selfiesociety-blog

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In a world of entertainment blogs that either dote on celebrities or try to tear them down, I decided to take another approach with Selfie Society -- which is about public figures who use their fame to make the world a better place through selfless selfies. 

These past few months, I have written about a few of my favorite celebrities, who give back and you can tell they’re passionate about their causes. These celebrities include: Paul Walker, Sophia Bush and Adrian Grenier. Through following Adrian Grenier I was able to learn about the documentary: 52: The Search for the Loneliest Whale, which he is producing. Using his Instagram, Adrian has advocated and educated followers about the whale and the upcoming documentary; urging them to follow and learn about this magnificent creature. I was fortunate enough to get an interview with the director of the documentary; Joshua Zeman.

1. How are you using social media to help tell your story about the film?

The movie is about the loneliest whale in the world and relating it to people by comparing the ocean to the Internet. People depend on social media, through social media word about the documentary and people were able to learn about it and reach out.

2. Do you think it has been successful?

Yes, it has been successful. It allows fans to reach out and continue the conversation online. Social media has become a part of the film process and we have a social media producer.

3. How Adrian helped

Adrian is great, in this day and age you definitely need a celebrity to break through the noise. Adrian is the perfect person because he truly cares for the ocean and has a true passion for this.

4. Do you think there is a way to tell which celebrities are doing it based off of passion and those who do it for more money or because they have to?

Yes, there is a way to tell; through the quality of their posts and how constant they are posting. Not just in the blogging but also in the combination of what do in appearances.

5. Adrian is passionate, advocates and gives back because he wants too and as a fan I think that is noticeable through the education and outlets he provides his followers with – do you think in today’s society there is a different way to reach out to fans outside of social media? Or is this the best tool to use?

Social media is the best tool because people revolve their lives around it and it is the best forum because that is where everyone is going. But, it takes more than just social media; it includes appearances and being a voice for cause.

After speaking to Joshua Zeman, it was great to hear about how a celebrity is truly giving back and believes in what they’re advocating. You can follow hundreds of celebrities who advocate on social media, but how do you know they’re really giving back. When you hear firsthand how they help, you start to like the celebrity even more and believe in what their saying and want to help. Thank you Adrian for being that change in the world and motivating others to do the same. He is truly passionate about this and advocates because he cares.

Please follow the lonely whale on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr.

Thank you to Joshua Zeman for your time, I truly appreciate your interview and look forward to the documentary!

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Tomorrow Q&A

Selfie Society will be posting a Q&A with director Josh Zeman of the 52thesearch

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Selfie Society and its future

I know it has been some time since I've last posted and I must say I have not forgotten about Selfie Society, actually it is what I mostly think about. Since my last post, besides getting a year older I've been thinking what is the next step for this blog and where can I take it. I've been in contact with some professionals about celebrities and their giving back. Next week I will be posting a Q & A with the director of the documentary:52: The Search for the Loneliest Whale in the World. I'm really excited to share this interview with you all, after the interview and hearing what he had to say; it has made me think of the blog in a new way. Hopefully I can reach out to the director again before next week with some other questions. Stay Tuned!

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#PaceBlog @leodicaprio leodicaprio

Today is my birthday so I decided to provide you with a list of some of my favorite actors, to get a small understanding of who I am, if it were music artist it would be very small (hint: JT). Now, if you haven’t heard of some, please do check them out: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Wahlberg, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Foster, Leonardo DiCaprio, Emile Hirsch and did I mention Leonardo DiCaprio?

As you can probably tell, I am a fan of Leonardo DiCaprio and have been since Titanic (I will always say there was room on the door). The older I got, the more I realized how much he is involved in, especially in helping the environment. He even has his own foundation, you guessed it, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation.  The foundation is "Dedicated to protecting Earth’s last wild places and implementing solutions that create a harmonious relationship between humanity and the natural world."

Selfie Society focuses on celebrities and their Instagram accounts, lucky for us Leo is a new member!

If you guessed that all of his post are dedicated to his causes, you’re right! His first post being about the United Nations Climate Summit. The summit is where world leaders announced the steps they are taking to tackle climate change. The rest of his post all talking about the environment and endangered animals and what we can do to ensure its survival. “Selfies” include a picture of himself and Mark Ruffalo at the climate march. Leonardo DiCaprio off screen has dedicated his time to educate and motivate others to make a difference on the only world we have.

The LDF is filled with a bunch of useful and mind boggling information about what is going on around us because of US.  Find out what animals we can help and how to make the world we live in a better place!

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#PaceBlog @diembrownmtv

On November 14, 2014, Diem Brown lost her battle to cancer. This was her third diagnosis and she fought just has hard as she did the previous two times before. Now, the status of celebrity varies from person to person but, Diem’s resume included other work besides the reality show The Challenge. She wrote for People Magazine and was a correspondent for E! News.

Now, if you’re like me, then high school was the time where you watched a lot of MTV. My favorite show on MTV was and still is The Challenge. The challenges were/are shows where members from the Real World and Road Rules came together and competed in physical, mental and emotional obstacles for money. These shows continued for seasons and still do till this day and the more of the seasons you watched the more you followed these cast members and rooted for them. A fan favorite and one of the toughest members to compete on and off the show was Diem Brown.

If go onto Diem’s instagram, you will see the type of advocate and fighter she was. She had a personality that lit up a room and a positivity that radiated to others. Many if not all of Diem’s selfies and photos were dedicated to her fight against cancer as well as helping others who are/were in the same fight. Diem felt so strongly against cancer that she founded Medgift, a site that brings together people who want to help those with cancer and those who need the help.

Even throughout her final days, you can see her positivity and fight through her selfies and smile. Nothing stopped her and did everything she could whether it was with the help of her best friends and even a walker; Diem was a fighter and advocate. Selfie Society is highlighting Diem Brown as a celebrity who dedicated her selfies and time to brightening the day of another person who is/was fighting cancer. May she rest in peace.

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#PaceBlog @Ricky_Martin

Growing up in a Latin household, my father from Ecuador and my mom from Puerto Rico, listening to Spanish music was a typical Saturday morning. Still till this day I cannot go a weekend without hearing Marc Anthony, Ricky Martin, and/or Chayanne through the speakers. One of my mother’s favorite artist was and still is Ricky Martin. Not only can Ricky Martin sing but he has also dedicated part of his life to the Ricky Martin Foundation.

In 2002, Ricky Martin rescued three girls living on the streets in India from child trafficking. Ever since then his life was changed and in 2004, the first program of the Ricky Martin Foundation was created to educated and find solutions to end the modern day slavery; human trafficking. Since then the foundation has expanded and now focuses on the welfare of children as a whole. The mission statement of the Ricky Martin Foundation is “We advocate for the well-being of children around the world in critical areas such as education, health and social justice. Our principal program, People for Children, condemns child exploitation as a result of human trafficking.”

Although, Ricky Martin is very fond of personal selfies; this does not stop him from advocating for children and their betterment. Selfie Society decided to focus on him for his efforts to impact and change the world for over a decade. Not only does he educate followers but he also post positive messages and thanks his fans for their support.

Learn how to get involved and change a child’s future at: http://www.rickymartinfoundation.org/en/take-action

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#PaceBlog @adriangrenier adriangrenierofficial

Entourage is one of my favorite shows, if not my favorite. I recently re-watched all 8 seasons on HBO Go and as of the beginning of this week there is less than 200 days until the release of the Entourage film, which I am extremely excited about!!! As you know Selfie Society is dedicated to highlighting celebrities that have dedicated some of their “selfies” and time to making the world a better place whether through philanthropic work or fan outreach. Now, what exactly does this have to do with Entourage? Well …

Adrian Grenier, who is better known as playing Hollywood’s lead actor and playboy Vincent Chase from HBO’s Entourage has taken a different approach to life from his on screen alter ego.  Since the finale of the show and wrap of the recent filming of the Entourage Movie, Grenier has spent his time giving back to the world. In addition, he shares his experiences through his personal Instagram. Besides just providing his followers with the typical picture and caption, he enjoys educating them about the topic at hand while leading them to the corresponding relief funds and non-profit organizations. He focuses on how humanity’s habits have led us to harming the world we live in as well as what measurements we can take to better educate ourselves on what we’re doing and how we can prevent further damage. To continue to educate others, he partnered up with We the Economy and directed the film, A Bee's Invoice: The Hidden Value in Nature. The site is dedicated to educating viewers about the US economy and Grenier’s movie focuses on natural resources and how it plays a factor into the nation’s economy.  Recently, he has promoted the documentary 52: The Search for the Loneliest Whale in the World, which he personally supports and is a producer for. The feature length documentary is about the journey a group of people are taking to find the legendary “52 Hertz Whale”. This whale is known for calling out at 52Hz, which is a frequency that is unknown to other whales. The whale is known to live alone and now he with his crew are on the search for this rare and magnificent creature.

In addition to all of the work he has done through film, he co-founded SHFT. The mission of SHFT is “to convey a more sustainable approach to the way we live through film, design, art and food.” As you can tell Adrian Grenier is dedicated to the environment and ensuring others are informed about what is going on in the world around us. Not only does he worry about the environment, he also highlights fans artwork of himself, providing inspiration messages and never forgetting to show off his humor. Adrian Grenier is an all-around member of the Selfie Society.  

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#PaceBlog @emwatson Emma Watson is best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series. Since then, she has become a UN ambassador and is the new face for the #HeforShe project. The #HeforShe project is battling gender inequality one man at a time. Emma has taken a stance against gender inequality and is motivating everyone around her to do the same. “Gender equality is not only a women’s issue, it is a human rights issue that requires my participation. I commit to take action against all forms of violence and discrimination faced by women and girls.” That quote can be found on the HeforShe site.  This is not only an issue that takes place in third world countries, but an issue very much alive in the United States. Women are deemed as the “weaker” species and must behavior is a certain. If a woman CEO behaviors with a particular strong and confident manner she is judged as “bossy” or even a “bitch”. However, if a man in the same position behaved in the same manner he is solely doing his job and confident/ successful. Emma Watson a UN Women Global Goodwill Ambassador made a speech at the UN about gender equality several weeks ago. Many fellow celebrities took to twitter about their support of her campaign. Emma’s Twitter page is filled with retweets about the speech and those male celebrities who are taking photos with the hashtag #HeforShe to show their support whether it’s specifically for their mothers, daughters, wives or women in general. 

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#PaceBlog @sophiabush I have definitely fallen into the group of people who watches TV through Netflix, HBO Go, on Demand and through various other apps. However, there are a few shows that I do watch during premiere time every week. One being Ink Master Rivals and the other being Chicago P.D. In Chicago P.D. one of the main characters is played by actress, Sophia Bush. This brings me into the first woman to be highlighted on Selfie Society.

Before I decided to start Selfie Society, I didn’t follow many celebrities on Instagram, but one of the few celebrities I did was Sophia Bush. Must I say that through her work on Chicago PD playing the bad ass Erin Lindsay and being herself on Instagram, she has become one of my favorite celebrities.

Selfie Society is dedicated to highlighting celebrities that make a difference in the world with their “selfies”. In my first post, where I spoke about what exactly I was doing on this blog I mentioned that the celebrities highlighted were making a difference on an international, national and/or followers level. Sophia Bush is definitely one of those celebrities who hits all three categories. Not only does she do philanthropic work across the country and world but she is constantly supporting her fans and people from every walks of life.

I’m going to talk about her motivation to and support of her fans. Sophia spoke out against the store Urban Outfitters for selling a t-shirt with “eat less” written on it. She was outraged at the fact a store would be promoting an eating disorder and stated she will be boycotting the store as well as encouraging her followers to do the same. She suggested the company donate a hefty amount of money to an eating disorder foundation for this shameful shirt. This is inspiring because she is using her stature among the American population to inform them what is going on as well as what she believes in. She promotes personal growth and acceptance especially among the women population in a town where “being pretty” is when you’re the size of a model in the photoshopped magazines.

In addition she has spoken against bullying. There was a user who created a profile using Sophia Bush’s name and was harassing her as well as her followers. It didn’t take her long to take matters into her own hands and shout out this person’s horrible actions, stating that she does not support what they do. Following Sophia Bush you can see that she is a positive and supporting person towards her family, friends and fans. She is such a great role model for myself and girls/women everywhere as well as other celebrities.

Take a look at her post against bully!

Sophia’s Post:

“For the past few months I have been harassed to the point of sheer horror by an online stalker. This person has taken to harassing and bullying many of my followers as well. And tonight I finally said fuck this shit. This is what I posted to twitter. The photograph is a tiny sampling of over 500 screenshots I’ve taken in the last three months. And I’m sharing it here to make something very clear. This kind of behavior does. Not. Fly. You do not have permission to hide. Not anymore: This has gotten beyond out of hand. Obsessive. Violent. And legally punishable. To any of you who’ve been targeted by @SophhiaBush, I’m so sorry. I’m sure he/she will be blocked again soon, only to create another account. We’re close to 20 now. And law enforcement says “we’re on it,” and “don’t acknowledge this person,” but when this person, this vitriolic perverse monster is targeting all of you? Threatening rape, gang rape, & throat slitting to name a few? Impersonating me and breaking some of your hearts? Telling people they should kill themselves, and detailing how? Nope. No silence. As the evidence of staking and harassment mounts, so does my anger. Because this is grotesque. And on the other side, my sadness mounts as well. What happened to you, you poor lost soul, that this is how you find pleasure? That you need to attempt to destroy little bits of other people to build yourself up, bit by bit? Who in your life hurt you? Who made you need to act out like this? Because my god I feel so sorry for you. But my sorrow in the face of your pain is no match for my anger at the pain you are causing others. You do not have the right to spread poison because you have felt poisoned. It’s a small minded and ugly path to take. Choosing to inflict pain doesn’t make you strong or powerful. It only proves your weakness and self-loathing. All the time you’re taking to verbally harass us, threaten physical assault, and terrorize strangers? Please start spending it in therapy and learn to love yourself. You deserve it. And because none of us deserve one more moment of your bullying bullshit. #gethelp #bullyingisugly #violenceisntfunny #thereisabetterway”

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#PaceBlog @iansomerhalder #SelfieSociety

The second celebrity I decided to focus Selfie Society on is Ian Somerhalder. I've never been a huge fan of the vampire craze whether it was in movies or tv shows, especially the really cheesy ones. However, I saw a few episodes of The Vampire Diaries and it led me to follow Ian Somerhalder on social media. Despite his good looks, it was his advocacy for different causes, especially dogs (which I have a soft spot for) that lead me to speak about him.

  Ian Somerhalder feels so strongly about bettering the world, whether its the environment or saving sheltered dogs that he created his own foundation. The Ian Somerhalder Foundation's mission is to "empower, educate and collaborate with people and projects to positively impact the planets and its creatures." The foundation describes themselves as a group of people who find themselves part of the world and that there is no difference between a tree, human, river and animal; that they are all one organism.

Ian is an avid Twitter user who not only tweets about his show and the next airing but shows his fans admiration through his tweets and pictures. In addition to supporting those who support him, he post facts about the environment and world on both of his social media accounts to educate those who follow him worldwide. He enjoys being the voice for those who do not have one and in addition he highlights those who do the same.

The IS Foundation also has a blog and can be followed at http://iansomerhalderfoundationblogs.blogspot.com/

The IS Foundation blog is great and very elaborate and the front page gives readers highlights of the new featured posts. What is great about this blog is that it caters to the different readers it has and separates the blog for each. There is a specific blog section and bloggers for creatures/enviornment, parents, educators and even for guest bloggers. This blog can attract people from all different walks of like by its specific and not specific post.

Not only will followers be educated on the world around them, they will also be appreciated for their support.

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#PaceBlog #SelfieSociety @RealPaulWalker @ReachOutWW

Selfie Society is a blog dedicated to highlighting celebrities who post "selfies" that help better society. For my first post I spoke about one of my favorite actors, Paul Walker. This blog post is a little more personal. Being how the first celebrity I spoke about was Paul Walker, I wanted to give readers a little more insight on my view of him.

Growing up I always had a crush on Paul Walker as well as enjoyed all of his films. When I was 15 I had the opportunity to meet him and although it was short; it's an experience I will never forget. Throughout the day I happened to be searching and saw some of his films; later in the day I went to Times Square to celebrates a friend's birthday.

After dinner we decided to walk around and as I was crossing the street with a friend a tall man walked by us and I automatically recognized him. I told my friend that it was Paul Walker but I was a little hesitant to approach him because I did not want to be a bother. However, my friend took my arm and we went in the same direction as him and he had already been stopped by two other fans.

When they left, I asked him the first question that popped into my head "Are you Paul Walker" to which he replied "Yes I am" with a big warm friendly smile. After that I told him that I loved his work and he was so grateful and thanked me. I asked for a picture and he was more than willing to take a picture with us (I was lucky enough to stand next to him :) ) Unfortunately the picture didn't come out and by the time I realized he was down the block and I definitely did not want to go bother.

However, it is an experience I will not forget because he was extremely nice and took the time out with his friends to speak to us and even take a picture (wish I had it). But, it was a great night I got a half hug from one of my biggest celebrity crushes and favorite actors as well as realize what a nice person he was. 

May he Rest in Heaven.

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#PaceBlog @RealPaulWalker @ReachOutWW

While thinking of the first celebrity to speak about on Selfie Society, there was an obvious choice in my mind; Paul Walker. Not only am I a HUGE fan of him (being one of my favorite actors) but I also know that he helped the world and would be a great person to speak about.

Paul Walker was an actor that was best known for his role as Brian O’Connor in the Fast and the Furious series, little did many people know that he dedicated a lot of his time off screen to helping others through his organization Reach Out WorldWide. Unfortunately, Paul Walker passed away on November 30, 2013 at only the age of 40. However, Paul Walker was able to leave a legacy behind him both on and off screen; one being through his organization.

Now, Selfie Society focuses on the good work that happens behind a Celebrity’s selfie on Instagram. Paul Walker was relatively new to Instagram joining in May 2013 and from then to even now (his page is ran by #TeamPW) many pictures posted are encouraging other help out in relief funds around the world through ROWW.

For example, several of his last personal post were dedicated to bringing awareness about the Philippines and asking people to help. One of Paul’s post “Last week we learned about the deadly fallout of #Typhoon #Haiyan in the #Philippines, and within 24 hours, @ReachOutWW joined forces with @WavesforWater to get 30,000 people access to clean water. Today, they're mobilizing a strike team to provide medical assistance to the victims. While the total devastation is still unknown, #ROWW believes that, by making a difference in just one person's life, the world has been changed for the better. Together anything is possible, so please consider joining the effort with a donation: http://roww.org/donate”

Even after the loss of this great talent, his team continued his wishes for the organization and shortly after his passing posted a picture of Paul giving back with ROWW, even having a hashtag of #unselfie. Many people didn’t see this side because he didn’t give back to get credit he gave back to help society. Paul Walker is missed but continues to encourage others to give back and will always do so as long as ROWW exist. It is an honor to name Paul Walker our first member of Selfie Society.

Don’t forget to check out  https://www.roww.org/ to learn more about the organization as well as find ways to give back.

"When you put good will out there, it's amazing what can be accomplished." – Paul Walker

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#PaceBlog

Selfie:a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media. Instagram: an online photo-sharing, video-sharing and social networking service that enables its users to take pictures and videos, apply digital filters to them, and share them on a variety of social networking services. Celebrity: a famous person. As products of our generation we have come to love social media especially Instagram which is where we mostly post our "selfies". Celebrities are people who are placed on a higher level compared to others for their constant work in the spotlight. Now if you take both of these things and put them together you will get, Selfie Society. For example take Ellen's selfie from the academy awards, not only did it have probably the most A listers in one selfie but also was the most retweeted photo on Twitter. Needless to say celebrities have a huge impact on society especially in the realm of social media. But, what if I told you that not all celebrity selfies are necessarily conceded and in some ways can help society. Well that is what Selfie Society is going to target. It will focus on those celebrities who use their "selfies" to better the world. By the word world I mean on many different levels such as a international, national and even follower's based level. Selfie Society will highlight those celebrities who help those in need: in places out of the United States as well as in the U.S. but, also about those that make every follower feel special by their thanks and supporting messages. Follow Selfie Society to see what its all about.

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#PaceBlog

Looking to follow celebrities who are helping the world? Here are a few suggestions: @SophiaBush @AdrianGrenier @IanSomerhalder @LeonardoDicaprio

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#PaceBlog

@TheBuriedLife If you haven’t heard of it was a TV show about 4 best friends (Ben, Dave, Jonnie and Duncan) who traveled the country in a RV crossing off items from their 100 things you want to do before you die list, using very creative and entertaining methods.But, there was a catch to this the show wasn’t just about their selfish desire to complete their bucket list because for every one they crossed off their list they helped someone cross one of their life. For example, #6 on their list was to attend a party at the Playboy mansion. Though this sounds very self-indulging they provided underprivileged kids with new computers for their classroom in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, the show only lasted two seasons. However, the guys continue their journey while, occasionally stopping by colleges and conferences to make speeches about what they’re doing. Great story, but what does this have to do with blogging. Well since the show they have created a TheBuriedLife Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram, in addition to their personal accounts. These social media accounts and “blogs” are great to follow because it allows you to watch as they complete their goals while helping others do the same. They are also very motivating and push followers to follow their dreams for we only live one life. Last February I attended the National Association for Campus Activities conference in Nashville, TN. There I had the opportunity to meet two of the members from The Buried Life, it was a cool experience because not only had I seen the show but I was motivated by their desire to fulfill their dreams will helping others do the same.

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#PaceBlog @iansomerhalder

Humans need to reevaluate their decisions!

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#PaceBlog @mikeposner #rli As I browse social media, I tend to keep my eyes open for more celebrities posting about things that are either bettering the community, world and/or their followers. For those who don't know Mike Posner is a singer/producer who I follow. He recently posted a picture on his instagram about Tom's of Maine who was having a competition to donate money to a non-profit organization nominated by the people. They are currently deciding who will win. I decided to write about this because not only am I a fan of Mike Posner but I use to intern at Colgate-Palmolive of which Tom's is a subsidiary of. Mike Posner likes to say Relate, Love, Inspire and I think this post will carry on that message.