Today we live in a world where we interact with each other through a great deal of different forms of technology including social media, blogs, photos, music, apps, and so on.
It’s gotten to a point where people can’t hold a conversation without the sudden urge to glance down on their devices.
Instead of living inside the social media vortex, you should try to be the best possible version of yourself without the approval of the “online world”
Now don’t get me wrong. There is absolutely nothing wrong with sharing moments, ideas, or interests amongst one another through new resources of technology.
Assuming this is done because it’s the easiest way to stay connected.
According to the Pew Research Center, 74% of Internet connected adults use social networking sites.
And 90% of “global millennial”- young people from around the globe aged 18 to 29 use social networking sites.
I am no different than any of the 3.010 billion active Internet users we have today. Whether I use it to touch base with relatives in Europe or parading my outfit from last Thursday, I use it.
“Instagram star” Essena O’Neill, 18, recently broke her silence on the social media overload “issue” and how it it’s affected her life.
According to The Guardian, O’Neill had over half a million followers on instagram, and was making money by promoting marketing products. She was promoting herself in a way to get validation. She deleted over 2,000 pictures and edited the captions to reveal the corruption behind social media, and how it took over her life.
WATCH: Essena O’Neill rages against social media. Video from The Guardian.
Which she also discussed on her website where she wants to start a movement on people not using social media as a reliance.
“We have forgotten what it feels like to connect, support each other and have integral conversations,” O’Neill wrote on her site. “All I’m saying is that the ‘instagram life’ is not real. There is so much more to the human race than gossip, rumours, and publicly twisting someone’s personal life.”
In other respects, many would argue that social media isn’t all that terrible. It’s been helpful in spreading messages and advertising businesses, news, and current events. It’s beneficial in many ways, like staying connected globally, finding job opportunities, reuniting with old flames, keeping up with politics, and being able to express yourself.
Our generation is brimming with creativity and new ideas. Shouldn’t there be a way for those ideas to get out and make rapid change?
Socializing outside a networked environment is so incredibly important. Social media has a tendency of blinding us from reality. There is a lot more to life then being so wrapped up in a world based on likes and followers. Why idealize people who are completely self-absorbed with strippers, fancy cars, and money?
I’d argue that you should idealize your history professors, favorite poets, and artists. Not only are online users portraying themselves to be something they are not for self-validation.
“Get away from behind the screen and go for a damn walk down a bridge you’ve never walked on before. Chat with the neighbor you’ve been living next too for the past two years who you’ve never uttered more than a few words to.”
Social media is everywhere you go. Restaurants like Chilis, Red Robin, and Olive Garden have installed tablets in their establishments.
At these places, your sever is pretty much a screen.
What’s going to happen in the near future to people working in the restaurant industry? We are already de-humanizing these businesses.
Chevrolet recently made a big announcement that made a splash in the car: “Chevrolet is the first and only car company to bring built-in 4G LTE WI-FI to cars, trucks and crossovers.”
I guess yes, it’s cool and useful to have while being in a long car ride, trying to kill time. But road trips are meant to be fun and spontaneous. The Internet and your social media accounts will always be there.
Why sit on your phone for hours during a car ride, when your family, significant other, or best friends are sitting two feet away? Be annoying, loud, and sing the songs we all hate.
Life is too beautiful and short to spend your time being focused by what you see on a tiny computerized screen. It isn’t reality, it is not living.
Instead of worrying about how many likes you get on a photo, worry about which dressing you should use on your salad or how you look when cuddling with your dog; instead talk to your friends about your dreams and fears.
Get away from behind the screen and go for a damn walk down a bridge you’ve never walked on before. Chat with the neighbor you’ve been living next too for the past two years who you’ve never uttered more than a few words to.
At the end of the day none of this is going to matter in the long run. With that being said, I have a new social network for you to explore. It’s called life.
Cover Photo Credit: Jim Pennucci/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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In Canada, Trudeau Is Meeting Fear With Progressive Strength
In the wake of Donald Trump’s election as President of the land of the theoretically ‘free’, and home of the allegedly ‘brave’, a series of hate crimes broke out throughout the United States.
Young children exposed to hate speech at home, began imitating it in elementary schools throughout the country, bullying children whose skin tones were different from theirs, and insisting that they “go home”.
Any naïve hopes that Trump would change his ways once elected—that a year of bigotry, misogyny, and explicit racist behaviour would change once he became president—came crashing down with the White House’s announcement that Muslims from seven nations would be banned from entering the United States.
The slamming of the door to innocent Muslims created a gust of wind so strong, that it made its way up to Quebec where once again, we saw that hate inspires hate.
Canada, which has experienced very few acts of terror on its home soil, was faced with a devastating one last month.
A young, Trump and Le Pen supporting, Quebecois male decided to open fire on a room filled of innocent Canadians.
While no borders were closed in Canada—no bans were mindlessly ordered—the feelings of exclusion, hatred, and division were undoubtedly felt by Canadian and American Muslims alike.
It was with great pride and relief to watch Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, say in the aftermath of the attack “this was a group of innocents targeted for practicing their faith. Make no mistakes, this was a terrorist act.”
Too long, have acts of violence perpetrated by Muslim individuals been distinctively classified as ‘terrorist acts’.
Justin Trudeau at a 2013 event. Photo Credit: John McCallum/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
But what precisely, distinguishes an act of violence committed by a Muslim individual versus one perpetrated by a non-Muslim individual?
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Why are certain individuals’ acts of violence categorically different?
If every shooting in the US got the same press coverage as a ‘terrorist’ attack—if every white-skinned American murderer was labelled a terrorist—islamophobia may not have seeped its way into the homes of millions of American and Canadians; Racism may not have been so rampantly contagious.
Trudeau stayed quiet after the election of Donald Trump.
But since his inauguration, Trudeau has been subtly standing up to our southern bully by supporting Women March protestors, demanding that FOX NEWS rectify false information victimizing Muslims, and by reminding Trump in his speech last week, that violence against minorities is an act of terrorism.
Justin Trudeau is stuck between a rock and a hard place.
As a self-proclaimed feminist, whose socially liberal ideals have defined his leadership, he is faced with the difficult task of navigating relations with a racist President who stands for everything Trudeau ideologically condemns.
Meanwhile, healthy relations with the United States is pivotal for a stable Canadian economy.
Trudeau is faced with a difficult task.
Photo Credit: trumpvstrudeau/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
Either he stays quiet, embodying the Canadian stereotype of being polite to a fault or he takes a far scarier path, and refuses to surrender in the face of hatred.
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Although his future actions are unknown, perhaps Trudeau has already unveiled his plan for the next four years.
Last week he said simply, “we will not meet violence with more violence. We will meet fear and hatred with love and compassion, always.”
Maybe hate—which divides and alienates—can be overcome when met with love and compassion, which unifies.
Perhaps Canadian values of politeness & kindness are not so impotent after all.
RISE NEWS is a grassroots journalism news organization that is working to change the way young people become informed and engaged in the world. You can write for us.
Cover Photo Credit: John McCallum/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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Paul Ryan Elected Speaker of the House
Update: 10:44 AM EST
Paul Ryan (R-WI) has been elected as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives after a vote by the full House.
Final Vote Total:
Ryan (R): 234
Pelosi (D): 185
Webster (R): 9
Other: 3
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), the chair of the house Republican conference nominated Paul Ryan (R-WI).
Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA), the chair of the house Democratic conference nominated former Speaker and current house minority leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
Ryan was expected to easily win after gaining the support of the House Freedom caucus.
The election was prompted after Speaker John Boehner announced that he would be stepping down from his position in late September.
Ryan did not immediately throw his hat into the ring to be the next speaker, indicating that he would prefer to stay in his job as the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee.
However, after House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy couldn’t gain the confidence of the Tea Party wing of the Republican conference, the then frontrunner for the job choose to stand down.
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Personal Drama Splits North Miami Night Market Into Two Different Organizations
What’s New With This Story:
-The NoMi Night Market has split into two separate market operations after the co-founders split after a personal squabble.
-The newly named Urban Habitat Night Market [led by Howard Tonkin] will continue to take place Friday nights at a property located near the intersection of NE 123rd St and NE 13th Ave
-The NoMi Night Market [led by Laura Hill] vows to relaunch in the future, but is currently looking to secure a permanent space.
-Hill and Tonkin had worked together to bring North Miami’s first night market into being and it opened to a nice amount of support from the community on Nov. 3.
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Personal differences have split a promising North Miami happening into two, only a few days after it officially started.
The NoMi Night Market is now the Urban Habitat Night Market or just a night market that happens at Urban Habitat, depending on who you ask.
And the NoMi Night Market is not dead, just looking to continue on at a different venue, depending on who you ask.
So yeah.
RISE NEWS attended the first weekly NoMi Night Market when it debuted on Nov. 3.
There were around 10 vendors and a smattering of local residents who popped in to sample various organic and sustainable products.
We even did a video on the opening:
But in the days following that opening, the co-founders split into two competing organizations.
As a result, North Miami may end up with two separate night markets.
What caused the split is based on who you believe.
Laura Hill and Howard Tonkin were the co-founders.
Hill is a North Miami activist and organizer, and Tonkin runs Urban Habitat, a sustainable landscaping business.
They both agree that they worked together to launch a night market at Tonkin’s new Urban Habitat property in North Miami.
But that’s about all they seem to agree on.
The biggest sticking point?
Just who came up with the idea in the first place.
Tonkin told RISE NEWS that the night market has been a dream of his for years, dating back to his time in Australia when he would visit the Mindil Beach night market.
He said that he’s wanted to bring the concept to Miami for years and that it is part of his overall long-term strategy for Urban Habitat.
“It’s my dream to bring people into my market,” Tonkin said. “It’s exciting to bring people into the market at night. That’s when the plants come alive.”
But Hill said that she came up with the idea.
“I’ve been around [Tonkin] for four years and I haven’t really heard him talk about the night market,” Hill said. “NoMi Night Market was the market we were bringing to that space. I brought the market together. Everything.”
What actually tore them apart is unclear as they each have wildly different versions.
“His vision and his methods made it clear to me that we had to rethink the market,” Hill said of Tonkin. “I’ve spent hundreds and hundreds of hours putting the thing together. He’s very upset with me because I decided to part ways. Our philosophies of running a business are just different.”
Tonkin said that he felt that Hill was trying to “sabotage my business and take the idea and run with it on [her] own.”
No matter what caused the split, it could actually end up benefiting North Miami in the long run.
Now, the city and surrounding communities will have two night markets to choose from.
The Urban Habitat Night Market will take place every Friday near the intersection of NE 123rd St and NE 13th Ave.
The NoMi Night Market is looking to secure a space but plans to open in the near future.
RISE NEWS is South Florida’s digital news magazine. Follow us on Facebook to make sure you never miss a story!
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