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[jowoodford]

The new craze that is most definitely here to stay: Snapchat.

I absolutely love Snapchat. It’s just so quirky and stupid fun. Up to 10 second videos or photos of everyone's lives, plus a collection of Snapchat’s from around the world. Plus my quadrupled chin will disappear after 10 seconds!

Of course, like any other social media it comes with its baggage. Like, how do I know where my photo is going and if it really disappears? Who can I snapchat that I feel safe with and won’t screenshot things or harass me? But with features to pick your audience, snapchat is as safe as you make it. 

You can add things to a public story where you don’t need to select the people you want to send it to, but can share with everyone on your friend list. This is pretty awesome as you can share your cracking cooking skills or fun day out with your friend on snapchat. It’s kind of like Instagram.

Snapchat is all well and good till it gets to the point where you have a 300 second long story that no one is going to watch nor care about. When I go out and see my friends, our phones are already glued to our hands as it is, but this time we’re recording little 10 second videos. 

As much as I love social media and its uses, we are OBSESSED. I feel like a twat when I take my phone out at a set/gig and record the DJ/artist. Of course I want to remember the night but why does everyone feel the need to document their lives? Why not just live in the moment? 

When I watched Rumour has it, a film with Jennifer Anniston (my absolute woman crush) there was a line said by Kevin Costner that has stuck in my head ever since: Be present. Two small words but two strong words when put together. 

[jowoodford]

It’s only real if it’s Facebook official

I find that there is a lot shared on Facebook. People LOVE to air their dirty laundry and spark conflict with their apparent ‘friends’. I am not a supporter, or a liker of these things. I remember one girl wrote an actual essay regarding a girl who tried to shimmy on in with her boyfriend. But with my friend being an avid ‘don’t give a damn about anything’ kinda girl, she of course shared this little incident in her life with the world of Facebook. Fair enough, if it’s big news about a relationship progression, or severe breakup and your friend circle are involved in your life, then share away. However I found this post was a ridiculously long and an immature attack on the girl, which then led to an array of comments below. And as people are like sheep and seem to be drawn toward someone attacking another, everyone joined in. I can tell you it was most definitely taken out of proportion and the apparent ‘boyfriend stealer’ was cyber bullied and Facebook was abused too. Not cool. 

Facebook is solely for cat videos (again the cat videos are mentioned) and real communication with friends and family. It’s obvious that as we progress as a generation, we loose sight of what social media platforms are there for as they too develop and develop as we progress and progress. What I mean by that, is that social media is abused by users and has actually now created a shadow of doubt and negativity about social media. Maybe it’s not as great as we think.

I know the world is under pressure with relationships today. It’s not as strict or traditional like it was back 100′s of years ago where you would marry a man, have his babies and stay with him until one of you died. But then divorce was introduced- which I am not trying to put a downer on as it really allowed women of the world to, in a sense, survive MANkind- and so was the ease of acceptance and change. However, the complexity of relationships is now huge. 

Regarding Facebook and other social medias, within seconds you can change your relationships status to be in a relationship with good old Phil that you’ve been dating for a while. “Aw, Phil and Sarah are in a relationship! How cute” they’ll say. “Ha, I give it a month” they’’ll say.” And of course, the number of likes will cast a shadow of anxiety over you and follow you around for a little bit. BUT this can be avoided by not posting it on your timeline and just changing it privately without making a big ho-ha about it! Yipee, helpful advice! But people love a drama. 

I know from personal experience, people have said to me “it;s not real until you’re Facebook official”. That just makes me sad. Perhaps I do not want to share my entire life with the internet. Perhaps I want to keep my newly started relationship on the DL and not put any unnecessary pressure on it. Not all my friends on Facebook are actual friends. Many of whom are randomers I have met out a few times, or family friends who are forever posting on my wall about catching up with the fam’ and telling me about their wee dog, Fudge. I’m not gonna tell them I am in a new relationship that may or may not last. Why bother with a fuss?

The problem with relationships is that they are not with just one person anymore; It’s with the whole world. But by all means, go for it. Go for Phil and see how it goes for a while before sharing with social media. Social media will confuse you and what you want. And guess what? It doesn’t have to.

[jowoodford]

Survey of truths and an analytical response.

I recently created a small survey with eSurv, a nifty wee free website to help gather information regarding social medias affect on relationships. (https://eSurv.org?u=J0relationship_dynamics) 

I found the 15 entries very interesting. I left it anonymous, only asking for age and gender to give me an idea of the scale of social media’s influence on both male and females within my social groups, while allowing anonymity for comfort of honesty.

7 males and 8 females responded in an age gap of 17-42. I created the survey and linked it to Facebook group chats, my wall and private inboxes of people I know would have found it interesting and help share the survey. 

Below I have listed each question asked followed by my observation of the responses...

How do you feel social media has impacted your day to day life?

Every response showed how much we rely on social media, for example, one replied: “Hugely- I literally couldn't function the same way without it”. The extensive use of social media was very clear. We absolutely love it.

Do you feel as though you rely heavily or rely little on social media?

10 heavily and 2 not so much. The majority use social media as a means of killing time and keeping up to date with things. 

What social networks do you use and what for? +

Please rank in what order you feel which social media network you interact the most with starting with the most popular at the top. +

Do you use social media for business use (for example, PR), or just personal use?

1. Facebook- contacting friends, entertainment and keeping up to date with social groups.

2. Snapchat equally as popular as Instagram- I found this interesting as both are similar enough yet have different roles.

3. Twitter- used for entertainment and keeping up to date with the world, e.g., BBC News, celebrities etc.

Do you use social media for business use (for example, PR), or just personal use? +

If you use social media as a means for business purposes, what do you use and why? (e.g. does it reach a large volume of people, is it simple to use, etc.)

10 responses for using social media regarding business use, primarily PR related. I had seen snapchat was mentioned twice. Snapchat has recently branched out as a new social media network for business as a very successful one at that. I see it going far in the future. It makes a fun and interactive way of communicating with customers and the public, developing interest, customer loyalty and relationships.

How do you feel social media has impacted your view on yourself? 

All responses included some form of awareness, whether that be self consciousness,confidence or perception. Some felt self conscious as “everyone puts the best parts of their lives on social media”, leaving them comparing themselves to others. One response saddened me: “I am very body conscious because of the internet”- as it made it clearer to me how big a problem body image is and how unrealistic expectations sometimes are.

Do you feel as though you are honest online in what you say and post?

“Not totally, everything is about representing the best possible image”.

Have you ever felt intimidated online? (This may be because of cyberbullying or because of social pressures, i.e. body image). Please explain.

Not everyone felt pressures from the internet however others did. People feel there is a certain aesthetic that is conflicting, triggering unhappiness and possible body and mental health issues. Cyberbullying was apparent here as some expressed their experiences.

Have you ever intimidated another user online? (i.e. cyberbullying)

I really appreciated the honesty of the responses here as people were truthful and had admitted they have been abusive online to others. I think it’s a standard of society which everyone experiences at one point or another before they really learn the severity of cyber bullying or experience it themselves. But most just like the banter with their friends and joke around. 

Do you find that social media makes you a more or less judgemental person?

The majority felt they have become more judgmental thanks to social media while others feel they haven’t been that influenced by the internet. 

[jowoodford]

(loling hard at the gif)

So we all know the internet is full of trolls. Dating sites are a paradise for these seeking to fool others. Networks like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are the worst for homing false identities of people hiding behind their computer screens. Ever seen Catfish? It’s a program of people pretending to be something/ someone they are not. Pretty crazy stories and even crazier people…

I think people lose a lot of themselves when they are online. Partly because we ourselves want to pick and show what we want. Maybe we don’t want to be that self-conscious girl who has a pretty standard personality according to her school and friends, but that outgoing, stylish wannabee girl on Instagram with a tonne of followers and love. The idea of running from our own lives that we may not be content in, to a world where we control our identity and people love us, becomes ever more desirable.

We have taken impression management and applied it to all parts of our lives now. From businesses communicating with potential customers, to children painting a pretty picture of themselves to their grandparents, to people showing they are care-free and die-hard activists to their Twitter followers. Truly, we love impression management, especially online.

We are in control of what is on our pages, who sees our pages and all the ‘edit appearances’ so we can determine our online identity.Compare this determined world to real life, where we can’t pick what people see about us and see you for You. Scary and not the thought the ‘internet-obsessed’ want to read.

It is completely understandable why we manipulate and I totally get it. The internet sucks. The Media sucks. The world is manipulated and confined into ‘Petite’ and #NoMakeupSelfies. We have taken impression management to the extreme. No wonder people pretend to be someone else online, or post things that are completely opposite to their true feelings and beliefs.  Also the use on anonymous allows people to really express themselves with no identity of their person. Somewhat understandable as not all can honestly express themselves in their world, and so choose ‘anon’ to do so. Is faking it the way to go?

The complexity of impression management is self inflicted.

Take a look at celebrities, those who we idolise and follow their lives intently. You think they’re real? Well yeah. That top story on Closer Magazine where, oh no, good old Lady GaGa has put on 3lbs!!! And ‘Kim Kardashian Leaves Gym with No Makeup’ are all pathetic excuses for journalism. They are real people who are ambushed in trashy gossip magazines because of how they are shown in magazines like Vogue and Elle. From being photo-shopped goddess to everyday human beings. Seeing the two extremes has left a long trail of expectations and how we should run from anything below average. This world of Photoshop and ideals has led us to a society of denial and disbelief in real human proportions, looks and human life… So we fake online.

To a degree, there is no harm in keeping an appearances online- as long as it is ethical and true. What do PR specialists do? They manage communications between public’s and within that role is impression management. Business need to make sure they are in line with their policies and image they are creating. So should we apply this to our lives. Keeping an honest profile is hard enough as we get caught up in everyone’s opinions and views.

So from the bad to the good, impression management is pretty hazardous. It can easily be misconstrue online with one simple mistake and miscommunication. It’s a tricky world and a messed up one at that. Impression management has been messed with but is still kept on a leash and monitoring such control is more apparent. For example, this blog post acknowledges the misuse of impression management and that honest identities are good for the online world.

For those who stand on their own two feet and keep it real online and use networking for their real purposes and not trolling, hats off to you.

You the real mvp (cool youth reference put in just so you think I am cool).

They See Me Trollin... and They Be Hatin...

[jowoodford]

A prime example of abusing others online. Stupid websites for stupid people. 

Lady Gaga trollin the internet

[jowoodford]

LOL

me reading internet troll’s tweets/blogs/statuses

[jowoodford]

Like any friendship generally begins, online friendships start with similar interests. A reblog here, a “like” there and soon you’re sending DM’s, then texts, and eventually you’re talking on the phone a couple hours a week about things that normal friends talk about: work, relationships, The Walking Dead, tattoos, video games, etc. That friend becomes a part of your daily routine and quickly forms a special place in your heart.

Molly, Everything Is IRL: Defending Online Friendships (via ghostvolta)

“A reblog here, a ‘like’ there...”

[jowoodford]

Remember that time when humans were apes and we had an extremely simple way of communicating? What about that time we used to rely on letters to communicate with others? It doesn’t seem real sometimes how advanced we as a species are and how we have created technology that allows us to chat to friends and family thousands and thousands of miles away. 

It’s an incredible fortune but sad at the same time. We take ease of communication for granted and expect it to be there for us. I know that i’m guilty of this as my mum always reminds me of when she was younger and had no mobile phones and the internet wasn’t a thing yet. I think if I were to be back before the technology revolution, I would loose my mind! I’ve grown up with Nokia bricks progressing into smart phones with touch screens and 4G. 

Our generations relationship with wifi is stronger and lasts longer than real relationships of today. 

[jowoodford]

I am in two minds over this.

Are people being truthful online? Truthful about themselves? I always wonder about this. And debating this saddens me because doubt is a negative thing.

I think that some people can only really be themselves online because their society does not accept them and so they turn to the internet. Some feel their internet friends are the only people who believe in them and accept them. 

So maybe the people we get to know online are in fact being truthful. They may even be the most truthful people we communicate with! 

“friends you met on the internet aren’t real friends”

“online relationships aren’t real relationships”

“if you’ve never met them in person, you don’t really know them”

[jowoodford]

“I’ll message you later”

On numerous occasions I have resorted to using that one line: “I’ll message you later”. Easy, quick, and keeps us connected. True, but we are failing to see just how dependent we are on our ‘smart world’ and how we are walking away from Real social interaction and communication. 

We are undoubtedly withdrawing from face to face communication. Even though we rave about catch ups over coffee...

Maybe I don’t want to have to type a load of mumbo jumbo over text and instead talk to a face and really express my feelings and thoughts with someone who can actually listen and not read and reply. 

Even though when we do hang out with our friends, we of course chat and share every boring detail of our lives with each other: “Awh yeah, had sprinkles on toast this morning. Totally channeling my inner Dutch”. Yet we usually sit there on our phones, not talking... But laughing with our phones.

I’m sure we are all told at dinner time to pop our phones out of our area and socialize with the fam. We should probably do that every time we are with humans...

[jowoodford]

Does our generation have a conscience? Or does hurting other people through technology have no consequence? We need to put a stop to abusing technology and each other with this nonsense.

EARTH: 50% positivety, 50% negativity 

With every post, headline and image there comes an array of discussion and thought. 

Some spark debate among the audience, leading them to retaliate in a positive or negative manor. Sometimes this brings good as people address issues of today, however, the majority of the time it’s people ranting at each other, going so very far off topic on how they had a bad day because someone cut in front of them in line. 

Once one person comments something bad, you better get your popcorn at the ready because here comes the traffic of bullshit arguments from sheep. 

The idea of logging onto a computer where you have access to everything possible in the world gives some folk a sort of thrill. “Yipee, I can do whatever I want and no one will catch me!” Sadly this joy is addictive and is what has created a Global social issue: cyber bullying. 

Cyber bullying draws many others in once it’s around, resulting in a vast spread of abuse and humiliation for the victim. It is most common in younger generations as children are first being exposed into the world of the internet, where things may never disappear and can resurface.

Statistics show that half of the teen population have been cyber bullied and a similar number of those have engaged in the act. 

How has the internet brought out the worst in people? Name-calling and digging at people online... Would they be doing this to the person in real life? No. They would not. So instead they choose to hide behind their computers and use their keyboard letters as ammunition against innocent souls.

The good thing about life is that it is constantly moving, progressing and evolving. In regards to cyber bullying, it has progressively been made a very aware and serious topic that must not be overlooked. Sadly through the progression of this issue, many lives have been lost through suicide. Linked below is a collection of some harrowing circumstances leading some to take their own lives: 

http://nobullying.com/six-unforgettable-cyber-bullying-cases/

[jowoodford]

Food for thought from Hootsuite. 

[jowoodford]

I love this article. Really quite humorous but covers a serious topic. Just how much has love changed today? Tremendously... We find ourselves telling our significant other how we feel about them over text as we can't face to do so in person. True, this is helpful for those who struggle to be open in person, like myself. Becoming distant from honestly and truthfully speaking in person and relying on digitally communicating is stronger than ever and is really quite sad. Has the digital age made us socially incompetent with relationships and expressing emotions?

[jowoodford]

This article represents just how obsessed we are with likes and followers. Why do we strive so hard to be internet famous and have loads of followers? I understand that everyone idolises. Its human nature to strive for what you desire. But how far can one go before they loose themselves and what THEY truly want, and not what they think they should want. We get caught up in ideals and drawn in to believing that we want them. Maybe we genuinely do, but the majority of the time we get so caught up in wanting to prove ourselves with followers and posts, that we ignore our true desires, leaving us confused.

[jowoodford]

“the world of today”

[jowoodford]

#FridayFunFact2: nothing too exciting in this chart for brand marketers. Content marketers, in turn, can find some solace in it.

[jowoodford]

Just how much do our phones affect our lives?

A Harvard Medical School professor has warned that laptops, smartphones and tablet screens can cause sleeping problems. Poor sleep is associated with an increased risk of obesity, heart disease and depression.