What makes you angry? A lot of things? A few things? Various things? I imagine something makes you angry. Does a conflicting opinion make you angry? It does for a lot of people. Men and women who are pro-gun grow mad when laws come in to limit firearms. Men and women who are anti-gun grow mad when laws to limit firearms fail to pass.

Look no further than the latest political race, and you will see people angry for someone holding an opinion considered opposite to their own.

Oh, sure, it’s more complex than that. Religion, race, upbringing, income, and location all play a huge part. But the end result is anger.

And do you like to be angry? No. Of course not. Who does?

So, instead, do you like to feel your opinions validated? Do you like to hear others say what you think?

Well, of course you do, that’s being human.

It’s a basic human want to feel like we hold ideas of merit. Not to get too personal here, but I’m generally more pro-gun. So, when I hear someone say something which matches up with my opinions—which is not uncommon in Florida and Clearwater especially recently—it makes me feel in the right.

And so, what happened when we got access to news and media and social media all designed to market to our specific needs and wants?

We got a bubble. We got what people will refer to as “The Echo Chamber” or “The Media Bubble”. People who are like-minded tend to stick together, and with the internet to make that easier, people have no need to expose themselves to differing opinions most of the time.

Because, honestly, given the choice, why would anyone want to do otherwise? If the alternative is liable to make you angry and stressed, who wouldn’t choose the calming option?

The world is stressful enough for most people. No one wants more fuel to the fire—at least not outside of small doses.

And because we do this, and it is profitable for new companies (and politicians) to cater to one opinion, market to one opinion, we only succeed in growing the bubble.

And it’s not healthy. Like the housing market bubble, when it pops, we get upheaval. Rippling outward force. I can speak to experience about just how detrimental this can be, even on a micro level.

While watching a video, I heard someone I respect, for just a few minutes, mention a political and religious ideology different to my own, and it was jarring. It honest to God made my head stick on it. I felt a bit dizzy.

Now, I don’t regret hearing it. And chasing this experience as much as possible is something I’ve found myself doing nowadays. Even if it can be difficult to find levelheaded discussions on certain topics.

And, sure, it’s upsetting, it’s a tad head spinning--and yeah, it might make someone mad. But, in our world, we could all stand to entertain more notions. Or at least I could. But I seriously doubt I am alone in that regard.

At least, not if the reactions on the political and ideological stages are anything to go by. Play a little devil’s advocate, and see if we can go back to debating more, shouting less.

I’m not saying we can all join hands quite yet—but I’m saying it would be a good step forward.

---
If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com

Star Wars.

Marvel.

Pixar.

Disney has ties to them all.

And, well, you can’t argue with the results. The PR is incredible. The love and adoration of so many series in the hands of the Mouse.

Walk around Countryside, stroll the aisles of the Disney Store, and enter any nerdy place ever, and you know who’s in charge.

And I am not the first, nor will I be the last, to point out the almost scary level of power Disney has over us. They can sometimes evoke a sci-fi story’s soulless mega-conglomerate with a monopoly on culture.

I mean, they’re big enough for Dismaland to exist.

So... with that said, are they actually the real-life version of the evil company controlling the world?

Well, maybe. But probably not. There is nothing inherently wrong with a company being as big as Disney is. If we are all okay with living in this democratic, capitalistic society, then one business getting ahead of the others is par the course.

But is it “soulless”? Again. Hard to say. I think it is... in a way--and yet not. I realize I’m being cryptic here. The PR of the happiest company on Earth is certainly false from a business side of things. But for individuals, it has a heart.

People, my generation especially, love Disney. Because of this, I don’t think the art they create is all calculated and hollow. I don’t think calculated and hollow things can elicit a reaction like that. I think there is real passion.

After all, Joss Whedon helped make the Avengers through Disney, and I don’t think he’s soulless.

We live with corporations all our lives. We are influenced in ways we cannot even perceive. But, it’s not all bad. This massive Disney maelstrom that eats intellectual properties is also giving a lot of creative and wonderful people the means to chase dreams.

We get the Maleficents with the Jiminy Crickets, is what I’m saying. And though we see the PR of the happy, we must accept the underlying unhappy and mechanical nature of it all. At least if we want more Marvel and Star War.

And trust me when I say those franchises could be in worse hands.  

---
If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com

It’s not a new complaint: too many remakes. Too many sequels. Make original content Hollywood, please. We beg. We plead. We gnash our teeth.

And so...they remake Ghostbusters. And we even watch it at Countryside Mall. I haven’t seen it personally, so I don’t know if it’s worth it, but we have a double standard here--regardless of the actual quality of the sequels and remakes themselves.

And it’s our own double standard that makes this work. That makes them rely on the re-creation of successful previous intellectual properties. If we didn’t buy it, they wouldn’t make it.

But we do. And so they do. And they become reliant. It takes a lot of money to make movies. More money than I—and probably most people--can conceive of earning. And so they have to follow the currency if they want to stay in the rat race of art as a financial option.

It’s “reverse” marketing. Normally, they go marketing a movie to us, and we buy. But, now, we are marketing to them. We are the one’s advertising what we want.

We put up giant flags to inform them. If things like The Purge series and the Ice Age series make money, and a tiny “artsy” film costs the company more than the movie sells, then capitalism is the immediate and strong dictator.

So, we vote with our money. We get to choose. And we all know what we want to choose. We watch movies because it is an escape, a source of entertainment, or a feast for the mind--and like choosing a solid steakhouse over the new fusion restaurant across the street: we tend to want what we like.

And what we like is what we know. Unless we suddenly change our spending habits, we get what we are marketing. And, they go on marketing it right back at us.

No matter how annoyed we get.

---
If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com

I’ve written about Donald Trump before. I’ve made comments on politicians. I’ve held my ground in arguments. I’ve been wrong and I’ve been right—and I’m not sure which was which.

And at the end of it, I am less sure of what candidate I support. I am less certain of a villain or a hero. I know people I respect who will talk my ear off about how Donald Trump is the only one worth anything--the only one upfront about things. I’ve heard and read people who believe Hillary is the only option. Who think Trump is the problem.

I’ve also heard people say things about Bernie, about Ted, about Jeb--about all of them.

And still...I have no idea. I hear all about the upcoming election, but hear almost nothing useful. My Facebook is nothing but political ideologies shouted and Pokémon Go jokes and pictures of people I don’t see often.

And you want to know what? That’s the problem. No, not my Facebook. The ideology of it. The rampant ranting of rhetoric and self-righteous biased reasoning.

I had to go out of my way, out of my way, to find anything concrete about the actual policies and ideas of the candidates. And I had to have it explained to me by a YouTube video because it’s the only source of information I trust to have a smidgen of bipartisan interest.

I live in the South, so it’s more Republican. I live in Clearwater, so people have their culture and lifestyles affecting their opinions. And I cannot blame them, and I can’t really get mad, but I am mad.

It’s a popularity contest, sure. I understand. I get it’s all about the marketing. But can we please be more about marketing the actual policies? How will politicians affect my taxes? Or the rights of people? Or the actual price of what they say they want to do with our country?

No hypotheticals and false promises. No flat lies. I am part of the group supposed to be the next wave in influencing how our country and world shapes: the next generation.

And it should be easy to know these things. It shouldn’t be rare. It’s a cornerstone of our country’s political process. It’s the policies that matter, and we need to be marketing that fact. Not who or who may not be a jerk.

---
If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com

It’s a well-known idea that if you are a business, you want a web presence. And it is a lesser-known idea that if you want people to see your web presence, you need to produce new content. The local shops of Clearwater, the Kara Lynn’s Kitchens of the world know this, and use it. They create Facebook accounts and keep them updated.

And this is all well and good, though sometimes companies want to take this kind of marketing even further, and they also create videos or articles about their company.

And this is also grand. Good marketing. Great marketing.

But here’s the problem. A lot of people are doing this. A lot of companies are doing this. So you can still end up finding your creations buried beneath other people’s products and content.

It’s the media overload all over again. But there are a few things you can do to try to rise above it. Simple things to help ensure quality. And some of this may seem rather obvious, but we are talking about the internet here: so let me go over basic steps to make sure your stuff is ahead of the curve.

1.    Have Good Grammar

If it’s true of dating sites, then it is certainly true of companies. People, on some level, judge grammar. And a big obvious error is a sure way to get a browser closed before they have a chance to see what you sell.

2.    Don’t Just Be a Sales Pitch

Yes, you are in the business of selling things. But people will avoid a sales effort from a mile away. We live in a culture overloaded with people trying to sell things—so always try to avoid blatant acts. Tell us positive news your company’s been up to or write an interesting article related to what your business does. Don’t always roll out the “buy now” wagon on the first sight of a potential.

3.    Be A Little Warm and Fun

There’s a reason all companies in dystopian fiction are these joyless and monochrome places: because no one wants or likes that. Even Apple and Google, these massive money-making giants who rule the world, still make their ads and content and business persona fun. A place where customers and employees are happy to work and shop.

4.    Be Consistent

So many things are improved by consistency. Exercise, practice, and content creation. You may, if you’re very lucky, acquire people so enamored with your content they wait for more. And it will be in your best interest, and your fan’s best interest, if you keep getting the content out at a regular rate. At a predictable rate.

---

Now these are only a few tips. There is much more to learn here. No matter how much stuff is in the media landscape, things do float to the top. You can float to the top.

In the end, it just comes down to good marketing.

---
If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com