My Relationship to Technology Through Social Media (Final Project)

My Relationship:

I have used social media for a good chunk of my life. It is something that defines my generation. There are three platforms that I use the most, however, and those are Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. 

Instagram:

The first social media I ever got was Instagram. I was in the fourth grade and a friend of mine asked me why I didn't have one. I went home and asked my mom if I could download the app on my galaxy tablet (a hand me down from my brother). She said yes. My older brother helped me make my first ever social media post, a picture of my cat Sophie. I remember feeling so cool for finally having an Instagram of my own. 

The longer I had one, the more I wondered why. Why did I feel so happy because I had social media? Well, I got to learn more about the world. The Instagram discover page showed me all these amazing posts from around the world. Collaborative learning is a big part of the internet. I got to find out what my aunt who I never see does on a daily basis. I got to learn about my family and friends. 

That's a positive of social media. But, I also experienced the downsides firsthand. 

Something I have dealt with nearly my whole life is a struggle with an eating disorder. Starting from such a young age, I experienced how social media affects eating disorders. Photos can be edited so easily. I learned that from editing some myself. It's easy to present an idealized version of yourself to the rest of the world. It's also easy to focus on the idealized version of others. 

On Instagram, you can search hashtags and see all the public posts with them. An example of some hashtags I used to look at in the heyday of my eating disorder:

#weightloss #weightlossjourney #bodygoals #lovemybody #bodysculpting #bodybuilding #dieting #dietbody #summerbody #summerbodyready

These are all real hashtags that people use. And there are even more out there. People will create posts that will encourage unhealthy body standards and images, and promote disordered eating. Not to mention that there are ads made that actively push unhealthy eating habits disguised as 'real diets' that Instagram allows. Photos of realistic bodies or healthy eating habits are less likely to show up on the discovery page.

It's been researched and shown that high social media use is directly linked to increased chances of developing an eating disorder. 

The other downside I've personally experienced is cyberbullying. 

It started out as a joke. I'm sure that's what everyone involved said. But, it kept happening. So many posts, and all of them telling lies about me. Cyberbullying has awful effects on people, something I know firsthand. Some of the effects include:

- increased anxiety and/or depression, low feelings of self-worth, suicidal thoughts and tendencies, increased risk of eating disorders (especially with girls), difficulties sleeping, physical symptoms such as headaches or nausea

It's pretty awful. People cyberbully because it's easy to post something and hide behind the wall of the internet. You can call someone a bad name on Instagram while hiding behind a phone and fake account, but saying the same thing to that person when you actually see them isn't that simple. Before social media, if you were being bullied at school, you went home afterward and it stopped until the next day. But now, it's a constant thing in your life. Cyberbullying goes past middle school and high school. It's something that can last a lifetime now. 

But there are positives to social media. Instagram has its perks. Like pages promoting recovery. I created one of these pages, in hopes of helping people who are going through the same things I used to. Now I can help people through something that once hurt me. 

Snapchat:

I normally don't really use my Snapchat for traditional purposes. Occasionally, I'll send a photo or post something on my story. Usually, I go and watch people's stories, or look at makeup videos which takes a good chunk of my day. But I have never really understood it. The reason I got one in the first place was because girls in my middle school said it was uncool not to have one. So I downloaded the app as soon as I got home. And then waited anxiously for all the kids at my school to add me back. 

Snapchat has its cons like all social media. The filters on the app distort faces which is negative to a person's body image. People use Snapchat on average more than other social media, checking in on average 20 times a day. It shares your location with other users, putting people in potential danger. 

But, of course, there are pros. Sometimes you get a memory from two years ago that makes your day. The app allows for creativity. You can also easily reach out to people, and meet new people from suggested adds. Overall, I've always enjoyed Snapchat, or at least the little amount that I use it.

TikTok:

TikTok is a new social media. I do not use it to post anything, but I would say I spend the most time on TikTok out of any social media. It's so easy to scroll for hours on end. TikTok has a lot of good things about it. 

TikTok fuels creativity. It allows people to create skits and videos that they write and perform themselves. It encourages acting, dancing, humor, and other things. It can also lead to a collaboration like with 'houses'. Creators come together and make shared accounts where they can collaborate and have fun. 

TikTok, however, has many negatives. Of course like with every social media, cyberbullying, body image, depression, jealously, addiction, and more. But something TikTok does that's very dangerous is how it works with copyright, specifically music. 

An estimated 50% of music on TikTok isn't copyrighted. The music industry freaked out when TikTok first launched because of this. To appease them, TikTok made several deals with record companies to stream their music. However, many artists did not fully agree with this. Now, artists are losing money in streaming because of TikTok. Studies show that artists are taking home 12% of their royalties. 

But, many artists are also getting discovered because of TikTok, like Olivia Rodrigo. She released a song that hit #1 globally. Now artists are getting the chance to prove themselves to record labels before getting signed. If someone reaches a certain amount of streams due to TikTok, they are practically guaranteed at least a meeting. which is a new amazing to find artists. 

My Relationship pt. 2:

I have always had strong opinions on social media. I think that there are a lot of negatives. But I also see the good. I see how it brings people together. I see how it tears people apart. But I know that social media is something that is engrained in my life, as well as the lives of others. I understand it's a given in today's day and age, and I accept that. 

But I still have a complicated relationship with it. I'm trying to do good with social media. I think that with social media, people have to take active steps to improve it. People must commit to helping make it a safe virtual place, instead of how it is and can be. I believe enough people have taken these steps to ensure internet safety and inclusivity that one day, social media can be a safe place for all. 

Why Write Anti-War When You Can Write Anti-Glacier? After All, the Government Will Silence You Less (Anti-War)

 In 1969, Kurt Vonnegut published his famous dark comedy anti-war book, Slaughterhouse-Five. One of the greatest lines in this book touches on the futility of writing an anti-war book, "there would always be wars, [and] they were as easy to stop as glaciers ... and even if wars didn't keep coming like glaciers, there would still be plain old death." 

Glacier 

Being anti-war is a strange thing. I think very few citizens are actually pro-war. I dislike war, and I wish it did not have to exist. But some wars, such as fighting against Nazis, I think are justified. However, being anti-war is something that should not be silenced. Yet, that is exactly what the U.S. government continues to do. 

A fine example of this is WWI. The former U.S. President Woodrow Wilson was reelected in 1916 under the promise of keeping the United States out of World War I. Obviously, this did not happen. Wilson entered the U.S. into WWI to “make the world safe for democracy.” However, all that anti-war sentiment did not disappear overnight. So Wilson took the step necessary to make the American public agree with him. 

This started with The Committee on Public Information (CPI). Wilson created the committee to change the American public's opinions on the war. They used posters, political cartoons, radio broadcasts, pretty much whatever they could use to persuade the public that the smartest thing would be to fight this war. And for the most part, it worked. 

A pro-war poster made by the CPI

 

However, not everyone fell for it. So what happened to them? Prison mostly. To quote Martin Luther King Jr. "If I lived in China or even Russia, or any totalitarian country, maybe I could understand some of these illegal injunctions. Maybe I could understand the denial of certain basic First Amendment privileges, because they hadn't committed themselves to that over there."

I've started looking into the websites antiwar.com and The American Conservative. I am shocked to have never heard of these websites before. I liked The American Conservative's platform and layout better, but both websites are very professional and well-made. So why are they not easier to find? What is the government trying so hard to hide from us? Why have they imprisoned anti-war citizens? 

All these questions are ones I will continue to ask and never stop searching for. Because unlike the U.S. government, I am not pro-war. 

The Romanovs: Russia's Last Royal Family and the Mystery of Anastasia (additional post)

I believe that knowing history, true factual history, is one of the most important things a person can learn. I also believe that everyone should have a niche so speak when it comes to history. A topic or time, even a person that they learn about and feel passionate about. I have several, and one I have always loved discussing is the downfall of the Romanov Dynasty in Russia and how it led to the communist nation of the USSR. 

Peter the Great

The Romanov family was the Imperial Dynasty of Russia, ruling for over three centuries with eighteen Romanovs taking the throne during that time. The family first came to power in 1613, with Mikhail Romanov taking the Russian throne. He later took the name Michael I. The family had many notable leaders including Peter the Great and Catherine the Great. 

Empress Catherine the Great

The family met their downfall under the leadership of Tsar Nicholas II. Tsar Nicholas II's rule was a time filled with social unrest. He was considered by the public to be a very weak leader and was distrusted by many. He and his wife Tsarina Alexandra, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, together have five children, Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, and their one son, Alexei.

The last generation of the Romanov family

The most famous member of this last ruling Romanov family is the last Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov. While Anastasia herself never rose to power and was not even first in line for the throne, she has become one of the most well-known members of the Romanov family. When the family was executed in July of 1918, rumors began to circulate that she managed to escape. 

Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov

Because of the family's dwindling power, they began to sew prized family jewels into their clothing as a way of hiding them. The rumors stated that these jewels protected the Grand Duchess from the gunfire that killed her family and that she was able to flee. Over the years, many women have claimed to be Anastasia Romanov, the most famous being Anna Anderson. Anderson was one of many who claimed to be Anastasia, however, she was the most famous. It was later found out she was actually Franziska Schanzkowska, a Polish factory worker with a long history of mental illness. 

Anna Anderson, an Anastasia Romanov imposter

Sadly, Anastasia was killed along with the rest of her family in 1918 in the city of Ekaterinburg early on the morning of July 17. The family was awoken and told to dress. They were taken to the basement of the house they were staying at along with a few servants that remained loyal to the family, and Anastasia's pet dog. The family was then lined up as if they were about to have photographs taken. Soldiers opened fire and killed everyone. 

But how did it get to that point? What did Tsar Nicholas II do to make the public hate him enough to execute his whole family, including his seventeen-year-old daughter? 

Tsar Nicholas II was a poor leader. He rose to the throne in 1894, following the death of his father Tsar Alexander Alexandrovich. Nicholas II never wanted to become the Tsar, and even confessed that fact to close friends. He had very little understanding of the affairs of the state. 

Tsar Nicholas II

One of his first failures as the Tsar was the way he handled the Russo-Japanese War. The war began when Japan launched a surprise attack against Russia on February 8, 1904. The Russo-Japanese War has at times been referred to as World War Zero as it set the stage for WWI and even WWII within the Pacific Theater. 

Tsar Nicholas IIs other mishaps include his poor handling of Bloody Sunday. On January 22, 1905, dissatisfied workers lead by Georgy Apollonovich Gapon, a radical priest, stormed the winter palace in St. Petersburg. The imperial forces opened fire against the protesters, killing and wounding hundreds. Outrage broke out throughout the country and people everywhere rioted and went on strike. Rather than addressing what had happened, Tsar Nicholas II promised he would instate Dumas, which are representative assemblies, to work on reforms. Tsar Nicholas II left Russia in 1915 to help lead the failing Russian Army front in World War I. 

Bloody Sunday

In 1916, Rasputin, a cleric that was close with the Romanov family, was murdered. Many hated him, but Tsarina Alexandra kept him close because she believed he could cure the youngest Romanov, Tsarevich Alexei, of his hemophilia. Many considered Rasputin to be a charlatan and were wary of his influence and power. 

 Grigory Efimovich Rasputin 

Vladimir Lenin, leader of the radical socialist Bolsheviks party, seized power in Russia during the Russian Revolution in November of 1917. Lenin established Russia as the world's first communist state. The Romanov family was sentenced to house arrest and sent to Serbia. In 1918, the Romanov family was sent to Ipatiev House, a merchant’s house in Yekaterinburg. Following the Russian Revolution, a civil war between the Bolshevik “Red” army and the anti-Bolshevik “White” Russian broke out. The White Army began to advance, so the Red Army held a secret meeting and sentenced the imperial family to death.

The Ipatiev House

And so, the Romanov family was killed in the basement of the Ipatiev House. In 1991 a mass grave was discovered holding the remains of Tsar Nicholas, Tsarina Alexandra, and the three oldest daughters (Olga, Tatiana, and Maria). The missing bodies of Anastasia and Alexei added to the rumors of Anastasia's escape and survival. However, in 2007, a second grave was found and DNA testing confirmed that two of the bodies belonged to Grand Duchess Anastasia and Tsarevich Alexei, bringing the tragic end to the mystery of Anastasia.