cassiemalhado-prposts-blog

[cassiemalhado-prposts-blog]

It’s All in the Implementation

Introduction Throughout the semester I have worked closely with R.I.S.E. Inc. formerly the Women’s Aid Service. Together we spent the semester creating a social media strategy that would benefit the organization. However, it is now time for implementation. As every leader knows, implementation comes with challenges. I will discuss these challenges I foresee my organization having to deal with based off the principles discussed in Dr. Melton’s lecture video.  I will also take some time to wrap-up my time spent in BIS 315 at CMU.

Challenges of Implementation for R.I.S.E. Inc.

After handing over the final piece of our social media strategy, I believe R.I.S.E. Inc. will face some challenges with implementation of my recommendations. I believe the first challenge will lie within the structure of their organization. R.I.S.E. is a small nonprofit, meaning employees wear many hats. The manager who has taken the lead on social media has 1,000 other things to do. I am scared implementing these new strategies will require too much time that the manager does not have. 

My second concern in R.I.S.E. implementing these new practices will be their lack of knowledge on the principles of mass collaboration. R.I.S.E. always portrays positive, inspiring, and educational posts that fit their purpose well. However, I am scared they will not have enough knowledge on the principles of community to build the masses around this purpose. In order to fully achieve a social organization, R.I.S.E. must move their offline ambassadors online. This will require putting social media handles on email signatures, brochures, and newsletters. The whole organization needs to get behind this for the community to grow. I believe they are up for the challenge if they dedicate the resources to it! 

Personal Reflections on BIS 315 As my time in BIS 315 is coming to an end, I have been reflecting on the things I have learned. With risk of being a “suck-up”, this has been one of the most influential classes in my college career. This course has been so influential because I am currently managing three social media accounts, not including my own. Businesses are trusting me to provide business value to an organization. Before this class, I was trying to provide this value with no direction. I had no purpose.

However, I now think about my purpose before every post. Does this align with business values? Will this bring value to the organization? Overall, I found Hootsuite to be the most valuable part of this course. I would have never sought out the opportunity to become social media marketing certified, but I will be within the next month. This certificate will grow my knowledge and opportunities within the PR field.

BIS 315 is the type of class that is applicable to every other class I’m taking in my major and minor. It is the class which delivers useful information used in other classes and the workforce. I will recommend this class to anyone in the future!

Conclusion The end of the semester always makes me nostalgic and reflective. Overall, I am grateful for the lessons learned in BIS 315. I am also thankful for the opportunity to grow close to a client whose mission I hold dear to me. I look forward to my future in social media management. Additionally, I look forward to helping R.I.S.E. Inc. through the challenges of implementation and watching them succeed. 

[cassiemalhado-prposts-blog]

It’s All in the Content

So you want to be popular on social media, huh? Well it’s all in the content! As they say, content is king. 

(https://www.adweek.com/digital/larry-alton-guest-post-social-media-marketing-content/)

Introduction Everyone dreams of being a social media influencer. However, the pressure is especially high for businesses. To be at the top of your industry, you must create and share relevant, unique, and thought-provoking content. The principles of effectively sharing and creating content will allow for an organization’s social media to grow into a social organization. This social organization will provide benefits to the company through increased productivity, more problem solvers, and a bigger community to spread messages to. All information talked about today is from Hootsuite’s social marketing training. 

How Effective Content is Developed and Shared Content is narrowed down into two categories. The first category is curated content. Curated content is content gathered from trusted sources relevant to your industry. The second category is created content. Created content is content created within your organization. The ideal ratio of curated and created content will vary per organization and what your audience enjoys.

Created content includes things such as blogs, infographics and visuals. Created content allows for an organization to position themselves as a thought leader. It is also better at driving conversions and traffic. When creating this content, an organization must think about what brings value to the audience, what they prefer (blogs, gifs, photos, etc.), and how to repurpose this content for different platforms while keeping the original goal of the post. The best way to plan this created content is through a content calendar. A content calendar is a way to plan out your posts on a monthly basis. 

I currently work as the social media coordinator for IROCK Crushers and use mostly created content. An example of my last created piece can be seen here. In this piece I used a holiday to create a graphic because I know graphics resonate well with my audience. It reached 155 people and had 12 engagements. 

Whereas curated content grows your audience and positions a company as trustworthy. It offers diversity to ones’ social media feed and breaks up the self-promoted content. Also, it builds relationships within the industry and takes up little resources. To find relevant content about your industry that entices your audience, search topics and keywords. The advanced search feature on Twitter also assists in finding this relevant articles.

For example, today I was looking at an industry leader in the heavy machinery industry. It was then I found an article where IROCK Crushers had a featured machine and featured employee. I used that article as curated content with a unique twist to benefit IROCK.  How Great Content Helps a Company Become a Social Organization Great content assists a company in becoming a social organization because great content has a purpose. This purpose should align with an organization’s mission statement. Through this purpose, a community will grow. This community will all bond over this mutual purpose. Thus, quality content that portrays a strong message relevant to the audiences’ needs will perform well. It will then increase communication and collaboration among members. This allows for problem solving, marketing, branding, and productivity to all increase.  Furthermore, when members within the company are asked to assist in making created content, they are going to engage with that content online. By building a company where every employee is considered a brand advocate on social media, you are adding on to your social organization. You are also achieving better reach through good, share-worthy content.  Conclusion Content truly is king. When a company has good content, they are at the top of their industry. Social media allows for companies to position themselves as thought leaders and build relationships in their industry. It also allows for companies to build a social organization through good content. This social organization assists in many aspects that make a business successful and profitable. 

[cassiemalhado-prposts-blog]

The Changes I Desire to See at CMU

https://micirclek.org/club-calendars-district-events/central-michigan-university/

       Every student at Central Michigan University could list multiple things they desire to change about the school. This fact is true about any college and its students. However, every student has different opinions on what should change. If I was the leader of Central, there are three things I would assess and improve

1. The small number of blue emergency lights        My brother is a student at Michigan State University. While visiting him, he pointed out the number of emergency lights installed on campus. No matter what point you are at on MSU’s campus, you can see an emergency light. This means you can contact the police instantly at any location. 

       CMU needs to take a page out of MSU’s book and improve student safety. I can only picture three emergency lights on our campus! By buying more emergency lights, we can improve student safety, promote this change and increase enrollment rates.

2. Spaces outside of the university center should be reservation free for on-campus organizations        If you have ever attempted to host an event outside of the UC, you know there are strict policies regarding renting the picnic tables on the front lawn. I find this utterly ridiculous, because my tuition money paid for those picnic tables!

       I believe the front lawn of the UC should be open for RSOs and Greek Life to use without the hassle of contacting the university. I believe this because these organizations are registered with the university. They shouldn’t have to fight each other for spots when they can both share!

3. CMU needs to put less emphasis on sports, especially football         This one is pretty self-explanatory. CMU’s football team just came off a terrible season. The team went 1-11. However, the university funnels a lot of money into the team. Money that I believe should go elsewhere. 

       When I think of the people I know and why they chose CMU, the answers I hear most often are the Honors Program and the Leadership Institute. With enrollment rates being down, we should focus on putting money into the reasons people come to CMU!         I stand by wanting these changes as a junior at CMU. I will still stand by these changes as an alumni.        Fire up forever! 

[cassiemalhado-prposts-blog]

Pencils of Promise: How $25 and Social Media Can Change the World

https://lewishowes.com/podcast/adam-braun-promise/

Introduction Today we are talking about the organization Pencils of Promise. All information from this post today comes from “Adam Braun: How He Started Pencils of Promise” by Dan Schawbel and “How an Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change” by Ivy Magazine.  This organization was started by Adam Braun in 2008. In the height of the recession, Braun took his $25 to the bank in hopes of starting Pencils of Promise. His goal at the time was to provide education to those who did not have the means or ability to attend school in developing countries.

His inspiration came from his time in college spent traveling in India. On his trip he asked a young boy if he could have anything in the world, what it would be. The boys response was simple-- “a pencil”. Braun’s goal then became to provide children access to education. He now has helped over 30,000 first time students gain access. If you would like more background on Pencils of Promise, check out their website.  Community Braun built something from nothing. As a result, many of his first endeavors were taken on alone. In hopes of growing community within his organization he turned to family and friends first. Braun would forgo birthday gifts and ask for donations instead.

The second way he built community was through social media. Braun used social media as a way to draw people to his purpose. As discussed in the novel “The Social Organization” by Anthony J. Bradley and Mark P. McDonald, purpose is they key point in developing a successful social media presence and community. Through community growth behind a purpose, Braun was able to gather donations online from his community. In addition, his community reached out to their followers and friends to ask for donations. 

The third way Braun built his community was through hiring. At first, Braun hired individuals who felt a connection to the purpose of the organization. These people shared in his vision. After high amounts of growth, Braun now hires based on skills because he knows those applying have a soft-spot for the cause.

Social Media As discussed above, social media was highly influential in creating a sustainable enterprise for Braun. Most of his donations came from social media followers. In turn, their followers and friends because aware of the cause. Social media is a great tool for launching an enterprise such as this, because the motivation to partake is great and the purpose is clear. Social media remains a positive addition to Pencils of Promise’s enterprise. In fact, when Braun first launched, he made a massive bet that social media would become a large part of society. That bet paid off. As of 2014, social media has assisted in launching 35,000 personal fundraisers through the organizations’ official website. Social media is now a part of the work culture within Pencils of Promise and will remain so due to their success in terms of return on investment.

Conclusion Braun’s story provides hope for college students as well as others. With $25 and social media (which we all have access to), he was able to launch an organization that has changed the world for the better. Braun has many lessons to teach regarding using social media with a purpose and following your heart. I know he is someone I will be researching more about! 

Follow Pencils of Promise on social media at: Twitter  Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Youtube

[cassiemalhado-prposts-blog]

Online Communities and Business

Introduction

This week we’re talking about online communities! Online communities are like friends. You have a purpose, a mutual interest, and you work together to make things happen in life. Online communities do the same for a business, if the business can provide the right platforms and brand persona. Throughout this post, we will be discussing principles of online communities and how to grow them.

Principles of Online Communities

According to The Social Organization by Anthony J. Bradley and Mark P. McDonald, the goal of an online community is to “capture or mine value from a collection of people who assemble around a collaborative focal point”. Thus, every organization’s focal point should look a little different. For example, my client (R.I.S.E. Inc, formerly Women’s Aid Service) I am working with to develop a social media strategy has a mission to inspire and empower survivors of domestic violence while mobilizing advocates. As a result, their content looks different than the content of corporate McDonalds who has a goal of gaining customers. It is vital to remember that your focal point should align with your organization’s mission and goals. 

While there are many principles of online communities, the most important is purpose. In order to gain an online community, there must be a purpose for the members. For example, I would never join a hunting group that talks about trends in the gun and fishing industry. However, I would join the Aerie community that supports body empowerment which I talked about in my first blog post. I would join this group because there’s something in it for me. I get to feel good about being an advocate for something I believe to be of utmost importance. However, people who care about hunting and fishing would like to know the best products in their hobby. With no purpose, there is no community space for individuals to thrive. Instead, it becomes a waste of time.

Growing an Online Community

After completing Hootsuite module four, I learned many things about growing an online community. First, it is important to have the principle of focus in place before you can begin growing your group. Second, it is important to remember that you want quality followers, not just quantity. As a business, you want people to add value to your organization and increase your ROI. It is not all about the numbers of your follower count. Third, reach out to offline community and begin to add them to your online community. Fourth, research people you can include as influencers to increase recognition of your brand. Finally, include links to social properties in any and all print materials and emails.

A few of these principles apply more to my client, R.I.S.E. Inc. than others. R.I.S.E. already has a strong focus in place that accomplishes their brand mission. However, they want to put resources toward gathering followers. I do not believe that to be the best choice, as they have an engaged community of advocates already who empower survivors and educate others on sexual assault and domestic violence (see below). 

https://twitter.com/DPhiECMU/status/1058445658418503682

I believe they should instead focus on adding more individuals from the Mount Pleasant community to their online community. R.I.S.E. is a very influential organization in Mount Pleasant that many people enjoy spreading awareness about and volunteering for. Targeting these people would only improve R.I.S.E.’s online community. Also, R.I.S.E. should focus on researching potential influencers on CMU’s campus that focus on sexual assault and domestic violence education such as SAPA. Finally, R.I.S.E. should be plastering their social media handles all over their print materials and their email signatures with clients, volunteers, and advocates.

Conclusion

Overall, my client has many ways to grow their online community with quality, not quantity. If R.I.S.E. uses their in-person advocates and moves them online they will grow their community with people who align with their purpose. Furthermore, research should be done into who would be valuable brand advocates and influencers to spread R.I.S.E.’s reach in the Mount Pleasant community. Online communities are important for a business to reach their business objectives and R.I.S.E. Inc. is well on their way to having a very productive community. 

[cassiemalhado-prposts-blog]

Big Data-- Law, Businesses, and Consumers

Image: https://www.healthcareitnews.com/cloud-decision-center/moving-cloud-not-without-good-business-case-you-don’t

Today we will be discussing big data, again! Big data is a hot topic right now and will continue to be in the future as it is a new topic people are unsure of how to handle. To refresh your memory, big data involves large amounts of data that a computer can analyze for trends and information. Big data can be monetized.

Todays conversation will center around the lecture “The Legal Side of Big Data” by Doug LaLone. In this lecture, Doug speaks about the uncertainty of laws regarding big data, what businesses need to be aware of, and what consumers should be concerned with. I will be commenting on the points I believe to be the most important.

What should businesses be aware of with big data?

According to LaLone, businesses should be aware of many things. First, it is important for businesses to be aware of the importance of proactivity. Businesses are not sitting down between departments and asking the important questions regarding data security. These questions include, what third-parties have access to our data? Do we have contracts and policies in place to protect our data? Are we only sharing data with people we know need it? Do we own our own data? If the organization’s data was to be sold to the black market, how would that effect business? Due to these questions not being asked before issues like data breaches happen, businesses put themselves in a position tobe reactive. They organizations attempt to save face instead of making sure there was no problem to begin with.

Businesses also need to be aware of potential positive outcomes of big data. Businesses should be asking, what can we use this data for? Businesses should think about what departments would enjoy hearing positive data. Then, these departments can use this data for sales and marketing plans, internal communication, stakeholders, and consumers. 

What should consumers be aware of with big data?

Consumers need to be aware of many things. First, consumers must remember that businesses are organizations that look to make revenue. Thus, not all organizations will put your security and needs first. Second, consumers must be asking themselves vital questions about their data in regard to businesses. These questions include, does this organization need my data? What policies or practices does this business have in place to protect my data? Are they storing it in the cloud where it could be potentially hacked? I am the first person to put my information into every website for free products; however, I do not believe hundreds of companies need that information about me.

Furthermore, consumers need to be aware of the immensity of data. As stated earlier, a lot of data lives in the cloud. Thus, even if someone deletes your data from their device, it still lives on in this ominous cloud. In addition, consumers need to be willing to look deeper into businesses and see what third-parties may be collecting their information. A perfect example of this from LaLone’s discussion is Radioshack. Radioshack had contracts with businesses like Apple, so both parties were receiving data thorough each others contracts throughout Radioshack’s time as a thriving organization.

What is the best way to balance these opportunities and threats of big data?

For businesses, I believe it comes down to proactivity and integrity. Yes, it is important to use data to improve your products. It is also important to use data to better sell your products. However, it is important to think proactively and to think about your customers. If their information is being sold, they will not be a returning customer. Thus, in the long run, your lack of protecting data will hurt you. In the end, businesses should be planning how to prevent data breaches, not how to save their butt after the breach is done.

For consumers, it is important to remember that big data is good for tailoring ads to you and getting stuff you do not want to see off your internet feeds and emails. However, my cry to consumers is not be afraid to ask questions to yourself and the business asking for information! Ask the business what measures they have taken to protect your data. Ask who their third-party receivers are. Be open and honest with your concerns and if they have a proactive plan, they will answer with integrity. In the same breath, it is most important to ask yourself if these businesses need your data. You do not have to hand out data to every website that sells cute clothes. You decide where you input your data, so chose wisely. 

[cassiemalhado-prposts-blog]

Why “Fake News” Spreads-- The Answers You’ve Been Waiting For

We have all heard the exclamation of “fake news!” from politicians, neighbors, and friends or family. Whether joking or otherwise, “fake news” has become a part of our vocabulary brought about by President Trump. 

This begs the question, what causes junk news to spread? Well, the Oxford Internet Institute set to uncover just that with their research. The Oxford Internet Institute says there are three reasons junk news spreads. These reasons are algorithms, advertising, and exposure. Algorithms Algorithms are used to prioritize and search through content on the internet. Thus, instead of having to search through millions of articles for the one you want, your computer makes an educated guess by use of algorithms of the content you wish to see. This is also used for political ads.

When political ads are tailored to things you want to see, you are not able to see content contradictory toward your viewpoint. You will only see this contradictory content if you go looking. However, chances are you don’t care enough about the other side to look. An example of this is Facebook. Facebook recently came under fire for showing what political party they believe you belong to under your settings. 

I believe that algorithms, in regard to politics, are dangerous to democracy. They do not allow for free-flowing ideas and conversations with the “other side”, because you are not receiving information they believe in. Unless one is reading a book or studying a topic, it is dangerous to prevent this free-flow of information because most people get their news from social media. 

I also believe that algorithms are dangerous to a capitalist, free-market society. I believe this because only companies of more value and with more cash can afford large amounts of tailored ads. As a result, where do your ma and pa shops end up? They don’t end up like H&M or Forever 21 who I see ads for every day. This is dangerous to an economy if people do most of their shopping online.

Advertising As discussed in previous blog posts, the internet is free because we are the product. In an advertising system, the internet collects data on us and sells it to corporations. They use this information to feed us ads. 

In regard to the election of 2016, advertising led to junk news. Advertising led to junk news by allowing for unclear advertisements. You could not see who was sponsoring these posts and sharing them. In addition, click-bate and hype words were use to draw viewers in. This became key when using algorithms with advertisements. If you spread news to a Republican or Democrat that contradicted their views and used hype-words to draw them in, you received a click on your link.

I believe that this spread of junk news can be stopped. I was previously a journalism major who took many classes on “fake news”. We were taught to look at news with a critical eye and to look for red flags. For example, exclamation marks in the headline are a red flag. Also, hype-words and a name such as “theconversativepatriot.com” should lead one to think the news shows a bias. If people looked at news with a critical eye, the dissemination of junk news wouldn't be as influential because people would not buy into it.

Exposure While the two above factors play a role in the spreading of junk news, so does exposure. At the end of the day, you decide what you are exposed to. When you friend people, unfriend people, and like certain pages, you decide what content you are going to receive.

For example, I have met a lot of people through attending rallies and political protests. Thus, when I friend them on Facebook, their posts confirm my beliefs. In fact, when I see people post stuff that does not confirm my beliefs, and they’re posting excessively, I tend to unfriend them. This is because I do not want to be bombarded with things I do not agree with. I want my experience with social media to be easy and not thought-provoking. 

While this is may not be true for everyone, it is true for me. Thus I, as well as many others, can make a more conscious effort to read the rare articles you see from friends with different beliefs than yours. If you expose yourself to both sides of an issue, you will be able to evaluate what news surrounding it is fake or not.

Conclusion In the end, individuals should be aware of ignoring information that does not confirm their beliefs. I am the first person to hit that unfriend button; however, what am I learning by doing that? Individuals like me can solve this problem by expanding our mind and our openness to engage with multiple sides of an issue. Education is important when forming decisions and is vital to making a decision in politics.

Businesses should also be aware that they can use tailored ads to reach out to those already interested in their brand. However, they must also keep in mind the questions: how do we reach those people who our algorithms may have not included in advertising? Are they important to reach? Businesses can solve this question and problem by deciding if they want to tailor ads to those who have not previously expressed interest in their brand but fit their target audience. I would suggest allocating less money to that fund than those who have already expressed interested or are returning customers.

Overall, the spreading of “fake news” will never stop. It is just important to use a critical eye and level head to decide what news is junk and what news you simply don’t like. 

[cassiemalhado-prposts-blog]

The Social Media Consultant

Source: https://beymour.com/social-media-marketing Qualities  Based on Professor Melton’s lecture on consulting, I believe a consultant should have three key qualities to succeed. As Professor Melton stated, some clients may be more difficult to work with than others. As a result, the first important quality of a consultant is patience. The second important quality is critical thinking. I have had faculty at Central Michigan University tell me that critical thinking is the most important thing you will learn from college. Thus, I believe it is vital to carry into the workplace as well. It is especially vital for a consultant who is working with solving a problem that the organization may not even be able to define. Finally, the third important quality is openness. I believe this is important in all careers, but especially consulting. Openness is important in consulting because when the organization is unclear of their problem, they need to be involved in the process of solving it. They need to be involved because organizations do not want to waste resources on projects they feel are not beneficial or working. Thus, as Professor Melton said, talking about things upfront is vital.

Consulting Myself If I was acting as a social media consultant to myself for my professional social media, I would recommend the following plan to improve my presence. Step one- I recommend following more professional accounts in hopes they would follow back. Step two- Post at least 3 times a week. Step three- link my professional social media accounts together to increase SEO and to engage followers throughout many platforms. Step four- continue building a community by good content and following new accounts.

As of now, I have not done much to improve my accounts. All I have done is implement my professional accounts and link my Tumblr to my Twitter. I only have a few posts on each account. In the future, I can implement my above strategy by focusing on building a community through following other professional accounts and regular posting. 

I have a lot of work to do on my professional social media accounts, but I am excited to begin improving my social media presence! 

[cassiemalhado-prposts-blog]

Personal Data is Powerful

There are some things in life that are too big to wrap your mind around. You know what I’m talking about? The things where someone tells you something and you can’t really process what it means? I know this is a common thing with death-- you don’t really understand what “death” means until you have to live every day after the initial haze without that person. Yes, death is a heavy topic but so it what we are talking about today-- “big data”.

What is “big data”? “Big data” is one of those things I find hard to wrap my mind around as it seems scary and unbelievable. “Big data” is actually a large set of information that can be analyzed for trends, patterns, etc. After watching Professor Melton’s lecture regarding information privacy and 60 Minutes’ “The Data Brokers” I learned a lot of things about these two areas and how they are related. 

How does “big data” relate to privacy information?  Immense amounts of “Big data” are currently being collected through the internet. While I’m sure most people are aware that some information is being collected from their internet use, they are not aware of the extent of it. Also, no one has ever been outright told this. Thus, it become a privacy issue among users of these sites who expect their personal information to stay within one confine of the internet.

60 Minutes does a great job of digging deep into what “big data” collects from users. This information includes religious beliefs, political affiliation, income, family medical history, sexual orientation, and other things that you may not even tell close friends or family. Data firms will then take this information and sell it to third-party buyers who tailor ads to these individuals. When you post information, click on an ad, or search something, even if it’s all on the same site, someone collects this information. As this is information that you have not willingly shared with these outside corporations, it becomes a privacy issue. 

Why is “big data” so powerful? “Big data” is so powerful because companies can collect this information to tailor ads to you. An example given in 60 Minutes was that a data collection company may have a list of everyone suffering from depression. They can then sell this list to advertisers who can tailor ads on social media to the people on the list about a new medication. Not only is this highly confidential information about a person, but it interferes with a personal choice one has the right to make with a professional.

What are the dangers of its abuse? The dangers of its abuse regard morality. The moral question is: Is it okay for companies to hold onto people’s information to see an increase in sales due to tailored ads? If a company does decide to make this decision, a danger is that people may stop buying from them in fear of their information being unsafe. 

Also, some of the information collected may be wrong. Then companies will be sharing ads that are not relevant to you as a person. This is a waste of resources for the company.

Personal Opinons I believe one can limit harm from “big data” personally by disconnecting from social media or limiting what they are sharing. I understand that it is hard in today’s age, but it is not impossible. You could also have memberships to sites where if you pay to use the website, you do not have to see ads. You may also chose to protect your data with that payment.

Image credit: https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/764102-oversharing On a societal level, I believe we need regulation of the internet. I believe that there should be laws in place that tell companies how long they can hold on to “big data”. I also believe that people should be able to opt-in to having information collected, with the ability to check it for correctness. If you have the ability to opt-in, you must be able to opt-out as well. However, you would still face the problem of being unaware of where your data is going if you chose to opt-in. As Helen Nissenbaum discusses in her interview with Scott Berinato, we may think we know where our data is going, but not even the website we are on can fully know.  How do internet business models influence surveillance and data gathering? As both Maciej Ceglowski and Ethan Zuckerman stated in their conversations about this topic, the internet is a perfect example of good intentions gone awry. In “The Internet with a Human Face”, Ceglowski relates the internet to roads. The government thought roads would be an amazing idea because it would connect people and give them the luxury and freedom of a car. However, suburbs, fast food, and malls came along with the roads. This made it so everyone needed a car (it was no longer a luxury), there was smog everywhere, and the natural landscape was destroyed due to the ability to have housing further from the city. 

The internet began the same way. Once upon a time, only families with higher incomes could afford computers. However, it is now rare to meet anyone without some source of connection to the internet. Since everyone is welcome onto the Internet for free, “everyone” becomes the product. As a result, advertising is the business model of the internet. This business model influences surveillance and data gathering because these “free” sites need to make money. This money is made through data gathering and surveillance on users of their site because they can sell it to third-party users who then turn around and advertise on their site. 

Conclusion When talking about “big data” a lot of questions arise. These are the questions I would like to leave you with. 1. How do you feel about your information being collected to this extent? 2. Would you be willing to pay to avoid your information being collected? 3.  As Helen Nissenbaum discusses, would you be willing to give websites consent to use your data? What if they don’t know where your all of your data is going? Could you understand the technological language enough to give adequate consent? 4. Do you care enough for this to influence your technology use? 

[cassiemalhado-prposts-blog]

24-Hour Social Media Cleanse

If you know me personally, I know that you are reading the title of this post and thinking “WHAT!?”. Surprisingly, this is not my first 24-hour social media cleanse. However, this one was different because I examined my social media usage first.  Part One: The Log To add on to my last post regarding Emma Rathbone and Sherry Turkle’s pieces on social media usage, I decided to create a social media log. While this was for a class assignment, I found it useful to do after studying Rathbone’s and Turkle’s pieces so I could better understand my own distractions due to my phone. Through this log I kept track of the number of minutes spent on my phone, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and Facebook, how many texts I sent, and how many times I picked up my phone. Below is an image of this log. 

Evaluation As you can see my numbers weren’t drastic. I only spent a total of 254 minutes on my phone when tracking from 12:30 pm Thursday the 13th - 12:30 pm Friday the 14th. I only sent 167 text messages. This was less than I thought due to the fact that I am in a long distance relationship. However, what I found the most interesting was the fact that all of my social media usage was in short amounts. I did not binge a lot on my social media. I realized my social media usage is short because I use social media in moments of aloneness and awkwardness. For example, if I’m at a red light I open up Twitter. If I am walking to class alone, I open up Facebook. My log made me aware to the fact that I let life pass me by; instead of seeing things in nature, I see status updates.

The Experiment

This knowledge led me to develop an experiment where I was social media free for a full 24 hours. In this experiment I could text, make phone calls and FaceTime. However, I could not open any social media site, even on my laptop. I decided to live out this experiment Thursday, September 20th from midnight- midnight on the 21st. I chose this experiment because I felt as if it would force me to get rid of those little social media usage times. 

Photo Source: https://cehsnews.com/8636/showcase/antisocial-media-i-went-a-week-without-social-media-and-heres-what-happened/

Results

Let me just tell you, it was a long 24 hours. At first, I kept forgetting I was doing the cleanse. When I woke up in the morning, I instantly grabbed my phone to check it. I had Facebook loading on my phone before I closed out of it and reminded myself that I had other plans for the day! For the first 4 hours (where I was awake) of the experiment, I had similar encounters to this. 

As the day went on, it continued being stressful. My sorority had a recruitment event that night and the president was posting information on Facebook. Every time my phone went off I felt like I needed to know what that notification said. I even had to text my friend at times to tell me if it was vital information. I also felt a sense of guilt when I could see people tweeting or messaging me while I knew I wasn’t going to respond. I felt as if not responding would embarrass them because they were putting themselves out there to socialize. I also had to send pictures through text and not Snapchat when I was all dressed up to show to my family and boyfriend. That was shocking to me because I have not done that since middle school.

Not every part of the experiment was bad though. I was able to focus better in class. This was especially true in my Chemistry lecture where we are required to have a form of technology in front of us to use. I also walked through campus and just observed. When I didn’t hid my face in my phone I was thrilled to walk through Fabiano Gardens. I was thrilled to walk by the greenhouse. I actually SAW people making eye contact with me. I actually SAW squirrels and flowers. 

Toward the end of the night I did struggle while hanging out with friends. Throughout my sorority event we had long breaks where most people were on their phones. Since I couldn’t be on social media, I felt like the odd one out. I had to ask people to engage with me by going for a walk or talking. Once I stated that conversation, I felt more accepted. It was just odd at first not going along with the crowd. It was different not being in my comfort zone of social media in awkward situations.

The best part of the night was when I was getting ready for bed. Instead of mindlessly scrolling through Twitter, then switching to Instagram, then switching to Facebook and then back again, I actually READ a book. Mind you, I have been working on this book since Summer because I have been so busy. But, to unwind to a good book for the first time since high school was so relaxing! In the End

I believe that this experiment helped me find a balance between full-blown social media addict and one who throws it away completely. This experiment made me realize that I need to stop and smell the flowers in Fabiano Gardens at times. It made me realize that I need to be the one to set my phone down and engage in conversation. 

Life with social media is more convenient. Life with a balance of social media and human interaction is the best way to live creatively and happily.

[cassiemalhado-prposts-blog]

After the Internet Surge

Introduction Today we’re going to be talking about social relationships and how social media affects these relationships! All of these points are my opinions, based on the piece “Before the Internet” by Emma Rathbone and the interview “Sherry Turkle on Being Alone Together” .  Disclaimer: I remember a time before social media, so keep that in mind throughout this post!

https://therooseveltreview.org/3144/news/relationships-social-media/

Social Media Influence in My Life First, I want to discuss how social media influences my daily life.  I am a rare user of social media in social situations. When I am face-to-face with a person I will not be on my phone. I do not want “phone life” to distract me from real life. I believe that being present in my relationships and life is what makes for good memories, not memories on Snapchat or Timehop. However, I am a victim of not being engaged on phone calls due to being on social media when talking. While I do this because they can’t see me, I have been called out on not paying attention to the phone conversation. While I am not on my phone a lot during face-to-face conversations, I will say that my phone is always on the table. It is a security blanket for if the conversation gets awkward. However, I disagree that the phone is distracting all the time in social situations as Turkle says. I believe that if one truly values the conversation and person they are having one with, they will not let the phone be distracting.  How Social Media Affects my Life I do believe that both Turkle and Rathbone have a point about social media and technology allowing for children to not be bored. I agree with both when they say (although in different ways) that technology does not foster ones’ imagination and affects how individuals feel alone. Children need time to foster their creativity by being bored and figuring out ways to overcome that without looking to their phone. To further this, this is how social media greatly affects my life. I choose to use social media and texting when I do not want to be alone with my thoughts. I also use it as a distraction from writing about my feelings, something I used to do frequently. Without fostering this creativity, it is slowly lost and it is a long, hard road to gain it back. My Times Without Internet Access There have been numerous times I have not had access to the internet for an extended period of time. My family owns a cabin up north where none of us have cellphone service. As a teenager, I had a hard time disconnecting. I would regain service and see how all my friends were hanging out while I was away and felt badly that I wasn’t able to post my amazing time on vacation with my family. However, as a 20-year old I now look forward to these trips. I look forward to disconnecting and spending quality time with my loved ones where we’re able to PLAY WITH CARDS and READ (old timer stuff, I know). I also recently studied abroad in Italy and actually made the decision to delete all of my social media for the first week and a half. This was so I could take in the culture instead of bragging about it on every social media site. (I still did after the trip, but that’s just normal). Conclusion I believe there is value in the things Turkle and Rathbone were discussing. However, I think that as people grow older they realize the value of face-to-face relationships and adapt their technology use to show this.  To all the people who think technology is ruining the younger generation, just think about the dangerous things you did when you were young. It just takes some time to figure out what’s important in life to us all.  That wraps up today's post! I’ll be back later this week with more about my social media usage and a fun experiment! 

[cassiemalhado-prposts-blog]

Introductions

Hi! My name is Cassie Malhado. I am a junior at Central Michigan University studying Public Relations with a minor in Applied Business Communication. I am also an Honors Student who is currently doing social media work for two companies- IROCK Crushers out of Valley View, OH and Chris Cakes/Dairy Phil in Clare, MI. I have lived in Michigan my whole life and plan to move to the Detroit area or New York after graduation. I also have a passion for traveling and hope to integrate that into my future career! While we’re on the topic, my dream job would be to become a social media influencer in the travel sector. (Getting sponsored to travel. I WISH!) Realistically however, I hope to run social media for a business or corporation. So, why make a blog? Well, this blog is the start of my professional persona growing and developing! Here we will be discussing trends of social media, public relations, and the business world. I love interacting with others (hence the PR major) and look forward to engaging conversation where I can hear others’ opinions. So, COMMENT, COMMENT, COMMENT! Now to our first topic: A company that I think uses social media exemplarily. Give it up for Aerie! A lingerie retail company that is owned my American Eagle Outfitters. They have huge swimwear sales as well, which will make more sense after I explain why their use of social media, particularly Instagram, is the best I have seen.

Above is a screenshot of their Instagram bio reading, “Girl power. Body positivity. Retouching free since 2014. Join the #AerieREAL movement!” Their bio shows a great glimpse into why Aerie has been successful. As stated, back in 2014 Aerie made the promise to promote body positivity by hiring models of different shapes and sizes while also leaving their photos unretouched. 

The campaign became a hit leading to national news coverage, a surge in sales, and the #AerieREAL. The hashtag grew even more when Aerie released a 2018 campaign showcasing not only models of different body types, but models considered differently abled (those with Down Syndrome, Diabetes, in wheelchairs etc.) and women staying true to themselves (women were showcased with unshaved armpits, unshaved legs, hijabs, etc.).  Aerie once again made national headlines for this move, while Twitter exploded with those voicing their support for the new campaign. 

I consider Aerie so successful with their social media, specifically Instagram, because they took a move made on their business side and capitalized on it to gain internet fame. If you look up the hashtag #AerieREAL you will see millions of girls posting pictures in their bikinis, taking back their body, and feeling confident. The best part is that Aerie has built a community off of this hashtag by actually reposting average girls pictures in their clothing to their main account as seen below! 

Aerie also has a purpose to their social media usage. By showcasing average girls and building a community, they have increased sales and awareness of their brand among high school and college aged women. However, the job wasn’t just on them. Due to their large community, mass collaboration occurred to promote the message of body positivity and being “AerieREAL”. Aerie truly implemented strong usage of social media for their purpose and let the community take care of the rest. 

Aerie is an example to look up to regarding social media usage and have shown me tricks I will use in my future career!