The GRAMMYs

With the Grammy Awards right around the corner, I can’t help but not write my blog about the award show. The Grammy’s has been one of my favorites since the first time I watched it. I love how it amplifies the creativity of the artists and shows a huge appreciation for all genres, all decades, and all musicians. This year, the Grammy Award show is upping its social media strategy and utilizing a various number of social media outlets to produce content and promote the show before and during the airing.

The Grammys have always done very well with trends on Twitter and Facebook. They are now incorporating Instagram, Vine, Snapchat, and so many more in order to attract the younger viewers and continue to attract those that watch the Grammys. There will be a Grammy Live Snapchat story, Connor Franta will be the “Twitter Reporter” at the Grammys, and artists such as Demi Lovato and Luke Bryan will be posting exclusive photos on Instagram.

Various celebrities, journalists, and college students have posted content related to the Grammy Awards, including daring looks worn throughout the years, who might win Album of the Year, past memorable moments such as when Kanye West stormed the stage, and the tributes that will be paid to the musicians we lost this past year. It will be exciting to see how social media might blow up on Monday, who might win the awards, and the aftermath on social media including fans reactions to the winners.

Iconic 70's Rock Stars

It has already been a devastating year for the music industry. From Maurice White, David Bowie, Glenn Frey, and Lemmy Kilmister, we have lost some of the most iconic 70’s rock stars. I am still taken aback by the death of Maurice White, who was the founder of Earth, Wind, and Fire and wrote one of my all time favorites, “September”, as well as the death of Glenn Frey, the lead singer in one of my favorite bands, The Eagles.

David Bowie and Glenn Frey’s death has been featured on various social media outlets through the mourning of fans and journalists (including the Los Angeles Times and Rolling Stones Magazine), as well as in increases in album sales. The other day my mom was even begging me to go to the record store in downtown Athens and buy her an Eagles album (even though she has multiple already).

Known celebrities such as Adrian Grenier, Madonna, Steve Martin, and Kanye West took part in the mourning process and paid a tribute to David Bowie and Glenn Frey. These celebrities were posting old photos of these musicians on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, reminiscing on old concerts and friendships. Even the U.K. Prime Minister joined in on the mourning of David Bowie, stating that he grew up listening and watching the pop genius. Besides celebrities, others have been posting Snapchat videos about the losses and posting on these social media outlets as well.

This year has not started out right for a lot of 70’s rock fans, such as myself. I continue to remember how my family was SO close to going to the Eagles concert last summer and we now, more than ever, regret it. But it has been comforting seeing tributes paid to these iconic rock stars by people from all over the world of different ages and backgrounds.  

Grease: Live

Grease, an iconic Broadway show later turned into a Paramount Pictures romantic film, is now being remade into a live television event. With it’s constant advertising through social media and commercials, it has gained a lot of attention. It is being talked about in magazine and news sources, as well as all over Social Media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and has become a “hashtag” trend.

Grease: Live is being advertised through social media sites by the cast members, including legendary High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens, Entertainment Weekly, and Fox. On these sites, it is being named the “biggest musical live event of the year”, and some posts have been liked close to 100 thousand times and shared close to 30 thousand times. While it has been receiving good publicity, there is also some negative comments about it being remade, including from an original cast member John Travolta.

Currently on Facebook, it is a popular trend and the Grease: Live page has 2,508 likes. The Twitter page has 20,682 followers and also looks to be interacting a lot with it’s followers by having conversations with them (replying to their tweets) and “re-tweeting” their tweets as well. Grease: Live is definitely being “amped” up on social media, especially today, and in doing so they should get a good number of viewers during tonight’s airing on Fox.

2016 Presidential Election and Social Media

The 2016 presidential race is heating up and the political candidates have been stepping up on social media sites such as Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter showcasing their social media strategies and strengthening their campaign. Current President Barack Obama began using social media strategies in his 2012 campaign, but only ventured as far as Twitter and Reddit. Now, these current candidates, such as Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump and Jeb Bush, are using social media to their advantage on multiple sites in hopes of connecting to the millennial market.

Hillary Clinton is one of the most active presidential candidates seen on social media. She has a strong presence with more than one million likes on Facebook, more than five million followers on Twitter, and more than 700,000 followers on Instagram. Through these social media platforms she has created an image for herself that has humanized her and made her more relatable by posting Instagram pictures of her with younger children or pinning a board on Pinterest of inspiring women.

Republican Candidates Jeb Bush and Donald Trump have also utilized social media during their campaign, starting from the very beginning when they used various platforms to announce their candidacy. Social media providers are also getting involved with the campaign, especially Snapchat. Snapchat has launched stories that showed behind-the-scene clips of the Republican and Democratic debates. The use of social media has helped broadcast the candidates campaign as well as connect them to the millennial market. It will be interesting to see how the use of social media might influence or swing the Presidential election.