Troy,
You pitched several story ideas that were thoughtful. The way that you framed a few with questions reminded me of a Roy Peter Clark tool in which he urges writers to build each story around one key question and to see what other questions emerge.
Let me tell you the story I am most excited about: You pitched it as "How long can you go without social media?" What if you asked two friends (or a friend AND a professor or coach) to go without social media for 24, 48, or -- dare I say it? — 72 hours? The three (or four) of you could have a text thread for support and to document the withdrawal. You could interview as you go and interview afterwards. I'd love to see what people experience — panic? relief? indifference? Before you started, you could write what you *think* it will be like, then document what it is actually like. The research and reporting part will probably be easy and exciting. The challenge will probably be finding someone willing to participate!
You pitched several story ideas that were thoughtful. The way that you framed a few with questions reminded me of a Roy Peter Clark tool in which he urges writers to build each story around one key question and to see what other questions emerge.
Let me tell you the story I am most excited about: You pitched it as "How long can you go without social media?" What if you asked two friends (or a friend AND a professor or coach) to go without social media for 24, 48, or -- dare I say it? — 72 hours? The three (or four) of you could have a text thread for support and to document the withdrawal. You could interview as you go and interview afterwards. I'd love to see what people experience — panic? relief? indifference? Before you started, you could write what you *think* it will be like, then document what it is actually like. The research and reporting part will probably be easy and exciting. The challenge will probably be finding someone willing to participate!
My #2 pick would be a story on the Black Student Union. Your original pitch was about the gala — that is long over, but you could report on how it went and what was accomplished. I saw on Instagram that there were executive committee elections coming up. That could be a way in — once the new committee members are finalized, you could interview one or more about what those positions mean and what the organization has in mind for next year.
I love this idea! I am not too active on social media and I rarely download it on my phone. I plan to ask my roommates and parents to delete their most used social media app for 3 days. I like the text thread idea because I would be able to document replies with an actual date and time within the 3 days. I am definitely running with this idea because I did not know I was interested in this experiment until you suggested it! Thank you!