MM 3133 - Alexis Rowland

       In the current day and age that we live in, many individuals depend on social media as their source of news and hope. Politicians are aware of the marketing tool that social media truly is. Social media plays a significant role in electing candidates. Another reason why many politicians use social media is not only because many individuals use social media daily, but because social media's target audience is typically younger individuals. Many politicians try to market towards younger individuals, so that younger voter turn up will be higher at the polls. Even though politicians do try to market to younger people through social media, it truly does depend on the specific social media platform the politician uses. For example, Facebook would target more older adults, while Instagram and TikTok would target a younger demographic.       The first person that I researched was Ken Russell . Ken Russel was the City of Miami's Commissioner. Ken R...

Censorship in Books at Missouri's Public Libraries      What is an interest group? According to Merriam Webster's Dictionary , an interest group is " a group of persons having a common identifying interest that provides a basis for action." The issue being covered here is the issue of censorship of books in Missouri libraries. This has affected many individuals consisting of librarians, teachers, students, and any residents of Missouri. Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft filed a new proposal on October 17th for all libraries in Missouri to censor their materials. Before this proposal, the only laws that required book censorship had included school libraries. However, in this proposal, there would now be public libraries' books becoming censored as well. This proposal would stop any funding to be provided for library books that are considered "prurient." "Prurient” is defined as “material tends to excite lustful thoughts,” according to a footnote in...

When you think of the term pundit, what comes to your mind?  According to Merriam-Webster's dictionary, a pundit is "a person who authoritatively gives opinions usually through the mass media." So, to put this in laments terms a political pundit, would be someone who is stating something political through the use of mass media (i.e., social media, blogs, podcasts, and videos). A 22-year-old woman by the name of Amala Keeping comes to mind. Amala is a conservative social media influencer.  In the video below, she speaks about how she was raised completely opposite to how she believes now.  In this video, she speaks about how her parents divorced when she was young. She was raised primarily by her mom. Her mom was/still is a member of a liberal organization. Her mom is a fundraiser for the organization. Amala spoke about how she grew up in a democratically thinking community. When she was 17, she became a "youth organizer". In the video , she speaks about a meet...