High Tech Hysteria by Rachael Shapiro

High Tech Hysteria

Contents The Perfect Death Kirsten Kral

Online Catfishing Jessica Ryan

The Empowering Swipe Right Jenna Fowler

Are Selfies Linked to Mental Illness? Shannon Fecher

Understanding the Seriousness of Sexting Honesty Lemeshuk

Are our Virtual Lives Really Private? Cody Smith

Selfies are Literally History Suzette Andujar

Technology Takeover Megan Buchhofer

Speaking with Autism Amanda Rosenberg

It’s Not Me, It’s Dopamine Aleesha

Dating: Online and Offline Amanda Jobes

Parental Invasion of Privacy Elizabeth Flanigan

Reading on the Internet Catherine Holmes

Living in the Moment Jenna Stuart

Too Much Screen Time Nicole McPherson

Teens + Tech = Trouble Lauren Finlayson

The Biggest Distraction Joshua Mazza

The Not So Private, Privacy Policy Jessica Conroy

The ‘Perfect’ Death Someone in Flordia died trying take a selfie with a shark. Someone died trying to take a selfie with a moving train. Someone died while triyng to take a selfie off the side of a bridge. Someone died trying to take a selfie on the edge of a cliff. Someone died trying to take a selfie behind the wheel of an airplane. Someone died while trying to take a selfie with a loaded gun. Someone died trying to take a selfie with a bull. In fact, according to a Rolling Stones article, ‘Death by Selfie’, “In 2015, more people have died from taking selfies than from shark attacks.” Taking selfies may be more dangerous than you may think. Selfie related deaths and injuries have become such a reoccurring problem that some governments have created selfie safety guides. These selfie safety guides provide people with guidelines to help

keep them from getting injured while taking a selfie. These warnings include advising people not to attempt taking a selfie with wild animals. But should that really be the government’s responsibility? What happened to raising people to be responsible adults? Then again, the government has already implemented laws that a responsible adult should just do on their own; such as wearing seat belts. Another warning may include to pay attention to your surroundings while taking a selfie, as the majority of selfie related deaths were due to a person falling from a height, something that could be completely avoided if a person did not put themselves in that danger in the first place. The Russian government is one of the government’s that has created a selfie safety guide, however, Japan seems to be the country that has had

the most selfie related deaths and injuries. In the United States Yosemite National Park has had numerous issues with selfie related injuries. Many of the visitors have been injured while attempting to take selfies with wild animals within the park. Shouldn’t we already know not to intrude in a wild

occurred by selfie. There are also selfies that others have taken that were taken under particularly dangerous situations. These selfies come with advisements to not try taking selfies like that one, but should we really need to be advised of that or should we just know not to put ourselves in dangerous situations? If you’re feeling worthy enough you can take a pledge to selfie responsibly, it even allows you to post a selfie with your pledge. Just make sure you’re not partaking in a life threatening selfie situation. According to Joel Stein and Josh Sanburn in, ‘The New Greatest Generation,’ “the average American 1 year old has more images of himself than a 17th century French King.” Why is this? Well, people are being born into this ‘selfie culture’. It has become a norm in our society and in the world. Children are being brought up in an environment where the people around them are constantly taking selfies or pictures of virtually everything that they are doing as well as the people

“I’d say once people start dying over something attention definitely needs to be brought to it” animals space. In an attempt to stop these injuries from occurring the park has begun posting signs stating not to take selfies in certain areas. Selfie related deaths and injuries have become such a hot topic that a website has been created to address the issue. It is called ‘Selfie to Die For’. This website is informing people of an issue that many people aren’t aware is actually an issue. This website was actually created in an effort to make more young people aware of the issue. It educates people with real life stories of deaths that have actually

that they are doing it with. In the past, ies: Risking Death for Perfect Picture,’ these pictures used to just be of places “the average millennial could take up and things, however, people have slow- to 25,600 selfies in his or her lifetime”. ly migrat- “Ultimately a millennial could be at Ultimately ed thema millennial risk 25,600 times of putting themselves could be at risk into these selves in a life-threatening situation.” 25,600 times of photos putting themof these places. People are now more selves in a life-threatening situation. concerned with sharing their lives It’s time that we put this to a stop. with others through their social media, It seems social media has turned “Look where I am, look at how much selfies into somewhat of a competition. fun I am having!”. If this trend of taking life-threaten We millennial’s are dying for ing or dangerous selfies becomes the how many selfies we can receive, lit- new trend it can lead to a potentially erally. It seems to have become one frightening future. If more people begin of the most important factors to what taking dangerous selfies we may see a we post. We spend countless seconds, competition of dangerous selfies arise. minutes, or hours trying to obtain the It will begin to become the norm as we ‘perfect selfie’. But is that selfie really see other people engaging in it. Just as worth dying over? Should we millenni- some people taking selfies has brought al’s begin taking responsibility for our us into this ‘selfie culture’. It’s time safety when taking selfies? I’d say once to put those phones and selfie sticks people start dying over something at- down, people. It’s time we say goodbye tention definitely needs to be brought to this ‘dangerous selfie culture’ norm. to it, especially when it becomes more Let’s take a stand and stop with these deadly than shark attacks. It’s time we precarious selfies! millennial’s as well as others begin taking responsibility for our actions and our safety. How could we have let this My name is Kirsten issue get as far as letting people die. Kral. I am a photography loving, piano Many of the deaths that have occurred playing, musical lovdue to selfie irresponsibility have been ing college student. I accidental, meaning that many of these have a love for writdeaths could have been prevented if we ing. One of my favortook the responsibility to seflie safely. ite things to do in my According to the article, ‘Killer Selfspare time is read.

About the Author

Online Catfishing By: Jessica Ryan

Who he thinks he is talking to Decades ago, when arranged marriages were still favored, people never imagined a world where they would meet their future lover over the internet. The dating scene has evolved a lot over time. Throughout this time, people felt online dating would be less successful than meeting people in person, however, Pew Research Center researched and discovered a significant shift in the perception of online dating, suggesting that the stigma associated with it has declined. Pew Research Center states, 59% of Internet users feel that online dating is a good way to meet people compared with 44% in 2005, 53% of Internet users feel that online dating is a good means of finding someone with shared interests compared with 47% in 2005, and 21% of Internet users feel that employing an online dating service is a mark of desperation, which is down from the reported 29% in 2005. Despite these signs of growing acceptance, some people are still anxious about online dating, and do we balme them for that? Pew Research Center states, 54% of online daters believe that they have been contacted with the use of false information within a profile, and 28% have been contacted in a way that left them feeling harassed or uncomfortable. There are many reasons why people do not put themselves out there on the internet, and one huge reasons is deception. In the article, Personal Connections In The Digital Age, by Nancy Baym, Baym writes, “Tom’s story encapsulates the utopian potential the internet holds for our relationship – we can meet new people and form rewarding new relationships – as well as the

Who he is actually talking to common concerns that the people we meet online cannot be trusted and may even be dangerous.” Both these statements from Tom’s story prove the statistics above from Pew Research Center. People are both excited and nervous to create relationships online. Coincidentally, our world is built upon online relationships and online networks, even with people you may not know. Society teaches us that this makes

We’ve actually been taught that this makes us good networkers even though it overlooks quality in favor of quantity. us good networkers even though it overlooks quality in favor of quantity. Usually the amount of friends or followers you have exceds the number of people you actually know. It is suggested to reach out when building a network, but how do we know that people are who they are claiming to be? More importantly, how can we spot a catfish in our social media networks? The term catfish refers to a person who is intentionally deceptive when creating their social media site. Their deception can be elaborate including fake photos, fake biographies, and sometimes fake supporting networks. Although these catfish are deceptive, their goal is to create a romantic relationships over the computer. This term of catfish became popular after the documentary film called Catfish was released in 2010. This documentary was later transformed into a television series on MTV. The orginal documentary was about the online relationship between Nev Shulman and a young woman named Megan. Nev’s relationship with Megan grew until discrepancies in the information

she shared with Nev was revealed. Nev traveled to her home, which was where he learned that Megan was not who she said she was. She fabricated an entire life on Facebook using strangers’ pictures and their information. After Nev’s story went viral, he was contacted by many different people with similar catfishing stories. He decided to make a MTV show for people in similar situations, because this wasnt happening to just a few people, but people all over the world. Nev documents the stories of people who have been in online relationships for long periods of time without meeting each other in person. They contact Nev because they are ready to take the next step in meeting each other or because something feels off and they need to know the truth. Sometimes things are exactly how they appear to be and distance or time has kept the couple from meeting, but often there is an element of deception. For example, people may look nothing like their pictures on the social media site. So how do catfish become so good at hiding who they truly are? Catfish are successful because their actions mirror offline behaviors. Who they pretend to be is approxiamtely 80% of their true self. According to Alone Together by Sherry Turkle, online is a place where you can “love your body, love your friends, and love your life.” People create their profile based off the person they want to be, not exactly who they are. They highlight knowledge, skills, and tendencies that help establish their connection to particular social groups. Catfish want to appear as

Think about your Facebook profile photo, how much time and thought did you put into its selection? Did you think about how that photo represented you? You probably didn’t pick a photo where you look bad. similar as possible to the person of their interaction because acceptance secures most of us, and is what we desire. Now take a second and think about your Facebook profile photo, how much time and thought did you put into its selection? Did you think about how that photo represented you? You probably didn’t pick a photo where you look bad. Additionally, online dating profiles are designed to emphasize rel-

atively personal data, including things like height, weight, age, and preferences. Some users feel pressured to alter the information they are insecure about to present what they perceive is their ideal self and maximize what they feel is attractive. Online spaces mean that users don’t always have to face the people they fool, so feelings like stress, tension, guilt and shame can be avoided as they explore who they might want to be. Catfish lean heavily on avoiding offline meetings. They paint a picture of busy-ness or tragedy that keeps them away even while they continue to emotionally feed the relationship. They create an online bond that doesnt leave behind the screen. For example on the MTV show Catfish several people fake illness, death of a family member, or claim to not have money to buy plane tickets or video chat cameras because they dont want to blow their cover on who they truly are. This discussion is relevant because as online dating sites grow in popularity, the act of entering into a relationship online is also gaining acceptance. Social networking sites provide alot for people who are interested in getting to know someone romantically. However, as our culture encourages us to widen our online networks, it may be time to begin to emphasize quality over quantity. Be careful who you talk to online because you never really know if a catfish is swimming in your social media network. Author, Jessica Ryan, is an elementary education major with a dual in liberal studies, concentrating in writing arts and american studies. When she is not writing you can find her at the beach or spending time with family and friends.

The Empowering Swipe Right It’s time to start thinking like a man. By Jenna Fowler

When a user swipes a photo to the right, it gives Society has inadvertently created itself a the other user a “like!”, while swiping the phoconcept that many are now trying to reverse. The to to the left gives that other user a “nope!”. A concept of gender roles has been around for hunswipe to the right from both parties creates a dreds, if not thousands, of years and have been the match where the pair is then allowed to message root cause of the gender inequality that we often with one another. Before my last relationship find ourselves faced with. This inequality can be found in education, the work force, sports, and even had begun, I would aimlessly swipe left and right out of boredom, perfectly content with only the our use of the internet and social media. If you’re a casual conversations that I would have through women and mention that you have begun to use the app. Then came a message saying that “we one of the many social media platforms focused on should do the world a favor and meet”. The date online dating, you can expect to be greeted with a sea of responses. Your older family members will turn was set and the heavens opened up and angels their heads slightly to the side as they nod reluctant- sung down about love at first sight all thanks to ly in an attempt to understand why you would want two people sliding a selfie to the right side of their to live a “bachelor” lifestyle, some of your friends will screen. But, even with such a great relationship, I still found myself facing criticism from all types of suggest that you just need to get out more in order people because to meet the right “The date was set and the heavens opened up and I was on such person, maybe they can set you angels sung down about love at first sight all thanks an app. “Ew”, up with someone. to two people sliding a selfie to the right side of their “I would never do that to They will all point screen. “ myself, are you out the different kidding me?”, “Oh, you’re one of those girls”, were headlines that have been cast across news stations all reactions that I received when I told people showcasing how badly, and even deadly, internet that I was simply on the app, not even about my meet-ups have gone for women. I have recently personal experiences through it. Now, over a year found myself back on Tinder, a world that I have dabbled in before, but I have now been looking at it later, I’m looking at the influence of my swipe in a whole new light. It is empowering in a way, to from a new perspective. Tinder is a dating/hook up app popularized by millennials where users set their go against the preconceived ideas of how I should be composing myself and to go after what I want, preferences for their potential partners (including regardless of what that might be. sex, age, and miles from your current location) and are shown a number of pictures of other users who fit within that profile.

Others became almost aggressive, offended by confident attitude, even referring to me as a bitch when I agreed with their compliments towards me, rather than rejecting them. One match even went as far as somehow locating me on different forms of social media, sending angry messages about how I played their game but ultimately unmatched with them to cut off contact. Jessica Megarry, an author of the Women’s Studies International Forum, points out that “personal attacks and crude lanNancy Jo Sales, author of “Tinder and The Dawn guage were once frowned upon in public life, [but] of the “Dating Apocalypse”, writes about her own interesting perspective on the app, taking readers to it now appears that a noxious rhetorical style of poa bar in Manhattan to see what real-life users have litical engagement is commonplace” (14). The ability to say about it. She heard the stereotypical respons- to hide behind a screen helps to fuel the high egos es; girls receiving raunchy NSFW (not safe for work) and imagined social status that men are essentially born because of how society has viewed them. Onmessages while the men boasted about how many line dating is something that should be approached matches they were able to seduce into their bedwith caution. We must recognize that other users rooms. Now, some may roll their eyes and say you should expect nothing less from such an app; but sta- may not have the same intentions or attitudes that tistics show that only 20% of Tinder users, both men we do, but that does not mean we should alter our and women, are looking to find a hookup, while 27% online-selves to fit a specific role that others, and wanted a significant other, and 53% were looking for society in general, find appropriate for us. The confriendship. If over “One match even went as far as somehow lo- cept of imposing gender roles for how a person half of users are cating me on different forms of social media, conducts themselves on solely looking for platonic relation- sending angry messages about how I played an app such as Tinder is their game but ultimately unmatched with too high strung and the ships, then why internet brings freedom them to cut off contact.” are all women for each individual to be users objectified exactly that, an individual. So, next time you find to seem like a man’s next one-night stand? What yourself swiping left and right, remember to keep are the standards that men are held to? Are there preconcieved ideas about how the world should any? I decided to challenge these ideas and “think like a man”, a social experiment in a way, to see how work based on genders out of it. the men of tinder, and other non-users, would react when I confronted, and n some cases sarcastically matched, men’s obscure and or inappropriate advances. To my surprise, many of my matches became Jenna Fowler is a senior at Rowan uncomfortable with this. Suddenly they were no University studying Early Childlonger the “dominant” one and it was them who, for hood Education and Literary once, felt small. Studies with English and Writing Arts. She hopes to some day rule the world.

The Empowering Swipe Right It’s time to start thinking like a man. By Jenna Fowler

Are Selfies Linked to Mental Illnesses? by: Shannon Fecher

with these so-called fans. The only thing the girls were worried about was how many new followers they were going to get from the pictures they took. Were they just really self-absorbed? Or was it just body dysmorphic disorder? According to psychiatrist Dr. David Veal, “selfies have been linked to mental illnesses which can be treated by cognitive behavioral therapy to help moderate an individual’s behaviors.” Will seeking treatment actually help? Will the future of technology make selfie addiction worse? What other disorders are linked to selfies?

Trying to get the perfect “Instagram-worthy” picture may seem like a life or death situation, but some people take that phrase a little too literally. Danny Addiction to selfie-taking and Bowman, a teenager from the UK, took social media is an issue 200 selfies a day trying to find the “perfect” picture. When he Will the future of among millennials that couldn’t get the perfect selfie, technology make many people are not aware exists. Millennials everyhe tried to kill himself. “I was constantly in search of taking selfie addiction where are constantly consumed by social media the perfect selfie and when worse? and their cell phones. A I couldn’t I realized I wanted new study examined the to die. I lost my friends, my relationship between selfeducation, my health, and almost my life,” ie-posting, editing, and the personality Danny said. of the selfie-taker. The authors of this What is the obsession with taking study examined self-objectification with selfies? Why is it when something good, three main traits: narcissism, psychopainteresting, or even bad happens the first thy, and Machiavellianism. “Narcissism thing we do is reach for our cell phones to is defined as extreme self-centeredness. take a photo or video? In the short video, Those with narcissism have an exces“Aspirational,” Kirsten Dunst takes a look sive need to be admired by their peers. at how “selfies” have taken over celebrity Psychopathy is defined as lack of eminteractions. Dunst was waiting outside for pathy and impulsivity. Machiavellianism her Uber, when two teenage “fans” pulled is defined as being manipulative withup and recognized her. They immediately out regard for others’ needs or feelings. jumped out, took pictures with her, and Self-objectification is a tendency to view left. Dunst felt uncomfortable by the lack one’s body as an object based on sexof socialization involved in the interaction

the world will suffer in the future. If this uality. These people base their self-worth strictly on their appearance.” According to generation doesn’t care about the environment, politics, or social issues, who the scientists who conducted the study, results from the study show that both nar- is going to? Will they teach their kids to care? I’d highly doubt it. cissism and self-objectiA possible solution fication were associated It’s hard to offer a defiwith more photo-editing could be raising awarenite solution to the problem of selfies and increased of selfies causing mental time spent on social net- ness throughout the illnesses because it is a working sites. The study world about how social complicated matter. A posalso found that posting sible solution could be raisa high number of selfies media and selfies are ing awareness throughout on social media is rebecoming a problem. the world about how social lated to narcissism and media and selfie-taking are psychopathy. What does this all mean? becoming a problem. Celebrities play a huge role in social media and are always Millennials aren’t concerned about much except themselves and the number condoning selfie-taking through sites like of social media followers they have. Jean Instagram and Sanopchat. Some mental Tweade, a professor of psychology at San illnesses, including narcissism, are linked to selfie-taking which many people are Diego State University and the author of Generation Me, wrote the article “Millenni- not aware of. The problem with selfies has become so extreme people have als: The Greatest Generation or the Most almost died because they couldn’t get Narcissistic?” In the article, Tweade disthe picture-perfect selfie they were looking for. Something must be done to help millennials realize why this has become such a problem.

About the Author

cusses how millennials were thought to be the most involved generation in government and society, but it seems to be the opposite. The results from the study conducted revealed that millennials were less likely to care about social problems, the environment, politics, and current events. The overconsumption of cell phone usage and social media has affected the world because millennials simply don’t care. Because of the obsession with selfie-taking,

Shannon Fecher has an Associate’s degree in Elementary/Secondary Education from Camden County College. She is currently double majoring in the Writing Arts and Elementary Education majors at Rowan University.

Understanding the Seriousness By: Honesty Lemeshuk of Sexting It’s Saturday morning, Nancy and her daughter Jane were getting ready for Aunt Agnes’ 90th birthday party. Jane, age 14, ran upstairs to take a shower. As Nancy sat on the couch, she noticed Jane’s phone sitting on the coffee table. Nancy heard the water start, Jane was definitely in the shower. Nancy began to think, maybe I should check her phone? She couldn’t help herself, she grabbed the phone and guessed the password on the second try. Wow, she was in. She felt guilty but then told herself she was being a good mom. She began reading Jane’s text messages. It was the same things she heard Jane and her friends talking about when they are hanging out in the basement. Which boys they liked, who was being a bitch at school, and so on. Then Nancy saw a message from a boy named Jake. Who’s Jake, she thought? When she opened the messages, it was a mother’s worst nightmare. There were several messages from Jake telling Jane how beautiful she was; how much he liked her. Additionally were five more messages saying to send him a picture to prove how much she really liked him. Suddenly, to Nancy’s surprise, was THE PICTURE: Jane topless in a picture for Jake. Nancy’s mind started racing; my daughter’s reputation, how many people saw the photo, did Jake send it to his friends, could they get in trouble, real trouble, Why, Why would she do something like this?

equipped to understand the consequences of their actions.” Teenagers are sending sexual pictures of themselves to friends they think they can trust. However, most of the time this is not the case. Their pictures are being sent to other teens. Teens are ruining their reputations and jeopardizing future opportunities with jobs and colleges. They are possibly compromising relationships with families and friends; some have even taken their lives. They are risking being prosecuted for child pornography and possible jail time. While destroying their lives, their brains

this? How could my daughter be involved with sexting? What exactly is sexting? Sexting is sending and receiving sexually explicit messages, primarily between mobile phones. How many people have heard similar stories, or had the fear that their child was involved with sexting? According to nobullying.com, “National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy” did a survey and with teens and discovered that “39 percent of teens send sexually suggestive messages and 48 percent acknowledged receiving sex

“My daughter’s reputation, how many people saw the photo? messages.” With such high statistics it is important to understand the seriousness that goes along with sexting. Parents need to talk to their children, and not be afraid to pick up their cell phones and see exactly what they are doing. According to attorney and author Mark Theoharis, yes you can get in legal trouble for sexting. He points out that the act states “The Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to end the Exploitation of Children possess with intent to distribute and

obscene visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Knowing possession of such material -without intent to distribute-is also a crime under the Protect Act” (18 U.S.C. 1466A(a) (1)). Each state has different laws pertaining to sexting. In some states, “anyone who creates, possesses, or distributes nude or explicit photos of a juvenile can be charged with child pornography.” Many teens and parents do not realize the consequences for distributing nude photos. Sexting laws do not just affect the sender but also the person receiving the images. If you keep an image sent to you, whether you asked for it or not, you can be charged.

to make sure teens understand the ramification of their actions. Jessica had sent her boyfriend a nude picture of herself. Once they broke up he sent her picture to other students in the school. Logan was tortured by classmates, being called a slut and a whore. She started skipping classes and became depressed. Logan was not able to handle being bullied. In May 2008, Jessica Logan hung herself in the closet of her bedroom. Detective Mills visits schools and shares Logan’s story and facts about sexting. He expresses that a “teens having a nude photo on their phone can get up to 4 years in jail. If you distribute the photo you can get up to 7 years in jail. You can get up to 20 years in prison if you take or ask someone to take a nude picture.” Mill’s goal is make students realize these facts.

Detective Dale Mills from Ohio has spent a lot of time focusing on explaining the importance of understanding the outcome of sexting. Mills explains how the story of Jessica Logan made him want

Award winning author and clinical psychologist, Catherine Steiner-Adair, discussed the research found that shows that teenagers are not “neurologically, psychologically, or developmentally

“With digital technology being so important to the growth of our youth how do we educate teens to use media positively?” Authors Bio:

Honesty Lemeshuk is a senior at Rowan University. She is double majoring in early childhood education and liberal studies with a concentration in writing arts and american studies. When Honesty is not in school she enjoys spending time with her three children.

are not developed enough Is it the school’s responsibility to make our children understand, the parents, or our local police? to fully understand the outcome of their actions. With digital technology being so important to the growth of our youth how do we educate teens to use media positively? If their brains are not fully developed, how do we make them understand the consequences of their actions? As detective Mills is trying to make teens understand the outcomes of their actions, should we feel confident that we are getting through to our teens? Is it the school’s responsibility to make our children understand, the parents, or our local police? I believe that it is everyone’s responsibility to help our youth understand the importance of consequences. Digital technology is only going to advance and it is essential to the growth of our teens. We need to figure out a way to help our teens truly understand that every action has a reaction.

Detective Dale Mills from Ohio has spent a lot of time focusing on explaining the importance of understanding the outcome of sexting. Mills explains how the story of Jessica Logan made him want

Award winning author and clinical psychologist, Catherine Steiner-Adair, discussed the research found that shows that teenagers are not “neurologically, psychologically, or developmentally

“With digital technology being so important to the growth of our youth how do we educate teens to use media positively?” Authors Bio:

mand to know where we have been and what we have been doing. It seems as if reading our Facebook messages and listening in on our Skype calls isn’t enough. No, it seems as if the boys in blue couldn’t resist keeping their hands out of our video games. You know, those things we dive into to escape our normal lives? After some research, Stephanie Vie and Jennifer deWinter detailed how two men discovered “that the CIA, FBI, and Pentagon infiltrated World of Warcraft and collected information on Xbox Live.”

Are Our Virtual Lives Really Private? by Cody Smith

The years following September 11, 2001 brought forth a tightening of security both inside and outside our nation. Foreigners were more heavily scrutinized, anyone acting suspiciously faced the possibility of detainment, and common folks were secretly recorded. You may be aware of the massive wire-tapping scandal that came to light, but for those who missed those events, the government authorized the illegal recording and monitoring of many citizens’ communications. This included phone calls and internet chat messages. All of these breaches of privacy were done in the name of national security. Looking back, we should have been outraged at this blatant disregard for our rights, but we cannot change the past. The only thing we can do is look to the future and keep a wary eye out to prevent it from happening again. Now that computers have become smaller and smaller, phones are becoming more like computers, and social media sites are becoming far more prevelant, it has become so much easier for the government to stick their noses in our personal businesses. Don’t take my word for it. Adrienne LaFrance of The Atlantic reported on Twitter’s inability to keep personal information private. “The U.S. government made twice as many requests for Twitter user information in the last half of 2014 compared with the year before, according to a detailed report out from Twitter this week. And usually—about 80 percent of the time—Twitter gives officials in the United States what they want. The single most terrifying part about these investigations is that over one and a

half thousand individuals were targeted.

“We live in an age where nothing can ever be truly deleted from the internet, and anyone with the abilities to access your hidden data can reach back into the past and learn a lot about you ” I want you to sit back and think for a second. If you use social media almost every single day, chances are that anyone can keep track of where you were based on check-in statuses, EXIF data on pictures, and even simple tweets. We live in an age where nothing can ever be truly deleted from the internet, and anyone with the abilities to access your hidden data can reach back into the past and learn a lot about you.The purpose for all of this ranting about privacy is to bring forth a single question: Is national security at

the cost of increased digital surveillance really worth it?

Our personal messages, our tweets, and all our location information are being freely handed over to law enforcement, and it seems like all it takes for the government to start snooping around your profiles is one misstep, one little word that you added in because you liked the sound of it. Like an intrusive or overprotective parent, they de-

For those of you who have experienced MMO’s, think back upon those days. Try to remember all of the personal details and embarrassing stories you’ve shared with guildmates or random players out in the wild. I cannot count the number of times I casually conversed with low level players as I guided them through the early areas in “City of Heroes.” There were also times where I shared and discussed deeply personal experiences with players I’ve never truly met. Would you have kept your fingers away from the keyboard if you knew you were talking with someone only there to search for “terrorists?” I absolutely would have. As I’ve mentioned before, the government wants to invade our personal spaces to keep an eye on us. They must know that we are able to express ourselves openly and fully when we have a persona to hide behind.

“The ones in power are not called out on their actions, and so remain in power. Government spying has caused this self-censorship.” This brings me back to my main point. Is that tiny reassurance that the government will use our data to catch the bad guys really worth all of the poking and prodding? Can we really enjoy running through dungeons and leveling up with others even though they may only be there to spy on us? Kimberly McCullough, the ACLU of

Oregon’s Legislative Director, doesn’t seem to think so. “A recent study revealed what really happens when we know we are being constantly watched — voices are silenced. Professor Elizabeth Stoycheff of Wayne State University has shown that people who support surveillance and say they have nothing to hide are actually the most likely to avoid sharing unpopular opinions when they know government is watching. We lose the ability to discuss ideas openly when we fear we will be punished for them” I can wholly agree with the idea that time after time, people remain silent in order to blend in with the crowd. When those who wish to speak out against injustices keep their mouths shut, nothing gets changed. The ones in power are not called out on their actions, and so remain in power. Government spying has caused this self-censorship. In short, no. It is not worth the loss of privacy. Where are the benefits? How often are we as a country informed that a group of government agents disguised as orcs have located a homegrown terrorist cell? When was the last time the newspapers proclaimed that wiretapping has borne fruit? I’m going to venture a guess and say not that often. Without a steady stream of information about how they are using our information, I cannot back our government. In the end, I’m positive that many Americans would rather let a few malcontents slip through in order to retain our privacy, and in doing so, be able to voice our opinions freely. If we cannot truly change this, then I fear for our country.

Cody is currently working on his Bachelor’s degree in Writing Arts at Rowan University. He is an avid reader of Science Fiction and Fantasy novels, and hopes to one day be published by Tor.

Are Our Virtual Lives Really Private? by Cody Smith

half thousand individuals were targeted.

the cost of increased digital surveillance really worth it?

Cody is currently working on his Bachelor’s degree in Writing Arts at Rowan University. He is an avid reader of Science Fiction and Fantasy novels, and hopes to one day be published by Tor.

Selfies are Literally History They have been around longer than you think.

By: Suzette Andujar It happens everywhere. You’re walking through a mall, a museum or a busy street and you see it over and over again. Teens, kids, middle-aged people; everyone is doing it. It is a part of culture in almost every country. What is it? The selfie; however, the selfie isn’t a new phenomena. If you thought that the selfie was a new trend; think again. Robert Cornelius was a photographer in the early 19th century. In 1839 he made the first ever selfie with a camera. The photo became famous because it is the earliest known selfie (in the definition we use today). His hair is tousled and his face was rugged (yet another enduring trend). On the back of the photo he wrote our version of a caption: “The first light Picture ever taken. 1839.” The word ‘selfie’ entered the dictionary in 2013. It is defined as a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media. Years ago, taking a selfie was commonly used with a regular camera, hundreds of years ago it was with paint. Yeah, a selfie by paintbrush. The definition would look something like this: a painting that one has taken of oneself,

“Yeah, a selfie by paintbrush.”

typically one taken with a paintbrush on canvas and shared in the manor or in an art show. Frida Kahlo, a Mexican artist from the early 20th century, famously painted herself many times. About her self-portraits Kahlo says, “I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best.” This was her act of self-expression; a way to show how she was feeling at that moment in her life. If she had access to a smartphone and social media, would she be a famous instagrammer? Perhaps so. Her snaps would be visually dazzling and that would draw millions of followers. In her visually stunning article “Before the Selfie, the Self-Portrait”, Alicia Eler states that “the selfie is a smartphone-produced version of the self-portrait, which has been a staple of art and photography history since artists first began examining their own images in the mirror”. Mirrors have been uncovered in archaeological digs dating back thousands of years. There is an entire website (mirrorhistory.com) dedicated to the mirror. The site breaks down the details of when the mirror was first used, where it was first used and how it has developed over thousands of years. People wanted to know what they looked like. Eventually, it trickled down to people wanting other people to see and acknowledge them.

People from thousands of years ago, such as ancient Egyptian women (and men), used kohl and henna to doll themselves up. Their likeness was drawn in hieroglyphs. Trends in makeup also date back to France where French women from the 17th century (and earlier) used powders and egg whites to keep an attractive complexion and the elite were famous for their extravagance (see: Marie Antoinette). Many kings, queens, and people who could afford it, had their likeness created in paintings. In many of these portraits, the faces of young ladies and men are spruced up with makeup and an impressive background (sound familiar?). They had a say in how they would be represented. Shannon Selin gets behind the scenes in history to uncover “The Many Faces of Napoleon Bonaparte — What did the French Emperor Actually Look Like?”. She shares a conversation Bonaparte had with a painter, “Bonaparte knew what he wanted in the painting

“Napoleon would definitely be one of those people who brag...” (including a horse, rather than the mule on which he actually made the voyage).” In our world today, some people are known to stage their photos so they could be portrayed a certain light. Napoleon would definitely be one of those people who brag about everything they’re doing over the weekend. “Fourteen percent of selfies are digitally enhanced—34% of men say they retouch every selfie, while only 13% of women retouch every selfie.” (stylecaster.com) Napoleon falls right into the 34% category. When the camera was invented and eventually made available to the public, people started experimenting and taking pictures of themselves. In the pictures there are no signs of duck face or staged poses, but taken in front of the mirror to test the shot (although mirror selfies are super popular today). No longer were self-portraits only made available to the rich; it was now attainable by the “common” person. There is no need for a painter; with just a touch of a thumb a person can develop a self portrait. In The Guardian’s article, “The World’s Earliest Selfies-In Pictures”, reporter Sarah Gilbert shares captivating photos of selfies dating from the 1830s through

the 1980s. There is the ultimate selfie in space by Buzz Aldrin in 1966 and there’s one of a young Colin Powell in the 1950s. From 2015 to 2016, an astronaut named Scott Kelly spent a year in space and documented everyday with a selfie. The photographs were thoroughly fascinating and he accumulated millions of followers on Instagram. As far as the political aspect; the president of the United States took his own selfie and that, to the young crowd, cemented his coolness factor and added more confidence in the selfie itself. Selfies have endured through time and have taken various forms. From mirrors to hieroglyphs, to paint brushes, first snapshots and smartphones; humanity always found a way to capture itself and put it out there for the universe to marvel and awe. Many politicians, entertainers, teachers, and leaders throughout time have put their face out there to be remembered forever. It worked because we are still looking at those photos and paintings and we want to learn more about their lifetime. Whether taking a selfie is for self-esteem, narcissism, fun, knowledge or self-expression, the truth remains universal: we see each other and it’s an innovative illustration. Suzette is currently a Junior at Rowan Univer sity majoring in Writing Arts and Early Childhood Education. When she’s not drinking tea, she’s writing about it in her bio.

Technology Takeover By Megan Buchhofer

Addiction to technology. We are all guilty of it, even though we may have a hard time admitting so. How can we tell whether we meet the standards of being another crazed Internet or cell phone user? Does the daily evolution of technology effect how “obsessed” one can be? If there is no escaping the virtual world, are we even really addicted? These are all various questions many people like me may ask themselves every day. Why has technology become second nature to society and why does it seem so difficult to disconnect in order to reconnect with our daily lives? In a culture where it is considered “normal” to text a person whose greatest distance from them is one story, how do we take the bull by the horns and take back ownership of our own lives? Society has allowed their lives to be run by technology and do not see the harm that this causes. Bill Davidow, author of Exploiting the Neuroscience of Internet Addiction quotes “In the 1990s, concern over obsessive-compulsive behavior associated with computer games and the Internet began to grow. Until roughly 2000, compulsive behavior remained a side effect.” This continuous use of technology forms an irresistible behavior and desire to want to continue the activity. The constant use of Internet and

cell phones not only effects our lives outside of the tiny, bright screen by harming relationships and taking concentration away from work, but it also does a great deal to the human brain. Davidow also says that “much of what we do online releases dopamine into the brain’s pleasure centers, resulting in obsessive pleasure-seeking behavior.” Our minds are enjoying the feeling that we receive from browsing the Internet and scrolling through social media, so it naturally starts to want more. This results in what Davidow refers to as “phantom Smartphone buzzing” which is when our brains trick us into thinking our phones are going off when in reality there are no new notifications to attain to.

Can we even remember what it was like to have a real conversation without the use of an emoji?

I notice these occurrences in much of myself as well as other people. For instance, ten minutes before class is about to take place, it is typical that the majority of the room has their heads buried in their phones and laptops, with close to no actual interaction happening. Can we even remember what it was like to have a real conversation without the use of an emoji? Would we even know how to do so without the comfort of a screen in between us and the person we’re talking to? Here is a question we must ask ourselves: How do we take the plunge from going to a virtually run world, to a technology-free world, and is it even possible? Matt Haber, author of the article A Trip to Camp to Break a Tech Addiction, discusses one form of disconnection, which is dropping the virtual ball-and-chain and going on a retreat to allow our minds to revive. Haber explains that “by removing the things that supposedly ‘connect’ us in this wireless, oversharing, humble-bragging age, the founders of Digital Detox hoped to build real connections that run deeper than following one another on Twitter or ‘liking’ someone’s photo on Instagram.” Many people, who work demanding jobs that never seem to be able to escape the emails and so forth when they get home, go on retreats such as Digital Detox to let go of their virtual world and be able to enjoy them the way they want to.

Now that we’ve noticed the lack in human connection and the demand for virtual connection, we must now understand what it is doing to our lives around us. Tanya Schevitz, author of The anxiety of unplugging and why we should disconnect to connect, is another concerned human being as well as an advocate for personal reconnection given that she is the spokesperson for National Day of Unplugging. Schevitz has noticed the lack of human connection and the demand for virtual connection. When spoken with clinical psychologist Catherine Steiner-Adair, the expert mentions that “A mini-moment of disconnect is when, at the sound of the “ping!” or ringtone, at any moment we abandon the people we are in conversation with, engaged with, dining with, and remove ourselves to the land of elsewhere. We all do this, and our kids are doing it, too. We’ve gotten so accustomed to turning away in these mini-moments of disconnection that they have changed the nature of being together.” In these moments, we are not allowing ourselves to fully engage with the other person we are in presence with. When we remain enslaved to the constant calling of our cell phones, we are declining the opportunity to make connections with the other person and allowing ourselves to reject in real conversations.

access of our lives and to control every move we make.

By working on detachment, we can regain our leadership back and redefine what is important in our lives, such as family and work. Although this may seem like a harder concept for some than others, it is valuable for us to take a break from our devices and focus on the bigger commitments we have made in our lives that technology cannot deal with.

The main step in taking back control of our lives is very simple, yet very challenging. Davidow tells us that “the answer starts with recognizing that our virtual environment has very real consequences.” Once we identify the effects that chronic virtual engagement takes on us, we can then choose to limit our use and accessibility. One way to allow ourselves to fully engage in whatever commitment we take on is to turn off our phones and put them away. While many people will find this suggestion to be nearly impossible, it is very beneficial for multiple reasons. Steiner-Adair quotes that “We have to reclaim some balance that takes us off chronic high alert. We have to learn how to outsmart that aspect of our Smartphone that makes us feel anxious if we go out the door without it. Remind yourself that it’s a mindset.” We allow ourselves to believe that we must answer our phones when they go off. We allow ourselves to believe that we must acknowledge a newly received email. Our mindset that we must always remain on “high alert” is what forms our obsessive behavior with our virtual devices. Turning them off and putting them away gives us the freedom to be fully alert in dinner with our friends or a baseball game with our family, Megan Buchhofer is a senior at Rowan University. She is majoring in Early whereas before we were half engaged with a constant focus on Childhood Education with a duel major in Writing Arts. Megan enjoys reading our notifications in the back of our minds.

Our mindset that we must always remain on “high alert” is what forms our obsessive behavior with our virtual devices.

We as a society have allowed for technology to gain full

and writing in her free time, and stays busy between school and working at a child care facility.

SPEAKING WITH AUTISM by, Amanda C. Rosenberg

Giving a Voice to Those Who Can’t Speak Imagine not being able to communicate with anyone. What if you had so much to say, but no way of saying it? Ideas and responses are built up in your head but you can’t speak or write them down. Imagine what it would be like to not be able to communicate “yes” or “no” answers by at least shaking your head, or telling a parent “I have to go to the bathroom”. Imagine that frustration, then imagine it being wiped away. Introducing... Technology! Many who live with severe disabilities, such as autism, suffer with the frustration of not being able to communicate. Whether a lack of muscular, verbal, emotional, or mental abilities, the frustration of not being able to communicate simple ideas or feelings is undeniable. One of these breakthrough technologies is the ability to communicate where we couldn’t before. I’m not just talking about being able to communicate with friends and family members miles away. I’m talking about being able to speak to someone directly in front of you. Unfortunately, when a child

has a disability such as autism, this is their everyday life. In recent years, technology has been improving with the goal to make communication possible for people with disabilities.

In the Classroom

Last year, I had the pleasure of using assistive technology in a classroom setting with an autistic boy. He was a sweet 12 year old with quite a personality, however he was nonverbal, therefore it was hard to tell what he wanted. With the assistance of an app called Proloquo2go, on his iPad, he could tell me exactly what he needed, wanted, and felt by pressing the button that corresponded with what he wanted to communicate with me. Though the app is somewhat expensive, currently charging approximately $125 for Apple devices, it has proven to be an extremely helpful assistive tool by giving non-verbal autistic children a voice. As a classroom aide, I worked one-on-one with this boy, learning how to add things to the app and how to prompt him to use the iPad to speak to me. I was

able to teach him numbers and letters using the app. I would ask him questions and he would respond by hitting the letter or number showing he could identify them.

ogy options are currently available to support the learning and communication of students with a wide range of disabilities [... to] support various aspects of learning and/ facilitate classroom participation in general” (146).

His determination to not let His determination to My focus is more on VOCAs his disability stop him inspired me. However, without not let his disability that support communication the assistance of technology, stop him inspired me. for nonverbal autistic children, it would be hard to get any However, without the such as the Proloquo2go app. answers or ideas out of him. assistance of technolThe use of VOCAs is beneficial As teachers, we knew this ogy, it would be hard to nonverbal students on the boy was very smart, but it to get any answers or autism spectrum, as it aides was difficult to give him a them in communication with ideas out of him. way to show off his intelliothers . gence. He was also able to Professor of neuroscience, Giulio E. Lancioni, play games and interact with the class with the and psychologist Nirbhay N. Singh say, “Assistive assistance of the iPad. He is not the only case of technology [is] designed to provide alternative this transformation from nonverbal to social via modes of communication (e.g., speech-generatthe aid of technology. ing devices) or to prompt social initiations (e.g., Assistive Technology & VOCAs tactile pager prompts) might be used to amelioAssistive technology devices are also known as rate the communication” in their book Assistive voice output communicaTechnologies for People tion aids, or VOCAs. In with Diverse Abilities. a journal titled Autism, It is also important to Augmentative Communinote that VOCAs help cation, and Assistive Techchildren both in and out nology: What Do We Really of the classroom. In the Know?, Pat Mirenda, an same book, Lancioni, and educational and counseling Singh write, “In addition psychology professor, who to addressing the diagnosspecializes in special education says, “VOCAs tic symptoms of ASD (i.e., communication and are portable, computerized devices that produce social deficits and repetitive patterns of behavior synthetic or digitized speech output when actiand interests), assistive technology might also be vated. A variety of visual-graphic symbols are used to mitigate many of the other impediments used to represent messages, which are activated often associated with ASD” (158). when an individual used a finger […] or other This shows that a technological device, such as an some other means to select a symbol from the iPad app, can assist students and allow them to VOCA’s display. [...] Numerous assistive technol-

communicate and learn efficiently.

Many believe in limiting the screentime of children. According to doctors Ari Brown, Donald L. I had a chance to work with the Shifrin, and David L. Hill, in assistive app, Proloquo2go, with Once a child learns their article Beyond turn it off: a nonverbal autistic student. In how to communicate How to advise families on methis app, parents and teachers in a language and dia use, many adults would like select buttons that are options is given the tools to to follow, “research-based AAP for speech such as “hello” or communicate, the guidelines that promote positive “please” to appear for the child child can truly show media use and discourage poto tap to speak. Adults may tentially harmful use. The most also organize folders of things his/her intelligence. well-known of these guidelines students would like to say into discourage ‘screen time’ for groups such as “numbers”, “greetings”, or “family children under age 2 and limit ‘screen time’ to two members”. hours a day for children over age 2”.

A New Language

Technology has many downfalls in today’s sociLearning how to speak through VOCAs, is just like ety, however it also has some great practical uses, learning a foreign language. Since these autistic non- such as assistive technology in cases of nonverbal verbal children have not learned to speak, it is hard autism. Many students who are diagnosed with for them to communicate even though they want to. autism can especially benefit with its aide TechnolIt is the responsibility of teachers and parents to help ogy can help us communicate and participate with the child learn how to use the device to speak, just these children, as it gives a voice to those who can’t as we would teach them how to speak aloud. Once a speak. child learns how to communicate in a language and is given the tools to communicate, the child can truly Amanda Rosenberg is an Education Major at Rowan Universishow his/her intelligence. Assistive devices are the tools children with autism need in order to showcase ty, with a dual major in Liberal Studies. She also studies in Writing Arts and English their intelligence and communication skills. This is concentrations. She communication is only achievable through technolwants to get her ogy.

Why is this Important? Assistive technology is so important to non-verbal people with autism, as they can now speak for themselves. If others were to always talk for you, without you being able to correct them, it would be frustrating when they didn’t successfully communicate your thoughts and feelings. These devices create a system that eliminates the middle-person and guesswork, as it allows the children to speak for themselves.

endorsement in Special Education and hopes to work in a special needs classroom. She specifically wants to work with children with autism, as she believes it will make her teaching career more meaningful.

It’s Not Me, It’s Dopamine Cell Phone Addiction and How to Modify it It wouldn’t be incorrect to say that in the last decade, technology has encompassed modern American society. We are so engrossed in the little handheld devices we call cellphones, that they have become vices we need to be precautious towards. To cope with this sometimes intrusive technology, we d istance ourselves- turning the phone on silent, flipping it on it’s front, clicking on the “Do Not Disturb” button, or even lowering the volume - all to arrange a schedule with an inanimate object? This action falters to recognize that at this point we are no longer in full control of the tech, if you’re taking steps to prevent something that’s already happening are you really the in the position of being ahead?

Cellphone Addiction and How to Modify it There is an unseen biological ingredient in the mix - one that we can partially scapegoat, but for the majority, place qualified blame. The perpetrator’s name is dopamine. If that term appears foreign to you, it is defined by Psychology Today as, “a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers… and enables us not only to see rewards but to take action and move toward them.” responds powerfully

This natural chemical to the tick in our

“TECHNOLOGY HAS ENCOMPASSED MODERN AMERICAN SOCIETY”

do answering back and forth e-mails, while scrolling through social media in wait of a response to those emails, and meanwhile switching songs on a music app, is actually pursuing the opposite of what we desire. Your brain is squeezing all of those juggled tasks into a ball of burned energy, brain that reacts optimistically to anything that gives us a rush of positivity, for example, the ding of a cellphone when we have a text or notification produces a happy, excited feeling even if it’s just for a split second – a feeling that’s not hard to want to repeat, so we upload to social media, download the e-mail app of our choice, and put our phones on vibrate when they need to be silent, just so we don’t miss a notification. In the article, Why We’re all Addicted to Texts, Twitter and Google, Susan Weinsccenk, Ph.D. in Psychology, examined that dopamine is crucial to “thinking, moving, sleeping, mood, attention, motivation, seeking, and reward.” Has technology impacted you in any of the ways Weinschenk listed? Have you found yourself juggling five open applications at once?

What Multitasking Does to Your Brain If your answer to that last question I posed was no, that’s good, you’re a step ahead of the technology-addiction curve, but just a step, so stay tuned. If you answered yes, as I did, then you may want to hear that the glorified concept that multitasking is a divine power, is actually a dividend in the reasoning as to why you may struggle focusing. It’s funny that the multitasking we

full of oxygenated glucose- the exact chemical used to stay focused, a thought posed by David Levitin’s article in The Guardian, Why the Modern World is Bad for Your Brain. We’re driving ourselves in reverse, folks! We can turn things around by compartmentalizing what’s important at the present time, and dividing our focus predominantly to that. By pushing several little tasks at once into a small corner, over and over again, anxiety, impulsive behavior, and exhaustion are more likely to set in. The evolution won’t happen all at once, after all, as Levitin likes to put it- technology is “the ultimate empty caloried brain candy”. That’s hard to give up.

How to Help At this point you may be thinking- ‘So, I’m supposed to just hand in my cellphone and disappear from society?’ Of course not! I myself am an admirer of my phone, leaving it little reminders on my calendar, and keeping it next to my pillow (Can’t risk missing that morning alarm!). The first step twoards progress is being aware there’s an issue, and the second step, most importantly is to make modifications. Have you ever been out with a friend, and a third wheel - their cell phone? Maybe you were eating dinner and they couldn’t put it

down, or out to see a movie but instead

see-

ing the illumination of their phone screen light up the dark theater. These are the times you’re weighing in on the

other

side of the scale, peering into the gap in human connection that our little devices have dug, doesn’t feel so great, does it? Matt Haber has researched a way out of the hole in his Huffington Post article, A Trip to Camp to Break a Tech Addiction, he discovered Levi Felix, founder of Camp Grounded, the shining

is looking for.

example of changing how technology fits into

The Meaning of it All

your life.

Sherry Turkle, Ph.D. of Sociology and

Felix quit his job, sold his car, and

trav-

Personality Psychology poses the question in

eled the world. He came back with a new plan

the chapter Growing up Tethered, in her book

for his life, in which he would offer the

Alone Together, “When is downtime? When is

opportunity for mindfulness and human con-

stillness?” In a world where interruption

nection to adults living in a digital domi-

is beginning of a connection, how alarming

nant world. We may not all have the

is that? Our cellphones are nomore just for

luxury or desire to act as Felix did, but his

calling, they are no longer just a trendy

experience can shed light. After the time he

method to send texts, or a quick way to

was away on his own, disconnected in a matter

respond to an email, not even a designated

our society isn’t accustomed to, he came home

place to play a quick game of Candy Crush,or

with that particular realization. From this

to catch up on the news and browse the inter-

we can gather the importance of centering in

net. Our little devices are no longer solely

on our naturally non-digital lives.

mediums, but rather a monument in our daily

Both this camp and concept may seem like a

lives.

nightmare to some, but to others an unattainable dream put into realism. For me, my first thought reading about Camp Grounded was“Great! But.., how am I going to communicate with the people I love?” Dopamine may encourage you to believe that the more constant the connection the more happy you’ll be. Possibly, but you have the power to turn that tick off. You can decide for yourself what sends you the positive burst of energy your brain

About the Author Aleesha is a Junior at Rowan University studying Writing Arts and Elementary Education. When Aleesha is not writing she enjoys watching re-runs of Gilmore Girls, sipping a caramel machiato coffee, and hanging out with her Shih-Tzu, Tony. She hopes to one day spread her excitement about writing to her future students.

Flirting: Online and Offline By: Amanda Jobes

Who can forget the first time you met the love of your life? How your gut felt, how you started sweating profusely, and that twinkle you get in your eye whenever someone brings up their name. It’s a beautiful and wonderful thing, but is it always the easiest thing? In recent years, online dating has really taken off for people who are much more shy and just generally feel safer and better behind a computer, as opposed to in person. Meeting and getting to know someone in person can be quite a task sometimes, and getting to the point of getting their number or asking them out can be even harder. The idea of going out to coffee with a person you literally have no information about? It can be a little creepy, and even scary. Then, you have to go through the long and sometimes mundane process of learning things about that person slowly before you can even make the decision if you like that person and ever want to see them again. Seems like a pretty long and drawn out process, but that’s the only way it’s ever been. That’s just how it is right? That’s just how it’s always going to be isn’t it? Enter online dating, like Tinder and Match. com where that’s literally the point of the whole website. The website is consisted of people just like you, who want to meet someone but might be having a little trouble doing so. It’s easy, convenient, and right at the end of your fingertips -- literally. It’s also coming wildly more common

to meet your soulmate online. Michael Rosenfeld, a sociologist at Stanford, has said “ roughly one of every four straight couples now meet on the Internet. (For gay couples, it’s more like two out of every three).” Now meeting someone is no longer the hard part, but what about trying to talk to them, or even, dare I say it, flirting? Flirting can either be one big rush or one big anxiety attack. How is this person going to respond to your comments? How do you respond to theirs? It’s a very long and complex tango back and forth until you nail the right rhythm. Online, this is all made easier. The internet is a very powerful thing, and makes people feel more empowered when talking to anyone, friend or foe, and especially strangers. You don’t get a chance to make a bad first impression because you can write and rewrite what you want to say ten times before it finally gets to them. You never have to stutter, or show how nervous you are, if you don’t want to. And due to this, strangers are much more likely to tell each other more personal things much quicker, as they don’t have to physically see the reaction on someone’s face, just need to watch for a few little bubbles on a screen (even though those little bubbles are plenty anxiety inducing on their own.) Larry D. Rosen noted in ScienceDirect that “Traditional dating relationships that might take months to develop in the real world, take weeks or even days online.” This new and recent use of rapid self-dis-

You don’t get a chance to make a bad first impression

closure can lead to quicker connections and thus or not, and if the relationship was worth continumeeting in real life much faster. This was proven ing. Online dating, and the way that it works and by a research experiment by John Cacioppo of the self empowering, well power that it possess the University of Chicago. He found that married has rapidly quickened the process of getting to couples who found each other online were generknow your partner, and thus made online dating ally much happier and had longer lasting relation- not only convenient but also a form of speed datships, and many theories believe this is due to the ing now as well. use of rapid self disclosure, as they bonded much Now, instead of going through the long more quickly. Everyone should get and drawn out process of meetSo, now itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a proven fact. ing someone on the streets, awka chance to properly When these strangers meet, wardly flirting, getting numbers, they will have a better sense of know someone before planning dates and all those other who they feel they are meeting, mundane tasks, you can now speak they make the due to knowing so much about to someone online for hours and them already. This leads to days, getting much more personal commitment stronger bonds between strangthan you would otherwise would, ers, which can, and normally does, in turn lead to and then decide if they would be worth your time a real relationship. And many relationships that to go through the process of meeting in person. begin like this have been proven and documented And then by the time you meet in person, you to lead to not only lead to marriages but marriag- have a much better understanding of each other, es that last longer and are generally happier than and this helps to eliminate any awkwardness of those who meet in old normal contexts, such as the first meeting. Everyone should get a chance at a bar or through a friend. This is due to the fact to properly know someone before they make the that they felt like they truly knew the person right commitment to go out and spend the time with off the bat, and this person, who didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to may potentially go through four become your lifeor five or even long partner. Online six dates just to dating has made the discover if they process much easier. had a connection The internet is leadwith the person ing dating into an

About the Author: Amanda Jobes is a junior here at Rowan University going for a bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree in Writing Arts, and she hopes to work in the publishing industy one day.

Children who feel like you are taking away their freedom are more likely to sneak out and try to attain that freedom themselves youth in such a thorough way. But most parents will say, like a mom in Boyd’s chapter, “I am here to be their parent, not their friend.” However, parents don’t realize that this could actually harm their relationship with their children.

By Elizabeth Flanigan

Where would the world be without they are leaving messages out in the open through parents? The give life, fed their children, their social media posts. However they are hidclothed them, basically the world would be ing their messages at the same time so only those nowhere without parents. Probably one of the who have an intimate knowledge of the situation highest priority jobs of any parent is to protect can tell what the person acutally means. Basically, their children. But how far is too far when it they are sharing their lives and putting themselves comes to parents protecting them, especially out into the world of the internet while controlling in terms of privacy and social media. With what they want people to see and what they don’t the ever expanding world of want people to see. Sometimes, that Teenagers are social media and the internet, especially includes their parents. developing this has often been a question. But to those parents out there their own defiKids don’t want their parents worried about the online lives to be on the same social media site nition of pri of their children, there is no as them let alone go through their vacy, one that such thing as too far, except page. Many parents justify it, sayfor when they are wrong. their parents ing that they need to make sure that Teenagers are developing need to keep in their child is not posting anything their own definition of privathat might damage their reputamind cy, one that their parents need tion. Another excuse is that they to keep in mind. need to verify that their teenager is not talking to somebody of a suspicious nature So what is this new privacy definithat could potentially cause them harm. An artition? In a brief explanation today’s teenagers cle, “Kids, the Internet, and the End of Privacy,” are straddling this line between privacy and by Emily Nussbaum even speculates that another public is some very crafty ways. In her book, reason for this overzealous nature when it comes to “It’s Complicated,” a chapter titled, “Privacy,” children and social media is that parents and other by Danah Boyd discussed teenagers and their older generations are jealous of the way in which new views of privacy. She talks about how current generations are able to document their

In an article titled, “Keep Out - teen privacy: Parents keeping tabs on their children without crossing lines, breaking trust,” David Pham says that parents demanding passwords to every sight, for example, are breaking a fundamental trust in their relationship with their children. Kids need to be protected for sure, but they also need their own space to grow and experience things for themselves. Children who feel like you are taking away their freedom are more likely to sneak out and try to attain that freedom themselves. A parent, Pham continues, who searches phones and interrogates can make their child feel misunderstood and helpless. I am sure this is the exact opposite of what any parent would want their child to feel. Therefore, there are much better ways to go about keeping up with your child. Parents who want to be actively involved with their teenager’s lives or show that they care can find better ways of going about this. According to Pham, “experts suggest parents stop to consider what they know about their children and decide if there really is reason to suspect wrongdoing.” Pham also tells us that parents should not try to question their children or try to invade their privacy in any way unless they are acting out of the ordinary. In the article, an substitute teacher, Linda Buval, suggests that par-

ents get to know their children better, even if that means going to a counselor. Simply talking face to face over dinner, allowing them to talk to about things in a comfortable and trusting environment would produce much better results than spying on them. Pham says that according to experts, the best way for a parent to show their child that they care is by providing a hug and eye contact. All parents love their children. They want to protect them from the dangers of the world, especially the dangers of the internet. Parents will do anything that they can. They will take their passwords, follow them on the social media, even question their every move, some parents will even look through their child’s text messages. All of that in the name of keeping them safe. However, in the process they are also putting the relationship they have with their child in danger. This is why instead of rifling through their social media, parents should talk to their children and get to know them. This way they can see if their child starts acting abnormally and then begin the questioning. This way parents can keep their relationship with their children and keep them safe from the scarily growing world of the internet.

About The Author Elizabeth Flanigan is a Rowan University student studying Writing Arts and History. She spends most of her days reading and writing.

By Elizabeth Flanigan

Where would the world be without they are leaving messages out in the open through parents? The give life, fed their children, their social media posts. However they are hidclothed them, basically the world would be ing their messages at the same time so only those nowhere without parents. Probably one of the who have an intimate knowledge of the situation highest priority jobs of any parent is to protect can tell what the person acutally means. Basically, their children. But how far is too far when it they are sharing their lives and putting themselves comes to parents protecting them, especially out into the world of the internet while controlling in terms of privacy and social media. With what they want people to see and what they don’t the ever expanding world of want people to see. Sometimes, that Teenagers are social media and the internet, especially includes their parents. developing this has often been a question. But to those parents out there their own defi- Kids don’t want their parents worried about the online lives to be on the same social media site nition of pri of their children, there is no as them let alone go through their vacy, one that such thing as too far, except page. Many parents justify it, sayfor when they are wrong. their parents ing that they need to make sure that Teenagers are developing need to keep in their child is not posting anything their own definition of privathat might damage their reputamind cy, one that their parents need tion. Another excuse is that they to keep in mind. need to verify that their teenager is not talking to somebody of a suspicious nature So what is this new privacy definithat could potentially cause them harm. An artition? In a brief explanation today’s teenagers cle, “Kids, the Internet, and the End of Privacy,” are straddling this line between privacy and by Emily Nussbaum even speculates that another public is some very crafty ways. In her book, reason for this overzealous nature when it comes to “It’s Complicated,” a chapter titled, “Privacy,” children and social media is that parents and other by Danah Boyd discussed teenagers and their older generations are jealous of the way in which new views of privacy. She talks about how current generations are able to document their

About The Author Elizabeth Flanigan is a Rowan University student studying Writing Arts and History. She spends most of her days reading and writing.

Is Reading On the Internet a Bad Influence to Our Reading Comprehension? By: Catherine Holmes Google is almost essential in our society today. Students today wouldn’t know how to accomplish or even know where to start with half of their assignments without the resource of Google. The first word that pops into my head when I think of Google is universal, the God of technology, and an answer to any problem I have. This is very advantageous, but also so terrifying and can be detrimental. It can affect your concentration and ability to stay focused on one certain interface. In addition to that, is the material you are reading on the internet considered educational and will benefit your reading comprehension skills? My opinion is not one sided because I don’t think our society would necessarily survive without the internet, especially with many jobs including the internet and the use of digital interfaces. However, I do not believe that the internet is making us dumber. The internet is filled with information ranging from educational readings to websites that are for personal enjoyment. For example, Ebscohost holds a copious amount of research articles that include studies for teachers, students, and fellow researchers. An article written by Madison Park from CNN called, “Study: Google Does A Brain Good,” discusses her discussion with Dr. Gary Small, a professor at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, in which he states: “‘...when older people read a simulated book page, we see areas of the brain activated that you’d expect, the visual cortex, and areas that control language and reading,’ he said. ‘When they search on the Internet, they use the same areas, but there was much greater activation particularly in the front part, which controls

decision-making and complex reasoning. But it was only for the people who had previous experience with the Internet.’” Dr. Small makes a valid point suggesting that reading on the internet not only shows the areas of the brain that show the same positive activity as reading in general, but they also show other positive activity in other areas of your brain as “When they search well. Obviously if you haven’t encountered on the Internet, the Google or the internet before, there is going to use the same arbe some confusion and eas, but there was uncertainty and you won’t show the same much greater actipositive simulation in vation particulary your brain compared to someone who is experiin the fron part, enced. which controls de While many people believe that the cision-making and internet is in fact making us more “dumb” complex reasoning.” or “dumber” than we assume, it in fact is still keeping people interested in reading more. When reading the article “Literacy Debate: Online R U Really Reading?” by Motoko Rich, I was comparing the amount of reading I do to the article. I read all day everyday. Whether it is online, reading a book or article, driving, or writing

down notes. Since technology is now almost essential in society now, you have to be able to read in order to use it. You even have to be able to read to have a social media account without reading or writing. It is a way to connect with your peers through words, expressions, and symbols to communicate online. People constantly argue about what “millennials” are reading on internet. Yes, reading online is definitely different than picking up a book, BUT I believe it is about WHAT you read. Facebook status are not necessarily considered “educational”, nor are you going to be looking at proper grammar, sentence structure, and everything you were taught in school. The internet is more than just a place to scavenger for the latest TMZ article about the Kardashians. For example, Reddit.com is a website FILLED with information ranging from pointless conversations about clothes, to sharing simlilar experiences, to authors sharing their work for their own personal hobby. While I do agree that the internet is a huge impact on society and is beneficial in all aspects, with reading and researching on the web comes concentration, which is the biggest downfall. Concentration has changed immensely over the time period in which technology has evolved. The more technology has changed, the shorter our attention span becomes. While that may be negative, I can do more than one homework assignment at a time, while also checking some of my social media accounts and emails. One may say that it might be inimical to my work, but when I revise and go “Since technology is through it over again, becomes some of my now almost essential itbest work. In Nicholas Carr’s in society now, you “Is Google Making have to be able to Stupid?” he discusses the read in order to use transformation of reading and how the internet, it.” especially google, has altered our concentration and learning development. When reading his article, I did agree with the concentration issue, but with children in our generation today growing up with technology, they learn how to distribute their concentration a lot more easily now than children who were growing up in the evolution of technology. When I received my first MacBook in 2008, I was more interested in Facebook, personalization, and setting up my iChat (which I don’t think anyone remembers any more) than reading a book or educational article. I believe that the concentration level of the generation that grew up with technology already as advanced as it is, can multitask a lot better than most people because of the amount of technology they have incorporated into their lives from the beginning till now. I really enjoyed “Why Abundance is Good: A

Reply to Nick Carr” by Clay Shirky because he pointed out a lot of good points in Carr’s article that I didn’t pick up on. Shirky states, “But the anxiety at the heart of “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” doesn’t actually seem to be about thinking, or even reading, but culture.” Carr claims that we should focus more on literary reading and reading that is assigned, which is boring and not modernized. Shirky goes on by saying, “But here’s the thing: it’s not just Carr’s friend, and it’s not just because of the web—no one reads War and Peace. It’s too long, and not so interesting.” Education today is making students, and generations after us, bored and not interested in reading, which is why Google and reading online is more compelling to them. They should read books that are age appropriate, yet educational enough to teach in schools. Yes, that may be arduous to do, but if it exercises reading as a hobby to students, then why not try? If students knew that reading can be fun and interesting because there ARE books that don’t include eighteenth century writing, then I’m sure they would have a more positive outlook on reading and would feel discrepant. Imagining a world without the internet is almost like asking a child to explain the pythagorean theorem: implausible and problematic. Children today cannot fathom such a world without the internet. Google, especially, has transformed everything. You can google what kind of wart is on your foot or what the square root of one thousand and seventy three is. But no matter what, it’s not going anywhere. It’s only evolving and going to become more prominent. It might not change your opinion about the education of students today or the concentration study involving internet usage, but you have to come to terms with the fact that it isn’t going anywhere. It’s only going to get “worse”.

Catherine Holmes is a Senior at Rowan University. She is an Elementary Education and Writing Arts major .

Living in The Moment..... Too Much By Jenna Stuart Albert Einstein said, “You don’t have to know everything. You just have to know where to find it.” If Einstein knew all the advancement in technology in today’s world would he still have said this? As people living in the age of technology when Google is always at your finger tips we are taking Einstein’s (then) wise words and creating a culture where we are relying to much on things to know everything for us. Why remember the information when we always know that our smartphones are there, burning a hole in our pocket telling us to just look up the answer. You don’t feel like you will need the information until your only choice is to remember it. While taking a test one of the questions asked, “What dos the Monroe Docterine represent and how was it implemented…” I immediately froze, Google want an option, and my brain had no idea the answer so I guessed and moved on, hoping for the best. Studying for tests for memory of certain topics, I believe is harder then ever for college students. According to Academic Earth, Google has become our “external hard drive.” A study done on college students found that students remembered less information when they knew they could access it later. But what happens when we have no choice but to remember the information? It becomes more tedious and complicated. We have the mindset of multi tasking college students, so it is hard for us to just focus on remembering information when other things are happening, that’s why we rely on Google so much. The Google effect is the automatic

forgetting of any information that can be found on the Internet. From countless times online, our brains have been trained to think this way, making more room in our head. Our attention spans are so short because of technology that we have no strive to remember information. In William Poundstones article, “The Internet isn’t making Us Dumber-It’s Making Us More Meta-Ignorant,” he describes the internet as making

“Our attention spans are so short because of technology we have no strive to remember” us more unaware of specific details about things. Instead of remembering what we learned about the information we were looking to find on Google we would remember where we obtained it. Maria Wimber suggests the same thing as Poundstone and suggests that because of the Google effect, “It makes us good at remembering where to find a given bit of information, but not necessarily what the information was. It is likely to be true that we don’t attempt to store information in our own memory to the same degree that we used to, because we know that the Internet knows everything.” Think about it, you are in class and look up how many stars are in the galaxy; you get your information from Wikipedia. Two days later you forget the answer so you type it in again and click the Wikipedia

page because you remember that is where you found the number before. Our minds are doing this by themselves. Betsey Sparrow conducted a study on the Google effect where she made one group of people attempt to remember trivia facts while the other group was told they could have access to the internet. The group that was told they had access to the Internet remembered nothing compared to the group that was told they had no access to the Internet. She concluded from her research that, “Our brains rely on the internet for memory in much the same way they rely on the memory of a friend, family member or co-worker. We remember less through knowing information itself than by knowing where the information can be found.” Poundstone states that the poorly informed don’t know less they just know different kinds of information. He says that there isn’t a plethora of facts that everyone should know, but being well informed on information is a thing of the past. When should we have common knowledge of information and when is it okay to Google? That question is hard to answer, and for many of us the answer is and will always be Google, but our minds are suffering and we are becoming way to dependent on technology to remember for us. Our minds consciously know that our smartphone, tablet, or computer will be available to us at all times to answer our questions. It’s just like taking a test in school that is open book/open notes. Why study the material for memory when it will be available for you to look up while taking the test? Relying on the Internet to do what our brain is there to do is bizarre. The Internet is proving that we are being lazy in remembering things and we

are putting to much responsibility on Google to do it for us. So pick up your pencils or pens and focus put away your phone and write. You just might find that you can remember more then you ever did relying on Google. Einstein’s words may have been wise, but if technology were advanced as it is today and he witnessed all the mindless people Googling information would he have felt the same way?

“Our minds consciously know that our smartphone, tablet, or computer will be available to us at all times to answer our questions.”

Tricks to Remembering Rather Then Googling There are so many tricks (you can Google) on how to remember things without using the Internet. Writing down the information, even if it is available to you in some other form. Studies show that rewriting information is effective, even more then typing. New Research by Pam Mueller suggests that students who wrote out information remembered more and had a deeper understanding of the material. When you write rather then type or even look up information, you don’t write everything you summarize writing the most important points. This ultimately helps you remember more.

Jenna Stuart is a Writing Arts major and Elementary Education Major at Rowan University

“Our minds consciously know that our smartphone, tablet, or computer will be available to us at all times to answer our questions.”

Jenna Stuart is a Writing Arts major and Elementary Education Major at Rowan University

TooMuch Much Screen -Time: it’s Likely Most Likely toChildren’s Affect Too Screen -Time: HowHow it’s Most to Affect Social Development Children’s Social Development By Nicole McPherson By Nicole McPherson

Walking down the baking isle with my niece at a local grocery In a society, that is technology driven there is always the concern of how store we were interrupted by chaotic screeches coming from much screen-time is appropriate for children According to the Wall what looked like a two-year-old boy. We had planned a girls’ Street Journal, a medical group of Pediatricians “for more than 15 years it night and baking cupcakes was on the agenda. has advised parents to avoid screen time completely for children under the “Give me my phone! Someone is calling me.”, said the mother age of 2 and to limit screen time to no more than two hours a day for chilof the child. She grabbed the phone and the toddler immedidren older than 2.” Dr. Ari Brown, lead author of the article and chair of the ately started screaming at the top of his lungs. AAP committee has been investigating children’s media use, and suggests “If you don’t stop screaming you will not get the phone back!” that all screen time is not bad. There is a difference between watching she said countfirmly. We“My niece was absolutely right about there being a problem, but I l e s s both knewwas not sure if it was necessarily the young child’s.” hours of that was televia lie with sion and the look of embarrassment on her face. The small boy looked video chatting with a relative .Screen-time vs screen-free time is all about at her and then proceeded to kick and hit her saying, “I want finding a balance and what context works best for each child. the phone!” She ended her conversation on the phone quickly As parents and/or caregivers one does not realize how screen-time afand handed the mobile device back to the child. My 7-year-old fects children especially the younger ones. Excessive exposure to screen niece looked at me and then said, “He seriously has a problem.” time for children under the age of two can be detrimental to their deMy niece was absolutely right about there being a problem, but veloping of social skills. For those who spend a great deal of time with I was not sure if it was necessarily the young child’s. Everyone children know that good social skills are developed in the earlier years. has experienced these types of incidents at least once whether Medical journalist Norene Wiesen express studies children and digital reit was at local grocery store, restaurant, event, etc. The child lationships expresses, “[that] children who spend excessive time in front having a tantrum over a technological device and the parent of screens are not developing the social skills they need to effectively or guardian expressing the look of embarrassment while trying handle interpersonal relationships.” to quiet to the child. The question is why are the children so When children engage in with these devices they are not develaddicted to these technological devices in the first place? The oping the skills needed to hold successful face-to-face conversations. The world we live in today is completely different from when I was amount of screen time doesn’t matter when adults don’t use this time to growing up. Technology plays a significant part in our everyday engage in conversation. Adults should engage in conversation about the routines. Although, times have changed balance seems to be content at topic. One can do this by asking questions about the game or an issue for this tech savvy generation. Do we ever stop to think show or repeat what is being said. “That’s a problem, because kids need how much screen time is appropriate for younger children and to learn how to initiate a conversation, listen and respond appropriately, how is screen time affecting their social skills? and deal with the uncomfortable pauses and conflicts that sometimes About twenty years ago, we only had to worry about one screen arise when interacting with real people” said Wiesen. Children who deand that was the television. Today, technology has become an pend heavily on devices may use them to avoid the discomforts of social increasingly essential part of our everyday lives. About twenty interaction. This type of behavior will eventually affect how children use years ago, we only had to worry about one screen and that was their problem solving skills because they will prefer to avoid situations the television. Today, technology has become an increasingly rather than correct it. essential part of our everyday lives.

Parents screen time can also hinder the development of children’s social skills. If parents are constantly watching television or occupied by other smart devices it’s guaranteed that conversations aren’t being held between the parent and child. Language is not just a tool that is used to communicate in the classrooms or at home it’s apart of who we are as a human race. Language helps us progress in careers and relationships it’s helps us grow. Wiesen expresses, “Children require conversation to develop robust language skills, and they need adults to invite and shape that conversation in ways that help them think about the world and formulate the language that expresses their thoughts. Even reading to children and telling them stories—both of which are important—are not enough by themselves to support healthy language development.” There are consequences for every decision that is made whether good or bad. The outcome of having effective social skills is priceless. Having children develop proper social skills by engaging in face-to-face interaction helps prepare them for life. With proper social skills they will be able to:

The Cost of Having Good Social Skills . · · · ·

Have a conversation Communicate in a way that can influence a situation’s outcome Show consideration for others Resolve conflicts Demonstrate leadership

Today, educators are also recognizing the central importance of social skills. With the awareness that academic skills alone are not enough, many schools have begun introducing Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) programs as a core component of the curriculum because of the increase use of technology.

The High Cost of Poor Social Skills · Depression · Anxiety · Social exclusion · Poor academic performance (indirectly) Good social skills help children: · Develop positive relationships with parents, teachers, and peers · Show resilience during times of stress · Avoid social rejection · Take personal responsibility for a safe, positive school environment

Many parents and educators have recently become more concerned and quite frankly they have right right to be. The results and lack of social can be affect many areas as I stated previously. Underdeveloped social skills can keep kids out of the running for the kind of opportunities that move them ahead. When children are given devices to soothe them, or older children are allowed to retreat into the safety zone of texting, there’s a lot they miss out on. They do not develop the skills to help them cope with different feelings. They don’t learn how to read other people’s subtle social signals. They don’t reach out to others as much for comfort or support.

Does ThisMean All Screen-Time Bad? The consequences are greatest for those who are most at risk. It’s the kids who are already uncomfortable interacting socially who are most likely to turn to screens as an avoidance mechanism, while children with strong social skills tend to use their devices to increase and further social connection. Screen-time has became a necessity for this generation. It has become a requirement that educators incorporate the use of technology in the classrooms now. Parents should just be educated on how much screen-time their is allowed. Even if parents switch up the different types of screen-time that will help.

“Underdeveloped social skills can keep kids out of the running for the kind of opportunities that move them ahead”

“The great myth of our times is that technology is communication.” Libby Larson My Name is Nicole and I’m an elementary education major at Rowan University. I’ve always had a love hate relationship with technology. As an educator I worry about screen-time and how it will affect my future students. I know that haviing good social skills is an essential skill that is needed so my students can perform to the best of their abilities. It’s important to understand how to effectively incorporate screen-time in children’s lives so they can benefit from them. I plan to effectively engage with my stueents using technology, but always intteracting with them. I plan to continue to educate myself and those around me to keep healthy social skills relevant.

teens+technology=Trouble

a look at how teenagers use technology to cope emotionally By: Lauren Finlayson

"A central concern for teencookies, teenagers and technology, agers is beketchup and mustard are pairs that ing in touch belong together. Yet one of these with friends and pairings can spell out trouble with drawing bounda capital T. Teens and their beloved aries about smartphones are a common sight who's in and in today's society yet a growing atwho's out. People tachment to technology can prove to who are anxious be an increasing problem. In many and depressed ways, the cell phone has changed are concerned technology for the better but this about whether they are in or out new technology can be abused. In and naturally often look at their the Los Angeles Times article Teens cellphones to see if they've gotten Heavy Cellphone Use Could Signal answers to the text messages they Unhappiness, Study Finds written by sent out." says James Katz, Professor Denise Gellene states that accordof Communicaing to a re"To a teenager their phone contains tions at Rutgers cent survey their life and losing that connection University two of every can be detrimental" five youths in In fact accordthe U.S. from ages 8 to 18 have a ing to the same article, if you nocellphone. As more and more teentice a teenager who is not sending agers receive cellphones they betexts or making calls it could posgin the process of using the phone sibly be a sign that they are anxas a coping tool to keep their evious or depressed. In It's Complier-changing emotions in check. cated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens, the third chapter covers adTeens rely on their phones to maindiction to technology in teens which tain an active social life due to a echoes the similar concerns. Author smartphone's ability to connect to Danah Boyd states that, "teens lack various social apps such as Facethe capacity to maintain a healthy book, Instagram, Yik Yak, and more. relationship with social media." Teens While many teens are fine with a are constantly checking their phones strong attachment to technolofor satisfaction and acceptance from gy there are some that attempt to their peers. If a teenager is suddenly break away only to be drawn back ousted from their social group this in again. Many researchers are concould spell trouble. A teens emotional cerned over how teenagers can spend wellbeing can, in some cases, directly an hour or more on their phones correlate to how their peers accept each day which is equivalent to or reject them. To a teenager their how much time they will devote to phone contains their life and losing homework. that connection can be detrimental.

Peanut butter and jelly, milk and

Creating friendships that make lasting connections help teens cope with the difficult middle and high school years. Growing up, teenagers must balance work, school, family, friends, and now an online social life. Their need for acceptance now must be met in person and online. In the article titled growing up tethered author Sherry Turkle explores how teenagers are truly never alone with technology by their side. In a series of interviews conducted at high schools, Turkle was able to uncover how teenagers feel about their relationships in a technologically

"Teens manner drop

move

where

friends

changing

they

will

they

social

accelerated quickly

navigate media

add

their

and ever

lives"

advanced world. When Julia, a sixteen year old, is upset she relies on texting her friends for an instant stress relief. "..I wait, like, depending on what it is, I wait like an hour if they don;t answer me, and I'll text them again. "Are you mad?"Are you there?"Is everything okay?"If no one answers Julia in a blink of an eye she will move onto a new friend. This rapid validation a teenager requires to function in life maintains an unhealthy obsession. If a friend won't answer your calls for help in a few seconds, then who will? Teens move in an accelerated manner where they will quickly add and drop friends as they navigate their ever changing social media lives. Teenagers should not be entirely blamed for their tech addiction and use of tech as a coping aid."Indeed, we have grown so addicted to our smartphones that we now experience "phantom smartphone buzzing", which tricks our brains into thinking our phone is vibrating when it isn't." says Bill Davidow

author of "Exploiting the Neuroscience of Internet Addiction." This ghostly feeling isn't the only aspect that affects our brains. We are wired to feel satisfaction when we complete tasks such as texting a friend back or even checking emails. Davidow explains how completing menial technological tasks can make us feel good. "Thanks to neuroscience, we're beginning to understand that achieving a goal or anticipating the reward of new content for completing a task can excite the neurons in the ventral tegmental area of the midbrain, which releases the neurotransmitter dopamine into the brain's pleasure centers. This in turn causes the experience to be perceived as pleasurable," says Davidow. However, these rewards can cause us to experience an infinite loop of attempting to feel pleasure from our technology. For example, a teenager sends a text, gets a text back, and sends another, but eventually there might not be a text response which can lead to a dip in emotions. This dip in emotions can detrimental to a teen's wellbeing. Parents, friends, and teachers should monitor a teen's behaviors to help combat any issues that may stem from online social problems. If the teenager in your life is acting distant, moody, or just not themselves then please reach out to them and offer help. Advancements in technology are not going to slow down. One should be prepared to handle the emotional rollercoaster technology can bring forth. Quitting technology in one swoop will only make you crave it more, but by pledging to lessen your time with technology daily can be a great place to begin. Lauren Finlayson is currently a senior at Rowan University studying Early Childhood Education with a minor in English and Writing Arts.

teens+technology=Trouble

a look at how teenagers use technology to cope emotionally By: Lauren Finlayson

Peanut butter and jelly, milk and

"Teens manner drop

move

where

friends

changing

they

will

they

social

accelerated quickly

navigate media

add

their

and ever

lives"

The Biggest Distraction: Our Attention Span By: Joshua Mazza

Fishing to Focus The struggle is very real in today’s digital world. Our attention span is so short that we can no longer focus on one task. We then we try to do something else and, as a result, many of us end up multi-tasking. Nothing is getting done because we do bits of pieces of multiple jobs instead of getting one job done and then moving on to the next. In addition, Microsoft conducted a study and a Time article revealed that our attention span With an abunhas decreased over dance of technological With the internet and the plethora amount of social media sites we constanly lose our attenthe years. Time states, improvements, espeever “since the year cially the internet, our tion span 2000 (or about when attention span has the mobile revolution taken a toll. With the began) the average internet we can surf on atention span dropped our computer, phone, from 12 seconds to eight seconds.” This is one and tablet. Not only can we jump from one second less than the attention span of a goldpiece of technology to another, but we can fish (9). The fact that a goldfish has a longer atalso from one website to another. This makes tention span than a human being is very embarit even more difficult to stay focus on one task. rassing. Due to an increase in our multi-tasking In Nicholas Carr’s article, “Is Google Making skill, our attention span has suffered the conUs Stupid?” published by the Atlantic, Carr sequences. Just like Nicholas Carr described, describes the struggle that many people are our mind starts to lose focus and we want to do concerning about when they start to lose their other things. attention span so quickly. Carr states: “Now my concentration often starts to drift after two As a student, I not only agree that the or three pages. I get fidgety, lose the thread, internet is making us stupid, but that our atbegin looking for something else to do. I feel tention span has greatly suffered. Homework as if I’m always dragging my wayward brain assignments are becoming very difficult for me back to the text. The deep reading that used to do because of my lack of focus. Its not that to come naturally has become a struggle.” the work is hard, but it’s the attention span and Our attention span is getting so short that we focus that I have doing it. cannot focus on a few pages of reading or one task and have to do something else. Are you constantly on your phone, laptop, tablet, etc. wondering why you can’t be productive? Is the “a few more minutes” on Facebook, Twitter or other social media sites turned into an hour. Why can’t we focus on one job, be productive, and check off things on the to-do-list? You’re not alone, this happens to everyone because our minds are starting to be rewired because of the internet.

Most of my homework involves using my laptop, which is a huge distraction because I can go on Facebook or YouTube, make emails, or surf the web. I’m constantly doing some homework and then take a little break. I keep on repeating this until I get my homework completely done. Not only does this happen in school, but in life in general. With our attention span so short having a conversation with someone can be very difficult. Our dialogue with one another has to be very short and sweet. While my dad was talking to me (whether in general or telling me a story), in my mind I kept on saying “get to the point.” I can no longer wait for those eight seconds for him or I might go back to watching TV or whatever I was doing.

to read for real, we can then increase our knowledge because we are interpreting and analyzing information. I completely agree that our attention span is decreasing. I see this everyday while at school, home, or in public. When I’m at school I see students constantly on their phones texting, going on social media sites, taking pictures, calling someone, or doing homework. The wosrt thing that I see at school is when students decide to text and walk at the same time! They are not even paying attention to what is going on around them. They could bump into other students or worse, get hit by a car. Students can no longer focus on one thing and have to multi-task due to their short focus and attention span. At home, I’m constantly Their attention span is so short that they have going between Facebook, Twitter,YouTube, to constantly be on their phones. They more and homework. My than likely don’t even notice that they are sitWarning: attention span is getting ting next to each other. Your Attenso short that I no longer want to do homework tion Span is and just watch YouTube Decreasing videos and log in on my social media accounts. The bigI also see this happen in gest issue is: Is it public too. I see many worth our attendrivers text and drive tion to change our at the same time. It is attention span? not only against the law, Is it worth trying but it could lead to huge to increase our accidents. All of these attention span examples relate to what Nicholas Carr was to where it was in 2000 (12 seconds) or let saying that our mind starts to lose focus and technology control us and see our attention we want to do other things. We get bored and span decrease even more. I believe that the fridgy when we are not doing something, but answer comes from Marco R. della Cava’s we are actually doing something. We are USA Today article, “Attention Spans Get doing only one task instead of a million at one Rewired.” In the article he states, “But the time. Internet is about skimming and scanning and de-emphasizes our shifting into deeply atten In addition, I believe that this contive modes.” We are constantly going from nects with our creativity. This relates to our one website to another “reading” articles. By attention span because Cava states that it “reading,” I mean not interpreting or analyzshifts our deeply attentive modes. How you ing what was read. According to Maryanne ever wonder why you think of awesome ideas Wolf’s article, “Learning to Think in a Digital while in the shower? Its because we are in World” published by the Boston Globe, Wolf “silent mode.” We do not have any piece of looks at Socrates fear that children would technology with us in the shower because learn from “reading.” Knowledge does not water can ruin it. This allows us to be able come just from reading, but from interpreting to think, focus on ourselves or situations and analyzing what was read. Reading is in our life, and get away from the world. In decoding knowledge. Cava and Wolf both essence, it increases our attention span and answer the question about whether its worth gives us the ability to get things done and the fight for our attention span. Its worth the conquer the world. fight! If we are able to increase our attention span, we can then really read. By being able

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So now that we know that we have a problem with our attention span. How do we fix this? I believe that we should use technology in moderation. I am a firm believer in this. There is nothing wrong in using technology and I understand that we need to use it because they are very helpful and make our lives much easier. But we need to be able to control our devices before they control us. Another way to increase our attention span is to focus. This does not mean to get a stopwatch and wait until it gets to nine or ten seconds because you just tied and then pass the attention span of a goldfish. The idea is to stop multi-tasking and focus on one job and then move to the next. It not only improves our productivity, but our attention span as well. Finally, turn off your devices or put them away and spend some quality time with yourself or with your family. In the same article, Cava reminds us, “we should all be aware of the importance of taking breaks, turning off devices and simply talking in person.” We should be able to shut off our phones, laptops, computers, tablets, etc. and enjoy the great outdoors, spend quality time by ourselves such as reading a book, or spend quality time with friends and family by talking to them in person. This reminds me of two things, “Look Up” by Gary Turk and “Shut It Down” by MXPX. In Gary Turk’s spoken word, “Look Up,” looks at the fact that we are constantly on our phones, laptops, computers, tablets, etc. Turk challenges us to turn them off and embrace our real lives. Turk wants us and challenges us to be able to control ourselves and give ourselves a break from technology before technology controls us. Our lives could be completely changed if we actually looked up! “Shut It Down” is a song by MXPX. MXPX also looks at the fact that technology is controlling us as well. In the lyrics it states, “Throw away your cellphone, you can talk to yourself/You need a real friend, not some digital image/So what’s it gonna be? A chat room or your family?/Don’t let the TV screen turn into your reality.” MXPX looks at the virtual versus reality aspect of our lives. We need to interact with people face-to-face rather than screen-to-screen. It also relates to Gary Turk’s idea that we need to turn off our phones and enjoy life without technology. With a plethora of technological pieces and improvements, especially the internet, we are losing our attention span and destroying our lives. It is time to fight back, increase our attention span, and have a balanced life with technology.

About Me Joshua Mazza is a senior at Rowan University. His studies focus on Histroy, Political Science, New Media, and International Studies. After graduation, he hopes to work in a history museum where he can combine his History and New Media skills together.

The Not So Private, Privacy Policy Jessica Conroy Internet “privacy” isn’t exactly the most private thing in the world. Every keystroke, every google search, every click of the mouse is stored in the database of the world wide web. More importantly, it is all being watched by someone, somewhere; whether within the government or a random hacker you’ve never encountered. Websites like Facebook, Twitter, etc., can access your google searches to make the pop-up ads on the site more relatable to your interests, which is a little scary that they can access this information. In an article by Colleen Reilly, Coming to Terms: Critical Approaches to Ubiquitous Digital Surveillance, the author talks about how almost everything online is being surveilled, knowingly or not. Reilly goes on to discuss the fact that almost every site has cookies, and analytics trackers that follow every keystroke the user is making. There is a website that the author had found that allows a person to use a browser extension called Ghostery, which is a site where users can type the URL of the websites they use and see the types of trackers that are watching them while using that site. If a user wants to download the Ghostery browser extension, they will then have the ability to block certain sites from tracking them as they use it. From reading Reilly’s article I have come to realize more and more how much internet users are watched and tracked for no reason at all. There is always third-party data collectors watching and saving a user’s Google searches, social media activity and so much more. Why do these third-party collectors take in this information; usually to keep pop-up ads relevant to a specific user. Last week, I was online shopping on Forever21 and found a shirt that I loved so much. I saved that shirt to my “Wish List” so that I could buy it Friday once I got my paycheck. While scrolling through my

Facebook timeline, a day after saving this shirt to my Wish List, an ad popped up on the side of my screen. The ad was a Forever21 ad that was promoting the shirt I had saved the day earlier. This wasn’t the first time this had happened either. During Halloween of last year I was looking for mermaid tail leggings for a costume. I didn’t know where I would find them so I just went for the easy Google search. I found a few websites that had them but I was, again, waiting for a paycheck to buy the leggings. Instead of signing up for an account on these websites, I just decided to copy and paste the URL for each sight to my notepad on my computer. For the rest of the week, my Facebook and Twitter timelines were being bombarded with ads for the mermaid leggings. I remember feeling extremely uncomfortable for the fact that somehow my social media was connected to my Google searches. Now I know this is due to all the third-party data collectors that had been watching me as I searched website after website to find the right leggings. Websites like Facebook, Netflix, Amazon, and many others also keep your searches saved in their databases. When logging on to Netflix, the first thing users see is categories like “shows you may like”, “because you watched ____”, and “continue watching”. Amazon is similar with the “items related to your recent searches” or “because you bought ____”. Websites save all of these searches and purchases to up their revenue with smart marketing strategies, but they are saving information able to be hacked as well; addresses, credit cards, account passwords, and more. Estee N. Beck, author of Writing Educator Responsibilities for Discussing the History and Practice of Surveillance and Privacy in Writing Classrooms, wrote in her article “I think we can all agree that

surveillance, privacy, and even net neutrality are large political and social issues...” in reaction to the topics of websites saving and surveilling users. Aside from the creepy abilities of your favorite social media sites, what about the abilities of internet hackers? They can figure out anything from your most visited website, all the way to your current location. All of these “internet privacy” promises and “privacy policies” on social media mean nothing when it comes to someone who is about to figure out your entire life in just about ten minutes, with a few strokes of the keyboard. These evil geniuses can figure out something as simple as your location via the location services on your smartphone, or as complicated as putting your credit card information into your favorite online shopping website. With all of the new and ever improving technologies, no one is ever safe on the internet. Just because the website has the padlock icon next to the link, indicating it is a “safe” website, doesn’t mean it’s truly safe. Take AshleyMadison.com for example, a website for men looking to cheat on their wives, that has the padlock icon next to the site name. They claim all of the information on the site is completely locked in and secure from any outside parties, or so the users assumed. In Summer 2015, the website was hacked by an outside party and that anonymous party took all of the private information from the site; user’s names, birthdates, email addresses, photos, conversations, etc. and threatened to release the information to the public. In the end of it all, there was a lot information released to the public, because the hackers saw the website as cruel and wrong, which it was, but this instance goes to show that even with that safe-looking padlock icon, the information put into a website is never safe and never fully private. “Lots of cybercriminals get away with plenty of bad stuff, especially if they’re located far outside the reaches of Western law enforcement,” says Robert Hackett of Fortune online magazine. In Hackett’s article What to Know About the Ashley Madison Hack, he discusses the efforts that were made to catch the outside hacker party, all of which failed. Though sometimes the efforts work

in other instances, they do not work in all situations. They set out a bounty, offered a large cash reward for any helpful information, and tried to find the IP address of where the hacker’s location was; they came up with nothing. The internet will continue to grow and technology will continue to improve with the years to come. Whether the privacy will get better or worse, is a mystery. In my own opinion, I believe that within the next few years, privacy on the internet will be completely destroyed and nothing will ever be protected as users would like it to be. Online shopping won’t be safe, using location services on your phone will be an awful idea, and Google searches will be watched more than ever before. Not that any of that is safe now; because credit card information is stolen via online stores every day, people are stalked via location services on their smartphones, and Google searches are watched and stored on an hourly basis.

Jessica Conroy is a senior at Rowan Universty, majoring in Elementary Education with dual majors in Writing Arts and American Studies, and a minor in Psychology. She is from Long Beach Island, New Jersey. She enjoys being outside whether on the beach, in the woods, hiking in the mountains, or just outside in general.

A WRT Production Rowan University

Writing Arts Department

Fall 2016