The Social Media Reload: June 12, 2015

Every week, millions of links, photos and videos are shared on social media from brands and individuals alike. The latest blog series from Laura Burgess Marketing, the Social Media Reload, features the most popular, interesting, entertaining and controversial content in the industry from the past week and repackages it into a quick list with fire power.

Below are three of the top links, photos and videos posted on social media this week.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DZ1yLl1-bI] SHIA LABEOUF’S MOTIVATIONAL SPEECH

Late last month, Shia LaBeouf made headlines (this time, not for another Transformers movie) for what at first glance appeared as a hilarious attempt at a motivational speech, borrowing the Nike tagline “Just do it” and flex moves seemingly from the Hulk. However, the video that quickly went viral and spoof spin offs like the “Shia LaBeouf Wants to Shoot my AR-15” from YouTuber The Late Boy Scout, was actually the latest chapter in LaBeouf’s ongoing endeavor with artists Luke Turner and Nastja Säde Rönkkö, titled #INTRODUCTIONS. Collaborating with fine art undergraduate students at Central Saint Martins in London, LaBeouf made nearly 40 30-second films starring himself performing in front of a green screen, the viral video piece the work of student Joshua Parker. Whatever the reason, we’re just glad they did it under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike license so we could make our own videos, like that above.

GO FISHING WITH A DRONE

Imagine a time when lake or river-side fishing will be as easy as using sonar to find the fish and then casting directly over that sweet spot. Well, with the AquaDrone, that time may soon be here. The invention of Daniel Marion, AquaDrone is advertised as the “first waterproof drone with a sonar fish finder” with the capability of sending a WIFi signal to a cell phone or smart device over 300 feet away. The drone utilizes what Marion calls “pods,” interchangeable accessories that mount to the bottom of the drone for fish finding, line casting and, of course, photo and video. With fishermen and hobbyist in mind, Marion, who has been interested in and building remote control planes and fishing for over 51 years, recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the AquaDrone, seeking $150,000. With just over a month to go, the campaign has raised just 2 percent of that amount, but Marion and his team remain confident the campaign will be funded and AquaDrones will be in the air and on the water by October. (via Outdoor Hub)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVrJUbeuG44] HOMEMADE LASER SHOTGUN

Some things in life serve no real purpose other than the fact that they’re just flat out cool, like this homemade 40W laser shotgun. Created by Drake Anthony, a 22-year-old triple major at Southern Illinois University studying chemistry, physics and math (I know who my study partner would have been) otherwise known on YouTube as styropyro, the 40W laser consists of eight parallel 5W laser beams manipulated with lenses, similar to how a choke modifies the spread of a shotgun blast, and is powered by a huge lithium polymer battery pack. So just how freakin’ awesome is Anthony’s invention? In the words of Anthony himself, “there’s no good reason for anyone to own something this powerful.” Watch the laser shotgun ignite everything from balloons to black powder in the video above, and happy lasing. (via Guns.com)

Have you seen something interesting, entertaining or controversial creating buzz on social media this week? Shoot us a link in a comment below and stay up to date with the best of each week with our Social Media Reload archive.