elizabethjames18

[elizabethjames18]

Internet and Education

Recently the premier, Doug Ford, of Ontario decided that it is going to be mandatory for high school students to take a minimum four online courses starting this fall. The government and tax payers will save money but that means teachers will get cut from their jobs. There are multiple problems with students having to take online course, face to face is better for students to learn and will engage them more.

When it comes to school, face to face learning is key. There are so many benefits a student can get from a live classroom that one won’t get from an online course. A live classroom allows students to be fully engaged to the lesson and their piers, unlike a live chat lesson where a student can be on their phone or surfing the internet playing video games. In the classroom a student can be on their phone but their teacher can call them out for it and ask them to put it away. Teachers enjoy hearing their students questions and opinions during class lessons and discussion but on an online course the effect of an verbal conversation is not available for students.

Students are less likely to read the class lessons or assignments for a e-learning course because online courses are to text heavy which can make students easily bored and not engaged. Students will find this method boring and not motivating to complete or join the class lesson, which will result in poor attendance.

I strongly believe students that high school need to be occupied at all times by being in a live classroom around friends and their teacher. Students don’t have the attention span to just sit around and watch their computer screen for an hour.      

Also working on class projects with other students face to face is much more productive because it forces students to interact with others and learn or improve their teamwork skills. Teamwork is a very useful skill to have for the future.

In conclusion, education should not be shifted to online. The Government should want students at school getting a proper education and learning social skills. Saving money should be an issue. 

Besides, no parent wants their child at home staring at a screen and not taking any information in.   

[elizabethjames18]

Instagram, we need to talk

Dear Instagram, 

Sitting down and writing this letter isn’t going to be easy. You and I have been together since 2012 and the time I have spent with you has been unforgettable. we have so many great memories together, but unfortunately, I think we should break up. I’m just a different person now and don’t agree with the way you live your life. I remember when we first met I felt like I could be myself around you and post whatever I wanted. I didn’t care what people thought of me but unfortunately, the way you’re set up is to make people play a certain character.   

I am guilty of playing a certain character on Instagram. All my posts are with friends and pictures of me somewhere tropical. I feel that It’s almost impossible for me to go back posting whatever I feel like, as I did when I first got Instagram. I care to much about my image on social media and I believe most of my friends do as well. I can can accept that my Instagram page is shaped a certain way and how a new user might believe that my life consist of trips and hanging out with friends all the time. Instagram, you have made my life look more exciting then it really is. Constructing my reality based off my posts. 

Every time I am having a good time, my first thought is you. I want to that capture a perfect moment and post on my story for everyone to see. So of course I take out my phone and open you up to take a picture. The problem is that I’ve gotten so good at capturing the moment, that I’m not living in the moment. I have the constant urge to share it with you. That needs to end. I’m sorry.

Instagram, you advertise to many products to me. I know you’re helping companies make money but every single day I’ll be swiping through Instagram an ad will pop up about “the perfect wedding destination”. there are a few problems with this. Number one, I’m a little young to get married and number two, all I want from you is to see my followers posts not ads. 

You don’t know how painful it was to write this but I think having time apart will be good for both of us. I need time to grow without you and experience the real world, not some online one. 

Goodbye Pal 

From Libby :(

[elizabethjames18]

Constructing and Deconstructing others on social media

Social media has changed the way people live their lives. One specific app that is very popular is Instagram. Instagram is an app where users can post pictures and videos and where others users can view and like posts. Although Instagram was created to be harmless, over the years it has become an app that constructs users lives to make them look better then they really are. This can create anxiety from users of missing out or comparing themselves to unrealistic lives.  

One way Instagram constructs reality is through others pictures. Users always post picture perfect moments either with friends, a night out or a perfect selfie. No one would post a bad picture of themselves. Specifically Instagram models and influences only post good pictures of themselves. Kylie Jenner has over 141 million followers on Instagram, all of her pictures are either gorgeous shots of her or her two year old daughter Stormi (cont below).

  A very big trend on Instagram this year and the past is posting perfect “candid” shots of a young mom and their child/children having a beautiful family moment. Of course when most user view pictures like this, they want to be apart of the viral trend. There is almost a want of belonging to the trend . When in reality most photos are taken with little kids there going to be as perfect as Kylie Jenner are. 

The fear of missing of out (FOMO) has always been around but Social Media has created a different kind of FOMO .When someone posts a perfect picture of them out with friends, it can make people feel excluded. In reality that one picture is most likely constructed to make the user look like they’re having the time of their life. Everyone wants to have fun and show off that their having fun for people to see, even if there intentions aren’t to make people feel excluded. When I used to see pictures of my friends on Instagram with me not in them I would get bad FOMO but not so much anymore.        

[elizabethjames18]

Has the smartphone Destroyed a Generation?

Over 2.2 billion iPhones have sold worldwide. Almost every teenager has or has had an iPhone. Today teenagers spend most their time on their smartphones, whether it’s during their free time or during school hours. Smartphones are made to be addictive because they’re easy to use and very convenient. Certain apps that can be downloaded on ones phone, such as Instagram, can ruin ones attention spans and cause anxiety. 

Social media apps are bad for teens’ attention spans and can also lead to high levels of anxiety. One very popular social media app is called Instagram. Instagram has over 100 million active users and is best known for people posting pictures of themselves, their friends or what they’re doing. Most of the time user won’t even look at the picture, they will just scroll past it and like it. I know for a fact as a heavy Instagram user that is what I do. I strongly believe that from my phone and social media my attention is very weak. Instagram is filled with millions of pictures with very little text attached to them and the app is meant to scroll down to view new pictures. The problem is that users scroll super fast because once they see a picture they’re hungry for new content and Instagram can feed them that. In my opinion I personally would rather keep being fed new pictures then read a wall of text. 

Another negative impact of smartphones and social media is increased anxiety levels in teens. In an article written by Jean M. Twenge, she explains that “ the more time teens spend looking at screens, the more likely their to report depressive symptoms” teens who spend hours off their screens have a higher chance of being happy and less anxious. Although when teens are together their phones are mostly in the picture and verbal communication between each other decreases. Twenge express concern that children and teens need proper social skills for when their adults, being able to communicate properly will help one in multiple ways , such as job interviews or going on dates with people. staring a phone will only lower ones happiness and skills for later.  

To add onto the second argument, Steve Jobs, the creator of the iPhone, even limited his own children to their phones. Jobs was aware of how much smartphones could be additive. Parents have to pry their child's devices away from them, which usually leads to crying and anxiety, because the children are worried that their never going to see their device again or their going to miss something important. 

This YouTube is an experiment to see if teens can go 20 mins without looking at their phones.    

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSL9GB1trRk              ��

Smartphones, in my opinion, have destroyed my generation because we rely way too much on them. When my parents used to take my phone or ipad away I would get very upset. I was and still am addicted to my phone and I can feel my life passing by me when I spend hours on my phone in my room, instead of being around friends and family.

One question that I often think about is “I’m aware that my phone is consuming my time. Why am I doing nothing about it and letting it win?”

https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/01/09/social-media-anxiety-depression-teens

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/

[elizabethjames18]

Does the Internet make us Nice or Mean?

With the Internet taking off in 1990, people worldwide have been able to access information from everywhere. The internet also allows people to chat online to their friends or meet new people but when social media gets involved that is where problems can occur. 

One big problem is arguments between that lead to cyberbullying. Bullying has always been around but cyberbullying wasn’t possible before the Internet. Having an argument in person is one thing but having one over social media is another. People often find that they can say more to someone over social media and nothing with happen to them because they have the screen to protect them. 

One example of the internet being a negative space is recently Instagram has been blowing up about a young boy named Quaden Bayles. Quaden suffers from Achondroplasia, which affects his bone growth in arms and legs. From his condition, Quaden has been experiencing severe bullying at school. When his mom posted that her son being bullied caused him to become suicidal, Quaden’s story went viral. The sad part about this story is thousands of users on Instagram don’t believe he is a little kid but someone who is actually 18. There has been a lot of negative energy being put into this when he is a little boy.  To contrast to the previous paragraph, no one in the right mind would say anything mean to Quaden’s face but since their behind a screen they believe the words that are said won’t effect them. 

     Although, the internet can also be a positive place as well. it allows people to shop online, learn new recipes and talk to long-distance family members. from those three examples the internet sounds like a wonderful place but it can only stay that way if everyone spreads positive comments only. Unfortunately, people are aware when their cyber bullying someone.

For example, last month I posted a picture of my friends and I at a party. The next night I found out an account on Instagram had screenshoted the picture and zoomed up my body with a caption that was racist and commenting on my body. Immediately I message them asking the account who they were and to delete the post. In the message the user refused to tell me who they were and to take the post down. The user kept messaging me inappropriate messages and posting more content involving me.

In the end I never found out who ran the account but thankfully the account got taken down by Instagram but I strongly believe who ever ran the account would have never said anything mean to my face. They believed with the power of a screen and social media they would be able to get away with everything.