And my vote for tweet of the year goes to…

“Every one of us is a potential convict.”

—Ai Weiwei

Terry Tempest Williams on Tim DeChristopher at Ai Weiwei Alcatraz Exhibit.

The Case Against Casey Nocket

Late last summer, 21-year-old self-proclaimed graffiti artist Casey Nocket left her hometown of Highland, New York to follow in the footsteps of many an easterner before her on a grand tour “out west.”

I can not help but wonder, did she pack her art supplies? Did she map out not only the Parks she wanted to visit, but the ones she wanted to tag? Was it the main purpose of her trip? It sure seems premeditated. We know she had companions, someone took the pictures of her leaving her own special version of trail markers along the way (we will question posting them for all the world to see in a minute). Who was this person or persons witnessing these acts, if not urging her on? No one seems to mention them, but I wonder how any friend could watch someone defacing what amounts to a sacred temple almost every stop she made. And make no mistake, they are temples, at least to those of us that worship nature.

I remember listening to a Paiute Tribal Elder and Pipe Springs National Monument Ranger, Ben Pikyavit, giving a lecture on his ancestors at a local BLM “brown bag” lecture here in southern Utah. One of the audience members complained that he was asked not to take pictures of a Native American prayer ceremony on Cedar Mountain. I saw the look on Ben’s face, and tried to put it in perspective for the audience member. I asked him if he thought picture-taking should be allowed during LDS temple ceremonies. The gentleman sputtered a bit and said, “Of course not! It’s a private religious ceremony in a sacred place.” Exactly, sir.

Over the next several weeks, Ms. Nocket crossed off parks and monuments from her ‘to do” list. These stops are documented, even if all of her “art” has not been found. This particular travel pattern is known to southwest natives as “The Golden Circle”, visiting as many parks as possible in a single road trip.

There is even an interactive map showing the dates of her stops, and photos of the “works” that we know of.

From the beginning, it seems she documented not only her "works", but the act itself. She shared these pictures on social media, on her “Creepytings” Tumbler and Instagram accounts. Yes, indeed, they are creepy things. Spontaneous? Doubtful. She fancied herself an accomplished artist and talked about it on social media, saying “It’s art, not vandalism,” she insisted, according to the post. “I am an artist.” Indeed, much of the feedback she was getting at first was positive, from her inner circle, including her mother. One shameful endorsement by Cosmopolitan’s online magazine author, Lane Moore, still has me shaking my head (Gloria Steinem, she’s not).

One friend did ask her if the drawings were chalk, to which she blithely posted, “ Acrylic. I know, I’m a bad person.” Those words will come back to haunt her during her trial, if there is one. 

The Free Dictionary defines society as “The totality of people regarded as forming a community of interdependent individuals: working for the benefit of society.” Ms Casey needed to be aware of the big picture of social media. Not everyone was thrilled.

In September, a hiker found graffiti in Rocky Mountain State Park in Colorado and reported it. It was cleaned up before similar tags starting popping up along the trail of Casey’s trip. Soon reports were coming in from other parks, the outdoor community got involved and posts followed from bloggers in the hiking community. The reaction has been swift and brutal. 

Modern Hiker's post had over 900 comments, most of them angry and demanding the severest penalties possible. Some were ridiculous, and this venomous one from a self-labeled “chief misanthrope “ (and total misogynist) even calls for the ultimate price, suicide.

The National Park Service jumped in and investigated. The original reddit thread posted by Yosemite investigator Steve Yu reads like the minutes of a very angry town meeting, where the pitchforks are being sharpened while the hero is praised for saving civilization. After one week, the NPS issued this statement, naming Ms Nocket the prime suspect. Her social media accounts have been taken down, and supposedly she is cooperating and remorseful.

Are we hypocrites for condemning her when the mess we are in is all of our faults? Maybe, at least this author thinks so. How far do we take this? Should we arrest the grandma being charged for tagging the sugarloaf hill with “Dixie”?

It is hard for me to forgive Casey Nocket, especially when I think about the contrast between her and the woman who recently spent her precious last days visiting those same parks, on a very different kind of journey.

I think also of the recent passing of Martin Litton, who did so much for the wilderness. “Nature has its rights,” he once said. “It has a right to be here untrammeled, unfettered. Man doesn’t have to screw everything up.” And Wallace Stegner, my very favorite author, who put my feelings about nature into such eloquent words. If you don’t read another link in this post about wilderness, read this one—his “Wilderness Letter,” written to the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission in 1960.

Here and there in this debacle, one can find the voice of reason. Modern Hiker has started a campaign to turn the twitter hashtag #caseynocket into a campaign to clean up trails, sending out prizes to people posting pictures of their efforts to clean up with the hashtag #dontbeacaseynocket. 

Our own Greta Hyland wrote an outstanding piece about what is an even bigger travesty, because the party accused of vandalizing sacred space is none other than Greenpeace. They are supposed to know better, are they not more culpable?

Which brings me to back to my original question. Why would Casey Nocket decide to do this and document it on social media? What is it about our society at this time that compels so many young people to post endless selfies (think Kim Kardashian, if you must) to satisfy social needs that are not being met. What is lacking in our world today that she did not understand that her idea was so wrong-headed in the first place?

The person behind the camera is a part of us as a society. The case against Casey Nocket is still pending. Are we all to blame? 

Thoughts on Edward Snowden and the NSA

Edward Snowden in his own defense, listen to this.

When I first heard that many of the members in my New Social Media class—whom I consider to be intelligent, informed, forward-thinking young persons—did not know who Edward Snowden is, I wanted to weep.

First, let me apologize. I know I sometimes speak out of turn, and I blurt thoughts out without thinking things through. The truth is, I am probably ADD, but more relevantly, I care. I care about the future, I care about you. The world is (quite literally) in your hands, and you should be aware of how powerful you are. Be aware, and speak up.

Today, I have more hope. Recently, I was watching a new TV show on the SyFy channel called “Ascension”, involving a conspiracy involving a faked space launch. One of the characters is threatening to expose the lie, and she says, “We are going full Snowden on this.” When Pop Culture is coining a term like this, I know the story is becoming common public knowledge.




Call Me Ed…

Edward Snowden, in my opinion is—in the real sense of the word—a patriot. He cares about the freedom of his country, and upholding the constitution, more than his own personal freedom.

I have done some extensive research on privacy issues and the history of the NSA. Big Data Mining didn’t start in the USA. If you’d like to know what IBM had to with the Holocaust, and where the surveillance community is headed, I invite you to read my whole paper here.

This is an excerpt…

"The National Security Agency acquired its name officially on 4 November 1952. A mingling of military and non-military interests was expressed in the word national. The production of Comint (short for Communications Intelligence) was declared to be a national responsibility. In place of an Armed Forces Security Agency the U.S. Government was to have a National Security Agency, an organization with the same resources plus a new charter. This new charter made the NSA no longer responsible for reporting to the Armed Forces Security Agency. The Director of the NSA was now responsible to report only to the Secretary of Defense, with the Director of Central Intelligence as advisor. This aura of secret intelligence and closed-door administration started with the cold war and still influences policy today.

Unfortunately, the history of the NSA reads like a Tom and Jerry cartoon, with lawmakers publicly trying to protect privacy while blithely allowing the NSA free rein in secret. In 1973, the Supreme Court ruled that a warrant was required for “Domestic Intelligence Surveillance.” In 1975, the Senate Church Committee uncovered illegal domestic spying, prompting the “Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act” (FISA), which was supposed to curtail NSA eavesdropping on Americans. With the advent of the Internet, the focus of the NSA shifted to data gathering via the web. In December of 2000, the agency mission statement for the 21st century stated “To perform both its offensive and defensive mission, NSA must ‘live on the network’.’ (Electronic Frontier Foundation). Research and development of privacy-destroying technologies by our government escalated exponentially at this time.

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 changed the world, and the NSA, forever. While the USA survived 9/11, the Bill of Rights may not. From the Patriot Act to the recently exposed Prism program, the rights granted in the Fourth Amendment have all but disappeared. Specifically:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

The Patriot Act initially allowed circumvention of the Fourth Amendment in the name of National Security in order to protect citizens from international terrorism. Rather than making us secure from unreasonable searches, the government has embraced surveillance as the Holy Grail of control."

Several brilliant people have investigated this issue thoroughly, as should we all. Here are two resources I felt were well done and informative:

• Inside the Mind of Edward Snowden, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. Plus some unaired clips from the same interview with Brian Williams.

• Edward Snowden: The Untold Story

Another Ed I highly admire said this a long time ago:

“A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.”

—Edward Abbey

The Edward Snowden story continues to unfold. I believe history will remember him as a patriot. Time will tell.

Facebook Ads

I will be using facebook ads sometime in the future, both for my graphic design work, and eventually to promote sales for an online vintage rentals and antiques store.



Here is one idea for a Facebook ad for promoting my graphic design work to small business owners in southern Utah:

Here is a sample ad for the vintage rentals business idea, which I would reformat to Facebook ad specs:

And one for vintage and antique sales—a discount offer for the Habitat for Humanity of Southern Utah Women's Build, which I would love to create a Facebook page for next year, along with printed promotional items, such as a coupon ad book to help raise funds. I would create a version to fit specifications for the Facebook ad:

The Facebook Experiment: Outcome and Analysis

Facebook is a fairly new experience for me. I resisted joining until it was a requirement for one of my previous design classes. While that class made it obvious that Facebook, and other social media are vital to any modern marketing campaign, I did not feel I had the practical know-how to successfully engage in it in that aspect. This year, New Social Media has been a fast track to opening up my awareness of how social media works, and the potential and hazards inherent within.

I must say, I am fascinated. I grew up in the era of door-to-door salesmen literally sticking a foot in the door to pitch their wares. To have a direct “one-way mirror” into people’s lives is something they could only dream of. I realize that big data mining is giving huge corporations a tremendous advantage in user data, but Facebook at least cracks the same doors open for me. I must learn to take advantage of being able to engage my own audience, and earn their trust. I must put my best foot forward.

I am pursuing my Bachelor’s in Graphic Design at Dixie State University and plan to graduate this year. It is important for me to build an online presence and get my name out there if I want to be able to make a decent living wage and provide for my family. As such, my Facebook page is a place to show my work, and start actively seeking clients and networking for the future. I was a little hesitant to jump in, but it was time to make a move, and I am glad I did it while I had guidance and feedback. 

I managed to get 67 likes so far. I am not as concerned with how many likes I have at this point, as I am with learning what works, and improving the quality of my page.

Likes

Reach

Visits

Posts

People

   

I tried to post once or twice a week, and if did not meet this, I lost audience quickly. I did manage to post an average of twice a week, which is a bit more than I estimated at the beginning of the project.

I learned a lot about posting times, and once made the mistake of deactivating my personal page for a weekend break, not realizing it would deactivate my design page. As they say, live and learn.

My assumptions about what would draw interest were often wrong, and it quickly became clear that sharing is the golden ticket. Groups are great for making connections. Certain people are natural promoters, and having them support your page can be the ultimate booster for views. I think I am starting to get a feel for how the whole social media marketing thing works, and it will be something I become more involved with in the future. As a result of this class, I am now interested in the career aspect of social media. I think promoting other businesses could be a huge part of my work as a graphic designer. I create brands, not ads.

The insights results for my page were exciting to watch. Some of the biggest surprises to me were the reach of my posts. Almost 1,000 people from all over the world engaged on a post where I asked an opinion on two different versions of an ad. Several posts had visits in the hundreds. Another post that reached a larger audience early on had to do with a book cover I designed, which had a pencil illustration, and also asked a question of the audience. Honestly, I think most people can tell when you are sincerely asking for help.

I will be keeping my Facebook design page up, and trying to improve the quality and message of the posts I create. If I could change anything looking back, I would have been more consistent and selective about what and when I posted, and tried harder to engage my audience every time. As it becomes an effective sales tool for my graphic design, it will be a place to showcase my client’s successes as well as my own.

In addition, I am going to start a new page for my vintage design and antique collecting passions. I am looking into opening an etsy online store, and linking stories and photos from the Facebook page to it. I love to learn, and while I enjoyed all my classes this semester (yes, even math!), I truly consider New Social Media a great investment in my future success.