Social
Media
Explore the usefulness of social media when it comes to research, education, and advocacy. This page highlights my Twitter work over the quarter and reflects on the knowledge I gained. Overall, I learned how to tweet on Twitter, practice writing short descriptive posts, and use social media for research and advocacy. Additionally, you can read about how my experience with Twitter helped me grow and thrive in this argumentative and research course.
Twitter allowed me to discover many aspects about animal science that I was originally unware of. This is because I was able to
conduct research about animal rights and issues by following animal welfare accounts and reading their scholarly tweets. Thus, this action is what originally inspired me to focus on dog science as I began to uncover interesting abilities dogs possess as well as inhumane actions they experience on a daily basis. Because I had this amazing opportunity, I was even able to tweet some of my own findings or retweet important information I believe my followers should know. I presume this process allowed me to further educate society based on my personal experiences. This is due to the fact that as I read my peers tweets on the #39canimals page, I noticed my knowledge grew and caused me to examine my original beliefs and insights. Finally, Twitter gave me the opportunity to advocate for animal rights for the very first time. It was a new experience that frightened me at first, yet allowed me to grow as a researcher, activist, and communicator. Overall, social media has been a very useful tool that helped me to successfully plan for, create, and launch my campaign about dog intelligence and ending dog euthanasia.
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I choose to showcase this tweet for two reasons. The first was because it was one of my most liked tweets. Three likes may not seem like a lot to some people, but I believe it is a lot in the animal community. This is because I was able to catch the attention of three readers and possibly change their minds about dog intelligence. In turn, dog life now has the opportunity to improve since dogs may no longer be viewed as "dumb" animals who have no concept of life. Therefore, my readers can realize that these intelligent animals can not be treated in whatever way humans desire. The second reason why I chose this tweet is because one of my classmates commented that she was able to gain new insight about dogs after reading it. I was happy to have gotten positive feedback from my classmate because this means my tweet did its job, educating others about dog science.
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Included above is another tweet I decided to showcase. This is not only because I got two retweets and one like, but also because I believe it was effective. My tweet highlighted instances where dogs demonstrate social intelligence since they are able to understand human communication. My main intent for writing this tweet was to create a bridge between dog and human communication in order to prove that dogs and humans have at least one shared ability. This hopefully will cause my readers to question what other characteristics dogs and humans share or what qualities dogs have that humans do not. Moreover, my followers can realize that dogs are more like humans than they originally thought and as a result, recognize that dogs should be treated in a way that humans would want to be treated. Overall, I believe I was able to successfully educate some of my followers about dog intelligence.
SMC Project and Objectives
The SMC Project was an assignment that required me to tweet three times a day on Twitter for a whole week. I had to follow a
specific day-by-day plan for what to tweet each day, including two days focusing on the organizations I adopted, two days focusing on the problems dogs face, two days focusing on possible solutions to help solve the issues I tweeted about on the problem days, and one day focusing on my infographic as well as retweeting information on the #39canimals page. Overall, I can reference my twenty-one tweets in my Advocacy Essay since they will be the result of my research on the issues associated with dogs and possible solutions offered.
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Furthermore, the objectives of the SMC was to:
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Practice conducting research for the Advocacy Essay​
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Learn more about two organizations that focus on dog welfare
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Discover some problems dogs experience as well as possible solutions
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Use rhetoric in a social media environment
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(Logos, ethos, and pathos)
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Identify statistics about dogs and the issues they face
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Use some of these facts to design an infographic
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Raise awareness about dogs as well as two organizations that advocate for dog rights
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Determine how to create an effective social media post
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Link: SMC Day-By-Day Doc
My Two Adopted Organizations
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NKLA, No-Kill Los Angeles, is an organization whose goal is to make Los Angeles and other cities no-kill areas. They call for the end of killing "unwanted" animals, like dogs, in shelters on the basis that these animals do not currently have a home. Before NLKA was launched in 2012, only 56% of dogs in shelters survived. Due to NLKA's hard work, the rate of dogs surviving in shelters increased to 90.49% in 2020.
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The tweet to the left informs my followers about NKLA’s work in order to stop the overpopulation of dogs in shelters and the euthanization of animals. It also promotes a variety of actions that can be taken to end these two issues. Therefore, it encourages my followers to do things that are advocated by NKLA such as adopting a dog, which is highlighted in the picture I added. As a whole, this effective tweet provides solutions to euthanization that everyone can take part in, no matter their background.
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Twitter: @NKLA
Website: NKLA.org
Hope for Paws is a non-profit animal rescue organization that saves dogs who are neglected or left to suffer on the streets. Their goals are to end animal neglect, homelessness, and abuse. Moreover, their team rescues "unwanted" dogs and provides veterinary care. When the saved dogs grow stronger, they are then transferred to a partner adoption center. Not only that, Hope for Paws funds Spay and Neuter Clinics to help reduce dog overpopulation and euthanasia rates.
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The tweet to the right includes a link to a video on YouTube created by Hope for Paws that demonstrates exactly how their team responds to a dog in need. It informs others about their work and the severity of dog abandonment. In fact, this may cause my followers to feel saddened that dogs are put in such awful situations, thus provoking them to join the effort to save these amazing animals. Overall, this persuasive tweet encourages my followers to do things that are advocated by this organization in order to help end the poor treatment dogs receive everyday.
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Twitter: @HopeForPaws
Website: HopeForPaws.org
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Problem Tweets
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The problems I researched were:
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Dog overpopulation
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Overpopulation leads to many homeless dogs in shelters that may not have enough space. As a result, some shelters have enforced “kill” policies in order to decrease their numbers. As a whole, overpopulation is an issue causing many sub-issues to erupt that only have a negative impact on dogs.​
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Dog euthanasia
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Euthanasia in shelters is cruel because it strips away life from a healthy dog. Specifically, gas chambers are one form of euthanasia that is inhumane due to the fact that dogs understand their horrible fate from the smells of dogs who previously died. As a result, they cry for help and try their best to escape by clawing at the box's walls. ​
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Dog fights
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Dog fights can seriously injure dogs and may even lead to their death. This is not the only issue since dogs who participate in dog fights are abused in order to prepare and make them tougher. Hurting dogs for human enjoyment is cruel and wrong and therefore needs to end in order to save all dogs. ​
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Cosmetic testing on dogs
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Cosmetic testing on dogs is inhumane and continues to be a huge issue today. Not only are dogs tested on, but they are also kept in tiny cages alone, which causes fear and stress. They can then force fed dangerous chemicals or drugs, before brutally killed. ​
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Dog meat trade
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Dog traders snatch, steal, and buy dogs from the streets and backyards. These captured dogs are then crammed in cages for days often sick, hungry, thirsty, and afraid. Unfortunately, they are soon beaten to death or hanged in slaughterhouses for their meat. ​
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Dog abuse and neglect
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Dogs are often reported to be abused by their owners due to a lack of care or even acknowledgment. Furthermore, these amazing animals are treated poorly due to a human’s cruel and abusive actions. For instance, dogs have been seen chained without any food or water in harsh weather conditions.​
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Solutions to the Previous Problems
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The solutions I researched were for:
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Dog overpopulation
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Spaying and neutering dogs are ways to stop dog overpopulation. People can also donate, educate those who are unaware of the severity of dog overpopulation, and fight against puppy mills, inhumane commercial dog breeding facilities.
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Dog euthanasia
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There are laws passed which regulate euthanasia of animals, but they need to be strengthened in order to eliminate these inhumane actions. People can also join rescue groups, volunteer, adopt, foster, or donate to save a life. ​
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Dog fights
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People can help end dogfighting as well as the resulting violence by advocating against these inhumane actions on a social media platform. Supporters can also donate, sign pledges, and educate others about cruel dog fights. Finally, anyone can inform the police if they notice any skeptical actions.
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Cosmetic testing on dogs
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People can join a global campaign to call upon all governments to ban animal testing. Here, they can prove these tests can be replaced with non-animal methods that are more reliable and relevant.
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Dog meat trade
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First, people should always defend dogs. Second, they can take action by speaking out on social media, taking a stand, volunteering, or donating.
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Dog abuse and neglect
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In order to end dog abuse and neglect, people need to understand when animals are being treated poorly and report it to the police or an animal rescue organization. People can also speak out by educating individuals about proper animal living conditions.
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Infographic
My main intent for creating this infographic was to share information about dog overpopulation as well as its side effects. I used this format to first express the volume of dogs who were originally found on the street or abandoned by their owners and therefore are placed in animal shelters. I then discussed examples of dog overpopulation by explaining how often a dog can reproduce. For instance, one fertile dog can have five puppies who then can have five more puppies each and so on. This drastically increases the dog population every year. After this, I included a pie chart that indicates the amount of dogs who are euthanized in shelters compared to the amount of dogs who are adopted. In total, my infographic illustrates more than one million dogs are killed in shelters in hope to combat dogs overpopulation, which is found to not be a very successful solution. The last sub-issue I highlighted was about the frequency of dog euthanization to put the severity of euthanasia and dog overpopulation into perspective. Finally, I begin to discuss many ethical solutions to reduce the dog overpopulation problem. The most vital solution I mentioned was the spaying and neutering of dogs due to the fact that reproduction is the original source of dog overpopulation. Despite this, the other solutions I mentioned are still important to follow and integrate into society's daily life. After reading, I hope my work will result in others supporting and advocating to end dog overpopulation. Overall, the main message I am communicating through my infographic is that dog overpopulation is a serious issue that must be addressed in order to stop other problems, such as dog euthanization, from occurring.
Example of an Unsuccessful Tweet
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My Twitter experience has not always been uphill. There have
been times where I have struggled and wrote ineffective tweets. This specifically occurred when I just began my Twitter journey. The tweet to the left demonstrates one unsuccessful tweet I made early on in the course. The reason why I say this is because it has no "click bait" and my followers as well as my peers could simply skim over my tweet as they scroll through Twitter in order to find a post that captures their attention. In other words, "click bait" is like a hook in an essay. A writer needs to start of their introduction strong in order to intrigue their readers and cause them to want to read more. Similarly, "clickbait" needs to captivate a Twitter user's interest. Unfortunately, I am lacking this appeal in my tweet. Although the information in my tweet is strong and focuses on educating others about dogs' abilities, it is ordinary and easily skippable. Thankfully, I was able to learn from my mistakes and realized I need to start off with a more compelling sentence and attract one's interest. After I do that, I can then communicate a sense of urgency or illustrate an example of dog science in hopes to educate my followers.