An Examination Of Community Members\u27 Reactions To Violent Viral Media And Their Perceptions Of Its Impact On Black Chicago Communities

The City of Chicago has always been known for its violence and high crime rates. Traditional media has portrayed Chicago as a war zone in terrifying headlines and news stories. While traditional media has portrayed a distorted view of senseless murders and gang violence in Black Chicago communities, residents of these communities have used social media to tell their deepest truths. The existence of social media platforms has provided an outlet for Black Chicago residents to show their daily realities to connect with others. Community members upload or share violent viral media as a way of expressing their environment, their daily frustrations, and entertainment. The qualitative data for this study suggests that violent viral media is used as an escape route, a way to gain influence, and a way to inform and make others aware of their own terms and conditions. This study led to the understanding of how violent viral media changes the lens of Black Chicago communities on social media platforms, and the positive and negative impact it has on community members

Evaluating the use of Facebook brand pages by television journalists to promote their professional brand

Television journalists have taken note that social media sites have transformed how and when viewers/users consume news content. Controlling the flow of information is becoming more of a challenge and viewers are seeking gratification from a variety of sources. Facebook has become a powerful tool for television journalists to develop a professional brand that goes beyond the image a user sees on the nightly news. By cultivating a user following through sharing personal interests and goals, some journalists are seeing great success in maintaining and building their influence with an audience. The overall purpose of this study is to learn how journalists with a large following on Facebook are building their name into a brand, how that brand is satisfying the user and how that brand's development affects a journalist's ability to maintain authority when controlling the flow of information. One-on-one, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six television journalists. Each of whom had more than ten thousand page likes and high user engagement on their Facebook brand page. The interviewees work in a variety of market sizes from one to100. This research discovered that most journalists receive their highest user engagement when they post non-news content. In order to satisfy users, journalists created feature (non-news) content in hopes of when they did have to share important news content, they would be the trusted source for information. High-performing journalists have a clear definition of their professional brand and create content that cultivates a relationship with the type of user they are targeting. Finally, authenticity rules as the number one attribute that research participants say contributes to their success.Includes bibliographical reference

Social Media Marketing Strategies to Engage Generation Y Consumers

Consumers of the Generation Y cohort, also referred to as Millennials, include approximately 75 million Americans who have significant purchasing power. These consumers access social media on a daily basis, but they often ignore advertisements that are targeted to them. Previous studies on social media marketing to Generation Y consumers have focused on consumer input but lacked data from marketing professionals. The purpose of this phenomenological study of social media marketers in the United States was to determine successful strategies to engage Generation Y on social media. The study\u27s conceptual framework was attitude toward the ad. The data were gathered through semistructured telephone interviews conducted with 20 social media marketing professionals who were recruited through email and social media. The data were coded using inductive codes of reoccurring themes. Social media marketers were found to be most successful when remaining honest and transparent, and when personalizing their communications to their target audiences. Marketers reading this study can gain insight into the social media behavior of Generation Y consumers and can apply the strategies presented in this study in their social media campaigns. This study may promote social change by improving the relationship between social media marketers and Generation Y consumers, allowing Generation Y consumers to gain a stronger voice in marketing, and by highlighting the need for marketers to communicate and advertise more honestly with their consumers

Under(neath) the Influence: A Study of Micro-Influencers & Content Creators and the Dynamics of Digital Labor

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College

Integrating WERW into Syracuse University

Title: Integrating WERW into Syracuse University WERW was a free form student-run radio station at Syracuse University that was failing after losing its transmitter, members, and audience. This Honors Capstone project has three main components. First, it explores the history and significance of college radio at Syracuse University through interviews with alumni. Next, it describes my recreation of a sustainable student organization that fills a creative need at the University through management, promotions, and strategic partnerships. The final part of the project is a future campaign designed for WERW, which explores low budget branding and advertising strategies that will be beneficial for other student organizations facing similar issues