2B) Digital use - postitive or negative?

The Internet is a genius invention that we probably are more attached to than we would like to admit. It solves are problems, plans our days, saves time and is a good remedy in studying. If we use it right, it can do anything in our life. Do we use it right?

Too much time spent in front of a screen may cause serious health threats like insomnia, stress related problems and addiction. Is it worth it?

Many people today, especially the younger generation, are unable to concentrate without constantly checking the phone or the Internet. Is it as helping as we think, or is it just a distraction in our work?

Today we have a digital lifestyle steered by our desire to the Internet. We are always available and reachable in every situations, and it is impossible to take breaks without missing out. You have to be on all the time. Many points out the possible consequences of health treats and possible bullying when not used right. It is a demand on the use of internet.

The Internet gives us all opportunities in the world, because we have the world in our hands and lap the entire time trough electronics like cellphones, tablets and computers. We are looking at different screens all day, and we fracture attention into smaller and smaller bits. It is both positive and negative consequences, and it may save us some time. If we use it right, it is the best tool we could have had in our stressful life. If not used right it may be the cause to health threats.

As I have mentioned, too much time in front of screens may cause serious health threats. Insomnia, stress and addiction, for instance, but also frustration and weariness. It is hard to live up to the expectations on the social media, and it is challenging always being reachable. We may understand the cause to our problems, but in the most cases, we cannot stop it. The digital lifestyle is our lifestyle today, and the younger generation grow up with it. In the worst cases the digital addiction is treated with digitally detoxify, witch is like a rehab for your addictive habits. People who have been to detoxing describes it as a peaceful break where the mind gets quiet. It is smart to unwind to lower the possible risks to develop illness, and to take breaks from digital distractions. The claim today is to be reachable. It is hard to unwind when your boss or other employees know you are only a smartphone away, and this is for friends as well. You are forced.

We multitask all the time. This may save us time, but this also lower the productivity. Students for example. They mainly use the internet as a remedy in the studying, but they also use it to social media. Students have less ability to filter out irrelevant information when they are switching between tasks and media. This definitely affects the result.

It is done some research on the possible impact digitally equipment has on children. “The content delivery by electric media is far more influential than the media themselves”. This is one of the discoveries from the article “Media and Attention, Cognition and School Achievement” from Marie Evans Schmidt and Elizabeth A. Vandewater. “The content in the TV-shows is crucial to the impact on childrens achievements. Educational TV is positive for the achievements, and entertainment TV is negative for the achievements. Video games can enhance visual spatial skills, visual tracking, mental localization and problem-solving skills”.

To summarize; our digital lifestyle brings many consequences with it. I have mentioned some health threats because of our digital use, and I have mentioned some impacts on skills and achievements.

We can then conclude with both advantages and disadvantages on our use.

It may spare us time by multitasking, or it may take up time trough social media and addiction.

Too much time spent in front of a screen is not good, no matter what.

Even tough our lifestyle demands us to be online and available, it is okay to take brakes and unwind for a moment. The consequences of a missed phone call or a message is in many ways better than the consequences of heavy digital use. Use your head and social skills more than your cellphone. 

Review of Disconnect 

The film “Disconnect” is a film about technology and our addictions because of the internet. People are addicted to it, abusing it and using it to their own good and others harm, just to get the satisfied.

In the film, we see different examples and cases on the theme.

Three boys, all with different lives, are followed trough the movie as they are making troubles connected to internet and bullying on the internet. The two friends are abusing the third boy by giving themselves out for being a girl, in love with the lonely boy. This happens to be a terrible mistake when a picture is spread.

A man, forcing young boys to share pornographic videos over the internet, is abusing an 18-year-old man. Trough this website the 18-year old comes in touch with a reporter in a local TV-station, a woman with intentions of a good story.  

A couple getting their identity stolen by an unknown person on the internet. They have troubles in their marriage as their many problems starts to get serious

I do not think there are any familiar elements to me in this film, but I see the message it is sending. People today are too into electronic devices, technology and internet. They seem to forget the real world they are actually living in. The issues in this film are real, they are happening every day, and many of us are forgetting abut the downsides of all this technical help. It is very easy to hide behind the internet, and to set up a scene. It may not be, as it seems.

I did like the film because I think the message of it is important, and I think we forget sometimes. It is easy to forget about the bad things about it, as the good things are more important to us. I do not mean that Internet is all wrong, but everything is connected, and it is affecting each other.

The part of the film that made most impression on me was when the bullied kid committed suicide. The two boys abused his trust by sending him pictures and messages on Facebook with the intention to harm the boy. They wanted to make fun out of him by playing with his emotions. This actually happens in the real world all the time. Many of the times, it is a good ending to the story, but too many times do the children feel the urge to take their life to end their problems

We have to stop the internet bullying as this is affecting too many people. 

Technology – online or offline

Our generation are more “on” than “off”. Always connected, always attached, always reachable. The many consequences of this is still unknown, but many are struggling because of the constant social media pressure.

Technology can be a genius thing, if it is used right, and with the intention to use it wisely. Many are unknown about the many risks that follows with the internet. People take advantage of the unknown. In the preparation material (page 5 of 12, text 3 “If You Log On To The Web Today…) it says that “For every site that ever there was will gather your data simply because on the web today a notion of privacy is for unintelligent persons. People will take advantage of anything, use anything against you for the purpose to harm you. When it is on the internet, you cannot take it away.

There are advantages and disadvantages to the Internet, and smartphones, and tablets, and all the technical equipment we have in our lives.

The “new thing” now is to do online dating over apps, such as tinder. Tinder is an online dating app where the purpose is to “swipe you to true love”. Smartphone apps have turned courtship into an addictive pastime. People says, after trying it, that they are not sure they can go back to analogue dating. It is the new thing, technology is everywhere, and all the time either you want it or not. People are infinitely upgradeable and are able to learn new things quickly.

Children today grow up with technical equipment that was not planned when we were little. We had to go outside to play, with each other and use our imagination to play. Today, children are attached to social media, TV, smartphones, tablets and games from early stage of life. They do not know about anything else, because they are grown up with all the technology. They are used to it. Many scientists have done research to find links between various types of electronic media and the cognitive skills of school-aged children and adolescents. Some founds are frightening. They have found that it may be a link between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and media use, for instance.

(Page 10 of 12, Media and Attention, Cognition and School Achievement)

I agree with the thoughts in this preparation material, but I think it is sad that it has to be like this. That people today get sick of being available and online. It is a stressful world we live in, and many have problems with unwinding and taking breaks away from “their life”. Many today live a double life, one in the real world, one on the Internet. I do not think we can control it any longer either because the technology is everywhere. The development happens even faster. All we can do is to be careful, and think of out lives in another way. You can take breaks and unwind with good conscience. 

TASKS IN CLASS

1.       Do you think the colonies had good reason to declare Independence? Why?

I think the colonies had good reason to declare independence. No one should be

Submissive or feel inferior just because they were part of a colony founded hundreds of years ago. Thomas Jefferson said these words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights: Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. He did not want to be treated different and unreasonably by the founders just because he was a part of the inhabitants in the colony. They wanted to be a part of America, as an independent state.

2.       Should one country be able to colonize another? When should a colony be granted Independence?

I do not think a country should be able to colonize another because it takes away the rights and the privileges an independent has. They loose their ability to develop their society to the countries best. When a country colonizes another, they immediately starts to influent the culture and the society based on their culture and traditions.

The colonized country loose their identity.

A colony should be granted independence when they want so. It is almost breach of human rights when another country takes over and colonizes without permission. The minute they asks for independence, they should get it, if you ask me.

3.       The Bill of Rights guarantees Americans "the right to bear arms". Many Americans still feel this is important for personal safety and in case they need to revolt against their own government, they argue that the Minutemen and the local militias only won the fight for Independence because they had firearms.

What do you think?

Should everyone have the right to bear arms? All kinds of arms?

I do not think Americans need the right to bear arms. It is a safe country with functioning police and army, and they do not have to feel unsafe. In addition, they have an argument for weapon that says, “If they need to revolt against their own government, they need the right to bear arms”.  I do not think this ever would be a scenario when they have a working democracy. If this would be a problem, there would no longer be a democracy. When they also argument with events that happened under the Independence War, they have to little to argument for, and I mean the arguments against it weights more in this discussion.

All the school-massacres have happened because of the right to bear weapon for everyone.

If they absolutely need a system like this, I think they should test the persons and consider if they are suitable and responsible enough to handle a gun.

When it comes to different types of arms, I think it would be up to the person itself, but the government should approve it.

4.       If you were to present your nation's history in the same way as above, which events would you choose? Why?

I would have chosen to write about;

The Viking-era (800-1050)

This era began with the attack on Lindisfarne in North-England.

The Vikings lived of plundering, sailing and taking land.

The independence in 1814

Norway got a formal constitution in 1814 after being in union with Denmark.

The union lasted from 1380 to 1814. Norway later, that year entered a new union with Sweden.

The dissolution of the union in 1905

Domestic self-government, but they shared king with Sweden and their foreign politics.

World War 2 (1939-1945)

Started in September 1939. Norway declared themselves as a neutral country, but was occupied 9 April 1940. The occupation lasted for five years.

    Task 6 - The Definition of Success

The writer Ralph Waldo Emerson has an easy definition of the word “success”, summed up in nine points, which all are achievable if you try.

How would you define success?

His first definition is “to laugh much”. Very achievable if you ask me.

If you live a good life, surrounded with friends and family that you care about, and that care about

you too, laughter comes as a natural reaction to fun. Is it fun to have success?

Is laughter a natural reaction to success?

His second definition is “to win respect of intelligent persons and the affections of children”.

Are you immediately successful if a little child gives you their love and affection?

I ask these questions because I want you to think.

Read over his points, and make up your own definition, and meaning. 

The writer has an easy definition of success. He means that if you manage to achieve these

nine points he mentioned, you have succeeded in life, and you have succeeded in the

relationships you have. I think that many of his points can, combined with the definition of

happiness, and the fact that you have done something of interest, be the definition of success.    

Of course, everyone should have, his or her, own opinion about the definitions, but this is a good guideline.

                             THE AMERICAN DREAM

Do people still believe that the American Dream can be achieved?

People do still believe in the stereotypical American Dream. The fact that you can come from almost nothing, with no means, and still manage to work your way up and succeed, still stands strong.

People do believe that hard work profits, and that the work will eventually pay off. It is just the moral and work ethic in America. You can get anything you want if you just dream big enough. The goal can be money, fame or material happiness, but also a healthy family, the ability to love someone, and so on. The reams are individual, and many will say that it is the dreams that keeps them going. In financial crisis, and when things get a little rough, people shift their impression of the American Dream, and it is suddenly more about values and not so much about material success.

More Americans says in the poll that they have reached “The American Dream”, or will so in a short amount of time. In 2005, there were approximately 32% yes, or will so in the nearest future. In 2009, to a difference, 44% said that they had achieved it, or was going to in future.

So more people believe in the dream today.

How has the definition of the American Dream changed?

The poll that the New York Times published shows us the difference.

People want opportunities, they want to make up their own decision and decide for themselves what they want to be, and when. The American dream before was about material success and material happiness, the tendency in this poll is that the people want the complete opposite.

People now appreciate values over material. They want to have freedom, opportunities and the insurance that their family can live a great life.

The Americans think about the future, and they want to make it their own.  

Quotes by Oscar Wilde