Week 2 Topic 2

I do completely agree with the fact that we are becoming more connected, but also setting ourselves up to become more isolated. I feel the exact same way. While I know that social media has brought people together that would have never otherwise known about each other's existence, it has also made a generation of kids who are so consumed with their smartphones that they are missing essential life experiences. I feel like kids today don’t have the same experiences as I did as a child. I think that kids are growing up way too fast these days and I’m not sure it’s a direct result of social media, but it has contributed to it. In my family I am basically the only one who is attached at the hip to my devices. I have been asked to leave my phone in my car while I am at my Dad’s house. I don’t usually follow this rule but I do make an effort to refrain from checking my phone every 5 minutes while I am there.

I do not play any online games or have any gaming apps on my phone. I did play Candy Crush for a moment, but it was infuriating after I reached a level I couldn’t beat for over two weeks.

I would say that I spend about an hour a day total on social media. Most of that time is Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, and LetGo. I would estimate that of that hour per day MAYBE 5 minutes is spent scrolling through my newsfeed on Facebook. I just don’t see the point to it anymore. I am tired of reading all these vague attention seeking posts.

Week 2 Topic 1

This is my first experience with Twitter. While I am embarrassed to admit this, it is true. I think I am officially “old”. I feel completely out of the loop. I don’t use Instagram, Twitter, or Google+. Really my social media presence ends with Facebook, which I mainly use for the Marketplace aspect. So as I completed creating my new Twitter account I chose a handful of people/organizations to follow that immediately came to my mind. First off I followed the Oregon Ducks because I am a die-hard Ducks fan. I know, that’s not very accepted now that I’m taking classes in the heart of Beaver Nation. I also immediately chose to follow Khloe Kardashian. I don’t know why, but I absolutely ADORE her. I even named my dog after her 7 years ago when she was a puppy. Which leads to the next organization I followed on Twitter; PIt Bull Lovers. I think they are the most beautiful, sweet, loving dogs on the planet. I also am following the Ellen Degeneres Show because she is hilarious and I love her show.

The best thing I have seen lately on Facebook was a meme that said, “Meanwhile, in Oregon, Pollen counts are so high that the tweakers are converting their Meth back to Sudafed.” I’m not sure why but that literally made me laugh out loud. I enjoy that sarcastic, dark humor. I shared that post immediately.

I don’t feel like social media had influenced my ability to participate in democracy. Probably due to the fact that I am not growing up in the era of social media explosion. I do often think that growing up and being a teenager in this day in age, my experience would be drastically different. I can see how social media could greatly influence the youth of today and enhance their ability to  participate in democracy. I myself try to avoid social media as much as possible because I have seen it take a small issue or a very personal issue and blow it up to epic proportions. I have seen social media do rapid, irreparable damage to people and I think it’s just a huge network of pot-stirring and drama.

Forum Week 1-Topic 2

    I would have to say that lately my main three sources of information have been Facebook, occasionally the local news, and the Newspaper. The Register Guard to be more specific. The main reasons I rely on these sources for information is convenience. As for the Facebook portion, let me defend myself a little bit. I don't go onto Facebook to get current world event updates, however more often than not i will scroll through my news feed and see a link to a local news story or a world event. That is where my Register Guard newspaper source comes into play. The links almost always lead me to their website where I can view the article in it's entirety. I would say that using Facebook as a stand alone source of information would not be very reliable at all, but if you dig deeper into another source that can provide more details and/or verify the story then it becomes obviously more reliable. I believe that news anchors, news shows, and television stations as a whole are held to a much higher standard as far as reliability, ethics, etc. For that reason I personally consider things I see on any news broadcast to be the most reliable.
    I believe the media holds a lot of power in our country. That being said, I would like to believe that they take their power seriously because one slip or one story getting out that is less than accurate can snowball into a mass frenzy or maybe even worse. Fake news is very concerning. I think that a lot of times producers are under so much pressure to make their show the best that they bypass some major things. For example I can see how being on a time deadline could lead to someone not following through sufficiently to check facts before airing a major breaking news story. Sometimes it seems to me that reporters are too anxious and ambitious and feel a need to break "that big story" and they forget that their main duty is to give us (the public) news that is accurate. We also need to be cautious of passing along information that isn't accurate especially on a large scale like the media.  

Forum Week 1-Topic 1

  My name is Jayme Horne I am 32 years old, and am currently in my second year of college. I am taking my pre-requisites for nursing school. I hope to be accepted to a Nursing program somewhere in Oregon in the Fall of 2020. My career goal is to be a Registered Nurse and continue my education beyond the required 2-year degree. I want to earn a Bachelor's degree in Nursing. 
  I am interested to learn and find out which media sources are the most reliable and also how far some media sources stretch the truth. 
  Outside of school I like to workout, I like to go the beach but my passion is being active in my local recovery community. I have been clean and sober for just over 3 years and it is a major part of my life today. I enjoy helping other addicts and I like to see the growth in people I meet that are also in recovery. That is by far the thing that means the most to me and the thing that makes me who I am.