Final Post

My relationship with the internet:

I would like to first note that I am writing this without checking my screen time, I think those might be statistics that concern me with how much time I have been on the internet for finals week, so I am going to refrain from that for now.

I do believe that the amount of time I am on the internet is mostly healthy. It can sometimes be a lot, however I think that is the norm for people my age in college. I have done so much work on the computer this week, however, that my eyes have begun to hurt. When I told my mom about this she told me that I should get blue light glasses... I think it is a strange phenomenon in this world that people go on their screens so much that there is a need for these glasses to help headaches. 

I think I will need them for next semester though as I have a PR internship 20 hours a week all online, but in person in NYC over the summer. It is truly incredible I can get this firm experience all on my screen for the second half of this year before I go to the office and get the hands on training. I will always prefer in person over online, however. It is truly amazing the heights literally and figuratively technology has taken me to. The photo attached is my favorite picture I have ever taken. Because of technology I got to go hundreds of feet above New York City seeing landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, and One World Trade from above and take photos like I did. Truly one of the most unforgettable moments in my whole life. So many of my favorite moments, concerts, travel and even just being with my favorite people have been captured and possible due to technology.

My politics and the internet:

As a proud non voter, (Yes I just said that and I do not care what anyone's opinion about civic duty and all that) I truly have not sided with either candidate in last year's presidential election, the first time I was eligible to vote. No, I was not interested in picking the "Lesser of two evils" and did not want to show my support for either of the two buffoon choices. Again, do not care about people's opinions and ways to logic around my decision. Anyways, it was pretty interesting to see the forms of media I was getting during those times when I was not really aligned to either party. In some ways, I am very socially liberal where I believe in things such as LGBT rights and abortion rights, however I am definitely more fiscally conservative. I care deeply about racial and sexual injustices, yet I do not believe that "All Cops are bad". A moderate in a time where extremism seems to only be valued. All I saw during election season were people angry on each side and the consistent messages to vote. That turned me away even further from the political process. 

Interestingly enough during the 2020 elections, according to the Knight Foundation,  "The 33% of nonvoters who say they’re attentive to the news are also more likely to say they’ll vote in the fall." I definitely believe that I am attentive to the news, and all that does is make me sadder and feel more frustrated. It is a very confusing issue to me and I certainly am not against voting, this election was just not something I felt confident enough in to make a choice that I wanted to put my name next to on a ballot, and I believe that is largely because of how much of a scene the media causes on both sides about political issues.

Media consumption during COVID:

During COVID, my screen time and media consumption were truly ridiculous. I am seriously embarrassed looking back at just the amount of time I spent on the internet and my phone. I guess I had nothing better to do when I was locked in the house 24 hours a day, but still, it was just ridiculous.

I found when I could get out of the house directly after lockdown during the summer, I spent less time on my phone when I did things such as hiking and going to the beach when I could. These were some of my happiest moments and actually ended up being one of my favorite summers ever.

I am also seriously thankful for media coverage during that time when Black Lives Matter began so I could stay updated with exactly what was going on throughout our country already so divided during COVID. 

During this time, Nielsen reported that 66% of workers in the survey spent some time working at home during the peak lockdown. My dad never missed a day in the office as a CFO. Which at the time I thought was nothing short of outrageous when High Point sent its students home and before we knew about vaccines or masks, but some people really need that degree of separation between the distractions of home life and work. I can understand that thoroughly now after doing half of a semester online and struggling through navigating that time.

Friends and Family:

I actually think that I would not have come to college all the way in North Carolina if it was not for the revolution of digital technology. I would have been so far away from New Hampshire and all the people I love and care about if it wasn't for things like texting and Facetime. This can be taken to an extreme, however, as many things with today's technology is. On Snapchat, I can see hundreds of my "friends" exact locations and what they are doing. Is that too much? My location is certainly turned off for all those people to see because I do not feel that is necessary.

A psychologist writing for CNN said that "Our increasing preference for texting over email and phone calls creates a higher quantity of interactions, but it decreases their quality, harming our relationships."

I can certainly see how this could be true because it is so easy to misunderstand things especially over text messages where there is no tone or facial expressions to go with communication. Being far away from those you love can also cause emotions to run high and therefore arguments through a screen. I have seen this happen before and it is sad. The harsh reality is going to school almost 900 miles from home comes with its consequences, however I am really grateful to have technologies to keep me close to home while I pursue life down here in North Carolina for 4 years.

Online footprint:

Overall, I think my online footprint is a pretty solid start. I have very carefully crafted my socials to make sure what I am presenting is only my best and authentically me. However, looking at privacy concerns, it is challenging to know things like Facebook and Instagram are looking at my data and even things I search on the internet in order to build "Who I am".