Big tech is something that has been recently weighing very heavily on a lot of American's hearts. Why? because policy makers are struggling to be able to regulate the appropriate use of Big Tech. It's hard to write policies around technology because technology is ever changing, if the last 20-40 years have taught us anything, it's that.
Unfortunately, there are people and companies that are taking advantage of the low regulation of the internet, forcing policymakers to try and regulate this. In a blog post by Sam Gill, titled "Big tech could break democracy, knowledge is our best defense," Gill delves deeper into why low regulation of the internet is forcing policymakers to be creative with regulation. Obviously, nobody wants to be regulated on what they can see on the internet and what they're allowed to do. However, Gill brings up the point that Mark Zuckerberg has been questioned by congress about allowing false news stories to circulate facebook, and American citizens being influenced in their decisions by these fake posts. it is a battle to decide what will and won't be allowed of internet users. As far as internet based employees that work "Gig Jobs", California lawmakers have made a stand for these employees to be treated with the same rights as in-office employees have. I do not believe that democracy is being threatened by the internet, I also don't believe the internet should be heavily regulated, this would disrupt the privacy of others. However, I do believe that the internet should have some regulations. People should not be able to post illegal things and people should have to adhere to treating others with basic human rights.
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I know that everyone is sick and tired of hearing the words "Coronavirus", "Novel Coronavirus", "The Rona", "Covid-19" and "Covid". Trust me, I am too. I'm tired of hearing about it and I'm tired of seeing untrue facts spewed everywhere. Mostly, at the center of it all- I'm tired of hearing the media being dragged because "all those journalist just like to incite fear". I am here to tell you very plainly, that is not the case. That is not the responsibility of reporters and that at the very center in unethical and wrong.
I beg of you, stop blaming the media for the false facts you see. Journalists are just trying to inform the public, they aren't trying to incite fear and despite our current president's views on journalists, for the most part, I think journalists are just trying to be as ethical as they can, and because of this, you know what the coronavirus is- because they're doing their jobs and informing you. I recently read two articles speaking about fake news and ringing true to the fact that fake news does exist- and it does not come from journalists. Buzzfeed news reporter Jane Lytvynenko ( see article attached) wrote about several fake news posts she had come across in regards to the Coronavirus. For one, the text messages inciting fear about cities shutting down, These are not journalists and yet they are texting people from forwarded "government officials" about city-wide shutdowns and encouraging people to panic buy. Out of all of the hoaxes she lists, and she listed a lot, one in particular really jumped out to me. People promoting fake cures for the coronavirus. These fake cures are killing people and if not they're making them sick ( advice from one place she cited indicated that drinking tons of water with antacids would kill the virus), or wasting peoples time. ( The gargling with salt-water idea). ALEB ECARMA ( click link for article) wrote about the two pandemics we are fighting as a nation: the coronavirus and fake news. Ecarma calls out the Trump Administration- and rightfully so. He goes on to explain how Trump has made more than two dozen false statements since the coronavirus hit the news circuit and how this in itself is leading Americans to search for truth everywhere. Jerry Falwell Jr. even placed blame on the media outbreak saying that this was the lefts way of getting back at Trump for the impeachment trials. The impeachment feels like a lifetime ago. This is not about being democratic or republican anymore, it is not about all of the divides in our country, it is about trying to fix the issues that EVERYONE is facing to the best of that ability. Everyone needs to learn how to be a consumer of news. Everyone needs to fact-check on their own and read the dates of the articles before dragging them up and placing them online. Mass-panic doesn't solve anything and it is only making matters worse. I love social media.
I love how I get to show off what I care about to the world but I do not necessarily love the fact that social media often has a negative affect on my mental health. Why? when you are anxious or depressed, or struggling with any other mental disorder, it is only heightened when you log on to instagram or facebook and scroll down only to see the highlights of everyone else's life. You see glorified pictures in tiny squares telling you that the person who posted has everything going for them. I do not know if you are aware, but, their life isn't perfect. The most frustrating thing about this whole cycle to me is that while you are upset because others are living their best life, while you are not feeling like you aren't, others are looking at your posts believing you are living life better than they are. I honestly feel like since social media has come about, people have an easier way to build a facade- to show others that they are funny and pretty and have tons of friends and have a lot of really good things going for them. While these are not lies there is a also the loss that people are not sharing the times where they are feeling bad or sad or lost their job or are broke past comprehension. I love social media but I also find myself hating social media simultaneously. I often find myself deleting the apps from my phone only to re download them in the peak of my boredom. I think that taking a break is always a good idea. Im not saying you should permanently delete your accounts- unless you really want to. Im saying that it is perfectly normal and acceptable to deactivate your account for a bit and re connect with who you are. There is a good chance that you are going through the same situations that others are. I believe that while social media is a great way to showcase your life, it can also be the reason why you are feeling so doubtful and insecure in yourself. While there are many accounts and people who are likely to share the not so great moments, there are not nearly enough. Take care of yourself, don't be afraid to escape from the grasps of social media, even if its just for a day. Hi, my name is Sarah, and I have very big, fine, dense, curly hair.
Growing up, I hated my hair. Well, to be honest I really just hated attention and I hated the way people would touch my hair or ask about my hair, or make my hair the center of attention. I wanted to blend in more. I wanted to have straight hair- so much that I ruined my curl pattern for years with Brazilian Keratin Treatments ( mom, if you're reading this I am so sorry that I made you pay people to put chemicals like formaldehyde in my beautiful hair). I know that currently their is a lot of controversy about Deva Curl products because people are experiencing a burning sensation. I love Deva Curl. I like a lot of their products and loved using them. I have a deva curl dryer with the weird hand diffuser and it has been a life saver for my hair. I also have sampled many products from their line because of the paraban, silicon, sulfate free nature of them. Previous to this controversy, the only thing I hated was the price. Deva Curl is expensive. I don't know many college students who will willingly spend $50 on hair products but I like to eat and be able to afford to live so I do not. Deva Curl has been revolutionary for curly and coily headed girls. But, I truly just do not think that it is worth the price. Since I have used Deva Curl products, there has been the recent surge of you tubers and influencers bringing attention to the fact that when used with heat, it has ruined their hair or scabbed their scalp with chemical burns. On February 11, 2020, Deva Curl updated their website with an official statement about this whole ordeal. "To our beloved curl community, Nothing is more important to us than you. As a curl community, we know the curl journey is a unique and personal one as your curls are an expression of who you are. We always want your curls to be a source of pride, never anxiety. This is at the center of what our brand stands for and what our professional stylist community has helped to encourage over the last 20 years. When some of you first raised concerns about our products, we were laser-focused on our testing as the best way to confirm their safety and quality. You can feel confident using DevaCurl because all our products have gone through rigorous testing that has confirmed they are safe and adhere to both quality assurance and regulatory standards. We’ve heard you and recognize that any changes to your hair – for whatever reason – demand a special type of attention that safety tests alone can’t address. That’s why we’re partnering with medical professionals, dermatologists, industry experts, professional stylists, and members of our curl community to better address your needs and concerns. We are committed to: -Creating a Professional Curl Care Council of trusted medical professionals, dermatologists, independent industry experts, professional stylists and members of our curl community to help us all better understand healthy curls and scalp. We will develop Curl Care Resources for you and our stylist professionals, including information about curl and scalp health and using DevaCurl products. -Sharing answers to some of the top questions we have received from you around safety and ingredients, as well as links to independent professional organizations. Because many factors determine curl and scalp health, the situation is complex, and we ask for your patience as we work together to provide more answers and address your concerns. We will continue to share updates. Your DevaCurl Family" Now, I cannot tell you how to feel about this specific situation. But I can tell you that Deva Curl is not the worst brand in the world to use for your curls. Do I think that they should put out exactly what their regulatory standards are? yes. As someone with hair that is fine and easily damaged, I deserve to know with ease that the products are not going to kill my hair. Hair health is important to me, and now for once I am thankful that I am not paying $60 dollars monthly for hair care when instead I am sticking with Shea Moisture, the brand that has earned my trust and takes care of my curls for a fair price. The only issue I have with their statement is that Deva Curl is standing by the fact that their products have not changed. If their products have not changed than they have had to change the packaging or something due to the fact that their products have not been causing issues until recently. Hello everyone,
Today I have come here to type out probably one of the most painful experiences I have had in college. When I was in high school, I really truly believed I had everything figured out. I was in love with the idea of what my life could potentially be. I believed after an unfortunate orthopedic event my junior volleyball season, I really believe that I wanted to be a physical therapist. I chose my college based off of this decision, I chose classes in high school based off of this belief, and really every other step of my life was planned with my career being a physical therapist. I had grad schools with gpa requirements and GRE scores and admissions rates in an excel document. When I took my first chemistry course, I failed. Miserably. I cried in a professors office hours. He told me that while I would be a great physical therapist, I simply would not make it. Obviously I Ignored it, Aced my next test, studied every second of everyday until I had an epiphany at a Nick Jonas Concert on a Sunday night with a test at 8 am. My epiphany was that I didn't care. I didn't want to pursue a career where I would be stressed. I didn't really care about status in that moment or whether or not I would be able to afford my dream house or wedding or wedding dress. Suddenly my life plan it didn't matter. So I logged online, found the change major form, and picked the first thing I saw. Within a month I was an Exercise Science major, then I was a Communication Science Disorder Major, then I decided I wanted to write, because writing is the only thing that makes me feel human often so I became a creative writing, psychology double major. Then on a whim, I looked at what I liked, saw how many beautiful stories are created by journalists, not fictional, just truthful. So I decided Journalism. I enrolled in the classes for the second semester of my sophomore year and I cannot begin to explain just how much I have grown. I came into college as a freshman with the absolute certainty that I would not change my major. I would accomplish all of my goals and dreams and everything would be the greatest. Things are not that simple. People change you, reader, are changing right now. My dreams and goals changed and that is why I changed my major, and If you're debating changing your major- just do it. Hello readers, That's right, just like this post, I am putting together Christmas presents last minute- as always. Finals are officially over, I have officially cried all of my tears of frustration and dance- celebrated all of my victories for the fall semester and now I am looking forward to getting back on the content grind, my personal favorite grind to be on. One of the biggest things that I have discovered about myself this year is that I actually like giving gifts. Not that I ever hated giving gifts or that I didn't love to receive them, but honestly in the past I've always felt a little stressed by the idea of finding the perfect gift for the perfect people in my life. However, I LOVE the feeling of bringing just a little bit of joy to someone by surprising them with the perfect gift for their birthday or for Christmas. **** REMEMBER: the best gifts are the ones given with consideration of the person you are giving them to. 1. Echo Dot- honestly I just think these are super cool. Honestly, for all of your slightly techy, college aged and older friends, people living in their own space, these are fun to have around. Right now you can get these for around $25 on amazon or at your local department stores. 2. Hydro flask- Does everyone remember the year of the Yeti tumblers? It was madness, everyone wanted one, my dad and I both ran to an outdoor store at like 8 pm to get one for my mom. Well, the year of the Yeti might not be completely over, however, what I like to call "The hour of the hydro flask" is here. Ive used a 40 ounce one for 3 years now and I honestly have no regrets whatsoever. You can find these online or at gear head. Prices vary depending on the size and type of lid, but be prepared to spend at least $40 on these babies. 3. Weighted Blanket- even if you don't live somewhere super cold, if the person your buying a gift for is a big blanket person - these are literally the best. You can find places on Etsy and on Amazon that sell really good quality weighted blankets, so if you want to secure the best gift giver- this is the gift you want to give them. 4. Coffee Beans - Okay as a self proclaimed coffee guru, rightfully earned title considering the daily $5 coffees I end up buying, there is nothing sweeter than getting a good bag of coffee beans from your local coffee shop. If you're in the NWA area, I highly recommend going into ONYX or Puritan or Mama Carmens and buying some beans for the coffee snob among your friends and family. If you are a Conway/Little Rock area local, I suggest going to Round Mountain, Blue Sail, Zeteo ( they sell Onyx beans!!), or Nexus for your coffee bean needs. 5. An air fryer- These are definitely not cheap- very expensive- but very worth it. Whether your buying a gift for a college student, for newly weds, for your grandmother or for your parents, these are great, and they promote healthy eating! Be careful with the brand you buy and be extra sure to do your research before dropping this kind of cash for an appliance. ( also, always check Amazon first) 6. Candles - I do not care what the occasion is, I will always be happy when accepting a Bath & Body Works candle. Literally I will never not accept a candle from Bath & Body Works and I will always want one. They're on sale all of December, and even if its just a 1-wick, buy it. Also - never discount the power of a good DIY tutorial, I made these super cute coffee mugs for my Brother and his Fiancé last year during their pregnancy! ( And I like to think they appreciated them) Hey guys, So if you know me in real life you know I have an inability to sleep in. Bur seriously every day I'm awake by 6 am at the latest ( that is everyday that I DONT have an 8 am, for some reason I always wake up 10 minutes before that class) I love waking up early, its peaceful, you have more time to get ready for the day, and you don't feel so rushed and like you're one step behind every morning. Here are my tips for waking up earlier if you dont naturally wake up early: 1. go to sleep before midnight - get good rest, you will feel SO much better 2. set several alarms - this helps if you like to turn off your alarms instead of snoozing 3. stop looking at screens about 30 minutes before you go to sleep- you're going to sleep so much better if you aren't waking up in the middle of the night to a bright screen. 4. put your phone in a different area- if you use your phone as an alarm, placing it where you have to get out of bed to turn it off will force you to wake up enough to get out of bed, you'll be less likely to go to sleep. Morning Routine6:30 - Wake up, get out of bed
- Make bed - Drink a glass of water - morning yoga - make coffee - shower - listen to a podcast while getting ready - get dressed - Skin care - style hair - put makeup on , clean glasses or put in contacts - look at planner, make a to do list for the day - pack my backpack - fill up my water bottle - go to class My morning routine takes about an hour and a half to two hours and as someone who likes being on a daily routine, this is something I really try not to negotiate with myself. If I do these things, Im generally less stressed about the little things and happier going into my day as a person who works two jobs while going to school. Hello everyone,
I know it has been a minute, however I feel extremely moved to write more about why I feel that I am incredibly inconsistent at times. It's because of this crazy little annoying thing that lots of people all over the world have coined as "Burnout" which is exactly what it sounds like, burning out. You see, I am a avid believer that each and every one of us has our own light. We have our own ways of making others shine while we also shine equally. If you are like me, you like to be busy. In fact I fear that one day I'll wake up and realize I have become a workaholic. I work two jobs, I love them both. I take a full schedule in college, each class requiring a certain amount of high energy and so. many. big. projects. I am in a sorority, I hold positions for my sorority, I write for my student led newspaper as well as edit for the news section. I love photography and balance shooting couples and kids and photo ops for the newspaper. In my free time I do this - I write. I have so many thoughts that are constantly running through my mind and I love that I am able to express them. My point is, that I, like most college students am incredibly. busy. I love being busy. However, the more time I spend in college the more I am beginning to realize that burnout is not a myth. It is incredibly real and speaking from a place of vulnerability, pouring everything you have in opposite directions 24/7 will leave you feeling immensely drained. So is it worth it? To get caught up in all of your projects just to lay in bed for a week every month, unmotivated, and unable to continue to do what you want? Absolutely not. Here's the good thing YOU CAN TELL WHEN YOU MIGHT BE BURNING OUT you can prevent it. Burnout is not something that you are helplessly going to experience. So I highly encourage the following things to keep up with the craziness of being in college. ★ Take self care days you know, put a face mask on, deep condition your hair, light a candle, diffuse some essential oils, watch an episode or two of your favorite T.V. show. ★ Go hang out with your friends I am really guilty of wanting to be by myself when it comes to my days off- it's the introvert in me that makes me want to do life alone, however, go hang out with your friends, my therapist once told me - sometimes the best medicine is to go be around people, even if you don't do anything big, being around people is one of the best ways to let your soul rest. ★ Leave a day for rest Growing up in the church I have always heard the thing about Sunday being a day for rest. In my first couple of years in college I didn't really pay attention to how much emphasis is placed on the sabbath. For all my planners, my people who are trying to stop procrastinating, and for my people who want to be able to rest. I highly recommend you plan ahead of time for a day to do nothing. It's truly the best feeling in the world to know that you have a day to spend not working but just being. Hello friends, Im back and happier than ever because, its not only ( finally) October, but it finally feels like fall. I LOVE SPOOKY SEASON. I love halloween decorations, hot coffee, pumpkin spice flavored things, sweaters, haunted houses, haunted hay rides, haunted corn mazes, I think you get it. The point is, Autumn is the season I tend to feel most alive, quite frankly my happiest months are September- December so I give to you: THE FALL BUCKET LIST FOR EVERY STRESSED,BROKE,COLLEGE STUDENT★ Make the little pumpkin pillsbury cookies, you know the ones I'm talking about if you had any sort of childhood at all.
★ Go see a scary movie in theaters with your girl gang, I recommend literally seeing any scary movie no matter the ratings. ★ Dress up for halloween- don't let the boring adults tell you you're too old, you're never too old for a fun costume ★ Buy some halloween socks, you know, the fuzzy extra comfy ones. ★ Watch an entire season of American Horror Story, I recommend murder house or coven, those are the best two. ★ Drink the pumpkin spice latte and absorb all the eye rolls that come into your direction- Okay but side note, this is the only time of the year in which pumpkin spice is everywhere. Go get the dang latte and get in the fall mood. Just drink it one time. ★ decorate your tiny space with dollar tree halloween decor. Yes, I said dollar tree, but I also think that if you're a poor college student like me, target dollar bins tend to also do the trick. ★ pee your pants in a haunted house- or don't- the point is go pay to get scared at your local haunted house. ★ go to a pumpkin patch - just to go pick out a pumpkin that you probably won't carve and have more fun taking pictures with your friends ★ ask your mom for your favorite thanksgiving recipe, offer to make it this year, butcher the recipe and laugh when you feel like crying about it. HEY GUYS
I'm officially back in college and im so excited to see everyone move in to their dorms in just 2 days. IF you are reading this at random- HI, im Sarah, im a junior in college now and I have been in your very footsteps. Here is the list of things that I definitely NEEDED and was glad I had during my freshman year of college. ✰ Keurig Mini - honestly a coffeepot of any kind will save you a lot of time and money in the mornings. ✰ Mattress pad - do yourself a favor and invest in a really good quality mattress topper, dorm beds are not comfortable, think of them as a step up from being the mats you took a nap on in kindergarten. ✰ fairy lights- a game changer. A must have. my dorm room freshman year was kind of dark and dank and the lighting sometimes gave off a greenish glow and the only thing that made it a little better was having string lights to offset the weird mood. ✰ Mini Fridge - trust me, you do not want to share the fridge with the other 400 residents living in your dorm. get your own and you won't have to worry about your things being stolen. ✰ Pictures- bring pictures of your friends and family and hang them up, college can be a lonely place, especially for the first month or two, especially if you're moving hours away from home. I hope you all have a great move in day and have the best roommates ( even if they're random)!!!! |
AuthorHi there, just your not so average 20-something-year- old Journalism major living life on the sunny side and documenting it! Archives
April 2020
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