Social media is ever-changing, especially for our times. New websites are always being created or cool updates are added to apps that end up making some more popular than others. I can almost see the summer of 2008, scrolling on an old PC thinking I knew how to code because I was able to change my MySpace background. For a while that was the most used platform. It had it all, best friends, cool wallpapers, and profile songs. There’s huge speculation about why Facebook took over in the social media world, in 2011 Forbes wrote an article which went into detail saying Facebook basically let users go wherever they wanted it. It allowed them to play games, something MySpace didn’t have back in the day. Fast forward to 2020, MySpace still exists now but it is nowhere near as booming as it once was when it reached its peak at 100 million users. You see, the key in staying at the top of the food chain is to come up with innovative ideas and keep the site growing. The more users have to do and gain from it, the more active they’ll be. Right now Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, and Tik Tok reign the social media world but which will be the first to drop due to a lack of innovation?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamhartung/2011/01/14/why-facebook-beat-myspace/#b0ddc8b147e9

Walking in to RTV 3531 the first day of spring semester was a very scary situation I did not want to go through. I consider myself to have a good understanding of speech and feel very comfortable in front of the camera but the behind the scenes was unexplored territory for me.
It’s impressive to see where I’m at now compared as to where I was when I first walked in. The first real assignment we were assigned involved the huge looking cameras that have a million and one settings. There I was, taking an up close head shot of a complete stranger to me- nerve wrecking. Now, after having completed a series of assignments and learning about the Adobe creative cloud, I can honestly say I’m able to create and edit a mean video! I may not be at an expert level yet but this class rooted the basics for me and gave me the confidence to play around and learn about different programs and what the cloud has to offer especially for people within my major. It’s important to be well-rounded in both in front and behind the camera in this case and for that I thank this class and the awesome guy with the melon!

Many people make a living off of different social media apps because of their followers. Let’s talk about Instagram and the Instagram models. It is crazy what having a big following will do for you, there are countless amounts of “celebrities” who share their lifestyles on the gram and through it get followers who either admire the lifestyle or simply find the pictures aesthetically pleasing. The reality of it is, if you have enough followers you can get free dinners, beauty treatments, and if you’re really lucky- paid for trips. What do these companies ask for in exchange? Promotion. They know they have to let go of say a 40$ manicure/pedicure but if the chosen model has 90,000 followers the income will end up being much greater! By using these methods both parties become benefited. This new form of job is seemingly nowhere near the end because Instagram only gets bigger and better. The tricky part is, what happens if the app one day shuts down?

Being someone that is usually very active and on her feet, COVID-19 took me by complete surprise and the quarantine was a dreadful thought. I remember getting a call from my mom saying, “Today is the last day you go out, things are getting really ugly.” At the time I didn’t realize how long this would go on for- nobody did. Day after day, my sleeping schedule got worse and getting out of bed before 5 p.m. seemed like a sin. I will not say I’m completely adapted to the idea of being home for such a long period of time but somewhere in between the countless hours, I became thankful for this small period of rest. It is strange for me to not be talking someone’s ear off… anyone that will hear me I’m there front and center. Thankfully from this break I have learned to let things flow and not be the usual control freak I am by nature. It is strange to see and feel how comfortable I have become with the idea of being alone and not needing an ongoing conversation with a friend. I have learned how to sit in silence by myself and actually enjoy myself. I figured, if I’m stuck home while people are fatally ill and passing away the least I could do is be thankful I am not in that situation and ever since then everything changed for me.

Senior year is quite an eventful year. Although the social gatherings are every year, year round, when it’s senior year everything multiplies and the need to do things because it’s the last year is heightened. Having only two semesters left one of them being summer, the pressure is on to attend and participate in any school activities and social gatherings with the people I have met a long the way. Many of them don’t necessarily live in Miami and might go back to where they are from so every second counts. The scary part is that along with this comes the load of schoolwork. Since these are the last classes they might also be the most intensive ones like in my case for example. Finding that perfect balance is crucial during this time and for s while it seemed like a difficult task for me. Now that the quarantine is here it has taken the social aspect of it away but on the bright side… go school?

Now a days finding things to do within your four walls can be difficult and keeping your mind busy even harder. During these times it is important to keep moving and and keep your body in movement. Lately, Instagram workout have been inspiring me to get on my mat and do circuits. While on Instagram you can search different workouts you want to try in the hashtags. Some I’ve found that work for me especially in these times where equipment is limited are: #yoga, #HIIT, #homeworkout. Within these there are pictures of WODs or workout of the day where it names all the workouts and how many reps of each you should do. Other posts show videos of different workouts which help you do them step by step. Some Instagram accounts I follow for good workouts are: https://www.instagram.com/avb.fit/
https://www.instagram.com/collegecleaneating/
https://www.instagram.com/valeriu_gutu/

Below I leave you with one of the best most painful HIIT workouts I have tried in a while!

Coronavirus seems to have struck us in a way we will not forget. All Adobe programs have now been made available for students for the first time ever. As a media broadcasting major, these programs are all essential to the growth and continuation of our education. Although I am impressed with the action put in place by the program, I also feel it was necessary. Unfortunately, there are students who can not afford such programs especially in a time of need where many have lost their jobs.

Once you create a log in with the Adobe system, you get access to the cloud. There is virtually every and any program you might need to edit and put together audios and videos. Many students involved in any media production classes need these programs and being that were almost at the end of the semester many video and audio projects are due.

Monday March 23rd I received a call that sent chills down my spine. “Come home, Bryan tested positive,” my mom said. My cousin Bryan spent the summer in Spain doing a program with FIU abroad. He received the news that universities across the country were shutting and sending everyone home. As soon as he landed in Miami his parents drove him straight to the hospital but he was cleared after a quick screening of his temperature and throat. “Take an allergy pill, it’s the season,” said the doctor. Fast forward a week and the COVID-19 tests are available, naturally his mom sent him directly to get tested.

It’s important to note he not once felt a cough, a headache, or much less any body ache. He seems to be an asymptomatic carrier who fortunately will not have to go through the severeness of how it has hit other people. The whole family is now waiting for the test results to see if they have it as well.

In a field like Mass Com where editing is crucial, it is of utmost importance to get familiar with the world that is Adobe. There are 16 primary programs that help you edit and modify anything from pictures to videos and more. Photoshop is one of the most popular ones but that is not the only one Adobe offers! A lot of people seem to not know this or there are some that think they are just too difficult to use. Considering google and tutorials exist it should not be a problem to get an understanding of these. The best part is that for a monthly membership fee you get to enjoy and choose from this wide variety of programs. I recently stumbled upon a very informative article while trying to search more of Premiere pro. Here is an article that walks you through the different characteristics you will find and be able to use with Adobe.

https://www.groovypost.com/reviews/adobe-programs-explained/

What does it mean that people are advocating for the washing or hands and the sanitizing of basically everything around them. Was it not something they were doing before? Yesterday my mom sent me to Publix to look for basic groceries. Everything is out. No water, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, or vitamin C. The shelves have all been wiped out of everything. It is understandable to want to get everything you need for your family in case there has to be a quarantine but as of right now we are not there. The consideration of others must also be at play when buying products especially for the ones leaving with 10 packs of toilet paper. Imagine this, when toilet paper runs out because people are exaggeratedly buying packs it leaves others with no other option but to buy baby wipes. What happens then? Some babies will run out of wipes soon but there’s no more on the shelves. It is all a chain reaction and in times of need it is important to not lose humanity and care for one another. We are all living through the same thing and as much as panic strikes it is important to remain calm in times like these not letting it become a “every man for himself” situation.