Nosedive Reaction Post

Photo Credit: Black Mirror Still, Netflix 2016
Lacie holding on to her phone for inevitable rating.

Nosedive is an episode of Black Mirror that follows the life of main character Lacie, played by Bryce Dallas Howard. The setting portrays itself as a utopian world filled with pastel colors and residents always on their toes. Lacie walks us through her morning to work and we immediately see how high strung and nerve wracking things seem to truly be underneath all of the perfection.

Photo Credit: Black Mirror Still, Netflix 2016
Lacie's coworker Chester offering free smoothies to mend relationships with coworkers.

Viewers are immediately introduced to the individual rating systems and right off the bat we are plunged into a social media nightmare. Many people who have already succumbed to the pressures of social media may feel this way already, but in Nosedive, every aspect of your life is dictated by your score. The photo above shows Lacie's coworker who is desperately dipping in ranks and trying to pass out free smoothies to remedy his relationships with his coworkers. Many people don't want to give him the chance to even try because they don't want to interact with such a low score. This could be comparable to people today who truly dictate their lives and actions according to numbers of social media profiles. There are people who are so shallow and have numbers organize their friendships.

Photo Credit: Black Mirror Still, Netflix 2016
Lacie's brother Ryan ridiculing the community she's trying to move into.

However, with every socially charged citizen comes a few freethinkers and in Nosedive, this is Lacie's own brother, Ryan - shown above. Ryan doesn't care about the rating system and challenges it everyday. While he does have good intentions, Lacie continues to remind him that these numbers aren't just numbers. They dictate their lives and because of his low numbers, he isn't able to interact with certain people, get certain jobs, or live on his own. These are rude awakenings for Ryan. Many free thinkers today try to go against the status quo but how far are you willing to go before becoming completely outcasted?

The episode continues on Lacie starts making one mistake after another. She realizes how fragile her score and her emotional strength is. She eventually finds herself locked up due to her low ratings. The ending of this episode is extremely confusing but it can be interpreted in many ways.

Although Lacie is physically locked up, she no longer feels the mental barriers of the society that she had once been apart of.

The final scene in Nosedive.

Licensed Images Assignment: Chapter 2

"DSC01186" by amberman is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 
Man sitting and texting on his smart phone

Chapter 2 focused on Computer Mediated Communication. The chapter discussed the phenomenon of the Internet and how these online outlets have truly transformed the way people communicate with each other on a day to day basis. It is easier than ever to communicate with people halfway across the world with a few clicks of a button. Accessibility through communication has reached an all time high but with any positive aspects come the negative ones too.

The chapter also discussed how people are able to very easily veil their true identities to create online personas. These personas can be harmless and fun but they could also be seen as deceptive and lead to some dark consequences. However, while identity issues like this pose a threat on the Internet, it is also extremely important to consider the multitude of opportunities that this medium also allows.

Growing and interacting with online communities have become easier than ever. Internet culture, like memes, continue to grow due to this idea of joint idea sharing through online platforms. While there may seem to be a decrease in everyday face to face communication, global connection has become stronger than ever.

Licensed Images Assignment

"" by latca is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 
Photo of a New York City crowd on the sidewalk.

Many people assume that if a photo is on the Internet, it's free to use and this is not the case at all. Copyright law states that if you did not create it, license it, or purchase it, you are likely violating artist copyright laws and this could land you in some serious trouble. If options 1 and 3 are out of your reach, option 2 (image licensing) can be a great way to access hundreds of quality photos.

Licensed images allow general users to find appropriate media to enhance their text, graphics, or any online project they are trying to execute. Image licensing ensures that people are being properly credited through this system of image sharing and it also allows for some minimal exposure to be received by the photographer. While the system is clear and direct, people continue to violate these rules thinking that the millions of daily Internet users will be able to cover their tracks. Well, many large firms have dedicated employees called "trolls" or "spiders" that seek out any people violating copyright laws and using photos without permission. These charges could cost from $750 all the way up to $150,000 depending on the level of copyright infringement.

Digital Writing Style: The Skimm

Photo Credit: Tenzin Tsepel
This is a bird's eye shot of a table layout at the store Muji.
It symbolizes cleanliness and organization- two factors that are needed when utilizing hyperlinks.

The Skimm uses various, boldly colored hyperlinks to help add to the content within the summarized emails. Hyperlinks not only give the reader more context and content but it also gives The Skimm, or the publisher, metrics to base data research and monetization off of. An opened email may or may not show interest in a certain topic but a link clicked gives direct reference to the point at which the reader decided that he or she wanted more information.

Hyperlinks can be extremely effective when used intelligently. In the past, I've written articles regarding topics in the advertising technology industry and when I used hyperlinks to refer back to other articles I was taught to hyperlink verbs that alluded to the article. An example would be "T his past Monday it was reported that Apple released a new iPhone model." Instead of adding a hyperlink to "new iPhone model" I would add the hyperlink to "reported" because that would link back to the original report where the initial information was taken from. The Skimm also uses a similar format of hyperlinking and, in my opinion, this is the most effective and efficient.

Some potential weaknesses to hyperlinks could be overusing them. If hyperlinks are scattered too many times throughout an article, the text can seem busy and it's unclear which links matter more than others. Another potential weakness could be citing back to an incorrect source. Rather than linking back to an original source you could accidentally link back to a similar news-related site than could potentially grab your audience and readers.

Overall, hyperlinks are an extremely good way of efficiently providing your reader with more content and context within a summarized medium like an email.

Digital Writing Style: Chapter 5

Photo Credit: Tenzin Tsepel
A photo of a shoreline mimicking the lifestyle of California

Chapter 5 covered the in's and out's of social media marketing. This is an extremely popular and relevant topic in today's day and age with the rise of social and influencer marketing. The chapter covers a variety of different topics from the foundational aspects, key terms, and McCarthy's 4 P's, to modern integrations within promotions and online media, to case studies displaying successes and failures of companies trying to take advantage of the concept of virality.

This chapter detailed the relationship between the consumer and the business through meaningful, step by step interactions that will eventually end in a sale. Consumers start their shopping passively before even entering a store or clicking onto a website. This is why social media marketing is so vital in hitting the customer while they are still in this passive state. How customers respond to different ads, especially native ads that appear to blend in with their usual feeds, are significant impressions that help raise the value of certain media placements.

Podcast Recording

Podcast Plan

Podcast Name: YuhNTea with Tenzin and Beba

Log-Line: All the tea about Ariana Grande – yuh!

Series Description: This podcast is all about Ariana Grande. From her early years to her present career, your hosts, Tenzin and Beba, will tell you all you need to about America's current pop princess. Stay tuned to for the best music news, relationship gossip, and yuh-TEA you could ever imagine!

Episode List:

1. The Evolution of Ariana Grande
• Your hosts take you through a brief overview of her career and then analyze our own favorites from each Ariana Grande studio album.
  
2. Ariana Grande's Early Years
• Exploring the earlier years of Ariana and how her training, experiences, and skills have turned her into the pop powerhouse she is today.
  
3. All About Cat Valentine
• Discussing her career as a long-running cast member on the Nickelodeon show, Victorious!
  
4. Donuts and Other Controversies
• Everyone remembers when Ariana licked a donut in a local bakery, right? We'll discuss this controversy and more!
  
5. Thank You, Next: Relationships Pt. 1
• First in a two-part series about Ariana's relationships focusing on her background dancer fling and her on-again-off-again romance with Big Sean.
  
6. Thank You, Next: Relationships Pt. 2
• Second in a two-part series about Ariana's relationships focusing on her heartwrenching relationship with Mac Miller and also her engagement with Pete Davidson.
  
7. To Dye For: Ariana's Hair Journey
• Ariana is famous for all of her different hairstyles and colors throughout the years leading up to her iconic high ponytail
  
8. Frankie in the Shadows
• Talking all about Frankie Grande, her older brother. Is he stuck in her shadows or paving his own path?
  
9. Ariana on Broadway
• Discussing Ariana's first years on Broadway and her return to live theatre in recent years.
  
10. Is God a Woman?
• Analyzing her single and video for "God is a Woman" and talking about the following comments, critiques, and controversies.