Blog 6- Battle of Social Media

As the years have gone on technology has progressed drastically. One of the most useful, and profitable forms of technology has been social media, specifically Instagram and Twitter. When it comes to the world news Twitter will always be the go to source. People post on twitter 24/7 and you are constantly getting updates on what is going on in the world. The impressive thing about twitter is that you can see what is trending throughout the whole world. I remember numerous times that I have learned about things going on in the world from just seeing a tweet about it. People tweet about sports news to the conflicts that are happening in Ukraine. It helps college students because we are on our phones constantly and the likelihood of them watching the news on the television is slim to none. When people can get updates to their phone which is on them all the time, they can see news updates directly to their phone. Instagram on the other hand is a whole different way of getting news. Instagram is straight photos. Even though you can post photos on Twitter, twitter is more for the writing instead of the pictures. Companies continuously use twitter and instagram accounts to learn about sales that they are going to be having. Colleges are now even creating accounts so that they can relay news to their target markets. Instagram is useful because it is more for the visual people. People that do not like to read rely more on instagram because it soley is just pictures. Companies can advertise new products and celebrities always post pictures of their social life so you know what is going on. Girls always want to know the gossip that goes on and this is a perfect way to see. They post pictures if they are on vacation, with their boyfriends or even food that they are eating. This sets trends for people because they want to act like their favorite celebrities and role models. Even news stations have set up accounts so that they can put pictures of stories that they have reported on. These forms of social media has created an easier more innovative way to share news with everyone. 

Along with positives always comes the negatives. There has been a study that has been conducted that social media has changed the way we have processed information. People can no longer read a book because they know that they can easily use social media to find out what it is about. It no longer allows people to critically think or think more in depth about things because we all want to take the easy way out. Another way that social media has hindered the way that we live is that we continuously are glued to our phones texting and calling our friends. A lot of people are so attached to their phones they barely have conversations with their families because they always want to be connected with their friends. People will always rely on these social media websites for information regarding the news. News stations and newspapers will soon run out of business in the new generation people never sit down to read the paper or watch the news. Once the old generation dies out, that is the end for news stations leaving people without jobs. Lastly, the credibility of the sources relaying the news to you has to be in question especially on twitter. Anyone can tweet news and people will believe it. There has been countless times that people posted things on the internet that is false but it tricks people into believing that it is true. This is how rumors get started and it is unfair to those people. They will share that fake news with people in conversation and be totally wrong and look stupid. Accounts on twitter try to be funny by trying to trick people into believing fake news but in the end it just hurting the education of todays youth. We cannot believe everything we read on the internet anymore because more likely than not the source giving you the information is not credible. 

I really believe that social media sites are a big advantage for us today because we are constantly connected with the world through the applications on our phones. I never watch the news or read newspapers but I am aware of what is happening in the world today. Without these social media sites I would not know anything that is happening around the world. 

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blog 5- Uprisings

An uprising that I would like to talk about is one that happened in Shangpu village in China in 2013. In this uprising the farmers of the village are rebellion against the thugs that are trying to destroy their land. The catch is that these thugs were hired by the Chinese government so technically it is uprising against the government. They want to take over the villagers land and build a factory on it. The villagers are not having it, they constructed tents and barricades so that the thugs can not get to their land. This is not a one time occasion. In fact, this has happened two times. The farmers chased the thugs into a field and threw rocks at them to protect themselves. They said they acted in self defense because these thugs were throwing bricks at the villagers injuring some of them. The thugs knew that they were going to face some sort of rebellion because they attacked the villagers with hard hats on. The villagers were fighting for their land and more importantly their livelihood. Without this land for them to grow crops, they have no source of income. This operation is an attempt to put these farmers out of business and not allowing them to be able to support their families. In this particular situation social media does not have affect on the rebellion but a main reason is that all of China’s social media is censored. They live in a communist country and everything that you do the government is watching. If the government does not want something to get out because it makes their government look weak, they will make sure that it does not happen. 

Another uprising that I want to talk about is the uprising that is currently happening in Ukraine. Basically, President Victor Yanukovich promised the people of Ukraine that he would sign a huge trade agreement with the European Union and at the last second he backed out. This upset the Ukrainian people because with this agreement they were expecting a new, more democratic government that was ultimately less corrupt but instead they are leaning towards an alliance with Russia. There are now thousands of protestors in the streets of the Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, and their are a series of violent protests between the cops and protestors. These Ukrainians are fighting for what they were promised by their President. They wanted a less corrupt government and a more democratic but instead they are leaning towards an Imperialistic form. This is putting a lot of tension between the United States and Russia because the US has intervened with the uprising. Russia is not happy that they are getting involved and that they are fueling the rebellion in Ukraine. This could cause problems between the two countries for years down the road. That is why this uprising is more important than most people think. This is making the people of Ukraine upset too because they are in a tug of war just to be controlled. They want to be free and have their own government not to be ruled by another country. Media coverage is playing a role on this rebellion because this is constantly on the news and the more and more people learn about this the more the people of Ukraine will fight for themselves. The more publicity they get the more drive and motivation they have to fight for their country. 

 

Langfitt, F. (2013, March 5). “Chinese Farmers Revolt Against Government Land Grab” : NPR.com Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/2013/03/05/173495434/chinese-farmers-fight-against-government-land-grab

Snyder, M. (2014, February 25). » “What Is Happening In Ukraine Is Far More Important Than Most People Realize Alex Jones’ Infowars: There’s a war on for your mind!” Retrieved from http://www.infowars.com/what-is-happening-in-ukraine-is-far-more-important-than-most-people-realize/

blog 4- STEM subjects

STEM is an acronym that is stands for the education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. STEM education is becoming more and more popular means of teaching throughout the school systems because it is field that we can always use improvements in. Other countries are becoming more advanced every year because they are teaching their youth about these areas. They are starting to become experts in these fields and it is concerning to America. America ranks behind countries in these areas and it makes us look weak. The United States is a superpower and to continue to be a superpower we need to lead in all major categories. America has taken this into consideration because there has been numerous STEM programs and people are finally starting to find out about this alternative education. Studies have shown that female students are starting to show more interest in STEM programs. They are actually starting to show more interest in this program than men in recent years. President Obama has recently made it a priority to increase the number of students and teachers that participate in this program. He calls it “Educate to Innovate” and there is 250 million dollars to prepare students and teachers in the STEM field of education. 

Entering into the field where you have a STEM degree will increase your salary tremendously. This industry is growing at a rapid pace and to get a job in any of these field will guarantee you a healthy salary right out of the gate. A college student with a bachelors degree earns around 40K a year. Statistics have shown that if you graduate with a degree in one of the fields of STEM, you will make about double of that right out of college. Unemployment has been a huge problem over the years but there is a demand in STEM jobs over the years. You will get a job right out of college if you have this degree. It is predicted that the employment for these jobs will increase 17% in upcoming years. I would defiantly switch my career path if I was the type of person that can excel in this field. 

 

 

 

Smith, J. (2013, June 27). “The Highest-Paying STEM Jobs For Recent College Graduates” – Forbes.com Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/06/27/the-highest-paying-stem-jobs-for-recent-college-graduates/

“President Obama Expands “Educate to Innovate” Campaign for Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education”  The White House.gov (2010, January 6). Retrieved from http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/president-obama-expands-educate-innovate-campaign-excellence-science-technology-eng

Young-Powell, A. (2014, February 18). “Female students start to show more interest in science and engineering” | Education | theguardian.com. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/feb/18/female-students-science-engineering-sixth-formers-stem-subjects

Wright, J. (2011, September 20). “States with Largest Presence of STEM-Related Jobs”economicmodel.com | EMSI | Economic Modeling Specialists Intl. Retrieved from http://www.economicmodeling.com/2011/09/20/where-are-stem-jobs-concentrated/

 

 

 

 

My major

I never really knew what I wanted to do for a living since I was a little boy. My dreams and aspirations have changed drastically over the years and I still don’t know what I want. I came into this university with an intended major in accounting. I was always very interested in business but I do not know exactly which field of business best suits me. My family friend from my hometown is an Accountant and he showed me a lot of the tools and concepts used by accountants. I found it very interesting working with spread sheets and I like applying new concepts and learning on the fly. As I become older, I become more and more of a realist. I did a lot of research in high school about this occupation and I found that the demand for accountant jobs are very high. With todays economy in the recession more and more people are out of work. Accounting offers a lot of job security and they get paid very well. The average salary for an accountant is more than enough money that will help you support and provide for your family. Being an accountant you will have time to spend with your family. Sometimes it is tough during the busy season but it is not like all other business jobs where your work hours are crazy all year. Family is very important to me and to be able to spend time with them is something I value tremendously. 

Computers play a huge role in the accounting field. Accountants use the program Microsoft Excel daily to create financial statements. Also, they use excel to track the revenue and expenses of an individual or firm. Some companies have software where they can prepare tax returns. They can use computers for research as well. Accountants need computers for their everyday work and if they didn’t it would be less sufficient and nearly impossible. In this day and age computers play a role in almost every job. It has become such an technology based world nowadays. You either have to learn the new technology or you will not be able to perform in the workforce in this present day. Employers are always looking for people that are experienced with technology so no matter what field you go in too it is beneficial to learn. 

Citizenship- A legality or something more?

I can see why people feel that citizenship is only a legality. But there is way more to being a citizen of a country than just your name on a paper. As a citizen we have a civic duty to our country. A civic duty is a responsibility to do whatever you can to make society a better place to live. Civic duty includes obeying laws, paying taxes and participating in community activities that make society function. If people did not believe in a civic duty our country will not run smoothly. There are some people in our society that feel like they do not have to give back to the country we live in but that is a really selfish way to look at it. We take the things that we have for granted while other countries do not have the same opportunities that the United States offers. Its a shame that people try to cheat the system and not pay taxes when they easily can but will not for some reason. A big part of civic duty that people ignore and bothers me the most is pollution and littering. Countless Americans throw trash all over when they can easily just throw it in the trash. There are many damages that trash does to our country. The worst part is that it can so easily be avoided. I believe that if everyone felt that they had a civic duty to our society, the society will be a much better place to live in. 

With the way that our country is running, one can argue that citizenship is just a legality. We get a lot of opportunities as a citizen to excel in life but our country has became weaker and our economy is not where it should be. That could be a reason why people do not feel like it is there job to take care of our society. They feel that our society doesn’t deserve to be taking care off. Also,  another reason why people do not believe in the civic duty is because they feel that they will not make a difference. Every person can make a difference in this world and reform needs to be made or our once superior society will never turn around. 

Edward Snowden by Nicholas Pipitone

Edward Snowden was a former agent for the Central Intelligence agency and National Security agency. He was a computer specialist that was the key contributor to NSA leaks. The NSA leaks were information about the government and the surveillance they had on Americans. Snowden worked as an agent for three months before he came across this information that he had found outrageous and disturbing. He fled to Hong Kong and leaked the information to the government officials of China. They have leaked the information on the spying on American citizens through all types of media making these secrets become known to the general public. Snowden is now being charged under the Espionage Act of 1917, which punishes people who interfere with foreign relations. He has now fled to Russia where he is still currently living. I think that he felt that it was a crime against Americans to have surveillance over their every day lives when they have done nothing to raise suspicion. “I don’t want to live in a society that does these sort of things … I do not want to live in a world where everything I do and say is recorded. That is not something I am willing to support or live under.” This is a quote from Snowden after he released the files. One can clearly see that he just thought it was ethically wrong and that he will never support a government that does this. He felt like it was the American people right to know about these things so that they can protect themselves and know that someone is always watching. I do not really agree with what he did because it makes our government look weak now. Don’t get me wrong, I am happy I now know about this but for other American citizens to leak important, classified files is inexcusable. Even if it is a wrong act, leaking the information to another country is not the way to handle it. If he did not agree, he should have stepped down and found a new job. As an American citizen I believe it is their right to know that everything they say is being recorded and watched, but I disagree with the way that Snowden handled this situation.