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The MTV Video Music Awards (VMA's) are known for the controversy that they generate - in fact the notion of controversy is precisely the reason that people, mostly young people, tune into the show. It serves as a platform for musicians and reality stars to make a splash in the world that they inhabit, something that has grown in magnitude in the last couple of decades during the broadcast. That ability to make a splash usually means engaging in extraordinary and shocking behavior, whether it be Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift during her acceptance speech in 2009, the infamous exchange between Britney Spears and Madonna in 2003, Lady Gaga's meat dress in 2010 or the lascivious dancing by a young Miley Cyrus in 2013, the VMA's certainly hand out their "moon man" awards for popular music videos, but the winners are rarely the big story. [More]

The amount and intensity of the public response to photos of a young not-very famous woman and her decision to post photos of herself with and without make-up is very interesting. It highlights a well-known fact; people write things on social media they would be unlikely to say directly to someone they know. Family Systems Theory provides a particular framework for understanding such harsh rhetoric directed at strangers and/or posted anonymously. [More]

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is Freedom of Speech. But when does that freedom collide with a person’s right to privacy in our country? As a country, we protect freedom of expression. But our forward moving, electronic society means that each person has a digital footprint. Take for example the silly things one does in high school being posted and coming up in a Google search twenty years later affecting ones job or life in a significant way. Should we have the right to remove information that we do not like or think is no longer relevant? Who decides if it is relevant? These are some of the questions currently being asked because of a recent petition filed in the United States by an advocacy group. [More]

Over the course of the last year, Bill Cosby has fallen hard from his place as a beloved figure in American culture to a disgraced man who is constantly at war for over his legacy. His status as the icon of family entertainment and solid values has been thrown completely into question with the sensational allegations against him, with dozens of women accusing Cosby of having drugged and then raped them. Recently there has been a release of deposition information from 2005 in which Cosby admits to having pursued the purchase of the now illicit drug quaaludes for the purposes of giving it to women in a sexual context. [More]

Over the last several weeks, there has been a remarkable swell of celebration following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to allow gay marriage in America, and in fact all over the world. While this has been visible on television and in the newspapers, nowhere has the depth of the movement in support of gay marriage been more visible than on social media. Anyone who has logged into their Facebook account has seen the overlay of rainbows on the profile pictures of people everywhere. What is surprising is that the rainbow overlay isn't some independent promotion from an outside source, but rather it's a function that was created by Facebook itself, from right at the headquarters of the social media giant. [More]

Paris' Pont des Arts bridge famous for its "love locks" is facing structural damage under the weight of so much love. The city of love's bridge has been a space for thousands around the world to mark their love with a lock, while then throwing the key into the River Seine. Throwing the key further symbolized the testament to love and commitment. Recently, the historical Pont des Arts bridge has been in danger of crumble as the heavy locks bare too much weight for the structure to hold. June of last year was the first scare as a five foot section of the bridge's rail collapsed from the weight of the locks. Now local protestors are showing their own love for the bridge as they ignite their "no love lock" campaign. Paris officials are listening, as the city plans to immediately remove over 45 tons of locks. It is ironic that a tradition that promoted love and commitment now puts a beloved landmark in danger of demise. What will the loss of such a culturally rooted tradition mean for the city of love and it's hundreds of thousands of tourists? [More]

In recent times, with the increased use of social media and the internet as a primary source of interaction between individuals, we have also seen an increase in something that has come to be known as “trolling”. Trolling is defined as an online activity where “individuals actively seek to disrupt and cause problems for their own satisfaction or enjoyment” (Pulman & Taylor, 2012), and individuals who engage in trolling are commonly referred to as “trolls”. [More]

Dove’s new campaign #ChooseBeautiful is challenging women across the globe to rethink what it means to be beautiful and acknowledge their own beauty. Dove’s most recent inspirational advertising placed a “beautiful” sign and an “average” sign above two adjacent doors of buidlings in San Francisco, Shanghai, London, Delhi, and Sao Paulo. The cameras were then rolling to see what women of all ages would do when faced with the decision to walk through the “average” door or the “beautiful” door. The large majority of women chose to walk under the “average” door, some with hesitation, others seemingly without thought. [More]

Sex trafficking is one of the most complex, under-investigated, and misunderstood issues today (Estes & Wiener, 2001). Not to be confused with willful prostitution, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act defines sex trafficking as "the recruitment, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act where such an act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age" (Kerry, 2013). [More]

Technology is not good or bad; it is just another part of life—like food and money- that we have to relate with in a conscious way. With some awareness, you will gradually find a balanced way to enjoy technology and all it has to offer, without sacrificing your health or your relationships. [More]