CS371 Blog Post 1 - Vanessa Bruzzese

 Hey there! My name is Vanessa Bruzzese and I'm a third year communications student with an option in social entrepreneurship and a minor in global studies. As I am completing an option in social entrepreneurship, I love the idea of supporting small businesses which is something consumers can do through social media. An example of a small business that I support through Instagram is a jewelry business called Bling by Browne. The owner produces handmade, trendy jewelry that is reasonably priced that targets a university aged market. That being said, I truly think that social media is a great way to advertise for small businesses as it is typically rather inexpensive and a great way to reach different demographics of consumers. In my opinion, supporting small businesses is a really good way to become a sustainable consumer as these small businesses are not producing on mass levels and so, not only are they better for the environment but the products you receive are often put together with more thought! Within the last year, I personally have tried to become a more sustainable consumer myself, and purchasing off of small businesses is one way I have found myself able to do so. I encourage others to look into being a consumer of small businesses as well if they are not already!