When I was a kid, I had a simple life and then technology evolved. I remember when My parents had the computer room and then thin computers came out and so they had no use for the large, clunky computer anymore. They decided to set it up in my hutch so I could use it with like homework I guess.

I thought it was cool having one of these in my room considering all my friends thought it was cool but I had no idea how to use it. I don’t even think I had the internet until I told my parents. I would just use the drawing effects built in the computer when I got grounded and my phone taken away.

Once I got the internet, I used Google all. the. time. I was so weird because I would just look up things like cartoons or things to draw and just draw looking at a computer screen for hours. I would spend my weekends watching Saturday morning cartoons with my brother and once that ended I would go up to my room and draw and draw. I guess its good that I’m an art major, otherwise that sounds lame. But after I realized there is more to the internet than Google, I had friends who told me about Skype and I did that for a while (I could never use the camera though because my computer didn’t have one.) I wasn’t allowed to get a MySpace even though my bestfriend and her older sister had one so social media didn’t interest me much. That sums up my relationship with the internet until I got a phone that had the internet and I didn’t need the computer anymore. Now I have matured, all I do is look things up and get on social medias.

(These are not in order!)

Orange is the New Black

This show gives you a look into what a women’s prison looks like and what exciting events go on inside. The show follows fellow inmate Piper Chapman from before prison with her normal life and her husband to her life as an inmate. She was put into this situation from her not so normal past and familiar faces come to haunt her while in the prison. You meet fun, unique characters and get to learn about them as you watch more. This show is a good time and leaves you wanting more after every episode. It’s also based on a true story. Unfortunately this season will be their last.. Watch it so you can understand how hard it is to let this show go.

One Tree Hill

This show is an absolute classic. If you haven’t watched it, you are missing out on a family you never knew you had. Unfortunately it is no longer on Netflix so I’m not sure where you can experience this magic. It follows the lives of 20 something “teens” and their dramatic lives with struggles and triumphs that leave you crying for no reason. Everyone I know who has watched the show loves it. From high school to the last game, you will grow with these characters in ways you didn’t think were possible.

You

If you like suspense and somewhat love stories, you should watch “You.” It follows the life of bookstore worker, Joe Goldberg who comes across a fellow customer and to him, its love at first sight. He becomes obsessed and eventually tries to win her over by stalking her and finding out her life. He does everything in his power to “read her mind” or in other words read her texts and peep through her window, to make her happy, and to get rid of anyone who gets in his way so that ultimately they can be together forever. I will leave it at that because there are so many twists and turns that leave you unsure how you feel about the characters. Definitely a must watch.. but maybe not for a first date.

Riverdale

This intense for no reason show, follows teenagers of Riverdale and all the spicy hidden secrets of the town. This show is full of suspense, mystery, and good old fashion friendships that overthrow all the problems they face. The first season is dark and exciting but doesn’t compare to the other seasons plots twists and adventures. This used to be comic has evolved into a show that has everyone wanting more. If you’re interested, you can find this on the CW (older episodes are on Netflix.)

The Act

I have no words to describe this show for its odd storyline and cruel killing based on true events. I have been looking forward to this show since I saw the trailer. I watched all 5 episodes out within the day; I couldn’t stop. It is all about Dee Dee, mother of the very ill Gypsy. Her mother claims to care for her “sick” daughter but has health issues of her own considering she lies about her daughter and just about everything that comes out of her mouth. Gypsy eventually figures out her real age and her not so real health issues, later on pushing the limits of trying to get the freedom she’s never had. I would highly suggest watching this show, it backs up all the hype everyone has been talking about. Find it on Hulu!

I am going to start off with saying, I am not a fan of podcasting. I haven’t tried it till now but I am not doing this again. If I want to listen to something it will be a nice book audio or music. I don’t want to listen to someone with their personal opinions and bad jokes. This may also be because I am currently listening to “Very Really Good” by Kurtis Conner. He is talking about how he got burned on his vacation in Mexico because he put on expired sunscreen. I picked this because I liked the art and seemed relatable. I was mistaken. Also how do they ramble for so long? I’m saying this because this podcast (and like others I looked up) are so long, this one is 44 minutes. I could only take 7 and a half minutes.

On a different note, podcasting started as far back as the 1980’s known as “audio blogging” but was officially podcasting in 2004 due to iPods and portable audio devices being created. Now over 115,000 people podcast up on the internet and in 2017, a survey said 42 million people listen to podcasts above the age of 12 weekly at least. No thank you. I don’t know any of my friends who listening to podcasts.

I think by reading this article, we find that Netflix is changing the game with showing other movies and creating their own. Their argument against Spielburg was that ” we want to share films for others who can’t afford to and if there isn’t a near by theater.” They never called Spielburg out but it was known because of his problem with how they don’t have movies in theaters and he believes theaters should be apart of people’s life. He also said “I think theaters should be around forever.”

In the open statement, how has technology changed films? I feel like it has changed everything. It changed the way they were made, the equipment to make it easier and nicer, the special effects, and also in the way movies are distributed. You can now use many different websites like hulu, netflix, amazon prime, and I’m sure more will be created in the near future because of how successful these websites are. There is the old fashion going to the movies but there is even new technology 3D, there are online tickets to buy to make it easier and you don’t have to wait in line, I mean it goes on and on.

Technology has changed the world in just about everything we do. I think it is very helpful and yes convenient but I also think some are a little extreme. When I think of advanced technology for anything I think of that part in Wall-E when everyone is in those floating things so they dont have to walk and screens in their face so they are constantly occupied. In my mind that is the worst thing that could happen but that’s just me. In film, I think these upgrades are nice but it’s only a matter of time till there is something newer and faster.

I don’t think this is ever ok. As a young girl who use to look at herself in despair because when she looked at the magazine cover girls, she didn’t look like any of them. I use to not eat in middle school and wore baggy sweatshirts to hide my body because I wasn’t thin and confident in my size. I didn’t know that these girls were already photoshopped and tweaked to look how the makers of the magazines wanted.

I feel like girls want to look like superstars/ models in the magazines. They want to feel beautiful and popular no matter how ridiculous the newest trend is. I remember when crop tops were so cool in middle school and I was heavier right there where the skin showed. I would go to Forever 21 with my best friends and try them on time after time and never liked the way I looked in them no matter how hard I sucked it in. I used to read magazine articles on how to lose weight in 20 days and see the picture of these itty bitty girls who in all reality didn’t even look like that.

This problem isn’t just something to brush off. It makes girls feel horrible about themselves and give us an unrealistic expectation.

I believe technology is changing the newspaper drastically. Some in my opinion are beneficial, others not so much.

The pros to online newspapers are you get all your information at the click of a button to your convenience. There isn’t waking up at the crack of dawn to walk outside in your house road to pick up the paper that may or may not be there. There also isn’t slobber and holes in the paper from your dog retrieving it. (Ok, that one is a stretch but I’ve seen it happen.) It is changing the way we get information as a culture. It is so instant and quick that we find out things and have time to prepare or brace ourselves. For example, if there is an earthquake in the next town over at an awkward hour how will we know it’s coming our way? In online news it is instant and you immediately get a message on your phone alerting you and headlines talking about what to do and where to expect it.

The cons to this fast and simple fix are that they take a lot of jobs away. People who want to work, write, print, and ship are all jobs that are taken away at the drop of a dime. People who have worked years doing what they do are being ripped of a job they earned and worked hard to get. Another con is people who write online newspaper are different from newspaper writers (in my opinion). I feel like newspaper people are older in how they write and write about. I just feel as if online is more modern and speaks to a younger audience whereas regular newspaper has an older audience.

In my newspaper habits, I read all my articles through snapchat. I also read Daily Mail which is usually updates on celebrities, and events such as Oscars, court with celebrities, and so on. I also watch Stay Tuned which is NBC news shown on snapchat. It is the top stories and something light at the end to lighten the mood. I read articles from other random and smaller news or entertainment news posts. I look at them everyday and that is how I get my news. I also get on Twitter for updates on what I watched for more in depth information and what everyone is saying about it.

While interviewing 3 people including my Coach, Teammate and Mother, I have gathered up quite a difference of information. For my first Interview, I had my teammate and roommate Elisabeth Latham answer some questions for me. She wasn’t very in depth but she does like to read and go to bookstores to get physical books.

1. How many books would you say you’ve read in the past year?

• 4

2. Why do you read?

• Sometimes for entertainment, sometimes for school

3. When do you usually read?

• Usually at night

4. What kinds of books do you like to read?

• biographies, autobiographies, drama/romance

5. What, besides books, do you like to read?

• the newspaper

6. What is your favorite book?

• “Night” by Elie Wiesel

7. How often do you read?

• Every other night

8. Have you ever read an e-book? Explain why or why not.

• Once for class, I don’t like it.

9. Do you think reading will be important for your future? Explain.

• Yes, because I think reading books leads to wisdom.

10. In general, how do you feel about reading?

• It’s a great mind easer.

The next interviewee I had was faculty member, Coach Wheeler. She is an assistant coach for women’s basketball.

1. How many books would you say you’ve read in the past year?

• I’ve probably read 35-40 books in the last year

2. Why do you read?

• Leaders are Readers. I’d like to think I have a growth mindset, there is so much to be learned from others and books are a great avenue. I read for personal and professional growth.

3. When do you usually read?

• Typically I read at two times the day. In the mornings and when I need to refresh my mind.

4. What kinds of books do you like to read?

• I read a variety of books. The majority are self-help and leadership at this stage in my life. I consider the Bible both a self-help and leadership book. I also really love classics.

5. What, besides books, do you like to read?

• Besides books I read a lot of journalism articles on various topics.

6. What is your favorite book?

• Tough question. Bible is #1. I love The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton and my favorite basketball related book is Standing Tall by C. Vivian Stringer and Laura Tucker.

7. How often do you read?

• Typically 2 to 3 hours a day of reading.

8. Have you ever read an e-book? Explain why or why not.

• I’ve tried ebooks a few times and I do not enjoy it the same.

9. Do you think reading will be important for your future? Explain.

• Reading is the future. It allows the expansion of our thoughts. It forces us to quite our external voices and go within ourselves. I believe it’s one of the best way to share knowledge and invoke conversations.

10. In general, how do you feel about reading?

• I feel very highly towards reading.

My final interviewee was my mom Erin. She is an RN and has two beautiful children in college and a loving husband who runs a Ford dealership.

1. How many books would you say you’ve read in the past year?

• 3, currently on the 4th

2. Why do you read?

• Interested in topic or person, for a pass time

3. When do you usually read?

• Down time, toilet time

4. What kinds of books do you like to read?

• Real life, autobiographies, non fiction

5. What, besides books, do you like to read?

• MAGAZINES, I love articles!! Currently reading Time Life, Secrets of a Marriage. Love Nursing journals

6. What is your favorite book?

• To Kill A Mockingbird, Great Gatsby (first books I really ever read and understood the imagery) Little Women, that was my favorite as a child, Mamere (her mom) read it to me in full probably 5 times in my life.

7. How often do you read?

• Daily

8. Have you ever read an e-book? Explain why or why not.

• No, I’m not tech savvy, and I like paper.

9. Do you think reading will be important for your future? Explain.

• Yes, mind body spirit knowledge for my job, am also reading the Bible for the first time.

10. In general, how do you feel about reading?

• I come from a family where people read books with 500-1000 pages, from the time they could read. I don’t. I read for different reasons, and have short attention span when it comes to reading for pleasure.

I have learned a lot from interviewing these people in my life. I felt like people didn’t read anymore and that I was the only one who still did it for fun. I realized that the people I surround myself with enjoy it as well. I think for the very reason of the twitter poll and results I got from my interviewers, that the book industry will never stop making books out of paper. People probably wouldn’t read anymore. I feel like there is an understood personal connection with books that cannot be recreated.

In my personal opinion, I feel as if violent tv and video games lead to children who are familiar with this angst and violence. Now I’m not one to say absolutely no video games or violence but I do feel like the ratings for the games are there for a reason. I think with age you should start introducing such games if they want but I also think if you want to get out your anger, you should try sports. There needs to be a healthy way to get out what you feel, I don’t think that way is playing with guns or fighting if you’re mad. I feel like what your kids see and absorb at a young age has an effect on their brains later on.

The American Psychology Association says Children may become less sensitive to pain and suffering of others, may become more fearful of the world around them, and may be more likely to behave in an aggressive or harmful way towards others when seeing violence on television. Since video games are fairly new, there aren’t as many studies on it. Though in 2010, a review by psychologist Craig A. Anderson and others concluded that “the evidence strongly suggests that exposure to violent video games is a causal risk factor for increased aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, and aggressive affect and for decreased empathy and prosocial behavior.” ( https://www.apa.org/action/resources/research-in-action/protect.aspx )

Back in the 1960’s there was a study where researchers showed preschoolers a video of an adult playing with an inflatable doll. In the video, the children watched as the adult sat on the doll, punched it in the nose, hit the doll on the head with a mallet, and kicked it repeatedly. After watching the video, the children were brought into a playroom with the same doll and lots of other toys. As predicted, the kids who watched the aggressive video imitated what they saw—they beat the doll with a mallet, and they punched and kicked it. What was most surprising was that the children found new and creative ways to beat up the doll, and they played more aggressively with the other toys in the room as well. This was their argument to why there are now many school shootings and aggressive behavior towards other students. ( https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-baby-scientist/201801/violent-media-and-aggressive-behavior-in-children )

The use of traditional media has drastically declined while all around media is at an all time high. This outstanding phenomenon is all thanks to the beauty of technology advancement. Want to watch a decent movie in your home but don’t want to drive out to pick up one or pay expensive movie theater prices? Netflix has your back! Talk about the movie on Twitter to give feedback or suggestions for the next one. Then take a photo to post on Instagram so all your friends know you’re not actually “busy.”

All I used to do on my Blackberry back in the day was take low quality pictures, text my friends if I could come over, or look up things for an emergency (I wasn’t allowed to use all the data.) Now I use my phone for absolutely everything. It is my calendar, alarm clock, high quality camera, flashlight, laptop, xbox, and so much more. I am so dependent of it because if I lost it I wouldn’t just lose one thing, I’d lose everything. I think the future of technology is bright but in all reality, what else could they possibly add to this box I carry everywhere I go?

My media use for today has been pretty low (because I’ve missed school and am so behind it’s not even funny) and I had class all day. I have been on my phone for an hour and 43 minutes today. I would just like to point out I have textbooks on my phone and that has a lot to do with today. 42 minutes were social networking, 25 was under reading and reference, and 9 minutes of creativity. I picked my phone up 7 times per hour and got 72 notifications. This is also how I watch the news, read articles, and get inspiration (I’m an art major.)

First of all, I had no idea how important mass media was to our society. I now know about screen time and it worries me about how much time I am consumed in my phone. My average from last week was 2 hours and 26 minutes and that is 25% lower from the week before when I first found out. I tried to only use it to look up things and in crisis when I’m walking and don’t want anyone to talk to me (we all do it.) I learned how dependent we are of them. We use them as our safety blanket.

It is insane to see how people are actually glued to their phones. I tried this game where if I am out to eat with my team, I don’t pick up my phone and every time no one speaks because they are on their phone, I take a chug of water (to help me drink more, I need something to encourage it.) I drank 3 glasses before our food even got to the table. I learned how people would rather scroll through a feed than create conversation.

In another aspect of media, I came across a show on Netflix called “You.” I binge watched it and learned a couple things. If you don’t know what it’s about, it involves a guy who works at a bookstore and has love at first sight with this girl and he stalks her through her media and following her around. Certain red flags went off because of how easily he found out all her information. Locations, privacy on accounts, using a pictures background to find where someone is, mutual friends and finding even more pictures not on their profile. I mean it doesn’t stop. I thought about how much information we put out there without even realizing it.

A while ago, I heard something about facebook hearing what you are saying and will pop up ads for you to purchase them. I got scared because a lot of the stuff that pops up on my instagram feed will be similar. All I talk about with my friends are how much I want a ring and puppy. I kid you not, I get websites for engagement rings, fashion rings, and rings trying to give stuff away. I mean it doesn’t make sense. I looked it up and read about someone having the same experience and it was spooky! (https://medium.com/@damln/instagram-is-listening-to-you-97e8f2c53023) I learned that if you talk about something enough, Instagram or facebook will find it for you lol.

After finishing “You,” I thought about how in a way, we all stalk people. I mean once we meet some one we like or want to get to know, what do we do? Go straight to their social media! I can know their birthday, where they from, where they work, their hobbies (that they choose to show), they style of clothing, and so much more. I stalk immediately even if I don’t know their social media, I’ll just look up their name. Now I wouldn’t consider that stalking but if we all do that, doesn’t it take away things to talk about like on a first date? I mean, I feel like we don’t even do that anymore. People just text and kind of “talk” and then date. I don’t understand. I learned there is a line in knowing things about people online but at the same time, if you didn’t want people to know, why put it out there for anyone to see?