WANTED

 For the death of my class reunion- Maybe.

 September 3, 2017 by: Deric Kennedy

Hey, welcome back to The SCEM VIEW, with Deric. As you know, this is my Strategic Communication & Emerging Media (SCEM) blog and we're glad to have you with us! Quick recap of last week, my COM 6630 class briefly discussed digital technologies and media convergence as it relates to mass communication. Last week’s show topic was on convergence and/or its advantages. I proposed the question, "To converge or not to converge?" The conclusion was very similar to a comment left by a fellow classmate. It read simply, "The print newspaper and television are declining but they are hanging in there. I think that traditional media such as these are holding on because there is a need for it somewhere. Some traditional media is going to hang in there because there is still a want or need for it, and I think it all comes back to diversity. Everything cannot be digital [sometimes convergence saves the day and keeps things ticking]. Everyone does not have access, and even among those of us who do, sometimes it is satisfying to simply access traditional media, the little of it that is left.”

Well, we are now at week three! This week, 6630 is discussing and exploring mobile technologies. You know, the technology used for cellular communication i.e., laptops, tablets, netbook computers, smart phones, GPS devices, wireless debit/credit card payment terminals and so forth. All examples of mobile technologies. As mentioned by Dr. Padgett, mobile technologies are changing the way people seek information. Some of these changes are positive, some are not. What I never considered though is the way it has changed -some would say it has killed- the fired under a few great classic American traditions. 

We know all too well the effects technology and media have had on various industries throughout the years. Both positive and negative. Radio, television, print, advertising, sports, news – you name it. But what about high school traditions? Has technology – mobile technologies to be exact- had any impact of the way we now see class reunions?

Here is a typical class reunion photo from many years ago. Look how nice and happy everyone seems to be! How nice. I say that with all the sarcasm and envy in the world.

I graduated from Northview High School in the spring of 2008. Yup, my ten-year high school reunion is approaching and I cannot believe it has come so quickly. It seems that only yesterday the class was preparing for senior portraits and the last homecoming game and now we’re all staring our ten-year anniversary in the face.Recently, I had the chance to speak with the former Senior Class President of my high school graduating class and much of what we discovered was very discouraging- to say the least. Considering my position of MR. NHS, I felt it was duty to help coordinate some of the events with the other leaders of our class and the first line of business was creating a Facebook group to generate buzz! Well, shortly thereafter, classmates caught wind and began to join the Facebook group. For a brief moment, we felt a sense of accomplishment. We believed the momentum would increase. That was before we started reading comments. What we learned was many of our classmates felt that a reunion was none needed. I was blown away. Back in high school, we all joked about where we’d be when our ten-year reunion came around and how cool it would be to see where everyone’s gone. It was definitely a future event I thought we all would look forward to. But now, with the invention of Facebook, Twitter and other modern technologies and media, the class reunion as we have known it seems to have lost its value in American culture and simply put, its killing the whole tradition. And I for one am very disappointed but here is a spoiler; fellow class leaders and myself have come up with some great solutions to achieve higher attendance and things are indeed looking up!

Most would agree, the future is digital, it is online and mobile. This is an indisputable claim. When social media started to emerge in the mid 2000’s it was a popular way to connect. Today, thanks to everything being so accessible from our mobile devices, social media is ingrained in our everyday lives. After learning my classmates were not as excited about the reunion as I anticipated, I went to the web to see if this was common amongst my generation. I found a very insightful article by the Huntington post and it confirmed a lot for me and definitely made a lot of sense as to why so many aren’t as interested in this once American tradition. “High school reunions used to take place ten years after you graduate, or twenty-five years after you graduate. Now, high school reunions take place every morning, while you sit at your computer not doing work, browsing your former classmates’ update statuses”, says Ganlantly Miller of the Huffpost. After reading, I experienced a moment of defeat. I thought to myself, maybe we should just accept it and be happy with the handful of attendees who’ve committed so far. But sooner after, the problem-solving side of my brain kicked into high gear and brainstorming served its purpose. Feel free to take a look and let me now your thoughts! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/galanty-miller/facebooks-high-school-reu_b_5627045.html  .

Mobile technologies have advanced over the years and serves so many great purposes. I figured, instead of complaining about what seemed to be the ‘Death of my class reunion’, why not find a solution. After all, because of social media, mobile devices, the internet etc., we are all now connected! Why not use that to our benefit and let Facebook, the very thing that causes most reunions to see low attendance rates nowadays, be the tool we use to rebuild the classes excitement! After a brief moment of discouragement, we then proceeded to hit the ball from a different angle to generate innovated ideas that would provide incentives for people to attend and actually enjoy the celebration. We are going to use mobile technology to handle nearly all the business of the reunion and also use social media to promote, create momentum and keep everyone engaged leading up the event. We are now on to a great start and it’s funny how the very thing that seemed to ‘Kill’ our reunion is now the very tool we are using the make this thing a night to remember.

But hey, that’s all the time we have for today. I’ll be sure to keep you guys informed of our progress and share photos for sure. This has been your SCEM VIEW, with Deric. See you all right back here next Sunday! Take care.