What other choice do we have?

Today's world is a weird one, with so much strife going one, corruption, scandals, wars, genocides, hunger, poverty, etc. there is so much wrong that is out of our control. Yet, we decide to hear about these things and do nothing about them.

Most people today get their information online through a website article, or through an ad on social media. Yet we truly underestimate, how much of our information is getting leaked, but do we care?

Realistically, most people don't share super private information over text through Facebook, unless they're inn their 50s+. As for me? I'd rather speak face to face with those I have to tell something personal too so THEY don't go out and say it using screenshots or whatever.

I'm not too concerned with the level of information of mine that's getting leaked unless it's credit cards, social security numbers, driver's license, etc., but those things are super valuable, and quite difficult to replace. I don't think people knowing my address is too big of an issue until people start showing up at my door.

I think we as a society are too caught up in what we DON'T want people to know rather than what we WANT them to know. We're so afraid of what can harm us, where we should be celebrating what can help us, and not live in fear or concern of what we think the internet is doing to try to attack us.

I understand that it can be a little weird when you get ads about what you've been thinking about, but is it really that bad, I mean, if you need it you can go get it quickly. I think we need to take a step back and determine what really makes us upset, and what society SAYS we need to be upset about.

Besides, what else are we going to use for worldwide news? Its not like there's another internet...

Whistleblower vs "Whistleblower"

Last week a classmate described the difference between a Whistleblower and a "Whistleblower." this differentiation was pretty eye opening.

With the Trump impeachment hearings currently going on, there's a lot of talk about "whistleblowers" appearing in the White House, but it's an important distinction to make.

A Whistleblower is a "Federal employee who reports wrongdoings to better the system, and they are protected under the 1989 Whistleblower Protection  Act (WPA)"

A "Whistleblower" is "a federal employee who reports mismanagement for a political agenda." 

These differentiation's are quite important, so we understand how true some of these statements are. It's super frustrating to not know who you can trust, because of political corruption.

This fact demonstrates why doing personal research is so important. With all the biased news going on today, we need to understand the unbiased side of the story as well.

Alternative Media

What is Alternative Media?

"Alternative media are forms of media that differ from the current established mainstream, whether it be by content, format, or distribution. Alternative media can be print, digital, audio, video, and so on. In today’s society, anyone can have a platform from the comfort of their own homes, a luxury that was not available before the internet and modern technology.”

Alternative media is generally blogs that aren't like the ones I write. Alternative media online are normally very opinionated and lean towards one side of the other depending on political parties.

Some may be very neutral in what they write about, but most are not so neutral. I stumbled upon a couple that are different in their own rights in terms of where they stand.

One was a strong anti-war blog and the other a libertarian site.

I found both of these to be quite interesting you often don't hear much based on these view points which is part of the intrigue about alternative media. We often hear the main points of contention from big sources like FOX or CNN, but these other sites give us some insight into other viewpoints which should help better our understanding of the world and our issues.

Is our online privacy really private?

The debate of online privacy has been a hot topic issue in media ever since the world found out about Facebook's dark secret of the myriad of information they have taken from people for years. This should come to a shock of no one, but it has, and since people are so shocked about this issue, I'd like to explain all the other media outlets that take and use your info for their own gain.

It's almost foolish to believe that while on the internet you can act anonymously and do and say things you normally wouldn't. I can relate this to being around friends, you can say things to them that works within the context, but if a certain button is pushed, they'll be able to use it against you without the context.

So, companies can assure you that they are protecting all your info, but without the context they're only using your info to attract ads so that the website you love can stay afloat. TV and Newspapers do this all the time, as they request certain ads to be put on their networks by using their data collected from their customers.

If people knew this then they'd not be as upset because its TV and they could just move elsewhere, but because it's the internet people suddenly lose their minds.

"Facebook has revealed 30m accounts were affected in a data breach last month. The company said hackers were able to access personal information for nearly half of those accounts.

That information included name, relationship status, religion, birthdate, workplaces, search activity, and recent location check-ins. The company had initially said 50m accounts were affected."

The Rise of the Planet of the Social Medias

In 2007, Mark Zuckerberg changed the landscape of the internet forever with the introduction of Facebook to the public.

In 2019, we have Facebook, but we also have Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, and so and so forth. so what created the boom of the social medias, and why are there so many today?

Before Facebook, there weren't really social media sites, and if there were they were quite closed off and exclusive to friends. An example of this would be MySpace in the early 2000s before Facebook arrived. MySpace was a social media platform, used to connect with friends, but you had to know your friend's username to connect with them.

Then, Facebook came along and made it so that you could search up any name and get back thousands of results, ultimately changing the landscape of social media to actually be social. Today, Instagram and Twitter largely overwhelm the social media platform, and its how I have met several hundreds of my classmates at High Point University.

This illustrates perfectly the Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations and Ideas to a tee. you have the Pioneers, like MySpace, the Early Adapters, like Facebook, and then the Late Adapters, like Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat, before the Laggers of Reddit and Tumblr.

Myspace was only launched in 2003. Friendster gave inspiration to the founders of Myspace, and the social network was officially sent live on the web in January of 2004. After its first month online, over one million people had already signed up. By November of 2004, that number grew to 5 million. By 2006, Myspace was being visited more times than Google and Yahoo Mail, becoming the most visited site in the United States. In June of 2006, it was reported that Myspace was responsible for nearly 80 percent of all traffic related to social networking sites.

So maybe instead of Facebook, let's credit the real pioneer of the social media era, MySpace

One of Eight Values of Free Expression

Today, I will be discussing my personal pick for free expression, which is Promoting Tolerance.

In the last 20 years, there are more and more groups emerging everyday, from different sects and walks of life, that already existing groups have to become more tolerant and accepting of. I think of this in terms of the world being similar to a college campus, many different types of groups having to co-mingle within the larger society that they are apart of.

When thinking of emerging groups in the last 20 years the easiest one to pick out is the LGBTQ community, who's attendance has skyrocketed since the late 90s, but more and more people still are unable to accept the fact that there are multiple sexualities and orientations.

Gallup's LGBT estimates are based on those respondents who say "yes" when asked, "Do you, personally, identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender?" Extrapolation to the latest census estimate of adults 18 and older in the U.S. suggests that more than 11 million adults identify as LGBT in the country today.


While many people may not like the fact that more and more people are coming out as members of this community, we all should be accepting, because they did the same for us in whatever capacity it takes. 

So, as a country, WE need to be the ones to make belongingness be for the people by the people, so that we become a stronger nation.

Gen Z and our desire to tell more that we let on

Youth culture today is quite different and more stranger than what has been seen in previous years with the addition of technology and social media.

I've heard multiple people say that "youth culture is more about telling people you've had fun or are having fun rather than actually having fun."

This is certainly the case in my opinion. I've seen many friends put videos or pictures online talking about what an amazing time they had an event, but when speaking to them they talk about what a boring/not fun experience they had. 

Additionally, we are more concerned about what others perceive us to be rather than actually, what we are. 

This fact doesn't go without a price however. Oxford did a study which stated, 

"Teenagers graduating from high school in 2017 across the global North and much of the global South have always known smart mobile devices, social media, and YouTube, near-constant data surveillance, the ability to Google facts as needed, and texting, messaging, and posting as part of the regular rhythms of daily life. While many statistics have been collected over the years about the time that adolescents spend immersed in media, the general impression is that most children and youth are more involved than ever with media technologies and content. A new area of children’s and youth media has emerged in recent years."

The inability to tear away from our phones has crippled our ability to make real world connections and live life to the fullest, and live in the moment.

I think that we should try to implement some system of limit on screen time for children and teens so that we can create real relationships and connections that last for lifetimes

Does the Internet do more good or bad?

Over the past 19 years, the internet has grown into a monster that can never be taken down. The internet is useful for a plethora of things but it can also be detrimental in some cases.

The internet can be used to communicate with the rest of the world and see different cultures or connect with a friend from middle school.

The internet however comes with downsides as in recent history the internet has turned into places that are used for harm.

Recent studies show that cyber bullying has risen exponentially in recent years and is only getting worse.

With sites like Instagram and Twitter cyber buying has become more widespread and harder to prevent.

Studies show that "The number of children and young people tormented by online trolls has increased by 88% in five years, according to a report by a leading children’s charity. In nearly a third (31%) of counseling sessions for online bullying, children and young people talked about gaming or social networking sites as platforms for abuse or humiliation."

It's upsetting to see that the internet is a place where people have to hide from others instead of branching out to meet people around the world.

If cyber bullying would cease then the internet would be safer and more enjoyable as a whole.

Censorship in Wartimes

Throughout the course of history, free speech tends to become censored during times of war, especially ideas speaking out against war. Why is this the case?

There is no simple answer to this dilemma. If anything, war is fantastic for the economy and stabilizing politics so that both parties HAVE to work with each other to keep the country from going under. 

But then, there's another side to war. The harsh reality is, war is deadly. Probably the most deadly thing man can do is go to war, yet we as humans are almost drawn to it as soon as an inconvenience comes up. 

America thought the right idea to fight terrorism was to go to the Middle East and kill innocent men, women, and children, while only killing a few terrorist groups. 

Not only are there moral issues with the war in the Middle East, there is also a financial burden that has caused the US TRILLIONS in debt, just to kill people.

• "The U.S. wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Pakistan have cost American taxpayers $5.9 trillion since they began in 2001. The figure reflects the cost across the U.S. federal government since the price of war is not borne by the Defense Department alone.The report also finds that more than 480,000 people have died from the wars and more than 244,000 civilians have been killed as a result of fighting. Additionally, another 10 million people have been displaced due to violence."
• Despite all these facts, people are still scared to speak out against the war, as it could ruin their political careers, indicating an unspoken censorship and allowing the US to continue its unwarranted involvement in the Middle East. 

Is taking down Confederate statues a violation of Free Speech?

Back in 2018 there were times of civil unrest as the United States was involved in a racially divided country. Earlier that year, innocent African Americans were being killed by white police officers what seemed to be every day.

As a result of this, talk of the Civil War came up, and with it the reminders of confederate generals in the south. Many southern states, including North Carolina, were scrutinized heavily for keeping confederate statues in place. Even the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was under fire for one of its statues as well.

"Unrest continues this week on the campus of North Carolina's flagship university after university leaders proposed a new, $5 million building to display the Confederate monument known as Silent Sam. The monument stood at the entrance to UNC campus until protesters tore it down in August (2018)."

This move was so controversial as the "Silent Sam" statue had stood at UNC for almost a century, with little to no problems while it was there.

After the situation had cooled off, the statue was put back in its place, and life continued like normal. But one question still remains, did this act of tearing down the statue violate free speech?

In one word, Yes. The tearing down of the statue was infringing on the rights of those who support the confederacy to this day. Without the statues, they lose that voice in stating their opinion on the matter and can only use their words, not symbolism.

While this act was not done directly by the government, tearing down the statues still negatively affected how and where supporters of the confederacy could state their opinions.

Why is football on Sundays almost like a national holiday?

Ever since the invention of television, football has been at the forefront of sport and TV programming, but why is that? in recent years the sport has been on a decline in popularity as far as participation, but still remains one of the biggest sports in the world despite this fact. So, why are people so why are people so infatuated with the sport?

For as long as I can remember, football has been my life. Going to games every Saturday or watching them every Sunday. I loved the sport so much that I even played for 11 years of my life, despite the risks of the sport. Something about it was so appealing that my world did and still does revolve around this sport every fall.

Even if football is not the World's most popular sport, the Super Bowl still rakes in about half a billion views per year throughout the world no matter the teams. More importantly, the National Football League, NFL, brings in about 9 billion USD per year, with that number only set to go up. the most important stat is perhaps why. Football teaches a variety of skills that many other things or sports cannot. Team work, hard work, and determination are only 3 examples of the qualities learned in football.

Football teaches individuals all about the fruits of hard work and perseverance whilst also teaching about the importance of standing up and taking responsibility. The physical aspect of the game is also important but the mental side of things also plays a prominent role in driving a team onto victory. It’s the combination of all these components that make football such a popular game amongst the public. This is all highlighted by how exciting it is to cheer your favorite team to victory and there’s nothing like being at the game in person.

The excitement people get when they watch a game is something unmatched in the entertainment world and that speaks a testament to what football can do for those who search for excitement in their lives.

Without this game many would not have the thing on Sundays that really drives them and they follow and just watching a game can pump someone up so much they are content for a whole week until the next week.

Would Banning Video Games Really Stop Shootings?

As we all know, recently, there were two mass shootings last in late July to early August in 2019. As to the cause of these shootings, motives are somewhat scarce, but the conversation always seems to go to, "video games cause shootings." There may be some reason to believe that these violent images may indeed lead to violent actions, but records show no evidence of this being the truth. Instead, should the conversation not go to gun control, or safety precautions? Even President Trump sites video games as the cause of both shootings in Dayton and El Paso (Timm).The APA states that,

"Large analyses of violent crime and video violent game use find no evidence that increased sales of violent video games leads to a spike in violent crimes. Researchers make the case that if violent games directly led to violent behavior, the data would show increases in violent crime on a large-scale as more people played violent games. In fact, there is some evidence that as more youth play video games, rates of youth violence have decreased."

So, what's the correct answer? Well, in two simple words, gun control. Why should the practice of free speech in video games be squelched, just for a scape goat because the government doesn't want to admit that the U.S. may have a gun control issue? Video games may cause "a few" people to act out on what they see, but it isn't the main cause. Many shooters often site radical manifestos as their primary cause for shootings, such as the El Paso Shooter (Arango).

As it turns out, the shooter gave his Explicit reasoning behind his shooting, yet the government turns their heads and wonders what could cause people to do these evil acts? It seems to be a lack of  either knowledge on the government's behalf, or they are choosing not to take reasonings behind the explicit messages by the shooters themselves.

Banning video games is not the solution to the epidemic America currently faces, but rather it is stricter gun laws in themselves. banning guns outright is not the solution either, because then, regular citizens cannot protect themselves against those with automatic weapons, and death tolls will skyrocket.

The only way to stop the shootings is to prevent them, and banning video games isn't the way to do it.

Trump Sites Video Games for Mass Shootings Video