It Was 2013 for Goodness' Sake!

It's the last day of 2013! What a strange feeling. I know this year has been hard for a lot of people, but I'm going to count my blessings. I'd say overall, 2013 was significantly better than 2012.

I think this blog evolved a lot over the course of the past year. I expanded my writing topics beyond my battles with Twitter and discoveries on YouTube to more universal themes like personal and professional growth. I like the direction this blog is taking.

In keeping with the mildly selfish theme of chronicling my journey to becoming a better person, I'd like to reflect on the past year, enjoy the present, and try to see what's in store for my future.

I had some amazing internships this year, where I learned a lot and met some sensational people. I lived in my own apartment during my first Milwaukee summer. I connected with some of my professors and made new friends. I did things I should have been doing since the beginning of my college career, like taking Chinese classes and joining Gospel Choir. I found a new appreciation for my family and cared for the people already in my life. I loved more than ever and successfully dealt with loss and rejection.

I feel like I'm in a good place right now. I don't have all the answers or all my future plans laid out, but I like who I am, who I'm with, and what I'm doing. This year I learned to embrace the present and take each experience as is. Am I still a little freaked out about where I'll live or what I'll do after graduation? Of course! But I also recognize that I've got time to figure out the rest of my life. I'll get there.

Thanks 2013! Through all the ups and downs, you've been a helluva ride. And to those of you who did not enjoy the past year as I did, think of it as your character development year. Those hardships help make us who we are, so go into 2014 with reckless abandon, ready to ride it to its fullest heights.

Bearing the Guilt of Our Guilty Pleasures

Once again, I'm going to post what I wrote for an assignment in my Ethics of Mass Communication class, this time regarding children in entertainment. I think it's good to talk about different topics that may have some elements of controversy to them. I like the depth these types of posts add to my blog and I think it's good to ponder these issues in everyday life. Perhaps someday I'll be able to write like this without being prompted academically!

My professor liked my post so she put it on her blog as well. It's a cool site about ethics and current issues, so I highly recommend checking it out.

Most people nowadays know that reality television is not an accurate representation of reality. It frequently depicts scripted versions of ridiculous girl fights or tearful confessions. Yet these types of shows continue to be extremely popular, especially among the larger TV networks.

There is something rather addicting about watching everyday people compete for fame and fortune, or even snap at each other over seemingly shallow matters. The dysfunction of reality TV is like a train wreck; it’s horrible to watch, but hard to look away from. Seeing people fall apart has become a major form of entertainment in America.

Photo courtesy of thegeorgetownindy.com.

Within the last few years, the focus has shifted from adults humiliating themselves on national television to children doing the same thing. A prime example of this shift is the popular TLC show Toddlers and Tiaras and its spinoff series Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. These shows depict young children (almost always girls) getting dressed up with loads of makeup and hair extensions and parading around for judges. They also show these kids being kids, acting silly, throwing tantrums, and saying things that seem strange and often humorous to the adults who observe them. The humorous nature of these shows gives them enormous commercial appeal and entertainment value. But what are the ethical implications of using children for entertainment? How far is too far?

Many ethical decisions come into question when dealing with children in entertainment, but the biggest may be why so many people find dysfunctional children so entertaining in the first place. It’s like corrupting the innocence of a young person without their knowledge or consent is something to be proud of.

There are other dilemmas as well, such as issues of privacy and child labor. Some reality shows film for hours, getting footage of embarrassing meltdowns or private family moments. Children can rarely decide what is put out about them; that responsibility falls on their parents and the show’s producers. Also, even though they are encouraged to go about their “normal” lives when the cameras are rolling, the pressure of having a film crew infiltrate aspects of everyday life can create great psychological strain on a child.

Since tantrums and foul language bump up ratings, producers want children to perform for the camera in a way that will entertain the audience. This belief encourages the children on these reality TV shows to misbehave. If they think they have to act crazy or humiliate themselves to get attention and approval, how will they behave as adults? Just look at former child stars Lindsay Lohan or Amanda Bynes.

What is our responsibility as media consumers? Can we ignore unethical practices in the name of entertainment? I don’t think so. Someone needs to stand up for the children (and even adult) reality TV stars and put an end to the exploitation. For the average media consumer, taking a stand may be as simple as clicking the off button on the remote.

Eek! Some Spooky Lessons

It seems that October has been a month of professional development for yours truly. I've learned so much and met some amazing people! Networking can seem as scary as the Halloween decorations in my apartment, but it has opened doors for me that I never knew existed. The ideas and opportunities I've gained from listening to others has really inspired me. And networking gets much less frightening after the awkward introduction phase!

Happy Halloween! Scary, right?

My first major encounter with networking this semester was at the Public Relations+Social Media Summit hosted by my college earlier this month. I spend about 10 hours sitting in on presentations and panels about the communications industry, as well as connecting with other students, professors, and professionals during down time. It was an exhausting but rewarding day, and I'd like to share some of the top themes I picked out. 

• Relationships: as with most of the human race these days, the marketing and PR world revolves around relationships. Consumers trust what their friends have to say much more than what a company representative says, so things like customer service are extremely important. Want your customers to like you? Make them happy so they'll tell their friends about their experience. As Paul Rand, president and CEO of Zocalo Group, said, your brand is what consumers tell each other it is, not what you tell them it is. 
• Interaction: one of the greatest features of social media is its interactive nature. People don't just take in information that has been pushed to them; they select the information that is important to them, review it, share it, even co-create it. Many speakers talked about the immense opportunity this property of social media presents, as well as the risks it implies.
• Chaos as a ladder: this may sound like I'm quoting Game of Thrones, but risk and even crisis can present ways for companies to truly shine. Going above and beyond the typical problem solving techniques can turn a company into a thought leader. Especially with social media, which people use, as Tom Branigan, CEO of Branigan Communications, said, for both "directed and non-directed time" (for example, doing something productive like seeking information on a particular news story vs. killing time by looking through silly hashtags), risks are everywhere, but so are opportunities to flex your muscles of awesomeness. 
• Community: social media brings people together. Like the relationship function of PR, social media can build community around a company through authenticity. This means a company must be transparent, honest, and ethical when communicating with its publics. People can only gather around a brand if it is credible and its values are well defined.
• Know why: It’s not enough for a company to know what it produces or how it goes to market; it must know why. The best brands have stories behind them, sets of values that make them unique and influence every aspect of their business. As social media guru Augie Ray asserted, people don’t buy what you do, but why you do it. Have a purpose and make it real by living your brand in everything you do. 

I could go on and on about the things I learned at this conference (the presentation about Alterra changing its name to Colectivo had me at the edge of my seat!), but this post is getting lengthy as it is. I’ll conclude with something I learned from a conversation that resulted from the conference, but occurred a few days later. 

My amazing networking skills (AKA dumb luck) connected me with a professional who had worked in China, and he told me his favorite thing about the conference was the notion of “why”. The fact that more and more American businesses are being driven by a higher purpose really impressed him. While many (but not all) companies in China tend to use gimmicks to spark controversy and debate to gain attention, it seems that the trend in American social media and marketing communication is going in a more noble direction. That really fires me up! I’m excited to help bring a good name to this industry. 

Talking to new people and experiencing new things can be scary, but it's extremely rewarding. I should get in the Halloween spirit more often!

Trying Something New: Social Awareness

I recently wrote a blog post for my Communications Ethics class about the relationship of the media with Occupy Wall Street and what it means for my generation. I decided to post it here. This is a direction I usually don't go in for this blog, but after reading Occupy Nation by Todd Gitlin, I thought it might be good to bring some contemporary issues and more controversial topics to "Confessions". After all, my writing should always keep evolving, right?

Occupy Wall Street is a fascinating movement that is both rooted in and breaking away from, well, everything: history, culture, even democracy as we know it. Thanks to media platforms new and old, everybody has heard about it, yet no one can seem to fully explain it. Todd Gitlin attempts to clear up some of the confusion surrounding this complex movement in his book, Occupy Nation.

Over the last decade or so, the theme of the United States has changed from one of prosperity to one of uncertainty and frustrated hopes, especially for the middle class. As Gitlin points out, many Americans feel that “banks got bailed out, we got sold out” and that the 1 percent that holds the majority of the nation’s wealth also holds the nation’s power, which, according to our democratic system, belongs to all American citizens by right. 

Photo courtesy of CNN.com

For the other 99 percent, things are a bit bleak. The ever-present threat of post graduation loan payments and job searches are likely to strike fear in all college students. It’s said that Generation Y (of which most of my classmates and I are a part) is the first generation in about a century that will most likely not be better off financially than their parents. If you’re not just a little terrified by that, you’re lying.

With the Gen Y problem in mind, it’s no wonder that a movement composed mainly of young educated people (“They’re deep. They’re analytical. They go to the root,” Yotam Marom told Gitlin) sprung up to take down big business and big government. It’s also no surprise that OWS has utilized the media, as many movements of the past century have, to launch and maintain its campaigns. Only today, the media play a different role.

The movement would never have grown as rapidly as it did without the use of social media, something that didn’t even exist during the civil rights or antiwar movements. Everyone can participate because everything is transparent. Live streaming and live tweeting is the norm. Because of social media, OWS is out there for the world to see, if only people take the time to sort through their clogged news feeds to look.

Traditional media have tried jumping on the OWS bandwagon as well, but the movement seems to be too complex for newspapers and TV stations to keep up. They simply end up taking the “newsworthy” parts of the movement and repackaging them as ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT OCCUPY WALL STREET. This “need to know” approach by mainstream media really doesn’t do the movement justice, and certainly doesn’t do the general public any favors.

I could never begin to accurately describe such a complex movement. I’m glad we have books like Occupy Nation to explain it as it is, with its many facets and faults. Even so, Occupy can’t be our only source on the matter. In this day and age, with millions of sources of information, it’s our responsibility as media consumers to try to gain the clearest picture we can. For those of us who are, or will be, media producers, it’s our responsibility to report fairly what we can and to be honest about our biases and shortcomings. No media outlet contains the absolute truth and no one should try to pretend otherwise.

So keep consuming. Keep searching. Keep learning. Maybe we don’t all need to become hard-core activists, but if we evolve personally the way Occupy Wall Street has evolved, maybe we will learn to improve our lives. Are you ready, Gen Y?

Surprise!

What? A blog post that hasn't been thrown together at the last possible minute to meet the once-monthly quota I've set for myself? Needless to say, I think it's time I revamped this blog.

I wasn't fully satisfied with my last post. In fact, I feel like something has been missing from quite a few of my posts lately. They are all very cheery, and I don't think they are painting the full picture of my life or what this blog is about. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of things in my life worth celebrating; I would just like my writing to be as honest and realistic as possible. And part of life is struggling and overcoming those struggles.

It's pretty universally accepted that the best writers are those who read. I've been reading some really great blogs lately, with unique styles and interesting topics. This blog is nowhere near that caliber, but that was kind of the point of it all along. I'm the Last Learner, the one surrounded by social media and books and art and blogs and movies and projects that are completely creatively inspiring, and all I'm trying to do is catch up and play in the big leagues.

I will never be able to consume all the Awesome that is out there. I will never watch every great movie or favorite every brilliant tweet. I will, however, contribute to that Awesome in whatever way I can. I will not make excuses for myself. I will not be seasonally creative. Let this blog be actual written documentation that I will try to add to the world's supply of Awesome all year round, even during school when I'm stressed and have "more important" things to do.

It's time for a change in perspective. I am in college to learn what I can from the books I buy and teachers whose salaries I help pay for. But I am also in college to take in inspiration from my surroundings and produce something that may inspire others. Being "smart" and being "creative" are equally important in my book and I'm not doing myself any favors by favoring one over the other.

This blog isn't really meant to be a journal documenting what I've done over the past month; it's more of an exercise book. It's a place to flex my writing muscles, test out ideas, and practice. It's not a burden; it's a key to a locked door. By writing, I can open up the creative part of my mind that I keep shut too often.

I plan on taking on more creative projects and possibly collaborating with others. Collaborative writing is something I haven't really delved into yet (at least not in a very positive light) and I'd like to see what it holds for me. So stick with me because I'm kicking myself into shape!

Post-Summer Musings

The summer has ended and my internships with it. I've just completed my first week of junior year. I've jumped into clubs and extracurricular activities, new and old. It seems like things have taken a 180 degree turn!

My world really has been turned upside down recently. I loved both of my internships and got some amazing opportunities and learning experiences from them. I met some extremely kind, smart, funny, and interesting people, most of which were older and more experienced than me. What's more, I didn't have homework!

Now I have a completely mixed up schedule and perspective. Everything is different, down to the smallest detail. Instead of turning right when leaving my building, I turn left. There are people my age everywhere I look. I go to class for a few hours here and there and then I have homework in the evening. It seems so strange to be a student again after working for a full three months.

It's amazing how easily we become accustomed to our roles. I've been a student my entire life, but when I had a different way to occupy my time by working at my internships, I left the role of student behind without even thinking about it. It's nice to go to school again and spend time with my friends, but I can't help feeling as if I've gone backward somehow. The order of life goes "Grade School --> High School --> College --> Work", right? Since I've had my work experience, shouldn't I be done with the school part?

In the working world, you learn through experience; in the college world, you learn through study. They offer different ways of moving forward, but either way brings progress. It really doesn't matter what order you go in, or whether you fully complete every step. Life is certainly not a straight line. That's what makes it so interesting and exciting!

The important thing for me at the moment is not necessarily to follow the exact path I was going down, but to maintain the intensity of the creative energy I felt during the summer. I plan on keeping up with Gerome the Gnome and all his social media projects (he's been a lot of fun so far!), as well as doing social media for the environmental club on campus and singing in the gospel choir. I've started my Chinese class too! It's a challenge, but it's going to be fun.

I can't believe I'm already halfway done with my college experience. Obviously, I'm pretty excited to join the workforce, but I won't forget to enjoy the time I have left as a student. There are opportunities for me here that I won't find anywhere else. The best way to prepare for the future is to fully live in the present.

My Summer Project: A New Friend

Every summer, I take on at least one project to do in my spare time. Sometimes it's writing songs, sometimes it's making a scrapbook of the previous year, sometimes it's designing my dream home or planning my dream wedding. This summer, my project is of a slightly different kind. Instead of putting things on paper, I'm putting them online.

My roommate and I received a gnome our freshman year of college for our birthdays, which are both in October. We named him Gerome and displayed him proudly in our room for four semesters. This summer, we decided he needed some fresh air. I now post photos and the occasional video of Gerome exploring campus and the city beyond. And that's my summer project: creating and maintaining a quirky, adventuresome persona on social media.

A happy gnome by a happy building!

This project has been incredibly fun! My roommate and I have to come up with new ideas for Gerome's posts whenever we can. We have to think about interesting places and events, and then go to them. We thought we were giving Gerome fresh air, but he helps us get out of the house, too!

This project is really helping me grow as a person, oddly enough. I'm thinking creatively, exploring Milwaukee more than ever before, and developing quite a healthy sense of humor (which is more than necessary when you're holding a gnome at arm's length and taking a picture of it on a bustling street corner). I'm learning a lot about how social media works and making connections with some really interesting people. It's a great experience, and it mostly happened because I was bored and feeling a little silly.

It's good to let go and not take things too seriously sometimes. Who cares if you get a few odd looks for crouching behind a statue holding up a gnome while your friend takes a picture? The result makes people smile. That's more fun than going through life without stirring the pot. Don't be afraid to shake things up, be creative, be quirky, make a fool of yourself. It's all part of the adventure!

Gerome is on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Vine (@GnomeOnCampus), and Google+.