Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Following the Trends: a Steady Decline of Authenticity.
My social media presence differs from network to network, depending on what is socially "cool" or acceptable on that website. I really didn't realize that until Eric asked us how social media has framed us. I want to run you through each of my social media accounts, and give you an inside look into what I'm thinking when I post certain things, and how outside forces have effected that...
Facebook: So we'll start with Facebook, because I feel as though it is the biggest social media outlet that I have, and probably that even exists. Every once in a while I'll get a notification of something that I posted as a Facebook status in the past. Back in my middle school days, Facebook had more of a twitter like feel. People posted what they were feeling, or what they were doing. I feel as though I've seen less and less of that as the years have gone on, and because I've seen less of that, I've done less of that. For me, Facebook is just a dumping ground for things from other social media accounts. For example, things that I post on Instagram get dumped onto Facebook. I think the main two reasons that I even keep my Facebook account is because I get a lot of business off of it, and because EVERYONE has a Facebook, and it's great for looking people up. I think that if more of my friends still used Facebook as an active form of social media, the way that I present myself on Facebook might be different. I definitely pay attention to how my profile is presented, though, because I know that people will probably stalk me from time to time. For a lot of people, Facebook IS the first impression that you get of someone, before even meeting them. I'm really aware of that, and because of that I'm careful about what is in my "about" section, and what photos I allow to show up on my page. If I were being totally 100% honest, and authentic, I wouldn't filter these things.
Instagram: This is where I notice the most framing. I'm really careful about what I post on Instagram, which is funny because I have 1212 Instagram posts, to date. I've noticed that I've followed trends on how my Instagram photos are posted, what filters I use, and things like that. For example, there was this huge trend throughout a large group of people that I followed on Instagram, where it was "cool" to post your photos with white bars on the sides. Basically the idea was that you could post the whole photo rather than having to crop it into a square. Then people went through a phase where cropping them into squares was cool... things like that. Instagram has also effected the way that I photograph things, as a photographer. Simplistic shots with white or textured backgrounds is really popular, this is something that I've noticed through Instagram, and I've geared myself more toward that style of photography. I feel as though Instagram is becoming similar to Facebook, in that people use it to pre-stalk other people before they meet. I find myself posting things that exemplify the kind of person that I want to be, whether I am that or not. I post a lot of art, with quotes, and pictures of the adventures that I go on, because I feel like that makes me look interesting. I'm not saying that I'm' not those things, because I totally am, but I'm also a lot of other things that I DON'T post. I also notice myself looking at who, and how many people have liked the photos that I post. I have an average "likage" of about "60-80" people, and if I have less than that, I stress out a little bit, and wonder what was wrong with what I posted. So vain, I know, but that's our culture!
Twitter and Snapchat: I'm putting these two together, because out of all of my social media outlets, I'm the most authentic on these two. I think the reason is, that less people see what I post than on any other social media site. I say whatever I want on twitter. I definitely subtweet at people all the time (unless they follow me, and I know that they'll know what I'm saying is about them.) I use twitter as a place to dump all of my thoughts, and say things that I wouldn't necessarily say to someone's face, or on another social media site, for more people to see. Snapchat is just fun... I love recording little snippets of my life, and I feel as though I catch a lot of funny moments through snapchat. I think it's less intimidating than more permanent forms of social media, because whatever I post on my story disappears after 24 hours. People can't look back on the things that I've posted like they can on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I definitely use both of these websites to express myself, and to effect the way that people see me. I think that I'm less of a trend follower on these two social networks, but I also feel like there are a lot less trends to follow through these networks.
I think that the fact that i even have ALL of these networks says something about me, because I feel like I have more social media accounts than your average person.
Wow. I don't think I've ever been so honest, as to what I'm thinking as i post things.... But it was definitely interesting to take a look through things that I've said, and wonder why I've said them, or why I have posted certain things. I think the biggest thing that I realized in regards to how I've been framed, is that I follow the trends, rather than walking to the beat of my own drum. I don't know how I feel about that. What does the fact that I let myself be so influenced by people mean about me as a person? What does it mean about me as an artist? Maybe it's time for a change.
Instagram: This is where I notice the most framing. I'm really careful about what I post on Instagram, which is funny because I have 1212 Instagram posts, to date. I've noticed that I've followed trends on how my Instagram photos are posted, what filters I use, and things like that. For example, there was this huge trend throughout a large group of people that I followed on Instagram, where it was "cool" to post your photos with white bars on the sides. Basically the idea was that you could post the whole photo rather than having to crop it into a square. Then people went through a phase where cropping them into squares was cool... things like that. Instagram has also effected the way that I photograph things, as a photographer. Simplistic shots with white or textured backgrounds is really popular, this is something that I've noticed through Instagram, and I've geared myself more toward that style of photography. I feel as though Instagram is becoming similar to Facebook, in that people use it to pre-stalk other people before they meet. I find myself posting things that exemplify the kind of person that I want to be, whether I am that or not. I post a lot of art, with quotes, and pictures of the adventures that I go on, because I feel like that makes me look interesting. I'm not saying that I'm' not those things, because I totally am, but I'm also a lot of other things that I DON'T post. I also notice myself looking at who, and how many people have liked the photos that I post. I have an average "likage" of about "60-80" people, and if I have less than that, I stress out a little bit, and wonder what was wrong with what I posted. So vain, I know, but that's our culture!
Twitter and Snapchat: I'm putting these two together, because out of all of my social media outlets, I'm the most authentic on these two. I think the reason is, that less people see what I post than on any other social media site. I say whatever I want on twitter. I definitely subtweet at people all the time (unless they follow me, and I know that they'll know what I'm saying is about them.) I use twitter as a place to dump all of my thoughts, and say things that I wouldn't necessarily say to someone's face, or on another social media site, for more people to see. Snapchat is just fun... I love recording little snippets of my life, and I feel as though I catch a lot of funny moments through snapchat. I think it's less intimidating than more permanent forms of social media, because whatever I post on my story disappears after 24 hours. People can't look back on the things that I've posted like they can on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I definitely use both of these websites to express myself, and to effect the way that people see me. I think that I'm less of a trend follower on these two social networks, but I also feel like there are a lot less trends to follow through these networks.
I think that the fact that i even have ALL of these networks says something about me, because I feel like I have more social media accounts than your average person.
Wow. I don't think I've ever been so honest, as to what I'm thinking as i post things.... But it was definitely interesting to take a look through things that I've said, and wonder why I've said them, or why I have posted certain things. I think the biggest thing that I realized in regards to how I've been framed, is that I follow the trends, rather than walking to the beat of my own drum. I don't know how I feel about that. What does the fact that I let myself be so influenced by people mean about me as a person? What does it mean about me as an artist? Maybe it's time for a change.
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Facebook Page Analysis
I've had my page since 2008, and I did not even know what Facebook Analytics was. I had never even tried to click on the tabs to find out what they did! It was really interesting to go through and look at this. It is definitely something that I will pay attention to in the future. I found that as I recognized the trends that were forming, I was better able to make decisions on what, when, and how to post things to get the most reaction from people.
Post Reach: As I noticed trends in the times that people saw my posts, I began to post things at those times to optimize the chances that they would be seen by more people.
People:
I decided to take a look at all three categories. The percentage of men that my posts reached was slightly higher than the percentage of men who like my page, or engaged with the post. I thought this was interesting, but not surprising. I would guess that a majority of the men that my posts reach came from me cross promoting my page onto my personal page, and by tagging people in the photos. My people insights are spot on with what my target audience was.
As far as where people were from, it was very consistent with who I listed as my target audience. Mostly people from St. George, with a few scattered throughout Utah.
*Side Note* Apparently NSW is a place in Australia, and I get a few Australian viewers.
I don't find it surprising that more women engaged with my posts. This is something that I've found to be pretty consistent for as long as I've had this page. Maybe that will be my next experiment. How to attract more male fans, and get them to engage with my posts.
The percentage of male vs. female fans that I have does not surprise me. I do think it's interesting that a majority of my page fans are 18-24, but maybe not surprising, seeing as I fit in that age category myself, and a lot of the people who like the page are my friends.
I decided to take a look at all three categories. The percentage of men that my posts reached was slightly higher than the percentage of men who like my page, or engaged with the post. I thought this was interesting, but not surprising. I would guess that a majority of the men that my posts reach came from me cross promoting my page onto my personal page, and by tagging people in the photos. My people insights are spot on with what my target audience was.
*Side Note* Apparently NSW is a place in Australia, and I get a few Australian viewers.
I don't find it surprising that more women engaged with my posts. This is something that I've found to be pretty consistent for as long as I've had this page. Maybe that will be my next experiment. How to attract more male fans, and get them to engage with my posts.
Visits:
I definitely see more page visits when I post things, but I get a lot more reach, and engagement than I do page visits. In retrospect, I wish that I would have researched what to post or say to get people to visit the page more.
I definitely see more page visits when I post things, but I get a lot more reach, and engagement than I do page visits. In retrospect, I wish that I would have researched what to post or say to get people to visit the page more.
Likes, Comments, Shares:
I received a lot more comments and likes on posts when I tagged my client in the post.
Page Likes:
Facebook Ad:
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Sustainable and Natural Built Environment
Vancouver:
Greenest City 2020 Action Plan approved in 2011.
- Vancouver is set to bring the community-based greenhouse gas emissions down to 5% below 1990 levels, even as the population has grown by over 27% and jobs have increased by over 18%.
- Vancouver’s electricity is generated in British Columbia- 93% of it from renewable sources. We are also developing neighborhood-scale renewable energy projects. Conversion to renewable sources will create new green jobs.
- The city has implemeted the greenest building code in North America. Vancouver is rising to meet the green transportation challenge by creating compact neighborhoods with higher density to provide easy access to work, shopping and recreation. The City has shifted investment to walking, cycling and transit infrastructure.
GREEN BUILDINGS
- Require all buildings constructed from 2020 onward to be carbon neutral in operations.
- Reduce energy and greenhouse Gas emissions in existing buildings by 20% over 2007 Levels.
Insulation, Heating and Lighting system upgrades, and energy-efficient appliances, as well as on how people operate buildings.
Canadians spend the majority of their time indoors, so how can changing the way that they spend their time effect the enironment.
GREEN TRANSPORTATION
- Make the majority (over 50%) of trips by foot, bicycle, and public transit.
- Reduce average distance driven per resident by 20% from 2007 levels.
Transportation effects the air we breathe, the amount of land we need, our physical health and well-being.
Safe, Convenient, and Enjoyable travel by foot/bike.
ZERO WASTE
- Reduce solid waste going to the landfill or incinerator by 50% from 2008 levels.
Garbage has become so common that it can be hard to imagine life without it.
Recycle more, and save trees, and metals from the earth.
ACCESS TO NATURE
- All Vancouver residents live within a five-minute walk of a park, greenway, or other green space by 2020.
- Plant 150,000 new trees by 2020.
Enjoyable, promote neighborhood socializing.
Los Angeles
http://www.environment.ucla.edu/reportcard/
Sustainability: "Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." - from United Nations WCED 1987
L.A. County: Most populous county in the nation, and consists of 88 individual cities.
2015 Report Card
Water - C
Air - C+
Ecosystem Health C-
Energy & Greenhouse Gasses - B-
Environmental Quality of Life - C+
Ecosystem Health
- Over 35,000 acres of land are at high risk of vegetation type change due to over-burning
- LA County has lost >96% of its total wetland area from 1850 to present
- Lows in greeness values since 2013 indicate vegetation is experiencing extreme water stress due to the drought.
- Urban Streams throughout the county exhibit very poor function, and poor viological condition.
Waste
- Total hazardous waste generated in LA county in 2013 was 2.2 million tons, two times as much as in 2011
- There is a lack of county-level data on actual quantities and final disposition of municipal waste diverted from landfills.
- Contaminated soils from site clean-up comprised themajority (68%) of hazardous waste in 2013
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
OTM - Automatic Attitudinal Response Assessment.
As I read through all of my On The Media posts, I realized that I probably had somewhat of an AAR (Automatic Attitudinal Response) to a majority of the subjects that I discussed. Some of my opinions changed, as I listened to the segments, and some of them didn't. For example...
OTM 1 was about Donald Trump. I remember thinking, oh great... what has he done this time? Donald Trump scares me a little bit, and that's a big deal coming from a girl who doesn't get scared by much. As I listened to the article, my opinion of this man did not change, in fact, it was probably validated a little bit. The only surprising part about the Donald Trump story, was that he brought the reporter back into the room after, and let him speak.
OTM 2 was the story of the Syrian boy, Aylan Kurdi. My AAR to this story was heartache... as the broadcast went on, the heartache only increased for this poor boy, and made a shift to sympathy for everyone involved in the migration crisis.
OTM 3 was about the 9/11 Memorial. I'm not going to lie... I think that when I first started listening to this, there was a voice in the back of my head that questioned if the 9/11 memorial was a capitalization scheme. All I could think about is the fact that someone is probably making money off of it... but as I listened on, I realized that it was so much more. I truly believe that the memorial will help bring closure to the families of the victims. I also feel that it's an important monument to help society remember the events that occurred that day.
OTM 4 was about Exxon's denial of Global Climate Change. Ironically enough, I think that my AAR to this segment, was that I didn't care, really. I say that this is ironic, because in my post I say that people care, and the people who don't care just really don't know much about it. I definitely had a change of heart as I listened to this segment.
OTM 5 was about Darkode. I actually am not sure that I had an AAR to this one... The only experience that I've really had with hackers, is when a friend's facebook or twitter account gets hacked, and spam's out tweets or status's, or tags me in dumb pictures. I've never clicked on one of them, and I've never been hacked. I was really neutral to this topic, I mean I know it's wrong, and it sucks, but upon hearing what the segment was about, I really didn't have any overwhelming thoughts.
OTM 6 was about the life experience's of the Justices. I was pretty neutral to this one as well... I do remember that this particular week, most of the segments were about the Justices, and my initial thought was, oh great... what have they done now? I'm still not sure...
OTM 7 was about Playboy, and I DEFINITELY had an AAR to this one. A super, super strong one... Playboy disgusts me, and the otm segment just validated that. I stand by what I said... my opinion of their announcement is that at least it's better than nothing.
As I re-assessed my writing, I realized that I do have Automatic Attitudinal Responses to certain issues, but I do think that I went in to researching each of these events with somewhat of an open mind. (Aside from the Playboy one.) I've also noticed that the discussions that we have in class have opened my mind more. My opinions on certain subjects have shifted, and I think that this is not only because of the critical thinking that I've been doing as I research these events, but the facts, and knowledge that I've been gaining about the subjects that we have discussed as a class.
This class, and my OTM research has helped me to realize that my opinions are changeable, and research, and discussion is what has helped make those changes. I've gained a greater understanding for the importance of individual research. I feel as though in the past, I've really just taken my dad's opinion as gospel, because I trust him, but I've realized that just because I value his opinion, and trust his knowledge, doesn't mean that I have to have the same opinions.
When we first started this assignment, I dreaded it a little bit. Listening to the News, and researching current events were one of my least favorite things to do, but the OTM assignment has helped me to realize that it's sort of necessary. It's really important to search the facts out yourself, so that you can better form an informed opinion.
OTM 1 was about Donald Trump. I remember thinking, oh great... what has he done this time? Donald Trump scares me a little bit, and that's a big deal coming from a girl who doesn't get scared by much. As I listened to the article, my opinion of this man did not change, in fact, it was probably validated a little bit. The only surprising part about the Donald Trump story, was that he brought the reporter back into the room after, and let him speak.
OTM 2 was the story of the Syrian boy, Aylan Kurdi. My AAR to this story was heartache... as the broadcast went on, the heartache only increased for this poor boy, and made a shift to sympathy for everyone involved in the migration crisis.
OTM 3 was about the 9/11 Memorial. I'm not going to lie... I think that when I first started listening to this, there was a voice in the back of my head that questioned if the 9/11 memorial was a capitalization scheme. All I could think about is the fact that someone is probably making money off of it... but as I listened on, I realized that it was so much more. I truly believe that the memorial will help bring closure to the families of the victims. I also feel that it's an important monument to help society remember the events that occurred that day.
OTM 4 was about Exxon's denial of Global Climate Change. Ironically enough, I think that my AAR to this segment, was that I didn't care, really. I say that this is ironic, because in my post I say that people care, and the people who don't care just really don't know much about it. I definitely had a change of heart as I listened to this segment.
OTM 5 was about Darkode. I actually am not sure that I had an AAR to this one... The only experience that I've really had with hackers, is when a friend's facebook or twitter account gets hacked, and spam's out tweets or status's, or tags me in dumb pictures. I've never clicked on one of them, and I've never been hacked. I was really neutral to this topic, I mean I know it's wrong, and it sucks, but upon hearing what the segment was about, I really didn't have any overwhelming thoughts.
OTM 6 was about the life experience's of the Justices. I was pretty neutral to this one as well... I do remember that this particular week, most of the segments were about the Justices, and my initial thought was, oh great... what have they done now? I'm still not sure...
OTM 7 was about Playboy, and I DEFINITELY had an AAR to this one. A super, super strong one... Playboy disgusts me, and the otm segment just validated that. I stand by what I said... my opinion of their announcement is that at least it's better than nothing.
As I re-assessed my writing, I realized that I do have Automatic Attitudinal Responses to certain issues, but I do think that I went in to researching each of these events with somewhat of an open mind. (Aside from the Playboy one.) I've also noticed that the discussions that we have in class have opened my mind more. My opinions on certain subjects have shifted, and I think that this is not only because of the critical thinking that I've been doing as I research these events, but the facts, and knowledge that I've been gaining about the subjects that we have discussed as a class.
This class, and my OTM research has helped me to realize that my opinions are changeable, and research, and discussion is what has helped make those changes. I've gained a greater understanding for the importance of individual research. I feel as though in the past, I've really just taken my dad's opinion as gospel, because I trust him, but I've realized that just because I value his opinion, and trust his knowledge, doesn't mean that I have to have the same opinions.
When we first started this assignment, I dreaded it a little bit. Listening to the News, and researching current events were one of my least favorite things to do, but the OTM assignment has helped me to realize that it's sort of necessary. It's really important to search the facts out yourself, so that you can better form an informed opinion.
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
On The Media: Playboy Covers Up
Physical: Playboy has decided to stop printing full frontal nude images starting in March of 2016. Playboy found, from re-vamping their website last year, that the website was viewed more, without the nude images.
Psychological: A quote from Harvey Cox, which was stated in the broadcast: "moralistic criticisms of playboy fail, because it's anti-moralism is one of the few places in which Playboy is right, thus any theological critique of Playboy that focuses on it's lewdness will misfire completely. Playboy, and it's less successful imitators are not sex magazines at all, they dilute, and dissipate authentic sexuality, by reducing it to an accessory, by keeping it at a safe distance. We must see in Playboy, the latest and slickest episode in man's continuing refusal to be fully human."
Hefner states in the interview, that the intrigue in Playboy is the fantasy. It's a motivation to dream, he says.
Temporal: Hugh Hefner's career in the industry began back in WWII, after seeing pin-up mags like Esquire. He wanted to see real women in magazines that looked like the Vargas girls. Playboy became a magazine for the "sophisticated" male society. Women, not only in Playboy, but in other sexual magazines as well, have been depicted clothed is less, and less clothing as the years have gone on.
Cultural: Though culturally, society says that pornography, and other things such as Playboy are unacceptable, they are still viewed, and purchased a whole lot.
I mean, if we're being completely honest here, Playboy disgusts me. It not only disgusts me that men look at magazines like Playboy, but it disgusts me that women let themselves be photographed for the magazines.
My mind keeps wandering back to an episode of The Fresh Prince off Bel-Air, where Hilary (Will Smith's cousin) is asked to be photographed for an edition of Playboy, spotlighting local weather girls. Her father (uncle Phil) is adamant that she should not be in the magazine (even though he definitely had a subscription to it). In the end, Hilary ended up sneaking to the Playboy mansion, and being photographed for the magazine. When the print came out, Uncle Phil hesitantly opened it up, and was relieved to see his daughter's bits and pieces covered up by graphics. But before the mag had been shot and printed, Uncle Phil found out that Hilary went down to the Playboy mansion shortly after she had left, and he ran down there to try and stop her. While he was at the mansion, Phil ran into Hugh Hefner, and Phil tried to explain to him that he did not want his daughter in this magazine. Hefner responded by saying, "Mr. Banks, don't worry, the images will be tasteful."
TASTEFUL?
You know what's tasteful? Put some flipping clothing on... that's tasteful. Nothing about Playboy is tasteful.
My attitude toward the no-more-nudes announcement is that it's better than nothing, I guess.
Now, in relation to Social Media, I definitely think that the development of technology has helped in the spread of Pornography, like just about everything else. People have devices in their hand that can be used to access Pornography at any time of the day, and in just about any place.
Psychological: A quote from Harvey Cox, which was stated in the broadcast: "moralistic criticisms of playboy fail, because it's anti-moralism is one of the few places in which Playboy is right, thus any theological critique of Playboy that focuses on it's lewdness will misfire completely. Playboy, and it's less successful imitators are not sex magazines at all, they dilute, and dissipate authentic sexuality, by reducing it to an accessory, by keeping it at a safe distance. We must see in Playboy, the latest and slickest episode in man's continuing refusal to be fully human."
Hefner states in the interview, that the intrigue in Playboy is the fantasy. It's a motivation to dream, he says.
Temporal: Hugh Hefner's career in the industry began back in WWII, after seeing pin-up mags like Esquire. He wanted to see real women in magazines that looked like the Vargas girls. Playboy became a magazine for the "sophisticated" male society. Women, not only in Playboy, but in other sexual magazines as well, have been depicted clothed is less, and less clothing as the years have gone on.
Cultural: Though culturally, society says that pornography, and other things such as Playboy are unacceptable, they are still viewed, and purchased a whole lot.
I mean, if we're being completely honest here, Playboy disgusts me. It not only disgusts me that men look at magazines like Playboy, but it disgusts me that women let themselves be photographed for the magazines.
My mind keeps wandering back to an episode of The Fresh Prince off Bel-Air, where Hilary (Will Smith's cousin) is asked to be photographed for an edition of Playboy, spotlighting local weather girls. Her father (uncle Phil) is adamant that she should not be in the magazine (even though he definitely had a subscription to it). In the end, Hilary ended up sneaking to the Playboy mansion, and being photographed for the magazine. When the print came out, Uncle Phil hesitantly opened it up, and was relieved to see his daughter's bits and pieces covered up by graphics. But before the mag had been shot and printed, Uncle Phil found out that Hilary went down to the Playboy mansion shortly after she had left, and he ran down there to try and stop her. While he was at the mansion, Phil ran into Hugh Hefner, and Phil tried to explain to him that he did not want his daughter in this magazine. Hefner responded by saying, "Mr. Banks, don't worry, the images will be tasteful."
TASTEFUL?
You know what's tasteful? Put some flipping clothing on... that's tasteful. Nothing about Playboy is tasteful.
My attitude toward the no-more-nudes announcement is that it's better than nothing, I guess.
Now, in relation to Social Media, I definitely think that the development of technology has helped in the spread of Pornography, like just about everything else. People have devices in their hand that can be used to access Pornography at any time of the day, and in just about any place.
Monday, October 19, 2015
Climate Change 1.0
Discussion: Discussion about climate change, on the internet, like any other topic, seems to get really confusing. I literally just typed "climate change" into google... and these are the search topics that came up.
Climate Change Facts
Climate Change Definition
Climate Change Hoax
Climate Change 2015
and a few others...
Sort of all over the place, but through these "most searched" terms, we can see that people are at least trying to educate themselves.
But basically, what I have deduced from my research on this topic is that people care about climate change. Some people care that it's happening, and want to reverse it, some people care that it hurts them financially, and the people who don't care probably would care if they put in the effort to learn a little bit more about it, because it effects us more than we think. It seems to me, that climate change has become more of a political agenda, rather than a cause.
I want to relate back to my On The Media post about Exxon's climate change controversy. Like I said in this post, I wonder if the leaders of Exxon factor in the fact that their future posterity are going to have to live with the consequences of their actions today. I'm sure that Exxon is not the only one. In fact, I know they aren't. Take Volkswagen, and the deceit that has been coming out of that company lately. They literally proved that they do not care about the environment, and outlets like social media helped to spread that like wildfire.
Position: I think it's great that society has tools like the internet, and opinions stated on social media to help educate them on important topics such as climate change. But like I've said multiple other times, relating to various of research, I think it's important to be careful what you believe. Big corporations who have a financial agenda, or uneducated people can say whatever they want, and if you don't get the actual facts from PRIMARY sources, such as credible scientists (I saw that NASA has a page up about climate change) it's easy to form an opinion that you otherwise wouldn't have formed if you were accurately educated.
I think that social media has been a great help in spreading awareness about climate change, and I think that this is one of the most important roles that the internet plays today. It gives people the option to care. It gives people an easy outlet to go to, to find out what's going on in the world, and then it gives them the opportunity to do what they want with that information.
Climate Change Facts
Climate Change Definition
Climate Change Hoax
Climate Change 2015
and a few others...
Sort of all over the place, but through these "most searched" terms, we can see that people are at least trying to educate themselves.
But basically, what I have deduced from my research on this topic is that people care about climate change. Some people care that it's happening, and want to reverse it, some people care that it hurts them financially, and the people who don't care probably would care if they put in the effort to learn a little bit more about it, because it effects us more than we think. It seems to me, that climate change has become more of a political agenda, rather than a cause.
I want to relate back to my On The Media post about Exxon's climate change controversy. Like I said in this post, I wonder if the leaders of Exxon factor in the fact that their future posterity are going to have to live with the consequences of their actions today. I'm sure that Exxon is not the only one. In fact, I know they aren't. Take Volkswagen, and the deceit that has been coming out of that company lately. They literally proved that they do not care about the environment, and outlets like social media helped to spread that like wildfire.
Position: I think it's great that society has tools like the internet, and opinions stated on social media to help educate them on important topics such as climate change. But like I've said multiple other times, relating to various of research, I think it's important to be careful what you believe. Big corporations who have a financial agenda, or uneducated people can say whatever they want, and if you don't get the actual facts from PRIMARY sources, such as credible scientists (I saw that NASA has a page up about climate change) it's easy to form an opinion that you otherwise wouldn't have formed if you were accurately educated.
I think that social media has been a great help in spreading awareness about climate change, and I think that this is one of the most important roles that the internet plays today. It gives people the option to care. It gives people an easy outlet to go to, to find out what's going on in the world, and then it gives them the opportunity to do what they want with that information.
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