The Importance of Crisis Management

In the process of navigating my role as an Online Media Director this year, one of the most important things I’ve learned for a professional career in the future is how to deal with a crisis.

You might be thinking...what kind of crisis could a sorority possibly run into?

Well, in a few short words sororities are under a lot of scrutiny for not being very inclusive or diverse. However, that is something Theta prioritizes highly and makes sure to uphold on our social media presence. A position such as mine has to be extremely aware, perceptive, and wise when posting on behalf of an organization. Given that, I found myself in a situation this semester where a photo that didn’t fit every person due to Instagram’s formatting resulted in an accusation of lack of diversity.

On my end, my intentions were pure. I didn’t think twice about what particular individuals were being cut out and certainly was not trying to exclude any group. Directly after I posted, I spoke in person with the girls who were cut out and explained that it was a formatting issue and they were more than fine with the situation. However, although the individuals who were cut out of the photo were fine, one third-party viewer was not, and all it takes is one false perception to create tension. While I thought I was being extremely perceptive, it just goes to show that you are never done growing in the world of social media. This experience taught me a lot and for the future I can improve on realizing the perceptions that others may assume.

While this may not have been a major crisis, it has grown my level of awareness even more for a career in social media and I’m thankful for the opportunity to grow in that aspect.

Social Media Challenges

Over the past year, I have served as the Online Media Director for my sorority Kappa Alpha Theta. I didn’t know just how much this position would inspire me and prepare me for the future! It has definitely has its challenges, but I’m thankful I’ve had the opportunity to navigate those challenges before applying to an internship or job. 

 A few of the key takeaways I’ve learned from this position are: 

1) The importance of finding and maintaining a voice across all platforms.

 2) Learning that you may not be able to please everyone, but that’s the beauty of creativity. 

 3) The importance of adapting and marketing to your specific audience. 

4) The unique balance of maintaining relevance without overbearing or overloading your audience. 

5) Being very observant, aware, and wise with the content you are posting. 

 I’m thankful for these challenges as it has grown me as a person and hopefully as a professional in the Social Media field one day.

Friday Inspiration!

On this lovely Friday, my Social Media class had a remote guest speaker. She was none other than Brittany, also known as kombucha girl. And let me tell you I am in awe of her. I want to be her best friend! Brittany if you’re seeing this, please hang out with me.

I absolutely loved this class day because of the inspiration I gained from Brittany. Not only is Brittany HILARIOUS, but her authenticity can be seen from miles away through her shining personality and confidence. One thing she said that stood out to me was that as an influencer, if a brand doesn’t allower her to use her own creativity while endorsing their product she won’t work with them due to the fact that she wants authenticity to remain with her followers. WE NEED MORE BRITTANYS IN THE WORLD! I thought that was the coolest thing since our influencer culture is crawling with people who are willing to sacrifice true followers just to make money. 

 I think the best thing about Brittany’s story is that her fame wasn’t intentional like most. Through being herself, she gets to be in a profession that she loves creating content and I think that is SO inspirational! I love love loved getting to learn from her today. 

Brittany, keep supplying our world with the comedy that it desperately needs.

If you want to know just who Brittany is and how she became viral, this Buzzfeed article lays it all out for you!

https://www.buzzfeed.com/daniellaemanuel/woman-trying-kombucha-meme

Twittersphere?

In Advanced Social Media we’ve been debating whether or not Twitter is a public sphere. By definition, Twitter in many ways is not a public sphere. However, in an era where social media dictates and infiltrates every aspect of our lives who’s to say that Twitter may not be evolving into a public sphere? 

Social media is so new that definitions by books are consistently being updated every year, so could the definition of what a public sphere looks like also evolve? One argument is that Twitter isn’t completely public because the platform can filter what is said, whether it’s just or not. It can be biased towards one view or even remove content that doesn’t seem “fit” or desired by one group of people to be read. We can see this a lot through the discussion of politics and news. 

But the popularity of gaining political information, news, and forming opinions based off of content on social media platforms begs the questions—---

Could Twitter evolve into a “true” public sphere in the future or redefine the definition itself? How could this trend impact the upcoming election?

Hulu vs. Netflix

The past couple of months I’ve started to notice just how much Hulu has stepped up its game, in terms of how much of my freetime it eats up.

I catch myself habitually clicking on the little green icon more frequently than the little red icon now-a-days. While Netflix arguably has better movies, Hulu is killing it with shows AND their marketing! 

Whether it be Love Island, Saturday Night Live, or Brooklyn Nine-Nine, the list goes on and so does my watchlist. With Netflix, there are still many shows that I watch frequently and adore (such as The Office, and if you don’t you’re wrong) but where Hulu has Netflix beat is the frequency at which they release shows. Hulu updates its available content weekly, sometimes even daily while Netflix takes extended amounts of time. For example, Stranger Things seasons are only made available about one year apart. For us professional binge watchers, that’s just simply too long. 

Another contribution to Hulu #killingit recently is their marketing strategies. You can now get a FREE Hulu account if you use Spotify Premium for only $5.99. Two of the streaming services I use the most for half the price? As a college student, that makes my heart SING.

Not to mention “Huluween” is happening right now and they just added all kinds of ~spooky~ movies and shows to watch this October! 

If you need me this month, I’ll probably be binging on Hulu! 

The Apple Tree

The Apple “tree” has dropped yet another golden delicious treat for us consumers. The IPhone 9. 

Gotcha! It’s actually the IPhone 11/11 Pro. But seriously whatever happened to IPhone 9? Did Apple really skip over 9 and expect us not to notice??

I won’t lie to you, I’m impressed by the new phone. The camera quality, durability, aesthetics, it’s all truly incredible. However, while I’m impressed I’m also EXHAUSTED. Apple’s “tree” never seems to stop growing. IPhone...new IPhone but thinner...another new IPhone...a watch...a TV...airpods...when will this harvest end? Will it EVER end? 

As an Apple user myself, I’m not sure if I want the tree to stop producing fruit. But instead of scheming how I can get the new phone, I can’t help but think about how the consistent updates from Apple (and other companies) are simply feeding our instant-gratification society. We can’t appreciate or enjoy the technology at our finger tips for more than a year or two because we’re impatiently wait for the new, ripe, and modified fruit. Additionally, each product gets more and more invasive. Facial recognition? Monitoring our heart rates? We’re running out of human surface area here, Apple. 

Does this invasiveness and impatience say more about us as a society? Or Apple as a company as they feed on those two societal characteristics?

What fruit will fall next? Could all of these “apples” be poisonous?

Area Fifty-NONE?

As you may have heard, today is THE day that the viral “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us” Facebook event will allegedly take place. 

Earlier this year in June, almost two-million people responded “going” to storm and “raid” the US military base in Nevada. Insanity. The creator of the event, Matty Roberts, has made it known that the event started off as comedic and non-malicious. However, the “raid” went so viral on social media that the Airforce released a warning not come. 

The power of media, folks!

In addition to a warning by the Airforce, Facebook also deleted the event “by mistake”. It was most likely not a mistake, but an attempt to diffuse media traction as the event approached. While I find this debacle entertaining, it’s important to acknowledge the ease, accessibility, and force in which information can be shared on social media, for better or for worse. 

So how many humans will actually “see them aliens” today? I’m sure we’ll find out on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram later tonight. 

Until then, I turned to this article (https://www.newsweek.com/topic/area-51) to brush up on all things Area 51. It was out of this world. 

POP VS CHICK take your pick!

I NEVER thought the day would come where I would question the superiority of Chick-Fil-A, especially in the sandwhich department. Chick-Fil-A is a magical flavor palace full of breaded miracles that can do no wrong in my eyes. 

But would you take a LOOK at that Popeyes masterpiece? Woahhh. They POPped off. 

However, we can’t just eat with our eyes here people! It’s ALL about the taste test. Unfortunately, there’s a national shortage of the Popeyes sandwhich with NO date of return. Their new campaign of BYOB (Bring Your Own Bun) is encouraging those of us who have yet to taste test, to bring our own buns and make the sandwhich there on the spot? 

Chick would NEVER. 

I’ll have to taste it to believe it, but until that poultry showdown Chick-Fil-A stands supreme. Still can’t make up your mind? 

Let the fate of buzzfeed determine where your heart lies. 

The Meteor

There’s nothing quite like the first day of class!

The sweetness of a new semester, new transition, and overall excitement for the new-ness of what the fall holds. Even with that sweetness lingering over the day, NOTHING could prepare my roommates and I for the new “decor” we received on (or in) our door step the first day of class.

If you’re wondering what happened, join us as we ponder. The mystery of “The Meteor” has yet to be solved. Human? Lawn mower? Actual meteor? We are all truly puzzled. We may never know the truth about how “The Meteor” came to be. However it remains lodged in our door, and our hearts forever.

I would like to personally thank whatever kinetic force of energy that jammed this boulder into our lives, as it has brought us many laughs, questions, and hope for more exciting deliveries other than amazon packages. 

Here’s what I gathered from the first day of class:

1) Appreciate whatever life “throws” your way.

2) Hit the books this semester as hard as “The Meteor” flew into our front door.

T’s and G’s!