An example of qualitative research that has contributed to the mass communication world is a study on the development of health messages for under-deserved populations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the benefits of using visual and participatory research techniques toward health messaging development which targeted older Hispanic women. Observations of physical activity among the participants were assessed using a visual research method known as photo-elicitation.

An additional qualitative research method included in-depth interviews to better understand the physical needs of the under-deserved population at hand. The results indicate and recommend that strategic health communications activities for under represented communities should be increased to improve overall health literacy and reduce health disparities throughout the country.

An example of quantitative research that has also contributed to the mass communication world with an interest in the health field is a content analysis of health messages in U.S. media from 1985 to 2005. This content analysis examined health messages in the mass media, excluding the Internet, and evolved into a systematic review of the literature to document characteristics of health-related quantitative content analysis studies. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to 12,442 articles. The study found magazines and television to be the most frequently studied media types, followed by newspapers and movies. Video games and music were the least commonly analyzed media types. Content analysis of health messages has grown in popularity and this study has identified potential content areas or media formats that require more attention and research that will directly impact healthy policy.

The two studies researched different parts of the health field through various efforts, but both contributed to the mass communication field and bettering communication efforts for the betterment of society. Although both provided great suggestions for future communications endeavorers, the first study mentioned which focused on quantitative research, provided a clearer method and a more personal outcome. It’s important that research relating to society in terms of health and communications is personal and provides real-world experiences. The qualitative research did just that!

3 Strengths of McLuhan’s Ideas

• Marshall McLuhan in 1964 suggested that technologies of mass media make sure culture transmission in a social fabric which ultimately changes man’s social behavior. He states “We shape our tools and they in turn shape us.” This idea can be applicable to current day and how social media plays a role in our every day lives. Social media can be seen as a tool that we manipulate, but because of our manipulation, then manipulates us (the users).
• McLuhan’s allusion to the eventual “cooling down” of media was a spot-on prediction. The “hotcold” metaphor outlines that hot levels of audience engagement are those that can’t add to an experience and are passive. And cold levels are those consumers who are able to influence or even actively participate with the media. This, again, can be seen today through the implementation of social media.
• Mass media and technology are ever changing, and McLuhan’s theory can be applicable throughout various time periods because of the generalized statements.

3 Limitations of McLuhan’s Ideas

• A critique of technological determinism is that technology never forces itself on members of the society. Man creates technology and chooses to use them. The choice of using technology and experiencing its effects therefore lies in the hand of a human being.

• This approach fails to provide means of understanding the structure of the work of the structures themselves. It can be seen a theory that generalizes the mass media.
• McLuhan prophesied the global village, but he had nothing at all to say about ownership, control or regulation of that village. He proclaimed that the medium is the message, but he had no interest in the content of that message.

I find that McLuhan’s observations are incredibly useful, especially considering the time period in which he defined this theory. McLuhan established an idea that the world would be interconnected and led by the power of mass media. Social media would then come to use decades later, and would make his theory of interconnectedness a reality.

Persuasion is referred as the action by which, convincing or causing someone to do something through reasoning or argument. The elaboration likelihood model explains how persuasion message works in changing the attitude of reader or viewer. It is very much important for corporations and advertisement agencies, in designing their market strategies and understanding the attitudes of peoples (which includes the demographics and psychographics of a target audience).

Understanding the elaboration likelihood model theory, whether it be through the central or peripheral route, means to fully understand the art of persuasion. Applying this model to content creation efforts, advertisements, digital media marketing, and other communications efforts, can help any brand craft persuasive appeals.

How would this theory influence my persuasive messaging efforts? Easy: By being direct and appealing to the target audience of a brand I would be representing. This means I would first need to understand my target audience’s values (including their hopes and dreams, dislikes, goals, etc.), in order to effectively persuade them to listen to my call to action. After I’ve identified that, I would account for the following elements listed by A List Apart:

• Message: what’s being said, marketing efforts, content, and copy
• Design: visual hierarchy, navigation, and layout
• Delivery: load time, user experience, rewards, and bells and whistles

This layout seems simple once the target audience has been identified, but a great deal of research and understanding the created messages through the lowest levels of elaboration will most likely take place before perfecting the art of persuasion. I would aim to understand how viewers could interpret the messaging/content through both the central and peripheral routes, to ensure the brand I was representing was avoiding all pain points and targeting all members of the desired audience. Applying the ELM theory would also help viewers who currently live in the peripheral route, eventually move to the central route; Equating to a brand fully mastering the art of persuasion!

Broadcast journalists, talk show hosts, and TV personalities are prominent opinion leaders today because they have an established platform where they can provide local and national news coverage, updates, and opinions. Most of the content that is covered by these opinion leaders are around politics and current events, and can be broadcasted on major news networks. The public receives this information believing that it is the truth of the matter when it may not be. This helps with the spread of misinformation around our government and politicians, and reinforces the idea behind the two-step flow model. In other words, there are many members of society who help with creating and spreading “fake news.”

I’m not one to heavily rely on major news networks, such as Fox News or CNN, for my political news intake because I’m aware of the TV personalities who have air time (or even their own segment) and strictly provide opinions over facts. However, I’ve been around friends and family members who do rely on these opinion leaders for their daily news coverage, which has revealed the two-step flow theory right before my eyes. I try to listen, read, and research about politics, and don’t necessarily share those findings with others in fear of spreading misinformation.

But I do definitely play a role in the two-step flow theory, just not with politics.

When it comes to pop-culture updates, fashion news, and beauty/skin care products, I’m the first share any new findings I receive with those around me. TikTok is a great source for me to find out about new make-up products and how to perfect my skin care routine. I should be receiving this kind of information from professionals in those industries however, I usually find out about the newest product to buy through social media influencers or from everyday people. Once I purchase these items and find out if it’s helpful for my own body, I publicize this information in my group messages, on my social media platforms, and through word of mouth. I’m finding out about the “best” products from opinion leaders on social media, and then spreading the information to those around me.

Opinion leaders have the capability to create false narratives for the public. Political opinion leaders who influence certain audience members through a media platform can widen the gap between political parties and people. Social media opinion leaders (influencers) can easily influence virtual communities to buy certain products. Is my role in the two-step flow model hurtful to society or widening any sort of gap? I’d like to think not, but I’m definitely reinforcing the idea around the theory.

So what does the two-step flow theory reveal to society? Opinion leaders influence others who are less attentive to those media communications (Valente, 2010). This can greatly impact how mass media influences decision making and how messages can impact the public. It’s important to know where you’re getting your information from and who you’re spreading it to to avoid being an opinion leader or culprit in any facet of any industry.

References

Postelnicu, M. (2016, November 28). Two-step flow model of communication. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/two-step-flow-model-of-communication

Sinn (Director). (2020, January 22). Two step Flow Theory: Media theories [Video file]. Retrieved May 23, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGJi9KbQYiM

Valente, T. (2010, January). The Messenger is the Medium: Communication and Diffusion Principles in the Process of Behavior Change. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Mass-media-influence-opinion-leaders-who-in-turn-influence-others_fig2_47297159

Members of society who are to be impacted by this communication model may be vulnerable or easily influenced by news outlets or opinion leaders. Speaking for myself, I really don’t think I’m included in this portion of society. I’d like to think I’m self aware and since I’m a graduate student studying social media, I’ve become pretty knowledgeable on what goes on in the media industry. It’s not that I’m resistant to the media influence, I’m just living life with the understanding that everything I read or hear, especially from major “news” outlets, should be taken with a grain of salt.

But just because I feel that way about myself doesn’t mean that’s how the rest of the world operates. Although the Hypodermic Needle Theory was popular in the 1920s & 30s, I believe the theory is more prevalent in the current media landscape than ever before.

Let’s take the salt water drink/bath incident during the Ebola virus outbreak in 2014 for starters. Because of a viral message on social media which said that drinking or bathing in salt water could prevent the spread of the Ebola virus, several people were dead and many were hospitalized in various hospitals in Nigeria after consuming excessive amounts of salt and bitter kola. One social media post became so influential in a negative way, and the impact was deadly.

Other current examples of the Magic Bullet theory can be related to the spread of misinformation around COVID-19. In April of 2020, a conspiracy theory set social media ablaze after suggesting that 5G radio waves are the major cause of the Covid-19 pandemic and has caused shockwaves and overreactions across the globe. Around the same time at an American news conference, President Donald Trump wrongly suggested injecting disinfectant as a potential treatment, leading the makers of Lysol to release a statement saying “under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route).” To this day, although vaccines are readily available, members of society are continuing to believe false information about the spread of the virus and ways to combat it. Major news networks and opinion leaders can be the parties to thank.

You would think that with so many sources of information available today through a variety of media outlets, people have more control than ever over the messages that influence them. But it’s clearly not the case.

And if I haven’t convinced you enough yet, I’ll leave you with this last thought: The difference between the l930s and the contemporary digital age seems to be to the glory of the bullet theory. First, in the 1930s only few people had access to television sets but in contemporary digital times countless people have access to television program contents through their laptops, iPods and cell phones. It therefore suffices that many more people ought to be influenced by the persuasive media contents.

In order to execute a successful campaign, SMART goals need to be established for each of the three phases. View the SMART goals for campaign below:

1. Pre-Event: As of February 2021, there are around 40 million Disney+ subscribers in the United States (Frankel, 2021). Prior to the release of Cruella in the Pre-Event stage which will last 30 days, Disney+ subscriptions in the U.S. will go up 1.5% (600,000 subscriptions). With Disney+ Premier Access subscriptions costing around $30 to purchase, this will equate to around $18 million in revenue.
2. Main Event: Raya and the Last Dragon, a recent film from Disney, generated about 15.8 million domestically within the first ten days of its release to theatres and Disney+ (Rubin, 2021). Similarly, Cruella is being released to both theatres and Disney+ on May 28. Compared to the release date of Raya and the Last Dragon (March 5), it’s likely that more theatres around the country will be open thanks to the increase in vaccine rates. With this information, the goal for Cruella is to generate over $30 million in revenue domestically, from Disney+ and theatre ticket sales combined.
3. Post-Event: The main event will last for 30 days and the post-event will be considered the month following the main event. During this time, Cruella will have a 10% increase in streams on Disney+. Additionally, the Cruella soundtrack on Apple Music and Spotify will generate over 10 million streams during the post-event.

Campaign Efforts:

Platforms. In order to effectively produce the campaign and promote the film, multiple social media platforms will need to be utilized. The three platforms that the campaign will prioritize are Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. A larger emphasis will be put on Instagram and Facebook, and additional efforts will be posted to Twitter. Each of these platforms are among the most popular in the United States and world, and appeal to the variety of demographics that the campaign is targeted towards. They each also provide multiple features that allow the campaign to post pictures and videos, engage with viewers through interactive features, and retrieve analytics that can serve the campaign well. The platforms also allow users to view external links and shop, which the campaign will definitely need.

Target Market. Although the three platforms are similar in reasoning as to why the campaign will benefit from them, the target audiences of each platform differ. Instagram is intended to appeal to the viewers in the 15–25 age range. This same age group is notorious for viewing the Instagram app multiple times in a day, so using this platform to appeal to young adults will gain their attention efficiently and will be most beneficial. As of January 2021, it was found that 9.6 percent of global active Facebook users were women between the ages of 18 and 24 years, and male users between the ages of 25 and 34 years constituted the biggest demographic group of Facebook users (Tankovksa, January 2021). With that being said, Facebook will be used throughout the campaign as a means to target the potential viewers in the 25–35 year range. In February 2021, it was found that 42 percent of adults in the United States aged between 18 and 29 years used Twitter. This age group was the microblogging service’s biggest audience in the United States, followed by a 27 percent usage reach among 30 to 49-year-olds (Tankovska, April 202). To emphasize what was mentioned earlier, Twitter will not be the main focus during the campaign but the posts on the platform will be add-ons and will appeal to both 18–29 and 30–49 age groups. Most of the content on Twitter will be visuals (photos and videos), and will be similar to the content posted to Instagram and Facebook. The goal of the campaign is to appeal to a variety of viewers; The social strategy in promoting Cruella should attract millennials and adults who grew up watching 101 Dalmatians, while also appealing to Generation Z.

Voice. The brand voice and tone for the campaign will be confident, witty, strong, humorous, formal, and assertive. These attributes are similar to Emma Stone’s character in Cruella as she is expected to have multiple sides to her. Because the film is rated PG-13, it’s important that the brand voice accurately reflects that. The movie will appeal to both young adults and older generations, and the social media campaign should do the same.

Hashtags. Throughout the campaign, different hashtags will be used across all platforms. A constant that can be used for any type of content is #DisneysCruella. It’s simple but to the point. This hashtag can be used on almost every post on every platform. This hashtag will encourage audience members to also use it and create a buzz about the film. A series that will be shared through social media content that includes a hashtag is called #CruellaIs. This hashtag will introduce the different sides of the main character and of the film. The content it will reside with will reveal the multiple personalities of Cruella de Vil and will be accompanied with an explanation. More detail on the hashtag and an example will be explained in the Pre-Event and Post-Event section later in this analysis. The final hashtag that the campaign will use will be associated with the partnership that will be explained later in this analysis. The hashtag will be #KVDxCruella and will be associated with posts that promote that partnership and what Cruella’s relationship to Kat Von D makeup is.

Partnerships. Disney’s Cruella will partner with KVD, the makeup brand created by Kat Von D, to release a makeup palette. The makeup company is a good partner because it aligns with the brand voice and tone of the campaign; Kat Von D is a very strong and confident woman. The makeup palette will be called “The Future” and will include black, white, and grey eyeshadow, along with blush and bright red lipstick. These colors fit with the branding of Cruella and the social media campaign, and are also similar to KVD’s brand and other items the company has sold before. The goal is to sell the Cruella products during the pre-event and main event to help spread awareness on the film and generate additional revenue. In an ideal world, major makeup and lifestyle influencers would reference the KVD + Cruella collaboration to raise even more awareness. Every social media post publicized by Cruella that references the collaboration and/or makeup palette will include the hashtag #KVDxCruella. This will also encourage any influencers or makeup artists who use the palette and post about it to include the hashtag in their post as well. This is a partnership that the campaign is not necessarily relying on, but will hopefully raise additional awareness and funds to go towards achieving the overarching goals.

Visuals:

References:

CINEMABLEND. (2021, March 27). Did Raya And Last Dragon Make Money On Disney+? Here’s What The Data Suggests. CINEMABLEND. https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2564916/raya-and-last-dragon-make-money-disney-data-suggests-streaming-mulan.

Forbes Magazine. (2020, September 20). ‘Mulan’: Making Sense Of The Box Office And VOD Grosses. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2020/09/20/mulan-making-sense-of-its-box-office-and-pvod-grosses/?sh=57f330213d13.

Frankel, D. (2021, February 25). Disney Plus Has Around 40 Million U.S. Subscribers (Report). NextTV. https://www.nexttv.com/news/disney-plus-has-around-40-million-us-subscribers-report.

Gartenberg, C. (2021, March 23). Black Widow and Cruella are now coming to Disney Plus at the same time as theaters. The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/23/22346947/black-widow-cruella-luca-disney-plus-streaming-premiere-access-marvel-theaters.

Katz, B. (2021, March 15). The Dual Identities of Disney’s ‘Cruella’ Marketing. Observer. https://observer.com/2021/03/disney-cruella-trailers-watch-video-identity-crisis/.

Rubin, R. (2021, March 15). Box Office: ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Repeats №1 With $5.5 Million. Variety. https://variety.com/2021/film/box-office/box-office-raya-last-dragon-tom-jerry-coronavirus-1234930146/.

Tankovska, H. (2021, April 14). U.S. Twitter reach by age group 2021. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/265647/share-of-us-internet-users-who-use-twitter-by-age-group/#:~:text=In%20February%202021%2C%20it%20was,to%2049%2Dyear%2Dolds.

Tankovska, H. (2021, March 19). Facebook: users by age and gender. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/376128/facebook-global-user-age-distribution/#:~:text=As%20of%20January%202021%2C%20it,demographic%20group%20of%20Facebook%20users.

The social media and public relations departments of any industry have the power to maximize engagement between brands and their target audiences, but the same departments have a responsibility to be socially aware and follow a code of ethics for every piece of content they post to social media platforms. These code of ethics should serve as guidelines of what to do, and what to avoid. These guidelines should also serve as an outline of how to respond to a crisis or problem situation that derived from a brand’s social media presence or post.

Throughout my undergraduate career, I was very involved with my sorority which led me to my current day job of working at my sorority’s headquarters as a national collegiate advisor where I oversee 17 chapters/universities all over the country. Throughout this experience I have realized what sororities and fraternities (and pretty much any type of organization in an undergraduate institution) should and should not do when it comes to social media. Below are a list of best practices and things to avoid when it comes to sorority and fraternity life. This can be better known as my recommendation on a code of ethics:

Social Media: Best Practices

• Enhancing the Profession: In today’s world, sorority and fraternity life is viewed under a magnifying glass and has more negative connotations than positive. Social media efforts in this field should enhance the sorority and fraternity experience, and showcase how greek life can be transferable to any job in any industry. “Social media should keep publics informed and educated about the issues surrounding the profession, share best practices and case studies” (PRSA, 2015). Sorority and fraternity social media accounts should be relevant to the current collegiate audience, while keeping alumnae and other community members engaged and informed.

• Diversity and Inclusion: Organizations associated with sorority and fraternity life attract members from all different walks of life; Every one of these organizations is made up of collegiate and alumnae members with diversity of thought, diversity of culture, diversity of race, diversity of field of study, and more. Local (and national) organizations should be remissed if they did not show all of their members to their fullest extent. Sororities and fraternities are made up of a variety of members, and the commonality between those members are their sorority or fraternity affiliation — this should be showcased and celebrated in an organic way!
• Know your audience: It’s the responsibility of local and national organizations to create and promote content that resonates with their audience members. Most of these audience members are collegians, alumnae, and other community members affiliated with a specific college of university. “Social profiles are frequently viewed as sales tools instead of powerful customer service platforms for building brand loyalty and customer care. By solely pitching products rather than having meaningful conversations with your followers, you could miss opportunities to address customer experience problems early on” (NPPA). Social media platforms that promote the sorority and fraternity experience need to be able to address the needs of current members while also answering any questions or concerns from alumna members.

Social Media: Things to Avoid

• Inappropriate Content and Language: Most sororities and fraternities are in a college setting with students in their early twenties. The content that is posted and the language/captions that relate to that content should always be appropriate. Risqué photos including bikini/bathing suit pictures don’t necessarily promote the amazing opportunities that greek life has to offer. In addition to these types of photos, content including alcohol or drugs should never be posted, especially when members are not of age. The use of inappropriate language/cursing should also be avoided at all costs. Sorority and fraternity life should promote the great qualities that their members bring to the table, not the opposite.

• Local and National Politics: Member organizations affiliated with greek life don’t (and should never) endorse any political candidate or political party on a local or national level. Individual members part of these organizations are encouraged to be active in their communities and take part in local and national elections, but the organizations themselves should never affiliate with politics or allude to supporting a certain party. Each sorority and fraternity on a local and national level include members with a variety of religious and political affiliations, and these organizations should not side with any one over the other. With that being said, these organizations should help our in their community when they can and are allowed to post content relating to helping any social justice movements or affinity group — these are completely separate from politics and should not be politicized.
• Negativity Towards Other Organizations: The last thing any member organization part of a national sorority or fraternity council should do is post negatively about any other member organization affiliated with these similar governing councils. Because sorority and fraternity life is viewed sometimes in a negative light, sororities and fraternities should be lifting each other up and supporting one another wherever they can. Along with having great relations with other organizations affiliated with greek life, these organizations should also support other organizations on their university or college campus. When a fraternity posts negatively about other organizations, it’s a terrible reflection of themself and does the opposite of what most sororities and fraternities values encourage their members to do.

Social media and marketing efforts are difficult, and avoiding crisis adds to the difficulty of the job. Sororities and fraternities should try their best to promote the amazing aspects of the experience: philanthropic endeavors, networking opportunities, constant support systems, and a priority on academic excellence. Greek life should follow a code of ethics to help them promote the positives of their own organizations while also outlining the social media points to avoid which will steer them away from promoting the negatives.

TikTok. We all know what this social media platform is but we (or, at least I) didn’t start hearing about it until peak of quarantine in the beginning of 2020. It’s a relatively new social media platform but has become increasingly popular in the past year. To be more specific, it was the number one downloaded app in all of 2020. The latest TikTok statistics show that as of April 2020, the popular video app has been downloaded more than two billion times worldwide on both the Apple App Store and Google Play (Sensor Tower, 2020). TikTok is clearly a platform that is very recognizable, and suits brands and influencers who aim to go viral. The platform has been around for 5 years yet it only started really gaining traction over the past year — It took some time to gain credibility and users. TikTok’s quick videos that attract the attention spans of Gen Z have proven to be successful.“While you might not want to focus all of your social media resources on TikTok just yet, it’s a great time to familiarize yourself with the app and start experimenting with a few fun videos” (Bump, 2021). For now, it seems as though it’s fun and relatable videos are here to stay until the government comes in and shuts it down.

Although TikTok is a great example of a “new” social media platform that has become successful and has attracted thousands of brands, that’s not the case for every platform. Many social media platforms, like many new businesses, unfortunately fail. “Social media marketers constantly try to balance the proven practices on established social networks with strategic bets on the up and comers” (Tobin, 2021). So what should brands do when a new social media platform is introduced? Should they become the trendsetter in their industry and establish a community on that new platform? Or should they let the trendsetters be the guinea pigs, and wait it out until it’s worth while? There’s definitely pros and cons to both options, but I think most brands best bet is to wait until that new social media platform is proven successful.

Imagine the amount of time, energy, effort, and funds that could potentially be wasted on a platform that ends up having no exposure. Businesses are already starting to consistently implement social media marketers into their companies who spend hours upon hours creating content and establishing a brand voice specifically for social media platforms. This time and energy shouldn’t be wasted on newer platforms that we don’t fully understand yet. Brands should focus on what they do know, instead of what they don’t. Putting time towards an established platform that has research and analytics to back it up, is definitely the best use of time. Successful platforms provide businesses and users with many opportunities to help them excel in marketing efforts, that newer platforms don’t have at first. Successful platforms like Instagram and Facebook do just that: these platforms allow any type of user or brand to easily use their features, while also creating space for almost any type of community. Newer platforms don’t have an environment that relates to every type of user. Waiting until it’s clear that a platform is popular among many different types of groups and businesses, as well as being easy to use, is the route that I think is best for brands to go.

“As socially inclined creatures, human beings have embraced technology that connects us with others. Every year, there is an increasing number of people signing up for and using social media. What this means for marketers is that there is huge potential to reach a massive and engaged audience on social media. And that’s not just limited to the popular social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram” (Influencer Marketing Hub, 2021). There is great potential for new social media platforms to emerge, and the data shows that new platforms are created every year. New social media platforms may look shiny and new, and in theory may work out “but just because something catches fire does not mean that its flame will continue to burn, nor does it mean that it’s applicable to every marketer” (Gil, 2020).

The Social Dilemma blends documentary investigation and narrative drama to disrupt the disrupters, unveiling the hidden machinations behind everyone’s favorite social media and search platforms. In my eyes, it has become one of the most relevant, yet terrifying movies on Netflix. It’s terror stems from the fact that it’s created out of truth, and shows the demons of social networking. Like the movie said, social media has done so much good for bringing people together and for finding solutions to so many predicaments, but the negatives of the “tool” are outweighing the positives…by a lot.

One of these negatives that was mentioned in the film was the concept behind the constant notifications that social media platforms send to its users. The notifications are repetitive, nonessential for the most part, and always lure users back into their phone to get that screen time up. I’ve experienced this first-hand and have probably lost hours of my time mindlessly scrolling, thanks to one useless notification that caught my attention.

An additional downfall of the effects of social media I’ve experienced is the distortion of my view on myself. The filters and tools that each social media platform offers, completely changes the way everyone looks and because of it, I’ve found myself wanting to look more like some of those filters than I want to look like myself. From my experience, Snapchat and Instagram provide users with the ability to look exactly like something they’re not — THIS is a problem for me and for so many social media users.

The greatest downfall of social media that The Social Dilemma touches on is what AI does, and what it will do to the planet. AI is perfect at finding what makes every social media user stay a social media user: The advertisements are targeted at the audience that will buy those products, the posts that are on users social media feeds typically align with their own beliefs and views, and the “recommended” feature that many of these platforms provide are so spot on it’s scary. At this point, it’s predicted that no human willpower will ever compete with the sophistication of AI, which means that the disparities among society will only grow larger. So what can we do to develop healthy relationships with technology and somehow change the course of the future? Well for starters, we could (and should) turn off all social media, email, and news notifications on our phones. We, as humans, need to be less focused on the piece of glass that we call our iPhone and more focused on the real world. To help with this, we could also completely delete social media apps (or at least a few) that are no longer serving us, or are causing us more harm than good. Society needs to put an emphasis on working with our younger generations to get them off of these pieces of technology and social media applications. The Social Dilemma preaches the previous action items and has offered a few more on their website: Reboot your use, and rebuild the system.

We need to reevaluate our priorities, and actively pursue healthier relationships with our pieces of technology by not relying on them for anything and everything. We need to realign our relationship our relationship with technology as a tool for connection.

As a student pursuing a degree in social media, I probably sound quite hypocritical but since I’ve watched the film, I’ve decided I’m also going to be on a higher path. I’m turning off all social media notifications, using social media less, changing my privacy settings, and actively following a variety of users to ensureI have a variety of opinions and beliefs on my newsfeeds at all times. The future is here, and The Social Dilemma is unfortunately our reality. I’m one person making very small steps but imagine how great we could be as a unit if we all made these small steps together?

Have you ever heard of the drink, Poppi? It’s my new favorite brand and I’ve been telling everyone about it. To know what Poppi is, you need to read its story:

Husband and wife team Allison and Stephen were experimenting in their home kitchen, combining fresh fruit juice with the prebiotic powerhouse apple cider vinegar (ACV), to create a soda that tasted amazing and provided real health benefits. Allison had been looking for solace from her chronic health issues, and ACV answered her prayers — after drinking it every day for a week her symptoms all but vanished.

They bottled it up and sold it at their local farmer’s market in Dallas, selling out each weekend and quickly gaining a devoted following. Fast forward through 2 kids, a Shark Tank investment (made while Allison was 9 months pregnant — nbd!), and a very Poppi rebrand, to today when their delicious soda makes it easier to drink to your health.

Once I found out about the brand, I immediately purchased a variety pack on amazon. I finished the drinks in a week (with the help of my family) and immediately ordered a second pack. The branding and packaging is amazing and the taste of the drinks are even better. My personal favorite is Ginger Lime!

I clearly love the brand, and I noticed that they’re not even verified on Instagram. Interesting. But then I started thinking — What better way to build an online following and brand trust than by partnering with influencers and celebrities? The brand is visually appealing, offers tasty products (that is GOOD for you), and has an extremely inviting and fun brand voice, so who wouldn’t want to represent them with pride?

An ideal candidate for Poppi is a micro-influencer/influencer/celebrity that is a bright and welcoming individual, one that may prioritize health and vitamins, and even someone who likes to have fun, possibly drinks alcohol, and can be a “normal” person every once and a while. The drink can appeal to a variety of needs — from prioritizing gut health to finding the perfect mixer for your Happy Hour drink — and the influencer should market it that way! The brand is extremely colorful (check out their Instagram here), and they need someone who is just that colorful, who can be that colorful, or who can give a pop(pi) of color.

Honestly, an ideal candidate to represent the Poppi is a current influencer on TikTok. Someone like Addison Rae or JoJo Siwa would be a great fit. They both have a huge following on every social platform, they’re positive and bright women, they wear bright colors, and they have partnered with other brands in the past and know how to promote brands on TikTok. The drinks are created for all types of people so Addison’s and Jojo’s current audience could find Poppi more than appealing. If the brand landed a partnership with celebrities like these two, they would be verified in no time.

A partnership between Poppi and a big name influencer should be the next big thing. The power of influencers is amazing but the power of the right influencers can drastically change the course for a brand like Poppi.