Christine's Column

              After finishing reading Stukent’s textbook, Essentials of Social Media Marketing, for class, I feel a bit indifferent in regard to the book. I thought there were both pros and cons to the book and the information it provided. Depending on the audience, the book could be useful or useless.             On the plus side, I did think the book was very good for beginners and considering it was a principles class, that made sense. The book was almost like a social media for dummies, it explained all the concepts and platforms in a way that was very easy for anyone to understand. The PowerPoint slides provided also made it exceptionally easy to follow along in class. I also thought that the “by the numbers” portions of each chapter helped with learning those facts because it was in one big graphic instead of simply in paragraph format.             On the other hand, because I do know social media, it almost got boring to read because it felt like I already knew everything, o

              As the semester winds down, I can't help but feel a sense of relief washing over me. I've nearly completed all of my major assignments for the semester, and it's like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of endless papers, presentations, and projects, but I know it won’t be long before I won’t have to think about school anymore – or for a few months at least. However, just as the stresses of school have left my mind, I find myself with a new worry. I have absolutely no idea how I am going to get all of my stuff home. As I look around my room, I constantly think to myself, “This is not going to all fit in my car.” I am more worried about the bigger things, such as my fridge, my chair, and my TV. But, luckily, my brother lives in Ada so I am hoping I can just leave those things at his house until the weekend following move-out, since my family will be here for his graduation. Even besides that though, I am dreadin

Over the course of this semester, I have worked on and completed a simulation internship for my social media class. The ‘simternship’, as Stukent calls it, was comprised of 12 rounds that were broken up into four sections. With each section containing three rounds, the sections consisted of the following: organic social posts, paid social posts, social media influencers, and the combination of all three at once. During the first three rounds of the simternship, I did not do as well as I would have liked with organic posts. I tried to keep the number of posts and money spent on media for posts fairly equal between platforms. This tactic did not play out too well for me because some platforms did not generate as much revenue as I had spent on media for them. However, I gave myself some grace because it was still early-on, and I wanted to allow myself to learn which platforms perform the best and which ones I should optimize more throughout the rest of the simulation. So, when it came t

                         As the final weeks of the spring semester drag on, the boredom of endless assignments and exams has me anxiously waiting for summer freedom. The thought of waking up without the burden of early classes, tedious homework and stressful deadlines becomes an increasingly tempting fantasy. I can almost taste the refreshing lemonade, feel the warm sun on my face and hear the laughter of my friends as we enjoy the long, lazy days. The thought of trading textbooks for beach reads, pencils for pool floats and classrooms for backyard barbecues fills me with excitement. Although I know there are still a few weeks, my mind has already wandered to the carefree bliss that awaits on the other side.                Each day, I find myself counting down the few weeks that remain until the glorious summer break. The relentless grind of classes, assignments and exams has left me absolutely exhausted. My eyes are fixed firmly on the finish line, yearning for the freedom and rejuv

                 The Social Dilemma serves as a wake-up call about the perils of social media. The film shines a light on how these platforms, driven by a relentless pursuit of user engagement and data monetization, have become powerful tools for manipulation, addiction and the amplification of harmful content. It forces us to grapple with the unsettling reality that our digital lives are shaped more by algorithms than our own free will. The testimonies of former tech insiders reveal the industry's calculated strategies to hijack our attention, exploit our psychological vulnerabilities and sow division for profit. As we become increasingly entangled in these digital webs, The Social Dilemma urges us to critically examine our relationship with social media and demand greater transparency, accountability and ethical practices from these influential corporations. The film serves as a call for individuals, policymakers and tech leaders to collectively reckon with the societal costs of

               One thing about me, I absolutely hate, hate, HATE, the cold. I am meant to live where it is warm, I am not meant to live in Ohio. If I could never see snow again in my life, I would be so incredibly ecstatic. My mood is very dependent on the weather – when the weather is nice, I am nice and vice versa.             Since the weather has been so nice the past few days, this week at ONU has been so much fun. My roommate, Remi, and I have been laying outside by the pond, soaking up the sun and doing homework. Although, neither of us seem to get far in any homework because we always end up closing our laptops and talking. Anyway, it is very refreshing to be able to enjoy the warmth and get some vitamin D after surviving winter in Ohio.             The sunshine makes me eager for summer and over all things school. I don’t know what it is, but the past two weeks have felt like I’ve been drowning in schoolwork. Anytime my friends text me and ask what I am doing, I’m sitting