Media Writing

Some may believe that the millennial addiction to technology is a social issue, or that teenagers are using technology as a source of communication, losing the ability to communicate effectively face-to-face. In some cases, parents become concerned that their children are too attached to technology. However, I would argue that the parents themselves are to blame, enabling their children to use technology at such an extent, and encouraging technology as part of their children’s education.

Research

In such a busy and technology-savvy age, it is rare to cross paths with someone who doesn’t own a computer and even more unlikely to meet someone without  cell phone. This rule used to be limited to working adults, but now teens are just as likely, if not more, to own and have knowledge about the technology. The question is how necessary is this technology in the daily lives of these teenagers, and how does using it affect them? To find the answers, I ventured to the mall to observe the youth in their natural habitat and conduct a full ethnography to learn more about the topic.

Research

Place branding, though only booming the past decade or so, has existed in some form for centuries. In an era where people are more connected than ever before, wanting to explore the world around them, place branding has morphed into a multi-million dollar industry to promote destinations around the globe for tourism, business, and cultural growth. Today places pay close attention to their branding in order to attract different target audiences that could build the destinations’ identities as well as their economies. Whether strategic, meaning carefully and intentionally developed,  or organic, meaning accidental but natural, place branding can play a vital role in the development of the image of a destination in the minds of consumers as it has for years in the past.

Public Relations Writing

Winthrop’s Office of Sustainability puts more emphasis on recycling than any other aspect of waste management. However, one of the trendiest methods of reducing waste is reusing and repurposing items rather than just recycling them. In Spring 2016 the Office of Sustainability could launch a social media campaign to draw more attention to and participation in upcycling and repurposing. This event will be called “WU Re-do.”

Public Relations Writing

We’ve all done it. We’ve all picked up the multi-pack of batteries at the checkout or surrendered to the drive-through window for a cheeseburger when we had food at home. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to not buy anything for a day?

Media Writing

The future of ballet is in our glimpse thanks to new, revolutionary innovations to the pointe shoe. Traditional pointe shoes, composed of a wooden block, leather sole and canvas or satin body, is both painful and harmful to dancers despite its beautiful appearance. Ballerinas en pointe risk ankle injuries, blisters, and toe deformations from the harsh impact that dancing in these shoes has.  Not only that, but traditional pointe shoes aren’t very durable, lasting only between 2 and 20 uses depending on their wear. Because of this, shoe companies are attempting to reinvent the pointe shoe to be safer and more comfortable for the dancers who wear them, as well as longer lasting.