For those who haven’t seen it, I just quoted one of my favorite scenes from Hot Tub Time Machine, where a group of friends discover a hot tub that’s a time machine and travel back in time to the 80′s before the mobile phone and the internet became widely available.

Now, back to he 21st century. Its the year 2011 and social media has taken over. Can you imagine how inconvenient your day would be if you had to spend it without your cellphone? I’d personally feel unsafe and so alone!

To some people, social media goes only as far as instant messaging and keeping in contact with people you know. They don’t aknowlege the influence social media has on everything from advertising and shopping to politics and education.

As social media is only about a decade old, it’s expected that people from different age groups use it differently; some more than others and the elder less knowlegable than the youth. To get an idea of how different age groups use social media, I asked 5 people from 3 different age groups the following question: How do you make use of social media? All 5 interviewees Had one thing in common: they were either studying or worked in a studious environment.

First up is 15 year old Bilal Abdullah, an ACS student. Bilal has a Blackberry, he uses BBM more than any other social media tool mainly to keep in contact with friends and also get homework assignments. He claims that his school does not integrate social media in the curriculum.

Next there is Rana Abdullah, an interior design student at LAU.
Rana’s medium of choice is Facebook. She uses it to keep in touch with friends overseas, and to store her photos. Interestingly, Rana gave in to the Blackberry fad and bought, even though she doesn’t really like it. She decided to get one because her all her friends have one. Rana finds that social media has become a way of life for her; she uses it for work and to socialize.

Rafi .M. a psychology student at LAU doing his Masters in education. Rafi believes that social media is “anti-social”. He does not trust social media and believes that it does the opposite of connecting people.

Mona Hamood, a political science student at LAU stressed on how convenient social media is to her daily life. She believes everything she needs is at the touch of a button. She can work, study and socialize at the same time.

Finally, Houeida Kammourie-Charara, and Electronic Resources Librarian at LAU depends on social media to do her job. Ever since LAU adopted social media on their website, she has been able to reach out to students more effectively through LAU’s facebook page. There are currently 1800 students who have joined this page. Anything involving LAU, including the library can be accessed through the facebook page. Houeida also uses SM on a personal level. Word is that ipads will be available to students begining Spring 2011. When technology is available, it encourages students to take advantage and learn.
Note: an LAU twitter page is also available

In Bilal’s case, his school has not taken initiative to teaching students how to take advantage of social media. It made me think: Do any schools in Lebanon have a social media program? and if so, is it compulsory like English or Math? Teaching kids to use social media in school can lead to more productive work in the future.

Rana and Mona seem to be the average social media users. Socializing and research are their main interests, unlike Rafi who claims to be anti-social media. Rafi represents a significant part of the Lebanese population: Those who believe social media is nothing more than a social tool, and harms human interaction. I noticed he never reffered to how SM could be used for work or education. I think its safe to assume that the less knowlegable people are about SM, the less involved they tend to be, which in turn leads them to believe that social media is something negative (I base my opinion on more than just Rafi’s reply, although he is the only one i got on video)

Contrary to popular belief, I’ve noticed the younger the interviewees are, the less social media savy they seem to be. In this case, the most knowlegable happened to be Houeida. However, I am sure this does not apply to everyone from her generation.

Over all, we live in the age of technology and most of us (including myself before LAU Social) have little knowlege about social media. Advanced social media users in Lebanon are usually those who learn on the job (excluding the exceptions) If schools made it a point to teach students more about social media, then students can use their skills to excel in other ways much earlier in their lives.

"sometimes truth is stranger than fiction" A. Schulman (google images)

the story begins when Nev schulman’s older brother Ariel and his friend Henry Joost, two film makers, begin to document on camera, an online relationship that develops between Nev and an attractive 19 year old named Megan faccio. Nev meets Megan through his 8 year old pen pal Abby, who is Megan’s half sister. Several months later, Nev begins to suspect that Megan is not who she says she is and decides to track her down…

The documentary highlights problems we face with social media and the availability of personal information. Its so easy to create a fake online persona. Pictures can be borrowed, addresses tracked down and so on; people can be whoever they want to be which is quite creepy.

Nev's photography lead him to Abby (google)

Personally, I don’t socialize with people I don’t already know. But still, that doesn’t mean random people can’t find their way into my profile and look through my photos.

In the age of social media, its more acceptable to “stalk” someone on Facebook than stalking someone in person. In most cases, some people just don’t care because privacy  isn’t what it used to be.

“If you have a Facebook profile, just by definition of having an account, you’re curating the way you would like to appear to the rest of the world. You’re saying I want this photo to represent me, five interests to represent my interests and you have an ability to put your best foot forward. So, in a sense, everyone is curating their lives.” said Henry Joost in an interview with Moviefone.

As we see in the documentary, some people go beyond wanting to hype up who they really are. whether its out of desperation to be someone else or more devious reasons, some online personas are created to hide who they really  are. If there is a reason for someone to do so and because we cannot really know straight away, the best thing to do is not give them a chance. Otherwise,  its our own fault  (unless its a child) if we are duped.

Jesse Eisenberg (right) played Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network (google)

The only similarity I saw between the real Mark Zuckerberg and his movie character was his style; something that Zuckerberg himself agreed with after seeing the movie. I’m sure that seeing a couple of interviews cannot reveal someone’s true personality, but at least you can tell how that person carries himself, and distinctive communication habits. The impression I got of his movie character is quick witted, darker, socially awkward, more serious and quite arrogant. But when I saw him in the interviews, I could not relate him to his fictitious character. He seemed more thoughtful, responsive and timid.

Some people believe that he made a fortune by stealing someone else’s idea, and turning it into facebook. To an extent, he did; he took a local idea and turned it into a global one. This does not change the fact that he is doing an excellent job updating and expanding the biggest social network in the world.   

I find it admirable that he chooses to be the spokesperson for facebook when he can just hire a professional to BS about complicated issues such as privacy.

Innovation is not limited to having big brains and creative ideas. The most difficult part of success is putting a plan into action, another reason to admire Mark Zuckerberg.   

Although not in the field of technology, I know a few people that fit these criteria and I know that one person in particular (in my fb friends list) will make it big in whatever he does. I’m sure enough to bet money on him!

A couple of weeks ago I made plans to go see The Social Network with friends. That same week, before I got the chance to see it, I was told we’d have to watch it for our social media class. So, I decided to wait. Anyway, I saw it in class today and decided that it was one of the best movies of 2010.

Actors vs true personalites (google)

 Sometimes, real life is just so much more interesting than fiction.  I wanted to see how accurate the movie was compared to the true story. As it turns out, a lot of inaccuracies.

The real Winklevoss twins (google)

According to many comments I read by Harvard students who either knew the facebook clan, or worked with them, the movie was greatly exaggerated to make it more exiting. Eduardo Saverin is not the complete victim he is portrayed to be in the movie, neither is Zuckerberg the obsessive sociopath we see. Oh and apparently the chimney didn’t really break.

Never the less, The Social Network is a must see and this much is true: A group of Harvard students transformed the way we socialize and made billions!

Members of LAU Social unable to connect to to AUBs internet

As I walked into the auditorium, I noticed a lot of familiar faces. Turns out that I had seen many of the speakers at Geek Fest earlier. Creative Commons, Shankaboot, and LAU Social’s own Ayman Itani were only a few. Out of 13 speakers, I could only stay long enough to see the first 5, and out of those 5, three engaged my interest.

The first being Mohamad Shawash, a Jordanian student and also Head of Design at the Online Project .  According to the website: a leading social networking utilization company that provides brands with strategic guidance, implementation and management on what to do on social networking. Shawash gave an introduction to social media , facts and statistics. A piece of advice (given by Shawash) I remember best  is “if your company sucks, social media will not help. “  Apart from the Online Project, Shawash is active on twitter and is a consistent blogger.  http://moeys.net/

Next up was the funny yet controversial Imad Bazzi. A political activist who’s choice of medium is blogging. Bazzi is one of many Lebanese who have been arrested and beaten (several times)  for speaking out about political corruption in Lebanon.  Fortunately, Bazzi will not let intimidation or abuse stand in his way. He voices his opinion anonymously, through several websites including  http://trella.org/

I asked Bazzi whether he had ever been approached or referred to by the main stream media, to which he replied: “yes, I have several times”.  Sometimes they use information without even bothering to inform him or cite where the information was retrieved.

Online activism has helped to raise awareness about several issues and people are more encouraged to speak out because they can be anonymous and therefor  have lower risk of being caught.

Finally, there was Naeema Zarif, Art Director of Stro’berry d-zines, and spokesperson for Creative Commons.  CC is a non-profit organization that started off in San Francisco and made its way to Lebanon. CC allows you to copyright your work but still give access to people who are interested in using it.  The difference between Creative Commons and the standard Copyright is first, its free, and second according to Wikipedia (which uses CC)  it has replaced  “all rights reserved” with “some rights reserved.”

Unfortunately, I missed the chance to hear what all the other speakers had say but I am sure I will bump into them at our next social media gathering

mich1mich shares her experiences with us

I was aware of the difficulties of print journalism back in the day. What I was not familliar with were the machines used to publish newspapers. Examples of outdated printing machines include the Linotype (1950s), used to type and print newspapers.  The Selectric Typewriter (IBM, 1975) and The Telex (1985),  at the time, a very costly fax like machine used to send messages.

On the bright side, its more advanced than the Gutenberg Press! (google images)

During the war (1970s before invention of Telex),  it was more difficult for journalists in Lebanon to conduct long distance interviews because they were limited to just one medium; the telephone. Unfortunately, lines were often cut.

At the time, the Telex was convenient but very costly. (google images)

The advancment of technology means more multitasking and greater challenges for journalists. As mich1mich recalled, every journalist needed a camera man when covering a story, and every task included in publishing a newspaper was so time consuming that it was almost impossible to meet a dead-line unless there was one person for every task. Fast forward till the year 2000 and news is published instentaniously by a single person via the internet.

Today, news is no longer one sided where journalists provide news and viewers just listen. Viewers often take part in providing news.

Smart phones have revolutionized citizen-journalism. (google images)

Rather than complaining about the challenges traditional journalists struggle with today, mich1mich has successfully intergrated her traditional journalism skills with new/social media. She tweets, uses facebook and even has a popular blog titled “Mich Cafe” which she uses to share her past experiences, travels and perceptions.

It is a necessity to hop on... (google images)

Based in Dubai, mich1mich keeps up to date with various events taking place all over the world. Apparently, last semester she attended (virtualy) the LAU Social class. She was the only one who did not miss a single class!

To tell you the truth, I’m not a fan of having everyone know where I am whenever I check in. You have the option of being “off the grid” so I guess you can maintain some form of privacy. Those who don’t know about foursquare have left comments on my facebook telling me that I have become an easy target for stalking (funny).

Sadly, only one badge unlocked

Apart from the privacy issue, I find foursquare pretty convenient. I’ve discovered several places I didn’t know about in Hamra (as well as other places in Beirut through my friends) and plan on trying them out whenever I can.

Also, I must admit, its fun seeing friends within your proximity and seeing them on the map. And for those who like to keep track of where you spend your time, you have a “history” option. You can also give and recieve advice from friends about places to see and certain dishes to try out!

One problem I face is not having internet on my iphone. Sometimes I can’t earn points for checking into venues. That’s why the only badge I’ve earned is the “newbie” one.

Overall, foursquare is a great app to have if you enjoy discovering and trying out different venues whether it’s a pub, café, restaurant, shop, or even an area, Foursquare keeps you updated.

During a recent visit to the Lebanese American University , Octavia Nasr gave a lecture about the necessity of integrating social media and traditional media. Since Nasr’s dismissal from CNN, she has launched  Bridges Media Consulting which will help other media organizations do just that.

Nasr has over 20 years experience in the field of Journalism

According to the Bridges Media Consulting website, Nasr believes her company will help clients figure out the roles different media platforms – citizen journalism, traditional reporting, blogging and social media – play in news gathering and building credible stories and trustworthy news bulletins.

“I’ve been on both the successful and perilous receiving ends of social media and have a lot to offer in terms of how traditional media need to evolve to meet new challenges,” she says

Nasr stressed repeatedly that the evolution of media does not mean traditional media will be replaced by new media, contrary to what many people believe.

LAU Social covered Nasr’s lecture live through twitter and coveritlive. Other people attending the lecture tweeted and recieved questions to ask Nasr on behalf of those who couldn’t make it. Information was being distributed on the spot and people were recieving updates as soon as they happened.  

Live coverage by LAU Social

Although a significant amount of people attended the lecture to learn more about Nasr’s twitter incident while working for CNN, She refused to disclose any  information. “I’m not in the business of smearing, and I’m not in the business of answering to tabloids, I rise above it”  she said. “I am Lebanese, and I am a good journalist, I rise above the smears”

LAU Social attended and covered Beirut’s 3rd annual Geekfest at Plum  on November 4.  Basically, Geekfest is an event that takes place at a different location every year where social media enthusiasts aka geeks, get together and discuss or present the latest news and ideas that social media has to offer.

Being a member of LAU Social this year, I attended and covered the event live via Twitter. Being new to the whole live coverage by smart phone and crappy internet I, rather we,  struggled a little at first but later got the hang of it and tweeted and photographed the night away (that is until my phone died).

We arrived at 7:30 p.m. and Plum was still empty so we had time to have a drink and enjoy the music… Ahh the music! I felt like I was in a chick flick! They played a lot of 90′s pop including TLC, and a particular song I forgot even existed (anybody remember Crush by Jennifer Paige?) I’ve got to admit, it made my night more interesting.

By 9:00 p.m. the place had filled up and not long after the geekfest officially begun. It was difficult hearing most of the presenters speak due to bad sound quality and a very loud crowd. Still, I managed to get some great info.  Among some interesting presentations were Shankaboot, the Middle East’s first web drama series. ShankActive has recently been launched to keep fans up to date on Shankaboot news.

Jim Khoury, an AUB student and treasurer of the AUB online collaborative promoted the blogger convention taking place December 3rd at Issam Fares Hall.

Another thing I thought interesting is e-commerce in Lebanon and GoNabit.  Sarah Karam explained how both worked and encouraged the crowd to try them out. I felt enlightened.

My favorite part of the night was when I realized I was standing next to Journalist Octavia Nasr.  Such a charismatic woman!  Spoke well and had no problem getting the entire crowd’s attention; an ability that few speakers had. I tried to take a reasonable photo of Octavia with my phone, but it just wasn’t happening. So, I waited until she finished talking and asked to take a photo of her. Very nicely she agreed, only to realize that my phone battery was dead! Luckily, my trusty friend Kamal was there and snapped a pic of Octavia and I.

My time at Geekfest ended well!

Seen her in concert, she’s great!