My Beauty My Say

Everyone gets commented on every day on the way they look, it can positive and negative comments. We start at an early age being bullied on the way we look whether it’s our hair, nose, eyes, body, or even the way we dress. We take those comments and try an alter ourselves to fit into everyone’s expectations, but the reality is that we shouldn’t care what others think we only have to care about what we think of ourselves. This is something that Dove has been tackling through its beauty campaigns from the Real Beauty campaign, I am Beautiful and the Speak Beautiful campaign. According to Dove’s research only 4% of women consider themselves beautiful, which is crazy we should all consider each other beautiful but it’s hard when people and social media constantly remind us of our imperfections.

Dove released a new beauty campaign on June 28, 2016, that focused on 9 women who talked about what people had said about them and ended on a powerful note and stated that only they get to say who they are, how they get to dress, and how beautiful they are.  As you can see below

For other beauty campaigns Dove has targeted audiences from ages 18, but based on the women in the video Dove has decided to start women from ages 24-60 that in the workforce that is always being judged in some aspects. They elaborate more on what these women go through every day by providing six individual videos of 6 of the women from the previous video. Each woman explained more in detail what they do, how they are judged every day by others, comments that they were told, and how it made them feel. Dove’s research shows that 7 out 10 women agreed that they get more comments at work about their appearance instead of their achievements. Below is a video of one of the women elaborating on their story.

They inspired women to stand up for themselves and learn to love ourselves because that is all that really matter. We shouldn’t have to dress for people based on what they believe my body type should be wearing. I shouldn’t have to change my career based on my gender or beauty. I am the only person that has a right to say what is right for me. Women on social media participating are women in the workforce and women in school that have heard comments like she is too fat to wear that, she is too pretty to be smart, and wearing that much makeup will not make you beautiful. Many women can relate to the speakers in the video, well not only women but men too.  #MyBeautyMySay

 

First World Problems: WATERisLife

Purpose: WATERisLife is an organization fighting for clean water, sanitation, and hygiene programs in developing nations. It has gone viral for its tweak on the #FirstWorldProblems hashtag back in 2012. This one-minute video features impoverished residents of Haiti, recite tweets from the #FirstWorldProblems hashtag trend. The irony of the script, recited by people from the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, calls out the ridiculousness of the hashtag, while emphasizing the negative conditions that individuals in third world countries are facing everyday. It reminds viewers to not take their resources and lifestyles for granted.

Audience: The audience of this promotional video are privileged individuals who live in first world countries around the globe, and who are financially capable of donating to the cause.

Participation: The YouTube video has been viewed over 6 million times.

Impact: The campaign generated awareness of the social problem, and its message spread all over social media. The campaign received enough donations to give one million days of clean water to those in need. The campaign also won three awards at the Cannes Lions 2014 awards.

Sources:

1. http://brogan.com/blog/effective-nonprofit-social-media-marketing-campaign-example-10-water-life
2. http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/23/tech/ad-campaign-twist/

 

 

 

#SpotlightOn

I have decided to look at the new SpotlightOn initiative. SpotlightOn  is a youth awareness movement centered in the city of Chicago and pioneered by the bulls shooting guard Dwayne Wade. Dwayne Wade is a Chicago native who understands the struggle of growing up in a neighborhood with not a lot of positive surroundings. The#spotlightOn initiative is geared towards raising awareness for young boys and girls in the Chicagoland area who are exposed to daily gun violence. Dwayne Wade and the #SpotlightOn team hope empower the youth and make them believe that they can achieve their dreams.

The SpotlightOn social Initiative is targeting the youth of Chicago and anyone who believes this matter to be of importance. This initiative mainly focuses on individuals who are looking for a purpose in life other than the streets. Dwayne Wade’s vision is to give the kids from these troubled areas the spotlight that they rightfully deserve for putting in work to become something better in life.

Many of the individuals highlighted in the movement vary in ages from elementary school to high school. This is a pivotal point in most kids lives where they must decide either to make something of themselves or continue to live the life that will only lead to trouble.

The spotlightOn team encourages people to share uplifting stories in their troubled community while hoping to create a ripple effect amongst children. The big idea is to get the youth to believe in themselves and ultimately, make a better living for themselves rather than what they are accustom to. This initiative is in the very early stages and has some interaction but isn’t completely a national phenomenon just yet. The main way to participate is to use the #spotlightOn on social media platforms to put the spotlight on the youth of Chicago in order to encourage them to accomplish their dreams.

Currently, there has not been a huge impact just yet, but that is because this is a rather new initiative.  Dwayne wade has made an effort to bring three individuals to Chicago Bulls games and highlight their accomplishments. Deon bridge’s was a young man from urban prep high school in Englewood who is a model student and holds a 3.5 GPA. Deon also plays for the baseball team and has a role in the student government. Deon is raised in one of the roughest neighborhoods in Chicago but he remains to have a positive attitude and has high hopes of making a better living for himself when he goes off to college. Deon is a prime example of what can happen if you turn your bad situation into a positive. The positive outlook of his community and the people around him make him a prime example of the SpotlightOn initiative.

The SpotLightOn awareness initiative is one that will continue to grow due to the concerning behaviors of the youth in the Chicago-land area. It is important that we continue to bring these situations to light to help let the children of Chicago know that their current situation is not permanent.

I read it on reddit.

What can I say about reddit besides the fact that it is the dopest site in all the land. This place legit has everything you could ever want. Fun facts? Check. Recipes? Check. Random shower thoughts that strangers across the world are having? Triple check.

Look, I know, a conglomerate of random links and posts from across the web in the form of a social media site isn’t something new. Heck, tumblr, Facebook, and even Pinterest are sorta like that. But yo, reddit has been around for a while, since 2005 as a matter of fact.

Yeah Spock, not bad indeed. But what adds to the coolness of reddit is that it is run by the people for the people! Just like the American government except nothing like the American government at all…

Anyways… moving along!

People create things on reddit called “subreddits” and on these nifty little subpages there are a multitude of redditors posting and sharing links about … well anything really. Going back to what I said earlier, there is a subreddit for almost anything. That obscure show that came out in the 1980’s with the title that is on the tip of your tongue probably has a subreddit.

Ok, now, I know what you’re thinking “Sergio, you’re so clever and handsome. And it’s so nice that you’re telling us all about reddit but did you forget what this assignment is about? You’re supposed to review a dope app! The Prof. isn’t going to be happy about you going off into meaningless tangents that don’t have to do with anything… Speaking of which, did you forget to switch you clothes into the dryer? You should probably get on that…”

Wow, that internal monologue had a whole paragraph dedicated to it… jeepers I gotta focus…

Where was I?

Oh right! The app! Well as you dandy folks have probably figured out, the app I’m going to be talking about is the Facebook app! JUST KIDDING, no you silly geese, I’m going to talk about (and or review? maybe? I forgot exactly what I have to do for this assignment…) the reddit app!

Even though reddit has been around for quite some time, it didn’t have it’s own official app until 2016, this year! Wowzers right? What were they waiting for?!… seriously, I’m asking you, I don’t know what they waited for…

There were a multitude of reddit apps flooding both the iOS and the Android market at the time, promising a fluid and fantastic reddit experience. The problem with that though was that people were not 100% content with one app or another, and at the heart of it all, redditors always felt like an official app would be the bees knees all things considered.

With the official app, everything was made fluid and fantastical. Photos would load properly, it was incredibly easy to navigate, there was even a night mode for when you laid in bed at night contemplating the sheer meaningless that is life and the insignificant mass that your body as a whole is in the context of time and space.

The official reddit app just works. Your newsfeed is always present, all of your subreddits are aligned beautifully just a tap away, notifications are organized and easy to navigate, and last but certainly not yeast, your profile along with your comments and all of your own posts were just another swipe away.

If you are a fan of reddit and have not used the official app then I don’t believe you because it was a pretty big deal when it came out. You expect me to believe that? Huh? Really? Like a real redditor wouldn’t know about the official reddit app? Come on! What? Next you’re going to tell me that Jared Leto isn’t the most beautiful man you’ve ever laid eyes on, come on! Pfft. I’m out of here.

App Evaluation: Instagram

It’s 2016 and people are pretty much over Facebook. They’re over going through their news feed and seeing someone posting an album of “what I did this summer!” Which contains 105 pictures of them at the beach with their friends. We get it, you had a great time at the beach, but wouldn’t we get that from just one picture? That’s where Instagram comes in. Instagram is this uprising app that is all about posting one picture at a time to capture a great Kodak moment. It allows people to express themselves through pictures by showing their artsy photograph skills. Basically Instagram is being more by being less. With posting one picture at a time, your followers get to double tap it so say they like your picture or they can keep swiping down to the next Instagramer’s picture.

Instagram is a world-wide app. It is used on all technology devices (iPhones, iPads laptops, androids etc.). Anyone and everyone can simply download and start posting pictures. Instagram has 300 million active users. 90% of those users are under the age of 35. This social media platform has impacted many social, political, and humanitarian issues around the world. Instagram is about connecting with people all around the world through pictures. It is a useful social media platform for businesses and celebrities to promote their brand.

Twitter: @najalloul

Instagram: @najla.jalloul

 

Yik Yak –

When Yik Yak launched a few years ago – it spread across the country because it gave students the chance to say whatever they wanted to!

Why is this app so catchy? Yik Yak is a social media application that allows people to create and view discussion threads within a specific radius anonymously. The posts that are posted are known as “Yaks”. All users can contribute to the threads by writing, responding, and voting up or down – which means liking or disliking Yaks.

The app was released in November 2013, by two college students – and was ranked as the 9^th most downloaded social media app in the United States. On January 2016, Yik Yak announced the web version of the app.

Some of the features of the app are:

• Upvote/Downvote – This is how you rate different posts on the app. If a post is popular enough, it will receive more upvotes as compared to downvotes. If a Yak gets -5 downvoters, it is deleted permanently.
• Photos – This feature allows people to add pictures to their yaks. The pictures are not supposed to be illegal or inappropriate content.
• Peek – This feature allows users to anonymously view other Yik Yak community feeds. Initially, you could only read Yak’s from some College’s but not you can Peek into any College or City in the World. Users can not post in other discussion boards – because they are not in that radius.

The app has faced a lot of criticism but the biggest one they came across is cyberbullying. It has hard for them to manage that issue because everyone is posting anonymously. Due to the widespread bullying and harassment happening though this app – many schools have taken action to ban the app. These include several Chicago District schools and other universities across the globe. University of Georgia is another example that attempted to ban the app across campus because of all the problems they were facing – but failed to do so because of the reaction of the students.

So what are you waiting for? Download the App and start reading what others are posting – and maybe you will be hooked to it as well!

Boomerang

Boomerang is a mobile video gif maker. A “gif” is a graphics interchange format that takes a very short video and repeats its over and over again. Like this:

This is a completely free app that anyone with a mobile device or iPad can download. When it comes to customization, there really is not a lot of options. All you can do is take the short gif and save it to your device or share it right away to a connected platform like Instagram or Facebook. This app is very easy to use because it is very simple. This first picture below is what the home screen looks like when you pull up the app. As you can see there are only 4 possible, pretty self explanatory,  things you can click on. The first is in the top right which is the flash, the second in the bottom right is the flip camera button so you can either take videos of yourself or whats in front of you, the third is the large circle in the bottom center which is the shutter release button to actually take the video. The second picture is what comes up right after you take your gif, it gives you your options of where you can share or save your video to. The fourth button in the bottom left where you can see all your saved gifs, which is the third picture.

I think this is a cool app, but could add more features like different filters for the gifs. In the iTunes app store, Boomerang received 3 1/2 stars which is okay but nothing great. Many people, including myself, have expressed that, “This is a great app but needs to expand.”

NBA App: Mobile-friendly?

Wouldn’t you love to keep up with your favorite teams around the NBA on the go? Well, the NBA mobile app provides access to many features to keep you up-to-date when you’re not at home to watch the game. But is it mobile-friendly?

Purpose: NBA mobile is designed to give users access to everything they want and need to remain up-to-date of the latest news around the league. It’s primarily used to check live scores and watch highlights and live games, however, there are many other features that will be explained in further detail that users enjoy.

Features: The app allows users to see schedules to check live scores, game times, and in-game stats, and customize your experience by following your favorite teams and players. There is also the option to watch live regular season NBA games all season long with the purchase of a NBA LEAGUE PASS subscription directly from your mobile device. If you aren’t able to catch the games in live streaming, you can even watch top plays from around the league with video highlights and recaps of your favorite games.

In addition, it provides the top stories around the league including trades, standings, news, and more. The mobile app also links to the NBA store where users can find their favorite fan gear such as jerseys, shirts and more. 

Usability: NBA mobile is built to be easy to use. As you saw in the above photo, its tabs on the bottom of the screen features the main function of the app to see scores of games, top stories, videos, standings, and more. The features are easy to find and maneuver through. However, there are many issues with its server, which makes it difficult to see updates and watch video at times.

Aesthetics: The design of the app is based on the NBA theme colors (red, white and blue). Its design is simple and clean.

Accessibility: The app is free to its users, however, it has features that requires payment.

Reviews: Users on the iTunes store gave the app 3.5/5 stars. As for the current version, users are giving the app 1/5 stars. This shows that every update to an app isn’t a good one. Many users complain about the design or functionality of the app. NBA mobile should consider how to make their app more appealing to consumers.

Evaluation: NBA mobile has the potential to be a great mobile application. There needs to be some improvements with its functionality regarding its servers and access to videos.

Yelp App: Designed for Mobility?

Purpose: Yelp is an app that connects consumers to local businesses: from restaurants to dentists, and more!

Features: Users can bookmark, review, search and rate businesses as they wish, from their personal profile. Yelp also provides business information, including directions and contact info. Checking-in and adding photos is also encouraged. Some businesses allow making food orders and reservations. Users can also track popular events. Yelpers who are well-trusted for reviews, are given ranking and recognition.

Usability: Yelp is definitely user-friendly. After downloading the app, all the user has to do is create a simple profile. It could be as basic or elaborate as you’d like. When a user wants to find a nearby business, they can use the search function on the search tab. A list of nearby and/or popular businesses will pop up on the feed. The search engine can get as detailed as the type of business, location, popularity, price range, deal offers, and more. On the search tab, the user can also see a map of businesses that are nearby, that are of their interest, based on their search query. The app is useful for discovering businesses that are useful to the consumer. It allows consumers to have a voice, and allows consumers to do research on businesses before walking in.

Aesthetics: Yelp uses red to represent taking action, and energy. The white interface creates easy readability, with black text. Photos of businesses are shown throughout the app. There are 5 main tabs on the app, that divide content.

Accessibility: The Yelp app is free for consumers.

Reviews: Users give Yelp a 3.5/4 stars overall in the iTunes Store. Many critiques of the app are about the social aspect of it. Some users do not like that anyone can see your profile, and that there is a default feed with unwanted posts. However, many users trust Yelp, and find the app to be useful.

Evaluation: Yelp is a great app for consumers who are constantly looking for new places to eat, drink, shop, and play. It gives consumers a voice, and gives businesses a presence.

App Review–

The app that I will be reviewing is Class Dojo. Class Dojo is an online classroom community where teachers have the opportunity to interact with parents and students by sharing the daily activities of students. The mobile application allows parents to receive and send messages to the teacher, receive pictures and videos, and see the progress of their student. It’s also great because the teacher encourage students by giving a report based on attendance, punctuality, but also on teamwork, being responsible, participation, and generosity among others. This encourages students to do well because they know their parents will see it and also creates a greater connection with parents since they’re at work. The application has the main buttons of stories, kids, messages, and notifications. Stories is like a newsfeed where the pictures and videos appear, in kids it allows you to manage the profiles of all of your kids, messages allows you to get messages from the teacher and also send them and notifications let’s you know of anything knew. This makes the app very simple, easy and useful to use.

The apps visual is very appealing in my view. It consists of clear designs and the app is fun to use– not boring to see in my opinion. The app is free. It is not designed for disabled users. Based on the reviews I read, the majority of problems are related to bugs in the system that causes slow download, freezing issues, and similar problems. There were a lot of positive reviews mentioning that it’s easy to use and they love being able to see their kid’s progress and pictures/ videos. They also like they’re able to message the teacher. Overall, there were 67,762 five star reviews and 8,880 1 star reviews.