The Social Complex

This episode is all about creators and digital influencers. We’re joined by TikTok creator Victoria Jameson (@victoria on TikTok with nearly 1M followers and over 23M likes) to talk all about life as a creator, the ups, downs, and the all-arounds, including the creator economy, mental health breaks, how to navigate comparison, and shine in your own unique way.

Victoria is a hair and makeup artist who started creating content years ago under the app Musical.ly, which is now known as TikTok. Victoria offers a refreshing look at the realities of sharing your life online as a creator, opens up about her own personal journey navigating the balance between the real world and curation, and shares encouraging perspectives for creators everywhere.

You will walk away with an idea of what it’s like to walk in a creator’s shoes, how creators can negotiate more effectively with brands, and how to navigate your own line on how much of your life you’re willing to share online. Let’s get into it. 

To connect with Victoria on TikTok, click here. 

To connect with Hillary, click here. 

Read more about Digital HQ here.

For more episodes, go to SOCIALCOMPLEXPOD.COM

Produced by You Lucky Dog Productions.

Customer service is always important. There is nothing more rewarding than a pleasant conversation with a customer service rep that turns a wrong into a right, and there is nothing more frustrating than feeling ignored.

Social media is an organization’s first line of defense when it comes to customer relationships. It offers visibility into your company’s offers and services, provides a forum for discussion, and attracts feedback publicly and privately. 

And if you’re not actively approaching social media through a lens of customer service, you’re missing out. Whether you’re on social media or not, your customers are. And they’re talking about you. And not just to your face.

So how can we infuse better customer care into our social media approaches?

Join Hillary as she explores traditional customer service practices that serve brands well online, including stories of how it can go right and how it can go very, very wrong. You will walk away with a handful of tangible tips and considerations to infuse into your content mix, and hopefully rethink social media as a simple content exchange tool. Let’s dive in.

To connect with Hillary, click here. 

Read more about Digital HQ here.

For more episodes, go to SOCIALCOMPLEXPOD.COM

Produced by You Lucky Dog Productions.

Linda Charmaraman, Ph.D., is a senior research scientist at the Wellesley Centers for Women and director of the Youth, Media & Wellbeing Research Lab. Her research interests include technology and adolescent health, digital citizenship, innovative research methods to include overlooked and hidden populations, and how social identities like gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and political affiliation, affect wellbeing.

She is currently conducting a three-year study funded by the National Institutes of Health to follow middle school students and their parents during a critical developmental period to determine longer-term health and wellbeing effects of social technologies, including smartphones, social media, YouTube, and gaming. A key goal of this project is not only to prevent negative health effects of social media use, but also to harness its potential to increase connections with other people and communities through the exchange of social and emotional support and opportunities for civic engagement.  

Linda dives into what the research is telling us about the impact of digital media on teens and tweens, as well as what we may be seeing in the future from these digitally engrained generations. This interview shifted my own biases perspectives on the future of the social space, and I hope you enjoy some takeaways of your own. Let’s get into it. 

To connect with Linda, click here.

To connect with Hillary, click here. 

Read more about Digital HQ here.

For more episodes, go to SOCIALCOMPLEXPOD.COM

Produced by You Lucky Dog Productions.

BeReal is the latest social media app to take over the internet, igniting high praise from Gen Z. But what makes this app interesting, how does it work, and will it stick around for the long haul?

We discuss how BeReal is standing out among the competition by leaning into authentic connection, minimal design, and tight community. We also talk about the pros, cons, and market influences that will either make or break this platform. Hillary also shares her thoughts on how consumer behavior today may predict future evolution of the app to keep it interesting and relevant for modern users. Fun stuff, right?

To download the BeReal App, click here.

To connect with Hillary, click here. 

Read more about Digital HQ here.

For more episodes, go to SOCIALCOMPLEXPOD.COM

Produced by You Lucky Dog Productions.

Are consumers adopting TikTok at a rapid pace? Is it time to ditch Facebook for brands? Let’s discuss.

We’re diving into the Sprout Social Index Report XVIII this episode. Sprout Social releases this research every summer, filled with reports, research and insights intended to shed a light on the complex world of social media.

Hillary walks through insights that stand out to her, some that may be worded better than others, and her overall takeaway from the state of social media.

Thanks to Sprout Social for releasing this important report each year.

To download the report, click here. 

To connect with Hillary, click here. 

Read more about Digital HQ here.

For more episodes, go to SOCIALCOMPLEXPOD.COM

Produced by You Lucky Dog Productions.

We all know about influencers, but have you ever come across a pet influencer? Of course, these influential animals are not writing their own captions or crafting their own content, but these cute creatures bring their personalities online via their owners. 

Today we’re sitting down with Jacqueline Keidel Martinez (Jak), who is the dog mom of Rey the Pitbull @reythepitbull. Jak started Rey’s Instagram account 6 years ago and has steadily grown the page to nearly 60,000 followers through sharing authentic moments and cute snaps of her pup. In this conversation, Jak gets honest about the reality of managing an influencer page, the pet community online, how brands can better engage with their buyers through petfluencers, and the challenges of limited time and resources when growing a following online.

Whether you’re wanting to turn your pet into an influencer, a brand manager curious about working with pet influencers, or just a listener with a curiosity about this niche community, this episode is packed with valuable wisdom. Let’s get into it. 

To connect with Jak & Rey, click here. 

Check out Jak & Rey's story on Dodo here.

To connect with Hillary, click here. 

Read more about Digital HQ here.

For more episodes, go to SOCIALCOMPLEXPOD.COM

Produced by You Lucky Dog Productions.

Memorial Day has taken on a new association in the modern world - it has become the “start of summer” with long weekends, pool parties, and vacations. And over time, people who are not directly tied to the military may overlook the true purpose of the day, which is to reflect on the ultimate sacrifice made by US military members. 

And for those who are tied to the day, whether it be through a loved one who was killed while on duty, or a family history deeply rooted in past wars, it can be an incredibly difficult day.

And because we’re imperfect humans who make honest mistakes, sometimes we say things like “Happy Memorial Day” when, in fact, to the people who this day matters the most, is anything but happy.

So for our brand managers out there wondering “how do I post on Memorial Day?” Here are some options for you. 

To connect with Hillary, click here. 

Read more about Digital HQ here.

For more episodes, go to SOCIALCOMPLEXPOD.COM

Produced by You Lucky Dog Productions.

Curious about what it takes to be a social media manager? We're spilling the tea in this episode to give you an inside scoop on what it takes to make a career in social media.

And don't be fooled - this career track isn't for the faint of heart.

If you’re just starting out, have been interested in pivoting into social media as a career, or are just generally curious about the various paths in the profession, this episode is for you. We’re going to be talking about:

• The history of the social media industry
• Hillary's personal experience working in social media
• Different specialties within the social stratosphere
• Key differences between working in an agency, for a brand exclusively (known as in house), or as a freelancer
• How to stand out in the hiring process
• Which education and experience matters most

You'll walk away with tangible tips, perspectives, and considerations for you to keep in mind as you build your career in this space.

You'll also hear firsthand how to stand out in the interview process and how to approach social media in a strategic way rather than a tactical one.

To connect with Hillary, click here. 

Read more about Digital HQ here.

For more episodes, go to SOCIALCOMPLEXPOD.COM

Produced by You Lucky Dog Productions.

Facebook and Instagram have disabled AR filters for users in Texas and Illinois as of May 2022.

The decision came a day after a separate settlement happened between Clearview AI and civil rights group ACLU, which was brought forth in May 2020. The suit was originally filed in Illinois which had strong regulations that limit the usage of facial images, fingerprints, voiceprints, and other identifying biometric information that can be collected shared, and stored.

In this episode, we explore what implications this ban has on the future of biometric data usage, if Illinois and Texas will get their filters back soon, whether other states should be concerned, and the crossover between state privacy laws and consumer social media access.

To connect with Hillary, click here. 

Read more about Digital HQ here.

For more episodes, go to SOCIALCOMPLEXPOD.COM

Produced by You Lucky Dog Productions.

What do dinosaurs in tutus have to do with cookies? According to Wunderkeks, a lot. 

Wunderkeks is an Austin-based baked goods company specializing in cookies and brownies. Led by Guatemalan owners Luis Gramajo and Hans Schrei, Wunderkeks has evolved from a business that served “everything to everyone” to finding their niche, voice, and brand.

"The purpose of our product is to bring joy and to make people feel like kids again," Schrei says. "This is implicitly baked into the DNA of the brand--no pun intended." - INC. Magazine, 2022

Hans and Luis open up about their journey from Guatemala to the United States, the realities of being gay men in today’s world, the transformation of their company over the last decade, and how they found their brand ethos and brought their creative branding “out of the closet”. 

We get into the importance of being authentic in your business, why the fight for queer representation in business and culture remains imperative, and how digital media and social media transformed their company in 2020, including a well-timed retweet from actress Busy Phillips that shot their business into e-commerce. They have been featured on the Today Show, Business Insider, Inc. Magazine, and even in the bags at this year’s Oscars.

If you’re interested in entrepreneurship, e-commerce success, LGBTQ+ allyship, and building a brand rooted in purpose… this is the episode for you. 

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To connect with Wunderkeks, click here.

To purchase the best cookies of your life, click here. 

To connect with Hillary, click here. 

Read more about Digital HQ here.

For more episodes, go to SOCIALCOMPLEXPOD.COM

Produced by You Lucky Dog Productions.