F. Willis Johnson In 1992, a young Bill Clinton tried to connect with Generation X by joking around and soulfully playing the sax on “The Arsenio Hall Show.” It was a game-changer that forever shifted how presidential candidates court younger voters. Nowadays, it’s not about late-night talk shows but about getting attention on social-media platforms like TikTok. The … [Read more...] about Pop culture’s political influence, from Rock the Vote To TikTok
social media
On field hockey and hate
On Nov. 2, the Swampscott field hockey team hosted Dighton-Rehoboth for a playoff game. The matchup, broadcast by Swampscott TV and uploaded to YouTube on the Big Blue Athletics account, now has more than 31,000 views. The game went like any other until the third quarter. With three minutes and 14 seconds left, a Big Blue player made a shot on net, but accidentally hit a … [Read more...] about On field hockey and hate
CANTWELL: Social media: Friend or foe?
I was lucky enough to have grown up in the years just before social media. I spent my childhood playing outside with my friends, calling my cousin on the landline with the number I’d memorized, and only staring at a screen to play the occasional computer or video game. Social media didn’t take off until I was a teenager, and for that, I am grateful. I have watched people I … [Read more...] about CANTWELL: Social media: Friend or foe?
FROM THE DEEP END: Not ready for my closeup
"We live in a culture of a big me … We're in social media, where we broadcast … highlight reels of our own lives on Facebook." —David Brooks I will be the first to admit that I probably have a social media addiction. Not in a bad way — it hasn't wrecked my life or anything — but honestly, I probably spend too much time on it. It's easy to get lost in Facebook reels. … [Read more...] about FROM THE DEEP END: Not ready for my closeup
FROM THE DEEP END: Is social media really social?
“Don’t use social media to impress people; use it to impact people.” —Dave Willis A quote like this begs the question, "Is using social media the same as truly socializing?" Unsurprisingly, friends who do not use social media said it isn’t socializing; it's all fake. Heavy social media users said it was, and could point to dozens of genuine relationships they built via … [Read more...] about FROM THE DEEP END: Is social media really social?