Facebook Goes Red for Equality

The Supreme Court started discussing the issue of gay marriage last week. Of course, this is an issue that caught national attention. Something else besides the actual discussions caught my eye though. I honestly was unaware that the gay marriage debate was occurring until I saw pink and red equality symbols popping up all over my Facebook timeline. Human Rights Campaign released a pink and red version of their normally blue and yellow equality sign. They asked their followers to post it as their profile picture in support of gay marriage. They wanted it to show that their whole campaign was just about getting love (the universal colors of love: red and pink) and equality.

This is another moment where Facebook proves it is more than just a place to post pictures of spring break or let people know what you had for dinner tonight. I think sometimes we forget that social media can be a rallying venue. It's a place where we can come together to support a cause we are passionate about. The pink equality sign proves that. Social media is meant to be used to be heard. The younger generation that is on social media wanted to let the world know that they support equality for all. They "painted Facebook red" as some put it. Hopefully, the Supreme Court will see the support rallied on Facebook and make the decision for equality for all.

Also, on a less serious note, lots of great memes came out to coincide with it. It's another sign how quickly an idea can take off and grow. Tons of memes came out, but the one below is definitely my favorite. A student I graduated high school with created it. Even Time magazine found it funny.

#TooMuch

Television networks have started to fully integrate the use of Twitter into all their TV shows. Some have decided to properly use this to involve their audience. However, some take it to an extreme. Not going to lie, my guilty pleasure is Pretty Little Liars. I absolutely love watching this show However, what I do not love is the consistent ridiculous hashtags in the corner. Instead of just having #PrettyLittleLiars running they will put up a hashtag for every single thing that happens in the show like #SpencerSnaps or #TobysAlive. It seems like they are desperate to get their views involved on social media. If something interesting happens on the show, which trust me usually does, viewers will choose to tweet about it on their own using #PrettyLittleLiars. The hastags in the corner more so annoy the viewer then make them want to get involved. 

Fox has actually decided on a very interesting way to get users involved on social media. Last night, during The Following (another suspenseful show I highly recommend), I saw them run a promotion in the bottom left corner of the screen. It said if you tweet #TheFollowing, you will receive a special gift from the show while supplies last. This gives the viewers who are passionate about the show a chance to not only get involved but to win something special from them. Also, it creates buzz about the show on social media which could get more viewers.

This is the reason that shows want to create that buzz on social media. They know if people are talking about what is happening in the show and how much they love it, more people will take the recommendations and watch the show. Shows are all about viewership. Commercials and previews of the shows may get more viewers, but hearing that your friends like a show will make you more likely to watch it. So keep the hashtags coming on tv, just make sure they don't annoy your audience. 

I mean #ISmellDeadPeople....Really? I wasn't kidding about the stupid hashtags.