Astrea Slezak

Tik Tok meets Marist College

Tik Tok, the app that has taken the world by storm, has made an impression on the Marist Community. Marist College has announced that they will be creating a page on the app that will give students a platform to post little insights into their lives.

Student, Allie Foley, holding up her Tik Tok App

Yesterday, Feb 18, Amanda Damiano, an assistant professor of the Communications Department sent an email to the students who are apart of the Center for Social Media explaining the project. Marist is looking for student ambassadors to help launch the page. They are requesting juniors and underclassmen for the job.

Tik Tok was launched in Sept 2017 and grew in popularity to become the number one ranked app on Jan 23 of the next year. It has become an extremely popular app among middle school through college-age students. Not only this, but fitness bloggers are flocking to the app to post their workout videos, as well as adults promoting psychological facts or relationship tips.

A junior Resident Assistant, Shannon Donnelly, says, “I know several residents who are really invested in Tok Tok so I think it’s a great way to reach new students and relate to them in ways that other schools cant. Maybe they will be more inclined to come to Marist.”

It appears as though Marist College administration has picked up on the frequency that students use the app and picked up on the desire to stay relevant. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, Tik Tok has 500 million users across 154 countries. The app is massively influential. Tara Saglimbeni says, “you will always see students doing viral Tik Tok dances at parties and you can catch them singing the songs around campus. For me even, they are always stuck in my head.” Upon the continuation of the conversation with Saglimbeni, it was revealed that every day in her group chat different Tik Toks are sent around and talked about, and she is always referencing them with her friends. The app has legitimately taken over the 12-20-year-old generation and even those above that age bracket. It is, in a way, the new youtube, the hip social media platform to gain clout on.

According to a student ambassador and member of the Center for Social Media, Allie Foley, at Marist College says, “the school is trying to relate to the culture of students today and create a feeling of unity with their interests and administration.” She continued to explain that the school’s administration is hoping that students will post little clips of their lives, games, and events on the app and bring the school together as a community.

The page has not yet been set up, but Marist is searching for social media savvy students to launch the project. The issue with Tik Tok is that the algorithms are not yet understood. A student, Julianna Granito, who transferred from Marist College last year, went viral this winter break. She posted a video of her dad and it quickly gained 3.9 million views. Her other videos only have a few thousand views, but this one video has gained her 24.6 thousand followers on the app. She says, “I have no clue what happened, I just posted a funny video and woke up to millions of views. I’m currently trying to think of my next idea, but it is not something I am taking seriously.” It seems as though students are on the app for fun and just so happen to randomly go viral. But the app is simply that: fun.

Marist is targeting a community that is already addicted to the app. College attributed social media accounts such as “Barstool Marist” have gained popularity. Students are always on their phones and enjoying the entertainment of social media already, so Marist is hopping onto a very relevant bandwagon. By creating a community on the app that most students already have on their phone, it will add a sense of unity for students watching and posting. Marist College is known for its desire to cultivate a sense of community and closeness between students and faculty. With small classes, apartment-style living, and banners saying “community” sprawled across campus, it is no doubt that this is important to the faculty at Marist, as well as the students who decide to attend the institution.

The app has not yet been launched, but it is in the works. Students interested in being ambassadors for the app should reach out to Senior Social Media Center Intern, Emily Labdon, if they are interested in the roll.

The Ethics of Science

A writer for NPR, Geoff Brumfiel, wrote an article regarding the arrest of a Harvard professor this January. The professor, Charles Lieber, researched, like the example provided by the article states, molding tiny electronics into the human brain. But in addition to this, he is allegedly being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to have set up a lab in China.

Lieber had denied knowledge of receiving money from the Chinese Government. The article sets up, though, that this is more than a case about whether Lieber is guilty or not. It raises the question of the ethics of science. It proposes the idea that competition between China and the United States is tense and collaborative. Should scientific discoveries by secretive?

Brumfiel gives some context to the issue by explaining that China, in an effort to bring Chinese scientists back to China, made a program called the Thousand Talents Plan. This plan was for recruitment. But, it soon began calling over Western scientists as well. China wanted the best minds focused on developing their scientific knowledge, so to take not have the United States be the epicenter of all discoveries.

The recruitment program itself is not the issue, the article explains that there are numerous programs similar to this; Brunfiel gave the example of a 150 Research Chairs program in Canada.

What makes this an issue, is that the NIH has discovered a multitude of ethical breaches in the Chinese plan. A direct quote from the article states, “Some researchers have submitted identical grant applications to both the NIH and Thousand Talents. Others have shared confidential grant applications from other researchers with their collaborators in China. And then there is the question of money: Researchers are failing to disclose the funding they receive from China to U.S. agencies like the NIH, as required by law”. So, did Lieber fall into this unethical situation?

The organization of the article leaves the reader pondering this question until the conclusion. Other cases are explained which allow the reader to realize that scientific findings are not private secrets: they get published in academic journals or essays. So, all of the scientific process and conclusions are public knowledge so long as someone just reads the study.

The legality of the charges against Lieber are currently up for debate. What is illegal about being paid to do research? His case rests on the complaint that Liber lied to both Harvard and the government about his involvement in the Chinese recruitment plan.

No answers are formally provided in the article. It is extremely interesting and raises a lot of stimulating questions, but what details about what is to happen to Liber are still unknown. If the point of the argument was to stimulate debate about the ethics of science then it did so brilliantly, but if it were to simply announce the arrest of a Harvard professor, then it fell short. It must be a combination of both, and I can simply say it is an interesting read.

Somalia locusts signaling impending plague

The article by The Associated Press for NBC provides a broad, yet detailed, explanation of the outbreak of locusts in Somalia currently threatening the country to a great extent. The outbreak is explained to raise such a high level of concern that it was declared a national emergency.

Locusts were brought in by heavy levels of rain in the recent weeks. These locusts are putting more than 10 million people in grave danger as an impending plague in looming. With more rain in the forecast, it is expected that the number of locusts will multiply by 500, leaving the repair almost impossible.

The solution is to act quickly and utilize the spraying of pesticides in order to hopefully decrease or erase the risk of developing a plague.

This is not just a national emergency; the swarm is in no way confined to Somalia and if it grows, surrounding countries will surely face the terror. Locusts need heavy levels of moisture in order to reproduce, but, according to the article, the population is growing at such a fast rate that dryer weather will not even be able to combat the birth of more locusts.

The article explains that there are two reasons to blame. First, climate change is the alleged culprit of these mass rainstorms which brought in the locusts. And second, the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group is threatening or holding the majority of the region, making the enacting of mass spraying a difficult task.

In regards to the actual article, it does a slightly poor job of explaining how and why exactly the spraying is difficult to start. If the locusts are threatening not only the people of Somalia but agriculture as well, on top of neighboring countries, it seems as though enaction wouldn’t be a question. Clearly, there is a simple answer to this question, but it is missing from the article.

The urgency of the situation is very clear in the rhetoric of the article. The flow is also quite nice in regards to processing the entirety of the story in a manner that is smooth and simple. All aspects of blame are addressed and the article does not appear too “preachy” in the sense that it does not go too deeply into the horror of climate change but merely addresses it as a fact; yes there is climate change, and yes it could be why we experienced so much rain.

This issue is extremely important and it seems as though it is not receiving the discussion it deserves. I, personally, had not heard anyone talking about the outbreak before stumbling across the piece. If the swarm were to take out even a few countries in the region, it would be catastrophic for so many people. This would easily create a global issue that would most likely involve the United States stepping in. Large scale emergencies such as these are so heavily reliant on immediate action, and Somalia is simply not seeing that happen. Updates will hopefully come soon.

Original Article: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/most-devastating-plague-locusts-recent-history-could-come-within-weeks-n1133171?cid=ed_npd_bn_tw_bn from NBC’s twitter

Photograph: “longreach locusts9” by Parto Domani is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Late Night Carpool?

There is something about James Cordon; whether you are a fan of late-night talk shows or not, he is undoubtedly unique. James Cordon is truly his own genre. Michael Schulman, in an article for The New Yorker emphasizes this point by describing how he genuinely reinvented the stereotypical interview.

The article starts by explaining that James Cordon hosted Paul McCartney on his show. To emphasize the uniqueness of Cordon’s work, Schulman described another late-night interview with Cordon hosted by Jimmy Fallon. And, although Jimmy Fallon is notorious for cooky interviews, Cordon’s signature Carpool Karaoke segment is strides above all others when it comes to unique celebrity interviews. Cordon, as described in the article, drives celebrities (majority singers) around Los Angeles singing to their songs on the “radio.” This bit puts celebrities in arguably the most relatable situation that a viewer can experience in regards to their music. After all, that is how we enjoy their work, sitting in the car, jamming to the radio, oftentimes singing along.

As the article continues, Schulman discusses the logistics of the interview: what songs were sung, the location of the interview. Schulman explains the conversational topics included in the interview as well. For example, the two got deep when discussing a dream Paul McCartney had in which he was comforted by his mother who had passed away years before; he was going through a stressful period in his life at this time. In the dream, his mother said, “Let it Be.”

After this emotional moment, it is described that the two stopped at the house where Paul McCartney lived during his teenage years. McCartney shows James Cordon his room and plays “When I’m Sixty-Four” on a piano.

James Cordon has a way with interviews that make him stand out. Anyone can simply sit a celebrity down and ask them questions, after all, that is merely leading a discussion; the celebrity usually does the majority of the talking. Cordon is a believer, stated by Schulman, in spreading joy. He puts celebrities in situations where viewers will not only be entertained, but truly witness the celebrities’ (who appear to be) genuinely enjoying themselves.

Schulman does a brilliant job of emphasizing this point, not only in the content matter of the article, but through his rhetoric as well. He explains that James Cordon came to America as an unknown. His breakthrough was on Broadway, and as Schulman explains, that is not the typical road to success for a late-night television host. Cordon’s charisma, and mere presence, skyrocketed him into the limelight.

What is successful in this article is that it addresses the fact that there are people who truly dislike James Cordon; people who find him to be too much. Schulman writes that “People who dislike Corden find his eagerness to entertain more like attention-hogging, his chumminess more like smarm.” But, following this, Schulman places a quote in the article by Cordon himself, saying that he admits that he could come off this way, but that he truly does not think much about his likability.

Schulman is successful in the way that he can highlight James Cordon’s work, bring light to the legendary Paul McCartney, and express an opposing argument altogether in a way that does not insult or boast on either spectrum.

The article is simply entertaining, and brings up the point that even a man who Harry Styles himself is obsessed with may not be everyone’s cup of tea— Englishman pun intended.

Original Article: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/02/03/james-cordens-do-over

Image License: CC0 Public Domain

The Party Does Stop When You Walk Out

Often times when we grow up and start a new chapter of our lives, we hold this sense of continuity– that leaving a beloved situation does not signify the end– just because it is the end for me does not mean that anything will change. But, this is rarely the case. As we grow, those around us tend to do the same.

This tale is highlighted in an arguably comedic telling of a man who grew out of his partying lifestyle only to be shook up by the fact that the noise he was leaving behind faded away behind him. Michael Brick, from the New York Times, tells the story of Todd Fatjo, a man who was the hustle and bustle of the party scene in his neighborhood of Williamsburg. It can be put simply that Fatjo found himself in a debacle when he stumbled upon the fact that he needed to list his apartment for rent in order to move out and move in to a new place with his girlfriend.

Fatjo knew how to party; he lived by that. Brick explains that on Fatjo’s apartment listing flyer, he exclusively highlighted the aspects of the apartment that would be major selling points to the local hipster party fanatic.

On the flier, Fatjo wrote, “’Popeye’s and Dunkin’ Donuts on the corner, about four 24hr bodegas on the corner, 2 Chinese food places next to both entrances, and it’s above and across from two $.99 stores.” These clearly targeted claims were directed to those that he felt would be attracted to his apartment; the candle stick of party hosting was clearly meant to be passed down to a Williamsburg hipster.

To Fatjo’s surprise, an average working man who had never attended one of his wild shindigs ended up taking over his lease.

Brick quoted Fatjo saying, “I was trying to get some friends in here who were D.J.’s or artists, because you can do whatever,” Mr. Fatjo said. ”The demand for it wasn’t what I thought it would be.”

What makes this story so interesting is that it can be viewed in one of two ways: an entertaining story about a man who found out that partying might not live on forever, or a classic telling of the way in which people want to hold on to their pasts.

It is exciting to move on, to find love, and to explore the vast unknowns of all of the above, but, through moving on, do we need to let go? Is it easier to leave under the pretense that those crazy parties with blaring music will rage on through the night regardless of your newfound absence? Perhaps.

That, or Fatjo just overestimated the selling power of living sandwiched between two chinese food restaurants.

New York Times original article: https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/21/nyregion/out-of-the-loft-into-reality-a-hipster-quits-williamsburg-and-gets-a-haircut.html