hey delicate

This past Thursday my roomie invited me to a journalism networking event hosted by the Diverse Social Media Editors and Digital Journalists DC Meetup Group. We enjoyed a great conversation with Gene Demby, Lead Blogger for NPR's Code Switch, on race and culture, and diversity in digital journalism and social media. Social media has had such a huge impact on OUR stories. In a pre-twitter world, stories like Mike Brown wouldn't have gotten the mainstream attention that it has received. Everything is happening in real-time and we are able to capture stories via video and have discussions about it instantly. He gave some great advice for young black journalists, and two things stood out to me. 1.) Find those spaces where you can tell your stories, even if it's not your outlet. 2.) It has to be intentional to include diversity in your coverage and find those voices of color. I think the conversation was great advice for any writer thinking about entering into the social media and digital fields. Although I'm not a journalist, I'm glad I tagged along anyway. I met some great bloggers as well so it was a great opportunity to network and meet new people. You never know who you might run into. :)

xoxo,

Victoria

Do you think social media and cell phones have enhanced communication? Most definitely if you want your message sent out to the world instantly. They are great tools for marketing your business, getting world news out, and connecting to friends and family on the other side of the world. I value the significance of the Internet and all new technologies because it has improved almost every aspect of our lives. But what about more personal communication? Nowadays almost all communication is done through email, text messages, and online chat applications. I guess this is the world we live in now, huh? Don't get me wrong, I love my iPhone and all of its cool features, but I rarely use it for talking. I miss those days. I have a few friends and family that still value our hour-long phone conversations. Sometimes it would be nice to get a phone call with good news over the phone. It's just something about hearing the excitement in that person's voice while they are telling you such good news and the fact that they thought enough of you to call and tell you first. But I only enjoy phone calls when there's something to talk about. I can do without the awkward silence and breathing. Great phone or face-to-face conversations are mentally stimulating. Maybe people are too lazy now to dial numbers or too comfortable sitting behind their computers creating their alter egos. Or maybe i'm just old-fashioned. But as expected, we must adapt to our environment.

This post reminds me of one of my favorite comedy movies, Mo'Money. Johnny and his brother Seymour sit and wait for an employer to call him about a job. Johnny gave the employer the number to a payphone so they sit and wait and try to keep people from using it so they won't miss the call. You have to watch Damon and Marlon Wayans in this hilarious movie! Telephones have evolved so much. Now most people don't even own a house phone. We just use our cell phones for everything, and don't let us forget it somewhere, our world would end.

Mo' Money (1992) Damon & Marlon Wayans