I tend to wonder about people who say things in hurtful ways. Not those who say mean things for the purpose of being mean, but people who think they are doing good by acting that way.
I’ve always been confused by it, because no matter how right or wrong that person is I don’t want to listen to them because they sound like a jerk, or at least unapproachable.
This tends to happen when I sometimes argue with my Dad. He will make a good point but does it in such a sarcastic and cocky manner that it makes me feel he is wrong. After consideration however, I then know he is right. I understand anyone acting cocky when they know you are right, but it makes it so hard to agree with them.
And other times it’s not even that, other people could be using certain issues about someone to use as an excuse or reason to be mad, talk down to them, or even enact violence upon them. They do all that instead of trying to help that person. If someone has a problem that is bad for everyone, why NOT help them? Why make them worse?
It makes it hard to listen when people being so confident to the point of nausea. Everyone is pitted against each other. And it doesn’t help that people take advantage of that. And so no one ever gets anything accomplished because they don’t need to hear from a different perspective.
Mean is one way to describe it, but others simply see it as a way of talking.
Some just like being frank or to the point; no sugarcoating. There are people that find this way of talking as rude or argumentative, but this is not necessarily correct. I find that I prefer this specific way of talking when sending emails or writing messages in non-professional environments because it leaves less room for misunderstandings and is generally more concise.
There’s also different cultures where communication is just done in a different manner. As someone who works with Israelis at my job, I can say that they’re a lot less what we’d refer to as “polite”. With that experience, this leads me to believe that your father may have just been raised in an environment where such sarcasm is nothing out of the ordinary.
Every four years, most countries participate in the Summer Olympic Games. It is an international competition where each country competes in an event to win a gold, silver, and bronze medal and bring glory to their respective country. And every four years, it came around, and I never cared. For me, the Olympics was just background noise on the TV as I continued my daily summer activities until the 2024 Summer Olympics, which was held in Paris, France. I could not scroll through X formerly known as Twitter without seeing the discourse about the games. So, this year, I decided to tune in for myself.
As I started to watch the Olympics, I became fully immersed in the Olympians representing the United States and was rooting for them through my TV. I was not the only one feeling this sense of patriotism; all over social media, people were feeling precisely alike, and we were proud of the people sent to represent us. This Love of country was not limited to the United States as the athlete Julien Alfred brought home the first gold medal in her country, Saint Lucia, and made everyone proud, including her prime minister.
Within an election year, it is very effortless to feel that the United States is highly divided and cannot agree on anything. Still, the Olympics serve as a good reminder that we are all Americans, and it was genuinely refreshing to see some unity during a very political time.
I understand the frustration that comes with coming to terms with being wrong despite the other person arguing in a way that I’d perceive as hostile.
I believe that we should speak with each other with respect so we can come to a mutual understanding.
Ari b.
I also think that our world would be a significantly better place if people treated each other with the same respect online as they do face to face. I think that we all have seen someone who truly believes that they can hide behind their screen and say anything they please. What comes with that, which scares me more than people being mean, is the sheer amount of misinformation people are willing to spread online without fact checking themselves. Or the people who believe everything they read on in internet without looking into the source and seeing if what they are hearing is true. Some people are so okay with saying anything online, to the point in which they don’t think about how it could affect the person reading. That goes with both saying awfully mean things and frankly untrue things. I do agree with you that the online community needs to show each other more mutual respect to avoid continuing hostile behavior.
This summer, my friends and I had planned an idea to start our own landscaping business. Throughout the past year, I have come to believe that there are many ways for anyone to make money using technology we take for granted in our everyday lives.
Our first task to get our business up and running was to find a way to get our services advertised and out there. We had gone through ideas like flyers, going door to door pitching our service, but we were getting minimal results for the amount of effort we were putting in. No matter the frustration, we kept plugging away at solutions to get more jobs planned out week by week. We didn’t believe social media was a viable option for reaching out to the older generations. Eventually we had found a mobile app that allowed us to reach out and post advertisements to our local communities. The process of advertising was now easier and quicker. Using this and other known platforms like Facebook, we were able to keep a steady flow of jobs for months and months on end.
In conclusion, everyday technology presents a multitude of opportunities for generating income. By using the power of digital tools and platforms, you can reach new customers, and enhance your services, all from the comfort of your phone. For instance, my own experience with starting a small landscaping business is a testament to this. Through the use of online scheduling software, social media marketing, and mobile payment solutions, I’ve been able to efficiently manage and grow my business. These technological resources have not only made day-to-day tasks more manageable but have also opened doors to new revenue streams.
I completely agree with this proposal. The opportunities and the new ways to use technology and social media for a business are great ways to change the game if you would say.
I totally understand where you’re coming from as someone who has also been in the situation. When I was younger, it would set a switch in my brain for me to get mad when they wouldn’t respect me or talk in a rude tone, but I’ve grown up. I realize that they just gave me the truth without sugarcoating it. sugarcoating it just makes it worse in the end. I definitely think that people need to work on their communication skills. A lot of things can be solved with just one simple conversation.
This is such a relatable post. I fully agree with this including your specific situation. It is so hard to listen to people when they reply in a rude manner. It’s something everyone struggles with and is something not enough people talk about
The computer has always been a source of entertainment for me. It had games, and videos about games, and that was all. I was a happy kid.
Eventually I would notice that other videos existed. Whatever I wanted to find was there, and sometimes the information found me. Apparently giraffes had long purple tongues, and there were machines that specifically for making glass bottles, and I wasn’t the only person in the world who played that video game that I liked, and in fact there were a lot of people in the world. Each with their own lives, thoughts, experiences, skills, opinions. It was a lot to take in.
So obviously I didn’t take it all in.
It wouldn’t have accomplished anything anyway.
The internet is still primarily entertainment to me, but it’s also the news, and I get to hear about things that I would rather not know but feel bad for not doing anything to fix. It’s also where my friends are. It’s where my memories are. It’s where other people’s memories are. It’s where anyone can find stories they would never have found otherwise. It’s an endless recording of history that anyone can write in. A beautiful butterfly effect. A personalized echo chamber. A place to escape the one you just escaped into.
It’s humanity, and all the things that are wrong with it. I can’t leave.
I get what you mean. The internet is very much a source of entertainment for a lot of people, me included. Some people use the digital world as a way to distract themselves from what could be happening in their lives. Others use it for work and research.
People can get easily addicted to using the internet. It’s also easy to lose track of time if you get sucked into what you are doing. Like when people end up getting sucked into doom scrolling on social media.
The internet also is a source of a lot of fake news that can easily misinform people about things going one in the world. If you don’t do your research on the stuff you see or hear on the internet, you might not know you are being fed fake news.
The internet has also always fascinating to me as it’s always evolving, with better websites being made and previous ones updating to faster more secure standards. Thanks to the internet we have been able to save history and research anything we want with ease
I love your perspective on this matter, as it is something I think about pretty often. I’ve always been taught that everything in moderation is acceptable when practiced on a daily schedule, which is something I believe can be and should be tied in with this topic, as you mentioned that technology brings about the good, the bad, and all the in-between.
Looking at all the technology that has risen in this world makes me happy but also worried at the same time. When I was younger I didn’t grow up with that much until a certain age, I want to say 10. That’s when my family could start affording the newer pieces like a flatscreen tv, tablets, smartphones, etc. But the world did not know the negative of all of these devices. People start to spend a lot more time on their devices watching short form content all day, watching shows, and watching youtube. I didn’t say these are bad things but you should control the amount taken in because it will only become a habit or even an addiction. If you remove some of the useless things in your life you will have room for more important opportunities that can impact you in a positive way.
I used to sit on instagram for an hour straight watching reels more than once a day everyday, and I eventually hit a certain point asking myself “What am I doing?” I could be getting out of bed right now doing something that feels fulfilling. I was actually getting sick of looking at all of that short form content that was ruining my attention span and ability to focus. I deleted instagram shortly after this epiphany and focused on my hobbies, school, exercise, social interactions, and work. My mental and physical health has never felt better than now. I recommend you to do the same, but if you feel content with how things are going I am not going to hold you.
I definitely agree that short-form content should be taken in moderation. I can relate to being sucked into instagram reels for a while. I think one aspect that enables this behavior is the overall design of these platforms, which allows you to see more and more content with the flick of your finger. It can be hard to stop scrolling when there is seemingly infinite content to consume. Good on you for improving yourself!
I totally agree with your perspective on technology. While technology presents numerous benefits and diverse applications, it also possesses certain negative consequences. Now a days we see a lot of parents introducing their children to technology early on. And although it may be used for educational purposes or entertainment I see a lot of children get very addicted to technology. Which also affects how they interact with people in the real life world. I feel that we are slowly loosing connection to the real world. And that it’s beneficial to take a break from technology every now and then.
I feel the same way about social media. I’ve deleted most apps of the sort and limit myself on the scrolling. I think that because of how interactive it is, the harder it can be to stop. That’s why its better to maybe even put a lock on after a certain time.
A belief I like to live by is authenticity. To me, being authentic is being honest and realistic. Which is not pretending or deceiving myself or my life.
I started questioning if someone is authentic when I saw a lot of videos on youtube or on the internet. Showing many things that can be questionable such as the youtube channel called Hypemyke. Where the creator and his friends explore places that are haunted or find creatures from internet lore. All the latter ones are fake since the creatures do not exist. But one of the haunted locations that he went to got me questioning him. The creator and his friends went to the Banshee hotel, which is somewhere in Canada. They showed the hotel website before they went, I tried to find that website but it apparently does not exist. Where is the hotel? I had help from a Reddit user who found the hotel on google maps and had a link to it. I typed the address into google and found that the banshee hotel was actually the Mont-Sainte-Anne Manor. The website for the place has no mention of paranormal activity.
Not only do I want to know if something is authentic, everyone else does too. People need to keep their lives simple. So it is easier to help and understand each other. Three of the seven deadly sins are huge benefactors of people not being honest. Let’s start off with pride. When people link something to their self worth their small term gain is wonderful but it will eventually lead to something bad. Attention leading to Pride can be detrimental to someone’s self worth. Next up is Greed. Pride can lead to greed which can never be fulfilled. Which will keep people from having a life of feeling content. And to the biggest problem of them all, Envy. For the person not being genuine, they hurt themselves because they still seek more attention and will be more desperate to get more. And for the people who see this their self-esteem can be lowered thinking their life is not good enough.
How are you supposed to know if someone is living the perfect life or is seeking attention and bragging rights?
I really like your perspective, so many things on social media and online in general are faked and having so many resources online makes it extremely difficult to determine what is real and what isn’t.
I really agree with your thought about authenticity. And how many things shown on the internet are not very authentic and just things that some people what you to believe are. It can be very difficult to decipher what’s real and what isn’t on the internet and I think your perspective on it says describes it perfectly.
I agree with your view on authenticity; online content is often fake and misleading. With so many resources, it’s challenging to distinguish reality from illusion. Your perspective captures this struggle perfectly.
When I was 8 years old, I received an IPod 5 for Christmas. I was excited because I had never had a device that was my own. I previously had my sister’s old IPod Nano, which was full of songs I loved, but I couldn’t call it mine. The IPod 5 was different though, it was like a phone but smaller. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world to be able to text my family and friends. As I explored the internet, I found loads of cool games and people on YouTube I could watch play those games. One of my favorites was Five Nights at Freddy’s. Since I couldn’t download it because it costs money, I just watched people play it every day. If I wasn’t watching people play games, I’d watch funny skits, parody song videos, or “Day In My Life” videos. I was obsessed with my IPod and seeing everything people put on there. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve seen the ways people utilize technology shift. Now, there are still gaming videos and funny skits, but what the majority of content online entails is some sort of “I’m better than you” mentality. People will throw on pounds of makeup, filters, and online editors to post themselves just to make others feel bad, they will post a 10 second clip of their life to make it seem exciting and perfect, and they will even tell you “10 things you should stop doing”. The internet has become a place where people tell you how to live your life. Consuming content that constantly makes you feel bad or makes you question your character or ways of life is detrimental to mental health. That is why I choose to limit my screen time and use the internet as a way to research and to inspire me. My feed is full of people giving financial advice, going to the gym, and overall bettering themselves. There is no reason that we have to live thinking we should be like the people we see online. Most of it is edited or exaggerated, so I take a step back and focus on the content that is helpful. My mental health has drastically improved after I changed the type of content I look at and I recommend everyone to do the same.
I agree that the format online has shifted. The internet is a great resource but can also be misleading. We should all protect our mental health from negative influencers. And Five Nights at Freddy’s is a good game.
Sheikh Sadat R.
So here’s a thought for the day for you. Is a shooter game about the horrors of war an inherently hypocritical thing? Could a game’s plot really take the stance that the hideous things man does to his fellow man is beyond hollow guilt filled rationalization, when with its very next breath it goes bing and gives us the emotionally dead achievement? Does it inherently cheapen the message to coincide it with exciting shooty action? Could a video game reasonably make us feel guilty for things it told us to do? Can a video game use shooty gameplay to induce emotions other than visceral joy? Or will the intended message inevitably be overlooked by an audience who will probably just be trying to have fun shooting things? I apologize if this is all seeming a bit too contemplative, let me start from the beginning. Spec Ops: The Line is one of those pleasant surprises that comes along every now and again. A video game story that really got to me, giving me genuine feelings of weariness, guilt, and actual physical sickness. “Fun. Fun. Fun”. I was all geared to play as an another gung ho nationalist after I realized that the spunky modern war shooter was nothing but a facade that the game disguises itself in the first half, and reveals its ugly head as you slowly progress through it showcasing itself to be not just an another generic cog in the wheel of the massive gaming industry, instead a passion project that stands out by insisting players gather the knowledge of differentiating from right and wrong. When a distress message is received from a lone American colonel who stayed in the city of Dubai to help the survivors of a massive stand storm, a Delta Force operative named Walker and his 2 teammates are sent in to investigate. Now since your 2 chums are a wisecracking sharpshooter and a explosive expert, I thought they were bigging it up to be a buddy buddy bad company style at first, but my something started to click when I noticed the game sitting next to me saying, “Don’t get attached to these guys”. Before playing I read that the game claimed to be inspired by Heart of Darkness, the same story that inspired Apocalypse Now. “That’s rare”, was my first thought. And my second thought was, “Wait, did the developers just spoil the plot. So we’re gonna find this colonel, and he’ll be ruling over the natives and be played by a fat Marlon Brando”? And that’s sort of the case, but it’s not blanketly ripping anything off. Going back to what I was saying earlier, while fun is a defining factor of video games, it’s not universal. Because there are horror games that induce fear and depression for the emotional high. And Spec Ops The Line could almost be classified as a horror game. You’re trapped far from home desperate to survive, and grimly confronted by the human heart at its darkest at every turn. A turning point comes when Walker and the player unwittingly do a bad thing.I felt like a monster afterwards, like I played the Modern Warfare 2 airport scene(video game reference) with every civilian replaced with Bambi’s mum. “Stop guilting me, Spec Ops, that was your idea” is what I kept shouting at the screen like a rambling lunatic. From there, Walker marches an ever descending spiral, and any semblance of buddy buddy warfare crumbles with the emotional states of his men, culminating in a hideous maelstrom of madness and destruction.So you can see why the usual fast paced cover based shooting action seems to be trying to have the story as a salty tear stained cake and eat it. Headshots make people’s entire heads explode, leaving a neck stump with a clean white bone sticking out like a blob of mozzarella on an incredibly poorly made margarita. The game slows down for a second to give you more time to appreciate how efficiently you’re exterminating your fellow man. So the game getting all gritty and confrontational about it does seem a bit disingenuous after that. Maybe that’s the point, to let you lose yourself in shooty excitement and then yank on the choke chain. But I’d still recommend Spec Ops The Line for its story aspect, which has everything I ask for in video game story, good pacing, coherent character arcs that drive the plot, and almost uniquely among realistic modern war games. In some ways, it’s a rather grim exploration of the relationship between player and player character. Are we really in control of Captain Walker or do we merely represent the last vestige of self awareness in his increasingly damaged mind? As he railroads us into atrocities, now a distrust and fear of him grows in parallel to that of the men in his command. As he weakly tries to rationalize to both their man and us until we feel as disconnected from him as the rest of reality. Remember when shooters were about killing demons from hell? Those were good days, perhaps this is an inevitable part of gaming growing up, as our childish fantasies are torn from us and we are forced to confront consequences in an unfair, uncaring and unavoidable world of hatred, misery and death.
Nathan K
Just read the text on your screen; one of easiest ways to begin finding your way through nearly any problem on the computer, and yet such few people do it. I first learned this simple skill through my years of software development, where uncertainty can be solved with a quick Google search and not reading the entirety of the documentation could lead to the painful punishment called refactoring. Being forced to do this practice time and time again, it slowly became a habit in my daily life. If I run into an issue, I read whatever errors or logs it throws in my face, and when there’s nothing to read, I give myself something to read by Googling the issue. It really is that simple! When I first saw my friend started whining to me “it’s not working” after an error appeared on his phone, it surprised me because he didn’t even bother to read the message it displayed. He saw and red box and gave up. The error had instructions of what he had to do to fix it. I realized more and more that most people live this way when I started doing merchant and shopper email support. We’d get inquiries like “Why was this card declined?” with a screenshot attached showing the exact reason in clear view, right next to the text they skimmed through. Next time you find yourself emailing the help desk, asking a friend, or making a post online, please first consider whether you’ve read the resources relating to the issue in its entirety, even the information that you don’t understand.
Hi Nathan, this is great belief to discuss! It’s very relevant to your experience at UMassD. I always tell my students that if they don’t know where to find something one campus–whether it’s the financial aid office, academic help, etc.–Google it!
Since I was 3 years old I’ve had access to a computer, and I have always had the perspective that the advancement of technology is only positive in the world. Technology has extended the reach of the human race astronomically, in everything from allowing for the life expectancy to double since the 1900’s, to allowing us to reach into the depths of space. However, as I have grown up and seen the way technology has transformed the world, especially since COVID-19 lockdown, my perspective has shifted. At this point in time technology can both start and end wars, it has every bit of data on almost every human on earth, and it has changed the childhoods of many. Lowering attention spans, praying on children’s impressionable mindsets to turn a profit, whether it be on TikTok, Youtube, Etc. More than half of the Gen-Z youth have said they want their career to be a Social Media Influencer. The way technology has shaped this world is bordering on dangerous now, and because of this, my perspective on technology is that it is used far too much in far too many places. I walked into Boston Logan Airport and had to answer how I thought the quality of their toilets were on a tablet before leaving the bathroom. We don’t need technology everywhere, it is negatively affecting everyone, everywhere, and it will continue to do so, until someone stops the careless use of it.
I agree! While technology can improve a lot, people are starting to get careless with it. Technology doesn’t need to be everywhere and many influencers online add to the problem. The damage it’s doing on young kids is irreparable.
I do agree that technology can be a dangerous weapon, but at the same time I don’t believe that it is constantly affecting everyone negatively. The technology is a tool not something that is inherently “good” or “bad”. It has made the lives of many people better and does so every day, for example in the medical field technology is constantly saving and improving people’s lives every day. Technology is a tool, nothing more and nothing less.
I love your addition about the airport tablet because I have seen it as well and felt the same on how unnecessary the use of technology is there. I do believe that there obviously are many positives to it; however, as a society we have tendency to push things much too far, as it seems we have already done with technology.
Technology is an infinitely fascinating and permanently integral part of our lives. The rapid advancement of tech that we have witnessed in our relatively short lives is nothing if not miraculous. The new capabilities that we as a society have harnessed have put humanity on a track to solve the world’s most prolific problems. For the common person, technology has allowed things previously thought to be possible only in science fiction, like instantaneous worldwide communication. Yet still, with all the incredible things technology has allowed us to discover, it creates its own dilemmas.
I’m sure we’ve all heard or seen somewhere online that technology is a “great plague” that’s “destroying the modern youth” and while I think that is a bit extreme, they have valid arguments. My whole life, I’ve generally been more introverted, opting for quality time with few or no people over large gatherings, which eventually turned into a love for technology and video games. Something that I can do with as many or as few people as I want, whenever I want? Yes please. Most of the free time I had during my middle school years was spent playing video games. Sometimes alone, sometimes with friends, but I always had a great time. Arguably, too good of a time. I found myself never wanting to put the games down, opting out of family time to instead keep playing. As I matured, I began to recognize this problem. There were people in my life who I loved that I was neglecting just so I could get another game or two in. Over the past few years, I have broken this toxic lifestyle, learning the value of time spent with people you care about. It’s opened up a whole new world to me, turning me from someone who couldn’t be dragged away from the monitor to someone who often chooses to turn away from it. Some of my favorite things in the world are things I never would’ve even thought to do a few years ago. Listening to the bizarre life stories my grandparents have stockpiled in their memories, working on a car with my father, playing cards with my friends after a long day swimming in a random lake we found. These are experiences I would have shunned, but are now some of my most cherished memories.
That’s just my own story, but it leads me to question the path we’re carving out for those who will follow us. Seeing my young cousins growing up in a completely overstimulating world filled with things ripe for grabbing their attention, leaving them powerless to change anything has filled me with a sense of regret for the technology we have. Of course, it has allowed us to change the world in ways never imaginable, but will today’s children stand a chance to have the same realization? To come to the conclusion that the world is more than what is displayed to them and is so much more fascinating when seen and explored for yourself?
I remember during high school when I went to a trade school we would have free time to do what we wanted especially because we were seniors and were pretty much done with school. And I would always remember how whenever me and my friends (the ppl in my trade) would come together and just sit on our phones. The same thing happened during lunch time we sometimes would just sit in a group and bury our faces in our phones and not speak to one another. Now that I’m talking about it I realize that no matter where we are or who we are with our phones/devices are always our priority. We shouldn’t put those things first over human interaction.
Ever since I could remember, I have had access to technology. For most of my life it’s always been a form of entertainment and only in the past few years have I realized how false that is. From watching TV shows, to getting my first iPhone and becoming addicted to social media and Youtube, it has always been something to go to when I was bored or it was storming outside. Youtube was my life for a couple years getting attached to W2S and the sidemen’s FIFA challenges. At the time I didn’t realize other aspects of technology. In the grand scheme of things technology can be used in any way you want it, as it continues to expand and advance. As cliche as it is, the opportunities are endless. Almost everyone in this day and age uses technology to create wealth and income. Besides that, people use technology to create connections and relationships with anyone regardless of where they live in the world. My sister has always been an introvert and with that I was able to experience how she made friends and relationships with others. Xbox has always been her thing, and with that came people she would talk to in games. She has made friends throughout the years through the games she plays. It always amazed me how she could get so close with people she had never seen face to face. Let alone know where they are located in the world. As technology progresses, for better or worse, it is still a tool that can be used for any circumstance and it doesn’t have to be just for entertainment purposes. My hope is to one day be able to make all my income directly from technology that I have access to right at home.
I agree the internet is very amazing on how you are able to make connections with people all around the world, and also having the ability to make money through entertaining people around the world online.
In the past few years I have noticed how technology has affected children growing up. All of the negativity online and the mindless iPad-crazed minds of kids caused me to form the opinion that children should not have any access to technology until they are older and can fully control what they are doing. I thought that if kids had no access to technology then they would be able to experience being outside more often and learn what its like to be in the moment and enjoy what’s happening in front of you. I based this belief on my childhood, since I was always outside with my sister or using my imagination with my friends. However, I did not consider the fact that I received an iPad for Christmas when I was just in elementary school. I, too, had access to technology at a young age. The difference was, my parents limited the amount of time I spent on it, and they made sure that it would not become the only thing I wanted to do. Now, I believe that children should have access to technology. Our world is rapidly becoming a place where everything is done online. Children need to be used to this kind of world. If they don’t learn the use of technology until they are older it could set them behind. However, children need limits. They should know that TVs, iPads, phones, etc aren’t the only fun things in the world. Allowing children to have a small amount of “screen time” a day while also showing them how to have fun without it can push them to excel later in life.
I totally agree technology is becoming more advanced and the children are around during these times are so engrossed with technology like iPads. I have a 5 year old brother who only watches tv and plays games. It’s to the point where he doesn’t really like human interaction with most people he’s not familiar with. And I know there are several kids out there who are very similar. When I was in elementary school where technology wasn’t as advanced as it is now all I wanted to do was be outside and play. I just wish kids know that there are so many ways to be entertained without a tv screen or iPad.
One belief that I have changed is my mindset. This being that I used to push everything that was hard in life to the side instead of facing it head on. By doing that it made the future obstacles 10 times harder than they should’ve been. By changing my mind set it has created multiple opportunities in my life that I wouldn’t be able to do if I didn’t make the change. For example, I am now able to have the right mindset to be able to stick to things I love to do like go to the gym, play sports, and excel in school. Also, I was not only able to be more active, I made a great change of my junk eating habits. For example, I used to just always eat chips and anything that was in my sight. Now that I have changed from eating junk food to keeping track of my macros and eating healthier foods, I have seen a drastic change in my body. Not only does it make my body look better but it makes me feel better as a person as well. Another example, instead of going out and eating fast food all the time, I would come home and create my own meal. Being a student at UMass Dartmouth gives me the opportunity to continue my healthy eating habits with the dinning hall offering a large variety of healthy foods. In all, getting into this healthy lifestyle and making a change has let me get stronger, more confident, happier, and more outgoing. If you have not made this change in your life, I would 100% recommend this lifestyle.
Peter S – I got my first iPod when I was around 9 years old, and I was immediately hooked. I absolutely loved content creators like Markiplier, DanTDM, and most of all jacksepticeye. They were all extremely talented at both videogames and content creation, and they eventually inspired me to make my own YouTube videos when I was only 9 years old. Fast Forward to 9 years of being immersed in the digital world and it feels like that wonder has finally faded. Short form content like Instagram reels bore me with the endless amount of stimulation and has sapped my attention span for too long. I have recently started to try and cut my usual screen time of 5-6 hours every day in half and spend more time walking and doing activities outside, work on necessary college work and generally be of more use to the people around me. Not only has this shift benefitted my mental health and helped me spend more time around friends and family, but has also greatly helped with my procrastination and organization deficiencies. However, the most important part of this shift has been the extra time I have gotten through hanging up Instagram reels and YouTube videos and just living in the present moment. I believe that most people in America need to try this to maximize physical as well as mental well-being. In conclusion I believe that people should all spend less time on their phones and more time with friends and family and outside in nature.
Technology has been around for a while now, and every year, more and more advances in technology occur, making way for new technology. I view technology to be a great source for needs that we humans have like help in work, communication, etc. The one thing in technology that has never changed however, is Social media.
When I got my first phone, I was so happy to finally have one. I thought it was the best thing I could ever get. Once I had my phone for a while, I started to download different apps like Instagram, snapchat, twitter, etc. I thought it would be a safe space and just be nice to have, and it was for the most part. The more and more I went on social media, the more and more negative things I would see. Social media can affect people mentally, and destroy relationships. I personally was affected mentally and it really changed the way I thought about things. It also affected my relationships with other people very much. Once I figured out what social media was doing to me, I decided I needed to take a break on social media, and not go on the apps for a while. After a while, I started to feel a lot better and I had a clearer mind all together. Sometimes, taking a break off of something can give you new life, and a better outlook on things.
I agree with what you said about technology being good for advances in communication, but also having toxic traits. Social media has taken a toll on so many people, it is definitely important to take a break sometimes.
Zach S.
Being born into a generation filled with it, it is impossible for me to say that technology has not had an effect on my life. Ever since I was around maybe 6 or 7 I have been connected to technology. First being the Wii which I would play various games on. There was also the family computer which I would watch videos on said games and other things. I later on would receive an Xbox 360 that gave me access to even more games than I had before. Gaming consoles continued to release and eventually I would update to newer versions. It was fun. I never necessarily had a personal phone device until I was around 12. By then, I had grown out of most of the games and interests I had when I was younger. I had been introduced to social media before this, such as YouTube, but this was a time in which I began to make accounts on other platforms such as Instagram. It was enjoyable to see what new things were happening. Eventually time passed and I entered high school. I don’t really know why, but I just stopped using most social media platforms. Because of this, I lost touch with some friends. It took time to make friends in high school due to the COVID lock down in freshman year, especially being at a new school with most people I had not known before. But over time I was able to do it. When I look back at the time in which I got a phone, I feel like I tried too hard to be interested in things that other people were interested in. It’s not that I had no similar interests with friends, but it’s that the ones I didn’t have interest in that I would force myself to be interested in. Stepping away from that led me to do new things and find interests that I myself liked.
Growing up I was hooked on technology. From a very young age, I always had technology and social media. I never had screen time or limits on how much I could access it. This was a dream to me as a little kid, having total freedom of what I could use to entertain me. I declined to do sports or anything outside of school as it would take away from me being on the computer. I skipped family events and often stayed home when the rest of my family went out. Looking back on this, I realize I missed out on so much of my childhood. When I grew up and realized how much I was missing from the real world, I stopped playing video games altogether. Putting technology in front of children at such a young age doesn’t prepare them for the real world and stops them from experiencing being a child.
When children grow up with technology they learn to be reliant on it. They neglect to do things that don’t require their screen and miss out on experiences that shape who they are. I notice that more and more kids are becoming the same as they all have the same social media. Kids now are swearing more and are more inappropriate at a young age because parents fail to monitor what they are consuming online. Since the rise of social media, children have been more prone to depression. Children should not grow up on technology but rather live in the real world. They need to be raised by their parents and have experiences outside of the digital world.
I definitely agree that parents should set limits and monitor their children’s access to the internet. I’m sure most of us have seen that the younger generations are already hooked to their devices. I also agree with the positioning that a lot of it is due to parenting. I’ve heard a lot of awful stories around addiction in children and I personally feel that a large part of it is parenting.
I was very interested in your statement “when children grow up with technology they learn to be reliant on it.” It was something that opened my eyes a little. When we grow up and are given luxuries like technology we adapt to life with it and forget what life is like outside of it. Technology is such a strong example though because of how strong of an influence it has on so many peoples lives. Being so reliant on always have a phone or easy access to information can be dangerous if you can’t take care of yourself without technology.
Smart home technology has become more and more popular over the years, with easy access. From answering the door to turning the lights on and off, from automated systems to security setups, managing your entire home with these devices from just the tip of your finger is becoming very convenient. For starters, the majority of these devices will only work with access to data and wifi. Yes, there are devices that don’t require it, but there will be limitations to what can be used. Wifi holds a significant amount of data like names, addresses, and even financial information. What will happen if that gets in the wrong hands?
For example, if you happen to be at work and somehow forget to lock your doors, just a click on your phone and your home is secured. It may be secured but is it really? Every day criminals find ways to break and enter homes. They can find a way to hack into your wifi and stored data to find a way to have control over your home. The same way one can see what activity was being done on their wifi is the same way hackers can take advantage of your home.
There has also been conspiracy that AI assistance like Siri, Alexa, and Google can still hear and possibly see too even if our devices are off. Whether this were true or not at that moment, how can we possibly say that our privacy is being protected.
Once I realized that social media was one of the root causes of comparison and self-deprecation, I knew it would become a negative place, especially for teenagers. Before technology, humans were only able to see their reflections in natural mirrors, like bodies of water. We were only meant to be subjected to the faces of our loved ones and those around us. With new applications coming out every day, everyone is given new ways to view themselves and millions of people around the world. I remember when I first started getting into social media. I would see girls my age copying famous influencers’ makeup in hopes of looking or being just like them. I have always noticed the constant comparison that goes on; altering our appearances in order to “fit in”. It feels like a battle nobody can win, because “nothing is ever good enough”, or so they say. I find it ironic that we all hate living in a world where we feel we need to compete, yet it has become so normal that we don’t try to change it. In reality, technology has taken us very far from authenticity and originality. This is important, because if we all took the time to notice that everyone feels the same, maybe we wouldn’t spend as much time wanting to be someone else; we could finally be complacent with our souls.
What you said about authenticity and originality is so very true. I think we all should strive to be ourselves. Social media has most certainly had an effect on teens and their self worth!
This is worded so beautifully! The last sentence in particular really struck me. It’s definitely interesting to notice how we can all acknowledge and accept that we don’t feel secure with ourselves and would rather put in effort to change ourselves to feel secure instead of changing our mental states to accept who we are happily.
Growing up I was always surrounded by technology whether it be tvs, gaming consoles, phones, computers, etc. So as a kid I spent most of my time staring at a screen, I was either watching cartoons, or playing video games.
When I grew older I started to notice how much of my time I spent looking at a screen, I used to come home from school and my first focus was to get behind a screen and play games or watch something. This led me to put less focus on other aspects of my life such as spending time with family, doing school work, and going outside. My addiction to a screen took away a lot of time I could’ve used elsewhere, so as I got older I distanced myself from screens, I started to watch less television, play less video games, and not use my phone as much. This allowed me to focus on my life in general, now I was always outside playing sports, I focused on school much more, and spent more time with the people around me.
Every once in a while I’ll spend more time staring at a screen, relaxing and enjoying myself, but I still make sure to keep in mind how much time I’m spending. Technology is a great thing that someone can use to escape everyday life and enjoy themselves, but its also important to limit that time and keep yourself in touch with the real world.
Growing up I was always surrounded by technology whether it be tvs, gaming consoles, phones, computers, etc. So as a kid I spent most of my time staring at a screen, I was either watching cartoons, or playing video games.
When I grew older I started to notice how much of my time I spent looking at a screen, I used to come home from school and my first focus was to get behind a screen and play games or watch something. This led me to put less focus on other aspects of my life such as spending time with family, doing school work, and going outside. My addiction to a screen took away a lot of time I could’ve used elsewhere, so as I got older I distanced myself from screens, I started to watch less television, play less video games, and not use my phone as much. This allowed me to focus on my life in general, now I was always outside playing sports, I focused on school much more, and spent more time with the people around me.
Every once in a while I’ll spend more time staring at a screen, relaxing and enjoying myself, but I still make sure to keep in mind how much time I’m spending. Technology is a great thing that someone can use to escape everyday life and enjoy themselves, but its also important to limit that time and keep yourself in touch with the real world.
I believe the digital world can be, in my eyes, a gift and a curse. When I was younger and I had gotten access to things like YouTube, it had opened an entire world of inspiration for me. I could watch people who looked like me thriving in their own communities, being able to be themselves and gain from it. It allowed me to join that community as well, and see myself as part of something bigger. Growing up with differing interests such as video games, books, and shows had stuck with me even to this day had heavily shaped who I was to this day. But it also can be dangerous to stay in an online space for an unhealthy amount of time. It can lead to an unhealthy look on ones own body from basing yourself off of others, expose you to things at a young age that you shouldn’t see, and ruin your eyesight (like me lol). But I feel it can do so much more good than bad. My biggest hobbies nowadays are so passionate because of the fact that I was able to experience things like video games and TV. People can come together with these things and find others exactly like them. They don’t have to be afraid of being isolated because of their interests, and can form something beautiful from it. My point being, never be afraid to show who you are and what you love. There’s always someone out there that thinks the same as you, and would love to engage in whatever you find fun!
It is not a secret that social media can easily become very addictive. Scrolling for hours and hours on end can feel like just minutes, getting lost in rabbit holes of posts is a common, shared experience at this point in time.
With society’s use of social media and the sharing of people’s daily lives, the fear of missing out, more commonly referred to as FOMO, explains the anxiety that surrounds the idea that others are living more exciting, fulfilling lives. This perception can take a serious toll on one’s self esteem, as the constant feeling of being left out can lead to a more negative way of thinking or even pressures to participate in what is popular at the moment.
While the term FOMO became popular in the early 2000s, I believe that this idea is much more applicable to our current world with the use of social media in our everyday lives. Being a teenager in this digital age, social media usage at one point or another is inevitable. With almost every person in this generation being involved, it is a constant competition of who can live the most seemingly perfect, exciting, and spontaneous life.
Scrolling through social media and constantly seeing others attending events like concerts or parties, going on extravagant European vacations, or even just keeping up with the most recent trends creates a feeling of FOMO for many, including myself. With every scroll of a thumb, the idea that I am wasting my days away and not living to my fullest potential is all I am able to think about. Seeing others going out and having these experiences while I sit in my room all by myself, it is almost impossible to not feel a sense of envy. Although the feeling of FOMO is isolating, it can also be uniting for those that are authentic and true to themselves. Knowing that those same people going on those luxurious trips and events also have moments where they scroll and have the same exact feeling of FOMO groups us all together, an endless race in which one is always jealous of those in the spots ahead of them. As we enter our college years at UMassD, it is of utmost importance that we do not live for how others will perceive us, but for the most fulfilling and memorable years.
Growing up in a world full of technology, I’d say it had a positive and negative impact in my life. Growing up, I was always a shy person, so I had a hard time connecting with people from school. When I was around 11, I got my first console, an Xbox One. I was so excited because this was my first console online, so I could play and talk to people. After receiving my first console, I found it easier to connect to other people using technology.
Playing games online opened up a new world for me. I was able to make friends who shared my interests, and the virtual interactions helped me build confidence. By joining communities, I could communicate and bond with others in a way that felt more comfortable than face-to-face interactions. This newfound ease with technology translated into real-life friendships, especially in high school, where I connected with peers who were also passionate about the same games. However, this positive shift came with its own set of problems. My time spent gaming often led me to miss out on social events and family gatherings. I’d get so absorbed in my Xbox that I’d skip parties and family gatherings, not realizing how much I was missing until it was too late. This led to me losing almost all of my in person friends. It also caused me to be less in touch with school. I never studied like I used to because this made me almost fail the 7th grade. It also caused me to skip out of after school programs. Overall I believe technology has had its pro’s and con’s in my life. I don’t have any regrets with any decisions I’ve made and feel like I got to embrace it because it’s the story god wrote for me.
I believe in giving people a chance. Appearance seems to be everything nowadays and people are very quick to judge others based on first impressions. That’s what my parents often did growing up, criticizing and judging others for no apparent reason. Whether it be for someone’s looks, sexuality, or race, some people are so critical of others even though they’ve never truly met them. I began to realize how much we judge others when I got into high school. In the first couple of years, I didn’t really make any friends. I had the notion that others thought I was weird for my interests and figured that no one would want to hang around me of all people. It was into my junior year when I began to open up to people and judge them less critically than I did before. I ended up being part of a great friend group, like 90% of which happened to be composed of theater club and LGBTQ+ community members (none of which I was a part of surprisingly). The majority of students in the school were also not a part of these communities and as such my friends were often victims of ridicule and judgment. Once I finished high school, I was truly sad to see these new friends I have made go off on their own paths. I will forever be grateful for their compassion and inclusiveness. My friend group always accepted people into the group with open arms, regardless of any appearances or groups they were a part of. I hope that as we start this new exciting chapter into our lives, we too can foster a community of inclusivity.
Technology has grown quickly, bringing both excitement and challenges. As a kid, I was always surrounded by gadgets like TVs, gaming consoles, phones, and computers. Because of this, I spent a lot of my time staring at screens, either watching cartoons or playing video games.
When I got my first phone, I was thrilled. It seemed like the best thing ever, and I quickly started downloading various apps. At first, it was enjoyable and felt like a safe space. However, as I spent more time on social media, I started seeing more negative content. Apps like TikTok, while fun at first, began to affect my attention and focus.
Realizing this, I began to question the value of my screen time. I decided to change my habits by deleting TikTok and focusing on activities that were more meaningful, like hobbies, exercising, and spending time with my family. This shift made a big difference in how I felt mentally.
With so many entertainment options available today, it’s easy to spend too much time on screens. Reflecting on my experience, I’ve learned the importance of finding a balance. By limiting screen time and engaging in activities that enrich our lives, we can enjoy the benefits of technology without letting it take over.
Technology has been a huge part of my life. When I was younger I was absolutely fascinated by the power of a PC and the internet. I barely had access to a computer growing up, so whenever I was able to use one, I was captivated by it. I distinctly remember receiving a Nintendo DS with a copy of Pokémon Platinum in kindergarten. I was glued to the game, spending hours after school messing around even though I barely knew how to read. After a while, my interest in that one game declined but another door opened. During 1st – 2nd grade I was spending a lot of time with my older cousins and they were playing on a system called “The Xbox 360”. I was amazed at how realistic and fun games could be. At the time, I had no idea the system was over 5 years old and the next generation of gaming consoles would soon come. That didn’t stop me from begging my Mom to buy me one for my Birthday. After months of nagging and annoying my Mom to death, she finally caved in and bought me an Xbox 360. During this time, we did not have a Desktop at home. I remember making trips to the library to print out pictures and to write stories. Slowly over time, my access to a computer increased. I became more interested in building my own computer, as a lot of YouTubers I watched preached how amazing a custom PC was. I would not be able to build my own for many years. I eventually scrapped the money together when I was around 15 years old. From then on, my perspective of technology and the internet changed drastically. I had been under the impression that the internet was always a good thing, but after being exposed to it for this long, I saw that it could be used for evil. I began to notice the effect the internet has had on me and my generation as a whole. As I matured a bit, I’ve taken on a bit of a different perspective. I think that the internet is a neutral force. There’s obviously a lot of bad that comes with it, but there’s also good. Information has been made available to almost anyone, but it’s become very easy to become cynical and jaded. At the same time there are many supportive communities on the internet that are just looking for like minded people. Whether it’s through video games, art, writing or any other obscure interests, there are people out there who love the same thing.
Technology has held a tight grasp on the world in recent years, consistently improving to have a profound impact on the lives of everyone around us. I was a proud user of technology. Its advancements make you wonder what’s in store for the future. Although this progress is positive, our relationship with technology can sometimes be negative, leaving a heavy impression on us and others. The digital world can be a dangerous place, whether it’s related to news media or social interactions.
As I went through high school, I remember moments when I would compare myself to others on social media, believing I needed to change myself to be like them. I loved being social online, which led me to download apps like Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter, and others. I met amazing friends on these apps, but the content I encountered changed who I was. I went through constant changes just to fit in with other teens, and I sadly knew I wasn’t the only one doing this. The internet can negatively affect how you think about yourself and others, especially if you’re used to following the crowd. I’ve seen countless posts about people comparing themselves to others and how this brings them down because they’re not the person they want to be. People online tend to make you believe things that aren’t true, heighten your insecurities, and show little regard for their words. I believe we should embrace who we are and improve ourselves on our own terms. You shouldn’t define yourself based on the digital world and others because everyone is different. Keep yourself strong despite what others may say, and don’t let negative comments get to your head. There should be a balance between the real and digital world, and I want that to be where it doesn’t diminish our sense of identity.
All I hear from our older generations are, “back in my day,” or “before phones existed we used to…” I work around a lot of older guys from the neighborhood that come in everyday just to talk to the owner of my store, me and my coworkers (like a barbershop) so I have these conversations about our new digitized world a lot. I honestly do not have a solid opinion about it, but I have many thoughts. One of the main things I tell the older dudes is how much easier it has made life, and how they should realize it the most because they have gone from no phones, to flip phones, to mini Ipads in our pockets. A lot of these dudes will come back with funny responses about how they are just trying to track us and our habits, which I don’t disagree with because of how advertisements use our information to show us products that they think we will like. I also think it’s a good thing for safety reasons and national security, but we don’t know who has these technologies and how it can fall into the wrong hands so easily, as we saw with the Edward Snowden situation. A lot of negative things are coming up about the people in power in America now so I can only imagine who is capable of using our digitized world in the wrong way. This is not the end of how far we are going to digitize the world, it’s only the beginning. That is what really scares me.
I remember the days before smartphones, Bluetooth, and the evolution of social media. Everyday life has definitely been simplified across the globe. We are more connected than ever before, and using technology as a tool to advance us as a society might come with adverse effects. It is interesting how our data is utilized for advertisement targeting, recommended content, and whatever else those in control choose to manipulate. You have a very good understanding of this!
Self improvement
You and only you can make the change, or take the risks. We are not perfect, we all have flaws, but that’s ok, the most important thing is to recognize them, and want to work on them to improve. When it comes to you no one else can do those things for you.
We all make mistakes, but it is important to learn from them, and not repeat it again. The winner is not the one that doesn’t fall, but the one who falls and gets up again. It’s good to change and improve yourself.
Just like a fruit takes time to grow, we also take time to improve ourselves, it is probably the hardest part. We have to make sure we are giving ourselves all the supplies that we need to help us to grow such as: feedback, patience, hopes, optimism, confidence, trust. Change doesn’t happen overnight, and it will never be easy. Most valuable things take time.
You may take a hard time to discover a way to express yourself, emotions and thoughts. You are going to know what works for you and what doesn’t work, it will not only improve your relationship with yourself, but also with others.
It is hard to point out your own flaws and try to improve them, but when it is about others we are always ready for.
Being human is not being perfect, it is all about doing your best, and making sure you feel good with yourself. There are people in the world that are going to hate for no reason, yelling out their opinions, and it doesn’t matter how hard you work there is always going to be one person to complain. Do the change for yourself and only you.
There is always something about everyone to judge. But what’s the point if we already know. You really have to move on and accept it, it’s nothing that you can do with what people think about you. Sometimes we can’t make people always agree with our way of thinking, you can’t force nobody to understand you.
This is life, and these are those things that make you understand how important it is to improve yourself. At the end of the day you are the only one you have. Only you are there for yourself.
Don’t do for them!
As I was growing up I was surrounded by technology. From my favorite tv shows to my favorite movies. One thing that particularly became of interest to me was social media. The ability to talk to people all around the world with just one click of a button was something I found truly fascinating as a kid. However, as I got older, I realized how negatively social media impacted my life as much as it did the lives of many others. We would compare ourselves with everyone else just to try to fit into everyone else’s standards. The constant exposure to seemingly perfect lives made it difficult to appreciate our own unique qualities. As social media evolved, it just became a web full of negativity. Everyone would hate on people for the way that they looked if they didn’t match the current standards of beauty, which seemed to change almost daily. The pressure to present the perfect version of ourselves made it very difficult for us to truly be ourselves. I remember trying to take perfect pictures in hopes of getting alot of likes and comments to be like everyone else. But deep down I didn’t want to be like everyone else. I wanted to be able to be my own person. However, I’ve noticed that now, social media is getting better by gradually accepting people for who they are, even if they are different.
Erin M.
When I was a kid, all my interactions with the internet were cat compilations, what I saw my parents play on the Xbox, and Minecraft and Fnaf videos. It was enough for me; harmless fun, sometimes broken up by some traumatizing video that you return to years later, only to find it less impactful.
I think one of my parents’ biggest gripes was social media. They were worried about me getting too caught up in it, and I could see why.
– In places like Youtube, Twitter, and Facebook, you can see every aspect of the world in its purest, brutal form.
– The ugly backside of the worlds most important people being proudly exposed for all the world to see.
– Rant accounts with absolute zero self awareness.
– Every comment section, filled with bot advertising and scams.
– brain-melting content made to get you hooked with no real substance.
But then I found the tightly knit communities built under platforms like Tumblr, Discord, Matrix, etc. These communities shared passions, connected over shared interests, and built relationships that went beyond just online interactions.
The internet created a singularity of music where anyone can listen to almost any song ever published whenever they want. This is incredible considering before the internet, your music tastes were heavily influenced by what people around you listened to.
Artists can thrive in places like Artstation, Deviantart, Twitch and the tight communities I mentioned before.
You can find programmers showing off their stuff on places like GitHub, GitLab, Twitter, StackOverflow, etc.
Plenty of different places I can’t describe within the character limit.
All these communities for every person of every belief and culture.
In these little pieces of the internet, you can make your own little slice of heaven. To some, this is merely a pipe dream. For others, it’s a reality waiting to be discovered.
But what happens when we take that slice of heaven and try to scale it up? When we try to bring those communities together under one roof? That’s where problems start. Like it or not, people were designed to develop and age in smaller communities. When they clash, you get noise, you get conflict; just like how the world used to work, just cranked up a notch (maybe a couple notches).
I’ve heard people call those little communities “safe spaces”, said positively and negatively. It is true, these spaces do tend to create echo-chambers and can sometimes feel like they’re not representative of the real world. However, I think that’s what makes them so valuable. They allow us to be ourselves without fear of judgment or rejection. They give us a chance to explore our passions and interests without being influenced by external factors.
It just needs to be treated with care
Cole Lema
I’ve spent a lot of my life on the internet. Like… a LOT. With that said, it’s clear I have a lot of experience online; I’ve got practically thousands of posts on twitter, reddit, and snapchat. I’m the family member who’s been deemed able to handle every tech problem that pops up (regardless of how qualified I actually am). And so on. Essentially, I like being online.
However, with being online as often as I am, you come to find negativity on the internet. And the longer you spend scrolling the more apparent this negativity becomes. At one point, people arguing over who the better artist is, debating pointless “moral” questions, and posting “ragebait” (posts made to anger people to garner more interactions), became the majority of my social media feeds.
When I realized this, I hit a sort of breaking point. Why am I spending so much time scrolling through posts that just make me so frustrated? I spent up to hours at a time stressing and arguing to no avail. What was the purpose? (here’s a hint: there is none!)
So how is this essay supposed to portray what I Believe in? Well, let me be clear. I Believe that just about anyone can benefit from a social media cleanse.
There’s a few ways you can go about it. However, in my opinion, you should just delete the apps. It doesn’t have to be permanent or even for any set amount of time. Taking a break and getting out of the habit of opening social media the moment you get bored can be good for improving your general mood and mindset.
I agree with this whole-heartedly. A social media cleanse has freed up so much time that I didn’t know I had. Instead of scrolling for an hour after I woke up, I get out in the sunshine and take a little walk or get some other movement in. A cleanse has helped tremendously in making my life better.
-Peter S.
I used to believe that success was only about achievements such as grades, sports, and money. Growing up, I felt pressured to think this way because everyone around me prioritized doing well in school for future success. My family set high expectations, and when I didn’t meet them, it felt like a disaster. But over time, I realized that these things don’t always equal true success.
In high school, several experiences made me question this belief. First, I studied hard for an important test and still did poorly. It was a humbling moment that showed me effort doesn’t always lead to success. Then, I joined the rugby team, where I learned that success wasn’t about being right but about working together and adapting to challenges. Unlike in the classroom, the rugby field taught me that success can be found in teamwork and resilience, not just in winning.
These experiences opened my eyes to a new idea: success isn’t just about reaching goals but about the impact you have on others, the relationships you build, and the happiness you find along the way. As I begin my journey at UMassD, I believe my classmates and I can enrich our community by focusing on growth, open-mindedness, and connection.
As I end this blog I feel the need to leave you thinking about this: What if success isn’t just about what we achieve, but about who we become in the process.
I totally agree that success is mainly about who you become in the process, and I also believe that success can be measured in a variety of different ways. I find that it is best to measure success in the way that makes YOU feel like you’ve accomplished something. Success can be something as small as breaking a bad habit, or even creating a good habit.
-Anabelle J.
Since I was in 3rd grade, I’ve had my own device that could be used to access the internet. Today, kids as early as kindergarten are being given their own IPads etc. that can do the same thing. When I was in kindergarten, I was playing Mario games on my Nintendo Wii or playing Minecraft or Angry Birds on my mom’s phone. I didn’t even know what YouTube was until 1st or 2nd grade. Once I discovered YouTube, however, it became my main source of entertainment other than my Wii. I remember watching countless amounts of content made by Markiplier, DanTDM, and Jacksepticeye, and videos on games like Minecraft, Five Nights at Freddy’s, and Roblox. Even now I still watch similar content to what I watched 10 years ago. Nowadays, kids are being exposed to vast amounts of content at an even lower age than we were. The internet has also changed drastically, and the humor and algorithms have been altered. Now, kids gravitate to shorter, colorful content such as toy unboxing videos and Cocomelon, or newer memes, such as Skibidi Toilet. They also play games like Roblox, Rec Room, and Fortnite, all of which contain toxicity in some areas. All of this exposure early on is affecting the minds of the younger generations. Some kids are glued to their screens, and are learning about stuff like curse words because of the games they play or the videos they watch. Their attention spans are also very low, seeing as the most popular YouTube content for them are shorts that all last less than a minute each or videos with Subway Surfers or Minecraft parkour gameplay underneath. I think parents should encourage their kids to do activities like playing outside, watching good kids shows, or giving them Legos, instead of giving them an IPad, Nintendo Switch, or Oculus Quest 2 at the age of 5 and letting them use it with no restrictions.
I think this is on point, I always notice my younger siblings on shorts or games for the whole day instead of going outside. I also notice that they tend to learn words quicker that they shouldn’t know for a long time. I think that kids having full access to technology with no parental controls in their way takes some of the innocence of being a kid away.
I have fond memories of working as a teacher assistant at a daycare, where I had the pleasure of interacting with children aged 2 to 5 years old. I vividly remember the moments when they would gather around me on the classroom carpet, their eyes filled with genuine curiosity and wonder. Their tiny hands would reach out to touch my face through the lenses of my glasses, clearly fascinated by this simple act. The children took a keen interest in my appearance, examining the clothes I wore and the accessories I had on, showing an innocent desire to understand the world around them. They were particularly captivated by my naturally curly hair, often playing with it while asking questions about its texture and how I styled it. Their innocent and curious nature often left me pondering the pure curiosity and open-mindedness that children possess. During my time at the daycare, I observed that their curiosity is influenced by the digital content they consume at home or in daycare during quiet times. They often asked me random questions about what they saw in movies or videos, such as why certain animals look the way they do, how big the Earth is, or why they are so tiny compared to adults. It made me wonder about the impact of the digital world on children today. Looking at this from a different perspective, I could see that children are surrounded by the digital world, whether it’s watching TV or being on social media, and I’ve seen firsthand how much it negatively impacts the new generation of children. This made me think about why we expose children to the digital world at such a young age.
Tommy M.
The internet was once a place I turned to when I sought entertainment, a space where I could relax, explore fun media, and play games. It was a simple escape. However, as the internet evolved it gradually changed many aspects of everyday life. In the modern day, it serves as a crucial role for not just entertainment but also for accessing important information such as: news, education, and much more. Virtually anything you need or want to know can be found with just a few clicks.
This shift to the world being more digitized has dramatically changed the way people interact with the world. The rise of the internet in the modern era has sparked a new way of life where online access and connectivity are necessary. Tasks that once required physical effort, such as shopping, banking, or studying, can now be done online. The internet’s influence has reached the very core of how society functions.
Social life has undergone a complete overhaul. Meeting new people used to happen mostly in person. Whether through work, school, or social events. Now, with the rise of social media platforms such as Instagram, people from across the globe can connect instantly, often without ever having met in real life. Friendships, relationships, and communities are now built, maintained, and sometimes ended in the digital space. This shift has redefined what it means to socialize, creating both opportunities and challenges in a world where virtual and physical realities coexist.
When I was growing up, my parents always told me stories about going out with their friends and meeting new people in person. I do not think they realized how fast the world had changed, and that many relationships are formed solely through online interactions.
The power of modern technology has the potential to greatly benefit our society if we use it properly. Of all age groups Generation Z as a generation that grew up always having access to the internet should understand the utility it has to offer.
The internet allows individuals to store and transfer data in mass quantities, making the flow of information between people better than it ever has been before. The information users search for using the World Wide Web can assist with various everyday tasks by explaining how certain objects work, how to hone a particular skill, or help explore our curiosities. Overall, interacting with the internet to find information has the potential to assist a person in becoming well-rounded.
Oftentimes, people with niche interests who would otherwise be out of luck can form vast worldwide communities using the internet. Things often start with small groups finding each other while searching for information relating to their interests and hobbies. Eventually, these small groups will clump together over time. These communities often become hotbeds of discussion and push the development of their respective topic. I have personally gotten involved in some of the discussions in communities of amateur developers, virtual reality enthusiasts, and HEMA Fighters. Every community has different focuses, from learning to code to translating and practicing the work of Fiore dei Liberi. Though they all serve the purpose of connecting individuals interested in specific information.
Despite the benefits offered by these communities and the internet in general, many would make the argument that social media specifically has had a major negative impact on society. In many regards, I can agree with this sentiment, but the issues are largely caused by how the technology is being used. The internet like any other technology is a tool and it is up to the user to define their experience, and many people allow the technology to control them as opposed to them controlling it. Someone who chooses to use a hammer to hit a screw will have a worse experience than someone who decides to hit a nail. Knowing how to interact with the internet positively is crucial for anyone who wants to reap its benefits.
For as long as I could remember I have used devices, I think it stems back to when I was in kindergarten playing lego video games on the playstation 3 with my dad. I never received access to tablets, phones or more matured games until middle school, now kids of all ages get access to every device imaginable. I notice this in my own family, my cousin is only seven and he has a phone, tablet, playstation 5, and a pc. Why does a seven year old need all this technology, if I wanted something to do when I was younger I would go outside or play with toys. When I got access to the full internet I would only use it to watch youtube and play Minecraft now I catch my cousin and little brother using instagram, facebook and snapchat I never used those til I was in middle school. I notice that now kids start to learn curse words or gain bad habits from the internet and when they use these words and habits people have no idea who to blame. They need to start putting things in place to stop kids from learning bad habits and curse words, if they put screen time on the devices for all kids then these habits and words would not be as much of an issue then they currently are. Another solution would be to make kids go outside all the time and get an hour of screen time instead of an hour of going outside and then playing on devices for the rest of the day.
I used to believe keeping to myself was the only way I could save myself from looking weak or to exposed. When I kept to myself I felt peace from the outer wold as if I had this safe blanket on and no one could hurt or judge me.
Having this solitude can be a great tool for self building and help you grow with no distractions from the world. But this comes at a small disadvantage, I have come to learn from personally experience as a single child from a single mom. I’ve spent almost of my entire childhood “keeping to myself” and kinda just isolated from the world. I thought living like this was safe and nothing could interfere and I could grow and learn stuff as I pleased. But now that I looked back on it now I really had no good memories of growing up, it was mostly just me and my own thoughts and just trying to get by life without being noticed.
I know believe that I should’ve spoken out more and asked more questions and seeked the help that I desperately needed. If I could’ve talked to my younger self and tell him to break out of that isolated position and put my self out there I would. But I’m so happy that my belief on isolation has changed even though it comes with its advantages and disadvantages.
As a child I was very impressionable and hardly had any beliefs of my own. Anything anybody said or did I would pick up on. One thing that I consistently felt strongly about was never using the word ‘hate’. My mom always told me that ‘hate’ was a strong word, and that you could never genuinely hate somebody, and those words have ALWAYS stuck with me.
When I was 8-9 years old my mom decided to adopt my now brother. At the time I was extremely excited to have a baby brother, and didn’t know, or understand, the circumstances in which I was able to get a little brother. While working through adoption, I started to realize at a very young age what a scary world we live in. Who could abandon their baby? Why would they do that? I couldn’t understand these things at 9 years old, and witnessing a small glimpse of the real world opened my eyes to the many dangers all around us.
By the time I was able to understand what kind of world we live in, I started to understand why my mom never liked the word ‘hate’. Unfortunately, there is hate all around us. Along with adopting my younger brother, my family faced many other hardships, and I caught many more glimpses of the cruel world we live in. I can’t even begin to imagine what kinds of things other people around the world have had to endure. Witnessing even a small amount of hate has lead me to a lifelong dedication to speaking kindness and love everywhere I go. Although I truly do hate the cruel parts of this world, I believe can make it beautiful, and that is how I choose to inspire.
That was really well said. I believe hate exists more as a terminology or force than as any one person. Sure, there are some real jerks out there that you might hate, but it’s nowhere near the sheer force or emotion of hate that the world can produce. That’s not to say there isn’t beauty in the world; the best way to see it is coming out the other side of hate.
A belief of mine that has change is hiding and running from a life where people make or break your day is never going to benefit you. When you grow up having the ability to do so much based off the interests you have it can opens doors to possibilities and opportunities that project your future. Technology is something that people have used to create positive steps in society but can and have ruined the proper way to achieve success. When I first used social media it was something I thought I was safe in and could share to express myself instead of waiting to see people to talk about certain things. My mother always told me when I was growing up that “when you grow up you find out who your real friends are”. She was not only 100% correct but it stuck with me because of devices and things that show so much about who a person can be and how someone can go from being friends to secretly turning on you and sharing things on different types of feeds about your deepest secrets. There is hate and jealousy amongst all of us whether we accept it or not we can’t hold others to the same mindset of letting everyone live their own life. For me I used apps to communicate to my friends and luckily I have found my people who hav shown nothing but loyalty to me. There was a time where I was more than lost I was in disbelief because my friends only wanted to make my life worse and worse each day it was there entertainment around me. After time and time again I saw no way out and was scared to ignore them but what changed was my life. I started high school and I finally found a friend from an English class group and we clicked automatically. People can’t always change and no one can disagree that there is hate flying everyday the same way air flows on earth. Its always okay to reach out and never let your life be based off of others moods and trying to bring you down I’ve learned it so much and never thought it would change.
July 16, 2024 at 11:31 pm
LiamR.
I tend to wonder about people who say things in hurtful ways. Not those who say mean things for the purpose of being mean, but people who think they are doing good by acting that way.
I’ve always been confused by it, because no matter how right or wrong that person is I don’t want to listen to them because they sound like a jerk, or at least unapproachable.
This tends to happen when I sometimes argue with my Dad. He will make a good point but does it in such a sarcastic and cocky manner that it makes me feel he is wrong. After consideration however, I then know he is right. I understand anyone acting cocky when they know you are right, but it makes it so hard to agree with them.
And other times it’s not even that, other people could be using certain issues about someone to use as an excuse or reason to be mad, talk down to them, or even enact violence upon them. They do all that instead of trying to help that person. If someone has a problem that is bad for everyone, why NOT help them? Why make them worse?
It makes it hard to listen when people being so confident to the point of nausea. Everyone is pitted against each other. And it doesn’t help that people take advantage of that. And so no one ever gets anything accomplished because they don’t need to hear from a different perspective.
August 4, 2024 at 9:09 am
Mean is one way to describe it, but others simply see it as a way of talking.
Some just like being frank or to the point; no sugarcoating. There are people that find this way of talking as rude or argumentative, but this is not necessarily correct. I find that I prefer this specific way of talking when sending emails or writing messages in non-professional environments because it leaves less room for misunderstandings and is generally more concise.
There’s also different cultures where communication is just done in a different manner. As someone who works with Israelis at my job, I can say that they’re a lot less what we’d refer to as “polite”. With that experience, this leads me to believe that your father may have just been raised in an environment where such sarcasm is nothing out of the ordinary.
August 14, 2024 at 8:00 pm
Kayla M.
Every four years, most countries participate in the Summer Olympic Games. It is an international competition where each country competes in an event to win a gold, silver, and bronze medal and bring glory to their respective country. And every four years, it came around, and I never cared. For me, the Olympics was just background noise on the TV as I continued my daily summer activities until the 2024 Summer Olympics, which was held in Paris, France. I could not scroll through X formerly known as Twitter without seeing the discourse about the games. So, this year, I decided to tune in for myself.
As I started to watch the Olympics, I became fully immersed in the Olympians representing the United States and was rooting for them through my TV. I was not the only one feeling this sense of patriotism; all over social media, people were feeling precisely alike, and we were proud of the people sent to represent us. This Love of country was not limited to the United States as the athlete Julien Alfred brought home the first gold medal in her country, Saint Lucia, and made everyone proud, including her prime minister.
Within an election year, it is very effortless to feel that the United States is highly divided and cannot agree on anything. Still, the Olympics serve as a good reminder that we are all Americans, and it was genuinely refreshing to see some unity during a very political time.
August 6, 2024 at 12:01 am
I understand the frustration that comes with coming to terms with being wrong despite the other person arguing in a way that I’d perceive as hostile.
I believe that we should speak with each other with respect so we can come to a mutual understanding.
August 29, 2024 at 4:00 pm
Ari b.
I also think that our world would be a significantly better place if people treated each other with the same respect online as they do face to face. I think that we all have seen someone who truly believes that they can hide behind their screen and say anything they please. What comes with that, which scares me more than people being mean, is the sheer amount of misinformation people are willing to spread online without fact checking themselves. Or the people who believe everything they read on in internet without looking into the source and seeing if what they are hearing is true. Some people are so okay with saying anything online, to the point in which they don’t think about how it could affect the person reading. That goes with both saying awfully mean things and frankly untrue things. I do agree with you that the online community needs to show each other more mutual respect to avoid continuing hostile behavior.
August 15, 2024 at 3:01 am
Mateo P.
This summer, my friends and I had planned an idea to start our own landscaping business. Throughout the past year, I have come to believe that there are many ways for anyone to make money using technology we take for granted in our everyday lives.
Our first task to get our business up and running was to find a way to get our services advertised and out there. We had gone through ideas like flyers, going door to door pitching our service, but we were getting minimal results for the amount of effort we were putting in. No matter the frustration, we kept plugging away at solutions to get more jobs planned out week by week. We didn’t believe social media was a viable option for reaching out to the older generations. Eventually we had found a mobile app that allowed us to reach out and post advertisements to our local communities. The process of advertising was now easier and quicker. Using this and other known platforms like Facebook, we were able to keep a steady flow of jobs for months and months on end.
In conclusion, everyday technology presents a multitude of opportunities for generating income. By using the power of digital tools and platforms, you can reach new customers, and enhance your services, all from the comfort of your phone. For instance, my own experience with starting a small landscaping business is a testament to this. Through the use of online scheduling software, social media marketing, and mobile payment solutions, I’ve been able to efficiently manage and grow my business. These technological resources have not only made day-to-day tasks more manageable but have also opened doors to new revenue streams.
September 4, 2024 at 12:05 am
I completely agree with this proposal. The opportunities and the new ways to use technology and social media for a business are great ways to change the game if you would say.
August 15, 2024 at 4:25 am
I totally understand where you’re coming from as someone who has also been in the situation. When I was younger, it would set a switch in my brain for me to get mad when they wouldn’t respect me or talk in a rude tone, but I’ve grown up. I realize that they just gave me the truth without sugarcoating it. sugarcoating it just makes it worse in the end. I definitely think that people need to work on their communication skills. A lot of things can be solved with just one simple conversation.
August 26, 2024 at 5:51 pm
This is such a relatable post. I fully agree with this including your specific situation. It is so hard to listen to people when they reply in a rude manner. It’s something everyone struggles with and is something not enough people talk about
July 29, 2024 at 10:52 pm
Kalt T
The computer has always been a source of entertainment for me. It had games, and videos about games, and that was all. I was a happy kid.
Eventually I would notice that other videos existed. Whatever I wanted to find was there, and sometimes the information found me. Apparently giraffes had long purple tongues, and there were machines that specifically for making glass bottles, and I wasn’t the only person in the world who played that video game that I liked, and in fact there were a lot of people in the world. Each with their own lives, thoughts, experiences, skills, opinions. It was a lot to take in.
So obviously I didn’t take it all in.
It wouldn’t have accomplished anything anyway.
The internet is still primarily entertainment to me, but it’s also the news, and I get to hear about things that I would rather not know but feel bad for not doing anything to fix. It’s also where my friends are. It’s where my memories are. It’s where other people’s memories are. It’s where anyone can find stories they would never have found otherwise. It’s an endless recording of history that anyone can write in. A beautiful butterfly effect. A personalized echo chamber. A place to escape the one you just escaped into.
It’s humanity, and all the things that are wrong with it. I can’t leave.
August 28, 2024 at 2:56 pm
I get what you mean. The internet is very much a source of entertainment for a lot of people, me included. Some people use the digital world as a way to distract themselves from what could be happening in their lives. Others use it for work and research.
People can get easily addicted to using the internet. It’s also easy to lose track of time if you get sucked into what you are doing. Like when people end up getting sucked into doom scrolling on social media.
The internet also is a source of a lot of fake news that can easily misinform people about things going one in the world. If you don’t do your research on the stuff you see or hear on the internet, you might not know you are being fed fake news.
August 29, 2024 at 5:08 am
The internet has also always fascinating to me as it’s always evolving, with better websites being made and previous ones updating to faster more secure standards. Thanks to the internet we have been able to save history and research anything we want with ease
September 4, 2024 at 3:29 am
I love your perspective on this matter, as it is something I think about pretty often. I’ve always been taught that everything in moderation is acceptable when practiced on a daily schedule, which is something I believe can be and should be tied in with this topic, as you mentioned that technology brings about the good, the bad, and all the in-between.
July 30, 2024 at 1:21 am
Joseph C.
Looking at all the technology that has risen in this world makes me happy but also worried at the same time. When I was younger I didn’t grow up with that much until a certain age, I want to say 10. That’s when my family could start affording the newer pieces like a flatscreen tv, tablets, smartphones, etc. But the world did not know the negative of all of these devices. People start to spend a lot more time on their devices watching short form content all day, watching shows, and watching youtube. I didn’t say these are bad things but you should control the amount taken in because it will only become a habit or even an addiction. If you remove some of the useless things in your life you will have room for more important opportunities that can impact you in a positive way.
I used to sit on instagram for an hour straight watching reels more than once a day everyday, and I eventually hit a certain point asking myself “What am I doing?” I could be getting out of bed right now doing something that feels fulfilling. I was actually getting sick of looking at all of that short form content that was ruining my attention span and ability to focus. I deleted instagram shortly after this epiphany and focused on my hobbies, school, exercise, social interactions, and work. My mental and physical health has never felt better than now. I recommend you to do the same, but if you feel content with how things are going I am not going to hold you.
August 28, 2024 at 9:39 pm
I definitely agree that short-form content should be taken in moderation. I can relate to being sucked into instagram reels for a while. I think one aspect that enables this behavior is the overall design of these platforms, which allows you to see more and more content with the flick of your finger. It can be hard to stop scrolling when there is seemingly infinite content to consume. Good on you for improving yourself!
August 28, 2024 at 11:09 pm
I totally agree with your perspective on technology. While technology presents numerous benefits and diverse applications, it also possesses certain negative consequences. Now a days we see a lot of parents introducing their children to technology early on. And although it may be used for educational purposes or entertainment I see a lot of children get very addicted to technology. Which also affects how they interact with people in the real life world. I feel that we are slowly loosing connection to the real world. And that it’s beneficial to take a break from technology every now and then.
August 31, 2024 at 5:30 pm
I feel the same way about social media. I’ve deleted most apps of the sort and limit myself on the scrolling. I think that because of how interactive it is, the harder it can be to stop. That’s why its better to maybe even put a lock on after a certain time.
July 30, 2024 at 5:48 pm
Samuel S.
A belief I like to live by is authenticity. To me, being authentic is being honest and realistic. Which is not pretending or deceiving myself or my life.
I started questioning if someone is authentic when I saw a lot of videos on youtube or on the internet. Showing many things that can be questionable such as the youtube channel called Hypemyke. Where the creator and his friends explore places that are haunted or find creatures from internet lore. All the latter ones are fake since the creatures do not exist. But one of the haunted locations that he went to got me questioning him. The creator and his friends went to the Banshee hotel, which is somewhere in Canada. They showed the hotel website before they went, I tried to find that website but it apparently does not exist. Where is the hotel? I had help from a Reddit user who found the hotel on google maps and had a link to it. I typed the address into google and found that the banshee hotel was actually the Mont-Sainte-Anne Manor. The website for the place has no mention of paranormal activity.
Not only do I want to know if something is authentic, everyone else does too. People need to keep their lives simple. So it is easier to help and understand each other. Three of the seven deadly sins are huge benefactors of people not being honest. Let’s start off with pride. When people link something to their self worth their small term gain is wonderful but it will eventually lead to something bad. Attention leading to Pride can be detrimental to someone’s self worth. Next up is Greed. Pride can lead to greed which can never be fulfilled. Which will keep people from having a life of feeling content. And to the biggest problem of them all, Envy. For the person not being genuine, they hurt themselves because they still seek more attention and will be more desperate to get more. And for the people who see this their self-esteem can be lowered thinking their life is not good enough.
How are you supposed to know if someone is living the perfect life or is seeking attention and bragging rights?
August 7, 2024 at 4:14 pm
I really like your perspective, so many things on social media and online in general are faked and having so many resources online makes it extremely difficult to determine what is real and what isn’t.
August 10, 2024 at 2:10 pm
I really agree with your thought about authenticity. And how many things shown on the internet are not very authentic and just things that some people what you to believe are. It can be very difficult to decipher what’s real and what isn’t on the internet and I think your perspective on it says describes it perfectly.
August 14, 2024 at 8:35 pm
I agree with your view on authenticity; online content is often fake and misleading. With so many resources, it’s challenging to distinguish reality from illusion. Your perspective captures this struggle perfectly.
July 31, 2024 at 5:35 pm
Angelina J.
When I was 8 years old, I received an IPod 5 for Christmas. I was excited because I had never had a device that was my own. I previously had my sister’s old IPod Nano, which was full of songs I loved, but I couldn’t call it mine. The IPod 5 was different though, it was like a phone but smaller. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world to be able to text my family and friends. As I explored the internet, I found loads of cool games and people on YouTube I could watch play those games. One of my favorites was Five Nights at Freddy’s. Since I couldn’t download it because it costs money, I just watched people play it every day. If I wasn’t watching people play games, I’d watch funny skits, parody song videos, or “Day In My Life” videos. I was obsessed with my IPod and seeing everything people put on there. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve seen the ways people utilize technology shift. Now, there are still gaming videos and funny skits, but what the majority of content online entails is some sort of “I’m better than you” mentality. People will throw on pounds of makeup, filters, and online editors to post themselves just to make others feel bad, they will post a 10 second clip of their life to make it seem exciting and perfect, and they will even tell you “10 things you should stop doing”. The internet has become a place where people tell you how to live your life. Consuming content that constantly makes you feel bad or makes you question your character or ways of life is detrimental to mental health. That is why I choose to limit my screen time and use the internet as a way to research and to inspire me. My feed is full of people giving financial advice, going to the gym, and overall bettering themselves. There is no reason that we have to live thinking we should be like the people we see online. Most of it is edited or exaggerated, so I take a step back and focus on the content that is helpful. My mental health has drastically improved after I changed the type of content I look at and I recommend everyone to do the same.
August 4, 2024 at 9:21 pm
Well said, using social media should be used in a helpful way and not in way to put others down. Also, Five nights at Freddy’s is awesome.
August 27, 2024 at 2:53 pm
I agree that the format online has shifted. The internet is a great resource but can also be misleading. We should all protect our mental health from negative influencers. And Five Nights at Freddy’s is a good game.
August 1, 2024 at 9:03 pm
Sheikh Sadat R.
So here’s a thought for the day for you. Is a shooter game about the horrors of war an inherently hypocritical thing? Could a game’s plot really take the stance that the hideous things man does to his fellow man is beyond hollow guilt filled rationalization, when with its very next breath it goes bing and gives us the emotionally dead achievement? Does it inherently cheapen the message to coincide it with exciting shooty action? Could a video game reasonably make us feel guilty for things it told us to do? Can a video game use shooty gameplay to induce emotions other than visceral joy? Or will the intended message inevitably be overlooked by an audience who will probably just be trying to have fun shooting things? I apologize if this is all seeming a bit too contemplative, let me start from the beginning. Spec Ops: The Line is one of those pleasant surprises that comes along every now and again. A video game story that really got to me, giving me genuine feelings of weariness, guilt, and actual physical sickness. “Fun. Fun. Fun”. I was all geared to play as an another gung ho nationalist after I realized that the spunky modern war shooter was nothing but a facade that the game disguises itself in the first half, and reveals its ugly head as you slowly progress through it showcasing itself to be not just an another generic cog in the wheel of the massive gaming industry, instead a passion project that stands out by insisting players gather the knowledge of differentiating from right and wrong. When a distress message is received from a lone American colonel who stayed in the city of Dubai to help the survivors of a massive stand storm, a Delta Force operative named Walker and his 2 teammates are sent in to investigate. Now since your 2 chums are a wisecracking sharpshooter and a explosive expert, I thought they were bigging it up to be a buddy buddy bad company style at first, but my something started to click when I noticed the game sitting next to me saying, “Don’t get attached to these guys”. Before playing I read that the game claimed to be inspired by Heart of Darkness, the same story that inspired Apocalypse Now. “That’s rare”, was my first thought. And my second thought was, “Wait, did the developers just spoil the plot. So we’re gonna find this colonel, and he’ll be ruling over the natives and be played by a fat Marlon Brando”? And that’s sort of the case, but it’s not blanketly ripping anything off. Going back to what I was saying earlier, while fun is a defining factor of video games, it’s not universal. Because there are horror games that induce fear and depression for the emotional high. And Spec Ops The Line could almost be classified as a horror game. You’re trapped far from home desperate to survive, and grimly confronted by the human heart at its darkest at every turn. A turning point comes when Walker and the player unwittingly do a bad thing.I felt like a monster afterwards, like I played the Modern Warfare 2 airport scene(video game reference) with every civilian replaced with Bambi’s mum. “Stop guilting me, Spec Ops, that was your idea” is what I kept shouting at the screen like a rambling lunatic. From there, Walker marches an ever descending spiral, and any semblance of buddy buddy warfare crumbles with the emotional states of his men, culminating in a hideous maelstrom of madness and destruction.So you can see why the usual fast paced cover based shooting action seems to be trying to have the story as a salty tear stained cake and eat it. Headshots make people’s entire heads explode, leaving a neck stump with a clean white bone sticking out like a blob of mozzarella on an incredibly poorly made margarita. The game slows down for a second to give you more time to appreciate how efficiently you’re exterminating your fellow man. So the game getting all gritty and confrontational about it does seem a bit disingenuous after that. Maybe that’s the point, to let you lose yourself in shooty excitement and then yank on the choke chain. But I’d still recommend Spec Ops The Line for its story aspect, which has everything I ask for in video game story, good pacing, coherent character arcs that drive the plot, and almost uniquely among realistic modern war games. In some ways, it’s a rather grim exploration of the relationship between player and player character. Are we really in control of Captain Walker or do we merely represent the last vestige of self awareness in his increasingly damaged mind? As he railroads us into atrocities, now a distrust and fear of him grows in parallel to that of the men in his command. As he weakly tries to rationalize to both their man and us until we feel as disconnected from him as the rest of reality. Remember when shooters were about killing demons from hell? Those were good days, perhaps this is an inevitable part of gaming growing up, as our childish fantasies are torn from us and we are forced to confront consequences in an unfair, uncaring and unavoidable world of hatred, misery and death.
August 4, 2024 at 8:48 am
Nathan K
Just read the text on your screen; one of easiest ways to begin finding your way through nearly any problem on the computer, and yet such few people do it. I first learned this simple skill through my years of software development, where uncertainty can be solved with a quick Google search and not reading the entirety of the documentation could lead to the painful punishment called refactoring. Being forced to do this practice time and time again, it slowly became a habit in my daily life. If I run into an issue, I read whatever errors or logs it throws in my face, and when there’s nothing to read, I give myself something to read by Googling the issue. It really is that simple! When I first saw my friend started whining to me “it’s not working” after an error appeared on his phone, it surprised me because he didn’t even bother to read the message it displayed. He saw and red box and gave up. The error had instructions of what he had to do to fix it. I realized more and more that most people live this way when I started doing merchant and shopper email support. We’d get inquiries like “Why was this card declined?” with a screenshot attached showing the exact reason in clear view, right next to the text they skimmed through. Next time you find yourself emailing the help desk, asking a friend, or making a post online, please first consider whether you’ve read the resources relating to the issue in its entirety, even the information that you don’t understand.
August 4, 2024 at 11:20 am
Hi Nathan, this is great belief to discuss! It’s very relevant to your experience at UMassD. I always tell my students that if they don’t know where to find something one campus–whether it’s the financial aid office, academic help, etc.–Google it!
August 7, 2024 at 4:05 pm
Luca R.
Since I was 3 years old I’ve had access to a computer, and I have always had the perspective that the advancement of technology is only positive in the world. Technology has extended the reach of the human race astronomically, in everything from allowing for the life expectancy to double since the 1900’s, to allowing us to reach into the depths of space. However, as I have grown up and seen the way technology has transformed the world, especially since COVID-19 lockdown, my perspective has shifted. At this point in time technology can both start and end wars, it has every bit of data on almost every human on earth, and it has changed the childhoods of many. Lowering attention spans, praying on children’s impressionable mindsets to turn a profit, whether it be on TikTok, Youtube, Etc. More than half of the Gen-Z youth have said they want their career to be a Social Media Influencer. The way technology has shaped this world is bordering on dangerous now, and because of this, my perspective on technology is that it is used far too much in far too many places. I walked into Boston Logan Airport and had to answer how I thought the quality of their toilets were on a tablet before leaving the bathroom. We don’t need technology everywhere, it is negatively affecting everyone, everywhere, and it will continue to do so, until someone stops the careless use of it.
August 12, 2024 at 5:35 pm
I agree! While technology can improve a lot, people are starting to get careless with it. Technology doesn’t need to be everywhere and many influencers online add to the problem. The damage it’s doing on young kids is irreparable.
August 30, 2024 at 10:22 pm
I do agree that technology can be a dangerous weapon, but at the same time I don’t believe that it is constantly affecting everyone negatively. The technology is a tool not something that is inherently “good” or “bad”. It has made the lives of many people better and does so every day, for example in the medical field technology is constantly saving and improving people’s lives every day. Technology is a tool, nothing more and nothing less.
September 4, 2024 at 3:52 am
I love your addition about the airport tablet because I have seen it as well and felt the same on how unnecessary the use of technology is there. I do believe that there obviously are many positives to it; however, as a society we have tendency to push things much too far, as it seems we have already done with technology.
August 11, 2024 at 1:49 am
Technology is an infinitely fascinating and permanently integral part of our lives. The rapid advancement of tech that we have witnessed in our relatively short lives is nothing if not miraculous. The new capabilities that we as a society have harnessed have put humanity on a track to solve the world’s most prolific problems. For the common person, technology has allowed things previously thought to be possible only in science fiction, like instantaneous worldwide communication. Yet still, with all the incredible things technology has allowed us to discover, it creates its own dilemmas.
I’m sure we’ve all heard or seen somewhere online that technology is a “great plague” that’s “destroying the modern youth” and while I think that is a bit extreme, they have valid arguments. My whole life, I’ve generally been more introverted, opting for quality time with few or no people over large gatherings, which eventually turned into a love for technology and video games. Something that I can do with as many or as few people as I want, whenever I want? Yes please. Most of the free time I had during my middle school years was spent playing video games. Sometimes alone, sometimes with friends, but I always had a great time. Arguably, too good of a time. I found myself never wanting to put the games down, opting out of family time to instead keep playing. As I matured, I began to recognize this problem. There were people in my life who I loved that I was neglecting just so I could get another game or two in. Over the past few years, I have broken this toxic lifestyle, learning the value of time spent with people you care about. It’s opened up a whole new world to me, turning me from someone who couldn’t be dragged away from the monitor to someone who often chooses to turn away from it. Some of my favorite things in the world are things I never would’ve even thought to do a few years ago. Listening to the bizarre life stories my grandparents have stockpiled in their memories, working on a car with my father, playing cards with my friends after a long day swimming in a random lake we found. These are experiences I would have shunned, but are now some of my most cherished memories.
That’s just my own story, but it leads me to question the path we’re carving out for those who will follow us. Seeing my young cousins growing up in a completely overstimulating world filled with things ripe for grabbing their attention, leaving them powerless to change anything has filled me with a sense of regret for the technology we have. Of course, it has allowed us to change the world in ways never imaginable, but will today’s children stand a chance to have the same realization? To come to the conclusion that the world is more than what is displayed to them and is so much more fascinating when seen and explored for yourself?
August 14, 2024 at 12:48 am
Megan B.
I remember during high school when I went to a trade school we would have free time to do what we wanted especially because we were seniors and were pretty much done with school. And I would always remember how whenever me and my friends (the ppl in my trade) would come together and just sit on our phones. The same thing happened during lunch time we sometimes would just sit in a group and bury our faces in our phones and not speak to one another. Now that I’m talking about it I realize that no matter where we are or who we are with our phones/devices are always our priority. We shouldn’t put those things first over human interaction.
August 12, 2024 at 4:24 pm
Ben H.
Ever since I could remember, I have had access to technology. For most of my life it’s always been a form of entertainment and only in the past few years have I realized how false that is. From watching TV shows, to getting my first iPhone and becoming addicted to social media and Youtube, it has always been something to go to when I was bored or it was storming outside. Youtube was my life for a couple years getting attached to W2S and the sidemen’s FIFA challenges. At the time I didn’t realize other aspects of technology. In the grand scheme of things technology can be used in any way you want it, as it continues to expand and advance. As cliche as it is, the opportunities are endless. Almost everyone in this day and age uses technology to create wealth and income. Besides that, people use technology to create connections and relationships with anyone regardless of where they live in the world. My sister has always been an introvert and with that I was able to experience how she made friends and relationships with others. Xbox has always been her thing, and with that came people she would talk to in games. She has made friends throughout the years through the games she plays. It always amazed me how she could get so close with people she had never seen face to face. Let alone know where they are located in the world. As technology progresses, for better or worse, it is still a tool that can be used for any circumstance and it doesn’t have to be just for entertainment purposes. My hope is to one day be able to make all my income directly from technology that I have access to right at home.
August 14, 2024 at 11:04 pm
Camil S.
I agree the internet is very amazing on how you are able to make connections with people all around the world, and also having the ability to make money through entertaining people around the world online.
August 12, 2024 at 5:30 pm
Amanda E.
In the past few years I have noticed how technology has affected children growing up. All of the negativity online and the mindless iPad-crazed minds of kids caused me to form the opinion that children should not have any access to technology until they are older and can fully control what they are doing. I thought that if kids had no access to technology then they would be able to experience being outside more often and learn what its like to be in the moment and enjoy what’s happening in front of you. I based this belief on my childhood, since I was always outside with my sister or using my imagination with my friends. However, I did not consider the fact that I received an iPad for Christmas when I was just in elementary school. I, too, had access to technology at a young age. The difference was, my parents limited the amount of time I spent on it, and they made sure that it would not become the only thing I wanted to do. Now, I believe that children should have access to technology. Our world is rapidly becoming a place where everything is done online. Children need to be used to this kind of world. If they don’t learn the use of technology until they are older it could set them behind. However, children need limits. They should know that TVs, iPads, phones, etc aren’t the only fun things in the world. Allowing children to have a small amount of “screen time” a day while also showing them how to have fun without it can push them to excel later in life.
August 14, 2024 at 12:58 am
Megan. B
I totally agree technology is becoming more advanced and the children are around during these times are so engrossed with technology like iPads. I have a 5 year old brother who only watches tv and plays games. It’s to the point where he doesn’t really like human interaction with most people he’s not familiar with. And I know there are several kids out there who are very similar. When I was in elementary school where technology wasn’t as advanced as it is now all I wanted to do was be outside and play. I just wish kids know that there are so many ways to be entertained without a tv screen or iPad.
August 12, 2024 at 7:46 pm
Josh P.
One belief that I have changed is my mindset. This being that I used to push everything that was hard in life to the side instead of facing it head on. By doing that it made the future obstacles 10 times harder than they should’ve been. By changing my mind set it has created multiple opportunities in my life that I wouldn’t be able to do if I didn’t make the change. For example, I am now able to have the right mindset to be able to stick to things I love to do like go to the gym, play sports, and excel in school. Also, I was not only able to be more active, I made a great change of my junk eating habits. For example, I used to just always eat chips and anything that was in my sight. Now that I have changed from eating junk food to keeping track of my macros and eating healthier foods, I have seen a drastic change in my body. Not only does it make my body look better but it makes me feel better as a person as well. Another example, instead of going out and eating fast food all the time, I would come home and create my own meal. Being a student at UMass Dartmouth gives me the opportunity to continue my healthy eating habits with the dinning hall offering a large variety of healthy foods. In all, getting into this healthy lifestyle and making a change has let me get stronger, more confident, happier, and more outgoing. If you have not made this change in your life, I would 100% recommend this lifestyle.
August 13, 2024 at 3:36 pm
Peter S – I got my first iPod when I was around 9 years old, and I was immediately hooked. I absolutely loved content creators like Markiplier, DanTDM, and most of all jacksepticeye. They were all extremely talented at both videogames and content creation, and they eventually inspired me to make my own YouTube videos when I was only 9 years old. Fast Forward to 9 years of being immersed in the digital world and it feels like that wonder has finally faded. Short form content like Instagram reels bore me with the endless amount of stimulation and has sapped my attention span for too long. I have recently started to try and cut my usual screen time of 5-6 hours every day in half and spend more time walking and doing activities outside, work on necessary college work and generally be of more use to the people around me. Not only has this shift benefitted my mental health and helped me spend more time around friends and family, but has also greatly helped with my procrastination and organization deficiencies. However, the most important part of this shift has been the extra time I have gotten through hanging up Instagram reels and YouTube videos and just living in the present moment. I believe that most people in America need to try this to maximize physical as well as mental well-being. In conclusion I believe that people should all spend less time on their phones and more time with friends and family and outside in nature.
August 13, 2024 at 4:14 pm
Jayvon T
Technology has been around for a while now, and every year, more and more advances in technology occur, making way for new technology. I view technology to be a great source for needs that we humans have like help in work, communication, etc. The one thing in technology that has never changed however, is Social media.
When I got my first phone, I was so happy to finally have one. I thought it was the best thing I could ever get. Once I had my phone for a while, I started to download different apps like Instagram, snapchat, twitter, etc. I thought it would be a safe space and just be nice to have, and it was for the most part. The more and more I went on social media, the more and more negative things I would see. Social media can affect people mentally, and destroy relationships. I personally was affected mentally and it really changed the way I thought about things. It also affected my relationships with other people very much. Once I figured out what social media was doing to me, I decided I needed to take a break on social media, and not go on the apps for a while. After a while, I started to feel a lot better and I had a clearer mind all together. Sometimes, taking a break off of something can give you new life, and a better outlook on things.
August 31, 2024 at 1:22 am
I agree with what you said about technology being good for advances in communication, but also having toxic traits. Social media has taken a toll on so many people, it is definitely important to take a break sometimes.
August 13, 2024 at 5:19 pm
Zach S.
Being born into a generation filled with it, it is impossible for me to say that technology has not had an effect on my life. Ever since I was around maybe 6 or 7 I have been connected to technology. First being the Wii which I would play various games on. There was also the family computer which I would watch videos on said games and other things. I later on would receive an Xbox 360 that gave me access to even more games than I had before. Gaming consoles continued to release and eventually I would update to newer versions. It was fun. I never necessarily had a personal phone device until I was around 12. By then, I had grown out of most of the games and interests I had when I was younger. I had been introduced to social media before this, such as YouTube, but this was a time in which I began to make accounts on other platforms such as Instagram. It was enjoyable to see what new things were happening. Eventually time passed and I entered high school. I don’t really know why, but I just stopped using most social media platforms. Because of this, I lost touch with some friends. It took time to make friends in high school due to the COVID lock down in freshman year, especially being at a new school with most people I had not known before. But over time I was able to do it. When I look back at the time in which I got a phone, I feel like I tried too hard to be interested in things that other people were interested in. It’s not that I had no similar interests with friends, but it’s that the ones I didn’t have interest in that I would force myself to be interested in. Stepping away from that led me to do new things and find interests that I myself liked.
August 13, 2024 at 11:21 pm
Dominic C
Growing up I was hooked on technology. From a very young age, I always had technology and social media. I never had screen time or limits on how much I could access it. This was a dream to me as a little kid, having total freedom of what I could use to entertain me. I declined to do sports or anything outside of school as it would take away from me being on the computer. I skipped family events and often stayed home when the rest of my family went out. Looking back on this, I realize I missed out on so much of my childhood. When I grew up and realized how much I was missing from the real world, I stopped playing video games altogether. Putting technology in front of children at such a young age doesn’t prepare them for the real world and stops them from experiencing being a child.
When children grow up with technology they learn to be reliant on it. They neglect to do things that don’t require their screen and miss out on experiences that shape who they are. I notice that more and more kids are becoming the same as they all have the same social media. Kids now are swearing more and are more inappropriate at a young age because parents fail to monitor what they are consuming online. Since the rise of social media, children have been more prone to depression. Children should not grow up on technology but rather live in the real world. They need to be raised by their parents and have experiences outside of the digital world.
August 14, 2024 at 8:51 pm
I definitely agree that parents should set limits and monitor their children’s access to the internet. I’m sure most of us have seen that the younger generations are already hooked to their devices. I also agree with the positioning that a lot of it is due to parenting. I’ve heard a lot of awful stories around addiction in children and I personally feel that a large part of it is parenting.
August 27, 2024 at 10:55 pm
I was very interested in your statement “when children grow up with technology they learn to be reliant on it.” It was something that opened my eyes a little. When we grow up and are given luxuries like technology we adapt to life with it and forget what life is like outside of it. Technology is such a strong example though because of how strong of an influence it has on so many peoples lives. Being so reliant on always have a phone or easy access to information can be dangerous if you can’t take care of yourself without technology.
August 14, 2024 at 12:29 am
Megan B.
Smart home technology has become more and more popular over the years, with easy access. From answering the door to turning the lights on and off, from automated systems to security setups, managing your entire home with these devices from just the tip of your finger is becoming very convenient. For starters, the majority of these devices will only work with access to data and wifi. Yes, there are devices that don’t require it, but there will be limitations to what can be used. Wifi holds a significant amount of data like names, addresses, and even financial information. What will happen if that gets in the wrong hands?
For example, if you happen to be at work and somehow forget to lock your doors, just a click on your phone and your home is secured. It may be secured but is it really? Every day criminals find ways to break and enter homes. They can find a way to hack into your wifi and stored data to find a way to have control over your home. The same way one can see what activity was being done on their wifi is the same way hackers can take advantage of your home.
There has also been conspiracy that AI assistance like Siri, Alexa, and Google can still hear and possibly see too even if our devices are off. Whether this were true or not at that moment, how can we possibly say that our privacy is being protected.
August 14, 2024 at 1:19 am
Mikayla R.
Once I realized that social media was one of the root causes of comparison and self-deprecation, I knew it would become a negative place, especially for teenagers. Before technology, humans were only able to see their reflections in natural mirrors, like bodies of water. We were only meant to be subjected to the faces of our loved ones and those around us. With new applications coming out every day, everyone is given new ways to view themselves and millions of people around the world. I remember when I first started getting into social media. I would see girls my age copying famous influencers’ makeup in hopes of looking or being just like them. I have always noticed the constant comparison that goes on; altering our appearances in order to “fit in”. It feels like a battle nobody can win, because “nothing is ever good enough”, or so they say. I find it ironic that we all hate living in a world where we feel we need to compete, yet it has become so normal that we don’t try to change it. In reality, technology has taken us very far from authenticity and originality. This is important, because if we all took the time to notice that everyone feels the same, maybe we wouldn’t spend as much time wanting to be someone else; we could finally be complacent with our souls.
August 14, 2024 at 9:42 pm
What you said about authenticity and originality is so very true. I think we all should strive to be ourselves. Social media has most certainly had an effect on teens and their self worth!
August 31, 2024 at 1:17 am
Thank you, and I totally agree!
August 27, 2024 at 11:02 pm
This is worded so beautifully! The last sentence in particular really struck me. It’s definitely interesting to notice how we can all acknowledge and accept that we don’t feel secure with ourselves and would rather put in effort to change ourselves to feel secure instead of changing our mental states to accept who we are happily.
August 31, 2024 at 1:17 am
Thank you so much!
August 14, 2024 at 4:26 am
Growing up I was always surrounded by technology whether it be tvs, gaming consoles, phones, computers, etc. So as a kid I spent most of my time staring at a screen, I was either watching cartoons, or playing video games.
When I grew older I started to notice how much of my time I spent looking at a screen, I used to come home from school and my first focus was to get behind a screen and play games or watch something. This led me to put less focus on other aspects of my life such as spending time with family, doing school work, and going outside. My addiction to a screen took away a lot of time I could’ve used elsewhere, so as I got older I distanced myself from screens, I started to watch less television, play less video games, and not use my phone as much. This allowed me to focus on my life in general, now I was always outside playing sports, I focused on school much more, and spent more time with the people around me.
Every once in a while I’ll spend more time staring at a screen, relaxing and enjoying myself, but I still make sure to keep in mind how much time I’m spending. Technology is a great thing that someone can use to escape everyday life and enjoy themselves, but its also important to limit that time and keep yourself in touch with the real world.
August 14, 2024 at 4:27 am
Brady L
Growing up I was always surrounded by technology whether it be tvs, gaming consoles, phones, computers, etc. So as a kid I spent most of my time staring at a screen, I was either watching cartoons, or playing video games.
When I grew older I started to notice how much of my time I spent looking at a screen, I used to come home from school and my first focus was to get behind a screen and play games or watch something. This led me to put less focus on other aspects of my life such as spending time with family, doing school work, and going outside. My addiction to a screen took away a lot of time I could’ve used elsewhere, so as I got older I distanced myself from screens, I started to watch less television, play less video games, and not use my phone as much. This allowed me to focus on my life in general, now I was always outside playing sports, I focused on school much more, and spent more time with the people around me.
Every once in a while I’ll spend more time staring at a screen, relaxing and enjoying myself, but I still make sure to keep in mind how much time I’m spending. Technology is a great thing that someone can use to escape everyday life and enjoy themselves, but its also important to limit that time and keep yourself in touch with the real world.
August 14, 2024 at 9:54 am
Jace B. 8/14/24
I believe the digital world can be, in my eyes, a gift and a curse. When I was younger and I had gotten access to things like YouTube, it had opened an entire world of inspiration for me. I could watch people who looked like me thriving in their own communities, being able to be themselves and gain from it. It allowed me to join that community as well, and see myself as part of something bigger. Growing up with differing interests such as video games, books, and shows had stuck with me even to this day had heavily shaped who I was to this day. But it also can be dangerous to stay in an online space for an unhealthy amount of time. It can lead to an unhealthy look on ones own body from basing yourself off of others, expose you to things at a young age that you shouldn’t see, and ruin your eyesight (like me lol). But I feel it can do so much more good than bad. My biggest hobbies nowadays are so passionate because of the fact that I was able to experience things like video games and TV. People can come together with these things and find others exactly like them. They don’t have to be afraid of being isolated because of their interests, and can form something beautiful from it. My point being, never be afraid to show who you are and what you love. There’s always someone out there that thinks the same as you, and would love to engage in whatever you find fun!
August 14, 2024 at 3:22 pm
It is not a secret that social media can easily become very addictive. Scrolling for hours and hours on end can feel like just minutes, getting lost in rabbit holes of posts is a common, shared experience at this point in time.
With society’s use of social media and the sharing of people’s daily lives, the fear of missing out, more commonly referred to as FOMO, explains the anxiety that surrounds the idea that others are living more exciting, fulfilling lives. This perception can take a serious toll on one’s self esteem, as the constant feeling of being left out can lead to a more negative way of thinking or even pressures to participate in what is popular at the moment.
While the term FOMO became popular in the early 2000s, I believe that this idea is much more applicable to our current world with the use of social media in our everyday lives. Being a teenager in this digital age, social media usage at one point or another is inevitable. With almost every person in this generation being involved, it is a constant competition of who can live the most seemingly perfect, exciting, and spontaneous life.
Scrolling through social media and constantly seeing others attending events like concerts or parties, going on extravagant European vacations, or even just keeping up with the most recent trends creates a feeling of FOMO for many, including myself. With every scroll of a thumb, the idea that I am wasting my days away and not living to my fullest potential is all I am able to think about. Seeing others going out and having these experiences while I sit in my room all by myself, it is almost impossible to not feel a sense of envy. Although the feeling of FOMO is isolating, it can also be uniting for those that are authentic and true to themselves. Knowing that those same people going on those luxurious trips and events also have moments where they scroll and have the same exact feeling of FOMO groups us all together, an endless race in which one is always jealous of those in the spots ahead of them. As we enter our college years at UMassD, it is of utmost importance that we do not live for how others will perceive us, but for the most fulfilling and memorable years.
August 14, 2024 at 5:55 pm
Dylan L.
Growing up in a world full of technology, I’d say it had a positive and negative impact in my life. Growing up, I was always a shy person, so I had a hard time connecting with people from school. When I was around 11, I got my first console, an Xbox One. I was so excited because this was my first console online, so I could play and talk to people. After receiving my first console, I found it easier to connect to other people using technology.
Playing games online opened up a new world for me. I was able to make friends who shared my interests, and the virtual interactions helped me build confidence. By joining communities, I could communicate and bond with others in a way that felt more comfortable than face-to-face interactions. This newfound ease with technology translated into real-life friendships, especially in high school, where I connected with peers who were also passionate about the same games. However, this positive shift came with its own set of problems. My time spent gaming often led me to miss out on social events and family gatherings. I’d get so absorbed in my Xbox that I’d skip parties and family gatherings, not realizing how much I was missing until it was too late. This led to me losing almost all of my in person friends. It also caused me to be less in touch with school. I never studied like I used to because this made me almost fail the 7th grade. It also caused me to skip out of after school programs. Overall I believe technology has had its pro’s and con’s in my life. I don’t have any regrets with any decisions I’ve made and feel like I got to embrace it because it’s the story god wrote for me.
August 14, 2024 at 6:06 pm
Adam M. 8/14/24
I believe in giving people a chance. Appearance seems to be everything nowadays and people are very quick to judge others based on first impressions. That’s what my parents often did growing up, criticizing and judging others for no apparent reason. Whether it be for someone’s looks, sexuality, or race, some people are so critical of others even though they’ve never truly met them. I began to realize how much we judge others when I got into high school. In the first couple of years, I didn’t really make any friends. I had the notion that others thought I was weird for my interests and figured that no one would want to hang around me of all people. It was into my junior year when I began to open up to people and judge them less critically than I did before. I ended up being part of a great friend group, like 90% of which happened to be composed of theater club and LGBTQ+ community members (none of which I was a part of surprisingly). The majority of students in the school were also not a part of these communities and as such my friends were often victims of ridicule and judgment. Once I finished high school, I was truly sad to see these new friends I have made go off on their own paths. I will forever be grateful for their compassion and inclusiveness. My friend group always accepted people into the group with open arms, regardless of any appearances or groups they were a part of. I hope that as we start this new exciting chapter into our lives, we too can foster a community of inclusivity.
August 14, 2024 at 8:32 pm
Jason V.
Technology has grown quickly, bringing both excitement and challenges. As a kid, I was always surrounded by gadgets like TVs, gaming consoles, phones, and computers. Because of this, I spent a lot of my time staring at screens, either watching cartoons or playing video games.
When I got my first phone, I was thrilled. It seemed like the best thing ever, and I quickly started downloading various apps. At first, it was enjoyable and felt like a safe space. However, as I spent more time on social media, I started seeing more negative content. Apps like TikTok, while fun at first, began to affect my attention and focus.
Realizing this, I began to question the value of my screen time. I decided to change my habits by deleting TikTok and focusing on activities that were more meaningful, like hobbies, exercising, and spending time with my family. This shift made a big difference in how I felt mentally.
With so many entertainment options available today, it’s easy to spend too much time on screens. Reflecting on my experience, I’ve learned the importance of finding a balance. By limiting screen time and engaging in activities that enrich our lives, we can enjoy the benefits of technology without letting it take over.
August 14, 2024 at 8:43 pm
Troy C.
Technology has been a huge part of my life. When I was younger I was absolutely fascinated by the power of a PC and the internet. I barely had access to a computer growing up, so whenever I was able to use one, I was captivated by it. I distinctly remember receiving a Nintendo DS with a copy of Pokémon Platinum in kindergarten. I was glued to the game, spending hours after school messing around even though I barely knew how to read. After a while, my interest in that one game declined but another door opened. During 1st – 2nd grade I was spending a lot of time with my older cousins and they were playing on a system called “The Xbox 360”. I was amazed at how realistic and fun games could be. At the time, I had no idea the system was over 5 years old and the next generation of gaming consoles would soon come. That didn’t stop me from begging my Mom to buy me one for my Birthday. After months of nagging and annoying my Mom to death, she finally caved in and bought me an Xbox 360. During this time, we did not have a Desktop at home. I remember making trips to the library to print out pictures and to write stories. Slowly over time, my access to a computer increased. I became more interested in building my own computer, as a lot of YouTubers I watched preached how amazing a custom PC was. I would not be able to build my own for many years. I eventually scrapped the money together when I was around 15 years old. From then on, my perspective of technology and the internet changed drastically. I had been under the impression that the internet was always a good thing, but after being exposed to it for this long, I saw that it could be used for evil. I began to notice the effect the internet has had on me and my generation as a whole. As I matured a bit, I’ve taken on a bit of a different perspective. I think that the internet is a neutral force. There’s obviously a lot of bad that comes with it, but there’s also good. Information has been made available to almost anyone, but it’s become very easy to become cynical and jaded. At the same time there are many supportive communities on the internet that are just looking for like minded people. Whether it’s through video games, art, writing or any other obscure interests, there are people out there who love the same thing.
August 14, 2024 at 10:41 pm
Audrey T.
Technology has held a tight grasp on the world in recent years, consistently improving to have a profound impact on the lives of everyone around us. I was a proud user of technology. Its advancements make you wonder what’s in store for the future. Although this progress is positive, our relationship with technology can sometimes be negative, leaving a heavy impression on us and others. The digital world can be a dangerous place, whether it’s related to news media or social interactions.
As I went through high school, I remember moments when I would compare myself to others on social media, believing I needed to change myself to be like them. I loved being social online, which led me to download apps like Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter, and others. I met amazing friends on these apps, but the content I encountered changed who I was. I went through constant changes just to fit in with other teens, and I sadly knew I wasn’t the only one doing this. The internet can negatively affect how you think about yourself and others, especially if you’re used to following the crowd. I’ve seen countless posts about people comparing themselves to others and how this brings them down because they’re not the person they want to be. People online tend to make you believe things that aren’t true, heighten your insecurities, and show little regard for their words. I believe we should embrace who we are and improve ourselves on our own terms. You shouldn’t define yourself based on the digital world and others because everyone is different. Keep yourself strong despite what others may say, and don’t let negative comments get to your head. There should be a balance between the real and digital world, and I want that to be where it doesn’t diminish our sense of identity.
August 15, 2024 at 1:20 am
Magnus Holch
All I hear from our older generations are, “back in my day,” or “before phones existed we used to…” I work around a lot of older guys from the neighborhood that come in everyday just to talk to the owner of my store, me and my coworkers (like a barbershop) so I have these conversations about our new digitized world a lot. I honestly do not have a solid opinion about it, but I have many thoughts. One of the main things I tell the older dudes is how much easier it has made life, and how they should realize it the most because they have gone from no phones, to flip phones, to mini Ipads in our pockets. A lot of these dudes will come back with funny responses about how they are just trying to track us and our habits, which I don’t disagree with because of how advertisements use our information to show us products that they think we will like. I also think it’s a good thing for safety reasons and national security, but we don’t know who has these technologies and how it can fall into the wrong hands so easily, as we saw with the Edward Snowden situation. A lot of negative things are coming up about the people in power in America now so I can only imagine who is capable of using our digitized world in the wrong way. This is not the end of how far we are going to digitize the world, it’s only the beginning. That is what really scares me.
September 4, 2024 at 12:58 am
I remember the days before smartphones, Bluetooth, and the evolution of social media. Everyday life has definitely been simplified across the globe. We are more connected than ever before, and using technology as a tool to advance us as a society might come with adverse effects. It is interesting how our data is utilized for advertisement targeting, recommended content, and whatever else those in control choose to manipulate. You have a very good understanding of this!
August 15, 2024 at 2:31 am
Valdira Semedo
Self improvement
You and only you can make the change, or take the risks. We are not perfect, we all have flaws, but that’s ok, the most important thing is to recognize them, and want to work on them to improve. When it comes to you no one else can do those things for you.
We all make mistakes, but it is important to learn from them, and not repeat it again. The winner is not the one that doesn’t fall, but the one who falls and gets up again. It’s good to change and improve yourself.
Just like a fruit takes time to grow, we also take time to improve ourselves, it is probably the hardest part. We have to make sure we are giving ourselves all the supplies that we need to help us to grow such as: feedback, patience, hopes, optimism, confidence, trust. Change doesn’t happen overnight, and it will never be easy. Most valuable things take time.
You may take a hard time to discover a way to express yourself, emotions and thoughts. You are going to know what works for you and what doesn’t work, it will not only improve your relationship with yourself, but also with others.
It is hard to point out your own flaws and try to improve them, but when it is about others we are always ready for.
Being human is not being perfect, it is all about doing your best, and making sure you feel good with yourself. There are people in the world that are going to hate for no reason, yelling out their opinions, and it doesn’t matter how hard you work there is always going to be one person to complain. Do the change for yourself and only you.
There is always something about everyone to judge. But what’s the point if we already know. You really have to move on and accept it, it’s nothing that you can do with what people think about you. Sometimes we can’t make people always agree with our way of thinking, you can’t force nobody to understand you.
This is life, and these are those things that make you understand how important it is to improve yourself. At the end of the day you are the only one you have. Only you are there for yourself.
Don’t do for them!
August 15, 2024 at 2:51 am
Arianna L
As I was growing up I was surrounded by technology. From my favorite tv shows to my favorite movies. One thing that particularly became of interest to me was social media. The ability to talk to people all around the world with just one click of a button was something I found truly fascinating as a kid. However, as I got older, I realized how negatively social media impacted my life as much as it did the lives of many others. We would compare ourselves with everyone else just to try to fit into everyone else’s standards. The constant exposure to seemingly perfect lives made it difficult to appreciate our own unique qualities. As social media evolved, it just became a web full of negativity. Everyone would hate on people for the way that they looked if they didn’t match the current standards of beauty, which seemed to change almost daily. The pressure to present the perfect version of ourselves made it very difficult for us to truly be ourselves. I remember trying to take perfect pictures in hopes of getting alot of likes and comments to be like everyone else. But deep down I didn’t want to be like everyone else. I wanted to be able to be my own person. However, I’ve noticed that now, social media is getting better by gradually accepting people for who they are, even if they are different.
August 15, 2024 at 6:04 am
Erin M.
When I was a kid, all my interactions with the internet were cat compilations, what I saw my parents play on the Xbox, and Minecraft and Fnaf videos. It was enough for me; harmless fun, sometimes broken up by some traumatizing video that you return to years later, only to find it less impactful.
I think one of my parents’ biggest gripes was social media. They were worried about me getting too caught up in it, and I could see why.
– In places like Youtube, Twitter, and Facebook, you can see every aspect of the world in its purest, brutal form.
– The ugly backside of the worlds most important people being proudly exposed for all the world to see.
– Rant accounts with absolute zero self awareness.
– Every comment section, filled with bot advertising and scams.
– brain-melting content made to get you hooked with no real substance.
But then I found the tightly knit communities built under platforms like Tumblr, Discord, Matrix, etc. These communities shared passions, connected over shared interests, and built relationships that went beyond just online interactions.
The internet created a singularity of music where anyone can listen to almost any song ever published whenever they want. This is incredible considering before the internet, your music tastes were heavily influenced by what people around you listened to.
Artists can thrive in places like Artstation, Deviantart, Twitch and the tight communities I mentioned before.
You can find programmers showing off their stuff on places like GitHub, GitLab, Twitter, StackOverflow, etc.
Plenty of different places I can’t describe within the character limit.
All these communities for every person of every belief and culture.
In these little pieces of the internet, you can make your own little slice of heaven. To some, this is merely a pipe dream. For others, it’s a reality waiting to be discovered.
But what happens when we take that slice of heaven and try to scale it up? When we try to bring those communities together under one roof? That’s where problems start. Like it or not, people were designed to develop and age in smaller communities. When they clash, you get noise, you get conflict; just like how the world used to work, just cranked up a notch (maybe a couple notches).
I’ve heard people call those little communities “safe spaces”, said positively and negatively. It is true, these spaces do tend to create echo-chambers and can sometimes feel like they’re not representative of the real world. However, I think that’s what makes them so valuable. They allow us to be ourselves without fear of judgment or rejection. They give us a chance to explore our passions and interests without being influenced by external factors.
It just needs to be treated with care
August 15, 2024 at 2:22 pm
Cole Lema
I’ve spent a lot of my life on the internet. Like… a LOT. With that said, it’s clear I have a lot of experience online; I’ve got practically thousands of posts on twitter, reddit, and snapchat. I’m the family member who’s been deemed able to handle every tech problem that pops up (regardless of how qualified I actually am). And so on. Essentially, I like being online.
However, with being online as often as I am, you come to find negativity on the internet. And the longer you spend scrolling the more apparent this negativity becomes. At one point, people arguing over who the better artist is, debating pointless “moral” questions, and posting “ragebait” (posts made to anger people to garner more interactions), became the majority of my social media feeds.
When I realized this, I hit a sort of breaking point. Why am I spending so much time scrolling through posts that just make me so frustrated? I spent up to hours at a time stressing and arguing to no avail. What was the purpose? (here’s a hint: there is none!)
So how is this essay supposed to portray what I Believe in? Well, let me be clear. I Believe that just about anyone can benefit from a social media cleanse.
There’s a few ways you can go about it. However, in my opinion, you should just delete the apps. It doesn’t have to be permanent or even for any set amount of time. Taking a break and getting out of the habit of opening social media the moment you get bored can be good for improving your general mood and mindset.
August 27, 2024 at 1:48 pm
I agree with this whole-heartedly. A social media cleanse has freed up so much time that I didn’t know I had. Instead of scrolling for an hour after I woke up, I get out in the sunshine and take a little walk or get some other movement in. A cleanse has helped tremendously in making my life better.
-Peter S.
August 15, 2024 at 5:09 pm
Max V.
I used to believe that success was only about achievements such as grades, sports, and money. Growing up, I felt pressured to think this way because everyone around me prioritized doing well in school for future success. My family set high expectations, and when I didn’t meet them, it felt like a disaster. But over time, I realized that these things don’t always equal true success.
In high school, several experiences made me question this belief. First, I studied hard for an important test and still did poorly. It was a humbling moment that showed me effort doesn’t always lead to success. Then, I joined the rugby team, where I learned that success wasn’t about being right but about working together and adapting to challenges. Unlike in the classroom, the rugby field taught me that success can be found in teamwork and resilience, not just in winning.
These experiences opened my eyes to a new idea: success isn’t just about reaching goals but about the impact you have on others, the relationships you build, and the happiness you find along the way. As I begin my journey at UMassD, I believe my classmates and I can enrich our community by focusing on growth, open-mindedness, and connection.
As I end this blog I feel the need to leave you thinking about this: What if success isn’t just about what we achieve, but about who we become in the process.
August 16, 2024 at 4:08 am
I totally agree that success is mainly about who you become in the process, and I also believe that success can be measured in a variety of different ways. I find that it is best to measure success in the way that makes YOU feel like you’ve accomplished something. Success can be something as small as breaking a bad habit, or even creating a good habit.
-Anabelle J.
August 15, 2024 at 9:09 pm
David S.
Since I was in 3rd grade, I’ve had my own device that could be used to access the internet. Today, kids as early as kindergarten are being given their own IPads etc. that can do the same thing. When I was in kindergarten, I was playing Mario games on my Nintendo Wii or playing Minecraft or Angry Birds on my mom’s phone. I didn’t even know what YouTube was until 1st or 2nd grade. Once I discovered YouTube, however, it became my main source of entertainment other than my Wii. I remember watching countless amounts of content made by Markiplier, DanTDM, and Jacksepticeye, and videos on games like Minecraft, Five Nights at Freddy’s, and Roblox. Even now I still watch similar content to what I watched 10 years ago. Nowadays, kids are being exposed to vast amounts of content at an even lower age than we were. The internet has also changed drastically, and the humor and algorithms have been altered. Now, kids gravitate to shorter, colorful content such as toy unboxing videos and Cocomelon, or newer memes, such as Skibidi Toilet. They also play games like Roblox, Rec Room, and Fortnite, all of which contain toxicity in some areas. All of this exposure early on is affecting the minds of the younger generations. Some kids are glued to their screens, and are learning about stuff like curse words because of the games they play or the videos they watch. Their attention spans are also very low, seeing as the most popular YouTube content for them are shorts that all last less than a minute each or videos with Subway Surfers or Minecraft parkour gameplay underneath. I think parents should encourage their kids to do activities like playing outside, watching good kids shows, or giving them Legos, instead of giving them an IPad, Nintendo Switch, or Oculus Quest 2 at the age of 5 and letting them use it with no restrictions.
August 16, 2024 at 3:42 am
I think this is on point, I always notice my younger siblings on shorts or games for the whole day instead of going outside. I also notice that they tend to learn words quicker that they shouldn’t know for a long time. I think that kids having full access to technology with no parental controls in their way takes some of the innocence of being a kid away.
August 15, 2024 at 11:13 pm
Najah B.
I have fond memories of working as a teacher assistant at a daycare, where I had the pleasure of interacting with children aged 2 to 5 years old. I vividly remember the moments when they would gather around me on the classroom carpet, their eyes filled with genuine curiosity and wonder. Their tiny hands would reach out to touch my face through the lenses of my glasses, clearly fascinated by this simple act. The children took a keen interest in my appearance, examining the clothes I wore and the accessories I had on, showing an innocent desire to understand the world around them. They were particularly captivated by my naturally curly hair, often playing with it while asking questions about its texture and how I styled it. Their innocent and curious nature often left me pondering the pure curiosity and open-mindedness that children possess. During my time at the daycare, I observed that their curiosity is influenced by the digital content they consume at home or in daycare during quiet times. They often asked me random questions about what they saw in movies or videos, such as why certain animals look the way they do, how big the Earth is, or why they are so tiny compared to adults. It made me wonder about the impact of the digital world on children today. Looking at this from a different perspective, I could see that children are surrounded by the digital world, whether it’s watching TV or being on social media, and I’ve seen firsthand how much it negatively impacts the new generation of children. This made me think about why we expose children to the digital world at such a young age.
August 16, 2024 at 1:33 am
Tommy M.
The internet was once a place I turned to when I sought entertainment, a space where I could relax, explore fun media, and play games. It was a simple escape. However, as the internet evolved it gradually changed many aspects of everyday life. In the modern day, it serves as a crucial role for not just entertainment but also for accessing important information such as: news, education, and much more. Virtually anything you need or want to know can be found with just a few clicks.
This shift to the world being more digitized has dramatically changed the way people interact with the world. The rise of the internet in the modern era has sparked a new way of life where online access and connectivity are necessary. Tasks that once required physical effort, such as shopping, banking, or studying, can now be done online. The internet’s influence has reached the very core of how society functions.
Social life has undergone a complete overhaul. Meeting new people used to happen mostly in person. Whether through work, school, or social events. Now, with the rise of social media platforms such as Instagram, people from across the globe can connect instantly, often without ever having met in real life. Friendships, relationships, and communities are now built, maintained, and sometimes ended in the digital space. This shift has redefined what it means to socialize, creating both opportunities and challenges in a world where virtual and physical realities coexist.
September 3, 2024 at 9:00 pm
When I was growing up, my parents always told me stories about going out with their friends and meeting new people in person. I do not think they realized how fast the world had changed, and that many relationships are formed solely through online interactions.
August 16, 2024 at 2:13 am
Nathan B.
The power of modern technology has the potential to greatly benefit our society if we use it properly. Of all age groups Generation Z as a generation that grew up always having access to the internet should understand the utility it has to offer.
The internet allows individuals to store and transfer data in mass quantities, making the flow of information between people better than it ever has been before. The information users search for using the World Wide Web can assist with various everyday tasks by explaining how certain objects work, how to hone a particular skill, or help explore our curiosities. Overall, interacting with the internet to find information has the potential to assist a person in becoming well-rounded.
Oftentimes, people with niche interests who would otherwise be out of luck can form vast worldwide communities using the internet. Things often start with small groups finding each other while searching for information relating to their interests and hobbies. Eventually, these small groups will clump together over time. These communities often become hotbeds of discussion and push the development of their respective topic. I have personally gotten involved in some of the discussions in communities of amateur developers, virtual reality enthusiasts, and HEMA Fighters. Every community has different focuses, from learning to code to translating and practicing the work of Fiore dei Liberi. Though they all serve the purpose of connecting individuals interested in specific information.
Despite the benefits offered by these communities and the internet in general, many would make the argument that social media specifically has had a major negative impact on society. In many regards, I can agree with this sentiment, but the issues are largely caused by how the technology is being used. The internet like any other technology is a tool and it is up to the user to define their experience, and many people allow the technology to control them as opposed to them controlling it. Someone who chooses to use a hammer to hit a screw will have a worse experience than someone who decides to hit a nail. Knowing how to interact with the internet positively is crucial for anyone who wants to reap its benefits.
August 16, 2024 at 3:38 am
Howard M.
For as long as I could remember I have used devices, I think it stems back to when I was in kindergarten playing lego video games on the playstation 3 with my dad. I never received access to tablets, phones or more matured games until middle school, now kids of all ages get access to every device imaginable. I notice this in my own family, my cousin is only seven and he has a phone, tablet, playstation 5, and a pc. Why does a seven year old need all this technology, if I wanted something to do when I was younger I would go outside or play with toys. When I got access to the full internet I would only use it to watch youtube and play Minecraft now I catch my cousin and little brother using instagram, facebook and snapchat I never used those til I was in middle school. I notice that now kids start to learn curse words or gain bad habits from the internet and when they use these words and habits people have no idea who to blame. They need to start putting things in place to stop kids from learning bad habits and curse words, if they put screen time on the devices for all kids then these habits and words would not be as much of an issue then they currently are. Another solution would be to make kids go outside all the time and get an hour of screen time instead of an hour of going outside and then playing on devices for the rest of the day.
August 16, 2024 at 3:59 am
I used to believe keeping to myself was the only way I could save myself from looking weak or to exposed. When I kept to myself I felt peace from the outer wold as if I had this safe blanket on and no one could hurt or judge me.
Having this solitude can be a great tool for self building and help you grow with no distractions from the world. But this comes at a small disadvantage, I have come to learn from personally experience as a single child from a single mom. I’ve spent almost of my entire childhood “keeping to myself” and kinda just isolated from the world. I thought living like this was safe and nothing could interfere and I could grow and learn stuff as I pleased. But now that I looked back on it now I really had no good memories of growing up, it was mostly just me and my own thoughts and just trying to get by life without being noticed.
I know believe that I should’ve spoken out more and asked more questions and seeked the help that I desperately needed. If I could’ve talked to my younger self and tell him to break out of that isolated position and put my self out there I would. But I’m so happy that my belief on isolation has changed even though it comes with its advantages and disadvantages.
August 16, 2024 at 4:02 am
Anabelle J.
As a child I was very impressionable and hardly had any beliefs of my own. Anything anybody said or did I would pick up on. One thing that I consistently felt strongly about was never using the word ‘hate’. My mom always told me that ‘hate’ was a strong word, and that you could never genuinely hate somebody, and those words have ALWAYS stuck with me.
When I was 8-9 years old my mom decided to adopt my now brother. At the time I was extremely excited to have a baby brother, and didn’t know, or understand, the circumstances in which I was able to get a little brother. While working through adoption, I started to realize at a very young age what a scary world we live in. Who could abandon their baby? Why would they do that? I couldn’t understand these things at 9 years old, and witnessing a small glimpse of the real world opened my eyes to the many dangers all around us.
By the time I was able to understand what kind of world we live in, I started to understand why my mom never liked the word ‘hate’. Unfortunately, there is hate all around us. Along with adopting my younger brother, my family faced many other hardships, and I caught many more glimpses of the cruel world we live in. I can’t even begin to imagine what kinds of things other people around the world have had to endure. Witnessing even a small amount of hate has lead me to a lifelong dedication to speaking kindness and love everywhere I go. Although I truly do hate the cruel parts of this world, I believe can make it beautiful, and that is how I choose to inspire.
August 27, 2024 at 6:14 pm
That was really well said. I believe hate exists more as a terminology or force than as any one person. Sure, there are some real jerks out there that you might hate, but it’s nowhere near the sheer force or emotion of hate that the world can produce. That’s not to say there isn’t beauty in the world; the best way to see it is coming out the other side of hate.
August 16, 2024 at 1:54 pm
Case R
A belief of mine that has change is hiding and running from a life where people make or break your day is never going to benefit you. When you grow up having the ability to do so much based off the interests you have it can opens doors to possibilities and opportunities that project your future. Technology is something that people have used to create positive steps in society but can and have ruined the proper way to achieve success. When I first used social media it was something I thought I was safe in and could share to express myself instead of waiting to see people to talk about certain things. My mother always told me when I was growing up that “when you grow up you find out who your real friends are”. She was not only 100% correct but it stuck with me because of devices and things that show so much about who a person can be and how someone can go from being friends to secretly turning on you and sharing things on different types of feeds about your deepest secrets. There is hate and jealousy amongst all of us whether we accept it or not we can’t hold others to the same mindset of letting everyone live their own life. For me I used apps to communicate to my friends and luckily I have found my people who hav shown nothing but loyalty to me. There was a time where I was more than lost I was in disbelief because my friends only wanted to make my life worse and worse each day it was there entertainment around me. After time and time again I saw no way out and was scared to ignore them but what changed was my life. I started high school and I finally found a friend from an English class group and we clicked automatically. People can’t always change and no one can disagree that there is hate flying everyday the same way air flows on earth. Its always okay to reach out and never let your life be based off of others moods and trying to bring you down I’ve learned it so much and never thought it would change.