The clock's ticking on TikTok to take action against body shaming- Original Post #2

The clock's ticking on TikTok to take action against body shaming

If you’ve been one of the many Gen Z’ers spending lots of time on TikTok over quarantine, you’ve probably seen content relating to body image or weight loss. 

As of last week, TikTok is hammering down on harmful weight loss ads and attempting to create a more body positive platform that celebrates and accepts all body shapes and sizes. 

I think we can all confidently say that social media can have a huge influence on body image, whether we realize it or not. It’s second nature, especially for young girls, to incessantly compare themselves to other women online, which can result in psychological consequences regarding body image and mental health. It seems that reform in ads, promotions and sponsorships is much needed across all social media sites, so props to tik tok for taking action. These new restrictions specific to TikTok will ban fasting ads as well as weight loss supplements with the hopes of eliminating the selling of negative body image and negative relationships with food. 

Hopefully other social media apps will follow TikTok’s lead, but we also need to see change with the weight loss industry and how they approach the topic of weight loss and body acceptance. Some believe that TikTok forces many young women to dangerously fixate on their bodies and diets. With a reinforcement of negative body image on an app like TikTok, it seems essential for companies (like TikTok) to take charge and do all they can to eliminate, or at least reduce, growing toxic environments on their platforms. TikTok changing how they promote and the content of their advertisements is a start, but there is definitely a long way to go until this toxic culture is fully eliminated.  

Although there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of body representation and acceptance on the internet, it’s important to note that a lot of progress has been made over the past few years. Thinking back to the early years of social media, ads and billboards were still featuring predominantly skinny white women, while advertisers today are integrating a far wider variety of shapes that are more inclusive, including those in the plus size community. 

The body positivity movement that has been prevalent on social media pushes for acceptance with the goal of altering people’s behavior and outlook towards products and services that profit from people’s insecurities, such as weight loss products or health services.

Due to this growing desire for body acceptance, it seems it would be a smart marketing move for companies and businesses to embrace this movement and to analyze how and to whom they are really marketing their products. I think it’s safe to say that all companies want to market their products to as many people as possible, so why not have representation that includes all shapes and sizes, producing a more diverse and inclusive environment? 

It seems that the groundswell has had enough with these body shaming advertisements and videos. Companies such as TikTok, that are hopping on board and promoting self acceptance, love and positivity, are more likely to be perceived in a positive light and not receive as much criticism compared to apps who aren’t doing anything to reduce negative and toxic content present on their pages. 

We also see many content creators on TikTok openly discussing their own struggles with body image and weight, promoting a more inclusive and accepting environment, reducing fat shaming and helping young women feel confident in their own skin. 

AOC started a live video

 

@AOC started a live video...

Looking for a way to reach younger voters? Just ask AOC.

With virtually everyone below the age of 30 spending countless hours attached to their phones, smart and savvy politicians are using this to their advantage in order to reach their constituents and beyond. They're drawing attention to current political issues, and in particular, motivating young people to vote. This utilization of the groundswell is currently the most effective way for politicians to target their young political audience, as it allows them to directly engage with each other on these important and consequential topics that directly impact the future of our generation.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, US House Representative from New York’s 14 District or AOC, as she is more popularly known, is by far, the most high profile politician utilizing social media to engage in informative discourse with Americans, particularly through the use of instagram live. By using instagram as a form of easy communication, she is able to read and respond to thousands of people at once, easily drawing people in and providing easy access to her perspective and political knowledge.

Chapter 2 of Groundswell discusses how relationships are the driving force behind  successful technology. It’s not actually about the technology, as technology has the ability to change rapidly, but rather the importance of the relationships formed. On a platform such as Instagram live, users are able to have an open discussion with their followers and or customers that elicits an easy way to both spread information and gather feedback at the same time. 

 

Political leadership, discourse, and support is embedded in relationships and with the use of technologies such as Instagram live, these relationships are changing and become more accessible. Instagram live utilizes the groundswell by providing a relaxed and low-key setting that is a game changer for politicians to connect and facilitate support, especially within the younger generation. 

It seems it would be advantageous for all politicians to be following AOC’s idea and capitalizing on this shifting direct relationship with supporters and potential voters, but it’s reported that Democrats are 10 percent more likely to participate in any element of the groundswell, while republican participation is about 20 percent below average (Bernoff, Li).  

Although Groundswell was written over 10 years ago, it seems safe to say that this statistic remains true. 

Chapter 5 and 6 of The Groundswell  examine the importance of actively listening to customers. This is extremely valuable to sellers or promoters as the groundswell allows people to constantly share their opinions and thoughts every second. The groundswell is where customers actually decide what your product is. An app like instagram live speeds up this already quick process by allowing for active dialogue between seller and buyer, or in AOC’s case, between politician and citizens. By receiving active feedback and questions, companies or people in power are able to conduct market research that can facilitate better sales or engagement. Listening can drastically change outcomes, and the results should be implemented into corporate decision making (Bernoff, Li, 80). 

Today, people are actively trying to get young people to vote in larger numbers. Politicians and social justice advocates are desperately looking for ways to get youth engaged and registered to vote. By using a platform like Instagram, they are capitalizing on social technographics (because they know us young people are already on our phones all the time). Using IG live is a very smart way to target young people, as it’s the most accessible way to reach them. Analyzing how to grab the attention of a specific group is critical for corporations and businesses, but is also clearly important during this election season.

Do you agree that these are the best strategies to reach and engage voters?

Capital-eyes: Original Post #1

                                                               Capital-eyes 👁

         With mask wearing a part of our daily lives, it’s no wonder there is so much more talk surrounding expressivity through the eyes. In fact, recent articles I’ve come across have described how to smile with your eyes, while celebrities and influencers have upped their eye game on their platforms.

   

         Obviously, the makeup industry has had to make a lot of adjustments due to the virus, so now it’s all about the eyes. Not that eye products weren’t widely popular before, but due to the pandemic, it’s really all that companies can successfully target.

        Once masks became widespread, consumers focused more on eye products while the opposite is true for lip products (Eye makeup sales are up 204% since June 28th.) In order to enhance your appearance or brighten up your look when wearing a mask, eye makeup seems your best bet. So, it only makes sense that companies are highly advertising and promoting their eye specific products. 

    

        Many people use makeup as an expression of their identity and prominent eye-makeup looks in the midst of the pandemic prove it. Not only are makeup companies profiting off of these times and coming up with new PR strategies, but makeup youtubers/influencers are creating videos catered towards these same mask looks and ways to enhance your appearance while wearing one.

Also, in addition to eye products, companies such as Maybelline and Revoln Inc are marketing products on social media that suit virtual meetings/get-togethers including an emphasis on skin care products and at home hair-coloring kits. It’ll be interesting to see if this current trend has a lasting impact on the future of the makeup industry post pandemic.  

        As said in Groundswell by Josh Bernoff and Charlene Li, social media has largely transformed how businesses are run, and how they advertise or market their products is entirely dependent upon what the groundswell deems sellable and worthy. With mask wearing now a must during the pandemic, expressivity through eyes is where’s it’s at for makeup conscious people. Like makeup companies now, brands are likely to succeed if they follow and capitalize off trends that develop during the pandemic.

Can't Stop the Party: Youth and Coronavirus

Can't Stop The Party

For the first time that I can remember, I am having difficulty relating to a majority of my peers. I am perplexed as to why so many people act as if there is no longer a pandemic. Am I missing something? Am I living in some sort of alternate reality? Despite expert models now predicting a potential doubling in the number of Covid-19 deaths by the new year, many young people are still attending weddings, hanging out together in large groups, sneakily partying on campus; essentially going about their daily lives as if nothing is different. When I see groups of people partying across the country on the news and on social media, I get frustrated and resign myself to thinking that the virus is going to be here for a long time. How are we going to finally catch up to the rest of the world and control this annoying virus if so many Americans, especially young people, are unwilling to sacrifice their social lives for a few more months?

  

         I think it’s safe to assume that many young adults see themselves as invincible and that if they do come down with Covid, they’ll likely be fine. Of course, this may be true in a majority of cases. However, this reasoning blinds them from the seriousness of coronavirus and to the many still unknown, long term effects of even mild to moderate disease. With the first wave affecting mostly middle aged and older populations, young people (ages 20-40) are now making up a large portion of the growing number of cases. Why aren’t the facts alone enough for young people to listen? I suppose the horrible mixed messaging that we’ve received from our federal government and the politicization of mask wearing has not at all helped in getting everyone unified and on the same page in what we need to do collectively to win out over the virus.

We often hear the phrase “this too shall pass” in response to the current state of the world. According to most experts, the pandemic will not go on forever and will be, relatively speaking, a short lived experience in our lives. This is why it’s particularly difficult to understand why some people refuse to see the big picture and realize that if we want to have a normal spring or summer 2021, now is the time to sacrifice. 

  

                          Another real and crappy part of all of this is the inevitable feeling of missing out. 

FOMO is real. If you’re at home, not partaking in social events or parties, and watching friends and acquaintances all over snapchat together and having a great time, it feels as if you are the one missing out, while seemingly, they aren’t giving up anything. You think to yourself:  “geez everyone is really moving on and back to normal”…. It’s definitely frustrating and frankly, a little disillusioning because here you are trying to do your part, while your friends and peers seem oblivious… And just to be clear, it’s not like I’ve been sitting in my room for six months. I go out with friends and do things a lot - I’m just not blindly ignoring all guidelines.

 

  

             Even Influencers on apps like tik tok are still getting together in large groups and posting content. This is especially damaging because many young people look up to influencers as examples, and if they’re out partying and having a good time it’s easy for them to think it’s safe for them as well. It seems like everyone is on social media so much more these past several months, and with young people continually seeing images and videos of people completely ignoring covid guidelines, especially those with large platforms, it certainly doesn’t seem like the right message to be sending to be putting out there. 

        So, if you’re a young person reading this and debating whether you should go to that party or sit inside of a restaurant, think more about how good it’s going to feel in a few months (hopefully!) when you can do all those same things without the fear of getting this virus, or worse, infecting someone who is even more at risk.