Growing up in a society where social media is a huge part of people’s live, the topic of protecting our privacy is certainly relevant. Many people may be unaware of the fact that their are a myriad of ways for us to protecting our privacy on different social media websites. One of the first ways to achieve this is by making sure that everything is password protected and making sure that you don’t save the password onto your computer. Although people might think it is convenient to save passwords onto your laptop or computer, it can also be a hinderance on your privacy because whoever gets onto your computer will be able to gain access to the accounts that you saved your password to. Another way for us to secure privacy on social media is obviously to turn on the private setting. Social media accounts such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook offer a privacy setting. This means that your account will only be visible to those that you allow to see it. Facebook goes the extra mile with this by making it this way for everything that you post. Any post that you make on facebook you can modify to only be visible by certain people regardless if you are friends with them or not. The biggest mistake when it comes to privacy protection is giving out personal information. Be mindful of what you post and when. you post. These different social media cites have the option of allowing others to see your location which could most certainly be dangerous in some cases. One of Snapchat’s newest features involves a snap-map that let’s people know your exact location. Turning these settings off would be extremely wise if you are worried about others seeing where you are and what you are doing. These are just a few of the many ways that we can protect our privacy.

The use of media in our everyday lives is becoming almost impossible to live without. We use it to communicate, work, and entertainment. Children, teens, adults, and senior citizens use technology in their everyday lives. In the United States, technology is becoming a bigger necessity throughout the years. For example, my school district gave all the teachers and students starting in first grade iPads to use and keep for learning purposes only. This shows that for the generation and for future generations everything about technology and our society will continue to become advanced in media. Adults across the United States use technology for work and business. They have meetings over video chats and use computers to show statistics and graphs. Technology is often used for recreation in our nation but is becoming very important among technicians in the medical field and helping communication for people with disabilities as well. 

The United States is one of the leading nations in the world for technology use. We seem to use more media and technology than most other countries. For example, when my friend went to Haiti for a mission trip, she told me she had seen very little technology being used among the people. The people who were well off were only seen with flip phones or game boys. This shows how are nation is moving along much faster than a lot of other nations. 

Mental health diagnoses are on the rise as well. Many people think it is linked to the use of social media. Social media sites such as Instagram and Twitter only give the user something to compare themselves to. The popular people on social media sites are most likely using filters and editing sites to make themselves look like something they are not. This causes teens and even adults to set unrealistic goals for themselves causing many different types of mental health issues. Media can be very helpful, but when used in the wrong ways can take a toll on people.

Hello, this is my blog. This is where I will be posting my opinions and interests about this course. Stay tuned!

As an eighteen-year-old college student living the in 21St century, I use social media every day. The first thing I do when I wake up is go on Snapchat and check my Instagram feed. Before my professor comes to class, I check my phone, walking back to my dorm I am constantly looking down at my phone not paying attention to my surroundings. Phones nowadays are used as an escape from the real world and to get out of social interactions. I would say I enjoy being on my phone, but I would not say that I am addicted to it. I know when to put my phone away. For example, with my grandparents, at dinner, church, and important events I am attentive and interact without the need to be on my phone. Sometimes I wish I could have grown up in the 1970’s or 1980’s when technology was just coming out, but it was still limited. I watch on Netflix the series That 70’s Show, and times just seemed a lot simpler. The characters were not glued to their phones, but instead they did other activities around the house, outside, or drove around for fun. My mom grew up in that same time period and would always tell me about what her and her friends would do for fun. I wish my friends and I would go for a hike or go bowling, but instead we go to one of our houses and watch tv or go out to eat and spend money. Throughout high school my experience with technology was pretty normal, but at the same time is was also very stressful. Girls were always posting on social media about their boyfriends and girlfriends, or the latest gifts their mom and dads got them, which put a lot of pressure on me to keep up with everyone. Overall, I believe that social media can have a positive and negative influence on my life but there are ways we can improve and advance. 

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton