Facebook’s Redesigned ‘Like’ Button

For years, Facebook users like you have been longing for a “dislike” option to complement the “like” button. Although this never occurred, Facebook finally implemented several other reactions other than “like.” Last week, Facebook redesigned this button, adding five emoji complements: “love,” “haha,” “wow,” “sad,” and “angry.”
Facebook's Redesigned 'Like' Button Continue reading

Facebook Friends Day Videos

On February 4th, Facebook had its 12th birthday declaring it national “Friends Day.” Facebook celebrated their birthday by releasing a new video that puts together photos of you and your friends. The release of this personal video montage started the first official Facebook Friends Day video illustrating the importance of friendships.

Continue reading

Presidential Candidates Use Social Media for Political Gain

Presidential candidates use social media to generate political momentum. Candidates from both parties in the 2016 election have turned to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for aid in the fight for the White House. Here is a look at how successfully the major presidential candidates use social media to spread their political views: Continue reading

Facebook Pages for Your Business

When you hear “Facebook,” you think back to your high school and college days when social media was just beginning to take over the Internet. You probably think of it as a means of connecting with old classmates, friends and family. You may not correlate Facebook with business, but today, this social media platform is opening doors for business possibilities through Facebook Pages. Continue reading

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

The Sound of Music – Empowering Freedom of Expression through Social Media

Pandora and Spotify, two Internet Radio programs, have incorporated social media sharing capabilities to allow for their users to connect and engage on a global scale over the common interest of music.

Pandora and Spotify, two Internet Radio programs, have incorporated social media sharing capabilities to allow for their users to connect and engage on a global scale over the common interest of music.

Digital communication and social media platforms have transformed the way that individuals around the globe converse, share information, and learn more about themselves and one another. Whether it be through Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Periscope, Tumblr, or Snapchat, communication mediums such as these have allowed for people of all ages, shapes and sizes to express themselves while engaging and sharing with others. Unlike these forums, which allow for a plethora of diverse opinions, expressions, dialogues, and interests to float freely, music platforms, such as Pandora Internet Radio and Spotify, focus solely on one passion that unites millions – music.

As unique as it is for the social media platforms mentioned above to act as unrestricted forums for really anything to be displayed, discussed, or analyzed, music programs such as Pandora bring people together over one common platform that spawns a plethora of variety. It brings people together over a shared passion for music, specifically personal musical taste, while also allowing for that passion to be shared with other like-minded users, both known and unknown. This social media and sharing component of music programs, particularly featured with Spotify and Pandora, is what has given them the competitive advantage needed in order to collaborate with rather than be outshone by their social media competitors.

To give a bit of background, Pandora, started in 2000, is the world’s most powerful music discovery platform with over 80 million active users. Spotify, launched in 2008, also allows its 60 million active users to play music directly from the cloud, and features more than 30 million tracks. One of the key differences between the two is their source of revenue-  while Spotify has about 20% of their 60 million users pay for the service, Pandora only has 3.5 million paying customers. This suggests that the benefits of Spotify’s Premium memberships outweigh the cost compared to Pandora’s offerings. The two programs have both joined forces with Facebook, allowing for users to share their playlists and music activity with their Facebook friends. Spotify also features a “Music Chat” component, which provides users with a free space to chat about anything music related. Much like how Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram allow for individuals to express themselves through design, images and graphics, Spotify and Pandora allow for the same creative expression but through the art of music. In the case of Spotify, it allows for users to use their own creative discretion in creating playlists comprised of whatever musical tracks, artists and genre that they want. When adding in the social media aspect, this provides an outlet for users’ creations to be shared to the world, giving them a way to represent themselves through a collaboration of sounds that they themselves have designed. In the case of Pandora, their use of the Music Genome Project, which is the most comprehensive analysis of music ever undertaken, allows for users to be provided with the most personalized listening experience possible. By utilizing the wealth of musicological information stored in the Music Genome Project, Pandora recognizes and responds to each individual’s tastes. “The result is a much more personalized radio experience – stations that play music you’ll love – and nothing else.” This too allows for users to represent themselves via personalized music playlists.

In a world where reputation is something that takes a lifetime to create and yet can be lost in a matter of seconds, it is important for individuals to have creative outlets to represent themselves in a more personal and less serious manner. There is no right or wrong when it comes to personal taste in music, and with programs such as Spotify and Pandora, creative expression through music is celebrated rather than critiqued. It allows for personal representation that can be shared and result in strong connections made with like-minded users on a global scale. Most importantly, it allows for people to choose how they want to portray themselves through their personal taste in music, empowering individuals to practice freedom of expression in a safe and unrestricted forum.

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.

Continue reading

@God – Wait, What?! How Social Media & Communications is Expanding the SMU Catholic Community

 

Being raised in a conservative Catholic family, one of the most important values instilled was tradition. This value quite frequently comes into conflict with the not-so traditional ideals of the millennial generation. The only form of church “social media” was the old-school stock-paper weekly newsletter that was distributed to churchgoers as they exited Mass. Unfortunately, the few newsletters that were accepted were in turn used as a plate to pile on as many of the warm, highly coveted end-of-mass donuts that were served by volunteers immediately after every Sunday morning service. Absolutely an incentive to get out of bed at 8:45 on a Sunday.

Continue reading

How to Adapt to Ever-Changing Social Media

As young professionals, whether in your career as a student or in the professional world, it is easy to assume that you are all-knowing in the field of social media.  But the way it is now, the way it was once and will be, is ever-changing.  It is so necessary to constantly learn what’s going on in the social media world.  And that doesn’t mean just updating whatever app it is and clicking around. Continue reading

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Changes Company Mantra

Facebook’s motto has always been “Move Fast and Break Things,” which meant to always be creating new things and work out the bugs later. Instead of progressing the company in the fastest, most efficient way possible, that mentality has had a reverse effect on their productivity. Zuckerberg saw this and was compelled to change the company mantra.  Continue reading

The Rise of Arab Spring

The occurrence of Arab Spring on December 18, 2010 sparked a new revolution in Tunisia along with other countries.

It began with the self-immolation of Mohammed Bouazizi in protest of the injustices of the police. Retaliation occurred against the corrupt power. The main target was the corruption of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. This movement represented more than a political revolution but also a social media revolution that inspired others to stand up for theirrights.

Continue reading

Google and Twitter Venture into Mobile App Install Advertisements

Mobile App Install Advertisements Gain Popularity

Facebook, Google, and Twitter have all allowed for companies to advertise on their websites for years, but recently mobile advertising, specifically mobile app install advertisements, have become extremely predominant. Mobile app install ads enable users to download games and other apps directly to their mobile device from the ad itself. Continue reading

Facebook Restricts Guns?

Facebook Restricts Gun Promotion

Is Facebook the Next Major Arms Dealer?

Firearms attempting to be sold on Facebook

Firearms attempting to be sold on Facebook

When people post about a gun for sale, Facebook will now regulate who sees the post. They will now make sure that only people above the age of 18 may see it. Additionally they will not be allowed to offer to sell items that can be used to evade or help others evade the law.

For example, private sellers of firearms in the U.S. will not be permitted to specify “no background check required, nor can they offer to transact across state lines without a licensed firearms dealer.

Different pages such as “Guns For Sale” will now be limited to users that are 18 and older. This is their attempt to monitor and limit posts and pages illegal gun sales.

WSJ- Under Pressure, Facebook Restricts Gun Promotion

New York Attorney Generals Office said”The Biggest step ever for social media to limit gun sales.”

The Movement:

“American moms are gratified that Facebook and Instagram have agreed to take meaningful steps to prevent illegal gun sales to children and dangerous people on its platforms,” Said Shannin Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

Moms Protesting in Favor Of Gun Control

Moms Protesting in Favor Of Gun Control

Mothers and anti-gun supporters are teaming up in order to create a safer and more controlled social media platform in the U.S. They are happy the companies are listening to the mothers and believe these new changes are major steps toward making rue people who buy or sell guns on their platforms know the law, and follow the law.

Here is the Facebook Press Release.

 

Nonprofits and Social Media

 The Giving World of Social Media

With the increasing interest for community service and donations, nonprofit organizations have grown in their scope and impact on society. A nonprofit or not for profit organization is a type of association that uses it revenue and donations for the greater benefit of the general public and does not operate for profit. In addition to the growing service for nonprofit organizations, the digital age has also been taking off and many have taken advantage of this new way of communicating to stakeholders and the public.

Continue reading