Snapchat – Thanks and No Thanks for the Updates

One of the most frustrating aspects of social media platforms is major updates. For example, Twitter extending tweets from 140 characters to 280 characters or Instagram changing the timeline and posts no longer showing up in chronological order. The most recently frustrating update has to do with Snapchat. If you have the most up to date version of Snapchat, you know exactly what I am talking about.

Let’s take a step back, though, and look at the evolution of Snapchat. An article by Jenny Karson perfectly describes and explains how Snapchat has changed since day one. Snapchat began in 2011 and was a space only for sending pictures back and forth. Then, in Dec. 2012, Snapcaht released an update allowing users to also send videos to one another. The next phase of Snapchat was a controversial one: once upon a time you were able to view other people’s best friends and as a user you could only have three best friends. A picture of this update is captured in Karon’s article. I say this was a controversial time in Snapchat’s history because having access to people’s best friends created drama, at least from where I’m from it did. I can imagine Snapchat received many complaints about this update, because they took it away. Something I found more exciting than viewing best friends, was the update that was released in Jan. 2013 that allowed users to become artists by having the ability to draw on pictures before sending them. This is an update that has made it all the way to 2018 still, kudos to Snapchat for that one! By Feb. 2013, there were approximately 700 snaps a second.

In Oct. 2013 came the first ever frustrating update from Snapchat: stories. Sure, it was highly annoying that viewing people’s best friends got taken away, but STORIES? The basis of a Snapchat story, if you don’t know, is that you can post a picture for 24 hours that all your friends are able to view. You get to share a moment with more than just a couple of people you choose. The longer this update stayed, the more normalized it became and the less annoying, but rather fun it became. The stories showed up on a separate tab within the app and didn’t interfere with snapping your friends.

In the following months, Snapchat released several small, yet not frustrating updates. For example, the ability to replay snaps and the ability to send chats to people rather than sending pictures or videos back and forth all the time. Geo-filters were also released, which are filters that involve location, events, etc., to personalize snaps even further. Snapchat even released a  live-section, which allows people to follow along with live events and the discover section, which allows people to follow content from popular brands, such as ESPN, CNN, Yahoo News, etc. These updates have stayed with the application up to 2018 so far.

The next biggest, and still not frustrating yet, updates that Snapchat came out with were those of emojis, personalized profile pictures, filters and what Karson calls, “edit mania.” Emojis started to appear next to user’s friends, which had different meanings. Furthermore, Snapchat eventually allowed the option to customize what emojis stand for different things. The first personalized profile pictures consisted of five pictures in a row that replayed as a profile video. Eventually, Snapchat linked with bitmoji to create animated characters that look like you to be you profile picture. Our favorite filter that alter your face came out and were instantly a hit, as well as “edit mania,” which allows users to customize snaps and stories more than they were already able to with some of features such as the temperature outside, how fast a car you're riding in is going, the altitude you are at, etc.

The most recent Snapchat update is frustrating because it combines snap stories with the list of your friends. This update makes it hard to keep track of who you’ve most recently snapped because the people you snap the most appear at the top or people who have stories, rather than in the order of when you’ve sent snaps to people. The picture to the right is an example of how the new Snapchat is set up. I think the longer this update is implemented, the more normalized it will become just as snap stories did. It’s taken some time to get used to, so stay tuned to see if I ever really get used to it!

Becoming "Linked-In"

Before coming to college, I had no idea what LinkedIn was. I don’t think I ever would have fully understood what LinkedIn was if I wasn’t a business student. I am currently taking a class that grades me on having a LinkedIn profile and the connections I make through the application. What exactly is LinkedIn? What is it useful for? How do you use it? LinkedIn is much simpler than it may appear. LinkedIn may seem complicated and confusing, but most social media platforms are when you are first using them.

LinkedIn is a professional social media platform that allows you stay up to date with business news, create group discussions, and network. Groups are a great way to demonstrate industry-specific expertise and ask or answer questions. LinkedIn is most similar to Facebook. On Facebook, you “friend” your friends and family and post personal updates to share with those you are friends with through the application. When using LinkedIn, you “connect” with people rather than be “friends” with them. You also want to make sure to connect with business professionals rather than your friends and family because it is intended for professional purposes.

Setting up a LinkedIn profile is easy, but it can be tough to know what exactly should be on your profile. Of course, your name should be on your profile, that’s a given; however, the name you put on your profile should match the name you put on your resume. This allows potential employers, or people you’ve spoken with before, to easily find your account. Adding a profile picture, also a given. Unlike Facebook or Twitter, your LinkedIn profile picture should be a processional headshot. It is also important to add your higher-level education, starting with the most recent. There are also options to add a summary, which describes your skills and experience, and add media, which can be external documents or links to other platforms. Most importantly, you’ll want to add your experience. As you would on a resume, add a summary that explains the positions you’ve held under the descriptions section when adding past and current work experiences. Whatever your current job title may be, that goes under the portion of your profile named “current.” Lastly, you may add any accomplishments, awards and interests to your profile.

While all that information may seem overwhelming, it is easy to go through your profile to add, remove or change any information at any time. As important as it is to make connections in your industry, it is also important to follow different accounts and join groups that pertain to your desired field. It is also important to remember that while Facebook is more if a private profile for friends and family, LinkedIn is a public profile for anyone to search and view. Another helpful tip: unless you are an active recruiter, it is not helpful to have a paid LinkedIn account. Simply a free account will do everything you need when connecting with people, looking for job opportunities and staying up to date with business news.

Although it may seem like LinkedIn is most useful for the business world, all future employers might search your name on LinkedIn, regardless of your industry or field. If you are an engineer, it is just as important and helpful to have a LinkedIn profile. It may not seem necessary to have a LinkedIn account in high school or college, but I disagree. I’ve found that having a LinkedIn profile in college is helpful to get a head start on making connections, as well as connecting with people as you meet them. It’s a great way to get ahead in your industry and people really do reach out to you through the platform. I recently landed a summer internship with the Columbus Crew after meeting a recruiter at a career fair and reaching out via LinkedIn.

50 Shades WHAT?

On Feb. 13, 2018, I saw a movie that has sparked controversy since the trilogy began in 2015: 50 Shades Freed. I remember when the first movie, 50 Shades of Grey, came out my mother made sure I knew I was not allowed to go see it. I knew it was a mature movie, but I was 16-years-old at the time and she had let me see rated R movies before. I was confused why I wasn’t allowed to see this particular movie before I got the chance to decide for myself if I wanted to see it. I didn’t get to see the movie until I turned 17 and could legally see whatever I wanted at the movies and I understood why there was so much controversy.

Whenever a new 50 Shades movies comes out, there is new media that comes out about the controversy of the trilogy: the difference between BDSM and abuse. BDSM stands for Bondage/Domination/Sad-Masochism. I personally still didn’t understand what BDSM meant by reading what it stood for, so I did some digging. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “BDSM refers to a range of sexual preferences that generally relate to enjoyment of physical control, psychological control, and/or pain. It can be broken down into six overarching components: bondage and discipline, domination and submission, and sadism and masochism.” Again, that still seemed a bit ambiguous unless you already know what all those things in the definition mean. Bondage and discipline are more self-explanatory and consist of using physical or psychological restraints. Domination and submission are less self-explanatory, but involve an exchange of power and control; the dominant has the power, while the submissive relinquishes all control to the dominant. Sadism and masochism were much more confusing for me. Sadism and masochism are interchangeable terms that refer to taking pleasure in others' pain or humiliation.

Suddenly it makes sense why it’s a large controversy. One of the main characters, Christian Grey, enjoys BDSM and claims to need a submissive to be happy in life. That’s morally wrong, right? As someone who has watched and learned to appreciate the movies, I can say the storyline is more than that. Yes, it’s true that the first movie is primarily about the two main characters being in a BDSM relationship; however, the complete storyline is a love story of how Anastasia Steele, the other main character, changes Mr. Grey for the better. Christian Grey falls in love with Anastasia Steele and breaks him of his dominator need.

Although I can understand the controversy behind the movie due to the idea of BDSM, it is not entirely what the 50 Shades trilogy portrays. The final movies of the trilogy, “50 Shades Freed,” is the perfect title to describe the plot. After being taught BDSM at a young age by being the submissive to an older, female dominant, Christian Grey is finally “freed” by Anastasia Steele. His love for Ms. Steele allows him to realize control is not as important to him as he once thought.

Media can sometimes be hard to believe due to everyone having their own opinions on different matters. It is easy to be persuaded by media when what we’re reading aligns with our beliefs and opinions. Once articles started getting out and people could read about the 50 Shades trilogy, they could easily make an opinion without seeing the movies or reading the novels. I don’t like to base my opinions off media this is biased and opinion based for that reason. I try to be open minded until gathering all sides of an issue, story, etc. Although I don’t understand or agree with the idea of BDSM, I don’t find it necessary to stand against a movie that portrays the risqué behavior.

Talking - Not Just a Phase Anymore

There are two things that drive me crazy about the generation I’m in. One being how sensitive we can be, which leads to older generations giving us the nickname “snowflakes”. The other is our generation doesn’t “date” anymore, we “talk.” What does “talking” even mean? What is the difference between dating and talking? I’m currently living in this generation and I’m not sure I know the term “talking” means because the concept doesn’t make sense in my mind; however, I’m willing to try to talk this out for the sake of a blog post!

I’ve been dating my boyfriend now for about two months. It’s been a great two months; the honey moon phase is a real thing surprisingly. If you’ve ever been in any kind of serious relationship you know EXACTLY what I’m talking about. The one thing that irks me, though, is when people ask me how long we have been together. Well, we’ve been dating for officially for two months…but we “talked” for three months prior. Have we been together for five months total then? Yes, we’ve been together five months total, but only two months officially. Does that make any sense? I don’t think it does at all, but that’s just me.

You don’t notice our generation going on dates, but rather “hanging out” with a person of interest instead. I don’t think Aaron, my boyfriend, ever asked me on a real date prior to us officially dating. I remember the first time we hung out we got ice cream and walked around Ada for two hours; which sounds like a date, right? Getting ice cream and spending time getting to know each other felt like a date, but he never asked, “Morgan, would you like to go on a date with me?” Rather, he asked me, “do you want to hang out some time?” That interaction is what lead to our ice cream “date.”

Nowadays, Aaron will ask me things along the lines of, “do you want to get dinner tonight?” Questions like those feel more like being asked on a date, but those kinds of questions didn’t occur until we became officially “exclusive.” Notice I have been putting all the different terms there are for being with someone in quotation marks. I don’t know which terms exactly mean what or if I’m appropriately using them. Does the term “talking” mean there is no loyalty or commitment involved? Or does “talking” simply mean you are casually dating someone?

Personally, I think talking is the same as dating. I think that dating can be casual or it can be exclusive; dating someone does not necessarily mean you are exclusive with someone. Maybe that thought process makes less sense to people than the term “talking,” but in my mind, it makes much more sense. I don’t want to say chivalry is dead, because I know that is not completely true. Aaron does all sorts of nice things for me that proves chivalry isn’t dead. However, chivalry isn’t as important as it once was.

Let's Throw a Party

Social media can be compared to throwing a party. Don’t worry, I didn’t believe it at first either when I read that sentence. However, a book called, “Social Media Marketing” by Jason McDonald explains how throwing a party and social media go hand in hand. A party is about showing up, enjoying what the party has to offer and then leaving. Social media is about logging on to a platform, enjoying what the platform has to offer and then logging off. In that context, they’re almost the same exact thing.

Throwing a party and attending a party are two completely different concepts. Throwing a party requires a greater amount of effort than just showing up to a party does. For example, if you are the host of a party you must send out invitations, provide entertainment and host the party until everyone leaves. As you might’ve guessed, it is the same ordeal when on social media. The invitations refer to promotion; identify a target audience and create tactics to make them “show up” to your profile or page. The entertainment can be related to the content of your information on your social media platforms. What content can you provide to make people want to be on your page or profile? Lastly, hosting a party correlates to managing social media. It is important to constantly be analyzing your content and updating it to interact with users.

When you go to a party, it usually feels like the person hosting didn’t put a lot of effort in to the party. The hosts just invited people, provided a few snacks maybe and just get to hang out until everyone leaves. The is known as the element of illusion. Hosting a party is harder than it appears to be, which if you’ve ever thrown one you would know. There is an incredible amount of strategy, planning and hard work that goes in to planning and throwing a party. The same goes for managing and marketing social media. Campaigns, posts, hashtags, etc., all seem effortless. The reality of social media is things take strategic tactics to promote and grow.

Whether it’s throwing a party for people to attend or managing a social media account for people to visit, both require similar work. It’s important to stay positive and remember the big picture. Marketing a party or a social media platform are big commitments that require your full attention. Once you identify goals, the hard work mostly becomes promotion, entertainment and enjoying the result.