Grant Jones' Social Media Campaign Final

Social Media Campaign Final (Link to Facebook page)

Sink In has 719 views on Facebook

We All Fall has 411 views on Facebook 

My Facebook campaign was to promote my music that I've written and still perform. The main goal was to have people go to my Reverbnation account to see all of the songs posted there, as well as the videos. I wanted to gather a following to play some venues up in Salt Lake as well and in St. George, and the surrounding areas. The three personas I had previously wanted to attract to the page, have visited and liked the page, as well as navigated to the Reverbnation page. I also added a fourth persona, which was people who wanted to take photos and make music videos for me for free. I've had 4 offers of each already. 

I used Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, as well as Reverbnation for my Social Media Campaign Final. I feel like I've had marginal success, but it is a start. The average time for a band to make a name for themselves and gather a big enough following to tour nationwide is about ten years. Because of this campaign, I was able to schedule two shows for the summer. 

In total, I gained 106 likes on Facebook and 29 followers on Twitter. I also have a following of 304 on my Instagram. In total, 433 people are connected with my music in one way or another. In my opinion, since my music is somewhat slow, not really in line with the mainstream music we hear on Spotify getting millions of hits, I think this is just fine. Two of my videos have received quite a few views. One clocking in at 411, and the other at 719. I found that embedding the videos right into Facebook post gives you more plays. Creating a post that has a link to a Youtube video was not as successful for me. Photo posts didn't do as well, and neither did regular posts. I got a lot more likes on videos than with anything else. I wanted to try a video ad campaign, but I will wait until summer when I have a planned video shoot.

Fan Heat Map showing where listeners live

Reverbnation is interesting because it ranks you with other musicians. You can find out how you hold up in the local rankings, regional rankings, and national rankings, as well as how you hold up in your selected genre. It also breaks down who listened, where, and from what social platform. I have many of my listeners from Utah, primarily women from ages 18-24. There are listeners from all over the

Pie Chard showing which platform listeners use

nation, including New York and Texas, as well as 
California and Hawaii. It is a cool feeling to know that people from all over have been able to listen to my music. The majority of the listeners have been using Facebook to get to the Reverbnation website, to listen to these songs. 

Overall, I think I faired alright for just starting to promote my music. I've wanted to do this for a while but thought promoting it on social media wasn't a good option. Now that I know how to do it, it seems it has helped connect with people who I wouldn't have if I just continued to play these songs in my room by myself. I have two video shoots in the summer planned, two shows planned, as well as a photography shoot already done. 

If I could do this over, I would have had more content to share and spend more money on advertising. If I knew I was going to have this much success, I would have tried harder to get the songs done and put them on Spotify like originally planned. If I could really start over, I would have tried to connect with venues more than fans, to get more time in front of crowds.  

Band Equity Points
 Ranked 1 in local, 5 in regional, 193 in National

Fan break down on Reverbnation

Band Equity in the past 14 days 

How may plays and downloads I've had on songs

How many likes I've had on Facebook since the star

Well Informed: Privacy 2.0

Well Informed: Privacy 2.0

"Terms and Conditions" by Grant Jones

When there is a scrape on the knee, the nervous system will relay that information to the brain, and the brain processes that information and then responds by sending aid to heal that specific area of trauma. If the nervous system does not send that message to the brain, the brain cannot act to send aid. Here lies safety of the organism’s well-being. However, when a virus is introduced to the body, it can make the brain think the body is under attack via the nervous system, causing inflammation and pain. The body isn’t perfect, and neither is the internet.

The internet has indeed become a potential nervous system in world organism. It is vital for many reasons. The spreading of information, and increased speed of business of the global village. It can send messages to those places it connects with, having aid sent to countries who are pained with the lack of education or water, sending aid to warring countries. The information sent through the web can find murders and extremists who want to destroy the world organism and send messages for aid to eradicate them. The internet can also cause harm to the world organism by being restricted in the areas that need the most aid, or have false messages and fake news sent around the globe, which rallies the masses into self-destructive acts. Where does the cost-benefit ratio come to play? Is it more beneficial to insure privacy to protect our own actions and identities, or is it more beneficial to lay it all out for the world to see, so the messages can be sent for help or support? Well, either way, our privacy is already gone for the most part.

Our bank accounts and socials may be safely hidden to most, but not to all. Younger generations would think those two things are really the only things we need to stay private, while older generations expect more than that. Ron Swanson, from Parks and Recreation, tried to wipe his entire existence from governmental records, not even allowing them to see his address or date of birth. He wouldn’t even let an arcade game know his initials. In other words, he proactively went out of his way to withhold “private” information. He actively kept his identity his own, while the rest of us let ourselves agree to terms and conditions to social apps that we have never ever in the history of everything read from beginning to end. In fact, you could say that in making the terms and conditions so complex and lengthy, these companies are keeping private the information about us that they have access to, all while displaying it in the most legal way possible.

Our privacy is no longer ours. By tapping into everyone’s phone, Google Maps can tell what traffic condition are like. When buying things online via Amazon, we give up our search histories and interests. In the documentary, Terms, And Conditions, they point out that Gamestop had a clause in their terms and conditions agreement that allowed the company to own a person’s soul if they checked the “I Agree” box on their website. They owned about 9,000 souls in less than 24 hours. They gave the souls back, of course. In the documentary The United States of Secrets, we find out that the government has been hitching a ride on every cooky Google and other companies use. Whether this access is for stopping terrorism, or to view our information for personalized ads, your privacy is gone. Is it for the greater good? It really doesn’t matter. There are things we can do to hinder this penetration of unwanted persons or corporations, but for most of us, there are too many links within our network to be completely erased. It is too late to uncheck the “I agree” box.

Well Informed- Religion 3.0

Well Informed- Religion 3.0

It has been speculated that the Millennials haven’t taken to religion like previous generations. An article in the Huffington Post has said that “Millennials are much less interested in organized religion — and also less interested in spirituality in general.” The article goes on to say that the decline has been seen more in women than in men. An article from NPR suggests that the percentage of adults who are affiliated with a religion has gone down 8 percentage point, dropping to 77 percent.

A correlation can be made here. As time goes on, technology has brought us access to more information, and that information has brought men and women alike to a find their own opinions about religions and their histories, claims, and cultures. Another point could be that people are shifting from devoting their time to finding love for a divine entity or finding truth in another person, to devoting their time to finding themselves.

An article in the Washington Post claims that “cooler bands, hipper worship, and edgier programming" in churches has backfired, causing people to leave those churches. The article goes on to claim that terms such as “market share” and “re-branding strategies” can be found in church staff meetings, making the whole thing seem like a business instead of a place to go and find peace and serenity. They also talk about a study that says that 67 percent of millennials prefer the "classic church" vibe over a "trendy" church vibe. These findings are parallel to how people are reacting to companies that are putting their ads in Snapchat stories or in the middle of viral videos.

When a place of worship is viewed as a business, people consider places of worship as inauthentic. People can be entertained wherever they please via phones or tablets, and many don’t think a church is about entertainment, but rather a place for truth and deep contemplation. Whether church houses are businesses or not, what they are selling or what they are preaching needs to be authentic and time-tested. It is the same reason why so many people flipped their lid when Coke changed their formula. Authentic continuity is a thing that people need. Old formula Coke.

People feel broken at one time or another in their lives. There are certain places they go or certain things they do to cope with being broken. Finding a place to turn inward is still something many people need in their lives, and as generations are being brought up, people are starting to realize that it does not have to be in a church house. Forums have been well rooted in these types of conversations, and blogs formed, and even Facebook can set the tone for this sort of mindset of inward reflection. (Though not everyone agrees with this point.)

People are now realizing that the production value of a church sermon is not the key here, and neither is streamlined worship on an app. Authenticity, self-evaluation, self forgiveness, and self esteem are being discovered, and preached in a sense, by people who do not affiliate themselves with a religious sect. The truth we are looking for is coming from sources other than holy books and sermons.

Amen

OTM April 20th

On The Media April 20th

In this episode, after talking about magnets and tote bags, Brooke and Glenn talk about Bill O’Reilly’s sexual harassment scandal, and his show being canceled. Bill O’Reilly’s show was one of Fox News’ most famous shows, and now he has been pushed off air, with $25 million. Fox claims is was not a moral problem, but a financial one. Advertising was dropping and contracts were on thin ice. The audience was really not a factor in the decision they claim. Fox is the second most lucrative company on the cable network. They talk about how it doesn't the Bill O’Reilly story, it’s really about how Fox’s direction is shifting. They go on to say that Fox News was responsible to pumping right-wing conspiracy theories in the homes of over One Hundred Million homes for over twenty years, making it responsible for someone like Trump to have a fighting chance to be president of the US.

The next portion of the episode talks about North Korea and the empty threats thrown on either side. While talking about Trump attacking the Middle East two times in the past two weeks, they compare Trump to the Kim Jong Un, being both erratic and hotheaded. The costs and benefits between attacking North Korea aren't lucrative enough for the Trump administration to make a move quite yet. It is too risky to attack because the Trump administration know they can attack us back in a rather successful manner. Although, they come to say that North Korea could not afford such a war, for they would run out of resources. They talk about how we as Americans do not pay attention to things until they become heated up by the media.

They come to China next, how their officials have had a hard time trying to respond to the two wildcards: Trump and Kim Jong Un. The people who live in China are harder to scare than those who live in America, due to the fact that China has had it a lot harder than Americans, where the people in China grew up hungry at times, and Americans have been in a situation where luxury has afforded them this sort of fear from North Korea. They go on talking about Trump, and how he does not understand the World, and how Trump fever and Ivanka fever has brought the Chinese to find more similarities to themselves. They go on to compare Trump and Nixon, claiming both are using the Madman Theory, being erratic and unpredictable, causing uncertainty in the minds Russians, Chinese, and North Koreans. Throwing the steering wheel out of his window, forcing everyone to act rationally knowing that Trump cannot act rationally.

This has been an interesting episode, finding out that Fox is losing its hold in the media, and that Trump has such a hold on other countries such as China and North Korea. Trump has definitely made a huge impact on not following the rules of the game that the countries of the world. What will Trump do when his bluff is called?

OTM April 27th

On The Media: April 27th

This On The Media episode calls out all of the “scammy” things that Donald Trump has done in his adult life, such as five of his companies times declaring bankruptcy, the downfall of the United State Football League, and also the blunders of his first 100 days in the White House. They talk about how he loses and claims his losses and victories and moves on as quickly as possible. He claims that his Tajima Hal casino was so successful that the machines blew up, even though the reality of the situation was that the casino was just opened too early. In his first 100 days in office, he has failed to change the medical plan for the nation, a declined travel ban, and his continuous war with the media. The next portion is with George and he talks about how Trump shelved Wall down payment of 1 billion dollars, as well as his tax plan, and how the media has been phrasing the tax reformation incorrectly. The issue is framed as a personal budget but o a mass scale. The tax reformation that Donald Trump has been claimed to make the rich richer and the poor poorer. However, “tax reformation,” he says is not a good way to phrase it.

They go back to the Wall situation, talking to Cindy, and how Trump states shelving the wall idea was a strategic idea. They talk about how fencing has been up since 2006. They talk about the terrain which is almost too rough to cross, so there is no need to build a fence there, and the places where there are fences established, have actually made the migration go eastward. The people who try to cross are being smuggled and this method is raising the danger for citizens and noncitizens alike. They go on stating that most undocumented people come onto the country with legal work visas via planes, and overstay their time here. The heated debate over the wall almost shut down the government.

As a citizen, maybe building a wall will help somewhat to help our psyche, like locking our front doors and windows at night, but if people really wanted to come into our homes, they will find a way. Cindy claims the wall “is a distraction to the real problems,” and I would have to agree.   

Facebook Add Campaign

Reverbnation Ad
I was curious to see what an add would do on my page, so I made one earlier in the semester. It didn't really do that well. It might be because I only paid $5 for it, or it could just be that it was a boring ad that didn't draw anyone's attention. I decided to make a new one, using a different picture and being more direct. The picture was taken by Skye, who is in our class. She kills it at photography. If any one is reading this and you are in need of pictures, go to her. My music is a bit sad and slow. Mostly soft sounds. I made "Soft Sounds" the quick description headline for the ad, and gave a call to action to play the songs on the Reverbnation website.





Youtube Video Ad

Juniper is by far the most popular song I've written. I want to get more plays on my Youtube account, so I made an Ad for that as well. I originally was going to make an ad with the video embedded as the ad, but it took too long to upload. This works better. Again, I am trying to reach more people around Utah to build a fanbase that can go to the shows I plan on playing. According to the data my page ha gathered, more girls from the ages 16-30 are visiting my page. Again, I put a call to action to click the ad to take them to Youtube.



Show Ad

I am playing a show on May 19th at Jazzy's, and I wanted to promote it. This one would target a more specific audience. Fellow students from DSU who often go to Jazzy's would be a good target. I also have a number of friends from Salt Lake County who are also promoting this show for me.

Surf's Up: Going With the Flow While Carving Your Own Path

Before you can surf, you need to study how the water moves. Since you cannot control how the waves will act, you must learn how to work with them in order to surf. You need to be able to identify when the wave will swell and when it will crash. At first, you might not see a wave’s potential until it is too late. The water might swallow you up and spit you out, or you have to dive underneath it, letting it pass over you.

You need to know the flow of it. Once you know the flow, you can just go with it. Each wave is an opportunity. With practice, you will know which waves to ride, how to ride them, and which waves to pass up. These waves can be intimidating, but putting trust in yourself can help you ride waves you never thought you could.

You will realize the potential that each wave has to either carry you to shore or swallow you up and spin you around. You cannot control which waves will come, but you are in control of which ones you’ll ride.

Surfing is a great metaphor for life, as it explains how to go with the flow while also carving your own path.

The flow of life unfolds right in front of us. New moments full of potential are always on the horizon, and it is up to us to grasp them and let them take us to where we want to go. At this point in our lives, we have started to develop skill sets that can take us places. We can apply for internships or graduate school, acquire career-building jobs or start our own businesses.

Even though we may have the potential to seize opportunities such as these, we cannot force them to happen.

We cannot force hiring managers to give us our dream jobs, neither can we force someone to buy our custom-made T-shirts. However, if we continue to work for things we want, we will get there. The more effort we put in, the more we can get out of it.

Every opportunity we take makes us better. There will be times when we will fail or crash, and even those situations are opportunities we can learn from. Whether you are in the ocean or on the beach, the waves will always come. The opportunities to get where you want to go will be there. You decide to get out there and take them. Some opportunities will seem intimidating, but we must believe we can succeed.

Look for the potential waves on the horizon. Learn what to look for, and how to ride them. Put yourself out there, hunt for opportunities, and take them. Send emails or go out in person to the companies or places you want to work. Study how others did it, and see what worked for them.

Be open to alternative ways to get there and be brave. With every opportunity seized, the amount of experience increases. When things don't work out, always see a failure as a learning opportunity, get back on the board and try again. The ocean of life may be intimidating, but it will always take you where you want to go if you are willing to put in the work.

Automatic Attitudinal Response

The OTM post that I decided to reflect on was the Smoke and Handcuffs episode. As I read my post, I could tell it was one sided, and filled with bias. I read an article of the 10 Cognitive Biases That Affect Our Everyday Decisions, and it was very helpful in pinpointing the exact biases that influenced my rhetoric in this post.

The first one I could find is called the Dunning-Kruger Effect. It basically states that non experts can overestimate their knowledge of something. I am 23 and just starting to pay attention to politics and the media. I really just regurgitated what Bob Garfield said on the show, and didn't try to site any other articles relating to the same topics he brushed on. I agreed with what he was saying about Fox being distorted and not really being critical or fair as a news channel, so I didn't feel like I needed to do any more research. That state of mind brings me to the next bias which I found called The Conformation Bias. 

The Conformation Bias states that a person will seek articles or people that support their already established beliefs, instead of being open to opposing information. Bob's views and my views seemed to align on the topics discussed, so I was confident in making some drastic claims and focusing on strengthening my point, without making any effort of finding counter points. I was focusing, for example, on how many times the media has exploited the stories of minorities being linked to violence. Looking back, I should have also argued that the media also exploits Caucasian crime rates as well, or the stories where race had no importance at all. This talk show was also the first time I really heard about ICE, other than the discussion we had in class. The Dunning-Kruger Effect bias is clearly shown in my post when it came to ICE. After listening to a quick couple minutes of one person's report on ICE, I concluded that ICE is a huge waste of money. I haven't tried to look up any additional information to support or oppose that argument. I see my side very clearly, but it would still benefit me to see where the side that supports this sort of action is coming from. 

There are many sides to any topic, and I can tell now that forming an opinion based off of one source may seem alright at times, but getting into the topic deeper by studying other sources will always be beneficial. As a student, I've always been told to bring many sources into a paper, but when it comes to everyday topics, I lack that same sort of mindset. Between the Dunning-Kruger Effect, and The Conformation Bias, my post was certainly one sided. Having said that, I would have liked to cite a couple other sources as counter arguments, or supportive arguments, to make the post more well rounded, and gain a broader understanding of the opposing side. While it may be hard for me to ever think of Fox News as a legit news source, it is important to see where they are coming from. While it may be hard for me to see the justification of spending money to have non documented US citizens deported in bulk, I still need to learn why people have been so passionate about doing that exact thing. We think, and therefore, we are, but to really study all sides of any given topic will make us better. 

Grant Jones

OTM - Smoke and Handcuffs, Feb 28th

This On the Media was very interesting. Bob Garfield was covering for Brooke Gladstone. Bob claimed that for the past twenty years, Fox News has been a “Blast Furnace” for the Right Wing political party. It is hard to deny that Fox News is anything but a republican infused Entertainment Tonight, but I’ve always kept that to myself, knowing my parents are huge Fox News fans. They both claim it is “actually news.”

“Foxism and Trumpism are made for each other,” Bob claims. He then goes on to say that Fox and Trump have created a “Feedback Loop” of political agendas. There is a huge amount of distortion of the news, and their viewers eat it up, soaking up all of the news and taking it as cold hard facts, and also mirroring the discriminatory and harsh language and mindsets that the news anchors have. Donald Trump is among those viewers. In the podcast, and also seen on social media are the instances that Trump reportedly gets his news from Fox News before his intelligence. “Ungrateful Traitor, Chelsea Manning,” was found on Fox News, and later on a tweet from Donald Trump. It is safe to say President Trump reiterates Fox News. The Sweden debacle was due to Trump watching Fox when Tucker Carlson was talking about Sweden with a filmmaker who was explaining his findings in Sweden over a long period of time. The filmmaker was talking about crimes on the rise, and Trump thought it was current for whatever reason, and decided to talk about it in a press conference.

The next topic on the On The Media talk show was about Sanctuary Cities, and how they were in danger. ICE has been on the move, now more than ever, since Trump has been in office. However, cities have been pushing back, and not allowing ICE to perform the way Trump would like. The immigrant policies and enforcements have always been an issue, as the documentary “13TH” mentions. It was hard to fathom the extent of the Trump administration in terms of deportation and incarceration of minorities and undocumented citizens. I think it is a huge waste of money and recourses. It is also a perfect example of justified, legal, and political racism and discrimination. It was baffling to see how much discrimination from political leaders and parties is rooted in their decisions to “Make America Great Again.”

It’s hard to make any headway in resolving conflicts of racism and immigrants, terrorism, environment, or anything else, when the government and media stations setting such a poor examples. I do believe that our government and certain media stations are not solving issues, but fueling them. With such huge entities such as the President and media companies such as Fox News all saying the same things, it will be very hard to convince viewers of a different mindset. All in all, things are getting out of hand and certain news outlets have been notifying the public in a way of certain praise, rather than a critical standpoint.

Grant Jones- Well Informed: Racism 3.0

Grant Jones

Well Informed Post: Racism 3.0

There are certain “taboos” that have developed in America. As a nation, we do not talk about certain things about our history, and often, things that are currently happening are either hushed or left in the past. Or, our media stokes the fires of controversy and leaves any sort of progress our nation has taken in ashes. As the generations have been looking for answers on the internet, these taboos have not only been dissolved, but streamlined into soundbites. The history books are left on the shelves as the true histories of America are exposed via interviews with historians and independent individuals who want to shed light on the nation’s dark past and present. Racism in America is a taboo to most middle to upper middle class citizens who would like to see our nation as a beacon to the world, however, our nation is far from reaching any sort of integration.

Matthew Cooke is one of many people who are trying to ignore the taboo of just how serious and current racism is in America. In Matthew’s video, How to Race Bait, he explains America’s cast system. Mixing income and race has been a justifiable cause to keep a dominance over the minorities and poor in this country. Racial and social dominance has not been eradicated, but refined. Our legal system and free market enterprise together suppress the cultures that helped build up their very foundations. Our government officials will grant us our freedoms as long as they don’t interfere with political and corporate agendas. The majority of the citizens of America would like to think our racial issues are long behind us. However, as Matthew quotes, 30% of Americans are minorities, yet this percentage makes up 60% of the prison population. According to Burnie Saunders, 1 in 3 black men are likely to face jail time, and while in jail, are stripped of their right to vote. Looking further, neighborhoods, roadways, and cities are all designed with segregation in mind. To quote an article published by the BBC, “ If zero is a measure for perfect integration and 100 is complete segregation, analysis from Brookings showed most of the country's largest metropolitan areas have segregation levels of between 50 to 70.” Education wise, lower income areas and higher income areas have their own school zones. The zoning segregation of residential and schools have further widened the gap for kids to experience interaction in environments where color and income should never matter.

The segregation does not stop in zoning for housing. As far as free enterprise goes, a study from the PMC explained that Maryland, North Carolina, Mississippi, and Minnesota and reported a higher prevalence of fast-food restaurants among low-income neighborhoods. As we all know by now, fast food has lead to heart disease and obesity, along with many other health problems. The availability of fresh foods such as vegetables and fruits are hard to find in lower income areas. The segregation and oppression are encouraged in government, law enforcement, and commercial business. The media would like to frame caucasians as victims of reverse racism, but if I grew up in these conditions, I would not be a big fan of whoever was setting my life up to be many times harder right out of the gate. Ask yourself if you would rather grow up with unsafe streets, poor food quality, and poor quality education compared to those white folks who can afford it. Even with so many inspirational leaders of color, the trends of racial oppression are so tightly knit in our everyday lives, that it must be a continuous dialogue in our social media feeds and in face to face conversations. Racism, in order to be obstructed, must not be a taboo any longer.  

Facebook Campaign

My Facebook campaign will be used to promote the songs and videos I have put together. I plan on recording more songs and videos, and links to my Youtube channel and Soundcloud will be up for those on this page. By the end of the semester, I wish to put songs on Spotify, and this page will hopefully give me enough traction to get a solid audience on that social platform. I have 7 demos of the songs I've written that have been posted on Soundcloud, and 3 music videos that I have posted on my regular Facebook page that have around 400 views each. Spotify, and perhaps Facebook, give data which shows how many times a song gets played and from what part of the country. Many musicians use this information to figure out where to play before they go out on tour. In a year and a half's time, I wish to go out and play live shows during the winter months.

Targeted groups:
-People ages 15-40, local and international
-People in this age group who have have found love and lost it
-People in this age group who have lost love and found it again
-People in this age group who are trying to fight through grief and want to figure out who they are

How my audiences will be reached and tactics that will be implemented:
-Videos of my songs performed as live sessions (1 a month)
-Snap shots and short posts of writing process
-Short stories or descriptions about what songs are about
-Covers of songs that I feel compliment the overall feel of the music I write (1 a month)
-Links to my Youtube channel and Soundcloud page, and well as Spotify when that is established (pinned to the top of the page)
-Snap shots of into my personal life as a musician, and dynamic pictures to grab attention and compliment overall feel of the music I write (1 every other week)

The Don

I was at work making pizzas when the Inauguration was taking place, so I was not able to watch it. The owner of the pizza place I work at, however, was certainly worked up. He was going on about the marches against our new president, as well as the democratic side of our government choosing not to attend the Inauguration. He was on the verge of screaming in frustration. His frustration was understandable to say the least. Why should this transition be met with such fierce animosity? Is it Trump's way with women that cause these protesters to march? Is it the fact that he has somehow inspired men and women across this country to be even more openly racist? 

"Do people understand how our voting system works? We all need to accept this. He won. This didn't happen when Obama became president. The transition of powers is supposed to be peaceful. That's the whole reason why we have democracy, thank God." 

-My Boss

Being my boss, I didn't want to explain to him all of the mock hangings of Obama that were happening across America, or the assaults that took place against minorities once Obama took office. Those incidents were besides the point. 

After listening to my boss' ventilations, I looked on Facebook to see what the internet had to say. The rhetoric on my Facebook feed seemed mixed. I have friends who have been for and against Trump as the next President of the United States. My Facebook "friends" all seemed to have an opinion on the matter, and I even saw my little sister get into a heated argument with our favorite uncle. Easter dinner is going to be awkward.

It has been hard to voice my political thoughts and concerns on social media. I do not bicker with people. I don't think it's constructive and it usually leads to family and friends hating each other for a while. There's not a lot of political dialogue happening when I get confronted about political views, so I vote and stay quiet. That is how I am affected by the rhetoric of my social media feed. The way we talk about politics is cringeworthy. Going for the throat seems to be the rule when politics gets mixed into the conversation. 

For example: 

"You like Donald Trump? You are a racist privileged brat. Also, you were most likely adopted and your eyebrows are a mess." 

"You are a democrat? Get out of here, and don't come back until you learn what taxes are, and you stop smelling like organic avocados and tea tree oil. You stink! Also, the pictures of you at hot yoga disgust me. You call that a Warrior III pose? Please!"

Despite the feuds and memes that have been bombarding my Facebook feed, I think people will calm down about Trump being president. Also, if anyone has ever watched even one episode of House of Cards, they will know that our political system gets things done from behind the scenes. Lobbyists who represent corporations get in touch with our Congressman and Senators, and work out deals to further the agendas of both sides. 

So, who can fix our country? We the people. Community is our only way to help this nation. It would be great to see Trump fix our issues with our economy and environment, as well as reduce taxes while providing ample jobs. Will any of these issues be fixed by President Trump? Of course not. Can we help solve these issues by joining together to tackle these one at a time? Yes we can. 

God speed, Don. God speed.

Get to Know Grant (If You Want)

Hello,

My name is Grant Jones. I'm 23-years-old and I am a Scorpio. I enjoy long walks on the beach followed by a candle lit dinner with a nice bottle of white or red wine, topped off with deep conversations about philosophy and conspiracy theories.

I am a Media Studies student, majoring in film and minoring in graphic design. You can see the commercials and video projects that I've done here. Also, I am a musician. My youtube channel is here, and my Soundcloud account is here. I am a videographer for The Dixie Sun News. A fun fact about me is that I have a tattoo of Bill Murray as Steve Zissou from the film "The Life Aquatic." The tattoo is located on my right forearm.

 My overall goal in life is to do as much good for as many people as I can before I die.

Thanks for reading this.