Get in touch with reality

 Fake vs Real

Social media or what I would like to call it screen time have been an upcoming topic since the early two thousands. Speaking from experience when I was in elementary school there was a popular game called Sims. Sims was a game where you can make your own person on the internet and interact with other people doing the same thing. your Character needs to eat sleep, and do almost everything you do in real life. Without me going any further don't you already see a problem with that? Imagine being a kid, or even have a child and they are playing this game constantly, I already see a problem with them differentiating what is real and what is fake.

The present

Today you see people...kids especially influenced heavily by what they see on what ever device they might be on. With me being so observant sometimes I ask myself why might that be? Number 1 it is easily accessible; Honestly I would call in the new pacifier for all. When people want to check out of the real world where do they go? straight to their phones. Ending things off correctly a lot of people have trouble separating real from fake!

Is Social Media an Enabler of Narcissistic Traits?

                                                             

                          Credit:(10) Pinterest                      

In the book the Qualified Self, Humphreys brings up an important question, is social media an enabler for narcissistic traits? Being self-aware is important to our well-being but being overly focused on one's self-importance and in need of attention from others is to be narcissistic. The self can be evaluated through the traces we decided to leave on social media. We can choose how we want others to see us, how we characterize ourselves, and how we showcase our accomplishments. The qualified self is the way we selectively present ourselves through our media traces. Some argue for the idea that social media can be a cause of narcissism making a person obsessed with themselves while others say that its primary focus is the connection you make with others. I will showcase both of these views and leave it up to you to decide or simply just think about the question at hand.

Why might social media cause people to be more narcissistic?

In the argument that social media does indeed cause people to have narcissistic traits, it can be seen in the sense that social media creates a desire to focus inwardly and become more self-centered. People who display these traits can be identified through the number of hours they spend on social media and the number of selfies they post. Studies have shown that women who hold narcissistic traits will be more inclined to post revealing photos of themselves due to the intimidatory self-presentation strategies used by a narcissist. Cyberbullying is another trait for narcissists on social media because it gives them a feeling of holding power over someone else.

Credit: kikimualifah.blogspot.com

When people use social media to flaunt looks and brag about where they are going and doing, they are looking to help validate themselves. A lack of self-esteem is a major part of the reason why they do this. A study done with 10,000 millennials found that 64% of people found that most think that Instagram is a more narcissistic platform than others like Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter. There is an epidemic of narcissism in western culture, and it seems that social media has a role in this because it easily influences this behavior. A study found that people who posted a lot of selfies on social media have a 20% increase in developing narcissistic traits. Another study found that people who pose with others are less likely than people who pose for photos of just themselves to be narcissistic. So, though there is no definite answer that social media causes narcissism it is still found in some studies that an increased use of social media might cause you to develop narcissistic traits due to the opportunity to self-promote and enhance your ego. 

Credit: (10) Pinterest

On the flip side 

Communication with the world around you is the argument for social media being positive. Some people even argue that to create content you have to be interested in the needs of your audience that you are creating content for; therefore, it is not really narcissistic. By focusing on your audience and posting despite your insecurities you are being considerate of how what you are sharing will be interesting to your followers. Posting on social media can be a form of self-expression that connects with the history of personal diaries being used to keep track of one's life. We wrote about ourselves and shared that with others, but it has never been on the scale that we do today. Sharing on social media can help us connect with others and build intimacy between people. By sharing the quotidian aspects of ourselves we are connecting with others so that when the bigger things happen it is more easily recognized. 

When we allow ourselves to become self-absorbed in social media is when we are at risk. Being mindful of the impact social media has on you is key to preventing yourself from developing narcissistic traits. Ask yourself questions like am I posting on social media to validate myself? Do the number of likes really define my worth? Be aware of where your self-esteem and work on building confidence that doesn't come from social media posts and likes. Young adults are especially more at risk from this so practicing self-awareness is the best thing you can do to avoid the negative impact that social media has on us. 

Sources:

Narcissism and Social Media: Should We Be Afraid? | Psychology Today

The Dangers Of Social Media: How Narcissism Is On The Rise - Mental Health Matters Cofe (mentalhealthmatters-cofe.org)

HUMPHREYS, LEE (2019). Qualified self: Social media and the accounting of Everyday Life. MIT Press.

Don’t Jump On The Hate Train

1,280 × 1,280

FYP

People hate social media. Like they really, really, REALLY hate it. You would probably say for good reasons. I would agree only to an extent. What you feel is what you feel, so that is not for me to say if your hate is warranted. However, I guarantee that a majority of people's hate towards social media is misplaced. We want to be mad at the content rather than the fact that we choose what we consume. So often, I hear people complain about their "for you page" (FYP), and my first thought is, do they realize it is FOR YOU? whatever you do not like that is on there, well, it is there because of you. It is called an algorithm. Hate for social media is so misplaced, and the fix is easy. Let us create healthier media habits and foster social media into what it really should be. Only then will people start to love it as intended. 

The Narrative 

Initially, I do see the hate for social media. Most people need to take breaks and detox because sometimes the internet can be a toxic place. Social champ lists that the reason most people take social media breaks is because of their ego, anxiety, addictiveness, depression, self-doubt, lack of social skills, and privacy. Looking at this list, you see some serious issues. However, are these issues inherently tied to Social Media or instead poor practices that people follow? While this stuff Social Champ listed is reality does not mean we need to live in it. If you are afraid of the "lack of privacy," be more conscious of what you post. If you have an unchecked ego that gets hurt when you do not get 50+ likes, go to therapy. If you are addicted to your screen, then set better boundaries. Recognize how these are problems that rely on you. The answer is within you, and only changing your habits will fix the problem. 

My Personal Narrative

The other day I was talking to another student, just trying to be social. I invited him to my BSU meetings, but I also told him to stay connected and up to date; he should follow our Instagram. Then my other friend proceeded to turn to him and tell him not to download social media and that it was a "waste of time". To me, that was an absurd comment. I manage two social media accounts: one personal and one for work. I also monitor the social media of a third page, but I do not do the posting myself. I see the beauty in social media because I consume so much of it, and I have for years. In my personal intake, I have consumed unsavory media from time to time. However, that was in no way the media's fault. Humans hate taking responsibility, so they instead like to blame intangible entities that exist but not in the same physical way we do. I absolutely loathe people who do this. It is single-handedly my biggest pet peeve. When T.V. and other forms of Social Media are placed into societies that previously did not have them, we see a considerable jump in eating disorders and self-image issues. Now, most people blame the media. However, why are we not blaming ourselves for first promoting unhealthy and unrealistic body standards? Secondly, why did we not teach these people how to consume media responsibly before we introduced it to them?

Come Back To The Real World 

Do not delete Social Media. That is so tacky. Put the phone down! Come on, man, just listen. I am almost done. "Social Media breaks" should not be an entire break from social media. Do you know what all warrants as Social Media? Because I know for a fact you are most likely not about to cut out TikTok or Youtube. If anything, "breaks" from social media should be the stopping of posts. Be a consumer. So often, I see people say they are going to take a "break," and my initial thought is, "you do not even create anything. What are you taking a break from?". To say you are taking a break implies you were working or using that specific form of Media. If you are a consumer and not a creator, then why do we refer to it as taking a break instead of just turning off Instagram to go watch cat videos? Let us take the "seriousness" put of social media.

Changing The Narrative

Put yourself first. Whatever you consume, whatever you do not want to consume, whatever weird stalker you are avoiding, you decide. Take back the narrative and stop thinking someone controls what you consume. Because while there quite literally is someone who does that, it is their job to make sure what you consume is based on what you like to consume. Say no to something cringing, press that "see less like this button," and go about your day. If you want to create content without unnecessary pressure, then set specific days for creating content and let yourself be a consumer on the other days. When you are a consumer, make sure what you are consuming is kind towards you and others, education, and overall something that brings you joy. Connect yourself to the world, not what Chris Pratt eats in a day (unless that is what makes YOU happy, of course). Go out there and make Social Media a better place for you first and others second. 

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Just Live

The main takeaway I want is for you to take back your power and stop letting people tell you something is "bad" simply because they use it improperly. Anything in the wrong hands can be used for evil. Go out there and develop the necessary skills to properly use Social Media and one day teach others how to as well. I never pass up a chance to tell somehow how great Social Media is because I genuinely believe it to be great. It just takes finding the right crowd and a little bit of practice to foster those healthy habits. At the end of the day, if my advice or testimony does not work for you, then do what makes you happy but absolutely do not go out and ward others off from one of the greatest inventions of our time because of your experiences. Let people live and foster opinions on their own. 

Works cited

13, Laverne Gagliano September, et al. “Why Would One Say, ‘I Hate Social Media?".” Social Champ, 14 Sept. 2022, www.socialchamp.io/blog/i-hate-social-media/#.

It's not impossible to be a wallflower

 

It's not impossible to be a wallflower

Social media tends to have this certain impression that bounces from one person to another. For example, what happens to one person may influence others to be exactly like them, and if not,  it will persuade them to buy or get exactly what that person has. It's the influence of the media.

The Perks of Being A Wallflower is one of the movies that gave me a good perspective on anti-socialism and showed me the sides of teenagers and how they are surrounded by many different people. One character in the movie, Charlie, was a very antisocial depressed teenager who did not have many friends going into high school until he met two people who then became very close to him. They called him a wallflower as he was happy with how he was with his personality and did not change for anybody, instead he was accepted to be who he was. Comparing this to social media nowadays, nobody can be called a wallflower, or at least many people. When this movie came out in 2012, it was during a time period when social media was not much of a thing, and when people would post, it would be genuine. As time went on, so did the media, and what is posted now is seen everywhere. What I mean by this is many people are doing paid partnerships for growing or expanded companies, and a new product is being delivered to individual followers in hopes to gain attraction and help the company sell this product. I like to think of social media as a ripple effect, once somebody has something you like, you buy it, others buy it, and the list goes on. 

Going back to being a wallflower, I don't see very original posts as much as I'd like to, but I am a very optimistic person and I like to see change. Many people are always complaining about nobody being original when it comes to media or even their true personalities. Many young teenagers who have seen the movie "The Perks of Being A Wallflower" took the movie to heart because they could relate to Charlie's loneliness, or did they understand the bigger picture? 

Why does media change the way we think? 

In an article, I read by the A&M school of education and human development department, Shed Communications states that social media can affect one's bias. If a person has a set belief system in their mind, they're only likely to pay attention to what they already believe through the media. Heather stated that "social media influences people to take action for or against a cause." If one's social standards and social values are easily affected and influenced by others, is there room for progression? No matter what, a person can always improve themself and if they don't want to, unfortunately, they're in a shit show for a lifetime. 

But why? 

Take the values you grew up with, you were raised to have certain mannerisms, right? growing up with the ones who surrounded you at home, is the base for who you surround yourself with outside. An only child for example might have different values than a person with five different siblings. That can be the same for social media, as for me, I like to watch minimalistic organizing videos because I want to have that type of reality. I know that I want that, and I have to be honest with you, I have gone out of my way to buy some type of organization stuff that was way more expensive than it should've been all because I saw a video on Tik Tok that influenced me to buy it. 

Coming to a realization that society needs to get its head out of the media is like a ticking time bomb. You're either a wallflower who doesn't strive to match others' expectations, or you're one whose easily influenced, and if you are, I am concerned about how your reality will look in the near future. 

If you're a wallflower, embrace it, and if not, maybe one day you will be!

Communications, SEHD, and About SEHD Communications. “Can Social Media Change Our Opinions?” Education and Human Development, 23 Jan. 2023, https://education.tamu.edu/can-social-media-change-our-opinions/.

 Your Past Only Affects You If You Let It 

By: Jacob Forton / February 19, 2023

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Background:

Often times as we grow up in this game we call life, we as humans feel like if sometimes we have everything figured out and at the same time can be lost feeling as if we are never gonna escape the reality we are in based on the circumstances we face. Life is about making decisions and within each decision we make, we face a consequence whether its good or bad. These consequences are influenced on many external factors such as the friends we are with or situations we are in within our own lives that lead us to make a decision based on what our feelings or emotions wanted right in the moment. Sometimes people place labels on us based off our choices we make, however for the fellow struggler, a poor choice doesn't define you unless you let it! 

Click of a button: 

Furthermore, with social media's popularity and the dangerous amounts of time we spend on a screen, it's not only easy to pull up old memories of ourselves but also easy for people to see who you were once before just with a click of a button. For some like myself, I was labeled all kinds of names growing up, anywhere from "Scarface" because of my acne, no neck because I was heavy and practically lived in the weight room. But the worst one that I couldn't control were the comments about my height. I remember letting the judgement from others get to me whether that was face to face or on social media because people do tend to say some hurtful things which brings down your confidence. Obviously in a situation like this you have two options, you either change the things you can change or you hide and let others know their comments hurt you. 

In addition, I chose the route of change and so I went on a diet lost weight and started seeing my neck again, I even hopped on Accutane and now have a clear face, however doing all of these things as a senior in highschool I would be so embarrassed of how my new college friends and teammates would be if they ever saw who I once was. However, in reality once I got to college, I realized that my friends now don't see those old photos of me as anything but a memory because that was so long ago. 

If i could tell young me anything it would be that even though social media can make you look bad, or showcase some of our most embarrassing moments, your past doesn't follow you unless you let it. The past is something we must go through to figure out who we truly are. I am thankful for those hurtful comments and those sleepless nights wondering why people could be so mean, because ultimately it allowed me to reach my full potential. Whether I want to admit it or not hurtful comments and hate comments on social media sometimes are possibly true and if you give in and don't try to change you will stay in the same weak headspace and carry that on with you throughout life. 

Use the past as a stepping stone 

To the guy who thinks their past can't be changed, or feels like its still following them, think about it like this, it is only up to you to change and photos can always be deleted or edited. Therefore, why can't we update a new picture of ourselves by putting our past to the side and focus on the now. At the end of the day everyone uses social media in fake ways to make themselves look "cool" so how cool would it be if one day you posted and got nothing but love on your comments because you chose to make a commitment to be the best version of you instead of hiding in a shell afraid to be seen because of others judgement. 

Screen Time: The Negative Effects

    For this blog post we studied another phenomenon that we are guilty of every day.  Screen time.  In today's digital world, screen time has become a significant part of our daily lives. Whether it's checking social media, watching videos, playing games, or sending emails at work, most of us spend a considerable amount of time in front of screens. While technology has undoubtedly made our lives more convenient and connected, excessive screen time can have negative consequences on our physical and mental health, social interactions, and cognitive abilities, impacting today’s youth in a way no generation has seen before.

Physical/Mental Health:

    One of the most significant negative effects of excessive screen time is its impact on physical health. Prolonged use of screens can cause eye strain, headaches, neck and back pain, and other musculoskeletal problems. These physical health problems can be especially concerning for children, whose bodies are still developing. Additionally, excessive screen time can lead to a sedentary lifestyle, which can contribute to obesity, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic health conditions.  Excessive screen time can also have a negative impact on mental health. Studies have shown that people who spend more time on social media are more likely to experience anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. Social media can create unrealistic expectations and fear of missing out, leading to feelings of inadequacy and isolation. Additionally, excessive screen time can interfere with sleep patterns, leading to fatigue and mood swings.

Social Interactions:

    Another significant consequence of excessive screen time is its impact on social interactions. People who spend more time on screens may find it more challenging to develop and maintain social relationships. Screen time can interfere with face-to-face communication, leading to a decrease in empathy and social skills. Children who spend more time on screens may also struggle with socialization, as they have fewer opportunities to interact with peers and develop social skills.  One thing I have noticed, especially with my three younger cousins (12,10, and 6-year old’s), is that they seem to be very aware as to what is happening around them, and seem to care more about how people perceive them.  

Cognitive Abilities:

    Excessive screen time can also have a negative impact on cognitive abilities. Studies have shown that children who spend more time on screens may have difficulty with executive functioning skills, such as decision making, problem solving, and impulse control. Additionally, excessive screen time can lead to a decrease in attention span and memory retention. These negative effects on cognitive abilities can have long-term consequences, leading to decreased academic performance and reduced opportunities for success.

    Parents can play a crucial role in helping children establish healthy screen time habits. They can model healthy behaviors by engaging in other activities, such as outdoor play and family time. To address excessive screen time, it is essential to establish healthy habits around technology use. This includes setting limits on screen time, turning off notifications, and practicing mindfulness to be present in the moment.  Parents can also help children develop a healthy relationship with technology by setting clear rules and expectations around screen time and providing alternatives to screen-based activities.  Keep in mind, this generation of parents is the first to deal with these types of issues.  Fifty years ago, parents would have never thought in a million years their kids would be glued to a screen.

    In conclusion, excessive screen time has become a growing concern in today's digital world. It can have negative consequences on physical and mental health, social interactions, and cognitive abilities. To address this issue, it is essential to establish healthy habits around technology use and prioritize real-life connections over virtual ones. By doing so, we can create a more balanced relationship.

Works Cited

Picture- Miro.medium.com, https://miro.medium.com/.

Why is Social Media Harmful For Kids?

 

            Background 

         Social media has blown up in the last decade and has impacted everybody in the world. No matter how old we were when it blew up, we were effected by it whether we started using it or was just a follower that never posted on any social media. As technology has grown, it has become easier to gain access to devices that are able to view social media. In this case, kids are introduced to social media at a young age and can be influenced by its presence. Before social media became a thing, memories of our childhood were kept in scrapbooks or physical picture copies that only few people could view, but not anymore. Now that social media exists, anybody can see what you used to be as a child if your parents post pictures or videos and there is no hiding from it. 

            Positives  

           Growing up with access to social media can sound scary to parents or adults because of the bad things that can be posted on it and kids have the chance to see it and ruin their innocence at young age, but it has some positives to it. One positive is that kids are allowed to express themselves and can become their own person at a quicker age because of the information that is out there. When gathering information from social media kids are allowed to process it and learn to have their own opinions at a young age. Another positive is they are allowed to talk to friends or other kids they know from school or close by without having to be with them. This helps them learn how to interact with people and make friends compared to only being able to see them when the parents let them see each other and have little social interaction with others. With positives there are always negatives and can out way the positives. 

            Negatives 

          Everybody has embarrassing moments growing and have gotten lucky with being able to get away from them with little consequences because they can only be seen with hard copies and stories that are told of those moments. Not anymore, kids now have to live with the consequences of these embarrassing because of social media and the ability to look back at the memories that anyone can look at once it is posted. This holds a strong grudge over kids posting on social media because of the consequence they will have to live with later on in life. Once something is posted it can be deleted but never truly away from everybody on the internet. With this kids growing up have to live with these memoires hanging over their head and cannot grow up and get away from these haunting memories that they do not want to be seen. This makes it hard to edit their own childhood and make it hard to have good memories of a happy childhood. With the ability to see the embarrassing childhood memories it is hard to see through that and view the happy moments kids had growing up when they are older because all they can see are the weird pictures they wish were not on their social media. Childhood should be a good memory and can reminisce on the happy moments growing up. Adults have grown up and have learned to forget the moments they did not enjoy growing up but can be a difficult task with the invention of social media when they were younger. Before social media people were able to start new and change identities and can embrace their new selves without worrying about who they were before but now with social media people can always tie you to the person you were before which can be a struggle and frustrating. With this being said it restricts kids growing up to little lifestyles and cannot change to someone new with people connecting to who they used to be to who they are trying to be now. I know I have changed drastically since I was younger and only very little people know who i was before and glad they do not know who I was before because honestly they would probably not want to talk to me. With this fresh start I am able to open myself to new opportunities because social media was not as big when I was a kid and people can not see who I used to be. The point of growing up is being able to change who you want to be and not who you used to be. 

            So What? 

           I did not write the pros and cons of social media at a young age just to write it, I want to show that posting pictures of embarrassing moments of kids can be harmful in the future because of the trouble to get away from those moments. Restricting kids from social media is almost impossible with technology now but can prevent them from posting something they will find to be harmful to their personality further on down the road. People need to pay closer attention to what they are posting before they click the button that allows anybody in the world can see. Parents can restrict the ability to allow their kids to post on social media and monitor to what they are watching on social media platforms and as technology grows there are more kid friendly apps that allow the same positives with very little negatives as normal social media posts. 

Re-Inventing Yourself. Is It important and why?

Prehistoric Memory Keeping

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Cavemen Scrapbooks

Ok, so for this class blog, I want to combine what I am learning in two of my classes. First, women are expected to carry on the burden of passing down cultural and familial information. Essentially they are encouraged to be present and collect as many memories as possible while the men get to sit back and do nothing. Second, I want to ask a question you may have never considered. Who made cave paintings? Of course, the answer is that ancient cultures have been lost to the sands of time. But no WHO made cave paintings. You probably assume men. After all, every movie centered around cavemen is centered around men. So why would you think anything else? I do not blame you, of course. Nevertheless, since we know women have been in charge of scrapbooking, does it not make sense that this pattern that continues to the present day might have extended from the distant past? Is a cave painting anything more than a scrapbook on the wall of prehistoric homes?

Pictures On Walls

To make this easy, every time I use the term "scrapbooking," I am referring to Humans recording memories and information about themselves for people years later to view. So follow along! Scrapbooking in the 90s was heavily photo album based and verbal. Now in the present day, it is digitally based, and "scrapbooking" is done mainly on social media. This is because times have changed, yet we are still doing the same thing, just with different vessels. Now think back to the past. Like the Before Common Era past. They did not have scrapbooks or cameras. Instead, they had their fingers and wet red clay along with other minerals to make a variety of colors. In came cave paintings. Now not much is known about the people who made these except the fact that they were our ancient ancestors. However, recently, an Archaeologist named Dean Snow actually believes women did a majority of cave paintings. At least, this is what he noticed when looking at paleolithic cave art.

Dean Snow has been studying the size and finger length left behind on many cave paintings. Men's index fingers tend to be shorter than their long ring fingers, and women are the opposite (usually). Snow was studying a painting when he made the realization that the handprints had to belong to women. This led him down a rabbit hole. Furthermore, in modern people, Snow's theory was right 60% of the time, and he believes ancient cave people most likely had more pronounced differences as features now overlap. The main reason cave art was believed to be done by men was because of the depiction of women and wild animals. However, what about that really says a man drew it? Nothing at all. If anything, that strikes me more as a woman drawing a story to put her kids to sleep. Alternatively, a retelling of the time she met the love of her life. Whatever the story is, why do we inherently think a man had to do it yet also believe women have always been society's "scrapbook"? Why hold these two ideas at once? Do they not contradict each other?

Those Who Write History…

Now, this may or may not surprise you, but the answer to the question of why we assume men made cave art is a fairly straightforward one. Sexism. Most modern archaeologists who first discovered cave paintings found them in a time when gender roles were very rigid. Snow believed that since male archeologists were doing the work, they most likely assumed so were men eons back then. As Paul Whitefield puts it, "those who write history often determine who makes history".

So it seems to me that the earliest form of scrapbooking was cave paintings. Moreover, while these were not solely done by women, it is safe to assume they did a large portion. At least more than the general society thought before reading this. However, it is also essential to recognize that men and adolescent boys did a noticeable amount. So with this notion, should we throw away the idea that scrapbooking is inherently gendered? Because historically, the earliest form was not. While it was mainly women, men were still present in this "scrapbooking" more than present-day men. So why was there a shift? Why were women banned from popular society as painters and artists in medieval times? Why did men take over as historians of lineage just to give it back to women centuries later?

The Story Continues

If you want to learn more about the real history of cave painting, then I suggest keeping up with Snow and his research. An article that really goes into depth is "Were the first of prehistoric times women?". Snow explains his methodology and elaborates how this small sample may represent something entirely bigger. However, a lot of people still try to disprove Snow by saying the artist of "stencil art" may be different from the artist of other forms of cave painting. I believe that women painted a majority of all cave paintings. In a society where men handled the hunting, this just makes sense. Plus, if you want to hold on to "scrapbooking" being inherently gendered, then you have to believe that the most ancient form was gendered to an extent as well.

Works Cited

Cannizzaro, L. (2022, August 3). Were the first artists of prehistoric times women? Archeotravelers.com. Retrieved February 14, 2023, from https://www.archeotravelers.com/en/2021/03/16/were-the-first-artists-of-prehistoric-times-women/ 

Whitefield, P. (2013, October 15). Women did most prehistoric cave paintings: Religion, or just lazy men? Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 14, 2023, from https://www.latimes.com/opinion/la-xpm-2013-oct-15-la-ol-prehistoric-cave-paintings-men-vs-women-20131015-story.html 

Yirka, B. (2013, October 11). Archeologist suggests much of Paleolithic cave art was done by women. Phys.org. Retrieved February 14, 2023, from https://phys.org/news/2013-10-archeologist-paleolithic-cave-art-women.html

Social Media and Athletes

 Social Media Matters In The Life Of An Athlete 

                                                                                                                                          Written By: Jacob Forton 

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Background: 

Social Media has constantly found a way to improve year after year, when you truly think about it, it seems as if when one social media app is on a downfall there is just another waiting its turn to takeover for a couple of months and then complete the same cycle. With brand new advancements in our technology and our expansion of our social media apps brings more opportunities for us to either promote ourselves or demote based on what we post. Because of this these apps aren't always the friendliest for athletes at all ages. 

The Problem:

People forget that athletes are humans too. Athletes just like any regular human live a life based off of choices and those choices lead to consequences good or bad. However, recently I have seen athletes ruin their reputation based on what they post and how they act on social media. Social media used to be a way that athletes can share their highlights with friends and mainly college coaches to play at the next level. But times have changed... Yes twitter is still a great tool for recruiting, but athletes are not watching their actions and it clearly shows with what they like and who they follow. It gets so bad that even athletes are posting themselves drinking and smoking because the pros do it. 

Whats next:

As scholarships are pulled from kids everyday based off the content posted. Athletes started transitioning into the use of "spams" which are burner accounts where they can post themselves partying where only their friends can view it. But why are athletes like this? is this because they have a different identity that they don't want the world to see, or are they doing this because their whole life they are told not to drink or smoke because its just gonna make it worse.

Finally: 

Athletes social media can be tempted and influenced by a ton of things and we need to understand not every athlete is a superhero. Athletes make mistakes however their mistakes seem to be pointed out a lot more than non-athletes but they are lucky because sometimes they get let off the hook and face easier punishments such as a fine or missing one game. So let's face it if athletes get let off easier and if they make mistakes and are just like you and me, whos to say they cant post themselves drinking partying and having fun especially when they are over 21 years old. Everyone used to do it when they were younger so what makes athletes any different? After all, they are prob just trying to relax when they are already in top shape and they hardly get any time off as it is and I know some people who crack a cold one open as soon as they finish work. 

Social Media and Ones Personal Persona

Social Medias and Ones Personal Persona 

Written By: Mireia Bustamante

When Reading My Life Might Look Great On Social Media, But Deep Down, I'm a Ciranolid
Isopod, I noticed there is in fact a repetitive pattern for the number of people who like versus don't
like mine or your posts. On my own Instagram, I have noticed a pretty significant change in my
feed over the past few years.

What Happened?

Over the years as I grew up with the people who followed me, like the friends I went to elementary, middle, and high school with gradually started to unfollow and not like my photos as much. What can you do, it happens with age and as you turn into an adult. The middle school I went to was private and very secluded from the rest of other schools, the only people I knew were the 30 that were in my class for all three years of my life, during that time. I graduated and went to a public school where my class size expanded and I met new people, the same also happened with my junior high peers. As I began posting more and discovering myself and finding the things I was interested in, my middle school friends gradually faded and became acquaintances. Yeah, it sounds cliché, but it’s the truth! I started seeing fewer of them in my notifications and started seeing more of my new friends. Our conversations started to fade and we all stopped talking, but somehow we all still knew what was going on in each other’s lives, isn’t that the beauty of social media.
For a while during my transition from one school to another, after a while, I noticed that I was always photographing and posting my life more than others, not sure what it was, but this phase of mine lasted about a month or so. Once I got out of this trend, I never realized how annoying it was until others started doing it. Oops sorry… but as Taylor said, “how genuine could these Instagram moments be if I'm constantly photographing them?”.

I truly never thought about those moments until after seeing them from an outside perspective. I learned lots of things when viewing these images from others, and as much as I wanted to be private about my life and what I did, I couldn’t. I learned what I was comfortable with posting and what I wanted to keep private, so I began to only show my followers events or pretty places in Austin and everywhere I would travel to all around the United States. For example, this past September I went to a concert that I have been waiting for since 2017, I tried too hard to stay in the moment and put the phone down, and not think about even bringing it out, but I had to, that is a moment I wanted to remember forever but I'm not sure how reliable my phone is because I can’t trust my iCloud or even think about the video being gone years down the road from now. I would get sad, not to be corny.
I posted the video to my Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, it was a happy moment for me, and I wanted others to experience it too, although many people may not know of the artist that I went to go see, some may watch the video and may be persuaded to listen to his music with how cool I made the video look. Well, frankly, I didn’t make it cool, the artist did. That’s almost like what Taylor said, who wakes up so perfectly and posts a “good morning 😁” photo on Instagram? Nobody realistic, which is unfortunate because as much as we want it to be, it isn’t.

Social media has so many fake personas people feel the need to live up to, well, only people who are unfortunately influenced easily. you're influenced by others around you, friends, videos you watch, everything. Social media has expanded over the past few years in drastic ways, I see so many promotions and advertisements for brand deals they're working with in hopes to get a good cut or portion of the money they make, it’s business through social media. A business is where one person is paid to be and act on something that they're not. I can say it has expanded over the past few years but to think about it, it’s everywhere, not just on social media, it’s on the news, commercials, billboards, and much more. I only see the change in social media because I grew up with it, during the years of 2014-2020, I noticed the change and it grew rapidly.

I am not the only one who has noticed this drastic change in media, some are more verbal about this change than others. Here is an example of a more open social media user who has some words to say based on the influence of other people around you. 

Is social change possible? 

Of course, it is. it is always changing. It can be irritating because we all see how easily persuaded people are, but if we all put the phone down and get it away from our faces for a bit, it will be good to see the real world in a more open perspective. 

Social Media Relationships

  Social Media Relationships 

     Is it really necessary for people to post on social media  to show they are in a relationship or pictures of every moment they have in their relationship? As social media grows users expand the content that is being posted and show what is going on their life. The topic of posting about relationships has lingered around. The debate is if people have to post a picture of them with their significant other to show they are in a relationship. People argue that it is unnecessary to post these pictures to show they are in a relationship while others need to show other that they are and they are happy.

        The people that are the side of the argument that feels they should not have to post they are in a relationship feel that people that do post about the relationships are having to prove they are happy. In Why I Don't Share My Relationships Online, by Rainesford Stauffer, she finds it odd that people need their "relationships to be content" This quote shows that Stauffer is arguing against people that post regularly because she feels like people are posting for the content instead of really showing their happiness in the relationship. This is a recurring problem in social media because users get carried away and start posting every day of what they do with their partner and people become annoyed because they start getting tired of the same post over and over again everyday. Stauffer comments, "For the most part, though, I love seeing my friends' happy posts, and in general, I say let people have their happiness." In this section of the blog she agrees that people are allowed to post pictures of their relationships and show they are happy and she points out she is happy for them. After this statement she talks about an argument she had with her friend about why she does not post about her relationships that says, " I like to keep my private life private." This is a perfect statement about why people do not post about their relationship because they do not feel that it is necessary to share to others what they are doing on their own time. 

    As the blog goes on Stauffer realizes she might not be posting about her relationships because she is scared that they will fail and have to take it all down and have people ask about it. Stauffer asked some professionals if it is a good or bad thing that she does not post about her relationships and found some interesting answers. She found that people that do not post about their relationships struggle with opening up to their partner and takes longer to get their trust. She realizes that she is worried something bad will happen and not work out so she does not post about her relationships. She finds another professional's comments on the topic and finds that "under-sharing" in todays world was normal ten years ago because of how social media has grown throughout time. Rachel Sussman, a licensed psychotherapist, states, "People tend to share all aspects of their relationship to day at all stages, and I'm not sure that is always  the best way forward or the healthiest way." this helps prove that it is not a good idea to post about relationships every step of the way because somethings are better off private or kept between the two partners. A result from posting every step is people may try to spread information that is not true or even lead to negative backlash on the relationship. Shortly after Sussman talks about how she knows people that base their relationship on what they post and can be very dangerous and is not a healthy way to maintain a relationship. She states, " I think it is dangerous for us to think that just because someone is not posting, they are not happy, It could actually be just the opposite." Sussman helps show that people have a better chance of being happy in a relationship when they are not posting because they are keeping things private and no one knows what they do on their free time. 

    In conclusion, people post everyday about their relationships and show others some things that can benefit the relationship if it were to be left unposted because privacy is a strong factor in some relationships. People that do not post about their relationship are not necessarily scared that the relationship will fail but just may need longer to gain trust for them to be able to post. There is a happy median for how much to post about relationships because not posting might hurt one person in the relationship while posting too much can hurt both people in the relationship. As social media grows the normal amount to post about the relationship increases and I believe people need to slow down and find that somethings are not meant to be posted about. 

Social Media Fixer Upper

 

. In my group chat on kik I will text the group chat daily.

.Every day I will be posting on this new app called funnel in which I was post food for the day.

.For twitter I will be tweeting at three times a day  

.On an app called playsee I will post a reel every morning

.For Instagram I will post at twice a day 

TikTok Fame

Unit 2 Class Blog Post 1

    For our second blog post our class was assigned a list of articles to choose from; highlighting certain social media phenomenon’s.  Social media has taken such a strong grasp on the world, and if we don’t figure out how to break that grasp, we lose control.  The article Tikked off: What happens when TikTok fame fades by Rebecca Jennings, follows a story of a young man who let social media consume and affect him in every aspect of his life, realized what it was doing to him, and now educates and warns others on the dangers of social media.  
It has become a ubiquitous aspect of modern society and has greatly impacted the way people interact, communicate and consume information. One of the most significant social media phenomena in recent times is the rise of TikTok.   
    Sam Benarroch along with many others fell deep down the creator rabbit hole.  A few years ago, Sam had around 166,000 followers on TikTok, and was growing quickly.  Things were looking up for Sam.  He was ready to pursue this full time.  But, as with the vast majority of content creators, his moment in the spotlight was coming to a close.  Follower count, likes, and interaction slowly started to come to a halt, and Sam lost it.  He had no idea how to go about his daily life because he was so caught up in his online image.  Sam even admitted to going to therapy due to how stressed he was about losing traction online.  Although Sam’s story may sound extreme, this is the reality of some people’s lives.  Obsessing over how many likes they get or don’t get, and feeling as if they are worthless if they don’t meet that mark.  The reality is consumers attention spans aren’t big enough stick around long enough.  And with the number of users on TikTok, consumers are given countless of options and essentially and unlimited stream of content.  They get bored and move on to something or someone else.  If you think about it, the A-List celebrities/influencers you see today, are only there because they are lucky the algorithm worked in their favor.  There are millions of people online everyday doing the exact same thing Sam was doing.  He just didn’t get picked.  So, my advice to Sam and anyone else who went through or is going through the same struggle; it's fine.  It’s not the end of the world, and there’s more to life than what you see on your phone.
    If you’ve been living under a rock for the past 5 years, and don’t know what TikTok is, let me introduce you to this addictive app.  TikTok is a social media platform that allows users to create and share short, 15-60 second video clips set to music or other audio. It was originally released in China under the name Douyin in 2016, and later released globally as TikTok in 2017. In just a few years, it has become one of the most popular social media apps in the world, with over 1 billion active users.  The success of TikTok can be attributed to its unique features and user-friendly interface. The app’s algorithm recommends content based on the user’s viewing history and preferences, creating a personalized experience for each user. Additionally, TikTok provides a platform for users to express their creativity and individuality through lip syncing, dance challenges, and comedic skits. The app has also helped to launch the careers of many creators, providing them with a platform to showcase their talents to a global audience.  However, TikTok’s success has not been without controversy. The app’s parent company, ByteDance, is based in China and has faced criticism for its ties to the Chinese government. There have also been concerns about the app’s privacy policies, as well as the potential for the spread of misinformation and hate speech on the platform.  Despite these controversies, TikTok continues to grow in popularity and influence. It has revolutionized the way people consume and create content, and has provided a platform for new forms of entertainment and self-expression. TikTok’s rise as a social media phenomenon highlights the power and impact that social media can have on society.
    In conclusion, Sam is doing much better mentally now that he has stepped away from the social media realm.  Comparing yourself to others and obsessing over your personal internet “clout” is very unhealthy and can lead some people down a dark path.  TikTok has rapidly become one of the most popular and influential social media platforms in the world. Its unique features and user-friendly interface have made it a platform for creativity, entertainment, and self-expression. However, its success has also raised concerns about privacy and the potential for the spread of misinformation. Regardless of its controversies, TikTok’s rise as a social media phenomenon is a testament to the power and impact of social media in modern society.

Being Popular

 

Being popular is one of the biggest phenomena to social media like Facebook, Instagram. It definitely makes a difference when it comes to getting into social media. Coming from personal experience when I first started getting into social media, it took me a while to get friends on Facebook or followers on Instagram, because I wasn't well known which means that I didn't have many friends. Then I also learned that when it comes to getting views and likes it mattered if people knew who you were in school, whereas if they didn't know who you were then you just had an account.