By Ashley Rosson Friends Don’t Let Friends Post While Driving This past January, Virginia joined the rest of the Washington region in banning handheld personal communications devices while behind the wheel. A first violation of the hands-free law is punishable by a $125 fine. If you are caught holding a cellphone a second time while operating a motor vehicle, you will get a $250 fine. Is all that really worth posting a status update at that specific time? Well apparently a lot of Virginians think so! A recent poll of over 3,100 drivers, shockingly found out that over 1 in 3 (38%) people in Virginia admit to using social media while behind the wheel, which compared to the national average of 26%. This is a form of distracted driving. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1,000 people are injured each day in the United States as the result of distracted driving. Drivers may be distracted in three different ways, according to the CDC: Visual distractions, which cause you to divert your eyes from the road and look elsewhere while driving; Manual distractions, which cause you to remove one or both hands from the steering wheel; Cognitive distractions, which take your mind off the task of driving and increase the amount of time required to respond to changes in traffic condition surrounding your vehicle. Taking selfies with your cell phone and posting them to social media involves all three forms of distraction. A 2015 study by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Students Against Destructive Decisions found that two popular photo and video sharing sites —Snapchat and Instagram — headed the list of apps that most distract teen drivers. An Instagram search revealed an alarming number of posts related to the following hashtags: #drivingselfies: over 6,500 posts #drivingtowork: over 20,000…
What is this Meme Stock Mania? By Ashley Rosson In the past year you might have heard of the term Meme Stocks. A Meme Stock is a stock that sees significant increase in value after going viral on social media, grabbing the attention of individual or retail investors. This term made headlines in January 2021 after stocks of GameStop, a video game and pop culture store, skyrocketed thank to members of the Reddit forum r/wallstreetbets, that has over 10 million followers. Gamestop had been struggling and their shares were as low as $18.84 in December 2020, yet the Reddit forum caused the shares to go up 1,700% by the end of January. This also happened to other companies such as AMC Entertainment which was faced with bankruptcy until the r/wallstreetbets forum rallied to save it, and #SaveAMC trended on Twitter. Other Meme stocks include smartphone companies BlackBerry and Nokia. How do Meme stocks work? Meme stocks’ prices are not based on a company’s business performance, but rather social media hype. This causes the meme stocks to be unpredictable, Investors on social media can artificially increase stock prices, which is usually followed by a crash. A meme stock’s price surge often starts when a bunch of investors, who think the stock is undervalued start buying in large quantities, causing the stock’s price to slowly climb up. Then the stock becomes popular due to the viral nature of social media. This new popularity means more people start buying stock. Once the buying peaks, the earlier stock holders start making money by selling their stock. But with any stock there are risks. David Mazza, Managing Director at asset management company Direxion told Forbes magazine in a recent article, “There’s going to be people who’ve had significant losses, who bought it at the top-who…
Memorial Day and Social Media By Ashley Schultz Rosson For many in the U.S., Memorial Day Weekend marks the start of summer. Three-day weekends with pool parties, BBQ and family gatherings have been a tradition for decades for many American families. Yet, we often forget the real reason for Memorial Day, it is a day of remembrance for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the American military. We often forget when we are posting on social media, with #hashtags #Happy Memorial Day, that it is not a happy holiday. For many Americans, this is a painful day of remembrance. If you do not have anything to say, bow out of posting your BBQ on Memorial Day weekend. Thank your veterans, and remember those who have fallen. Five Quick Memorial Day Posts for Social Media Courtesy of CELPR.com Amid all the celebration of the unofficial start of summer, don’t miss the opportunity to educate your community about the true meaning of this day of remembrance. And don’t confuse it with Veteran’s Day, there is a difference between the two. Here are five engaging posts to repurpose across your social media channels on the last Monday in May. We wanted to make it easy for you to get out of the office on time Friday (and avoid a #MemorialDayFail.) 1. This #MemorialDay we honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country and to their families. #WeRemember 2. Memorial Day is a great day to enjoy time with friends and family, but the holiday has a deeper meaning. #WeRemember those who gave their lives for our freedom. 3. For our freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom to worship, freedom to assemble, freedom to petition, freedom of the press and more. On #MemorialDay, we remember those who gave…
Streaming into Normalcy Ashley Rosson Now that we are slowly and hopefully coming out of this Pandemic and where we can get out of our houses more often, let’s talk about something that was there for us while we were hunkered down in our homes – streaming services. More and more people are switching out their cable subscriptions in favor of streaming service subscriptions including, Netflix, Hulu, and Disney +. There are countless pros to streaming services, including getting to choose what to watch, the convenience of watching “on the go,” and being able to pause or cancel your subscription at any time. Another pro of streaming services is that with a more accessible catalog, you are sure to find something that you like. It’s also more convenient than ever to explore the different categories of streaming services and discover something new. For example, Netflix has algorithms that are designed to give you recommendations based on what you have previously watched. Since services like Netflix are so closely tied with social media and are made up by the majority of a younger viewership, they are ideal for creating a lot of exposure for shows and movies. Shows specifically made for streaming services, such as Netflix’s original series Bridgerton, has garnered massive viewership. As noted by Elaine Low in Variety, Bridgerton had the most significant debut to date “with viewership from 82 million households in its first 28 days online.” These large audiences are not only bringing new and exciting stories into the spotlight, but they’re creating a sense of community, where these 82 million households have something in common. It’s an opportunity to engage in discussion and make new connections, all in the name of entertainment. Streaming services and the content on them create a sense of community, something…
Positive Social Media Stories Ashley Rosson Lately, a lot of negativity has been posted on Social Media, but there are good deeds being done by ordinary people online daily. Here are some heartwarming tales from social media over the past few years. A Heroic Seeing-Eye Dog Gets a Second Chance: Cecil Williams lost consciousness and fell onto subway tracks in New York in 2013. He was saved by his seeing-eye dog Orlando, who jumped down and licked his face until he woke up. Unfortunately, Cecil and Orlando were too late to avoid the train but a subway employee was able to give Cecil instructions to get in the middle of the tracks. As a result, they both survived as the train passed over them. When Cecil was in the hospital, he revealed to the press that he couldn’t afford to keep his heroic dog because Orlando was at retirement age and insurance would only pay for a working service dog. Cecil stated that if he had the money, he would keep Orlando. When Grant Kirsh, a law student in Indiana, saw Orlando and Cecil’s story on the news, he was touched and decided to start an Indiegogo campaign for them. Their story was shared on social media and people donated their Christmas money to cover the expense of keeping Orlando. The campaign raised over $50,000 in less than a day and resulted in the two being kept together, along with a new service dog. The Indiegogo campaign has raised over $103,000 for Cecil and his family to date. Woman Saves an Injured Hawk with Help From Social Media: Madeleine Weatherhead was walking to work, when she saw a stunned hawk on a New York city street. Madeleine called the Animal Care Center of New York, but her call went to…
How to Celebrate the Holidays Virtually! By Ashley Rosson Unfortunately, as COVID rears its ugly head again, a lot of us will be quarantined to our state or even our houses and not able to visit family members for the Holidays! I decided to scour the Internet to find some of the best ways to celebrate the Holidays virtually. 1. Cook at the same time over video chat! If some of your favorite memories is cooking with your family members, bring your computer, tablet, or smartphone, so you can cook “together” while staying safe in your own home! Maybe even make the same meal, so it will feel like you are sitting down to share a meal together. 2. Make some cocktails together virtually! You know you will be able to indulge because you are in your own home! There are even services, such as the Home Hire Bartender, that will send you all the equipment you need and will provide you with a virtual bartender to teach you to make some fancy cocktails! You, of course, supply the booze! 3. Open up presents over video chat. It’s always fun to thank your loved ones for a gift right when you open it. Wait until everyone can join a video chat, then take turns opening up present to ooh and ah at all the gifts. 4. Set a fancy dress code. Have everyone in your family get a little fancy to make the holiday feel special. If you want to stay comfy, you can always just be fancy from the waist up!! 5. Try a virtual game night. If you all have the same board game, you can set up your pieces and play like you’re together. Or play an interactive game like charades or trivia. The Washington Post.com just…
By Ashley Rosson Learn How to Cook, Social Media Style! In the past, your only teaching tools when it came to cooking were hardcover recipe books, note cards from family members, and anyone you knew who was able to cook really well. While those are all still things you can take advantage of in order to improve your cooking skills, there is a lot more out there. One of the most powerful tools, of course, is social media like Pinterest and Facebook, though there are many other options. So how exactly can social media help improve your cooking skills? How can you use it to become an expert in the kitchen? Below you will find some of the most popular ways social media can work to your advantage when it comes to cooking. With platforms like Pinterest, you have a dramatic increase in exposure to new recipes. Users can post ones they have created or ones passed down in their families. This opens up a range of potential recipes you cannot get through traditional cookbooks. With that said, some authors will publish select recipes from their cookbooks as a way to tease the audience and entice them into buying the full book. As you see more recipes online, you will also find an increasing range in difficulty levels, which means you have more recipes at your skill level. They also tend to be broken down more, in that the transition from beginner to expert recipes is more gradual than what you might see in a traditional cookbook. There are even channels that have recipes that are easier for children to make, even though I have seen plenty of children on shows like MasterChef and Chopped that could cook me under the table!! Many popular chefs and cookbook authors are available…
Turn off those Social Media Notifications By Ashley Rosson Ding, Ding, Ding! Most of us all know that noise all too well. You just posted a cute picture of your cat, you shared an interesting article regarding some national news, you announced your engagement, and now everyone is letting you know how they feel about it! It’s always great to see responses from your friends regarding your post, but have you ever thought about the negative effects of being alerted about it could have on you?! Amy Blashchka, a contributor to Forbes magazine, recently wrote an article where she discusses how those notifications could be more hurt than help! Let’s see what she discovered when she turned her notifications off! “You’ll start your day less anxious: The first morning I looked at my phone after turning off notifications, I felt a huge sense of relief. Instead of starting my day with a sense of dread, I felt calm and peaceful, knowing that I wasn’t allowing external forces to dictate my mood.” “It redirects your behavior to support conscious and intentional consumption: I have reclaimed my time as my own, and I’m much more intentional with how I spend it. Instead of being in a near-constant reactive mode, I decide when I want to check and engage on social media.” “You’ll have uninterrupted blocks of time to do deep work: One of the biggest lessons people can learn is to protect their time. Without the distraction of social media notifications, I’ve found it easier to have blocks of time to immerse myself in deep work.” “You’ll be more productive and less busy.: As we all know, being busy is not the same as being productive, and the former can prevent the latter. When you’re not scrolling through and checking notifications, you’ll…
Social Media Message When Live Concerts go Silent By Ashley Rosson As I was driving home the other day listening to my Spotify news stream, the topic of live concerts and the pandemic came up in discussion. With most concerts cancelled until further notice, musicians are having to get creative, by streaming performances to stay connected with fans, and in some cases, bring in a little extra cash. Back in the day, I am saying 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s, concerts were mainly to promote an artist’s new album. Most artist’s made most of their money by selling said albums, but then in the late 90’s and early 2000’s we had programs such a Napster and Torrent, that allowed illegal downloads of albums. This eventually led to artists having to tour more and make the concerts their main sources of income. So now that this form of profit is no longer viable while the pandemic rages on, what is an artist to do? Live stream from their homes, either for free and sell merchandise, or charge for the viewing. However, a number of industry veterans say that this isn’t a viable long term replacement for in-person performances. Streaming would not be anywhere near as lucrative for big name performers such as Elton John, Garth Brooks, or the Jonas Brothers, who sell out venues with thousands of seats where tickets can average a couple hundred dollars apiece. Dave Brooks, Billboard’s senior director of touring and live, says, “I don’t think streaming will replace concerts, I think streaming performances will become a category of what artists offer their fans.” That can mean bigger name performers could charge, in addition to their live concert, for exclusive online access instead of VIP encounters. Brooks also believes that only a select few performers, mainly small indie…
By Ashley Rosson Happy Birthday Shelter Pooches! Since August 1st is “Dogust” 1st: Universal Birthday for Shelter Dogs, I decided to focus this month’s message on how “Social Media” has helped animal organizations with donations, adoptions, volunteer help, and awareness. In the past, in order to find the perfect pets for your family, you would frequent the “Pet of the Week” section of the newspaper, ask friends to keep an eye and ear out, and physically stop by the vet, animal shelter, or pet store to inquire. Nowadays, someone interested in adopting or helping in any way can simply go online and search Petfinder or log into Facebook or Twitter and check the latest posts by different animal organizations. The rise of social media has enabled animal shelters and organizations to broaden their influence in the community and reach audiences that may have otherwise looked the other way. Since animal shelters are non-profit organizations, they rely heavily on fundraising and donations to help keep them afloat and to keep the animals healthy and safe. Animal organizations are constantly accepting donations for food, supplies, vet bill assistance, and are not afraid to ask for help on social media. Animal organizations also use social media to educate the public and raise awareness. A common piece of advice floating around is to remember to spay or neuter your pet. Other posts I have seen discuss summer exercise safety for your pet, deaf pet awareness, vaccinations, puppy housetraining, and animal cruelty. These are just some of the ways animal shelters utilize social media. Others include sharing heartfelt rescue stories and updates on their progress and reuniting pets with their owners. Social media has also helped with the relocation of lost pets, one post of a picture of your pet, often will get shared over…
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