Like And Subscribe

In today’s day and age people normally communicate via the internet. Whether it be direct messaging, public posts, or text messages, the internet is involved. There is however a different way of communicating that my generation has adopted known as the “Like” system. People in my generation seek constant validation and the feeling of being accepted. By posting pictures or videos of themselves they can achieve the feeling of validation and being noticed that they are seeking. The more likes you get, the more you want to post. The dopamine from each like feeds into that need to be validated. Thousands of people thousands of posts every day, some get millions of likes, some get tens of likes. No matter the number, people continue to post on their quest for validation. The internet has become such a constant part of all our lives its basically like my generations second language.

In my opinion and the opinion of many others, social media is double edged sword. When everyone can say what they want, when they want, in a safe anonymous way the world can become quite a toxic place. On the other side, it can also be a very safe and inviting place. The internet can range from a place that lowers a person’s self esteem and can destroy their reputation, or a place where friendships are formed and people can even form life long relationships. The world is a very strange place, some places are dangerous, some places are a safe haven. The internet is exactly like this. As long as you are careful about what you share and where you go, no harm should come to you. But if you go into the wrong part of the internet it can be very dangerous to one’s mental health, cyber safety, or even physical health depending on where you go and what you do. People say that the internet is forever, and for the most part, this is true. Something you post as a general opinion could be very upsetting to someone else or even a group of people. Most of the time nothing will come from this other than a simple argument. Regardless this is one of the main reasons why I don’t post anything on the internet. I thoroughly believe that anything and everything can be used against to you some degree so when it comes to the internet I tend to remain on the scroller side of the spectrum.

All in all when it comes to this class, it has to be one of my favorite. In all 4 years I’ve been in college, this class has got to be in the top 3. The content was so interesting and the videos and movies we watched were very insightful when it comes to mas media. The class was so interesting I didn’t even mind the weekly blog posts. Being able to write about anything I wanted that pertained to the topic discussed in class was very enjoyable. The best thing about the class has got to be the professor. Dr. Schlegel is one of my new favorite professors. He was energetic, entertaining, and he always made me happy to come to class. I enjoyed his teachings to the point where I am taking another one of his classes next semester and I am very excited about it. What was your favorite thing about the class? What is your stance on social media and the internet?