Tiffany Wilson's Blog
Tiffany Wilson graduated cum laude from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in June 2007.
Since graduation, Tiffany has traveled with Palestra.net to California, Maine, Florida, Texas and pretty much every state in between. She's interviewed thousands of students about this election and she managed to almost die eating blueberry pie, sniff a belly covered in preparation H and fire a semi-automatic shotgun along the way.
Despite gas station dinners and long hours in a giant blue van, Tiffany absolutely loves being a Palestra.net reporter!
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Majoring In Sex: Facebook Underground
Tiffany Wilson reporting from Columbus (2008-11-20 14:17:23)
This is part of a series of articles examining sex on campus, looking at everything from the art of the pickup to choices and consequences and what kind of experience students want for themselves and their partners
Instead of observing a bar, I decided to take a break and observe another college hangout: Facebook.
Facebook’s roots rest in Harvard, the oldest institution of higher learning in America. Mark Zuckerberg launched the site from his dorm room in 2004. Facebook revolutionized the way college students communicate so completely, one girl I spoke with said posting “in a relationship” on Facebook is the equivalent to the traditional meeting of your boyfriend’s parents.
Today, students use Facebook for everything. My brother Jeff, a sophomore at Tampa, first chatted with his roommates on Facebook. My friends use Facebook to show me pictures of their crushes online. During sorority rush, we identified girls through their Facebook pictures and profiles. The drunken pictures girls posted always amazed me, but that’s all old news. I knew to expect racy poses and flirty posts.
However, I didn’t expect explicit photos, links to pornography and sexual propositions within the white and blue world of Facebook. After typing in key words like, “sex,” “hook up,” “shag,” and “hos” my eyes opened a new, tawdry and tasteless Facebook culture.
What did my searches reveal? Groups like “If You Poke Me, That Means You Want to Have Sex With Me.,” “College, Sex, Alcohol….and well more Alcohol,” or “College: Founded on Beer, Sex, and Drugs.” These are just three of the hundreds of related search results. In the description for College: Founded on Beer, Sex, and Drugs, the administrator lists illegal drugs, sexual positions and beer brands. After reading through the litany of lascivious options, the group says it is merely a satire of what is now understood to be the college experience. Most groups do not include such disclaimers.
Reading the open wall responses for one group basically gives you the idea of many. Girls who may or may not be masquerading for porn sites link to free porn. These messages are so artfully crafted that the suggestion leaves no room for misinterpretation. Kristen Munson posted this message at 8:22 a.m. November 20, 2008,
“Free Click - Watch xXx Videos (NO Downloading) 100% Free ALL Categories = Something for Everyone.”
For the sake of journalism, I clicked on the link and arrived at a website promoting free pornographic videos. Munson’s message was posted on the “If You Poke Me, That Means You Want to Have Sex With Me” wall. More than 5,000 people joined this group and their discussion board displays topics including, “shaved p---y or not?” and “Condom or No Condom.”
Beyond simple groups, Facebook offers applications revolving around sex as well. More than 107,000 people are monthly active users of the “Have Sex!” application. This feature allows you to put a button on your profile, browse profiles and let people know you are want to “Have Sex!” with them right away. I’d explain this as a super poke.
Three of my Facebook friends subscribe to this application and after cruising their profiles, I found more. One application allows you to “speed date,” another to “flirt” and another lets you click your level of attraction to the person. They are notified of your interest and may respond as they like. Consider it a quick fire online dating application.
Advertisers tap into sexual fantasies as well. On the paid “Advertise” section, Victoria’s Secret is promoting free lingerie. More surreptitiously, some people post links to sites on discussion boards. For instance, many of the sex group walls were spammed with postings including links to www.durexu.com or www.studyandscore.com. Both of these addresses direct you to a website for Durex condoms. The company is holding a competition where you get a coupon for condoms and when you buy the condoms, you are entered in a contest to win $25,000. The winner will be announced December 17, 2008. Some individuals said it would be a good way to pay off school loans.
Just like a newspaper, I’m ending this blog with the classified section. No longer limited by space, Facebook users describe their desires in detail. For example, on September 11, Claudia Johnson posted,
“Heyyy!!! I'm Claudia and I need a man! =) I need a discreet guy that'll take me home (or come home with me) and have some sexy fun =) =) =)
I'm 22, 5'3", brunette, thin and athletic (but with some nice sized breasts =) =) =) Email me (nymphonymph22@DELETED) and we can get started!!! =)
*mwah*
Claudia
Frequently these types of messages and the pictures of the person posting them are too obscene to print. As a caveat, many of the individual’s who post personal ads do not show a collegiate network. They could still be in college, but it seems geared to a slightly older audience.
According to Facebook, more than 120 million people subscribe to the site worldwide. Students I’ve spoken with call the site, “addictive” and many spend their free time “Facebook stalking” friends and crushes. When I asked about Facebook flirting, I heard that it was inevitable. But my question for you is, will the time spent online lend itself to a more prurient pastime?
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Fireside Chats 2.0
Tiffany Wilson reporting from Columbus (2008-11-20 11:30:53)
During the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt greeted Americans with a simple,” Good evening, friends.” His 30 fireside chats encouraged the country to have faith in the banks and support the New Deal. Following each broadcast, letters poured into Congress and FDR was able to apply pressure to pass bills he supported.
Enter the Internet and Fireside Chats 2.0.
Two months from today, Barack Obama will be inaugurated as the country’s 44th president. To get there, multihued waves of grassroots support carried Obama’s victory from sea to shining sea.
Instead of letting Inauguration Day turn into Harvest Day, Obama has found a way to strengthen his network of support. I recently received an email from the campaign asking me to fill out a survey. Along with the generic name, birth date, occupation information, the campaign wanted to know my ideas for moving forward. The survey asked what issues would interest me to volunteer or organize support. War in Iraq? LGBT? Poverty? Education? Urban Community Issues? Crime? Divisive Politics and Partisanship? Other? (If other, please explain…)
It was a mix of high school scantron and friendly questions I’d like to discuss over coffee. The survey probed into how the campaign and election affected each supporter, asking for personal anecdotes and details. I’m sure the responses are fascinating; maybe they could turn it into a national Obama blog.
Borrowing a phrase from Obama’s rival, my friends, this is the power of Obama’s network. With a few keyboard taps he can tap into the will of the people. What are your thoughts? What is your experience? Please answer the following questions in as much detail as you would like.
Not only can he key into the people, but people can key into Obama’s administration as well. His campaign’s massive collection of emails will be his most powerful source of strength in the coming days.
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s audience listened with rapt attention to the man they hoped would guide them through the Great Depression. Now, millions of Americans around the country check their inboxes for missives from the man they hope can save them from a similar situation.
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Ohio Voting Fraud Prosecution Details
Tiffany Wilson reporting from Columbus (2008-11-19 11:15:01)
Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney Ron O’Brien is indicting a man on 24 counts of voter fraud.
Antonio Alvande is charged with submitting false, fraudulent, fictitious voter registrations for himself and at least eight other names or individuals. Alvande was charged with 14 counts of false registration and ten counts of illegally obtaining an absentee ballot.
According to the indictment, between June 13 and October 24, 2008 Alvande submitted false, forged, and fictitious registrations using the address 3731 E. Broad St., Apt. 326. This address correlates to a Boxmaster shop in a strip mall. Alvande leased mail drop box 326.
Alvande registered not only himself but also the names Warren Barnessel, Andre Carrero, Stephanie Clardy, Netheus Clevontce, Noreen Gans, Dale Miracle, James Pearson, Tyronne Singleton and Atheus Velhontce to this address. Some of these names connect to real people, others are non-residents and some names are completely made up.
Alvande is currently being held in the Franklin County Jail.
Six new cases of potential voter fraud were referred to O'Brien by the Board of Elections last week. According to the press release, O'Brien expects further indictments in his ongoing voter fraud investigation.
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Ohio Voter Fraud - Prosecution Begins
Tiffany Wilson reporting from Columbus (2008-11-19 10:40:41)
Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien just released this advisory.
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Majoring In Sex - Why Do College Students Have Sex?
Tiffany Wilson reporting from Columbus (2008-11-19 10:31:41)
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/personal/07/31/reasons.4.sex.ap/index.html
This is part of a series of articles examining sex on campus, looking at everything from the art of the pickup to choices and consequences and what kind of experience students want for themselves and their partners.
Yesterday I posted two top ten lists from 1998. Fast-forward nearly a decade and we find a new top ten list: The top ten reasons college men and women have sex.
Overall results - more couples are coupling for lust than for love.
A survey of more than 1,500 college students found physical attraction is the number one reason both men and women have sex.
Both genders’ top ten lists included seven reasons related to bodily pleasure, fun or hormones. Women ranked affection and love as their fourth and fifth motivation for sex. Men ranked the same responses as fifth and eighth overall.
Researchers at the University of Texas spent five years analyzing why college students have sex. After extensive interviews, UT clinical psychology professors Cindy Meston and David Buss initially compiled a list of 237 reasons people sleep together. They then asked college students to rank each reason on a one-to-five scale.
“Men were more likely to be opportunistic towards having sex,” said Meston. “Women were more likely to have sex because they felt they needed to please their partner.”
The co-authors said their study found 20 of the top 25 reasons for having sex were the same for men and women in college. Meston said their findings rebuked popular beliefs that men want sex for pleasure and women only want love. “None of the gender differences are all that great,” said Meston.
However, Meston admitted these findings are specific to the college crowd where “hormones run rampant.”
The study was originally published in the 2007 August edition of Archives of Sexual Behavior. Click on the link above for more.
WOMEN'S TOP TEN
1. I was attracted to the person
2. I wanted to experience physical pleasure
3. It feels good
4. I wanted to show my affection to the person
5. I wanted to express my love for the person
6. I was sexually aroused and wanted the release
7. I was "horny"
8. It's fun
9. I realized I was in love
10. I was "in the heat of the moment"
MEN'S TOP TEN
1. I was attracted to the person
2. It feels good
3. I wanted to experience physical pleasure.
4. It's fun
5. I wanted to show my affection to the person
6. I was sexually aroused and wanted the release
7. I was "horny"
8. I wanted to express my love for the person
9. I wanted to achieve an orgasm
10. I wanted to please my partner
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Majoring In Sex
Tiffany Wilson reporting from Columbus (2008-11-18 16:30:31)
Source: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1608/is_n9_v14/ai_21099910/pg_1?tag=artBody;col1
What they know:
1. Sex can be dangerous.
2. Men should wear condoms when having sex.
3. You always need to use birth control when having sex.
4. Sex is fun; it feels good.
5. Alcohol can make sex easier.
6. Sex absolutely must be consensual.
7. It isn’t difficult to satisfy a man.
8. Women’s sexuality is different from men’s.
9. There’s a lot of kinky sex out there.
10. One-night stands can have major repercussions.
What they should know:
1. Anyone can get an STD
2. Preventing pregnancy requires thought and effort.
3. Sex and alcohol make poor bedfellows.
4. Choosing a partner shouldn’t be a simple thing.
5. It takes skill to please a woman
6. Men need to pace themselves.
7. Everybody has different sexual needs.
8. You have to communicate your desires.
9. Sex has a big emotional impact.
10. Sex is about relationships.
Click on the link above for the full article. It was originally published in the Sept. 1998 edition of Men's Fitness. How much has the college sex scene changed in the past decade? Are these top ten lists still relevant on current college campuses?
Send me an email with your thoughts - Tiffany@palestra.net
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Majoring In Sex - Part Five
Tiffany Wilson reporting from Manhattan (2008-11-18 12:11:03)
As part of Palestra.net's ongoing "Majoring in Sex" series, I'll occasionally include a few personal observations and anecdotes. This entry comes from my experience gallivanting through Manhattan over the weekend.
Eyes are no longer just the window to the soul; they’re also the window to dating opportunity.
In my ever-so-scientific weekend research, I found eye contact was the biggest predictor of potential bar conversations.
Scenario 1: Girl (who may or may not be me) walks up the stairs and over to the bar. Girl keeps eyes diverted and pushes through crowd, successfully reaching the bar. Girl interacts with zero strangers.
Scenario 2: Girl walks up the stairs and over to the bar. Girl looks directly at a guy, holds eye contact for two seconds. Guy says, “I think I know you, you went to U of R, right?” (Note to guys – lamest pick up line ever.) Girl says no and looks at another guy closer to the bar. Guy says, “Oh hey, are you trying to get closer? I’ll move over. What are you drinking?” (Note to guys – good pick up line).
When it comes to meeting people, eye contact is critical. The girl was wearing the same clothes, same hair, walking through the same crowded bar. The only difference was in the eyes.
To make it work you must connect longer than the accidental second of a typical crowd scan. Otherwise it comes across as, “Whoops, I didn’t mean to see you,” and negates the entire effort. By holding eye contact, you send the signal that you meant to see them and would be interested in saying hello.
Just as eyes can invite, they also can curtail a connection. As I described yesterday, New York nightlife is an optical kaleidoscope of colors, people and places. Roving eyes easily disrupt even short interactions. But the eye-to-eye two-step isn’t just a big city thing. I found many bobble heads in Ohio at college bars as well. The ever-searching gaze sends out a signal of “still looking.” But if you want to keep the girl/guy around for more than a hot minute, focus on your own conversation and forget about the randomness of the bar scene around you.
In the end, it all comes back to my dad’s baseball coaching advice – keep your eyes on the prize. If you want to meet someone, just open your eyes and don’t look away.
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Filed under Entertainment Watching TV Makes You Sad
Tiffany Wilson reporting from Columbus (2008-11-18 10:48:20)
Source: http://www.newsdesk.umd.edu/sociss/release.cfm?ArticleID=1789
As if you didn’t need another excuse to hit the gym, start your homework, call your grandma or meet a friend for ice cream…
A new study shows extensive evidence that watching TV actually makes you sad.
University of Maryland sociologists studied roughly 30 years of data from 45, 000 participants and concluded: TV might make you happy immediately but it is more likely to result in overall unhappiness.
The study, published in the December issue of Social Indicators Research found that activities like sex, reading and peer-to-peer socializing led to the highest levels of overall happiness. Watching television was the ONLY activity that directly correlated with UNHAPPINESS.
The study concludes unhappy people watch TV because it's easy, cheap and fills up their free time. "What viewers seem to be saying is that while TV in general is a waste of time and not particularly enjoyable, 'the shows I saw tonight were pretty good,' said co-author John P. Robinson. Robinson, with fellow sociologist Steven Martin, found unhappy people watch on average 20 percent more television than happy people.
Despite huge declines in post-election audiences, the broadcast industry could benefit from the down economy. The study found people who had more time on their hands (unemployed) watch more television. So yesterday’s massive Citibank layoff basically offered the networks 53,000 new daytime viewers.
I’m curious – do you think mainstream broadcast media will report this study? It doesn’t exactly encourage people to keep watching…
My advice: skip channel surfing and advance straight to surfing the net. Palestra.net offers so much more interactivity than the small screen!
For more details, click on the link above.
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Majoring In Sex - Part Four
Tiffany Wilson reporting from Manhattan (2008-11-17 15:24:12)
As part of Palestra.net's ongoing "Majoring in Sex" series, I'll occasionally include a few personal observations and anecdotes. This entry comes from my experience gallivanting through Manhattan over the weekend.
Food and fashion drive New York City’s splendor. Just walking down the street, my eyes absorbed an optical buffet of clothing and cultural delights.
In the Financial District, I brushed by a man decked out in a bright blue, floor-length fake fur. Near midtown, I saw an outfit a la Lion King. Tufts of hair fringed the man’s elbows and trailed down to his leather (pleather?) pants. In the Lower East Side, I experienced genuine fashion envy for the outfits of several model-like waifs at the bar. Their designer spikes were the ice picks to the iceberg of their fashion house ensembles. Thank goodness I wore head-to-toe black and blended into the background of their radiant clothing glow! From the absurd to the absolutely extravagant, New York tailors to anyone’s fashion taste.
And speaking of taste, my mouth is still watering. I warp toured my way through the buttery dough of NY bagels, to golden, crispy slices of white pizza, to Pink Berry frozen yogurt, to Haru’s sushi, to Sunday morning brunch, to mile high apple pie…yes, I need to hit the gym. With a Zagat guide in every taxi and a menu on every door, there is no end to the epicurean options. Because really, who doesn’t like potpie (at 3 a.m. no less)?
If you want it, it’s out there. You just need to decide what you want.
And that’s where New Yorkers hit a wall.
Citizens of the City That Never Sleeps know infinite possibilities surround them. But by picking one restaurant, one club, one person - they rule out another. Not easy to do when you're part of the generation that wants it all.
I spent the weekend hanging out with my swanky New York friends and unanimously they agreed: meeting people is easy, connecting with people is hard.
Robert said potential partners aren’t willing to get serious, because there’s always another guy at the bar. “People don’t invest easily, because they are always looking for a better deal,” he said. But it goes both ways. Robert says he’s always checking around and comparing options as well. “I rarely go on more than one or two dates with someone.”
Chris, his roommate and my companion while studying abroad in Paris agreed. He ended a relationship in April and hasn’t been in another since. Chris said it’s not for lack of options but rather mutual reluctance to choose.
We discussed several of our friends who are already married. Generally speaking, our friends still live in their hometowns and married a high school or college sweetheart. In short, they met someone they liked and married. They didn’t try to get a “better deal.” In New York, this storyline is more rare than a free taxi in the rain.
Instead of commitment, young New Yorkers prefer disposable dates. Good for a night, but gone by the next day. They experience buyer’s remorse even after a fun evening. The night was good, but could it have been better? A quick scan of the room leads to more intrigue and thus the first date becomes the last date and they make a date for another first date. Sound glamorous? My friends say it gets lonely.
So – all you single city dwellers out there – check back. My next blog is all about how to actually connect while cruising the bars.
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Why The Chicken Crossed The Road...
Tiffany Wilson reporting from Columbus (2008-11-17 13:06:18)
The election is over, but political mass emails still enter my inbox.
Here's a funny one with a classic twist.
Why did the chicken cross the road?
BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a change! The chicken wanted change!
JOHN MCCAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.
SARAH PALIN: You betcha he crossed the road, but let's not talk about that, let's talk about energy policy, and how gosh darn hard it is for a middle-class hockey mom to manage the budget of the only state in America with a massive surplus, especially while surrounded by countless Russian and Canadian chickens we have to keep an eye on.
HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure - right from Day One! -that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me.
GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.
DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?
COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.
BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken...What is your definition of crossing?
AL GORE: I invented the chicken.
JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.
AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.
OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.
NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.
PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.
DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain... alone.
GRANDPA: In my day, we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.
ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.
JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.
ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?
COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?
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The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
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We take you inside the tent to give you a glimpse at The 2008 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Watch the models do their thing under the music track "Gold Chain On Credit" by Fly.Union.
