Christine's Column

This past week was relatively uneventful, so I decided to focus on something that’s been both fun and meaningful — my group’s client for this class, Osborne Family Retrievers. The business is a family-run dog-breeding operation located in Alger, Ohio. On Tuesday, I visited their property to capture photos and videos for future content. While it was technically a work visit, it was also one of the most enjoyable assignments I’ve had yet — mostly because I got to spend the afternoon surrounded by puppies. A new litter had been born only a few weeks ago, and at just five weeks old, the puppies were small, playful and full of energy. We let them run around for a while, tumbling over one another and exploring their surroundings. Eventually, after all that excitement, every single one of them fell asleep in a pile of wagging tails and tiny snores. Lydia even let me stick around afterward for some extra puppy cuddles, which was the perfect way to end the visit. While I was there, Lydia ...

              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.        ...

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...

                 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 co...

                 TikTok has undeniably redefined the way society consumes and interacts with content in the digital age. The platform's user-generated short videos have revolutionized entertainment, reshaped societal trends and influenced culture. With its addictive algorithm that tailors content to each individual, TikTok has captivated a vast audience, transcending age, gender and geographical boundaries. This diverse user base has led to the rapid propagation of trends, sparking conversations and shaping popular culture in real-time. Additionally, TikTok has become a cornerstone of social activism, amplifying voices on critical social issues and driving meaningful change through viral challenges and campaigns. The app's influence is a testament to the shift in societal dynamics, marking a new era of cultural impact driven by user-generated content. In recent years, TikTok has seen an unprecedented surge in its user base, indicating ...

               YouTube is a popular video-sharing platform that has revolutionized the way we consume and share content. It has become a hub for creators to showcase their talent, businesses to promote their products, and individuals to connect with a global audience. There are individuals who have gained popularity by creating content on YouTube. They cover a wide range of topics, from comedy and beauty to gaming and education. Anyone with a camera and a passion can become a YouTuber! They connect with their audience through their unique personalities, creativity and relatability. Many YouTubers have built loyal fan bases and even turned their channels into full-time careers. YouTube has had a massive impact on the traditional entertainment industry. It has disrupted the traditional model of content creation and distribution, allowing creators to bypass traditional gatekeepers and reach a global audience directly. This has forced th...

               LinkedIn is a social media network for professionals that was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman who believed people needed a platform to take control of their professional lives. The platform grew rapidly, reaching 1 million professionals by 2004 and 10 million by 2007. Later, LinkedIn was bought by Microsoft in 2016 for $26.2 billion. Today, it is the world’s largest professional network as it has over 900 million users in more than 200 countries. It is a place for professionals to join to connect with one another, stay up to date and apply for jobs. The app provides an opportunity of advancing your career by making it easier to interact with businesses, customers, employers, colleagues and potential employees.             The network has 745.84 million monthly users, with males making up 57% and females 43% of their user population. It is the number one channel for B2B ma...

               On Friday, March 22, Ohio Northern University’s PRSSA hosted its annual Social Media Workshop. The day started with hearing from the keynote speaker before breaking to begin the first session of the workshop. The workshop was split into four blocks, with each session having two speakers presenting simultaneously – one speaker would be in the Activities Room while the other in the Bear Cave.              Amy Hertsenberg, the keynote speaker, gave what I found to be one of the most interesting presentations. She discussed all things AI – the powers of AI, how she uses it as a tool in her work, how we can use it, how it is changing the way we work, etc. Hertsenberg puts an emphasis on the idea of ‘hyper-personalization’ using AI technology throughout her presentation. This idea stems from the fact that AI has changed the way we gather information of a customer base. Thi...

              Snapchat is a fun and interactive social media platform where users can send ‘snaps’, which are pictures that you can set a time limit for how long they are viewed, back and forth with one another. That’s not all though! Snapchat had added many features to the app since it was first launched in 2011 as ‘Picaboo’ and then revamped a few months after into what we know it as today. The platform allows users to post ‘snaps’ to their story that disappear after 24 hours, video chat and call with other users, play around with live filters, create group-chats, save snaps to your memories for later, and more.  The platform has over 750 million monthly active users, is the 10 th most popular social media platform, and has generated $4.6 billion in ad revenue. Its customer base is primary female, making up 51% while males account for 49% of the user population. The daily average for the app is only 21 minutes which surprised m...

X, previously known as Twitter, was originally created with the intent of being an SMS based communications platform where people can stay updated on each other’s lives by posting status updates. The app was first launched in 2006 and by 2012 it had grown to over 185 million users. Ten years later, Elon Musk bought the platform for $44 billion and in July of 2023 the site’s name was changed to X. Along with the name, Musk made other changes to the app including allowing the return of previously banned accounts. Musk makes it evident in the media that he is an advocate for free speech and wanted a platform that was a place for free commentary.                After deterring from the popularly known name, Twitter, to X there was an uproar of confusion among users. The features in the app coincided with the name and had an overall bird-theme to the entire outlet and so when the name was changed…did everything we know change? ‘Tweets’ are now sim...

"Instagram is the third most used social media platform". When I read this in Chapter five, I was honestly shocked. When I think of Instagram, I think of a collection of all social media outlets wrapped into one. Over the course of the app's existence, it has been constantly changing and adapting with the development of other outlets. It has always been a photo sharing outlet, similar to Facebook, but the platform has come a long way from the little beige polaroid icon it started as.  New features are constantly added keeping the app in competition with other social media. The story feature on the app reminds people of Snapchat; reels are like TikTok; the photo editing software is similar to VSCO; and the explore page is relatable to Pinterest, including the fact that users can save posts and organize them in different collections just as Pinterest does with their boards feature. And on top of all these features there is still more such as collage creation, boomerang vi...

While reading Chapter 4, Marketing with Facebook, there were pieces of information that stuck out to me and surprised me regarding the platform. I am aware that Facebook has been around for quite some time, as it was one of the first widely used social media platforms created, and has continuously grown since being founded. However, considering the rapid growth in popularity of other social media outlets over recent years, such as TikTok and Instagram, I found it shocking that Facebook is the largest and most used platform.  The main reason I found this surprising was due to the fact that other apps allow creators the possibility to create careers off of their followers and can obtain a platform within the network (e.g. Instagram models and TikTok influencers). Whereas accounts with larger followings on Facebook are typically companies/brands who have already established a name in the public's eye. It is not common to see an individual "blow up" on Facebook the same way w...

  Chapter three explores different social media strategies and tactics to help maximize social media marketing and advertising efforts. Things such as creating personas, performing social media audits, having a content strategy, etc. can boost the engagement on your posts and grow your brand’s social media presence.     Paying attention to the analytics of your posts can help you to be more aware of what days/times to post that will result in the highest engagement, the demographics of your audience so you can formulate content marketed specifically to them, which platforms reach the most users, what type of content does best on each platform, etc. Analytics provide a plethora of details pertaining to the state of your social media, and if you understand how to interpret them correctly, you are able to use them to your advantage to help boost your account(s).   Step three, of the ten steps discussed in this chapter, dives further into this by giving specific ...

              For my podcast I decided to talk about the growth of social media affecting jobs. I wanted to talk about this because my mom is a perfect example. My mom’s background is in graphic design and that is the career she started in, however, now she does work in Public Relations and social media for different businesses.               With the growth of social media, the demand for graphic designers has decreased because there are tools available that allow people to create graphics, logos, etc. without specifically needed graphic design software or even any knowledge in this field. People are able to plug in information they need, and it is able to create an entire graphic for you. My mom still uses her knowledge of graphic design, and those skills are very helpful to her in her current work position. But those skills wouldn’t be as useful to her ...

   Throughout chapter 12 the book discusses blogs, vlogs, and podcasts. While reading this chapter I kept finding myself thinking about the evolution on influence on social media, specifically through these three channels.       For example, when blogs first started many people used them for personal use similar to social media outlets such as Instagram and Facebook to stay connected to others. While blogs are still used for this purpose, many people today that regularly use blogs are businesses or people who have already made a name for themselves in the media. Unlike some social media outlets, blogs don't have the same ability to reach mass audiences as say TikTok's 'For You' page.        As social media grew, we saw a shift from blogging to vlogging as content creators started posting on YouTube. This chapter even mentions Casey Neistat who was a very popular YouTuber, along with many other creators, due to his infamous dai...

      Social media is a widely used tool today and is constantly continuing to change and develop. With how prominent social media is today in society, it's crazy to think about how there was a time before it, or even just how the use of it has changed from when it was first introduced.     Social media has always been used to connect people and network in a way. When platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram first came out many people used it to stay connected to those around them and in their community such as family and friends. While many people still do use social media for this, it also is used now to connect people to employers, companies/businesses, products, etc.       It has even become a tool in many workplaces and now something that is being studied and taught in some universities. Social media has impacted different lines of work and is used daily, such as in careers in marketing and public relations. It has ch...