Social Media: Your usually not talking, So why is it Social??

To be totally honest, social media has not really had a big impact on my life. Actually, it depends on what kind of social media we are talking about. If we are talking about Facebook or MySpace, then no, it really has no impact. The only things these sources do for me are allow me to set up dates with my girlfriend or set up events for me and my friends. Other than that, all they do is enable me to chat with people that I could otherwise just call on the phone or go visit. All it seems to be is a site that is loaded down with games and other marketing tools that try and get you to spend your hard earned money on stuff that you may or may not use once and then throw it out because it would cost more to ship it back than the product is worth. This is why I do not understand how some people can sit on the computer all day, every day and just play around on the computer and then complain that they do not have enough money to pay their bills. I think if you use it properly, then social media can be a very good thing. It has helped me a little bit. I have been able to stay in contact with old friends from Georgia. I used to know a ton of people when I lived down in Georgia so I thought it was kind of nice that I was able to continue with our friendship. All in all, I guess I can say that social media has not had an overwhelming impact on my life. It has had just enough of an impact for me to enjoy the one hour a week I actually do use it.

Social Media and Internet Censorship in schools

When someone says social media, what do you think of? Do you think of Wikipedia, Facebook, and MySpace etc.? Some people may forget that the majority of most news websites are considered as social media. According to thesocialpath.com, social media refers to any and all communications in which the individuals shift fluidly and flexibly between the role of author and audience. In other words, if you are able to edit a webpage freely while also reading what others have posted, then it would be considered social media. In almost every high school across America, the use of any type of online social media is strictly forbidden. That goes the same for Alden High School. There are many different viewpoints to this issue. Some teachers and parents believe that social media in the classroom would be an “effective distraction.” This basically means that it would probably help some students accomplish their assignments, but for the majority of students, it would be more of a distraction. Other teachers and parents think it would be a great opportunity for students to expand their communication skills. With social media, you can usually chat with people who are editing the same page you are. Personally, I believe all of the blocks and restrictions placed on the internet by Alden staff are getting to the point where it is ridiculous. I know whenever I try to research a topic for class or something, I always find a good looking site that has all of the information that I might need. Then I click on it and find that it has been blocked. Understandably, some sites definitely need to be blocked, but I think it takes common sense to know that when looking at national news articles, it should not be blocked as personal pages/weblogs (http://168.169.1.108:81/cgi/block.cgi?URL=http://bigpeace.com/jfconnor/2010/12/02/terror-mastermind-seeking-release/&IP=172.23.38.246&CAT=WEBLOG&USER=IPGROUP&CE=0). Some students think that knowing what is going on around them in the world is very helpful. They can no longer get updated as effectively as they would at home because, i.e., this school blocks any type of opinion based pages. So yes, I believe a small part in the censoring of social media in school, but I disagree with the majority of the stuff they censor and block.

What does the year 2011 hold for me? Well first, I hope it holds my high school graduation. I could not picture myself not passing my senior year. All I have are blow off classes so if I fail, that is bad. After I graduate high school, I am going to chill for the entire summer. I am going to do everything that I want to and nothing that I do not. Usually I work over the summer, but this year is different. When the new school year begins on September 6, 2011, I will be boarding a plane the same day to go to Texas for my very own basic training. I am in the Delayed Entry Program for the Air Force and I will be leaving the same day that everyone else starts their first day of school or college. So if everything goes good this year, I will be celebrating two graduations, although they are both drastically different from each other. First my high school graduation and then my graduation from Basic Training. If both of these events happen this year, I will be set because I already have my job for the Air Force. I already know where I am going to be going to school and how much I am going to be making. 2011 also holds another big event in store for me. The senior trip. I have been looking forward to this event ever since they began to talk about it. We are allowed to room with anyone we choose so it is going to be a blast. All in all, the year 2011 is going to be bigger and better than the previous years of my life for one simple reason: I can finally walk out of the High School and begin the rest of my life!

My 2010 year went pretty smoothly, with only a few bumps along the way. It started out with the ending of the 09-10 school year. That was pretty sweet because that meant I was going to be a senior by the end of the year. I got pretty good grades so that made my year a little bit better. I held a 90 average throughout the entire year which is higher than any of my preexisting averages. I also stayed out of trouble at school for the most part. I got into a couple situations which directly impacted my referral count for the year 2010. That was my parents biggest thing about this last year was the trouble I get myself into. I think if I remember correctly, I only received an invitation to the principal’s office twice, but out of those two times I ended up getting into a lot of trouble. It only happened twice in 365 days though, so I see that as an improvement. Other than that, my 2010 year was fantastic. Over the summer, my brother left for the Air Force, so I got to see him off. We waited eight weeks until he graduated basic training and then we went down to Texas to watch his graduation. Other than the extreme heat and insane driving, it was a wonderful visit. I think the bad driving had something to do with the amount of visitors there were so it crowded the roads. Overall, I guess I can put the 2010 year under the category of awesome. Everything I wanted to get done, I got done and anything I wanted to achieve, I pretty much achieved. I passed my junior year, watched my brother graduate, and lived through another summer. Let’s just hope this year is the same way!