This is my first blog ever, but undoubtedly not the last one! Having a blog is a big responsibility because you might be influencing a lot of people you don't know. All statements I make here will last. Before having a blog I regarded blogging as a personal experience; to express yourself (thoughts, tastes) to the rest of the world. But I learned that, unless you are recognised person like a famous actor or athlete, no one is interested in reading about your life! As our teacher said:
NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR BLOG
It is very challenging to make people care if it the subject is not related to them. This became my objective while blogging. Interesting posts that attracted people and inspired them to get out of that ME bubble that is common nowadays and have their eyes opened to what is happening; because the decisions you make in the present are what creates a better future.
I hope you have appreciate it, and most of all, applied these advices in your daily life to take the most advantage of today's media.
...porque lo que hacemos en la vida
tiene su eco en la eternidad.
You might be asking yourself the question "How on Earth can I save the world in just two seconds?!" You might also believe that revolution times are over. The world has already passed its changing phase. All I can tell you is:
TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGING
Yes, it is from Bob Dylan's song, which in my opinion is one of the greatest and most meaningful songs ever written. It makes me see things and problems as ephemeral:
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is rapidly fadin'
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'
In January, a documentary about the creation of Greenpeace was released. Just by watching the trailer I felt a tickling in my nose, which is how my body reacts to something I find extremely exciting. When I finished watching the documentary "How to change the world" I realised my attitude of conformation is wrong; there has never been a better time to save the world! You just have to have a concrete idea. What is known as Greenpeace today once was a bunch of hippies that hire a boat to protest against a nuclear weapon test. One of the creators coined the term in the beginning of the 70s as mind-bomb, "where an idea gets into the electronic media and just spreads like ripples on a water, instantly" (taken from the documentary). Today we call it to go viral. With the internet, anyone can go viral in just 2 seconds.
I believe this documentary is one of the greatest works of 2015 because it is entertaining and engaging and the same time is very educative, which is a rare combination nowadays. It produces feelings strong enough to make someone act, which I believe is also lacking nowadays. People are too confortable with the reality they are living. They need to ask themselves the question: What reality am I living? Here is the trailer of "How to change the world":
Social media gave the public the freedom to express themselves openly to the rest of the world. It allowed them to instantly create and exchange information and ideas through different mediums: text, pictures, videos. People felt empowered.
Also, social media turned the act of reading news a participatory experience, as it allowed the public to share and comment them. In a survey by Doug Gross for CNN, in 2010 75% of the American population got their news from emails and/or social media websites, mostly Facebook and Twitter. The problem is that, as social media is an open source, there is no formal barriers in publishing.
ANYONE CAN BE A JOURNALIST
Everyone can write about anything they please, even about something they have no idea about. The democratisation of news caused the need to be skeptical about everything you encounter online, even a Facebook profile.
How to detect junk news:
They usually have the most intriguing headline, and use words such as breakthrough.
CAPITAL LETTERS. Abuse of CAPITAL LETTERS in the headline to catch YOUR attention.
It is a prediction of a worldwide disaster. They sometimes even give dates!
It tells you an easy way to cure something that is not cured easily, for example cancer or obesity. "One simple step to lose 5 kg in one week" or "Miracle ancient root that cures cancer" are just two of the many headlines I regularly come across in my Facebook Homepage.
It is important to check the credibility of the source. There are hundreds of Facebook applications that invent news only to get visitors or likes.
He is the journalist and web entrepreneur responsible for the co-creation of the media company VICE Media, Inc.
VICE currently has 36 offices all over the world.
It has a multimedia network that counts with an exclusive source of original online video and an international network of digital and non-digital branches: ● VICE News ●VICE Sports ●Munchies ●Noisey ●The Creators Project ●Thump ●Fightland ●i-D.co ●Television and feature film production studio ●A magazine ●Vice Records (record label)
How he did it?
All started in Canada, in 1994. Smith, along with Gavin McInnes and Suroosh Alvi, founded what was called at the time Voice of Montreal; with the help of government funding destined to provide work and community services. It published articles about subjects not covered in print. In the present day, twenty one years since it creation, VICE Media has a net worth over $400 million US dollars.
The New York Times described him in the article, A Wild Man Grows Up (Just Enough), as “a cross between punk rocker and Fortune 500 Executive”, as he fulfils two opposite roles: he is the voice of the new generation of careless and spontaneous youngsters, but also the link between that audience (which is rather difficult to reach) and corporate America. So more than a dual role, we can say he fulfils a bounding role.
You can see how his regular day looks like in this article by The Wall Street Journal. How different is it from your regular day?
Another fact that might interest you (but do not interest me at all), is that Smith is in the list Ones to watch, by Forbes Magazine, which lists future FORBES400 members (the wealthiest 400 Americans of the year). This demonstrates how successful a man who does something driven by passion can become; as he told Jeff Bercovici (journalist for Fobes Magazine):
“The best piece of advice I ever got from anyone was when Spike Jonze said take money out of the equation. And that’s actually when Vice started making lots of money. That’s when I stopped worrying about money and started worrying about what I wanted to do.”
Youtube video of Shane Smith in North Korea, Nov. 2011
If you are like me and feel that life is too short to spend it reading never-ending articles, you should read this post TWICE. You will discover many reliable sources that are actually pleasant and fun to read (or watch).
Internet is an infinite source of anything you are looking for at just one click. You just need to type it and google will do almost all the work for you! But what do you type when you are not looking for anything specifically, just because you want to get informed about what is happening? Just because YOU CARE?
Two news websites (and apps, of course) full of original content about everything that is going on and beyond.
Seriously, I can spend a whole day watching OZY's video channel. It covers many different topics, from "people who are accelerating our culture and advancing the conversation" to "tales from the past to titillate and educate --and give you a lens on the present and future." You can follow OZY on Instagram and on Facebook, but what interests me the most is the "Presidential Daily Brief", a daily email with eight must-read articles. I love to read them while having breakfast because it makes me start my day feeling ahead of time.
If design is what interests you, Trendland is an online magazinefocused on providing trend information about many different topics (design, fashion, travel, music, arts, culture, shopping, and the list goes on) to even the most demanding asthetes of the world.It has an active Facebook page, Instagram, Pinterest page and Twitter but if you want to be daily updated you can suscribe and receive the "daily newsletter", which is a daily email with all the latest trends and events.
Another similar website is NOWNESS, which is divided into: arts & design, fashion & beauty, music, food & travel, and culture.It defers from Trendland in that it is a video channel, so all information exposed is showcased through films. You can become a member and have your own customizable profile where you connect with other members, create and share playlists and also follow categories and other users you like.
Video news are become very popular.Molly Crabapplewas one of the first to launch it. As an artist, she makes outstanding drawings about the subject she is talking about, making it more entertaining and more pleasant to the sight.
We Are Angrywent even further and developed the concept of digital fiction by fusing texts with media and art.Even though its fiction, the strong experience that the reader goes through highlights the importance of women's rights. The medium is the messanger, not only the content.
To see how young adults spend their free time, I made a simple questionary that took only half a minute to answer and sent it via WhatsApp to 40 Communication students of the University of Navarra. I used WhatsApp because it was easier for me to reach my classmates via the class group. Only 20 answered.
I sent the text message seen in the right with the heading "5 PREGUNTAS EN 30 SEGUNDOS (5 questions in 30 seconds)".
What apps/websites do you use daily?
If you have one, what is your favourite online news platform?
Students gave names of different platforms, but none was named twice.
I am writing this blog because I am afraid of the future. I am afraid my future kids will not experience all the great things I was able to experience as a little DIG A GIANT HOLE IN THE BEACH WITH YOUR FRIENDS
LOOK FOR ANIMAL-
SHAPED CLOUDS
HAVING A TREE HOUSE
SING AND RUN IN THE RAIN
CAMP IN THE BEACH...
Change is constant. But I am not sure we are changing towards a better future; and I never will. When I do something good, my hopes rise and I truly believe we are evolving. But to act, I need to know what is happening. And for this action to have a positive effect I cannot be alone.
