Wednesday, October 7, 2015

JN 201 Forum # 2

TOPIC 1


I wouldn’t call myself a social media addict, but I mean, I can’t go a whole day without peeking into the realm of the internet world.

I am always tapping back and forth between Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, Pinterest, and Twitter. I enjoy being on the inside of an international web.

While people may think that social media is a waste of time, or all about self-promotion and posting pointless status updates, I believe it is meant to be so much more.  It is a global connection, a way for us to share and interact on another level.

Instagram is, hands down, my place to procrastinate. Instagram is more than just selfies with Starbucks cups and cats. It may be self-promotion, but self-promotion doesn’t have to be negative. Feeling confident sharing pictures and life events goes beyond just wanting attention. It is place to be creative and share piece of yourself.

The other place I tend to spend a large chunk of my time is YouTube. It is my happy place. A place where I can dive into the life of a far more adventurous soul, learn how to perfect my eyeliner, keep up with current events, or just laugh until I cry with a Jimmy Fallon video.

A few of the pages that I follow on my plethora of apps are Jimmy Fallon, host of “Late Night”, Hannah Hart, a YouTuber and master mind behind “My Drunk Kitchen”, miscellaneous musicians and cover bands, actors from a few of my favorite TV series, and a bazillion others. I get a thrill out of being a part of their lives in a sense.

Social media has taken the world by storm in both good and bad ways. Musicians, artists, and activists are getting noticed in the blink of an eye.  Businesses have a new, more creative, way to advertise. It may involve a little self-promotion, but, to me, self-promotion and self-confidence go hand in hand.

In the video, “How Social Media Can Make History,” Clay Shirky makes valid and accurate statements. The technology, and advancement of media, has set off international innovation. A cultural change in the way society expresses one’s talents and differences. Even though, the media has control over what we see, if we can control the balance, then our feeds might have a chance of staying neutral, resulting in more understanding across the web.

Despite my closet addiction to social media, it can have its not-so-great aspects. Such as, the slander that gets tossed about, the narrow minded comments on politics, and the a-holes that set out destroy the perks of social media.

We all think in a different way, that’s what makes a person unique, but when person intends to discriminate over an opinion, that is when it becomes an issue.

Being behind a computer screen, a person can type, or say, anything. The internet can be a shield to the reality of hurtful comments. The mask that people put on before speaking words of hate does not hide who they, it amplifies them. Being anonymous on the internet allows some to face their true colors.

While for some this can be a mile stone to self-confidence, others are using it to wrong those with opposing views.

The internet and social media was intended to be a global connection, a place for creativity and renovation. Not a place for hate. Be kind, be creative.

#RealTalk

4 comments:

  1. Marina,
    I agree with you when you say "Being anonymous on the internet allows some to face their true colors." There are a lot of people who don't fit in socially as well as others, so the internet has provided a place where they can be themselves, even if it is anonymously. Hopefully, people who do this, can become themselves off the internet too at some point in their life. Good post!

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  3. Was YouTube not invented for teaching us how to perfect our cat-eyes? Ha Ha!

    I especially liked your quote "...self promotion and self confidence go hand and hand." That's deep, bro! Do you think one relies on the other, like self promotion relies on self confidence, or do you think that one exists because of the other? On one hand you can't really promote yourself without confidence, but on the other hand you wouldn't really need the promotion if you were already confident.

    Great post!

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    1. Thanks Kate!
      I don't necessarily think that people post based strictly on the idea of self promotion. BECAUSE... Confidence goes far beyond just posting on Instagram or Facebook. Just because someone has enough confidence to put themselves out there online by posting a picture of their perfected cat eye, doesn't mean they have confidence on a day to day basis. You know what I mean? It's a small, small step towards finding your inner assurance.

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