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Reflection

Retaining this blog for the past couple of weeks has changed my social media habits for the better. I still consume lots of media- mostly instagram, snapchat, twitter, and netflix. I view the posts of others that I hardly know, derive my knowledge of current events from outlets on the snapchat explore page, and view the weekly viral comedic tweets that make a brief impression on our culture. This impacts me in the way that I feel unified with the community of people also engaging in the same type of media. Social media has the extraordinary ability to connect people, which makes me feel included when in reality it is me often being apart of widespread marketing plots.  While I still spend far too much time engaged in social media instead of viewing life in the present, I am far more aware of the effect that the media has on me, and am able to restrict its influence. For instance, if I spend 10 minutes scrolling through instagram, I am not brainwashed by the digital representation ...
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"Do" Judge a Book by its Cover

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The cosmetics, fashion, and beauty industries in the United States are all wildly successful, Why? The media teaches our society to compare all women based on their looks. Young girls grow up believing that if they are not obviously pretty, they won't find love. The "Miss Representation" documentary informed me of the manipulation the marketing and entertainment industries in the United States use to profit. They teach women that their appearance is far more valued over their intellect, and imply that it is their duty to make themselves maximally attractive to men. In today's digital age, children make up a large portion of media's audience, but also happen to be the most vulnerable generation. Teens alone spend on average 65 hours a week consuming media, including watching T.V. and movies, listening to music, reading magazines, and going online. The media portrays women as sex objects and stories about them usually involve their quest to get a man. As a result...
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Social Media's Impact on Advertising

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In the documentary "Merchants of Cool" video which was set in the early 2000's, special companies would exist to provide information on the trends and styles of the teen generation. These firms would conduct extensive research by holding focus groups and polls, and even gong undercover to find out from firsthand friendships. After publishing their conclusive findings on their website, firms would charge companies around $200,000 for yearly subscriptions. However, to companies marketing their products to a mysterious, misunderstood generation, this information is priceless. Having access to what trends teens would drop money for at the moment is crucial to a brand's financial success. But these databases were only at value at a time when companies lack the platform to view trends for themselves. Today's social media allows companies to view the accounts of teens where they may post trending material or interact with accounts that post it. While the statistics...
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Times Up

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2017 ended with the #MeToo movement of women coming forward with the sexual harassment and abuse they suffered now that their aggressors were no longer safe under the blanket or bigotry. The Times Up initiative has been gaining fuel recently from the support and advocacy of over 300 women in entertainment. The legal defense fund is calling for an end to inequality in the workplaces, from wages to working conditions. Times Up provides subsidized legal support to victims of sexual assault, harassment, and abuse, which has been the dark truth of our society for too many decades. Celebrities walking the red carpet at the 75th Golden Globes have chosen to don the color black to show their support of the initiative. Many actors sported Time's Up pins, which the New York Times called "the political accessory at the Golden Globes". Ordinary citizens in support of the prevalent cause are also taking to social media to share their black outfits with #whywewearblack. In the era of T...
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College Volleyball Championship

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The semifinals and finals of the  NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship  took place this week with the University of Nebraska emerging as the victor. Thursday nights' games eliminated Stanford and Penn State. The Nebraska Cornhuskers and Florida Gators battled it out Saturday night in a 4-set match. Nebraska boasts the two co-Most Outstanding Players of the Final Four, setter Kelly Hunter and outside hitter Mikaela Foecke, while Florida had the second-best hitting percentage in the country. No. 5 Nebraska was definitely the underdog in the match, being pitted against No. 2 Florida. The first set was very close, the score at 25-22 with Nebraska in the lead. The Cornhuskers dominated the second set, leading the Gators by 8 points. Florida, determined not to lose in a sweep, rallied to win the third set 18-25. However, they struggled in the fourth set as Nebraska edged them out 25-16. This glorious championship makes for Nebraska's second in three years, the fourth...
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Southern California Wildfires

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Southern California is currently being scorched by 225,000 acres of fire fueled by the Santa Ana winds. 9,000 firefighters are busy combating the blazes that have already consumed 800 structures. The ongoing blazes threaten 25,000 homes, and 98,000 people have been ordered to evacuate, according to Cal Fire. Upcoming harsh weather this week could increase the size of the 5 fires. The Thomas Fire (the largest one) spans 200,000 acres across the Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, and containment could possibly drop below 15% overnight. Firefighters are also actively containing the Lilac Fire in San Diego County and the Creek and Rye fires in Los Angeles County. Along with the massive fire in Northern California's wine country in October, officials warn that fighting fires has become a year round struggle. Global Warming is exacerbating these wildfires, contributing to the "new normal" that is lives, property, wildlife, and billions of dollars in infrastructure being los...
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Car choices in "The Office"

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If you have watched the hit comedy series "The Office", you may notice that when Jim and Pam are finally a couple, they drive a Subaru to their jobs at Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch. The decision to have their characters own a silver 2010 Outback lies with the responsible family motif that Jim and Pam Halpert bring to the show. Their relationship is the main love story in "The Office", and they prove to be the most smart, sensible characters especially amid the chaotic Michael Scott and radical Dwight Schrute. The couple has 2 children in the length of the show, and deal with hectic schedules. Their Outback was even used to drive Pam to the hospital when she was about to deliver her first child. Subaru probably saw their car choice as a perfect opportunity to advertise their safe, family oriented vehicle, and thus created an excellent example of Madison and Vine. Subaru's catchphrase, "Love. It's what makes a Subaru, a Subaru" is simply pu...
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