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That Maya, You know how she Doux...

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Courtesy of Curls Understood M aya Smith is a hairstylist and social influencer based out of Atlanta. She has been able to not only grow the base of her business in the last couple of years but her social media following too! The popular Instagram page, The Doux, currently has 135,000 users, with engaging content presented to users daily. There are reels and video posts on how to use the product, hair care tips, and informative topics regarding black women’s hair and the black community. The page is also the go-to space for customers to know about new products, sales, and other information Maya wants users to understand. The way Maya has built a space where black women can talk about hair issues and receive advice from a professional is a genius idea. Actually, it’s beautiful. To a black woman, her hair is her crown and something to be celebrated. When a space is created for you with other women who suffer from the same issues or who can relate in a way, it’s unique. You want to be in ...
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Social Media and the G.P.A

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Hello and Hiii AGAIN, FRIENDS! Your favorite grad student here giving you communications update through the analysis of me, a graduate student! This week we'll be talking about *drum roll* RESEARCH METHODS!!! Yessss, although learning about qualitative and quantitative research methods seem like a snooze. I can promise none of that here. Research methods allow us to find and measure information, also known as data. These findings once evaluated lead us to the greater good of communication kind! So, shall we get started? We S-H-A-L-L! The research study I will be sharing is from 2015. It involves Saudi Arabian college students and the usage of social media on their GPAs. The study contained two parts, one involved quantitative research while the other component used qualitative research. Both studies took place between 20212 and 2014. Also, both studies produced results that showed social media usage did not change the GPAs of college students between the ages of 20-30.  Researchers...
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The Medium and My Message...

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Hellooo and thank you again for coming and reading a grad student's thoughts. Please...take a seat and open your eyes. WE'RE TALKING TECHNOLOGICAL COMMUNICATION IDEAS BABY! Grab a snack too, it's gonna be a good one :) The electronic paradigm, or put in layman's terms, means the more technologically advanced we become, the more society will change and adapt towards those advances. McLuhan's theory on the electronic age was/is still correct. He believed that media is an extension of man. We all know that. That was his infamous quote that came true. Think of your smartphone, laptop, even your Smart Tv. Those are tech vehicles that allow our senses to extend past what is humanly possible. It is impossible to be in two places at once, but we can with technology. “The real revolution occurred when the Internet became a medium for personal communication ( Technological Determinism: A Critique Based On Several Readings in Adult Education .)”  For example, when someone move...
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To Central or to Persuasive Route?

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This week we learned about the Elaboration Likelihood Model or ELM as the intellectuals prefer to use it. ELM states that we process information in two ways (this is a component of something bigger, the persuasion process, but we'll save that for another day), which then change our attitudes. The central and peripheral route. By going the central route, everyone is paying attention, actively engaging; we care about what's going on. It could be a personal reason or something that sparked an interest. The peripheral route is when we are not fully processing the information.  The receiver is influenced by factors other than the contents of the message ( Persuasion: Applying the Elaboration Likelihood Model to Design ). Open houses are a great example. Did you know that some people don't even go FOR THE HOUSE?! (insert gasp here) ( 10 Open House Etiquette Fails You Can Learn From ) Sometimes it's a casual weekend activity, a way for a nosey neighbor to look next door, or th...
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Apply the Two-Step Flow Theory

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  I want to start by saying that I am a complete news addict. For the last five years, my life has, for the most part, has been consumed by news. You name a news outlet, probably been through my list of must-see television. Promise, not even picky either I have no bias. Of course, I prefer to watch news that matches my belief system. Although, there are times I’ll switch to that other news network to see how the other views points are. During undergrad, my political science professor said constantly watching networks that only reaffirm your bias without seeing what the other side says will not give the full picture. At the time, I thought, why would I want to watch Fox News? Or any network that likes to present their version of “facts.” Now a lot of people would say that happens with any news outlet. Networks push their beliefs on audiences they know that the majority of viewers agree.  This key of knowledge known by news outlets is the reason why the Two-Step Flow Theory work...
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It's US and The Media

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 Hello!!! My name is LiToyia Allen, currently a grad student at the University of Florida (Go Gators, right. Nah..I'm an FSU fan) and an amateur blog writer. So, let's take a dabble into my thoughts. Shall we, the topic is Silver Bullet Theory and the media's control on us. Annndddd...GO! Ok, let’s be real for one second and admit to ourselves and whatever higher presence that makes you feel comfortable, that we are trained by the media we consume. I mean it’s true. Think about why blue is associated with boys and pink is associated with girls. Or that women are still being praised for becoming referees in sports, mainly male-dominated ones like football and basketball. Trust me, that’s still a big deal and needs to be recognized always. However, at the same time continuing to praise every single woman who decides to become a ref in mainstream sports puts them in a pedestal light which isn’t fair. So, before I go into tangent mode regarding women in referees, let's get ...
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