Well, it’s been a crazy four years. I feel like it was just yesterday that my family was helping me move into McElvaney Hall. Each semester has brought new and interesting adventures. I feel like each semester I have made new friends, learned more, grown my education, and more. I can’t begin to describe how happy I am that I chose SMU and how beneficial my education at SMU has been.

Some of the greatest experiences have been those involving school activities. Being a part of the SMU Chapter of Habitat for Humanity, being part of the Delta Gamma sorority, being a Communication Studies and Public Relations major, and studying abroad are just some of the many activities that have changed my life.

To be honest, I don’t know where to start. It’s hard to summarize four years into one blog post. It’s had to properly describe all the things about my four years in college that have changed my life.

If I were to pinpoint one factor or influence, it would have to be the benefit of meeting people from all over the country and all over the world. Meeting people from different walks of life has changed the way I view each new experience that I am thrown into. I have met people from all different backgrounds at SMU, in the Dallas community, and while traveling/studying abroad.

I’ve overheard my friends say that they are ready to graduate, that they’re sick of studying for classes and taking tests. Yes, I am too, but when I think of what awaits…the “real world”….I start to think that I could definitely stay in college forever. Sometimes I’m ready to be out on my own in the working world, and sometimes I never want these four amazing years to end.

In the past year Facebook users have been at a low. It seems that right as the older generations started to use Facebook, the younger generations have started to wean themselves off of the site. Although the site will never go away because of its use of timelines and archiving life event, it seems that the younger generation is steering towards relying solely on other social media applications, such as SnapChat and Instagram. Facebook slumps as other media sites are taking over.

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New technology is being put to use to help disaster relief during the crisis after Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. This new social media technology is being used to scan different sites to gather research on where relief is needed the most. Social media disaster relief is the newest way to use social media mediums to help send aid to different parts of the world through geotagging and more.

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Despite predictions that the iPhone 5c would be a top seller, the products sales have not gone as Apple would have hoped. Tailored to kids, or people whom need an extra protection for their phone, the iPhone 5c has not been selling.

To consumers, the color palette and style of the mobile device have turned people off, the opposite of what Apple predicted. Where the 5s has soared, the 5c has flopped.

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As Americans, certain rights are assumed. We have freedoms that most countries don’t have. We wake up every morning with a different lifestyle and different outlook. Unlike some countries, we can wake up and post how we’re feeling, especially about the government. Unfortunately for citizens in other countries, this isn’t always the case.

We wouldn’t be able to imagine our world without our basic rights. And, although they sometimes seem like some of them may be on the brink of being taken from us (gun rights, abortion rights, etc), there are some that would nearly impossible to take from us, rights that have changed and shaped our society. For example, freedom of speech. As a communication major, I could not imagine not having the right to speak freely about what is going on in our community, our country, our world. Many people think this communication should be completely free, these same people argued about the Patriot Act that was passed during the administration of President George W. Bush. This act allowed the government to listen into to certain communication that had the possibility of a threat or information of a threat against our country. This made some people feel safer and made other people angry about the fact that our privacy and communication was under surveillance.

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Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon made a video to mock the #hashtag trend that has been taking over social media….and everywhere else.

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A couple of weeks ago, shortly after the release of Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines video, a couple of Australian students got together and decided to create their own version of the song. Robin Thicke’s song, Blurred Lines, has become a huge hit throughout the world. With its catchy tune, people everywhere could not stop listening to the song.

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This past week an analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, Elizabeth O’Bagy, was fired for lying about her education. Starting as an intern for the Institute, O’Bagy had been hired full-time as a research analyst. Then this past week, she admitted to having lied about her education. She had told her boss and coworkers that she had been working on (and finished in August), her dissertation at Georgetown University. However, she had only completed an undergraduate degree in Arab Studies at GU. How the information that her PhD could be false came out, is unknown. However, she has now been fired and her career is in jeopardy. Other organizations that she was involved in, in particular Syrian Emergency Task Force, have not yet realized any statement of whether or not she is still employed. During her time at the Institute for the Study of War, O’Bagy was cited by many top politicians and appeared on many national news stations such as CNN, Fox, BBC, and more.

Unfortunately, O’Bagy’s boss, the President of the Institute, Kagan, stated that she trusted all of O’Bagy’s work and that she would’ve hired her regardless of her having a PhD or not. So, whey then would O’Bagy have lied? Today, especially with access to all sorts of information, being truthful and transparent is key. Reputation is everything. Although, many people have come back from career downfalls it often is never returned to how successful they were, or could have been. Once trust has been broken between an organization, company, or an individual, it often is difficult to, or impossible to destroy. Communication and public relations for companies and individuals is often similar. Once the trust is broken, business or career can take a huge hit. It takes a lot of relationship building, or public relations, to gain the trust back.

In the end, was it worth it for O’Bagy to lie? Clearly not. But what was her motive? She must have seen something to gain. So, when you are thinking about lying on a resume, or plagiarizing a paper, think to yourself – how much do I have to lose…is it really worth it?

Can’t get enough of George W. Bush? Then don’t worry…a week ago Bush launched his own Instagram account. Not only can you follow Hollywood’s celebrities, your friends, and your family, but now you can follow politicians. The 43rd President now has over 21,000 followers since he launched his profile. So far he has posted three photos. Each one showing who and what he supports. Many of the comments on the photos praise his work while he was President. Many other politicians also have gotten into the social media craze to boost support. President Obama has 2.4 million followers. Not only has social media become a venue for entertainment, but it has become a source for information. People are following singers, artists, and now politicians. The pictures posted affect the influence certain politicians or profiles can have over a viewer has become more and more influential. The use of social media during President Obama’s campaign was a large part of his re-election. So, keep an eye out for President Obama and George W. Bush on Instagram!