Tag: social media

Posted on

How Ronda Rousey used Social Media to hide her WWE debut

Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey (image credit: WWE)

This past Sunday, women’s MMA star Ronda Rousey shocked the wrestling world by showing up at the conclusion of the WWE’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view.   As one of combat sports’ most recognizable figures, her new career switch into the world of professional wrestling caught a lot of mainstream fans off guard.  Let’s examine how she used social media as a decoy to throw off the public that she was not going to appear at the Royal Rumble.

Tells TMZ she’s off to film a movie in South America

On Thursday, January 25, 2018, just four days before the Royal Rumble, Rousey was approached by TMZ at the airport.    Knowing that this footage would most likely be shared on social media through blog sites and smartphones, the former UFC women’s champion welcomed the paparazzi’s questions.  She was coy about her eventual jump to WWE, but truthfully did board a plane once the interview concluded.  It had been previously reported in the fall that she would be filming Mile 22 with Mark Wahlberg in Atlanta and Columbia.   This set the table as an early confirmation that Ronda would not be appearing in Philadelphia, the site of the Royal Rumble.

Uses Instagram to prove she’s actually in Columbia

For those who thought Ronda would not honor her movie commitments,  she posted a video on her Instagram account.  Dated Saturday, January 27 at 5:49 pm eastern time, Ronda was seen having dinner with the film crew in a Colombian restaurant.  This should have seemed to be enough to convince her fans and the MMA/wrestling audience that appearing at the Royal Rumble was just not going to happen.   Probably the icing on the cake was that her make up artist posted a picture of Rousey in her trailer on Sunday, January 28 – the actual day of the Royal Rumble event.

With Instagram, unless the live video feature is enabled, you can never really tell if the images you see on the platform are in real time or post dated.   People in general assume images are recently uploaded within a few hours of them being taken.  In this case, kudos to the Ronda and the WWE for using the platform to show that while fans will flock to Instagram for information, they can easily fool the public at the same time.

Ronda Rousey’s pre-recorded ESPN interview airs moments after the Royal Rumble

WWE’s relationship with ESPN allowed a mainstream outlet to help boost coverage of their signing of Ronda Rousey to the world.  The legitimacy of the sports broadcaster, known to break big sports new stories, immediately ran this interview following the conclusion of the Royal Rumble pay-per-view.  WWE Shop also started selling the walk out t-shirt Rousey wore within minutes of the Rumble finishing on the WWE Network.  It is safe to say that her debut was calculated and had been planned for months leading up to her debut.

Ronda Rousey's Twitter analytics

Ronda Rousey's Twitter analytics
Ronda Rousey’s Twitter analytics via Sysomos

Conclusion

Social media is a powerful tool.  In this day and age where people are looking for information online, it can also be used a tool to misguide as well.  Ronda Rousey’s arrival in professional wrestling comes at a time where the industry is featuring more female talent than ever before.  While she did not compete at the Royal Rumble, WWE is saving her in-ring competition debut for their biggest show of the year.  Look for her to be heavily promoted in the main event of WrestleMania, this coming April.

For a sports entertainment company like the WWE, they are constantly using digital to communicate with their audience.   Personalities take to their social accounts to help build their rivalries.  They keep interest in their storytelling by keeping the consumer engaged.  And in the case of Ronda Rousey…where her debut could have been botched or leaked, WWE is a shining example of how a company can utilize social media and protect a surprise, which is no easy task in today’s digital world.

Ronda explains how she left Columbia to make it in time for the Royal Rumble

Ronda Rousey’s WWE debut at the Royal Rumble

 

Posted on

2017 Year In Review

Wayne Lapasa
November 2017: Work Christmas party portrait

2017 is a wrap! What a year it has been.  This blog is going to be short and sweet compared to other posts.  I just want to take a quick moment to review this past year, highlight some key things that I’m really happy I achieved.

Word Press
Word Press

Blogging

Since the fall of 2016, I started using Word Press again, mostly for school assignments.  Once the school year term ended in April 2017, I still continued to use the platform to share my thoughts on all things digital.  It has allowed me to publish content and to build up my writing portfolio in the process.  Employers can also easily search through the archives to see what my writing style is like and what I can bring to the table.

Honestly, I hadn’t touched Word Press since late summer 2012, so to be able to do this and get reacquainted with this platform was fun.  I will only be using this site to publish my thoughts on a monthly basis.  The reality is that I’m busy and pre-occupied with work and life.  And besides this domain, there’s other social media channels I am on regularly where you can find me as well!

Wayne Lapasa
December 2017: 💪🏻 Kris Kringle friends party

Back to the gym

When you have a celebrity as big as The Rock preaching that exercise is his daily anchor, I totally get it.  For me it is too. I don’t boast about it and publish my progress on social media, I just do it.  People tend to comment how I post a lot of foodie pics, yet I am in great shape.  The reality is, the work is being put in – I choose not to broadcast it.  The gym is sacred ground, it’s like a church to me.  Treat it with respect and you will see the results.

When school finished in the spring, you would think that more time would open up for me to get back into the gym.  I fell into a bad gym funk.  It actually made it harder for me to get back into the groove of things. I even switched gyms in the summer and was not able to motivate myself like I used to.  I regularly keep a gym journal on how many times I go to the gym.  From May to September, I only swiped my gym key 41 times.  That is embarrassing, considering there were 163 total days in that five-month span.  For me, enough was enough…it was time for a change.  There were three months remaining in the calendar year and I was not going to wait till the new year to get my butt in gear.  A light bulb switch in my head went off.  I am proud to say that I regained my consistency in the fall.  I just refocused and rededicated myself.  For the final 92 days of 2017, I went to the gym or did some sort of physical activity 76 times.  I went to the gym on average of five days a week.  This is no easy task given how busy one person’s work schedule can get.  There was one week where I was sick as a dog and I still went five times pushing through.

Going to the gym is a personal challenge of mind over matter.  To be healthy, you must incorporate fitness into your lifestyle.  But to build a lifestyle, you must build consistency.  Those two keywords are synonymous with one another.  To many, doing any sort of physical activity is considered torture.  The true testament is to ensure your mindset overrules any physical limitation you are feeling.  Once you can change the way you think, you will not dread working out.

Graduate Certificate Information Session 2017
July 2017: Seneca College alumni at the Graduate Certificate Information Session

Going back to school

The decision to go back to school has been highly documented in a previous post on this website.  But for me, it was my most favourite and personal post to publish. To add some other insight that I didn’t include in that write up, procrastination was a major factor in such a long layoff on not returning to upgrade my education.  In fact, in the summer of 2014, I almost contemplated towards a career as a realtor.  I started to read a few chapters of the books my mom had and I eventually concluded this was not the path I wanted to take.  I’ve always been a firm believer that patience is a virtue and that good things come to those who wait.  I simply cannot be rushed into something.  And if you don’t have that gut instinct that this is what’s best for you, don’t second guess yourself.

Attending school while working full time and graduating with honours was a great accomplishment.  What I am most proud of the most, was that my whole family was able to come to my convocation – including my dad, who missed my 2004 graduation at York University because he had to work. You are forgiven Dad! Xoxo.

Wayne Lapasa
December 31, 2017: NYE ’18

Outro

These are three highlights that I wanted to mention as this year comes to a close.  All of them are somewhat tied to digital, but more on a personal level for me.  Blogging was something I had done for five years straight…only to take a five-year break as well.  Going back to the gym was inspired from visuals I saw on Instagram and helped me refocus in that area.  And getting a post graduate certificate in social media was the icing on the cake for me.  Having that said, I just want to take this time to wish everyone a happy new year, wishing you all the best for 2018!

Posted on

How social media helped create a dialogue on sexual assault/harassment with one hashtag

Illustration by Oliver Munday; source photograph by Raymond Hall / GC Images via Getty

In the wake of this past fall’s blockbuster story about movie executive Harvey Weinstein’s sexual assault/harassment history, a delicate issue has been given a large spotlight.  It is a sensitive subject where recounting and expressing horrendous firsthand experiences are an extremely painful memory.   This day in age in social media where we are looking to post the best angle of our selves, the best destination we’ve traveled to or what our favourite foods are, all took a back seat when this became a major news story.  Here are three things we have learned from all of this.

Social media helped create an open dialogue on sexual assault

What was once a taboo subject to talk about it, was now put on an international scope with millions of people chiming in on this topic.  The October 5th article written by the New York Post and the October 10th investigation piece by the New Yorker helped bring attention to one individual but in essence, triggered a much larger effect.  It helped establish communication among society through multiple social media platforms.  A subject matter as delicate as this where people were afraid to come forward, opened a gateway for those to feel safe and not embarrassed to share their experiences.  As of this writing, 34 men from various public industries have seen their careers affected, majority by termination.


The tweet that started the #MeToo hashtag

Twitter is not dead

Some people who might have not use the micro blogging site anymore like they used to, as other social media apps occupy their interests.  But in this case, the subject matter of sexual assault/harassment was most detailed in 140 characters at the time.   It was the perfect platform for other users to read detailed accounts of others while a community engaged and exchanged support for one another.  Actress Alyssa Milano can be credited for her October 15th tweet that opened up the floodgates for millions to interact and discuss this subject matter.  For that entire week, 96.9% of the #MeToo hashtag trend came from Twitter.  With the recent increase to 280 characters, Twitter has demonstrated that their platform still has value and people still use the platform to share whatever is on their mind.

Social Media reaction to #MeToo

Sexual assault/harassment is never acceptable

We have seen a large group of brave women, no longer in silence recount and continue to share their horrific stories.   It takes a lot of courage for them to find the inner strength and share private details that are emotionally scarring.  In addition, even a few men have stepped up and shared their stories that have affected them for years.  It is a painful reminder that under no circumstance, should a woman’s safety, well being and emotional state ever be violated in or out of the workplace.   Regardless if you are a famous public figure, an entertainer, athlete, politician or even a regular Joe Schmo, everyone should be treated equally with respect.

The Aftermath

Thanks to social media, the subject matter of sexual assault/harassment was bright to light on a large scale in 2017.  How this news story broke out and caught steam among the masses could greatly be attributed to social media.  Was it a slow news week? Or was is just about time for this topic to no longer be considered taboo and given some serious thought?   Regardless, what came out of this was an overdue discussion on this sensitive issue.  People’s voices were heard, people’s personal guilt came forward and public shaming became more prevalent.  Ultimately, this could be just the beginning of other potential issues in the world that could spark international interest, stay tuned.

Pinterest