Isolation in a Digital Age

We are all connected through technology, but is this perk leading to a greater issue? In a Ted Talk presented by Sherry Turkle, technology has made us connected but we have become isolated as a result. Turkle evaluates her experiences with technology, beginning with her daughter and incorporates examples from her studies regarding mobile technology along with her studies from hundreds of people. Her main points are drawn from people's dependency to not be alone. All of us are subjected to what technology offers us in the form of three fantasies; putting attention where we want it to be, always being heard, and never being alone according to Turkle. When we use technology we become enveloped in the virtual worlds and avatars, advertising the relationships we crave as humans.

After watching this Ted Talk about technology's consequences, I am persuaded to take action and change my lifestyle regarding my use of technology. I know that it is easier said than done, but if we just take the time to spend time with loved ones, we can fill void of being alone. Turkle's research experiment where she presented "social robots" in nursing homes was an example that really drew my attention to how desperate we were to just have someone listen to us. These "social robots" that were designed to act as companions were treated as real people by the elderly that talked to them. These robots had no understanding about the concepts of life and death but were seen as empathetic by its speakers. What a world we live in where we turn to the illusions of social media to comfort ourselves, when the solution could just be hanging out with a couple of friends. We have lost the old fashion way of creating relationships and friendships and we choose the easy way of filling the void we have. I agree with Turkle's solutions to combat the issue of isolationism and that is to establish places for conversation, listen to what people have to say, and spreading the word to others. As Turkle explained, technology has made us vulnerable but we have the decision to redefine how we choose to live that matters in the end.

Let me know your thoughts on technology's effect on our communication! That's all for tonight, this is Leonard Yalong, signing off!

Yik Yak: An Anonymous Threat?

Throughout the years, social media has been constantly evolving. From the "Bulletin Boards" of Myspace, to the tweets of Twitter, and selfies of Instagram; a new social app has risen its way into popularity. A new social app that allows users to post messages anonymously without fear of being exposed. What seemed like a harmless social media app however has spawned a variety of vulgar threats, harassment, and abuse.

If you are not familiar with the app Yik Yak, it is basically an app that combines the functions of GPS and instant messaging. People are given the ability to socialize with others around them through different proximity. The basic app features post voting, popular topics tabs, a tab that measures the activity of the user as well as the ability to view other people's "yaks" in different locations. The controversy of this app begins with the cyber bullying among its users. Yik Yak's anonymous posting capability allows its users to make a variety of posts, but there are users who take advantage of this feature. Users feel as if they are protected behind this feature and as a result, comment posts of various vulgarity. Not all users post negatively but as a former user of the app, you can't help but see a vulgar post with each scroll.

From personal experience with the app, I can definitely see its ups and downs. Just last semester, I was browsing through the posts of Yik Yak before seeing a post with a lot of comments. There was a threat against the school with an exact date and time. I was skeptical at first, questioning if the post was just some sick joke or not. It turns out that someone reported this post to the school authority and they took action to ensure the safety of its students. People have the ability to write whatever they want without fear of consequence. I guess this can be a positive aspect for the app because it allows users to stay connected with each other in close proximity. The rest of the day browsing Yik Yak posts however, I was met with various posts regarding sex, comments about professors, and just people commenting on people they saw. If someone were to read a post and know for a fact that they were the ones being talked about, it would be not only awkward but also be considered harassment. The negative aspect of this app is that there is no way to point to the user of the vulgar comment, which leads to anxiety and paranoia for other users who feel they are targeted.
The question begins with, are the users to blame for the negative effects of this app or was this app just a bad idea from the start? Leave your comments below on your thoughts about Yik Yik. This is Leonard Yalong, signing off!

The Simple Power of Hand Washing

There are many things we as Americans take advantage of here in the US. Most Americans live in excess of water, food, and other utilities that other countries consider precious. After watching the speech, “The simple power of hand washing” by Myriam Sidibe, my eyes were opened to a precious commodity everyone takes for granted, soap. The purpose of her speech was to emphasize the use of soap in order to prevent sickness and cut down the risks of pneumonia, diarrhea, cholera, etc. Her attention getter was a statistic that got people’s attention through an emotional means. Sidibe described what the topic had meant to her as well as why it was important. Her presentation used some humorous interactions with her audience. Sidibe used a family in India as an example in order to give the audience an idea of the uses of soap in other countries. The use of soap, a commodity we take for granted, are bought by mothers to protect their families, a fact repetitively used to emphasize Sidibe’s argument. Sidibe had visited Ghana with the Minister of Health, which increases her credibility. She did not use note cards in her speech which allowed her to give more eye contact towards her audience. There weren’t a lot of pauses in her speech, so her speech flowed well as she enunciated her words and brought emphasis to certain ideas and statistics. Sidibe used many gestures while holding a soap bar and her body was upright showing confidence in her speech. The thesis and main points were easy to follow as she elaborated what the problem was, its history, background information, as well as a solution to combat this problem. The speech concluded with a emotionally pleasing conclusion. The conclusion provided no new information and re introduced the main points from the introduction. In the end of the speech Sidibe showed how much the topic had meant to her after explaining to everyone that she had a high degree in health in her country. Overall, she had a very persuasive speech that flowed naturally, appealed to all emotional standpoints, was structured nicely, statistically backed up and provided the audience with a commodity that although is common, is one of the most important inventions in combating epidemics. 

I recommend this video to people of all ages to consider twice when using commodities for granted. What seems plentiful in one country, is a precious commodity in another. Leave some comments below on some other commodities you think we take for granted or what you thought about video. That's all for tonight, this is Leonard Yalong, signing off!

Rhetorical Analysis: "Don't Sell Your Hair to a Wig Shop"

Late nights while I would be watching television, the random-est commercials would make their daily appearance. One commercial that has really stuck with me throughout the years is the Direct TV commercial. If you haven't seen this commercial, it features a man who has a difficult time selecting what to watch on television. A simple problem, I know, but what happens after is so humorous and ridiculous that it makes it memorable. As a result of not finding anything entertaining to watch, he falls into depression, which leads him to visiting inspiration seminars. It is through this empowering seminar that the man feels like a winner. This mentality prompts the man to go to Las Vegas, where he loses everything. The last few frames depicts the man with his hair shaved, selling his hair to a wig shop. Keep this in mind, all these events are the result of not knowing what to watch on television.

The video's argument is to demonstrate the results of not having Direct TV, which leads to a variety of events. The purpose of the video itself is to get people to switch from cable television to Direct TV and the author is the company: Direct TV. This video primarily focuses on people who watch television and caters to the humorous side of people. The video can't help but make you laugh because of all the irrelevant events post watching television. There is no factual evidence to support the transitions of these events, but there are numerous amounts of fallacies. The most obvious fallacy is the slippery slope argument. The downward trend of misfortunes that this man faces is irrelevant and unpredictable. There is also the hasty generalization fallacy which corresponds to the depression the man has when not being able to find something to watch on television. The video doesn't mention or acknowledge its television competition directly but subtly. There are different backgrounds and surroundings in each of the frames which draws the attention of the audience.

Overall, this video is pretty effective in making the commercial memorable but is not very effective in selling it to the audience. The slippery slope of misfortunes which has no relevancy to the product being sold can cause some confusion for some people in the audience. There is no factual evidence or statistics on why you should get Direct TV instead of cable. The commercial is hasty to generalize that not being able to watch something on television will cause depression. Unless you're someone who is a strongly affected by television, I doubt that you will get depressed by not finding anything on television. I am not persuaded by the commercial to get Direct TV but I will remember this humorous commercial when the name Direct TV is mentioned anywhere. Watch the video below and comment below if you believe this commercial to be successful in selling its product. That's all for tonight, this is Leonard Yalong, signing off!

Against Meat

The article titled "Against Meat" by Jonathan Safran Foer, was very interesting as it brought up ideas regarding the relationship of loved ones and friends, using the consumption of meat. I resonated with this article because of my personal background. Being boring in the US, I grew up having more than my parents, aunties, and uncles who were born in the Philippines. The consumption of meat in the Philippines was very important in some households. It was only through holidays and festivities that meat was included in breakfast, lunch and dinner. The article by  Foer uses the consumption of meat to describe how we was brought up as a child, all the way into adult hood. For Foer, the transition between vegetarian and consuming meat was influenced by the people he surrounded himself with. It was through the idea from his babysitter, that he questioned his ideals. He was brought up not to hurt family, friends, strangers, and even furniture. It was then that he decided to change his life.

Often times, we relate memories to the food we eat, as depicted in Foer's article. I know most people can relate to having to go to grandma's house and becoming stuffed at the end of the day, only to be given the comment, "Eat more, you look skinny" as if eating a lot will make you healthy. I do believe that food can bring people together. After Sunday church, every third week of the month, we would have a pot luck. A pot luck was basically a little mini gathering full of home cooked meals among friends, family, and strangers. You could could really taste the love and time they put into those dishes. These pot lucks brought everyone closer as people shared their recipes and memories. Choosing to be vegetarian and consuming meat only affect our health, but it shouldn't dictate how we choose to distance ourselves from people. Thats my post for tonight, this is Leonard Yalong, signing off!

"Childish" Thinking

The phrase "childish" thinking has been a phrase long used to demean and indicate a lack of maturity for those of a younger nature. I have never given that much thought to the phrase until watching a Ted Talk by Adora Svitak, a child prodigy who has written full length novels such as Yang in Disguise and Dancing Fingers. Her speech focused primarily on how adults needed to have a childlike mentality: a hopefulness for the future, regardless of boundaries or obstacles. She felt that children had very little say in the rules established by adults in society. She advocated the need for a reciprocal teaching by adults and children that would take into account both needs of the population. Her speech included a variety of historical examples as well as personal background about the topic. 

Overall, I was really impressed by the presentation. Her personal achievements gives credibility and persuades you to take action, on what seemed like an innocent expression. Being a college student, I begin to see the harshness of reality and the burden, as Svitak explained, of failures by modern day society. As children, we are exposed to many of life's obstacles but we maintain this by creating our own perfect little world. We see the optimistic side of things, which Svitak wants adults to learn from. Instead of seeing children as unequal, adults should give children the attention they deserve. After all, adults were once children too and it would be undeniable that long ago they too had that mentality. I agree with Adora Svitak's message, "You must lend an ear today, because we are the leader's of tomorrow", because we indeed will lead the future of this nation. 

I highly recommend watching this video because it applies to all ages and promotes an equality for both the young and old alike. That's all for tonight, this is Leonard Yalong, signing off!

Digital Advancement: Helpful or Hindrance?

Have you ever heard the phrase; "Back in my day, we didn't have this kind of technology but we had (enter memories from childhood)"? I've always found it fascinating how far we've developed as a society in terms of technology.  The "phrase" used by most adults, elderly, and teenagers shows how times have changed. No longer will kids be seen walking around will Walkmans or DynaTAC cell phones but rather the newest in technology, such as the popular I phones and Samsung Galaxy. The capabilities of this new technology are endless, but is there a hidden cost to this luxury?

To some people, the thought of having the whole internet in the palm of their hand is mind blowing. People have marveled at the endless array of information posted on websites, blogs, and social media. According to an online article by William McCoy, a publisher for smallbusiness.chron.com, the technology of today affects societies in a positive way. Students are able to use their laptop or computer to research any information for school anywhere, and at any given time. Students are able to access social media and communicate with fellow students in attempts to answer questions. Technology allows us to be all connected in some way shape or form. No longer are people "in the dark" of what happens around the state, country and entire world.

With all those positive effects technology has on society, many people are ecstatic, what could possibly go wrong? Some people believe that the repetitive use of this technology has resulted in society becoming dependent of it. There is an addiction that people can't seem to shake off, these addictions come in the forms of entertainment and social media. Society has become too concerned whether their photo has the most likes or their tweets have the most retweets. Students have been greatly affected by this new found accessory. Students no longer go to libraries to attain information, but rather risk credibility of their information by visiting sites and copying information. Students have begun taking advantage of technology in order to be done as quickly as possible. 

Personally, I believe that people do abuse the use of technology in attempts to waste time or provide shortcuts. Although technology provides a vast amount of information, how much is actually creditable? Nowadays people will believe anything and as long as they cite the information, the information they use has validity. This is not the case and people need to understand that sometimes, technology can't be used for everything. Technology is also used as a media for entertainment. Students become distracted by social media, Youtube, and other websites, forgetting the task assigned before them. I can remember in high school, procrastinating on projects and focusing on what people posted on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Technology has constantly advanced but at what cost? Leave your comments below on your thoughts about technology. That's all for tonight, this is Leonard Yalong, signing off!