Margaret McDaniel

The Kardashians are arguably the most famous family in the United States currently. Their family has set the standard for reality TV, social media trends, and so much more. 

Their popularity comes at a cost of course. It has led to many idealizing them to the point that even the family feels the need to airbrush themselves beyond recognition in every social media post. The family has sort of become known for this. 

This norm came into question once again when a member of the family posted a photo of Khloe Kardashian in a swimsuit. The thing that made the photo refreshingly different was that it was unedited and unfiltered. It showed the famous woman in her natural state. The sad part of the story was how the family handled the situation though. 

Instead of embracing the photo that shows Khloe Kardashian naturally, the family took the photo down as fast as they could. They didn’t stop there though. They also began to copyright the image and sent messages to other users threatening legal action should they continue to post the photo. 

This kind of situation I think truly showcases how toxic social media can become. We as a society have conditioned ourselves into this instant need to be as perfect as possible online. We have to the whitest teeth, the tannest skin, no wrinkles, no rolls. Instead of embracing our true selves we often favor showcases an idealized version of ourselves in order to seem more attractive. The saddest part is that not even the most famous of people can avoid this need for perfection. 

When writing this post I could not fully come up with a good topic to discuss. When thinking about this social media journal that I have been writing here I started to think about my own online presence and what that entails.

Currently I am active on Instagram, Twitter, and several other platforms. When it comes to daily life I utilize Instagram and Twitter the most because they are just fun platforms to be on. Both have the ability to help people interact through new and fun ways whether that’s through memes or personal stories. 

The biggest personal example that I have found lately is through sports. When it comes to funny interactions my own college lacrosse team has seen some funny takes or interactions on Twitter by other accounts regarding our games. The Missouri Western Barstool account is the biggest example of this. The account posts their takes on Missouri Western athletic competitions. Often times these posts are meant to be taken as a joke and in my eyes they are pretty funny. But, they aren’t always taken that way by the other team. 

Another huge example is that of the NCAA March Madness tournaments. This example really deals with social media’s ability to call out injustices. Many female participants in the huge basketball tournament have posted on both Twitter and Instagram about what is a huge disparity in the treatment of athletes. 

Photos of the swab bags, weight rooms, and the provided meals for female athletes compared to those same items given to male athletes show the huge disparity in how these two groups of athletes are treated. Many have come out on social media in support of the female athletes and calling on the NCAA to act on the situation.

When it comes to social media sites it can often times be easier to just focus on fixing your mistakes rather than celebrating the little victories. I think when it comes to society as a whole we often times only focus on the negative because that is the thing that leaves the longest impact on us. Often times I find myself leaving more negative reviews than I do positive because the negative seems to have a more drastic effect on me than the positive interactions. 

This kind of reaction is directly correlated to a lot of social media sites when it comes to businesses and even some celebrity interactions. 

In general people expect hospitality from both businesses and celebrities alike. No one really goes into an establishment or interaction expecting a person to be rude to them or for them to be negatively impacted by the experience. As a result, many people will feel more inclined to leave negative reviews or create a post that may later go viral when they feel wronged in some way. 

Because of this businesses and people alike will often times be much more inclined to focus on damage control and fixing these situations instead of giving more attention to those few positive moments. 

That isn’t to say that fixing or trying to remedy these negative instance is wrong. This is definitely a good move and making sure that people know you are willing to change and fix your mistakes is extremely important. 

However, when people are willing to voice their positive experience with your business that experience should be celebrated. In that same way I think businesses should be more proactive in celebrating the positive impact their employees have on the world. When I see that a company is willing to celebrate the impactful and good things an employee does I often feel a bit better about doing business their since it feels like I’m supporting that employee. 

Within today’s society controlling the narrative that the public reads is extremely vital for any person or business. We this battle for control on a daily basis on every social platform nowadays. 

I think the biggest modern day example of this battle to control the narrative is seen within the British monarchy. This battle began with the marriage of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in 2018. From that day on British news sources created a narrative that eventually caused the couple to step back from their royal duties just last year. 

This Sunday the couple will air an interview that they had with Oprah Winfrey. Many believe that this interview will be where the two discuss the reasoning behind their departure from royal duties and discuss the truth behind the narrative that has followed them in the United Kingdom. 

The couple are utilizing this interview to take control of the narrative that was given to them all those years ago. They are smart to utilize an interviewer like Oprah Winfrey as well. Winfrey has the reputation of leaving no stone unturned in these types of interviews which is exactly the kind of interview that the two need to gain more control as it will allow them to seem more trustworthy in many ways. 

This battle happens in many different areas of society not just within royalty and it will continue to happen in years to come. Social media plays a crucial role in this battle that celebrities and companies alike acknowledge. 

I recently saw a video on social media that really got me thinking about how to really describe social media to another person. They used the analogy of social media being a rubik’s cube. 

A lot of us would initially respond by stating that social media is just a way for us to connect with others but it is so much more than that in reality. This is where that analogy really comes into play. Social media is a way for us to control the narrative on our lives to the rest of the world. 

What I mean by that is that social media will often seem like that side of the rubik’s cube that you have completely solved. It looks perfect and all the colors match up. Everyone looks happy in all the photos and videos and your life looks more or less perfect. 

However, life is so much more than that one side that social media shows. Life is messy and complicated just like all those other sides of the rubik’s cube. Some squares you have figured out while others are those little spots of different colors. No one is going to show those messy parts on social media though. 

The main reason I share this video is just to discuss the expectations that social media can often put on people. We see all these perfectly edited and curated photos on our feed and can become so caught up in the look of it all that we forget what life is really like. Life has nothing to do with what you see on your Instagram feed. 

I think the beauty of life is in its imperfections and those moments where we wish we caught something on camera but didn’t. Social media can sometimes make us think we need to always have it together but I think the great part about it all is that social media is slowly starting to become a more accepting and open place in response to things like this. 

Seeing body positivity accounts is one thing that has made social media seem a lot more real to me. It makes sites like Instagram and Twitter seems a lot more accepting and welcoming when we start to encourage people to stop photoshopping their faces and bodies and embrace the things that make them unique and beautiful.

The future for social media marketing and branding lies in the ability of a company to adapt and find a way to make their advertisements less commercial and more social. Social media is not like other marketing avenues like commercials or billboards. Within the sphere of social media you have to often times disguise your advertisements as a social post. 

Social media members are on sites like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook to connect and have fun. They don’t go onto these sites expecting to see advertisements like they would with radio or television. It’s because of this that companies have to make their ads more social in nature so as to attract and retain an online following. 

There are a few ways that a company can accomplish this. The first is through social media trends. Completing a fun popular online challenge and finding new ways to tie that into your brand is a great way to generate attention. Wedding dress boutiques seem to do a great job of this kind of advertising I’ve noticed especially on sites like TikTok. 

A second way that can be highly effective is through the use of social media influencers. When it comes to the younger generations of today the use of influencers and celebrities is highly effective. According to a survey done by influencer marketing agency Mediakix 80% of marketers find influencer marketing highly effective. Along with this 89% of these marketers say that the ROI from influencer marketing is comparable to or better than other marketing channels. 

These are the types of avenues that will truly attract a following for a company or product. In my opinion, influencer marketing is the biggest contender for what might become the new go to when it comes to social media marketing.

In modern society there has been a sort of drastic move of many younger people away from traditional news sources. Not too many young people will sit down for daily news from sources like the radio or television. This new generation is one that appreciates fast and efficient news and many have begun to find that social media sites now serve as their main source of news now. 

One big example of this is Twitter. I myself have begun to find that I find most of my news (whether that’s political, entertainment, or general news) from sites like Twitter and sometimes even TikTok. Both of these sites offer a way to find news in a way that is more relatable and short. 

An article published by the Pew Research Center by Michael Barthel proves that many other Americans feel the same. In the article Barthel writes that nearly two-thirds of Americans utilize Twitter as a news source. 

But, this type of personal news research can often lead one to worry about credibility. Am I getting an accurate picture of this piece of news or am I getting a biased perspective that can be misleading? 

I feel as though for the most part I have avoided to finding this kind of misinformation on Twitter. That avoidance was mainly captured by doing my research and making sure to follow news sources that were very clearly unbiased sources. Pages like Reuters, Politico, and the Washington Post all seemed like news sources that got the point across in ways that I could understand and were still unbiased for the most part and credible. 

Barthel writes that within the survey conducted for the article most the news-related tweets made by users were retweets. These of course are not original tweets made by that user but it is a way for a user to share another user’s content. If the user is sharing news from a credible source this is awesome! This gets the point across and helps to inform a greater number of people. Where this type of news sharing become problematic is when biased news sources and amateur journalists spread misinformation. 

A recent example of this the QAnon conspiracy theory. This theory has been disproven by many and credited as a far-right theory that is very problematic for our democracy at times. It was the QAnon followers, along with many other high profile politicians, who supported the insurrection at the Capitol in January. 

When users on sites like Twitter utilize the site to spread misinformation like QAnon and many other theories dangerous things can happen very quickly. So how do we fight against misinformation like this on such a public platform? That can be a very challenging question to answer at times. 

It can be really easy to say just to stay informed and share the correct information as much as you can. Misinformation is an extremely hard thing to fight against after all. But I think it is something that every user, American or not, must learn how to combat. 

A great way that I have found to combat misinformation on sites like this I have found is trying to have logical and compassionate conversations with other users. Within my own family I have seen this happen a ton on Twitter. While a good amount of people may not be receptive to it, it still helps to get the correct information out and sharing sources with these replies helps as well. 

The link to the previously mentioned article is linked below:

In today’s society we often see the quick task of many internet user to “cancel” someone after situations come to light on social media platforms. However, many people have begun to take issue with this form of accountability. 

I think the biggest reason for this is that many people find that people may not always speak in a truthful manner when they are angry online. We see this a lot when people discuss issues they may have with a certain restaurant or retail store. As a consumer you are always going to believe that you are in the right, even if that may not be the case. 

Social media sites like Twitter and Reddit now give people a platform to voice these frustrations. Sometimes these frustrations can lead to people and businesses being singled out and to be “canceled” without everyone knowing the full story. 

Personally, I think the best way to solve an issue like this is being active on your socials and being understanding and willing to change when a situation like this occurs. Even if you did nothing wrong, there is still something to be learned from the situation and ways that you can learn to prevent it from happening again. 

Dave Kerpen discusses this idea of listening on social media and I think he gives a good explanation on how that may look for young entrepreneurs and small businesses. Kerpen writes that listening not only makes your consumer feel more loyal and resolves the issue it strengthens your relationship with other consumers as well. “When customers or prospects acknowledge that you’re listening, you immediately strengthen your relationships with them.” This idea stretches beyond businesses as well and I think can be applied to individuals as well.

Listening is more than just hearing something someone has to say. Listening also involves the willing to change or come to a new understanding regarding any misunderstanding. We see this a ton in celebrities nowadays. 

A big example would be contestants on the Bachelor and Bachelorette. These shows live for the drama that cancel culture creates. For example, a contestant named Jed Wyatt was the “winner” of Hannah Brown’s season of the Bachelorette. Everyone loved him until it came to be known that he had a girlfriend for much of the show. Everyone on social media bashed him for months saying he was a horrible person and a cheater. As always people can be very quick to judge on social media and this is where we see cancel culture come out. 

It later came to be that all of this drama surrounding Jed may not even be true when another contestant, Dylan Barbour spoke out on social media saying that producers made it seem like Jed cheated on Hannah when he never truly did.