Haikus Social Media

Rustlers express themselves through creative

Love haikus by David Miller, staff writer; Shana Fronsee, staff writer

Music Shanaysha Duchesne, 12 “Music glides through time Stumbling, crashing, evolving Like Darwin’s first finch.” Lily Robertson, 12 “Alec Benjamin The messages are vibing Narrated for you.”

Sam Schiff, 10 “Who really needs love Love is so overrated I don’t need a man.”

Julianne Jensen, 10 “Sparkling like the stars Your eyes shine through the nights so dark Beautiful and bright.”

Poetry is thoughts that breathe, and words that burn.

- Thomas Gray

NATURE Christian Kiernan, 9 “The harsh wind rustles Through the trees and the leaves fall The fall storms have come.” Alexandra Davidson, 10 “Sunshine is daily Wind blows along all the trees Restarts all again.”

Social Media Anthony Matury Social media does have pros and cons, sure. Overall, I think it’s great. If you use it correctly. If all you’re doing is looking at weird stuff, maybe you’ll deem it as bad. It has a weird power over people to either bring them together, like popularizing certain memes, or tear them apart, like the debate of milk going in before or after cereal. Social media gives people a power to express themselves in any way they want, whether it be nature, sports, fashion, animals, or my personal favorite, memes. Will it be worth the traction you’ll get? Maybe. As a person who posts memes on Instagram, I think it has a positive impact on my friends. It gives them something to talk about, stuff to laugh at, things to enjoy. On the other hand, social media is a minefield. You have to be careful as to what you do, say, whatever. One wrong move, and you’re a wanted man by a lot of people. by David Mitchell, staff writer

Throughout the past decade, nothing has grown quite as much as the Internet and social media. From the average high school student complaining about his or her teachers to the President of the United States ranting about impeachment, everyone seems to have something to say online.

As social media’s popularity grew, so did questions about its effects on the people who use it. Whether it’s the hostility found in comment sections of different apps or the scam artists who stalk their users, social media often attracts a lot of negative media attention.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a well constructed meme like everyone else, but for me, that’s where a majority of social media’s benefits end along with getting to reconnect with people you haven’t seen in a long time. I’m even willing to say that if you use social media for those uses only, you can have a good time.

Problems arise when you start comparing yourself to the people you see on whatever social media platform you choose to use. I think this is the single biggest problem that accompanies social media use. For so many people, their lives are consumed by it. This isn’t helped when they constantly see people whose lives are “better” than theirs.

I believe that this can easily play into depression among teens and young adults. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, individuals who used social media had significantly increased odds of depression when compared with those who used it infrequently.

Another issue not just in social media, but online in general, is cyberbullying. Obviously, some people have no problem with getting called names online. For others, it hits them hard and can also contribute to the correlation between social media and depression.

The largest problem with social media, in my opinion, is the hostility that takes place on Twitter between opposing political parties. The absolute unfiltered hatred that some people project on others is unmatched when it comes to politics. The nation is as divided as it has ever been, and I’m certain that has a lot to do with social media. People feel empowered to say whatever they want behind a curtain of anonymity, in turn making others angry and creating animosity between people who haven’t ever met each other before.

Despite the lighthearted and fun uses of social media, the reality -- for many users -- is quite often the opposite. All in all, communication and “sharing” apps, designed to bring people together and create an informed society, have really done more harm than good for a lot of people using it. The impact on our youth