Alondra Campos Padgett ENGL 1102 February 4, 2014 Looking In or Being Seen Its no secret that our generation

has an obsession with social media. This is evidenced by the leagues of statistics and news that we hear so often. Masses of people entangle themselves in sites such as Twitter, Facebook and more recently, Instagram. Im guilty of having an account for all three; however, Im not a regular user of these bigger sites. My weakness is Tumblr. Tumblr, one of the largest blogging platforms, has both formal and informal aspects. I use it as a connection. Tumblr users are brought together because of similar interests as opposed to actual acquaintances with others. This is my preferred social networking site, as I have made close friendships with people from different countries, all because of one common interest. The opposing side of me will say this site is nothing more than addicting. There is even a limit to how many posts a user can make in a day; hitting the post limit is very stressful. There both advantages and disadvantages to every aspect of social media. From personal experience, I havent had any real trouble with any of my accounts, nor do I exp ect any troubles on my behalf. This being said, plenty of other teenagers have been in the midst of a mishap online. Twitter caused more than enough trouble for a new teacher during my junior year. Several students were expressing their negative opinions of this teacher using twitter. This was a brand new teacher still getting himself accustomed to unruly high school students. Seeing how these students were favored by upper faculty, they were let off with nothing more than a slap on
Comment [AP3]: Oh no :( Comment [AP2]: Interesting, so by addicting you mean there are detrimental consequences to spending too much time on this site? Comment [AP1]: Why do you say guilty? do you think this is a negative thing to be plugged in to these sites?

the wrist. In any case, the disrespect towards him was undeserved and uncalled for as he was a person of authority. Social media, specifically Twitter riled up a massive ordeal that year. As we all know, Facebook allows any person to create a profile that includes any and every detail about his/her life. My Facebook profile was created only because of my time at a leadership conference; my teammates wanted to keep in touch afterwards. Facebook allowed these students from all over North Carolina to be friends following the conference. As a student who was active in clubs in high school, I can attest for the effectiveness of Facebook. A Facebook group was created for NTHS officers, of which I was a part of. Through this group, we were able to communicate and effectively plan meetings and events. Also through means of Facebook, I was able to stay updated with practice times and uniform details for our winter guard squad. Its an excellent way to provide information and even request information from a large group of people. Connections to the masses are critical in todays society. Even following UNCC Twitter accounts or liking UNCC pages on Facebook keeps students updated on deadlines or upcoming events. With access to the world at the click of a button, mishaps are bound to occur. In this case, the pros do not outweigh the cons, and our generation continues to depend of social media. It seems like every time I check Instagram, I see somebodys selfie. I may just be completely bitter, but I dont care to see their faces. People today seem to think that an affirmation from others is necessary. Posting a picture of oneself requires a lot of confidence, but an excessive amount of these has another meaning. This, to me, is a lack of an independent mentality. This includes being entirely too self-aware and self-conscious. The point of social media today is to have people informed. Only if other people even care to check those notifications.
Comment [AP7]: the point of social media for whom? And what do you mean by informed? informing us of what? Comment [AP6]: Interesting, so like in the documentary, when it asked does the advancement of technology yield diminishing returns? Would you answer yes to this question? Would you say that technology has created more problems than it has solved. Comment [AP5]: Can you discuss how it was not critical before, or why you think it has become so critical now? What do you think has really changed? Comment [AP4]: This is really interesting. So when writing on public social media forums, young people think the rules are somehow different.

As a result of social media and technology taking over our generation, a person can formulate lots of questions regarding the matter. There is no denying that people today have an infatuation with social media. Whether this infatuation is a negative or positive is subjective. 1. How can social media be advantageous or disadvantageous? 2. Why do people care so much of others opinions on social media? 3. Why are some people affected more than others? The fact of the matter is that social media has both pros and cons. News and pictures can spread very fast and can spread to a lot of people. The actual content can be the harbinger of either good or bad. A picture sent to a trustworthy person can leak and ruin a life. Another picture can be sent to a different person and save a life. Its as if every teenager wants to be accepted by his/her peers. A selfie uploaded today should have a certain number of likes tomorrow. This is longing for likes brings a weakened sense of character. There is no self-assurance when wanting so many likes on a selfie. Some people are naturally more self-conscious and want acceptance; this ties into the previous question. Other people simply dont care about social media and networking sites. These people, I believe, have a stronger sense of reality and confidence. Alondra, I think you have some really good ideas here. I think you do a really great job discussing your personal experience with social media. The conversation about tumblir was particularly insightful. But I hope your enjoyment of the site does not qualify as an addiction. I would like to see a greater connection between your inquiry and your personal experience. Like I said, I think the first line of inquiry is the most interesting and most engaging. I think you could certainly take that inquiry and discuss it along with ideas of addiction. Also, your conclusion
Comment [AP11]: Why? Comment [AP10]: True. But it can also keep politicians accountable. Comment [AP8]: True, but this is your chance to articulate your position on the issue. Comment [AP9]: I think you could ask this same question that is posed in Digital Nation here, but instead in the context of social media. So: With the advent of social media, are their more losses than gains?. This I think has the most potential of the inquiry youve asked here.

ends on vaguely related ideas but ultimately disparate. Try to link all these paragraphs together, give this paper more unity. Looking forward to reading your next paper and seeing how your ideas evolve.