with this, and the reason that many people are protesting, is that, according to a complaint filed to a federal court by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, "the construction and operation of the pipeline... threatens the Tribe's environmental and economic well-being, and would damage and destroy sites of great historic, religious, and cultural significance to the Tribe." So basically, this Native American Tribe believes that they will be negatively impacted by the construction and operation of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Many people have stood alongside the Standing Rock Tribe in their efforts to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline, but one person who has made her stance more well-known is actress Shailene Woodley. On October 10, 2016, Shailene Woodley was engaging in a protest at the site of the pipeline, and was arrested. She was able to get footage of her arrest (below) and with that footage, which was live-streamed on her Facebook account, she was able to show her fans/followers what was going on with the Dakota Access Pipeline from her perspective. By using her status as a celebrity, Woodley was able to spread a message to her fans/followers and use her social media account to influence others. 

Celebrities and Social Media, Pt. 1

          With so many people accessing social media every day, it is the easiest way for anyone to communicate to a large number of people at any time. News spreads quickly, and people who have a large number of followers, whether it is politicians, musical artists, social media celebrities, or other varieties of celebrities, can use their social media accounts as a foundation for communication with the public. For example, we have a President of the United States Twitter and Facebook account. These allow for those who follow them (and those who may see a shared post from a friend who follows them) to receive messages from the presidential administration quickly and easily. When information is shared from a “celebrity” account or other type pf account with a large follower-base, it sort-of has a domino effect. The original post is shared by people who see the original post directly from the account that it is posted, then others see the shared post or get a message that others are liking the original post, and the message spreads like wild fire. This is important for political reasons, propaganda/advertisement purposes, and just for entertainment. Regardless of the intent, celebrities can use their status on social media to influence fans and followers. Some celebrities who have a large follower base on social media specifically Instagram, are: Salena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylie Jenner, Justin Bieber, Dwayne Johnson, and Kendall Jenner.

Real Vs. Fake News

              In an era plagued by the ability for anyone to pass along any story or information without validity, it is easy for many people to become misinformed with just about anything. Recently, this type of false information that is being spread across the internet has been coined as “fake news.” Fake news often comes from either misunderstanding information and spreading it, or a more politically charged place that can be perceived as trying to intentionally deceive people. Whatever the reason, “fake news” is out there and it is important to know about it and understand how to differentiate what is real and what is fake. Here are some tips:

Pay attention to the URL:

Often times, it is easy to spot fake news based on the site that it is published. Some news sources are more biased than others when it comes to politics, which can cause the facts to be skewed. Some “news” sources are just completely wrong altogether. Generally, a site that is labeled “.org” or that comes from a well-known and reputable site can be trusted. But it is important to know that some websites may seem valid and professional, but are not actually valid or professional. This is true for www.abcnews.com.co. While that URL looks totally fine, it actually using its resemblance to www.abcnews.com to misguide its viewers.

Read the “About Us” Section

This piece of a web site should deliver a mission statement (or something similar) and tell about the goals of the company. It should also list employees such as those in leadership roles for the website. Knowing WHO is publishing on that site is important in determining the validity of the news being presented. You can then use that information to do a little bit of your own detective work to research those names, which could help you find out if someone is falsely using that name to pass off information.

LOOK FOR QUOTES!

When passing along a news story, it is important to look for quotes, and if you notice a lack of quotes, either the story legitimately did not need them at all, or the news probably isn’t true and/or valid. For example, a news article could be covering a story on (just to use someone that everyone knows) Donald Trump. If the story says “Donald Trump said that Mexicans are all bad people,” but provides NO quotes from Donald Trump himself, then that story likely isn’t entirely true. (This is JUST an example-  I am not trying to pass that specific statement off as fact or fiction!) Quotes make a story stronger, so using quotes, especially when they are coming from someone who is involved in some way, can really help to classify something as real news.

Check the Comments:

A lot of times, fake news is presented through misleading titles and/or images in a way that is meant to grab someones attention on social media. In many cases, if other people have fallen victim to this tactic before you, they will comment on it and call it out as fake news. Generally, if many other people believe something to be embellished or fake news, it probably is.

So, to summarize, there are a few steps that you can take to be sure that the news you are receiving is real news. By asking yourself the following questions you can help to ensure that you are not receiving and/or spreading fake news:

1.      What is the URL?

2.      Who wrote it?

3.      What claims does it make?

4.      When was it published?

5.      How does it make you feel?

6.      Does it use quotes?

7.      Do other people think it’s “fake” news? 

'Moji Madness, Pt. 2

In addition to the emojis I discussed previously, there is another trend that was launched in 2014: Bitmoji. Bitmoji is described by its producer (Bitstrips) as “your own personal emoji” and gained its popularity through a partnership with Snapchat. Users are able to customize their own avatar and use it to send picture messages to others. What makes this even better is that, at least on Apple, Inc. devices, Bitmoji can be linked to your keyboard, making it much easier to access and more likely to be used. Some of these Bitmojis include messages within them, some are personalized versions of emojis, and some are more extensive/elaborate portrayals of emotions or situations that the user wants to depict or express. Ultimately, it is just a fun way to add animation to your text conversations.

'Moji Madness, Pt. 1

          Part of communicating on social media includes images that correlate with the message that you are trying to express. Merriam Webster defines emoji as “any of various small images, symbols, or icons used in text fields in electronic communication (as in text messages, e-mail, and social media) to express the emotional attitude of the writer, convey information succinctly, communicate a message playfully without using words, etc.” Emojis are similar to emoticons that have been around since the 1990s. Emojis are easier to access since they can be built into a keyboard on your device. I have chosen some emojis to define for you. The appearance of emojis varies based on the browser, device, or application that you are using. The images that I am using show the Apple, Inc. variations of the emojis. 

Internet Lingo

          In your everyday life, you’ve probably noticed that, without even thinking about it all the time, you use different language with different groups. For example, when you are with your friends, you probably do not behave in the same way that you would if you were spending time with your parents. If you work in a business setting, there is a certain way that you would act that would probably be different than if you were a kitchen worker at a restaurant (I say this from my own personal experience.) This same thing happens when you enter the online world: the internet/social media can have a very different set of linguistic rules or codes than what may be the case in your real-life world. Because of the nature of social media and the necessity of typing rather than speaking words, many phrases have adapted abbreviated forms. In this post, I will provide some examples and define their meaning.

TBT: Throwback Thursday (often used when sharing an older image or post on a Thursday)

IG: Instagram (name of an app used for sharing images/videos)

#: Hashtag (used to group related posts together)

IMO: In My Opinion (to clarify that it is opinion, not fact)

IRL: In Real Life (used to state that something relates to a person’s life offline)

LMAO: Laughing My A$$ Off (often follows a humorous post)

IDFWY: I Don’t F*** With You (popularized by Drake; means you don’t associate with someone)

GTG: Got to Go (used to exit a conversation)

FB: Facebook (name of popular social media app/site)

ICYMI: In Case You Missed It (often used by news accounts)

Tweet: A post on Twitter

GN: Goodnight / GM: Good Morning (greetings)

V: Very (shortened form of “very”)

GOAT: Greatest of All Time (used for comparing celebrities, etc.)

SC: Snapchat (name of popular image/video sharing app)

Snap: Communicating on Snapchat

BAE: Before Anyone Else (often describes a significant other)

SO: Significant Other

YOLO: You Only Live Once (typically an excuse/reason to do something)

DM: Direct Message (to share a message with just one person on Twitter)

FML: F*** My Life (used when something embarrassing or bad happens)

Facepalm: Means slamming your head into your hand (used when someone feels dumb for something)
FBF: Flashback Friday (same as TBT but used on Friday) 
MCM: Man Crush Monday (used to share a love interest on Mondays) 
WCW: Woman Crush Wednesday (used to share a love interest on Wednesdays) 

NSFW: Not Safe For Work (used to label things you should not open at work/school/anywhere else that could be embarrassing and/or risky)

These are just a few examples of an internet world full of shorthand and abbreviated language! 

Social Media Statistics

          Today, it is easy to assume that everyone is using some form of social media, but that is not true. While statistics show that the majority of adults in the United States use at least on form of social media, that percentage is still roughly just sixty-nine percent as of November 2016: 

           Source: Surveys conducted 2005-2016 | Pew Research Center

This graph shows that social media usage has increased dramatically over the course of eleven years, but it does not show certain demographics regarding social media usage in the United States.

The following graph shows social media usage and how it has grown over the past decade by age: 

Source: Surveys conducted 2005-2016 | Pew Research Center

This data shows that the percentage of people using social media decreases as age increases, meaning that more young people (18-29 years of age) are using social media compared to any other age group. But, every age group surveyed has seen a drastic amount of growth from 2005 to 2016. Upon further investigation into what groups of people are using social media I found that the data is relatively similar to the graph listed above. When it comes to gender, race, socioeconomic status, age, education, and community (urban/suburban, etc), every graph showed growth from 2005 to 2016. To view those graphs, click HERE. 

Out of curiosity, I wanted to conduct my own survey with a small population of people in my own community. Using Google Forms, I surveyed 163 people and the results are as follows:  

KEY: 

Fbook = Facebook	Tumblr= Tumblr
Twitter= Twitter	Reddit= Reddit
Ytube= Youtube	Pin= Pinterest
Google+= Google+	Snap= Snapchat
VSCO= VSCO	Other= other
Insta= Instagram

This graph shows that of the 163 people surveyed, the most popular social media accounts are Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Pinterest. I also asked how many hours per day are spent on social media. Those results are as follows: 

Less Than One Hour (Blue)= 5.5%

These results show that people are admittedly spending several hours a day using social media on average.