Positive affects of social and digital media

So a good friend of mine, Joe Santagato was always known to be the kid who can make you piss your pants, and he lived up to that fully. One day, while at my lakehouse he decided to record everything we did and put it up on facebook, twitter, and tumblr. In a short time, his inbox and news feed was blowing up, everyone thought he was hilarious. He decided to create his own Youtube channel and put videos of himself on a weekly basis. A short time after, he is basically “youtube famous.” He has millions of views and hundreds of thousands of subscribers. Clubs and companies comtact him to show face just so they can raise some money. It is quite incredible how these websites were the reason why he has fans all around the world and why he has been so successful. It just goes to show what kind of impact social media and digital media could have on ones life.

If you would, check out his youtube channel Youtube.com/SantagatoTv

(Nick Alvarez)

Advertising on Pinterest

Check out this link!!!
/http://everything-pr.com/pinterest-for-advertising/241697/


As an avid pinterest user,  I spend a pretty substantial  amount of time looking at my boards and getting ideas from other users. In recent weeks I have noticed companies using pinterest as a new format of advertisement. This in itself is not surprising at all! I mean, look at Facebook, youtube, and even Hulu. All of these social media sites are bombard us with "buy this, and buy that!!!" I hate it! Nothing is worse than trying to show a friend a funny animal video on youtube but first having to sit through a 90 second advertisment about laundry detergent! It feels like such a waste of time!!! I know this is just a stupid "1st world problem" but it really is an annoyance. Surprisingly, advertisements found on pinterest seem to be incorporated very well! As a user, I am actually interested in some of the products advertised. For example, victoria secret has a great pinterest account. Every day they post new products in the "women's fashion" category with links to their site. Just yesterday I saw a cute outfit and bought it. The companies using pinterest have locked in on their demographic  and are displaying their products in a way that doesn't feel pushy. I know that Victoria Secret advertised something to me a I went for it but, somehow I feel as if I came to the decision on my own. That right there is the key to social media advertisements. Advertising though pinterest is going to be a gold mine.

Charles Ramsey, viral interview

A Different kind of Youtube Sensation?

5/12/13

Recently I was just relaxing at my house and got a text from one of my close friends. He texted me asking if I saw the interview with Charles Ramsey? I initially thought to myself I have no idea who Charles Ramsey is and then typed his name into youtube. By the type I typed in Charles, his name was popping to spacebar. I was thinking either he was a professional athlete, or maybe a musician and then I saw he was your ordinary adult. I watched his video and he basically just sounds uneducated throughout his interview as he discusses how he found kidnapped children. The views on this video were through the roof and it actually seemed like a similar sensation as the Antoine Dodson was earlier this year. Both Charles and Antoine had interviews regarding serious matters and because they sounded a little bit funny and peculiar they became automatic sensations to the world and incredibly popular. My issue regarding this is I feel it's unbeleivable how people who sound uneducated and just weird to an extent get all this popularity, meanwhile either the kidnapping, or victims of these crimes are barely recoginzed. It's truly incredible how Youtube can help make professional singers careers skyrocket (Justin Beiber), and can help people around the world recognize whats going on, and now in these situations just get people sounding funny noticed. I just wish sometimes people would take into consideration the serious matters going on in the world like world news, rather than the mockery seen here.

(Steve Morse)

Don't let me get in my zone?

I recently stumbled upon a website that really caught my attention. The site is called "Kanye Zone" and features a game involving, as the song goes, not letting Kanye get into his zone. The games features a tiny circle with a big headed Kanye circling around it. While you're playing the lyrics "don't let me get in my zone" from Kanye West and Jay-Z's "Niggas in Paris" plays in the background. The game is silly and ridiculous, yet somewhat addicting. The fact that one line from a song can spur an enjoyable game is truly remarkable. What is interesting is that for me, the song serves as unintentional advertising. I found myself going through music by Kanye West, not because I necessarily like him as an artist, but purely because of my interest in the game. Check it out and comment with your feedback!

http://www.kanyezone.com

AV Club: cool website

I found this website a few weeks ago and I think that people would really like it. The site is called The A.V Club and it has a lot of different articles on everything about pop culture; including books movies and music. The interesting thing about the website, however, is that it is published by the fake news site The Onion. While The Onion is widely known for their satirical take on pop culture with a lot of darker humor, this site is very much the opposite. The A.V Club’s articles are pretty much editorials ranging from strange reviews to looking at the deeper message of pop culture pieces. At first it was difficult for me to believe that something so ‘straightforward’ would be coming from The Onion. The site has since become one of my favorites. The huge range of topics and large cast of writers makes every article stand out and fun to read. Not only are they well done, these articles are all relatable to our everyday lives and even this class. http://www.avclub.com/

(Kevin Ross)

Twitter Wars: Celebrity Feuds

In class we discussed and had a presentation given about cyber bullying, and the detrimental effects they can have on those being bullied.  Serious consequences have resulted from cyber bullying such as suicide.  As cyber bullying and the use of internet to hurt others has grown, I have realized that celebrities are a big influence on this sort of behavior.  Every week there is a new story in the headlines about celebrities feuding on Twitter.  Millions of fans of these celebrities will follow these twitter wars just to see who gets the last word.  It is essentially a dissing contest.  If that does not portray a loss of in-depth and critical thinking in America, I don't know what does.  Some of my favorite celebrities have engaged in twitter wars, such as Shaq, Lebron James, and Frank Ocean.  There are hundreds of articles online revolved around twitter feuds.  They are easy to read, short, soft news that people can easily gain access to.  I will admit that sometimes these twitter disses are very entertaining and have a fun nature to them.  But I wonder if a message is being sent to people that it's okay to just go bashing people on the internet.  Either way, the twitter wars will carry on in our celebrity obsessed culture.  Hopefully people lost interest in them sometime soon.  Underneath I will post some links and picture that relate to this topic.

http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/28/f7/28f7d47fbb872b6db6137055887ba723.JPG?itok=H3IM4b0f

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/06/shaq-jose-conseco-twitter-fight-mma_n_3219415.html

http://entertainment.malaysia.msn.com/photos/celeb-twitter-wars-nicki-minaj-slams-steven-tyler-over-racist-comment#image=4


(Niko Prassas)

Is life a Conspiracy theory?

 Following September 11^th I was still very young so I simply thought what I was being told by the television and my parents was true about the attacks. Then years down the line I began hearing that it may have been a conspiracy theory. I didn’t pay much attention to it because I thought it seemed a little far fetched though. Then I began looking at a lot of things throughout the years the other day. The Sandy hook shooting, and even now the Boston marathon bombing has conspiracy threories behind them. In my eyes I don’t only find these theories ridiculous but I also find them offensive. There ridiculous because the pieces don’t all fit together, and offensive to think our government would be wanting our country to be put in such travesty. These theories are created by people, then put onto the internet and then spread throughout people all over the world. People see this, then believe it, and then spread it to friends and family, only problem is it has false information. Here is an example from the Daily Mail.

(Steve Morse)

Rolling Stones came out with a Top 50 Albums of 2012 as they do every year. I would just like to hear other people’s input on whether or not this is an accurate list of the top 50 albums of 2012.  In my opinion they should have added an up in coming band called Dead Sara. They released a self-entitled album in 2012 and it’s getting the band a lot of attention. Their single Weatherman topped Loudwire's "10 Best Rock Songs of 2012" list beating already famous bands like Three Days Grace, Stone Sour and Deftones to the title. They currently on tour with Muse but in the past they played with Offspring, Foo Fighters. I saw them play with the Offspring in Poughkeepsie they all had a very strong stage along with a lot of good songs. At the bottom is the link to the Rolling Stones article and I would like to hear everyone’s  opinions on if some albums sound be moved or maybe replaced completely for another artist. Also at the bottom is the YouTube link to Dead Sara’s self-entitled album and their EP Air Port Sessions.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/50-best-albums-of-2012-20121205

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQOEmST63Rc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUxXYV_p1NI&list=PL174D7649FDF1DE4D

Bad Lyrics Lead to Bad Business

Rappers Rick Ross and Lil Wayne are both showing the world how to screw up and lose deals with big time companies. Rick Ross lost $3.5 - $5 million in a Reebok deal. Why would Reebok drop someone as famous as Rick Ross? Controversial lyrics. In the song “U.O.E.N.O,” Rick Ross raps the following lines: "Put molly all in her Champagne, she ain't even know it/ I took her home and I enjoyed that/ she ain't even know it." Due to these disgusting lyrics and protests against it, Rick Ross just makes himself look bad. Lil Wayne lost a Pepsi deal over controversial lyrics as well. In the song “Karate Chop,” Lil Wayne raps “Beat that pussy up like Emmett Till.” 

Even though we have the freedom of speech, and rappers always express anything they want through lyrics, Ross and Wayne are making fools out of themselves. Not only are they losing money through good deals, but both their images are being tarnished by stupidity.

On the other hand, should lyrics be changed to keep deals? Does the potential for high profit deals change the substance within music? Even though the lyrics are vulgar, isn't that the intention of the artist?

Check out this link to read more about this current event.

Is Fast Food Advertisements One of the Reasons for Obesity?

Obesity is major problem in the United States today. Too many children are overweight. There have been many claims to what is the source of the problem is, but probably one of the biggest reasons is the fast food restaurant. Too many people are eating at fast food restaurants all the time. They have given up on home cooked meals and have just gone straight for the fast food. It is sad how much people actually eat fast food. Especially children have gotten in the habit of eating poorly. The parents allow their kids to have fast food all the time. The parents do not know how to say no because their kids beg to eat it. They see advertisements everywhere for fast food and it makes them want to be the people in the advertisements. Advertisements in these fast food places like McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Wendy's and much more negatively affect the children’s thoughts. These fast food restaurants advertise healthy, skinny, happy people enjoying a delicious looking burger. The advertisements fail to show the extreme effects of eating at fast food places. Because the adolescences are young, they do not realize these harmful effects. So what steps do we as a society take to help make these children more aware of what advertising really does to one’s subconscious? Some think they should hide their kids from all advertisements. But is that even possible? I think not, there are advertisements everywhere and it is impossible to hide them from kids, unless you would lock them in a small dark room. But that would be inhumane and illegal. I think the fast food industry should change up their advertisements or there should be advertisements to warn children of the negative affects of fast food. This Link will lead to the article that helped inspire me to make this blog post.

The Visual Impact on Readers

It's no secret that one of the best written American classics, The Great Gatsby, is coming to film in a few days. It's always a little bit painful for me to watch some of my favorite novels get turned into a movie and Gatsby is no exception. While others are counting down the days to see Leonardo DiCaprio portray one of the greatest characters in literature, I cringe at the idea. It's a popular topic, the transition from paper to big screen, but thanks to an article that I recently read, something new has caught my attention when it comes to this topic.

this link will lead you to an article that I found talking about the different art that is used on book covers. The original artwork for Gatsby is known throughout the world. I would bet that almost everyone I meet on the street would recognize the blue background and the woman's face with the red lips. But now that the movie is coming out, companies find it necessary to make a new cover. This is something that has always driven me crazy. I don't think there is any need to create a new cover with the faces of actors on it when there's already a book that exists out there with an original cover. I think it's great that movies sometimes encourage people to go out and read the book but why does there have to be a new cover? People are literate. They can find the title just fine.

What I find interesting about this article is that it talks about how some stores refuse to sell the new movie cover while others only want to put the new version on the shelves. I can name 10 different books off the top of my head that have had their cover changed but what makes Gatsby such a big deal these days is the amount of different in the sales. There's a very large contrast going on with people who have been carrying this book with them for years and with people who are only now hearing about it because of the big screen. Below are the two covers. Personally, I think the movie version is atrocious. But people see the gold colors and Leo's right in the middle and immediately get drawn to it. Either way, I'm glad it will get people to read the novel. It just makes me wonder how much we actually do judge a book by its cover.

This could very well be the future of the music industry... and it scares the living sh%# out of me!
The possibilities of this hologram technology seem limitless.  Imagine Disney creating some "Miley Cyrus" type of pop star, only she's just a cartoon.  Since she technically doesn't exist, she can't get caught smoking pot with Liam Hemsworth, or get pregnant at 16.  For the first time, companies like Disney can have omnipotent control over their stars creative and personal lives.

Also, just think about the financial possibilities.  These pop stars can perform multiple shows in one night, all around the world.  They just need to set up the stage, sell tickets, and hit play.  She could play both Madison Square Garden, in New York, NY, and the Staples Center, in Los Angeles, CA, in the same night.  Why?  Because she's not real.

What if this hologram technology could be brought into your own home?  Then you can have a private concert for you and your friends whenever you'd like.  The possibilities and potential to make money off of this technology seem endless.  Is this something you would pay money to go see?  What are your thoughts about this new technology?

(posted by Jordan Mendelson)

The Celebrity PSA, starring George Takei

Now, we have had celebrities supporting products and companies since the dawn of print media, nay, the dawn of commerce. Oratory word of mouth can make all the difference to the aspiring merchant, and imagine if royalty fancied their product? They'd have a new slogan in ten seconds flat! However, the (over?)connectedness of the digital age has also enabled a different kind of advertising; political lobbying and public service announcements (occasionally disguised) spread throughout youtube, twitter, facebook, let alone the aging television. The rich and famous instruct their followers on political issues, attack or humiliate rivals, and use entertainment as a tool of enlightenment. Humor, after all, can be the most effective way to rally for a cause.

While this does seem to have a sinister edge, it's only because anyone can do it, good or ill. However, for every loudmouthed Donald Trump, you have a well-spoken George Takei. Lobbying for gay rights and the awareness of Japanese internment during World War II, the former Star Trek actor is a hit across the internet, approaching issues with a balance of humor and severity. While he has a prolific facebook account, the following videos should be more than enough to portray those traits.

First, speaking out against an Arkansas School Board Member in 2010

And second, a recent Conan skit...

Humor, wit, and as a commentator put it, a voice that can say a "juvenile word like 'douchebag' with such gravitas" can go a long way in the digital world.

((If the hyperlinks do not work, here are the text links in order: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UACK93xF-FE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNjuB_lwgQE ))

Opposite Day

Last week my friend came across this video on tumblr called Love is All You Need?  It is a short movie on what the world would be like if homosexual couples were the norm and heterosexual couples were outcasts.  It follows this young girl who realizes that she is different from everyone else but does not know why she is like that.  You see her struggles with herself and with the other kids at school. She is constantly being teased because she is a “hetero” and a lot of the kids take the bullying to an extreme. 

 This video is taking what happens with gay kids in today’s world, but just showing what it is like from the other side.  I think it is a video that everyone should see because it provides another perspective on exactly what can happen to homosexual people when they are bullied and just how not accepting some people can be.  The video’s message is that teen bullying and suicide based on sexual preference is ridiculous and should be stopped.  The video is a little long but it is well worth it to watch.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3ROXTFfkcfo

(Jessica Schmidt)

Marshmallows and Multitasking?

A very interesting study that says students' school work suffers when they try to multitask, especially when they engage with multiple gadgets...thoughts?

What about the Boys?: Negative Influences of Action Figures

What about the Boys?: Negative Influences of Action Figures

               Everyone knows about the Barbie blame game. Everything from her breasts to her hair to her incredibly small waist; it’s all unattainable, unrealistic, and even a little scary. If Barbie was blown up to a real person’s size, she would not be able to physically live or support herself due to her disproportionate body. But why then do young girls continue to idolize, fantasize, and give power to these dolls that are indeed much smaller than they are? It’s because Barbie, in their eyes, are “perfect.” In extreme cases, this can eventually lead to low self-esteem and even eating disorders. But who’s to say that the same can’t go for young boys playing with action figures?

                Being constantly bombarded with images of what society considers as the “perfect” body can take a toll on people’s psyches, especially for young children. Body image issues seem to be more prominent for young girls, however many overlook the effect it has on young boys.  Over the past few decades, the evolution of action figures resulted in increasingly more muscular action figures to the point where they are unrealistic. If today’s G.I. Joe action figure was blown up to a real person’s size, he would exceed the world’s largest bodybuilder. Toys like these are a negative influence on children because they present unattainable bodies. Obsession with muscular action figures can lead to psychological concerns, eating disorders, and conformity to extreme gender stereotypes which can lead to violence. To read a little more about it, see this site. 

(Joanne Zhao)

Gun Control Debate

Gun control has always been a sensitive issue in the United States, especially in the past few years with the increasing number of shootings in public places like schools and movie theaters.  These shootings have sparked major political debates on whether or not gun control laws should be stricter.  Guns have been a part of American culture since the writing of the Constitution, which prompts many people to say that the government has no right to regulate how guns are bought and sold.  However, these public shootings can’t be ignored for much longer.  Other countries have faced the same circumstances and have simply restricted guns more.  An example can be found in Australia, where, after a mass shooting, enacted strict laws against guns.  The result?  Not a single mass shooting since.  In my opinion, it should be that simple but in the United States any potential progress seems to have been made unnecessarily difficult.  Linked here is a clip from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart where one of the correspondents travels to Australia to see if the United States can learn anything from them on gun control.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/483443#i0,p12,d1 

Paul McCartney's Try at a New Genre of Music

My post is about the famous musician Paul McCartney, a former member of the Beatles. Mccartney is working on his new album and is supposedly being influenced by the artist Usher. His last album, Kisses on the Bottom, incorporated pop and jazz influences but McCartney reportedly wanted to ditch these idea s for a more modern sound. Mark Ronson, his producer, said that he wanted to focus on sound influenced by Usher, funk and moombahton. Moombahton is a newer genre of music that incorporates reggae and Spanish sounding tunes. Ronson, in an interview from Rolling Stone, said that Paul played him the song ‘Climax’ by Usher and told him that he “loved where all of the sonics sit in this”.  McCartney has developed music of all genres so now he wants to try creating music with a high level of energy that is seen in popular music today. Ronson says that he “do[esn’t] know if [our stuff] is revolutionary, but they're brilliant songs”. Elton John is reportedly helping with the production and collaborating with Paul in this album. To any long time Paul McCartney fans, Elton John said that the album is ‘classic John’. There is one song on the album called ‘Hosanna’ that is solely Paul with an acoustic guitar that is allegedly breathtaking. I don’t know about you guys, but I am more than excited for the release of McCartney’s new album. 

Cyberbullying at New Paltz?

While we were having the cyber bullying discussion earlier this week, something occurred to me. We easily pointed out the cyber bullying in other schools, yet we lacked to acknowledge if we had any in our own community? I pondered my mind to find the most blatant form of cyber bullying, and then I found it. It can be found on the Facebook group called New Paltz Secrets. New Paltz Secrets is a group where people can message a “secret” to the page and said “secret” will be posted anonymously. The “secret” can range from thinking someone is attractive to a funny drunken mishap or even cyber bullying. As I scrolled through the page I found bits of tamed cyber bullying, nothing to the extent of what we discussed in class. A “secret” that stuck out was one regarding a foreign exchange student. Someone posted about how annoying he was and others quickly chimed in. Fortunately, someone understood the harm cyber bullying can do and defended the foreign exchange student. Others began to come to his aid as well. Regardless of how the defenders felt about the student, they defended him because they knew what the anonymous person was doing was wrong. They didn’t want anything bad to occur as a result of the “secret” and for that these individuals should be commended. I think it’s a shame that after all we’ve heard about cyber bullying in the world that people continue to do it. It is especially disheartening to hear about it in our own community. Luckily, there are good people who will stand up to this injustice and prevent it from being another cyber bullying headline. People understand how bad it can get and decide to do something in the beginning stages. I also noticed on my feed that these kinds of pages are becoming more popular amongst other colleges. Boston University has BU Confessions page and SUNY Purchase has a Purchase Missed Connections page. If there is cyber bullying going on these pages, hopefully there are some brave individuals who will put an end to it.

https://www.facebook.com/NewPaltzSecrets?fref=ts