COMMENTS :)

1) http://kathriver.blogspot.ca/2015/10/is-tv-dead-most-people-have-tvs-in.html

2) http://natbloggerazzi.blogspot.ca/2015/11/when-ads-buffer-i-suffer.html

3) http://ryanwardasm.blogspot.ca/2016/01/why-you-always-lying.html#comment-form

4) http://mwcommstudent.blogspot.ca/2016/03/are-our-schools-safe-are-they-supportive.html?showComment=1459855995965#c4086172860897311894

5) http://notbetterthanfreewifi.blogspot.ca/2016/03/controversialelebrities.html

6) http://productionsofap.blogspot.ca/2016/04/the-government-is-probably-spying-on.html#comment-form

The Influence of Technology

Social media can be seen as both a good and a bad thing. It is good because it is a way of knowing what's going on in the world and showing your world to others. It is bad because it is a distraction, and it may exceed one's privacy. Social media and electronic communication devices have made a huge impact on my life and has changed some of my relationships. The amount of people that I consider "friends" has drastically increased. But, since I'm on my phone all the time, my parents believe that all I ever do is text and communicate with others, making our relationship slowly weaken. One thing I know for sure is that I don't let technology affect my relationship with my teachers or school work for that matter.

For the most part, no matter how much I support social media as a teenager of the 21st century, I know that it has done nothing but shape my relationships negatively. In order to make sure that social media doesn't end any of these relationships, I will make sure to interact more, especially with my parents. Also, I will keep some secrecy in my life by not posting what I'm doing 24/7 and I can differentiate between my real friends from those I know from the internet.

Though electronics are beneficial for students and for work purposes, there is no need for students to be bringing their cellular devices to school and there is no reason why social media websites shouldn't be blocked by the school board. School is a place for learning, so no one should have any issues with this movement. The only electronics that should be allowed are laptops and calculators, if the students do not have a laptop or computer then they should be able to use the ones that the school provides. There are many ways to maintain the positive sides to technology, as we should.

Some rules and regulations administrators should apply so that students are not detrimentally affected, should include:
                1. Cellphones should be turned off during school hours
                2. Laptops/computers are the only devices permitted at school
                3. If caught with a cellphone or being on any form of social media, consequences will occur

Misbehaving Celebrities

Speaking from a Justin Bieber fan's perspective, there are many reasons as to why I put up with all the bad things he has done. First, everyone fails to remember that he was 20 years old when he first got arrested. As portrayed in movies, 20 year olds are known to lash out and be wild. I believe that people think of Justin as such as bad person only because his bad actions are publicly announced. Are we supposed to punish him for being a typical 20 year old? He is currently 22 years old, and touring the world for the album he just released last November. He hasn't done anything "illegal" for two years now. We look past his mistakes because we have faith in him getting over them, and he has proudly proved that to the world with hard work and dedication. Kanye however is a grown man, and I cannot provide insight on why his fans continue to love such an arrogant person, because I am not a fan of his and anything I say will be seen as biased.

When celebrities and other public figures do something shameful, they have to pay for it the same way if not more than the average person. There are many news reports of celebrities getting arrested, this is one of the way in which they are punished, just like the average criminal. If anything, they pay it more because it does damage to their reputation, and they have to live with the public embarrassment. What more can we do to them? We cannot control who is famous and who is not, just like we cannot control who makes mistakes and who doesn't. Celebrities are humans too, and just because they are known, doesn't mean that they need to be punished more than any other human being who commits a crime or does anything illegal.

Everything put out to the tabloids although mostly true, isn't everything. For all we know, celebrities have similar or the same consequences as others who get caught with illegal substances, or break the law. The celebrity culture may have elevated in a sense that we still look up to them and forgive them, but we fans are all individual and we don't necessarily forgive them because they are famous, but because of what we know them to be. Fans are people who support celebrities and help them live the life of their dreams, this doesn't mean we would do anything for them and I believe that more people need to start realizing that. Though celebrities may get a little bit more special treatment, it doesn't make anyone bad people for initiating or being that.

If Not at School, Where Are We Safe?

As stated in the article, "Schools are intended to be safe communities where members protect and build one another up rather than tear each other down".  Personally, I feel protected, welcomed and safe within my school environment. However, it is evident that there are people within other schools who are acting out, simply because of their mental issues that aren't being attended to. The simple answer to what schools and communities can do to avoid these acts of school violence, would be to become more involved in the students' lives and help out whenever possible. The reason that this is the simple answer is because it's the first thing that comes to mind, but this does not mean that it's the easiest. There are many students who have issues but do not wish to talk about them with guidance counsellors, let alone the people they know and trust. I believe that the only way to truly avoid situations like these is if teachers and parents work together to make the student feel comfortable sharing what they are experiencing, without making it seem like an interrogation. 

At Mary Ward, there are several people within the staff whom I feel comfortable enough to tell about any issues I or anyone I know is involved in. This includes my TA, my dance coach, my previous Flag Football coaches, and obviously the guidance counsellors. We are told to approach our guidance counsellors with any personal issues that we may have, which is why I used that as the more obvious example. More importantly, there are many students who aren't necessarily close to any teachers; these are the students we may have to look after considering the amount of loneliness they could be feeling. Also, the administration at Mary Ward are extremely understanding and helpful, so they are one of the services provided. 

After thinking about the students who have limited teacher bonds, I believe that a new service that could be provided to help students being bullied, is student communications. Since no one quite understands teenagers like teenagers, why not let them help each other out. The way it would work is similar to Kids Help Phone in the sense of calling anonymously, except you would be speaking to people within your community that you may have seen once or twice in the halls. It would be run by   trusted students, preferably grade 12s, willing to help other people and trustworthy enough to keep everything they hear to themselves. For the students currently unable to speak with the adults at their school, this service could be extremely useful and could potentially prevent any other school violence incidents. 

Is the Internet a Liar?

I am a strong believer in intelligent sayings with deep meaning. This article is based on whether or not what people read on the internet is true, and why we believe everything we read or see on it. A saying that relates to this scenario is, "Believe only half of what you see, and nothing that you hear". I have always admired this quote simply because it speaks so much truth. If you see something yourself, you should have no other reason to doubt it than because you don't know the full situation. In terms of what you hear, you shouldn't believe any of it because everything starts from something and you never know just how long that information has been passed on before it's reached your ears.

There were several problems with what was discussed in the blog post. Not necessarily about the way things were written but with the content being talked about and how right it is. Memes are made by people with nothing better to do with their lives and seen by people who are looking for the newest things to talk about. I find that memes are completely irrelevant and somewhat dumb. I am guilty of falling for things that I see on the internet, but then again what teenager doesn't? From the perspective of someone who constantly is on the internet, the amount of things I read and hear about makes me wonder why people are doing what they're doing, both the people observing and creating.

Believing things that you see on the internet could lead you to spreading information and looking dumb when others tell you it isn't real. Regardless of what you use the internet for, be it entertainment or school purposes, consuming wrong information could affect anyone without them realising it. If people are so quick to believe the first bit of information that they read then they clearly must not imagine the person who created the information. What if the person was bored and wanted to start conflict, or if they wanted something to happen so they're acting as if it did; none of this is taken into consideration.

The 6 steps in Matt Novak's article are extremely helpful and though they may not completely eliminate people from reading false information, they will help people differentiate the real from the fake. I'm starting to rethink everything I know from the internet, everyone else should too.

Youtube Ads - I Wouldn't Pay.. Would You?

Advertisements on Youtube can be so annoying! Especially when you want to show someone something and you had to wait for Youtube to load, and then on top of that waiting for the ad to finish? Recently, Youtube has come up with the option to skip the ad after 5 seconds; but,  this option is not provided with every video. Having the option of not sitting through unnecessary advertisements would be a great, I would even be willing to pay a fee for it. However, having to pay a monthly fee of $9.99 is a bit drastic.

There are many innovative ideas that are currently being offered in the marketing place. This means that people are spending their money on different things that they may see as "useful", when they really aren't. The $9.99 people would be paying each month would add up to $119.88 a year. This money could be put towards essential expenses, which most wouldn't take into consideration during their purchases.

Netflix is about $10.00 a month, but it has so much more to offer. For example, they provide a one month free trial, which allows the buyer to test it out and see whether or not it is worth subscribing to. Also, Netflix itself has a variety of different tv shows and movies, which makes it even better. I believe that if Youtube offered the same type of idea it would have more customers. Another way to get more people interested in this service could be starting off with a one time fee of something around $5.00. From there, once people notice how convenient it is, the service will expand and the demand will increase. That would be the best time to charge people a monthly fee and increase the price.

Therefore, although I am 100% on board with this idea and think that it is reasonable, I still think that the price and promotion need to be negotiated in order to satisfy peoples needs. If all the marketing tactics are set up properly, this service could be extremely successful.

Is TV really dying??

The development of the 21st century is revolving around technology. Everyone's new goal is to have easy access to your daily activities from the palm of your hand. Everything is being made so conveniently that you can now bank, set alarms, tell the time, scan business cards, and last but not least, watch tv, all from your smartphone.

Many people use the television as a way of family bonding. Even if it's once a week for a one hour show, it's still time that families use to be able to spend with one another. However, with the creation of things such as Netflix, Apple TV, Shomi, Crave TV and Youtube, it may seem as if this once a week bonding time is optional, and that it may reduce.

I believe that if it's already been made a tradition in your family to watch the show together, that it won't be ruined just because it can be watched at another time. For those who haven't established this tradition or don't have a family to watch with, they may find it easier to use these on demand sources so that their lives don't need to be scheduled around television shows.

Netflix, Apple TV, Shomi, Crave TV and Youtube can all be accessible through the television. Even if someone decides that they don't have time to be watching television at a certain time anymore, they and whoever else they may want to watch with, can do so at any time that is reasonable for them and still on the television. Personally I enjoy watching tv with my family, and although I am now able to watch whatever I want whenever I want by myself, I will still continue to watch as a family and keep one of our limited ways of bonding, maintained. Therefore, TV time is not dying, but what may be is regular cable.