Does First Lady Melania Trump Hurt or Help Cyberbullying?

Her husband refers to the leader of North Korea as “Rocket Man,” calls Hilary Clinton “crooked Hilary,” and belittles and demeans people through Twitter. Her goal is to end cyberbullying. First Lady Melania Trump announced she would focus her attention on the issue of cyberbullying during the presidential campaign. Since Donald Trump’s election she gave a speech at a U.N. luncheon and traveled to a couple of middle schools to talk to children about bullying; it is believed that she has not yet formulated a defined program for ending cyberbullying. Given the recent comments made by a Parkland High School shooting survivor, it was time to take a look at what First Lady Melania Trump has done for the complex issue of cyberbullying and determine if she will ever actually be effective at change, assuming she is unwilling to smash her husband’s phone. Continue reading

How Donald Trump Leveraged Social Media

The 2016 presidential election was anything but ordinary. This crazy election had polar opposite candidates, zealous supporters, and biased media networks. Social media was one of the most interesting facets of this election. Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were extremely active across the big three platforms: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Trump even went so far to say that social media played the key role in his victory.

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Skinny Minnie: Not-So-Pretty

Kate Moss once said, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” This quote was one of the most popular memes of 2016. Young girls and women alike have posted and retweeted this as “fitness” inspiration. Unfortunately, this quote is not the only form of unwarranted, unhealthy physical propaganda; especially within the social media sphere. Continue reading

Media: Combining Advertising and Public Relations

Although advertising and public relations both fall on the same side of clients’ balance sheets as staff functions, they have lived in separate offices for many years. Each of them produces media; however, they usually differ.

There are many differences between advertising and public relations that make them unique. A paid source of media is advertising. Advertising provides a guarantee that the client’s goods or services will be placed in the publics’ eye. Advertising’s complete creative control makes the messages targeted and purposeful. An earned source of media is public relations. The media and its viewers hold the lifespan of the organic content produced by public relations. Continue reading

Cultural Divides: A Global Issue in the Shadows

Nonprofit organizations have been helping millions of people globally who could not survive otherwise, without food, water and shelter. According to global issues.org, over three billion people, almost half the world, live on less than $2.50 a day. At least 80 percent of humanity lives on less than $10 a day and more than 80 percent of the world’s population lives in countries where income differentials are widening.

We are responsible for the world in which we find ourselves, if only because we are the only sentient force, which can change it.”  – James Baldwin

Every man does not live on bread alone. A global issue has been forgotten behind poverty, sickness, and hunger. An issue that starts wars, causes suicide, and destroys societies. That issue is cultural divides. What makes humans uniquely different from other species is our need for relationships for survival.

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Mark Zuckerberg: Investing in the Future

Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder and chief executive of Facebook, vowed last Tuesday that he and his family would donate 99 percent of their Facebook shares to charitable purposes. According to the New York Times, the donation is worth $45 billion and will be worth even more if Facebook continues to grow.  Continue reading

Pinterest: As a Marketing Tool

A table on the social media users among all adults ages 18 and aboveLooking for the next big thing in social media marketing? It has been right in front of you this entire time!

Don’t be fooled by the bride-to-be stereotype… Pinterest has become a platform all companies should be monitoring and using daily if they want to be successful!

Pinterest is a visual bookmarking tool that helps individuals discover and save creative ideas. The social media platform was created in 2011 and now has over 100 million monthly active users (Griffith). Continue reading

Does the Rapid Evolution Of Social Media Have Apple To Thank? 

Does the rapid increase and popularity of new social media platforms depend on Apple (AAPL) to continue their growth and usage?

Whether you’re a Microsoft groupie, a Samsung Galaxy guru, or an Android addict, there is no question that Apple is the most valuable company in the world. According to Forbes, this year Apple not only had the last largest market cap, but also the largest sales, profits, and assets among the world’s largest technology company.

January 2007 was the announcement that changed the tech industry forever. The arrival of the iPhone revolutionized the smartphone and paved the way for apps, digital media, and social media to become the future.

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Twitter Campaigning: Social Media in the 2016 Presidential Election

Presidential campaigns spend millions of dollars each year on radio and television ads, but for the 2016 election this money is a waste. Presidential Candidates must look to social media for rankings, free advertisement, analyticVoter pin with the words"every tweet counts".s, fundraising, public feedback and opinion, engage with young voters, and immediate response to controversy.

More voters are receiving their news from social media and the 2016 presidential candidates are taking advantage of this medium. Social media is a tool for campaigns to reach out to Millennials and gain momentum in the polls and recognition in the news. Twitter has become imperative for candidates to use to gain the public eye and attention of potential voters.

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Everything Digital = Everything to Lose? How the Tech Generation May be Getting Set Up to Fail

When discussing with a peer his ambition to run for a position on his local School Board, the issue on the forefront of his campaign was to cut the funding for and requirement of purchasing iPads for all middle and high tech generation students. Plot twist- this perspective comes not from a technologically challenged, micro-managing parent, but rather from a tech-savvy, avid device user, sophomore at Southern Methodist University.

Unfortunately, a Pew Research Center study has confirmed our grandparent’s rants about the negative implications of staring at a screen all day. A whopping 87% of teachers in the study, joined by the College Board and the National Writing Project, reported that technology is creating an “easily distracted generation with short attention spans.” 64% of both middle and high school professors stated that today’s digital technologies “do more to distract students than to help them academically.” 

Students of the tech generation can't help but get distracted by the hundreds of non-educational purposes, such as Photo Booth, that the iPad initiative invites into the classroom.

Students getting distracted by their iPads in a Los Angeles classroom.

Director of the Pew Internet Project Lee Rainie hit the nail on the head when remarking that the tremendously overpowering influence of modern day technology may be attributed to the inability of students to understand how to master time management at such young ages.  “Multi-tasking” has become a casual phrase referring to how our brains should function in this day and age, with the expectation that humans are able to comprehend and retain information while receiving and sending text messages with various people, listening to lyric-stuffed music, with various online shopping windows up, and while regularly glancing at overflowing Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat feeds, etc. Why, and how, is it that the biggest culprit of distraction has become the turned to tool for educating the youth?

Loosely titled the “iPad Initiative,” the break up between school districts and textbooks has become an epidemic as tablet computers are being utilized as a tool to help implement the new Common Core state standards for math and reading. The separation has had its positives, though, such as financial savings, lighter backpacks, and providing students with technology and internet awareness. The iPad Initiative provides instant information at students’ fingertips, which is both a blessing and a curse. There is a difference between information and knowledge:

Information – facts provided or learned about something or someone.

Knowledge – facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject.

Although these nouns are used universally and interchangeably, it is pivotal that the tech generation is enlightened on the true difference between the two. The iPad initiative teaches only how to access information, without pushing students to both absorb and comprehend that information and make it knowledge.

A Reflection on My Collegiate Years

Everyone says, “College is the best four years of your life.” I think college is what you make of it. I hope college isn’t the best four years of my life because I have big plans in my future, and how I spent all of my time at SMU wasn’t how I dreamed college would be. When reflecting on my collegiate years, I cannot help but feel thankful and disappointed. Two powerful emotions dramatically crashing against each other.  Continue reading

Racist Comments Lead to Losing Sponsors

Racist Comments Lead to Losing Sponsors for the Clippers.

Allegedly the owner of the NBA Clippers team, Donald Sterling, was caught saying some horrendous and racist comments. This has lead to numerous companies ending their sponsorship or suspending it. Personally, I think racism is deplorable however, a man of Sterling’s position has no excuse. It has been incredible how social media has literally blown up over this hot topic.

Even the players have reacted to these comments , the players warmed-up with their practice jerseys inside out to show their solidarity against the statements that were made. Also, as they ran out of the tunnel for Game 4 of the first-round playoffs they wore black wristbands or armbands.  As Clippers star guard could be heard shouting to his teammates on the way out,

“It’s just us, only us. We’re all we got.”

 

Here is the following list of lost/ suspended sponsors:

  • Yokohama Tire Corp: Suspended
  • Anheuser-Bush: Publicly supporting NBA’s investigation
  • Lumber Liquidators: Suspended
  • Amtrak: Determining if they will extended regular season sponsorship
  • LoanMart: Suspended
  • StateFarm: Suspended, continue campaigns with players
  • Sprint: Suspended
  • Kia: Suspended
  • Virgin America: Terminated
  • AQUAhydrate: Suspended
  • CarMax: Terminated
  • RedBull: Suspended, continue campaigns with players

 

Read more here

 

Crowd-funding platform MoolaHoop empowers female entrepreneurs

Empowering female business owners to start, build and expand their business, the rewards-based crowd-funding platform MoolaHoop is designed by women for women. The site allows women entrepreneurs in need of modest startup capital to develop online campaigns.

Crowd-funding platform MoolaHoop empowers female entrepreneurs.

Crowd-funding platform MoolaHoop empowers female entrepreneurs.

Founders of the dallas-based site, Brenda Bazan and Nancy, created an online platform enabling women to leverage the “power of the crowd” in order to grow their business and achieve financial success.
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Will The Comcast-Time Warner Deal Affect Communications Infrastructure?

Close to Sealing the Deal

Close to Sealing the Deal

Another major merge between the two largest cable companies is creating a setback, especially for our wallets. Comcast, the nation’s largest cable company wants to buy Time Warner for $45 billion dollars. If this communications merge were to happen, Comcast would shovel 70 million subscribers, which is about 30 percent of television viewers in the United States. So, why is this an issue?

The last time a deal like this was announced was in 2011 when AT&T tried to merge with T-Mobile, which affected the communications infrastructure. That deal fell through when the Department of Justice sued to block the deal. The Department of Justice “argued at the time that the AT&T deal would decrease competition, hurt consumers and squash innovation.”

The Comcast proposal creates another threat, placing a strange hold on several growing businesses such as internet services and broadcast television. Essentially this proposed merger “would create a behemoth of a monopoly, crushing networks, broadcasters and any content provider looking for a path.” Continue reading

Streaming Music Hits Its High

Digital Music Hits A High

Digital Music Hits A High

No longer do you see people listening to their Walkman’s when running down the street. That’s because the days of buying CD’s is long gone. Today, there are millions of songs available to download for free online. Streaming music has taken over due to its continuous inflow of new tracks and the fact that you pay nothing to add it to your most current playlist. Digital music is dominating the music business, from professional musicians to radio broadcasters. Continue reading

Mary Barra a Crisis Game Changer

Mary Barra a crisis game changer during General Motors current recall. Encase your are not up-to-date on the motor world news, General Motors has had a massive recall that has affected Upon reading a great article on Forbes on Barra I must admit, she is a game changer in the crisis world. The demand for transparency and two-way communication is not longer an option but, a requirement in our world today.

New Crisis Playbook

Facing the challenge of a recall would be daunting for any CEO, imagine being a brand-new, first female CEO in your industry and dealing with it. So far she has approached this crisis as a seasoned veteran. By promising to get to the bottom of what happened, engaging with the public on the General Motors Facebook, and handling herself in front of Congress, Barra has proven she can handle a massive crisis. She has utilized all facets of social media to reach her audience especially, when the target audience for your car in your recall is that of young adult age. It will be interesting to see how Barra will carry General Motors through this recall.

Check out Barra’s recall update here.