Hell Week

As finals come rolling around the corner out of nowhere, college students begin the nerve-wrecking task of preparing for the exams that decide their final grade and what they have been working for all semester. There is so much emphasis on cracking down on studying and putting in the shear effort to gain the grade you deserve.

The one single thing that always gets in the way during this week, is no other than, social media websites. I can't tell you how many times and for how long I have stopped doing work to go on Facebook or Twitter. No matter how focused I become I cannot work without this distraction. Even if I am not sitting at a computer, or I am in the library in a study room, at some point I take out my phone and still access these sites.

The fact of the matter is, final week is coming up, stay off of social networking sites, they can turn a five minute break into a two hour break if you let it.

Call Me Maybe?

So as I sit in my dorm room currently listening to this song, I think about where it originated and how it became so popular. It is catchy, but why does everyone talk about it, play it over constantly, blog about it, complain about its popularity, and in general make it the most talked about topic.
This is exactly what happened when the song "Friday" came out. Some girl created a catchy song that became so popular on You Tube that she became famous. It is quite easy to gain national attention when you sit down and think about ways you can do it. People have been creating these You Tube videos and gaining fame for years now, capturing the "hearts" of American culture.
What to take away from this blog? What can you do on You Tube that could gain attention? You never know where it may take you.

Do Suttin Crazy

Media is a funny thing because you don't have to have any special talent to capture its attention.
I was watching a video the other day of a young man that decided it was a good idea to run around in a speedo at the Boston Redsox game. Not only did the game have to halt its play, but the players, fans, cameramen, and commentators all enjoyed the brief intermission. Those who didn't like this "run of freedom" included the television programming and the officers on duty who had to flag down the young man.
It's kind of ironic how athletes, politicians, and actors all train all their lives to finally be on television, yet one act of disobedience from a crowd member at an athletic event can gain more attention. This goes to show how you can really do anything to grasp the attention of the media so that people talk about you or what you did. The downfall, like this young man in the speedo, is the punishment.

Did You Hear About That?

Did you hear? You didn't hear about that, are you kidding me?
Whenever something drastic happens, anywhere, at any time, the events spreads at an incredible rate over the news, internet, and other social media devices. When we have heard, we, as humans, have a natural tendency to talk about it. We tell everyone about it and showboat our knowledge to those who haven't.
Recently, Kony 2012 has caught the media's attention, as well as the murder of Trayvon Martin. When I was late to hearing about both, I researched. Instantly, I found online what I needed to know what everyone else knew. At that moment, is what I have discovered to be the "comfort zone" of people in today's world. We almost panic when we don't know things or hear people say to us, "You really didn't hear about that?"

As individuals we feel obligated to be aware...and must be...

#TwitterPhenomenon

So I recently decided, what the hell, I'll conform to social media devices such as Twitter and create my own. For the longest time I was against people writing everything that appears interesting in their lives into online media sites, but with its immense popularity, I have finally decided to get one myself.

I felt obligated to get a Twitter just like how I felt about getting a Facebook about three years ago. There is something that is so important to our generation staying informed with not only news, but more importantly our friends. There seems to be no way around it. If you asked me two weeks ago I would have told you I would never get a Twitter.

Unfortunately, and without further do, I unproudly present myself as a member of the Twitter phenomenon. Follow me @trevbeau.

Tebowing

I'm sure you have all heard of the catch phrase of "Tebowing." I assume that because of what social media does in today's day and age.
The reference to Tim Tebow on one knee and portraying his body language to create a religious image has caught on tremendously. Everybody "Tebows" now, and if they don't, they've heard of it. In every game, there he is, on the sideline, on one knee, with one hand to his forehead. Not only has media blown up his ritual by putting it all over the internet and television, but news reports have actually debated whether the religious affiliation is appropriate.
The main idea here, is that something that one player does before, during, and after a game, can be made historical. Something can be made out of nothing; a small deal, can be made a huge deal.

Yup, KONY 2012 Blog

So, recently a video was released revealing to the world the terrible events that have been taking place over the last decade or so in Uganda. There are several reasons as to why this is so important in social media.

First, this has been occurring for over a decade and no mention of it has really became globally publicized. Most people barely knew who Joseph Kony was and what he has been doing. By posting something like this on the internet, within  three days everyone I knew had seen the video or heard about it. Social media delivered this ten year old message to everyone in the world in a matter of hours.

Second, Facebook has been blown up with people posting the video and commenting on how to help. There has also been various other sites built to raise money as well as awareness to "fight" this cause and achieve the final goal of finding Kony and restoring the lives of the children and people in Uganda.

Finally, a simple 30 minute video posted across the internet can very well save and change the lives of thousands of people. With increasing support to the "Kony 2012" movement the likelihood of him being caught will all start to minimize the injustice in Uganda and hopefully and eventually subside.