Short Story Project Information

I'm going to write a short autobiography about myself, as a senior student, getting ready for college.
I am going to do this on classtools website

Social Media Paper

“Newspaper… what’s that?” I feel like someday I will be having this conversation with my grandchildren, and they’ll think that I’m as old as a dinosaur if I say that news used to come to one’s doorstep every morning in a plastic bag. The internet, and social media, is going to be the inevitable extinction of many of the luxuries we know right now. For example, having a face-to-face conversation. With the implication of “Facebook Chat” and “Instant Messaging” it is truly more convenient to socialize with your friends on the internet. You don’t even have to go on dates in person anymore. Thanks to sites like eHarmony, the “awkward silences” that occur during a first date are no longer present. With all the benefits of social media, I think that the World tries to ignore the potential dangers that accompany an internet movement.

            One huge potential danger is cyber bullying. “Cyber bullying” is a broad term that describes any emotional abuse that occurs on an internet outlet. I’ve seen this numerous times on my Facebook News Feed, or even on Twitter. The internet is a great place for bullies to freely express their hatred for others, which often happens. Because the school can’t view the activity, these bullies often get away with it. I’ve heard of numerous suicides that have occurred due to cyber bullying of children.

            Another problem that can happen with a social movement is hacking. An elite group of intelligent vigilantes hold the capability to “hack” into another person’s computer server, and steal their information off of the internet. Some of this information includes people’s credit card number, social security information, and house addresses. All of these can lead to great danger and destruction in innocent persons’ lives.

            I don’t think the internet movement is all bad though, at all. Thanks to news moving to the internet, it is a lot easier to access from the comfort of one’s house. Also, opposed to a newspaper, on the internet you can choose what you read, and there are numerous outlets which will prevent you with information most essential to you. For example, if you want celebrity news, you don’t want to page all through a newspaper to find it. Instead, you can simply go on Google.com, and type in the search engine “Brittney Spears’ Cocaine Incident” and numerous tabs will come up from News Weekly, Time.com, ET, and more! It’s really a terrific concept if you think about it.

            Another great asset that accompanies social media is the ability to collaborate. For example, if you have a group project due in your English class and there is no time for everyone to meet, they can go to a website and all post their portions of the project on there in a collaborative setting. There are limitless possibilities to the expansion of social media, especially in its ability to allow for collaboration and accessibility.

            I think that if the internet is used correctly, then it can be a great tool for almost everyone. I do, however, think that there are a lot of dangers lurking behind every URL that you type into the search bar. For that reason, I think it’s necessary for new users of the internet to take a course which will guide them through the journey of social media, and social networking.

Blogging Free-write

I think the idea of blogging is great. It's basically an in-depth version of facebook status or "tweet." The only way that blogging really works though, is if you have followers. WHICH is not an easy task. Many teens, especially, are very disinterested in the idea of a blog because it sounds kind of stupid. Writing for no audience? But the truth is that anytime anyone writes, it's mainly for themselves. J.K. Rowling didn't write her first Harry Potter story for her audience, because she didn't even have an audience at the time. Writing can take you any place you want to go, and allows you to develop characters who can live the lives that you can only dream of. Writing makes you God. You can give life,and you can take life away. Also, you have the ability to dictate how any story, or anecdote, ends. I think every teenager, adult, granparent, WHOEVER should get into blogging. It's a great way of venting, and it allows your voice to be heard/read. Who knows, maybe your small-time blog will gain notoriety as you develop more interesting, or controversial, blog posts. It's cool to have your own website. I think anybody who has interest in the internet, writing, or both, should definitely get into the art of blogging. It's very quick and easy to set up a Blogger account, especially if you already have a Twitter or GMail username. I hope that my blog will someday gain some followers, and maybe people will catch on to the trend of blogging. If not, I guess I'll be writing to myself for the next couple months.... that's cool, too.

Social Media Free-Writing

I'm a little curious what the intentions of this video were. I think it was portrayed in a way that was supposed to startle us, and make us feel like we're losing ground if our companies, social experiences, etc. haven't moved to electronic methods. However, I do believe that the internet is JUST a fad. Let's look back many years ago, and I'm sure that those who invented the newspaper thought it was a real breakthrough. Now, the newspaper industry is losing a ton of money, because people hardly show any interest in the paper anymore. Electronic methods have completely replaced our interest in the newspaper system. I think that the same thing will happen with the internet within the next century. Technology is ever-expanding, and NOTHING is irreplacable, or unfixable. Soon we'll be able to talk to our friends through holigraphic visuals that we can hold in our hands. Technology really has no end to its capabilities. Yes, the internet is astounding. It's awesome that I can watch the episode I missed of Jersey Shore on MTV.com, and it's incredible that I can send personal messages in just seconds to people on Facebook. Still, there are a lot of flaws in the internet. Wireless routers are very inconsistent at times, computers are susceptible to hacking, and search engines aren't as accurate as we'd like. All of these problems can, and will, be fixed someday. We won't have to "connect" to an internet, internet will be installed into every computer, and it will be fed through the sun's energy. Although this FAD may last up to another couple centuries, technology will change. The internet will lose it's appeal, and inventors will develop even newer, and cooler, ways of presenting information.