Week 2

Topic 1

• List 3 people/organizations you follow and WHY

Well, I have had my Facebook since September of 2007 so I have been "following" some pages for quite a long time on there. I don't know if I actually "follow" them or if I have just liked their pages since Facebook is different from Twitter. I don't use twitter although I do have one that I made quite a few years back to enter a contest and that's it. So on Facebook, 11 years later, with thousands of likes I picked a handful that I see very frequently or seek out myself: New York Times, John Oliver, MSNBC, CNN, Elizabeth Warren, Jeff Merkley, etc. I know that's more than 3, but why not? On Instagram I don't follow as many news sources etc, but I do follow: "Everytown." I follow these groups, people, and organizations because I like to try to get factual, accurate, informed, timely, and sensitive information about current events and other such news.

(I was unsure if you wanted us to name famous people we follow, but I saw you posted U2 as an example, so in that case...) On Instagram I also follow one of my favorite bands: Fitz and the Tantrums, the entire cast of Supernatural because I love them, several cast members from GoT, Emma Watson, Melissa McCarthy, and etc. I follow all these groups and people in this list because I enjoy them and the posts that they choose to share with the world. 

• What's the best "tweet” or status update you've seen lately? In other words, what were you tempted to "retweet” or "like”? WHY did that stand out to you?

Honestly, there are so many many many sad, awful stories on social media that I see constantly. Because we see so many terrible things I decided to include two things I have liked on Facebook lately. The first two are not from any of the the big names I listed as following, but rather someone shared the first post and the second is a friend and networker for the dogs at San Bernardino County animal shelter. 

These two stood out to me because I love animals more than anything so anytime there's a happy or funny animal video, you got me. This video of this dog is just hilarious! Here's a link to that video if you so chose: 

https://www.facebook.com/NTDLifeOfficial/videos/789844604860336/.

These 4 underage puppies were saved just in time by a wonderful rescue from a high kill shelter in southern California, where I adopted two of my babies from: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10213902708059417&set=a.4000741974526.2147483.1160364024&type=3&theater

• Some experts talk about social media empowering people and strengthening democracy. Others aren't so sure, given a tendency to create our own "echo chambers." With your connections on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Instagram, Pinterest, Yahoo Fantasy Sports, Google+ or just through texting ... Do you feel social media has enhanced your ability to take action or participate in democracy, government or other activities? Discuss and give an EXAMPLE. Or spell out why you don't feel you need these social media, or even intentionally avoid them!

I guess it has, although this question is a bit hard for me. It's hard because I actually feel that with how strongly opinionated everyone has become and that they feel the need to share every opinion (with pages/people that could care less and never read them) I never want to share how I feel in fact I feel more like hiding then letting anything about me be known loud and proud. On the other hand its none of peoples business and honestly each and every one of us has an opinion on EVERYTHING, and no one really actually cares. Whether it's the page as a whole like CNN which isn't a living entity it doesn't go through and care what you wrote or that you exist. Nor do the people that work there. Unless people agree and even if they do they still don't care if "you" ever posted that or post again. Sorry to be so negative, but it's true. However, social media has helped in spreading awareness, informing people of gatherings, protests, petitions, and potential wrong doings by political leaders that we can't stop. 

  

Topic 2

• Sherry Turkle talks about us becoming more "connected" than ever before, and yet we may be setting ourselves up to become more isolated. Share your thoughts on Turkle's talk, including a few EXAMPLES. Have you, your family and others "reclaimed" areas of home, work or play for conversations -- or declared those spaces device-free zones? Have you taken steps to ensure that you are really listening to others?

I really agreed with what she was saying and more than I thought I would. Even though the video is already 6 years old which is worrisome, it still hit home in multiple ways."It's taking us places we don't wanna go," is one thing I definitely agree with. I have seen and read things I never wanted to be exposed to, those images and stories will never leave my mind. Maybe it's for the better though...to be prepared. Another quote she said was that we're "Hiding from each other," I can relate to that almost too much. My Facebook messenger is of great stress to me. I am not even sure why, but for some reason having those messages though and knowing I need to reply, but not wanting too. It eats at me and yet I continue to avoid it and wait longer and longer to reply if I ever do. That mixed with the next quote are why I just hide. "I'd rather text than talk," has also become true for me. I have NEVER liked talking on the phone and it's even worse now. People, including myself, like she mentioned in the video either are forgetting how to converse or never learned in the first place. For me, that's sad and the fact an 18 year old who would now be 24 "wants to learn to have a conversation someday," leaves me with no hope at all. The video was incredibly accurate, but left me feeling sad.

My family consists of just my mother and I. She still has a flip phone so she gets distracted by the TV instead. We talk a lot though and have always been close. I get on my friends about constantly being on their phones when they are over. Previously one friend had told me I spent too much time on my phone, so since then I have been very mindful, but in turn he spends much more time on his. Which I later pointed to some amusement. 

• When it comes to digital gaming ... How many games have you downloaded to your smartphone or computer? What games do you most enjoy playing (e.g. Fantasy baseball? Words with Friends? Candy Crush? League of Legends?) and WHY? 

I used to play The Sims on my computer like crazy, but the most recent was a let down and I haven't really been that into it for quite a few years. No other games on my computer. As for my phone I have 5 games downloaded. I have Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Pop! slots (which I downloaded to get more crystals on Wheel of Fortune), Harry Potter Mystery at Hogwarts, and a new one I just downloaded called Seekers Notes. Most of these games are just time consuming, mindless, and requires you to come back to tap a few things in a few hours for a few points. I downloaded them because while they are those things I mentioned its nice to just focus on some game or mindless task for a while. Also I like Harry Potter stuff and solving things in Jeopardy/wheel of fortune. 

• How many hours a week do you think you spend on digital gaming and social networking? Do you feel like you are part of an online community? Discuss that "community" aspect of gaming. Or maybe you're too busy with other commitments/interests in your life ... and don't see the point of wasting so much time online or on the phone ... Say more about that ... 

I spend absolutely entirely too much time on social media reading and worrying about things that are so far out of my control. I do not feel like I am part of any online community. Like mentioned in topic 1 I do not even like to share much of anything about myself anymore or any type of opinion because I just don't want to deal with the aftermath, any of it. I just don't want to. I need to be more involved in other activities and spend much less time worrying over all of it and being shocked by what I read in comment sections. It just really depresses me.