Branding: A Day in the Life.

    Like most people, I use social media for just about everything. But within the last year I have scaled back on how many social media platforms I use and for how long I use the each day. The main social media platforms I use are Instagram and Facebook for my personal use. I use other miscellaneous platforms like Converse, Netflix, and Delta if I am browsing for clothing or tickets for flights. I was using Twitter a few years ago but I decided to get rid of it after I found that I was not tweeting as much I was when I first started to use it. When it comes to Instagram I use it for posting personal updates using pictures on my feed or little snippets of my day using the stories section. For example, I did a photo dump of my trip to Valleyscare with my significant other on Saturday. When I am using Instagram I tend to only give myself at least 10 minutes to scroll just because I sometimes find myself scrolling mindlessly when I have important things to do. Facebook is one social media platform that I rarely use just because I believe that Facebook has become too much over the last few years. I only use it to see updates from friends and family members that I no longer get to see. Facebook is one app that I do not have a problem deleting off of my phone and not using it for months at a time.

    I definitely have positive and negative reactions when I am using certain social media platforms. For example, I sometimes find myself feeling like I am missing out on certain things while browsing Instagram. When I see certain people moving into their dream apartment or house, having children, or traveling the world, I start feeling I am missing out on these accomplishments because I have experienced them yet. Once I get off of Instagram and remember that everyone's life progresses at it's own speed, I tell myself that in due time I will be moving into my dream apartment. I just need to patient and know that I am destined for great things.

(A photo of me and a stuffed animal I won at Valley Fair during Valley Scare.)

    I honestly have never thought about if social media satisfies my needs, but after giving it some thought I can see how my need of wanting to escape life sometimes. When things in my personal and work life are becoming stressful, I tend to browse Instagram or watch Bobs Burgers on Hulu for hours to process how I am feeling inside. For example, I use tend to watch Bobs Burgers when I am needing to self sooth if I am feeling a little out of place when I am feeling emotional. It sometimes is not a guaranteed fix but watching things that I know for a fact will brings me joy helps me to pull myself out of an emotional funk.

    I receive many emails for different companies. A lot of the emails I receive are promotional emails from companies like Nike, Converse, Vans, and many others. Many of these emails catch my eyes because they showcase new items that the brands are offering or there may be an occasional email that has a coupon it. Those emails really catch my eyes! If the email does not have any information in that I find useful, I just place it in my trash folder. Emails that use big font and pictures typically catch my eye the most. For instance, Old Navy does a great job of this. They normally use bold colors that explain the sales they are having at the moment. The colors tend to align with new clothing they are showing in the email as well.

(A screenshot of a text and a photo from an email from Old Navy that I was sent.)

    Today, the use of digital marketing has increased tremendously. One thing that I have noticed is that the creation of graphic design platforms have been popping up a lot lately. For example, it wasn't until I started being responsible for posting to the school that I work for Facebook page that I was introduced to Canva. To keep it short, Canva is a graphic design platform that is used to create flyers, presentations, documents, etc. I use this platform to create fun and engaging graphics that help get information out to our families. 5 years ago, I was not seeing platforms like Canva being used to increase digital marketing for brands to push their information. I have even seen Canva being used by social media influencers on Instagram as well. I can definitely say that social media influencers is a new thing as well. It it is true that many brands have gained a following online because of the.