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Free To Addiction (Except Not Really) If you spend a lot of free time on your Facebook page, smartphone or tablet, you have probably played, downloaded or, at the least, seen a game that is ‘free to play’ on the app store. They are exactly what the title implies: they are games that are free to pick up and play. In order to make profit, because nothing is truly free, these games mostly depend on ‘microtransactions’. These are payments that give players extra turns, clicks and a variety of other bonuses in order to help them progress through a game that might be giving them trouble. This concept of payment has existed since the

“They don’t force you to pay for anything, as much as they allow you decide what is worth and not worth purchasing.

”

Intentional or not, these games have a strong tendency to prey upon the weak-willed: those with obsessive personalities, poor spending habits and even those in compromising emotional conditions like getting out of a bad break-up or just losing a job. All of those depressing conditions lead to a negative state of mind where we try and find something to fill in that created void. People often find community in these games, as they play with or against other people and find reason to just invest more and more money overtime. This, among other reasons, can cause people to spend an unprecedented amount of money on these games. These people who are dedicated to the game are known in the business as ‘whales’ and are often a heavy source

late nineties and has only become more prominent with the revolution of the smartphone, to the point where more hardcore gaming consoles and handheld systems have begun to adopt the model. Now there’s nothing inherently wrong with this system when it is used correctly. Games such as League of Legends or Hearthstone do a great job incentivizing payment in the user base without affecting how they play the game. They don’t force you to pay for anything, as much as they allow you decide what is worth and not worth purchasing. You can still be good at the game and not spend a dime! However, for every game that knows how to use the system in a fair manner, there are several that abuse it.

of revenue for these free to play marketplaces.In an interview article for News 1130, an economist from the University of Hamburg named Dr. Ingo Feidler gives more description of these ‘whales’ and the system in which they work under from some developer’s

standards, saying “It’s called the ‘blue ocean principle.’ You need to find the whale — the one who is spending $10,000 a month on the game. If you bring in one million players, you find find two or three of them paying so much, it really pays off for you as an operator to offer the game to all the rest for free.” Unsurprisingly, many companies create systems solely intent on attracting and gaining profit from these ‘whales’. Terrible terminology aside, whales aren’t exactly a bad thing as long as a company can appeal to both them and the casual audience who often spends no more than a couple of dollars at a time, see the Hearthstone example given prior. But once again, some games can abuse this type of spending, which in turn can absorb and destroy lives. Many developer horror stories exist of people losing all of their money, taking from their children’s college funds and becoming suicidal because their credit cards are maxed out and felt like they were letting their fellow players down. Unrealistic? Not exactly with the way we interact with technology in this day and age. We are always connected to our smartphones and are often drawn to them even when we’re amongst other people. In an article for Pacific Standard, Judy Wajcman, a sociology professor at London School of Economics talks about how we’re constantly drawn to our smartphones and other conveniences, saying “As a late adopter of the cell phone, I am still amazed by the insatiable thirst for 24/7 connection and communication. Yet at the same time we hear complaints about how these very devices allow work to colonize all of life—that we can’t think, sleep, or have meaningful conversations because of perpetual interruptions.” They’ve become part of our lives, to the point where they almost completely take over, and many people still have difficulty managing the lives on our phones and their lives on the outside. It’s an almost obsessive condition, and obsession mixed with spending money doesn’t often lead to good things happening. Feidler makes his own comparisons on the subject as a gambling researcher. He is quoted in the interview article saying that “We see in gambling that 50 percent of the revenues come from one percent of the players. It’s highly concentrated on a small amount of people who are at risk for having a gambling addiction. With pay-to-win games, 90 percent do not pay anything at all and one per cent of the players pay so much that it can go up to $10,000 a month for Candy

Crush”. The question here is that can these abusive systems that abuse people without self control be managed? Surprisingly, yes. While they’re nowhere near perfect,

“With pay-to-win games, 90

percent do not pay anything at all and one per cent of the players pay so much that it can go up to $10,000 a month for Candy Crush

”

lawmakers in various countries and the providers of these apps such as Apple are doing the best they can to mediate these problems in a mobile gaming market that is only going to grow stronger in its user base as smartphone technology becomes cheaper and cheaper. Hopefully, as the market grows, we’ll also see less games trying to pick from your wallet by force and more letting you decide to pay when you want something and makes you feel good for buying it. It should feel like those moments when you have a bit of extra money so you decide to buy yourself something nice just because you wanted it, not a paywall holding you back from more content. The last thing we need to make sure is that consumers are knowledgeable of what they’re buying and how much they are spending. If we educate ourselves on these, we can learn a form of self control and not go completely overboard when it comes to spending money. So if you ever do play a game that is free, consider the following questions: Is this game forcing me to pay? If I saw something I really liked, would I be willing to pay money for it? And finally, do I know where to draw the line with my spending? E.W. McComb is a Writing Arts and New Media Publishing student at Rowan University. He is an avid gamer who has studied the inner workings of the industy through articles and video analysis made by professional developers and reviewers.

Poor Millenials and Technology

“If I was a poor black kid, I’d use the free technology available to help me study.” Uh…no, you wouldn’t. “Computers can be purchased cheaply at outlets like TigerDirect and Dell’s Outlet…” I don’t think that word means what you think it means. “…poor millennials have even higher rates of narcissism, materialism and technology addiction in their ghetto-fabulous lives.” And…that surprises you? Let me stop beating around the bush here. My name is D.F. Rodriguez and I’m what one of the above quotes refers to as a “poor millennial” from the city of Camden, New Jersey. In other words, I was a poor Hispanic kid who was in the same boat as all of the “poor black kids” that Gene Marks eludes to in his piece, If I Were a Poor Black Kid. So given our situations, we didn’t have anything like what eventually got as we grew older. If anything, the most technologically advanced items most of us had in our houses were a T.V., a radio, a CD player here or there, and at least one gaming console. But almost none of us had a computer at home, which meant that the only access to computers we had were the ones we could use at school. In fact, if I recall correctly, my dad wasn’t able to get a brand new Dell Windows XP machine until I was eight-years-old. At the time, I may have been one

of the seventy-six percent of other minorities with home access according to Child Trends; but I was still one of the only kids I personally knew who had a computer at all. Since that was the case, we always looked forward to our weekly computer class and sometimes would beg our teachers to allow us some “free time” on the computers in the classroom. Would you believe I didn’t learn how to “Copy and Paste” until I was in sixth grade? Or that I didn’t have or know how to create my own email address until I was about fourteen or fifteen? Or even better, that I had never even heard of Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, or any of the other tools found in Microsoft Office until I reached high school? I didn’t even know how to properly use Word until then either. Hell, I’d never even known that there were other operating systems beyond Windows and Mac OS like Ubuntu by Linux. Given this information, would you have expected me to be able to write code? To research with Google Scholar? To use SparkNotes or even know what the hell “Project Gutenburg is,” at the age of nine? Twelve? Sixteen? I wouldn’t think so. If anything, all of those resources would have been useful if I didn’t teach myself to conduct my own research the way I do today.

“I was still one of the only kids I personally knew who had a computer at all.” I look back at my years spent growing up where I did and I realized that there is a sort of evolutionary timeline to be seen within it. I went from having just a PS1, some action figures, and my dad’s CD “I look back at my years player and eating at home between the ages of seven to 10; to having my own CD player, an Xbox, and spent growing up where I did having my dad take us to eat at McDonald’s or Burgand I realized that there is a er King between eleven and thirteen; then to getting my own netbook, an MP3 player, a PS3, my own T.V. sort of evolutionary timeline screen, a desk, and eating at Chinese buffets and other, actual restaurants by the time I was eighteen; and to be seen within it.” finally, having a smart phone, the same PS3 alongside Which brings me to Stein and my third quote a PS4, the same T.V., a brand new laptop, and going from above. Narcissism. Materialism. Tech-addicout to eat at Applebee’s, Chili’s, Outback, and even tion. These are all things that should surprise no one, Maggiano’s by my current age of twenty-one. These especially if they accompany someone who came from days, I walk around town proud of where I came from literally nothing. There is a reason we like to show and how far I’ve come thanks to my dad being lucky off the nice cars, clothes and other things we have enough to continue to get promoted at his job, which because we can afford them now. I’d be surprised if I, did more than enough to help him keep food on the ta- as a “poor millennial,” wasn’t always on my phone, ble, a roof above us and an endless amount of clothes or constantly turning to consult my laptop, or always to wear. Thankfully, I too am fortunate enough to have wanting to just lay back and play some video games more than one job that I can count on when I need on Steam or PlayStation. If you knew what it was like, money to buy things that I never thought I would get then you’d feel the same way. to have. For example, when I was about thirteen, I had wanted to build my own collection of Batman comics. I have that now. When I was seven, I wanted my own Rowan Writing student; Booksellcomputer. I have that now. Better yet, my whole life er; One man security unit; Former I had wanted a figurine of Solid Snake Metal Gear Genetic Anomaly; English, SpanSolid. I have two of them now, among various other ish, Profanity. things that I have now that I couldn’t have when I was younger. I can afford them now.

Poor Millenials and Technology

said that about 54 percent of people said they be known for socializing have now become a experience a fear of missing out when they place to do work and sit on our phones.

“I don’t think I could last a single day without using any form of technology. Even the thought gives me anxiety.”

Technology Today It is said that the average person checks their phone 110 times per day. That’s about every 5 or 6 minutes spread out over a 12-hour period of time. With instant access to the Internet, emailing, text messaging, and social networking we feel obligated to check our phones regularly to make sure we are staying up to date with what’s going on around us.

Smartphones are making our lives more convenient. Lost? No worries, just pull up Google maps. Need to check the weather? Open that weather app. Smartphones are providing quick and easy solutions for everyday life. An article by CNBC states, “The study, conducted by Flashgap, a photo-sharing application with more than 150,000 users, found that 87 percent of millennials admitted to missing out on a conversation because

As soon as we hear that buzz on our “54 percent of people said cell phone it is almost impossible to resist checking it. I have already checked my phone they experience a fear of missing twice as I was writing this and we’re only on out when they don’t check their the second paragraph. Is it a bad thing that we are constantly on our devices? One side social media networks..” of me says no. I think technology has improved tremendously over the past few years they were distracted by their phone. It also and it has made life easier in so many ways.

In the article “Always On” by Sherrie Turkie she discussed how heavily we rely on technology and how people are becoming more connected through technology than in person. If you go to your local café the majority of the people there will be sitting with their don’t check their social media networks. Are phones or laptops in front of them as they there downsides to this? As convenient as drink their coffee. Even at the dinner table it is to have these technologies at the touch kids will play with their phones and I-Pads of a button, I believe the constant use of cell phones are doing more harm than good. Now instead of engaging in family conversations. What’s even worse is when it’s the other way don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to go back around. When the parents are the ones that to the dinosaur era where cell phones didn’t exist or anything. I’m simply just saying that we are constantly on their phones going through their emails when they should just put the need to spend less time on our cell phones. phone down and enjoy their meal. Let’s just state the facts. We have become addicted to our cellphones and computers. I, It is a sad reality that people have for one, don’t think I could last a single day without using any form of technology. Even the become so consumed with their phones that it is making is miss what is going on around thought gives me anxiety. us. Instead of being outgoing and social we he behind a cell phone. When someone If I didn’t check my phone for an entire is walking by us our first reaction is to look day I would feel so disconnected from the down at our phones to avoid eye contact. world. How sad is that? Sometimes it’s hard Although technology has made our lives to remember that there was a time where all much more convenient, I think that people of these technologies didn’t exist. The issue is that we have become less social in real life need to manage how much time they spend and more social on our devices. People have on their phones. A good rule that I am going to try and follow is to not check my phone become too focused on social media when they’re out at events causing them to be less when I am around people. If you are hanging out with a group of friends don’t just sit there social. I am guilty of this as well. There are on your phone. Stay off your devices and live times when I am out with friends and I can’t in the moment. No one should miss what is help but check up on my text messages and going on around them because of a text or an social media. email. It can wait. Snapchat has recently become a new addiction of mine. Back when we didn’t have cell phones people would have to call each Fotini T. other using a landline. Now we can send a text Rowan University Student. Elementary within seconds with the click of a few buttons. education and writing arts major. Convenience is everything in the culture of beCell phone and social media addict. ing busy. But how has this affected our lives? We have become more social on the Internet and less social in person. Places that used to

said that about 54 percent of people said they be known for socializing have now become a experience a fear of missing out when they place to do work and sit on our phones.

“I don’t think I could last a single day without using any form of technology. Even the thought gives me anxiety.”

Robots With Class(es)

Consider a teacher using manipulatives when teaching

Help, my teachers a robot! No, this isn’t another bad sci-fi movie idea. Instead, a productive and educational field

fractions: “I have one pizza and it’s cut into 8th’s. I want to give my

changing practice. Robots will now begin to aide teachers in the classroom. Specifically, classrooms containing children on the

friend ½ of it. How many ⅛’s would my friend receive?” The teacher

autism spectrum scale. In a time where robots and machines

would go ahead and watch their student separate ⅛’s from that of the

are aiding more and more in professions, it’s understandable

whole pie. The teacher is using this manipulative/tool to aide them in

to wonder...where do I, a mere human, fit in? Well, robot’s aren’t replacing teachers, instead they’re working beside them.

their practice of teaching. Well, the use of educational robots in the

According to Sherry Turkle, Author of Alone Together: Why We classroom is no different than that of a manipulative. Expect More from Technology and Less From Each Other, In an

Why use a robot as a manipulative to educate children of

interview with David Levy, an inventor of numerous Artificial

autism? According to Susan Stokes, of Assistive Technology for

Intelligence projects, “Levy argues that robots will teach us to

Children with Autism, “The varied use of technology for children

be better friends…..because we will be able to practice on them. with autism continues to receive limited attention, despite the fact Beyond this they will be able to substitute where others have

that technology tends to be a high interest area for many students

failed ” Therefore, how can teachers utilize robots to help them

with autism”. Technology is beneficial to students with autism in just

“The teaching practice has changed over the years.” assist students on the autism spectrum scale? The teaching practice has changed over the years. It’s no longer ABC’s and 123’s. We now know that not all children

a few out of many ways: · “Voice output software helps with auditory reinforcement and computer graphics help students visualize what they’re learning.” · Autism may make verbal communication difficult, technology can increase communication by helping someone express themselves more fluently or by helping them learn how to express themselves.” Meet Nao, one of the first robots specifically designed for

learn the same, and each child contains their own learning style. students with learning disabilities. Based on the research of Dr. That’s why there are tools created in aiding the teacher to inter-

Joshua Diehl, assistant professor of Psychology at the University

act with the class.

of Notre Dame, “We have found that children with autism seem to

have a natural interest in technology and are very motivated by

blinking green, and a victorious trumpet sound will be omitted. Nao

the robot. Our goal is then to generalize the skills that they are

is obviously happy. Nao uses facial expressions (like a digital smile)

learning with the robot to their communication with humans in

and body language to show a positive emotion. However, if the

their lives.” These students may have trouble interacting with

child answers it incorrectly, then Nao will use both body language,

the teacher, and are more inclined to pay attention to Nao instead. facial expression, and speech to correct the child. “No, that’s not Jason Faulkner, author of “Nao Robot Goes to School to Help

right, but what I want you to do is try again for me. Do you think you

Kids With Autism” found, “The ASD [autism spectrum disorders] could do that?” Nao asks reassuringly (Griffiths, 2014). children benefit a lot from using Nao. You see a different side of

Nao is a tool that can be utilized to help teachers within

them when they are working with him. You see them comfortable their classroom. Nao can be programmed by the teacher, in order with Nao, responding to him and I just think these are features

to set up lesson plans. If you want your students to exercise more,

you just would not see with a human. They would be more shy

than Nao will have them become more physical by moving and

with that person, they would be more withheld or withdrawn,

dancing. Nao is best suitable for keeping other students occupied,

whereas with Nao they are more outgoing.” The teacher can use

when a teacher needs more 1 on 1 time

this robot as a “stepping stone” until they become more com-

with a particular student. For particularly

fortable with people. The child may work better with a robot, and shy students that don’t react well to the may make more progress with this type of tool.

teacher, then Nao may be used as a tempo-

“You see a different side of them when they are working with him.”

rary substitute. Nao is better able to teach

What is Nao’s purpose though, and how does it work? According to Margaret Rock, Author of “With Robots

students on how to be better friends, by teaching them different types of emotions. Nao is no different than any other manipulative or even an human aide, that a teacher would have in their classroom. Robots are nowhere near replacing teachers, but they are and can be used to help educate the growth of students.

Like These, We Won’t Need Someone to Make Us Happy,””It’s our deep, psychological need for social connection that is fueling a new generation of robots, and they’re filling our ineffable, yet sharp, longing for someone to talk to — and answer us back.” Nao is able to give students that social interaction, when humans cannot. Nao is able to assist students on the autism spectrum scale in reading, balancing, moving, and a wide variety of other needs. In all honesty,one of the main problems that children with autism have is recognizing emotions. By providing social interaction, Nao is able to teach them those emotions. Consider the following example in a classroom: Students are identifying different farm animal types, and in front of Nao, on plaque cards, are the following images: Cow, Pig, Sheep, Dog, Horse, Chicken. Nao will ask the student’s “Can you show me a cow?” The student would then pick up the cow and hold it in front of Nao’s sensors. If the student holds up the cow, then Nao will throw up his hands excitedly, his eyes will start

Ian Campbell is a student at Rowan University. He is currently pursing a degree in Elementary Education and Liberal Studies. In his free time he likes to read and exercise.

Big Companies And Big Data Mining By Rachel Saltzman

While demolishing enemy villages in Clash of Clans, glancing at Facebook and Twitter, or shopping for the latest styles online, consumers of these electronic services are leaving behind a digital footprint. Although many of these services offer privacy settings, their admins have nearly unrestricted access to any personal data that consumers willingly (and sometimes unwillingly) provide. Email addresses, phone numbers, credit card information, photographs, personal interests; all of these forms of data are gathered and sold by these companies. All of these acts are legal by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, but they can have unintended effects on us, the consumers.

privacy-rights notices that consumers should read, even though they can be lengthy. Consumers can opt out of a lot of unsolicited emails and phone calls by contacting the Federal Trade Commission’s Do Not Call registry and the Direct Marketing Association (Consumer Reports Money Advisor, 2009). These steps can reduce the amount of “junk” by a significant amount.

To combat various forms of cyber-theft, Consumer Reports highlights some of the ways in which individuals can keep their data as secure as possible. All companies, retailers, and Web sites have

Even harmless smartphone applications and online video games partake in similar forms of consumer data analyses. Popular apps like Candy Crush Saga and MMORPGs like DOTA are just as

Sadly, a lot of our personal information can still be distributed regardless of these actions. And while some information should not be passed around the internet, many forms of social media track user’s interests and make further recommendations based on data tracking. There are eight big targets that data mining companies and Smartphone apps and websites are notorious for this kind of data mincyber-criminals seek out, according to the October 2009 issue of ing. Tracking cookies and other forms of data tracking allow companies Consumer Reports Money Advisor: credit history, insurance claims, to trace consumer activity in order to make advertising revenue. For health history, checking accounts, background information, purchase example, if an individual makes multiple purchases at an online retail returns, rental history, and mailing lists (Consumer Reports Money site, ads for that site will start to appear on other websites that the user Advisor, 2009). Even without going into the nitty-gritty details, the frequents. Many websites like Google has a similar function in which danger of having any of this information leaked is rather unsettling. Any an algorithm calculates personalized results based on a user’s prior data hacker with enough skill can find a way to obtain this information, search history, as well as any information supplied from a user’s Gmail leaving an individual’s entire life potentially vulnerable to collapse. or Google+ account.

involved in tracking and selling user data, according to an online article, “Video Games And Surveillance: How Are we Tracked Once we Press Play?” by associate professor of writing Stephanie Vie, and game studies professor Jennifer DeWinter. These two experts on rhetoric combined their respective fields to discuss how game designers and hosting companies rely upon user telemetry, “a process that allows them to gather data on the behavior of players,” (Vie & DeWinter) to make a profit. Some of the data collected by these platforms find their way into the hands of the FBI, the CIA, and any other government organization that scans through this data for information about criminals and terrorists that use these games as a form of communication (Vie & DeWinter).

If you are further interested in who is hoarding and hawking off your data online, there are several programs that allow you to see to who and where your personal information winds up. University of North Carolina professor of English, Colleen A. Reilly, highlights some of the best freely available digital tools that allow users to “track the tracker,” in her online article “Coming To Terms: Critical Approaches to Ubiquitous Digital Surveillance.” Two of these popular programs are Lightbeam for Firefox, and Ghostery. Lightbeam is unique in that it gives a futuristic graph representation of any third-party data collectors linked to sites that the user frequents. Ghostery will follow the user’s site history in order to produce a profile that identifies and categorizes each tracker. The browser extension even comes with a tracker blocking feature, which users can turn on and off at will (Reilly).

“... it makes sense to talk All of this sounds pretty sketchy, even though most of us don’t have to be worried about being targeted about elecby the Pentagon. But there are a lot of benefits to having tronic privacy our personal data chronicled, analyzed, and put to further use. You are probably thanking yourself for signing up and policies for that retail company’s membership, because now you can get super enticing deals on all of the stuff you like to in the writing purchase. Enjoy certain shows on Netflix? Well, when you classroom.” finish all of one show, you can easily find similar ones

Knowing even the basics of internet data mining will prepare web users for most of their online experiences. Everything from simple mouse clicks to typing in your credit card number can affect how companies use or sell your data for their own profit. But with awareness of a possible problem comes a thanks to Netflix recording everything that you’ve ever watched on their need for action, “…becoming more critical users of digital spaces platform. And without Facebook sharing and analyzing your data, you and decreasing the imbalance of power between the trackers and the never would have come across your new favorite band. tracked in digital environments,” (Reilly). These companies will have to answer to customers one day, but that will only happen if the public Still, one can never be too careful about where personal majority speaks out for or against this issue. information ends up. That is why University of Texas English professor and multimedia expert, Estee N. Beck, is determined to explain how and why internet surveillance should be taught in the writing classroom. In her online article, “Writing: Thoughts on Educator Responsibilities,” Beck argues that writing teachers have an obligation to “protect[ing] student learning from potential corruption” and warn students “about the abuses of power and control in computer-mediated writing spaces,” (Beck) because these digital mediums are just another form of writing and communication. We were taught about plagiarism and copyright in English class; therefore, it makes sense to talk about electronic privacy and policies in the writing classroom. But how can teachers, and parents by extension, teach their students/kids about such complicated concepts and texts? Beck advises her readers (most of them also being teachers) to take some time out of the class to have students examine “privacy policy statements from large social media companies, examine[ing] data usage statements from large Internet companies…” engage in promoting “the effects of surveillance and privacy upon the general public…” and “watch[ing] and critique[ing] documentaries about these issues,” (Beck). Even if you are no longer a student, self-educating yourself on these important topics will help you become more informed and more aware of your internet privacy rights.

Rachel Saltzman is a Writing Arts undergraduate at Rowan University, and plans on entering the Masters Program. She enjoys cats, video games, and experimenting with makeup.

BY Monique Little Teenagers Vs Privacy The thought behind thinking that not every child has the feeling that they are being watched when they are online is terrifying. Parents do not take the time to think about what their children are actually doing when it comes to being online. In most cases children are lying about their age online to fit in with the other kids and feel popular. Not all children go on the internet looking for trouble but you have some that go online for attention. In the article are Teenagers Really Careless about Privacy by Jon Henley. They mention how not all teenagers are careless they just are not aware of what they are doing or what could happen if they post certain things online. Maybe 90% of the children that are online and are under age are the main ones that get themselves in trouble by posting things as if they were older. Nonetheless was it possible for their parents to find out because most parents last things they want to worry about is thinking their younger child is online posting things they do not have business doing. Not in every case will you get a few children worrying about what they post because they are already aware. Using a filter when you post thing has a chance of throwing the pic-

ture off or making things seem different from what they actually are. Privacy is not something that comes easy when it comes to the internet. Seems to be that parents give their children the internet access or smart phones to keep them out their hair. However 60% of the the time the parents are not sure what actually is going on in their child’s mind when they are online. Thinking about the generation right now kids as young as 12 have phones and have easy access to the internet. Many privacy invasions, too, “are silent and invisible, and only a minority of people will know and care about them. But where people are aware of their loss of control over how they are seen by others, people of all ages will always assert their need for privacy in the strongest way.”(Henley) Reading that line over and over again comes to clearance when it comes to children and their own identity. Posting things out of anger online could make the next person think they are upset about a situation or on the edge of going crazy. Children see things and imitate them they do not come up with these things on their own nonetheless are they 100% sure about what they are getting themselves into. The articles mentions how girls seem to express things in a different matter. They will post music lyrics when they are down. Or post pictures about a guy that they are falling for. Guys on the other hand will post things to get

older girl’s attention to seem cooler than the next. Girls attract older guys by the way that they look most younger girls will wear makeup and dress up to see if they will get another guy’s attention and talk to him. Privacy? Thinking about that word does not bring anything to mind when it comes to children being safe. Knowing now that the Government has the rights to go through your phone without you knowing I feel that parents should have the right to do that as well. Not all children care about privacy they think that since they posted their account on private that no one on the outside can look at their account. The point is to allow access to the content but zero access to the meaning. With that being said when you have something going on your first thought is to post about the situation but instead of having people in your business you hide it by posting something different. Children and privacy is slim to none but is it only children or are adults not paying attention to privacy either. It is the time that everyone starts thinking about what they post online because it can affect you in the long run. Or even stop you from getting a certain job. Thinking before you post something online can help you develop your own standard of privacy whether or not it is really letting you hide what you post from the world. In Kids,the internet,and the end of privacy by the New York Times makes it clear when they tell how younger children go through the notion about not caring what they post online. some kids will say “ If it is up there I have nothing to worry about”. How true do you really think that is. No one is really safe when it comes to posting things online not even adults. When post are made public it doesn’t seem that most children are thinking about what information they are putting thinking no one else will see. That is not true In the article It mentions hows girls will write their post as if they were writing in their journal. For example it said that one girl posted that her period was late this month but she hasn’t been laid in months how could this be ( 1). Posting something like this gets everyone involved in your business and start making rumors about you saying you have the chance of being pregnant. Now just imagine if the rumor gets back to your parents now your “private”

thought your shared online is now out to the world for everyone to see. Privacy is nowhere and no one is safe. In some cases it could be a good thing but in some cases it could be bad. Paying close attention to what you post could help people out in the long run. “What matters to them is social privacy: it’s about how to control a social situation, which is something very different from controlling information.”( Danah Boyd).

“What matters to them is social privacy: it’s about how to control a social situation, which is something very different from controlling information.”

My name is Monique Little. I am a Senior at Rowan University. Studying early childhood education with liberal studies in writing arts and sociology. Enjoys meeting new people and exploring new things!

“What matters to them is social privacy: it’s about how to control a social situation, which is something very different from controlling information.”

By Julia M.

Skype is Sabotaging Long Distance Relationships Many people experience some type of long-distance relationship at one point during their lives, whether it’s a high school sweetheart who sets off on a different path, someone who studies a semester of college abroad, separating for occupational purposes, or even time away from military deployment. While there are many forms of communication that allow people to keep their relationships alive, for some it is still considered a huge challenge, which only decreases the spark and desire. My situation is on an entirely different level. My boyfriend and I were dating for 2 and half years; which was one of the best times of my life, especially having been during my early college years. Being relatively close to me on campus, we saw each other many times. But because Chris is a year older than me, his time was up at Rowan and moved back home for a bit. The distance was only about an hour away, but was still a big change for the both of us. But we got through it… Throughout this time, his desire to move to California and pursue his dreams grew stronger. Spending some time in NYC based on what he wanted to do with his life just wasn’t enough. We both knew it would only expand and become more serious.

So the possibility of maintaining a long distance relationship came up a good number of times, however the thought of that killed us and we constantly put it aside. I have never loved anyone the way I love Chris, and we were constantly physical with each other, like all the time; whether we were grocery shopping, out to eat, on a hike, attending a party, or just lounging around in sweats, we weren’t more than a foot apart from each other. “His actions spoke volumes; the idea that the word “separation” was even in our vocabulary-was surreal.”

But on January 4th 2016, after much indecisiveness followed by tears, hugs, and long talks, Chris moved to Los Angeles, California. Prior to leaving, we made a decision that I still don’t know was the right one, and decided to try go our separate ways. I could rant on and on about why we chose to take this route, but mainly because we did not want to hurt one another...we’re young, we’re inexperienced, and for all of those who this may apply to, you need to put yourself before others, it is super important and you won’t realize it and until you do. The detachment already brings pain and torture, why make it worse? Even with the

amount of technology we can use at any place, anytime to stay connected and continue to share our love for one another will never be the same as what we had, not even close. For example, Skype kills...I’m sure I am not the only one who thinks that. Being one of the most popular communication networks around the world, it can also become a struggle overcoming the impossibility of physical intimacy in a relationship. His touch, the impression he gave me while looking in my eyes, the security I felt being held by him, his baby soft skin, that same fresh scent he always had, the way he kissed me, how my entire body would become weak and fall to the ground, heavy and holy; it’s all gone when intimacy is limited just a simple computer screen. The nerves one feels when a Skype call isn’t answered, to the unnecessary miscommunications that can come from not being able to see your partner during internet connection problems causes a huge level of stress and anxiety! Being able to see the person’s face you love is a wonderful thing and can brighten one’s day instantly, but this bittersweet feeling of knowing the closest you can be with them is only virtually, really puts that inevitable pain in your lower stomach.

“It’s like dating a ghost....” Skyping isn’t necessarily enjoyable when over half the stories one encounters and the surprises or funny things that occur during the day have already been posted somewhere online, and seen. So is there really that much to talk about? The redundant “I miss you” get’s pretty old, and slowly starts to lose its meaning. Even the spasmodic, back-and-forth blurriness and pausing of Skype only makes you miss your real-life interactions. It’s the little things that count; the spontaneous moments, unplanned laughter, feeling of frustration or joy that one cannot sense or feel through a computer screen, the empty space next to you in bed at night, no arms wrapped around you; no protectiveness. Let’s take texting for an example; a joke can simply become a fight, because a tone may have be misunderstood. Unfortunately, there is no help to

turn that fight around because there is no touch or body language to fix that feeling. This generation’s hyper-connectivity can be a mixed blessing. It’s the end of the day and you’re both curled up in your cold, lonely bed, craving each other the most. Because this is the time where we think, about everything, be in touch with yourself, and have only a few hours of silence before dozing off. But you’re on the phone, and there’s little to talk about, and it just feels forced... When it comes down to it, it’s all about holding your partner’s’ hand, giving them a hug, or just looking into their eyes makes that makes all the difference in a relationship. Where is the physical aspect or intimacy through Skyping? And this, so called Skype date eventually comes to an end. Which partner will be the one to click that red End button, turn off their computer, and go to bed? Being so close digitally, only widens the gap for two people in a long distance relationship. The only thing Skype will ever be is a communication convenience, not a relationship replacer. Julia is currently a Junior at Rowan University as an Early Childhood Education and Writing Arts Major. It is her 4th year as a member of Rowan’s Dance Extensions Company. Julia has been a dance teacher for young children for 5 years now and hopes to become a 1st grade teacher in the near future!

By Julia M.

Should The Goverment Have Access to Our Text Messages? By: Ciarla R

a crime or attack from happening? That would save Do you have a passcode on your phone? our world from some of the trauma that we deal with Instead of having your text content appear on on a daily basis. Now, obviously these sweeps would your lock screen do you have it set so that only not stop every crime or attack but even if it stopped a the words, “New Text Message” show up? If we receive a message that we feel can never be seen few it would be worth it...wouldn’t it? There are laws and standards that the governagain we simply delete it. All of these things are ment is supposed to follow when conducting interest ways that we all try and protect our privacy on in people’s text messages. They vary in every state. our cell phones and we feel pretty secure doing it. According to James Ball’s article NSA Collects In October 2015, California passed a new bill that had to do with this concern. It goes by the name, Millions of Text Messages Daily in Untargeted Global Sweep, “The National Security Agency has “Electronic Communication Privacy Act”. What is this you ask? Well according collected “The National Security Agency has collected al- to Tracey Liens article, Everyalmost 200 million text most 200 million text messages a day from across thing You Need to Know About the globe, using them to extract data including California’s New Electronic messages Communications Privacy Act, a day from location, contact networks and credit card dethis means that in order to obacross the tails, according to top-secret documents”. tain a user’s private data, such globe, using as text messages or emails, them to extract data including location, contact networks government officials must first obtain a warrant from a judge. Now of course you can access the actual bill and credit card details, according to top-secret documents”. Did you know that?... Because I sure online and read it fully for yourself but Lien’s article really breaks down its contents in an easy-to-read didn’t. Now, you have to take many things into consideration. The world we live in today is sense- FAQ fashion. Back to the Bill… Let me explain how this works, if the government is not doing a ranless. There are many crimes and terrorist attacks that leave our world scared to death. A lot of these dom sweep but are interested in an individual’s text crimes are pre-negotiated through text messages. messages all they would have to do prior to this new What if when these sweeps were done they stopped bill is call up a cellular provider and ask for records. These are not just the text messages that are current-

ly in your inbox but even deleted ones. This has been causing all sorts of debate over the past few years. Are they invading our privacy? Or are they just doing their job? I believe that they should be able to do this. I don’t have anything to hide and if they obtain any of my text messages they will probably laugh at their unfulfilling contents. To me, this world is scary and so many crazy things happen that even if one or two of the crimes could be stopped it would be well worth it. Although we assume texting is only between you and the person you are conversing with this purely is not true. Nothing we do through technology is actually private but as technology progresses privacy regresses. I think this is something we all must accept. Now, I do think California appears to be more fair for passing a new law that makes it harder for government officials to access our government uses a device called “Stingray” to spy on our cell phones. Before I get into detail about the “Stingray” it is important you know that there are “As technology progresses other devices the government uses. The Stingray basically pretends to be a cellular tower, such as an AT&T privacy regresses” tower, the phones signals connect to that and trade stuff. Only two other states have laws similar to this your phones location and other things with the imitaand they are Maine and Utah. Although I am in favor tion tower. These are mainly used for military uses but of the government being able to access our text mes- have become emerged into the life of normal civilians. sages I do however think it should be more challeng- Are you okay with them doing this? If you aren’t okay ing for them to do so. If the government can intervene with them spying on our text messages is this because and stop a crime or attack from happening what is of a guilty conscious or just because it goes against there to loose? I don’t think they will waste their time your privacy morals? It is the government’s job to punishing people for all of the small crime revealing keep us safe from crime and hurt and if being able to text messages they come across. I guess the true con- receive peoples text messages is one way why should cern is how the government can protect us while also we take that away from them? What do you think? respecting our privacy? Or rather, is this even possi ble? Maybe if every state passed some sort of bill like California, Utah and Maine citizens may feel a little more relieved. As of now that is not the case. If the government accessing our text messages could save someone you knew from harm, would you agree with it? This is something we all have to seriously stop and think about because technology is only going to progress as time passes. Our kids lives will be even more emerged in technology than our lives are now. Don’t we want to do everything we can to protect them? Ciarla is an Elementary Ed So you’re probably wondering how does the ucation/American Studies/ government do this? I type out a text message, hit Writing Arts Major at Rowan send and it arrives only to the person I intended it to. University. She loves smiling, Well that is simply not the case. It does go something like that but instead of it just going to the person you the beach and her family. intended it to go to it also can be swiped up by tracker systems that the government uses to spy on our texts. According to Margot William’s article, Stingrays, the

Should The Goverment Have Access to Our Text Messages? By: Ciarla R

Millennials and Social Change By Sarah Knapp “You damn kids these days just expect everything to be handed to you.” Do they though? It’s a perpetual stereotype in today’s world that millennials are lazy, entitled, bitchy kids. Addicted to their phones, losing the ability to communicate with their peers, unable to get good jobs, uncreative, going nowhere, and of course, passionless. We’ve all heard it, and the myth doesn’t seem to be leaving us any time soon. But that’s just it: those ideas about millennials are, in fact, myths. What’s interesting about millennials is that they have so much new technology at their fingertips, that what older generations mistake for useless tweeting, can actually be a catalyst for social change. We’ve seen a lot of social movements happen within the past couple years. Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter being possibly the most publicized. While these movements had different reasons for sparking, it was millennials, and huge numbers of them, who took up the call to fight for a cause. And the movements really caught fire once they hit social media. Everyone across the country saw pictures of the make-shift camps that were set up in front of buildings on Wall Street. And you know what millennials did? They followed suit in their own cities, documenting their own experiences on social media sites and adding to the support of the original Occupy-ers. But was Occupy Wall Street a success? Well, according to people of older generations, no. Take Joel Stein and Josh Sanburn as an example of the views of an older generation. In their article “The New Greatest Generation,” Stein and Sanburn refer to Occupy Wall Street as a failure, mainly because “[Millen-

nails’] world is so flat that they have no leaders.” Stein and Sanburn use their article to point out the shortcomings of the millennials generation, and their negative take on Occupy Wall Street is only the beginning. Not only do they criticize millennials’ ability to rally and protest, but within their article they call them selfish, lacking in creativity, and “not at all passionate.” Many members of the Baby Boomer and GenX generations feel the same way. They consider it a failure because the movement itself did not necessarily meet its intended goal. But to millennials, Occupy Wall Street was a booming success, because it started a fire. And because it got noticed, and people remember it. That spells success for us. The Black Lives Matter movement really picked up speed after the Baltimore Riots last spring. And again, the nation turned its attention to the riots in the streets because of the documentation of events via social media. That was the work of millennials. If you had a Twitter account, you had access to blow by blow (literally) accounts of what was happening

in Baltimore because millennials on the front lines tweeted updates and shared pictures and forced the world to watch an event that many people would have probably turned their backs on had it not been for social media. As for having no leaders, each and every person taking part in those protests and documenting their experiences was a leader. Each and every millennial involved was leading the charge to social change. So, more to the point: are millennials actually as lazy and passionless as baby boomers (and Stein & Sanburn) like to claim we are? All evidence above points to hell no. The reason we’re thought to not care as much is because instead of letter writing campaigns and sit ins, we begin our movements online, silent to those who ignore or complain about modern technologies like social media. Millennials take their causes to Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, even sites such as Kickstarter and GoFundMe in order to gain support for their causes. And it’s working. So why then, do people like Jean Twenge continue to criticize millennials the way she does in her article for The Atlantic called “Millennials: the Greatest Generation, or the Most Narcissistic?” Twenge claims that millennials are “less likely than Baby Boomers and even GenXers to say they think about social problems.” How, when our country and even our world is full of social change being lead by millennials, can someone claim that millennials say they don’t even think about social problems? Because we don’t say, we do.

“...millennials have at their disposal, the greatest tools yet for inspiring change: the internet and social media.”

Millennials have developed a completely new way of bringing about social change: we live it. We don’t all get together to write letters to the government saying that we should be more environmentally friendly; we do it. We live it. And when we do talk about change, it’s where the complainers, those claiming that Twitter is ruining our brains, those like Twenge, Stein, and Sanburn can’t hear us. We take to our media outlets to spread the word to others to join us in living it. We start hashtags, we share posts, we tweet our causes, tag celebrities to get them on board. We make sure that others are well-informed so that they understand our cause and get inspired to join us. When a millennial sets their mind to making a difference, they absolutely can. If people don’t hear millennials talking about change, it’s because they’re not listening in the right places.

Consider Black Lives Matter: we didn’t write the government telling them that we need better civil rights actions; we took charge and demanded it, knowing it wasn’t going to be easy, but knowing that it was what was right. Millennials are definitely the generation most concerned with social issues, equality, and human rights, and we make sure everyone knows it. Campaigns for Black Lives Matter hit Twitter, simply search the hashtag “BlackLivesMatter” on twitter and you can follow the entire Baltimore riots and beyond from the beginning. Millennials took to their social media outlets in droves, shouting for justice.

“If people don’t hear millennials talking about change, it’s because they’re not listening in the right places.”

Remember the Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage last summer? Millennials sure do. Not only did twitter explode with the hashtag “LoveWins,” but Snapchat had a running story all day, full of millennials (and an occasional Boomer or Gen X) dancing in the streets, all across the country, celebrating a victory together. So what’s the point? Why should it matter that the “young-ins” complain about their problems on the internet. That’s just it, we’re not so young anymore, and when we take major social issues to social media, people listen. Sure, you get your run-of-the-mill trolls, but let’s be honest, you’re going to get that even if you post a video of a cat flushing a toilet (there’s a song about that, Youtube it, it’s great). But the point is, millennials have at their disposal, the greatest tools yet for inspiring change: the internet and social media. Bitch about it all you want, there’s no denying that when millennials take to social media, they attack major issues with a fire and a passion that can rival the protests of any previous generation. Maybe, the generations ahead of us complain about all the time we spend on social media because they recognize the potential that we have to change things if we all rally behind something. Maybe they’re scared of how much we can really accomplish together.

Sarah is a junior Writing Arts Major at Rowan University, as well as a proud, passionate millennial.

Kid’s Tech Addiciton

Have you ever pretended to be on the phone to avoid someone because you have social anxiety? I’m sure everyone has. What if you do this because you depend on technology too much since you have used it all your life? Why is it the norm to see toddlers constantly with their faces buried into their parents’ cell phones or their own iPads? Are toddlers and young children becoming so addicted to technology nowadays that it affects them later in life?

“8 hours a day with media” In a recent study, the American Academy of Pediatrics found that in 2010 the average 8 to 10 year old spends nearly eight hours a day with media, and older children and teenagers spend more than 11 hours a day. Children are spending more than half of the hours they are awake using some kind of media whether it is watching television, surfing the internet, or texting friends. Is this a healthy way for our children, especially the younger children, to be spending the majority of their day? What happened to playing outside, coloring, or reading a book for fun? Children should NOT be exposed to any technology before the age of 2, but unfor-

By: Sarah Sharp

tunately in most cases this won’t happen. Since young children’s brains develop so quickly within the first few years, they learn best by interacting with people and not by interacting with screens. “We’re throwing screens at children all day long, giving them distractions rather than teaching them how to self-soothe, to calm themselves down,” said Catherine Steiner-Adair, author of The Big Disconnect. Children are exposed to technology and media so much that they find it strange communicating with people face to face or even by talking on a phone. This is a cause for why some of us are guilty of resorting to looking at our phones to avoid someone in the supermarket or wherever we are. Technology addiction has changed kids tremendously. Now, even when a group of friends are together it is common to see them all sitting on their phones instead of talking to each other. Often times, it is even common to see kids texting each other while they are in the same room. That seems pretty ridiculous that children of today’s generation can’t even speak face to face to each other when they are ten feet away from one another. Excessive exposure to technology has even caused toddlers to have to go to therapy. Think about it. When children are constantly being handed an iPad to distract them when they’re in a restaurant or during

a car ride, they are going to easily become addicted to it. Dr. Richard Graham,who launched the UK’s first technology addiction program three years ago, says that young technology addicts experience the same withdrawal symptoms as alcoholics or drug addicts do when the device is taken away from them. There are specific ways to tell if your child is addicted to technology: He or she has a lack of interest in other activities When you try to tell your kid to play outside or want to take him or her to the movies or out and he or she begins to whine and is reluctant, it is clear that he or she is addicted to technology. Mood Swings and Argumentative Behavior Be sure to notice how much time your child uses his or her device. Your child may begin to argue if you threaten to take the device from him or her. Withdrawal is Major Your child may become extremely mad when he or she can’t use the Internet or if a device breaks. They seem to depend on technology for everything. Increase in Lying If you tell your child he or she can only use his or her device for a certain amount of time, but he or she sneaks the device and uses it more often. Most parents and adults do not believe that young children and toddlers can become addicted to technology, but that is the age it all begins. Children are susceptible to so much when they are young, so if they are constantly using a device they begin to rely on it and won’t

be able to give it up. Most adults didn’t grow up with the same kind of technology that children are growing up with now. The extent of technology that most adults grew up with was television and maybe one computer in the house, if they were lucky. Most children today have a luxury by having more than one television in the house and

“2 hours max exposed to technology a day”

computers and tablets and cell phones. In a perfect world children would only spend 2 hours max exposed to technology a day states AAP News. But, in the world we live in today, we know that is very unlikely. We can’t escape technology. It’s everywhere: cars, stores, restaurants, schools, everywhere. Therefore, parents have to be extremely involved with paying attention to what their children are doing when they are constantly on the computer and on the phone. Children playing nonsense games or violent games on their devices are more likely to imitate the behavior they see on their device. Also, children who are only worried about communicating with their friends online are more likely to be a different version of themselves behind the screen. Children need to play educational games on their devices that can benefit them. It’s never a bad thing to be over protective when technology is involved. Sarah is currently a junior student at Rowan University majoring in Early Childhood Education. She enjoys being with family and friends, and she loves dancing. Her hope for the near future is to become a preschool teacher.

Kid’s Tech Addiciton

By: Sarah Sharp

“2 hours max exposed to technology a day”

Gaming and Gender Behavior by Laura Del Viscio

As I stand in the kitchen, making tonightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dinner of baked ziti, the booms from the living room are penetrating through the walls. It is a regular night in our house. I tilt my head slightly to the side and lean over the door frame and see my six-year old son sitting quietly on our couch, bright white ps4 controller in hand, staring blankly at the screen as he strategically battles the evil Ender Dragon in the game Minecraft. You would think he would be hyperactive, jumping up and down, screaming at the screen, but instead he is content and quiet. There is much debate on whether or not video games are linked to aggressive behavior and behavioral issues, such as ADHD, especially in young boys. Studies show that this may be because boys are more geared toward violent media, but what about girls? Nowadays, girls are using more and more technology and playing more video games than ever. But yet, my six-year old son (who is allotted game time everyday) shows little aggression and behavioral issues on and off-screen. Although, boys have been recorded to spend more time on playing on technology than girls, the studies to link aggressive behavior to gaming have not solidly been determined. It has been suggested that boys can be more aggressive because they not only tend to prefer violent games; They are more aggressive than girls in general. As I said earlier, I am not particularly convinced that boys tend to be more aggressive because of my personal experience with my own son. This

may be just one case and I would have to perform more detailed research, but lets dive a little deeper into the discussion of the effects video games have on young children and gender. For example, I grew up in a house with all women; My mother raised me alone and I have a sister that is eleven years older than me. My sister has a pretty take-charge attitude that some may say borders aggressiveness. Video games were obviously not a big part of our daily routine growing up because they were not as accessible as they are today, however, not just boys can be aggressive. I believe, no matter the gender, male and females tend to be either aggressive or passive, as a personality trait. It has been recorded through history that males have committed more violent crimes than females, but females tend to be more aggressive verbally rather than physically. This is suggested because of the physical nature of man versus woman and the increases amount of testosterone in males. On another note, childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s minds are very fragile. They absorb the information that surrounds

them. That is why parents and caregivers must be very careful with what we allow our children to participate in for leisure activities. I do not necessarily believe that video games cause negative impact on children, nor do I believe that it relies on gender differences to have a major effect. I suggest a different approach, where adults are involved with their children in the world of technology and gaming. Although studies have shown that boys spend more time on technology and video games in particular, the steady rise of involvement with girls has been documented as well. Some research has suggested encouragement for parents to allow their young girls to play more video games to enhance their chances of studying technology related courses and choosing career options involving computers and technology in the future. As caregivers, we need to support our children in a time where technology is prominent in the way of learning and will only continue to grow in the future. After more research, I learned there are many positive outcomes to video games with both genders. Discussed in the article, “Video Games and Gender,” author Michele Zorrilla declares, “Despite the numerous studies surrounding the negative effects of video games, there has been some focus on the positive aspects of video game playing. Olson, Kutner, and Warner (2008) found a variety of positive effects that video game playing had on boys: “playing realistic sports games influenced the amount and variety of their physical activity,” “given the role of video game play in starting and maintaining friendships,

“there is potential

for games to help socially awkward children gain acceptance and self-es-

”

teem, and, “particularly for role-playing games, [boys reported] motivation and encouragement to think creatively to solve problems” (p. 70). In this instance, we can see some positive outlooks video games have on boys in particular, instead of the negative behavior most find associated with boys and screen-time. Some behavioral issues associated with gam-

ing are aggressiveness, ADHD, depression, and bipolar disorder. After reading the article, “Screen-time is Making Kids Moody, Crazy and Lazy,” I learned a new approach that author and psychiatrist, Victoria L. Dunckley, believes to be the answer to these behavioral issues and screen-time. She suggests, “successfully treating a child with a mood dyresgulation today requires

“methodically eliminat-

ing all electronics use for several weeks—an ‘electronics fast’—to allow the nervous system to ‘reset’.”

Although this may seem like an easy fix, I do not believe this is the answer for behavioral issues and screen-time. Technology is becoming a more involved area in learning and play-time with children and will only become more advanced in the future, therefore, we must involve our children and help guide them through the world of virtual gaming and so on. As for the discussion on video games and gender, I do not see enough evidence to suggest that boys are more aggressive than girls in the virtual reality of games. I do, however, believe that no two children are alike. Aggression and behavioral issues are seen in boys and girls alike, whether they play Minecraft for thirty minutes a day after school or run around outside in their free-time. Therefore, my son will continue to enjoy expanding his imagination and creating a world of his own because I see no harm in allowing him to do so. If anything, I see keeping him away from technology and not allowing him to have an outlet that he enjoys will hinder rather than help him grow as a healthy individual. I am currently a senior at Rowan University and a Writing Arts major. I love music, reading , running and dates at barnes and noble with my two children.

Go For The Gusto: Ask Someone Out By Text

By: Melissa Melora While at a party, Daren meets Lacey and the two of them hit it off. They dance and chat all night — they just can’t get enough of each other. As the night comes to an end, Daren asks Lacey for her number. Without an ounce of hesitation, Lacey grabs Daren’s phone and enters her number. Once she’s done, she hands the phone back to Daren and brushes past him in search of her girlfriends she came to the party with. A little while later, while Daren and his pal, Jeb are riding home in their Uber, images of Lacey assault Daren’s mind. He wants so bad to see her again but he questions whether it’s too soon or not. Not wanting to wait too long, Daren decides to contact Lacey the next day. But wait — should he call her? Should he text her? Out of frustration, Daren bangs his head against the car window, which causes Damian, the Uber driver to glare at him through his rearview mirror. Daren self-consciously pulls away from the window and glances over at Jeb; hoping that he might have some advice. Unfortunately, Jeb’s passed out, so Daren turns back to the window to stare at the jumble of passing sights. Soon enough, Daren’s head is once again thudding against the window. This time, when his eyes meet Damian’s eyes, he doesn’t look away. Sensing Daren’s need to vent, Damian asks, “Yo, you alright, man? Daren sits up straighter in his seat and rubs his

palms against the fabric of his jeans. He responds, “I met this girl at a party tonight. I got her number but I don’t know if I should call or text her. I don’t want to mess things up with her. Sounds stupid, doesn’t it?” Immediately Damian responds, “Dude, if you are that interested in her, why didn’t you ask her out at the party?” Daren rakes his hands through his hair and grounds out, “I’m such an ass. I didn’t even think to do that. Now if I call or text her, she’ll think that I wasn’t man enough to ask her in person when I had the chance. She probably told her friends that I was a puss.” **** Although this is a fictional story, similar circumstances occur quite frequently in real life. In this situation, I wouldn’t consider Daren unmanly or a “puss” for not asking Lacey out in person because it was an oversight. He was having a good time and when people get caught-up in the moment, they sometimes overlook or forget the most obvious and simple things. In Daren’s case, he failed to remember that he could have asked Lacey out in person, which to him equated to wrecking his chance at seeing her again. However, Daren has not exhausted all of his options, and thus, the problem lies within the fact that Daren seems to view digital technology as a lesser form of communication when it comes to asking someone out.

In her article, “The Future of Work: Working With Constant Connectivity,” Judy Wajcman states, “The smartphone is a great enabler…many welcome the permeability of boundaries for the flexibility and control it offers.” If Wajcman suggests that people can and should use the wide range of available features on the smartphone to their advantage wherever, whenever they please to, why does Daren seem so opposed to this viable option when it comes to asking Lacey out?

“The smartphone is a great enabler… many welcome the permeability of boundaries for the flexibility and control it offers.” Daren’s reluctance to call or send a text message to Lacey could stem from the belief that such actions are rude and unthoughtful. Personally speaking, I find it to be a highly impersonal gesture when someone asks another person out on a date either by calling or texting. Due to my viewpoint, I understand Daren’s doubts about calling or texting Lacey. And although I find the usage of cellphones to be a highly impersonal gesture when asking someone out on a date, all of my first date experiences have been initiated through text messages. So, does this mean that I’m contradicting my viewpoint? Or, is it just a coincidence?

interested in dating face to face. From the Match.com findings, one can infer that people share Wajcman’s perspective of the cellphone being a great enabler. With the cellphone, people are able to ask someone out however they want, whenever they want. Without the cellphone, people would have to rely on face to face interactions. Similarly, it’s important to emphasize the fluidity of boundaries when mentioning the cellphone as a great enabler. In her piece titled “Always On,” Sherry Turkle writes, “These days, being connected depends not on our distance from each other but from available communication technology.” Turkle’s idea suggests that distance is not a major factor when it comes to relationships. The reason being is because many people have devices that will allow for long distance communication to be possible. As mentioned in his book Modern Romance, Azis Ansari writes, “Asking someone out on a first date is a simple task that frequently becomes a terrifying conundrum of fear, self-doubt, and anxiety…It means declaring your attraction to someone and putting yourself out there in a huge way, while risking the brutal possibility of rejection — or, in the modern era, even an unexplained, icy-cold silence.” From this quote, one can gather that when it comes to face to face and digital communication, both have similar rewards and risk factors involved. Consequently, both forms of communication are valuable when it comes to asking someone out on a first date.

“Asking someone out on a first date is a simple task that frequently becomes a terrifying conundrum of fear, self-doubt, and anxtiety.” The findings from a 2013 Match.com survey suggest that my experiences are neither contradictory of my belief nor are they coincidental. Instead, my experiences are rather commonplace. For instance, as part of the survey, researchers asked Americans which form of communication they would likely use if asking someone out on a first date. For people under the age of thirty, 23% said phone call, 37% said face to face, 32% said text message, and 1% said email. These findings indicate that more than 50% of the people under the age of thirty who were surveyed by Match.com would rather use a digital form of communication than talk to the person they were

In the end, Daren shouldn’t waste another shot at going out with Lacey just because he didn’t think to ask her out in person. Instead, he should go for the gusto and text Lacey asking her out on a date. Melissa Melora is a Writing Arts and Communication Studies undergraduate at Rowan University. Her hobbies include reading novels, playing with her pets, and traveling around the world in search of adventure.

Go For The Gusto: Ask Someone Out By Text

The Terrifying Truth about Screen Time

By: Alyssa Fazio

It comes to almost no surprise to most of us that technology is taking over the world. It’s in our restaurants, our banks, our homes, and our schools. Most of these places you do not even get an option whether or not you want technology involved. The only one you can control is in your own home. The children that come in contact with technology or “screens” are the general concern that everyone seems to have. But what is too much? Are we creating a world where too much screen time is actually going to be the norm? Is the technology that our children are forced to use in school actually helping them learn more or at a faster pace, or is it just keeping them interested in the topic they are actually being educated on? Parents are being told that any child under the age of nine should not have much screen time at home, if any. The students started high school in the Fall 2016 will be the first class that had their

“Limit your own media use, and model online etiquette. Attentive parenting requires face time away from screens”- AAP baby pictures taken on cellphone cameras. This is just starting to become an issue. The researchers at American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that parents limit “screen time” to nothing for children under 2 and then to only two hours each day for anyone over the age of 2. This may seem abnormal to

some, but realistic to others. This topic has become very complex to research because parents do not (and probably should not) want their children to be the studied subject because they do not want the possibility of their child being the one who ends up being negatively affected. The AAP researchers give a variety of options on how parents should be interacting technology and screens with their children. So the time restraint: how is this going to be realistic when the children start elementary school and have technology at their fingertips? Plenty of school districts are implementing the use of iPads and Chromebooks in the basic classroom setting. This could be seen as a great way to go paperless or as a concern if it might be too much. Parents honestly have minimal say in what their child does in school. They have no control over what is being taught or how it’s being taught. So, school districts tend to not think of things like “too much screen time”. When a child is using the iPad in the morning to do work and Chromebooks in the afternoon to do a writing sample, that adds up to approximately two hours of screen time. Even if this is educational one hundred percent, it is very straining on the eyes. I cannot even play a video game for more than 2 hours a day without that hurting my eyes. Once the child comes home and it is homework time, the school that provided iPads in class is also requiring them to do their homework on the iPads. Normal elementary students tend to not have more than an hours worth of homework, but that adds up to

three hours in one day. Now as a parent, you have to decide whether or not it is healthy to let your seven-year-old play Minecraft on the Xbox before dinner. When are children going to play outside? There is a possibility that children will end up with too much energy at the end of the day and may end up messing up their sleep schedule. This could lead to falling asleep in school, not being prepared for school, and even general health problems. Too much technology could be harmful to the average life of a seven year old. Should elementary students being staring at a screen for 4+ hours in one day? How much is realistically too much? Some of the top tech leaders in the world i.e. Steve Jobs and Rachel Bremer (Twitter’s head of international communications) explain that even they have limits to what their children are immersed in. Technology will not rule their children’s lives but will have an apparent role because our current day has a lot of technology involved. So it may be that technology is an inevitable and nonnegotiable aspect that is going to become part of our world, but it is that important that we are willing to let it negatively affect our children and future students? So why is it that everyone thinks Chromebooks and iPads and new computers and fancy equipment in an elementary classroom is necessary? The only screen that I had when I was in elementary school was the computer screen I saw once a week in computer class and the occasional movie. Everyone who I have talked to in college grew up about the same. Why are we changing something that is already working smoothly? Why are we spending all these funds on shiny, new pieces of metal when our chalkboards work just fine? Tim Walker in “Technology in the Classroom: Don’t Believe the Hype”, addresses the main question that should be what we need to research, “What really has been delivered in the way of improved student learning?” The technolo-

gy has shown that kids stay more engaged and may be more motivated to do the work. But, are the students actually becoming smarter or have they started to rely on the technology to do the work for them and have actually been retaining less? If computers are just assisting the educational process and not expanding it, we should be funding the expansion of our physical teachers and not the theory behind “every child needs an iPad”.

“No more than one to two hours a day, no screens in children’s bedrooms and enforcing meal-time and bedtime media-device curfews.” -Fleming Even though parents are starting to become aware of how “screen time” can negatively impact their children, there are not enough studies that have a significant amount of proof to show society that we should be limiting technology use with just about everyone. We all can understand that there are a lot of factors that affect how much time someone spends on a device, and there are harmful results if too much interaction occurs. So, as far as I am concerned for my future children and students, parents should stay in constant awareness about what their children do with technology and use their own personal discretion when creating limitations for their children. If you do not believe that technology is harmful enough, you can make your own choices. But, if we start putting our funding towards our well educated, compassionate teachers rather than new Apple computers, we may see a change in the way the future children are able to learn. Some schools have limited to no access to computers and technology and for the most part, are receiving a decent, well-rounded education. For now, we just have to use our best judgment and think about what is best for the children. Alyssa Fazio is currently a student at Rowan University, studying Elementary Education with concentrations in Writing Arts and Geography. Her passions include musical theatre, community service, and decorating pastries. She hopes one day to become a director for high school musical productions as well as Kiwanis International President. She also wants to adopt as many dogs as possible.

According to history, Shingetaka Kurita was the first well known person to de-

True Life: I’m Addicted to Emoljis! By: Shelly S. Emoticons, or emojis have taken the digital world by storm! They have changed the way teenagers and young adults communicate. Personally, I use an emoji every time that I communicate, no matter the outlet. I am almost positive there are many others just like me. Every text message and social media post, is not complete without smileys, hearts, stars and various other decorations. I may be the only one to openly confess this, but I am not alone. The world is filled with others that have the “emoticon addiction”. No matter how you are feeling: happy, sad, goofy, sleepy, or relaxed, there is an emoji that represents it. What’s the best part you ask? Emoticons make us better communicators. With hundreds of faces to choose from, it’s much harder to send a mixed message to anyone! Text messages are often misinterpreted, and the use of emojis decreases the chance of your words being misrepresented.

“We must also convey our emotions and when we aren’t standing face-to-face, emojis enable us to do just that”

velop emoticons. His fame came from his iPhone messaging platform in 1999. 172 emojis were added as a distinguishing feature of iPhone messaging which had to later become mandatory in almost all of your devices that was owned by Apple. The emoljicons first emerged as just simple”:)” or “:P” which over the years later transformed into the yellow cartoonish image on your phone screen we use today. From the visionary side, psychologists say that they are interpreted as the real face of the person who uses them when they are not around According to Swyft Media, 74 percent of people in the U.S. regularly use stickers, emoticons or emojis in their online communication, sending an average of 96 emojis or stickers per day. All this adds up to a total of six billion emoticons or stickers flying around the world every day on mobile messaging apps. So why are we so obsessed with Emolji’s? What makes them so irresistible? Why must we press that smiley face or laughing face before sending a text? Or why do we base how we interrupt the mood of the person we are texting or emailing by how often they send you an emoji or if they send one at all? Learning about the psychology of emoticons and chronicling a few reasons to use emoticons in your writing and social media.

As the popularity of emojis is increasing at a rapid rate with social media users, as well as in the marketing communities. They are a phenomenon all their own. Did you know that certain emolji’s trigger different moods within us? By the facial gestures, and by the color of them.

According to history, Shingetaka Kurita was the first well known person to de-

“We must also convey our emotions and when we aren’t standing face-to-face, emojis enable us to do just that”

However, the psychology behind emoji obsession runs a little deeper. In February 2014, Dr. Owen Churches, of the school of psychology at Flinders University in Australia, conducted a study on emoticons. His research showed that people reacted to emoticons the same way they would react to a real human face.

On Instagram, emoji are becoming a near-universal method of expression. Instagram reports nearly 50 percent of all captions and comments on Instagram now have an emoji or two, or more (just admit it you have at least twenty). The app recently added the ability to use emoji as hash tags, opening up the first chance to gather real data on how people use emojis and what they use them to signify.

Though we go through life unaware of it, humans mimic each other’s expressions and emotions when we’re talking in person. This emotional contagion is a big part of how we express our thoughts, show empathy and build relationships. These are the some of most popular emoji hash tags on Instagram, along with However, online we are missing the crucial element of emotion. Fortunately, emojis the words used alongside them in captions or comments: have given us the element of emotion that is needed for successful communication. Scientists have discovered that when we look at a smiley face online, the same parts of the brain are activated as when we look at a real human face. Our mood changes, and we might even alter our facial expressions to match the emotion of the emoticon. Have you done this before while reading a text message to yourself? Of course this is not something we inherit at birth. It is something our brains have developed in the last few years with the emergence of emoticons and emojis. Essentially, social media culture has created a new brain pattern within us. Over the years the human brain has learned to recognize an emoticon such as “:-)” because it has been interpreted very often. It had become a “culturally-created neural response.” Churches believes the same reaction could occur with emoji, particularly the ones with faces, in the future. Learning the meaning and using emojis along with the texts had become like learning alphabets and numbers all over again, just like in Kindergarten.

In another Instagram emoji study, faces account for six of the top ten most frequently used Emolji’s over social media. Emojis also have a hold on our language and verbal communication. With text mes

saging being already diminishing human interaction, emolji’s really do not help. Emolji’s are the non-verbal way of communicating and they started to decrease the amount of people using words while communicating by text messaging. The number of persons using emojis has been increased immensely, but they stopped using the whole sentence to communicate as they feel Emojis are more convenient. Remember those days where we started to use Internet slangs like LMAO, LOL? Those pleased us but when it comes to Emojis and Internet slang people choose Emojis to reply back. The heart emolji or the emolji face with the heart eyes often replaces other Internet slang words such as “gorg or bae”. See how emolji have an influence on our language? Although, I have stated in the beginning of my article that they are straightforward and its less likely for people to misinterpret what you or others are trying to communicate; let’s not use them as our primary source of communication.

“There are always miscommunications with texting.” Using emojis in our conversations makes us happy. That is the primary reason we are using it. Though it can not be said that emojis are very important in texting, we can’t deny the fact that they are popular and makes texting even more convenient and more enjoyable. The moment you send an emoji, they happen to imagine your face at that moment which adds up spice to the conversations.

Shelly is an education major/writing arts minor and hopes to one day teach little kids after graduating.

WRT

Production

Rowan

University

Writing Ar ts Depar tment

Spring 2016