Season of Stress

Every beginning of winter is the end of a year. For some reason most of the holidays are occurring all next to each other around the same time. To me holidays equal work, and work equals stress. Since the most common holidays are Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's everyone is traveling or going to stores causing places being crowded. Many people go broke trying to look for things to buy loved one's or close one's. In some places it snows or its very cold, having to make people adjust to the climate change. The only great thing that comes out of it, it seems is the New Year that will start over. People take that as a opertunity to start their life over as if its a restart date. Hopefully all goes well with everyone and their families, and hopefully the new year will be better because 2016 was and still is a mess.

Stress

I was told senior year would be stressful, and in some cases I was told it will be easy going. It is easy because of the little homework I tend to have, and it's stressful because of all the work involved with each class. And when I do have homework, every teacher I have assigns their homework assignments. I have a project due tomorrow that I need to finish because I've been too busy doing everything else. I forgot to do this last night because I have my mind on a million other things. It's hard to keep your grades up when every teacher is making everything due around the same time. I know I can do it all, it's just very stressful. I know teachers know we have life outside of class, but it's hard to live it when we have all this work.

The Disney Monoply

We all know who Disney is. The big multi billion dollar company that operates in Anahiem. They have their hands in many aspects of our life's today. Some of your favorite popular YouTubers are technically owned by Disney by their purchase of Marker Studio. News channels/networks like ESPN, ABC, KABC-7, are all owned; as well as big movie production company's like LucasFilms, Marvel Studios, and Pixar. Recently through Disney has signed away and purchased the streaming rights and tournament rights from Riot Games for League of Legends.

 This is a big move on Disneys part because it means the company regonizes the trends in modern society today. Esports is becoming more and more public even though Esportd has been around for soooo long. As much as I like that gaming is becoming regonized as a electronic sport, I'm concerned what this means for game developers that are now being stalked just to purchase rights to trends in the video game industry. I worried that company's like Disney, will purchase rights to video game company's and change its gears completely, screwing it up. League of legends is very true to me at this moment and I don't want it to become another trophy on the wall for Disney. It seems to me that the Disney.inc is becoming too powerful and I question if Laissez-afire should still be valid for company's like Disney. I mean they own news stations across the country where they could if they want to, make the news tunned to the company's interests instead of the publics. Just food for thought what do u guys think?

Stress, Stress, and Stress

As some of you may know by now I'm Mary Poppins in the upcoming musical Mary Poppins and it would be a lie to say I'm not stressed. 

Also I'm just getting out of "JOY Week" in Showtime which is just a week packed full of performances which takes a physical and mental toll on my body. All in all I'm just experiencing a lot of stress.

On top of all of this I still need to maintain my grades to stay eligible for both these groups with a beyond hectic schedule. I'm still not quite sure how I manage to do it.

At least on the bright side my college apps are all done.

If anyone has some stress-relieving tips please share them with me!

I've tried my fair share of stress remedies (trust me), but I'm always looking for more. 

3 more days

Having vacation days in school is something to almost all students look forward to, yet the days before it are some of the most strenuous times in classes. Teachers often give out tests the very day or week leading into vacation, sometimes its projects. This usually results in an immense amount of workload that someone must finish. Though it might not be entirety a teacher's fault when they know grades are due and they haven't met that school's grade-book quota. Assigning a lot of work is stressful for a student but also for teachers as well. The district should promote a friendlier approach to learning where  an A stands for affert and doing less is encouraged.      

Working over the break

Working at knotts is the best thing since your boss is your older brother. However you get relied on for almost everything that happens at the park, that is food related. From working those little stands that serve popcorn, ice cream, or churros, to preparing the food when someone isn't there is the worst. So me having to work over the break sucks, because mainly everyone takes their vacations and my brother is going to have me do twice the amount of work then before. Now the question is are you going to work over the break, or relax at home?

Procrastination

This weekend I had decided to wait to do my government project and finish most of my homework before break while also last minute Christmas shopping. One of the worst decisions ever because I had only finished about half the work I thought I would get done and not enough gifts I had expected to buy.
I am the type of person that tries to stay away from procrastinating but these past few months have been stressful. I am still perfecting my college applications will trying to juggle a job and good grades so I tend to procrastinate until the absolute last minute. This is turning into an unhealthy habit I can't seem to get away from.
My experience going shopping near Christmas was the worst; as soon as I walked in I had noticed the lines that would reach the end of the store and I stood at the entrance in shock. Once I had finish picking up the items I had wanted I would hear the people in the line making remarks of how ridiculous the line was and a waste of their time but they were the people at fault.
I am the one that is at fault for procrastinating and instead of complaining I am going to change my habits and get my work done on time.

Holiday's For Me

    Well it's almost Christmas and New Year’s so I decided to dedicate this blog merely about the holidays. Growing up I never had the chance to celebrate real holidays like normal kids with the Christmas trees, stocking suffers, leaving the cookies out none of that. My mom choose to end my childhood early by telling me Santa wasn’t real, but it was her and my grandparents bringing me gifts when I went to sleep. I understood that he wasn’t real or any of those fairy tale characters early on, but at seventeen now I’ve realized I lost sight of what Christmas was all about because I never had the full on experience of it. This year for the first time in my life I got a Christmas tree with decorations and lights. I finally had the change to feel like a child again getting excited about decorating and going around the tree 20 times just to get the lights on right. Anyway, I chose that holiday’s for me would be about fully embracing the holiday spirit and being grateful for what I have now and not dwelling on what I didn’t have and didn’t do before. 

  So how does your families celebrate the holidays?

Surviving Senior Year

Senior year for me has been so unlike any school year I have ever had. First of all, I drag through almost every assignment and get started at like the last possible moment. I suppose that is senioritis kicking in. I thought this year was going to be easier too but my GPA is not doing well. AP Gov. and AP Econ. is killing me. Second of all, there has been so much drama and just in general my friend group has shrunk which I find really sad. I remember in 8th grade where we had this big group all around a tree and now it's like a smaller number of us and sometimes we don't hang out all together. Third, it is going waaaaaayyyy faster than I thought it would. I'm not really sad about that. I'm glad to be starting my new life in college, but I can't help feeling nostalgic for when I was a tiny little 7th grader. Sometimes I wish I would have done a few things differently in high school, but everything happens for a reason so I'm just waiting to see where life takes me.

 Do you ever wish your senior year would have turned out different or are you glad how everything played out? What are your tips on surviving senior year?

Sleep

We all know how important sleep is especially being deprived of it. Sleep can benefit us by strengthening memory, helping concentration and focus, and enhance the immune system. It makes us feel energized and happier to take on the day's tasks. Why don't people sleep longer to feel its benefits? We know that being sleep deprived can lead to diminished productivity and fatigue. If we know these effects why don't enough people make sleep a priority?

A reasons why is because of technology. The emergence of technology and how it is apart of our daily lives affects our sleep patterns. Artificial lights from our phones screens or from any device can mess with our brain's biological clock or circadian rhythm. Some tips are to stay away from any device at least fifteen minutes before you go to bed. I believe this helps ease your temptations to constantly check your phone. 

Stress is always an important factor. It can keep us awake at night thinking of tomorrow's tasks and deadlines. I think especially in high school with the constant work load and tests that it can keep us up late at night. I usually get up to 6 hours of sleep a night and then sleep in on the weekends. I learned that its hard to make up your sleep debt and you should maintain a daily sleep schedule. How much sleep do you guys get a night? How does it make you feel?  

Adimiring Fletcher

Admiring Fletcher

At first glance ERW may seems like a boring and even difficult class to take, or at least that's what I thought before actually enrolling in it. You may think that all you do in ERW is just writing, reading, looking at articles, and after that even more writing. However being in the class for what now has been almost a full semester has shown me that this class can be so much more. I think that a large part of the class being so intriguing and fun to be in is because of our teacher, Ms. Fletcher, she is the friendliest teacher that I have ever had. Her way of teaching is very calm and understanding, and she really goes out of her way to explain things to everyone. I would say that Ms. Fletcher brings spirit into the class, something that even the students are lacking at times. She keeps us focused on what we are supposed to do by making jokes or telling us a story.

Your rock Ms. Fletcher we all love ya!!

Attention seniors! Senioritis is a real life condition that is spreading fast. It has already made its way through half of the senior class. Symptoms may include: extreme laziness, constant procrastination, and reoccurring daydreams. If you are experiencing one or more of these symptoms please ask your teacher for an extension on that semester project! Pause... we have been in school for 12-13 years now and senior year can't end fast enough. Teachers assign endless assignments, projects, and homework. Do we ever get a break? I don't know about you but I'm so tired that I've become delusional. I'm tired of the seemingly endless nights and the short weekends. When can we finally give in to the elusive senioritis? Most of us are taking classes just to satisfy our CSU requirements and not classes we are actually interested in. The long drawn out lectures and the dumb questions seem to last forever and ever. I think we can all agree that there is a cure to this disease, and it's called graduation! These years will feel like a flash of light as soon as we walk across that stage and grab that diploma we worked so hard for. I guess what I'm trying to say is try and over come the disease and overcome the long days and endless nights.

My senior year

I been waiting for senior year since I was in middle school . I always wanted to get out school before every one else , go to prom and most of all walk the stage. Now that I'm a senior, it's going by so fast it's soon going to be June 15 and I'm going to leave all my friends. One thing I will say about senior year is its making me close to people I never talked to before. I met new friends and new teachers. After senior seminar, it has been a good year because we all caught a bond together. We all let the drama aside because this is our year to have fun and make memories with others . Most of all be the oldest I. Campus besides the teachers.

Are you ready to graduate? How is your senior year? Do you have Senioritis yet?

Times Without Technology

Technology has taken over. It no longer a question, but a statement that everyone has (sometimes regretfully) come to accept. I think we are the youngest generation to have had a childhood without the widespread use of technology in our day to day lives such as social media and cell phones. 

With that being said, it's also amazing to see the changes in technology throughout our lives. I still remember having a house phone attached to the wall and having to remember people's numbers. I still remember my mom having a Blackberry circa 2005 and thinking that it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen (she had Tetris!!). I still remember having to crank down the windows in our cars and having to take film to get processed at the Walgreens down the street. 

Since then, it's only been about 10-15 years. Imagine the changes we'll see in the next ten. The next 20. The next 50. And when we're so old that the youngsters have to keep explaining how to copy/paste a holograph (or whatever the technology may be). Personally, I can't wait for what the future may bring. Do you guys miss the times without constant technology? Or are you looking forward to the advancements and embracing your technology centered life? Feel free to share any memories you may have of a time without technology or other changes you've encountered over the years.  

Christmas with no Cash

With the holidays approaching so fast, I would like to talk about giving gifts. Every year I find myself in the struggle of buying gifts for friends. Sometimes it's wondering if they'll enjoy what I get them or if I'm getting them something they'll hate without me knowing before hand, also how I'm going to afford gifts for my friends since I have no source of income. It's always hard because I think my friends deserve the best of the best and I want to be able to give that to them, but I'm lacking the proper funds to show them how much I appreciate them. And I know that it's not all about the cost of the gift and that it can be home made but my home made gifts never turn out right, and I want my friends to have something they will always look back on fondly. I want to know about you guys: do you guys suffer the same dilemma? Do you and your friends even give gifts?

Senior Year

This is not a commencement speech. This is not a boo hoo I'm going to miss senior year blog post. No this is a me sitting back an saying "Ooh senior year" blog post. Me reflecting on the amazing moments so far of senior year and maybe a little of the rest of high school, who knows. Man senior year, is the greatest year of high school so far. From the first day of school all I could think about was June 15, 2017, for those who don't know that graduation and it's from 5:30-6:30 you're welcome. Thinking about all the memories I am going to make, all the new friends I am going to meet in my class, and all the parties oops I mean bible studies. But overall it's just the excitement of learning to how to be on your own after high school and knowing that we are going to be "grown". We have been waiting for this moment since freshman year. Anticipating leaving early from school, prom, senior seminar, senior ditch day and most of all graduation. Although we have all the fantastic senior activities we have to crack down on our school work. Keep our head in the books or else no walking on graduation with your friends, sad. So senior year, 90% fun and 10% school work or 50% fun and 50% school work, I like option one better.

obsession with technology

We as a society can not front and say we are not addicted to some kind of technology, whether it's our phones or computers, we are all addicted to it.  Some of us will even choose the internet over going out, I am a victim of this forsure I can remember when I younger I figured out how to start playing games online and quickly I began such an addict like I wouldn't be going outside, hanging out with friends I evem lost some hahaha, but anyways I let technology consume my everyday life and ended up regretting it because now I look back and realized I missed out on what could have been a fun time.

My thoughts for college

 Real life is starting to flash before my eyes real quick. My personal goal is to go out of state for college, I am actually determined. As I sit back and start to think I come to find out that I'm really going to gone, away from everything and everyone I am familiar with. I want to say it is scary, but I don't think it is I think it is only going to benefit me in the long run. Leaning on my parents for every advice will have to come to a halt, I make my own decisions out there. For example, to go to a party or to not go to a party, that comes up many times in the college life. As far as the teacher lifestyle and all the say that they don't care and everything. That theory has started to fade for me, I hear that at a HBCU the teachers want to see an individual succeed and that interest even more. At the same token I know that I would not depend on anyone for my individual success. Everything is just becoming stressful as soon as I start to ponder about college and how my life would be. Even the thought of friends, would I have friends or would I be to myself it is stressful. Although I don't have to have someone it is just going to make college life experience be special for me. I know that I want to be involved in different clubs and activities in college because that is something that can help me in college, you never know who you can connect with while being involved.

Parents Vs. Technology

Now, I know I am not the only one who constantly deals with, "you're always on that phone," especially from parents, but can they blame us? It's become a part of the world, somehow a necessity to us to use in order to communicate to one another. My parents are usually always on my back about being on my phone or on my laptop, but can I help it? I understand they lived in a different generation, thus why they always use this line, "I didn't have a phone during my times and look at me, I lived." Yes, we understand that but different times call for different measures. The world is evolving before our eyes and now basically everything that we do revolves around technology, so can we reduce the time we use on technology? If so, how? Also, are your parents similar to mine in the sense that they somehow feel jealous with the time we spend on technology? What do you guys think?

Making America Great Again

Since we can blog about what we want this time I am going to talk about Donald Trump. He is now our President and he is known for many of his negative comments he has said. Trump says he will make America great again? but my question is do you guys really believe he will do everything he says like build a wall, rebuild military bases, promote school choice, clean up Washington, including by imposing term limits on Congress; protecting American workers; and restoring rule of law. A lot of presidential candidates have said what they want to do in America and have not been able to do all what they planned to do. In my opinion candidates just talk to make people vote for them and not actually backup everything they say they will do. Trump sounds like he really wants to do all these things for America but will he really prevail?  

Trolling Has Different Versions

In my own personal experience, I haven't really seen any trolls in social media. In fact, I did not even know that there are trolls on social media, I had only heard and seen them on gaming platforms. Back at the beginning of high school, I used to play a lot of video games and I got to see what is now known as the gaming troll. They tended to be players who would make their own team lose just for the laughs or they would go completely against the rules of the game. Other times they would only bug their teammates and never leave them alone. I got trolled by a gaming troll only a handful of a times and I remember that I used to hate it, but I can only imagine how horrible it must be get trolled on social media. Trolling on gaming platforms is one bad thing, but trolling on social media must be so much worse.

Where Does Most of the Trolling Take Place?

Even though Ms. Fletcher gave us permission to post about anything we wanted, I am very terrible at coming up with my own topic, and I don't really now what would be considered a good conversation starter.  So this is one last post to trolling.

People use the Internet and social media for many reasons, and some use it more than others.  I have said before in one of my posts, that I don't come across trolling as much as other people might. Now I know the main reason for that is due to the fact that I don't post stuff or reach out to talk to people. Communicating is not a big deal to me.  Most of the time spent on my laptop is wasted on YouTube or Netflix with the occasional essay being typed on Google docs.  Most of the trolling I see are from the comments in YouTube, and even those are usually random and harmless.  There might be some comments that are offensive, but I don't recall seeing any threatening ones.

I guess my question is where do you think the most extreme form of trolling takes place?  What websites or which social media allows for the most trolling?  In class we read about trolls who waste their time to target a single person.  They even go as far as making fake accounts to taunt their victims,  but I haven't seen that anywhere from my personal experience Also, on a semi-related note, do you think trolling is worse as people get more well known or famous?

Time on the Internet

Internet is a necessity to me whether it is for entertainment, or looking for information on something. I do not usually use the internet to spend time on social media, I mainly use the internet for playing video games and for homework assignments. The internet, from my experience, is an excellent place to build a community that revolves around the things they are interested in, or even just to have a discussion about a certain topic. There are endless possibilities to what people can do on the internet, and that includes people who use the internet just to start fights or to hurt other peoples feelings. This is one of the problems that plagues the internet and is extremely difficult to stop. Other than that, I believe that people who do not often use the internet should explore it and see where it gets them.

Online Bullying

Before this unit, whenever someone would say the word "troll" I imagined those small tan dolls with colored hair. I did not even know that harassing someone online made you a troll. Now that I know this, I wonder if being rude online, as I like to think of as online bullying, is the same as bullying in person. If one person was bullying another, for example at school, all of the bystanders watching it happen, allowing to occur, and not reporting it to a teacher or an administrator would often be considered helping the bully.

What about online? Of course rude or unnecessary comments are going to be made all the time online. It would be impossible to stop all of those people from posting mean or rude comments on the internet. But, what about the extremely harsh comments that are put online which are either illegal or are borderline (I am not sure exactly where that line is). How do other internet users react to those? In person, allowing bullying to happen is so common that at school we have entire assemblies dedicated to bullying. The assemblies teach us how to stand up to bullies, how and why bullying should be reported, and how to help our peers if they are being bullied.

What do you think that we should do when we encounter trolls online? Should we ignore them, stand up to them, block them? Do you think that trolls and bullies are the same thing, or are they completely different because one happens in person and one happens on the internet?

Summary Paraphrase Quote

Here's a link to today's slide show that goes over the details of summarizing, paraphrasing and quoting.  Good luck!

Anonymity is Bad?

        I understand how anonymity can be bad at times, when it is used for cyber-bullying, or even trolling, but there are some good aspects to being anonymous. Many people wish to be anonymous so that they could get more information on what could be embarrassing to them. Something that they wouldn't want other people to know about them. We also shouldn't be punished for what we search up, especially if it is out of curiosity. Anonymity can prevent us from being judged or seen as not okay by our future employers or family members. Our names shouldn't be linked to something we have said before or searched up, especially if we now know it was wrong. In my eyes, anonymity is better.

Internet life

There isn't a such thing that is a internet life, because you are always going to be the same person. It doesn't make sense, yeah I know that but think about it. You don't suddenly change into another human being or change your whole personality on the internet. However, if you are the person having that two lives type of situation, then it's time to stop. People online are going to see you as something you aren't in real life. People who want to know you more can only see you as a person who is something you aren't. It's like the term catfishing, which is when someone steals a picture of someone else and uses that picture as their own identity. Many people do this because they want to be someone else. It's a harsh world out there and not everyone can keep up with reality. So their only escape to the harsh reality is to have an Internet life to block themselves from real life. I get that but sometimes it's better to face your problems than to prolong the problems forever.

The Reason for Trolling

Hello fellow bloggers. Lately I've been thinking about the people behind trolling and there's one thing that I'm still confused on: what's the reason? I feel like the many levels of trolling all have different reaosns behind them but I'm talking about the big massive major trolling. What exactly is the reason or mortise behind this type of trolling? Do people do it to seek revenge on someone they feel has wronged them? Do they do it simply because they like seeing the pain of others? Is it because it's their instinct to have that insidious tendency to be mean? Or is it because they are insecure about themselves and are taking their insecurities out on others anonymously? It could also quite possibly be a combination of all these reasons. I want to know your opinions my fellow bloggers. What do you believe the reason behind the big harmful trolling is?

Should you face those who troll?

I think that almost everyone who has used social media or a certain app, or game that has a chat room has an experience with trolling. I believe that it is important to realize just how big of a threat internet trolls are. To some people it may just cause them a mild discomfort or annoyance and then they will forget about it and move on with their day. However in some instances trolling does not happen only happen for a brief period of time, some users (especially celebrities and the likes) sometimes find themselves under attack by trolls, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. This can easily lead to the person being attacked to quit the certain social media. In worst case scenarios trolling can even push some people of the edge. If someone is constantly harassed they start to believe less and less in themselves until they break.
I personally have only been attacked by a very few trolls. Instead of getting upset and start a complete fight with them, what I do is try to outsmart the troll. What this does is make the person who is doing the trolling become very annoyed and even one time the troll just went on a cussing rant against me. When the troll stops making sense and just tries to use words to put me down, that's when I know the argument is pretty much over and one or two times I have closed the conversation by putting some laughing emoji's, just to make the troll that much angrier. I cant say that I have always beat the trolls, actually many times I just stay quite and avoid the argument all together.

Social Media Addict

My social media pages are my children. I cherish each and everyone of them raising their follower counts and filling them with selfies.I'm extremely attached to my social media pages whether that be Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, man I have them all. They're my little escapes out of reality. My love for social media is nothing short of an addiction.

 The social media site I wanted to talk to about is Twitter. You know the one with the little blue bird, yeah that one.  You essentially send out little 140 characters blurbs out into the world with no filter whatsoever. It's a pretty liberating experience. Although you would be surprised at how much negativity and bigotry you can fit into 140 characters...ask Donald Trump. Our own president-elect is an internet troll...how ironic.

As an African-American teen girl in the social media scene you just feel like the world is against you no matter how intelligent you are our how talented you are. People will always find something to nitpick or tear you down. 

I've received death threats, racist comments, and oh boy you name it I've probably had to deal it. The internet made me a stronger person it taught me how to filter out the negativity and the trolls, because most of the time they're just projecting their own hatred of himself/herself onto you, and it's not worth hanging on to. 

Do you think internet trolls have made you a stronger person? Or do you think it's just completely desensitized you from flagrant negativity?

Twitter Fingers

As Drake would say, "Twitter fingers turn into trigger fingers". This song lyric is similar to online trolls. They hide behind their IPhone screens and type away on social of what they are "about". Yet, they will not step up from behind social media and say in real life. This rare case of Twitter fingers showed up quite frequently in this generation. From celebrities arguing over social media to our fellow peers "confronting" others through social media comments. In this generation, online trolling is mainly talking to each other through social media. So when someone is not fond of what someone else has to say, they rather hid behind their screen and speak their mind. Online trolls are not so much, being anonymous but, being behind a screen. As if that is any different. I find it quite hilarious when I say a fellow Twitter finger because, why can't you say it to that person's face? Why are they hiding behind a screen as if that screen is going to protect them? Hey I mean if you do not have anything nice to say do not say it at all. At this point, I am fed up with online trolls because it's pathetic. Why can't you own up to your comment through social media and say it to that person's face? It's ridiculous, but again when it's time for the confrontation between the two, That's when the apologies begin coming out. So my message to you online trolls is, grow up. Let's all me mature and say what we have to say to that person's face instead of getting the case of twitter fingers. The cure to this rare case of Twitter Fingers is to own up to your comments and get from behind the screen.

Internet Trolls

I view internet trolls as people who have nothing better to do but to bring others down just for their entertainment. Trolling in many cases can be ignored without trouble, but sometimes it can get out of hand. It can reach a point where they create death threats, or even bring that person who they've threatened to commit suicide. It's sickening, but sadly cannot be stopped. Though many sites try to prevent this, and have failed since trolls have the ability to go anonymous or can create different accounts. Hopefully people find it in their right mind to take into consideration how words can affect a person more than they think. Have a good rest of the night!

Anonymity Online

We have discussed anonymity in the way of trolling, but I want to talk about it in the other facets of our internet lives.  Personally, I prefer to be anonymous. I'm not going out and trolling anyone, but it just makes me feel better to know that other people don't know me and can't tie my words to me. I think it comes from the fact that I'm so worried about other people's judgment sometimes, especially on my ideas because they are such a vital part of me. I don't often use the power of anonymity in that way, but it is a preference.

Another way that I am anonymous online (which I'm not very proud of) is on social media. I might lurk on someone's page a little if they are public. I know other people do this, but I'm still ashamed to admit it. Or maybe other people don't do it and I'm just crazy. Either way, sorry. This just proves how open social media can be. It connects you to so many people, but are they always the right people?  People can learn so much about you through a little profile. It is just a little sacrifice we make.

So my questions to you are what is your take on online anonymity in all forms? Do you ever use it to your advantage? Do you keep your account on private to keep people from lurking or just because you don't want random people to be able to look in on you?

Online Life

Everywhere we go we see so many people in their phones it is something that we have adapted to. There are many things that is wrong with everyone being tied into their phones. It begins at a young age they see everyone so into their phones they start to become immune to it as well. To entertain kids it involves taking out a phone and even putting Snapchat filters on their faces, which is sad instead of pulling out a toy. Staying online doesn't allow people to communicate in person, it is as if the internet controls individuals. A person behind a phone appears to be different when confronted in person and has difficulty interacting. An online life is completely different from a truthful life; for example, we see these people showing off their "belongings" online, but in reality it isn't what it is made out to be. There are so many things that take place online that keeps individuals so wrapped up in their online lives. Whether it be waiting on a song to drop or simply keeping tabs on another individual. I don't see the online problems fading away any time soon because our President elect continues to stay on Twitter, despite everything that has taken place this far. Furthermore, the next generation would be in the same boat because everything involves going online for some reason. Even with school we have to constantly go online for classwork, homework, and even projects. Yet, it seems as if they want to make online the bad guy .

What Good Can It Do?

                       Being anonymous online might not be such a bad thing as it may seem;
At least when holding good intentions. First hand, I have been anonymous online and it has done me well. As a queer woman I've had my fair share of anon research and deep digging. When a teen is dealing with their sexuality they are very much likely to take to the web due to the feeling of isolation and the  flood of query they may have.   The internet provides us with a platform like no other, with a click of a button we are transported to a world of communication and possible like mindedness. Now not everyone may be ready to be so openly vocal with their ideas, but that does not mean they should not participate. Going anon provides people with the ability to speak their minds and take part in the excitment without having to fully commit to it.

Can you really win against trolls?

I think we all know the impact trolls can have on us. The pain they cause by their words run deep. Sometimes you can brush it off to the side, but the seemingly never ending hate comments are impossible to stop. I believe one answer to the pain trolls cause is to avoid them. If you keep getting hurtful comments online and a bombardment of hate you shouldn't let it get to you. Out of sight out of mind. Sometimes this could work especially if you are thick skinned and don't allow what anonymous people say get to you. If it does persist and it makes you feel worse then maybe you should consider deleting and withdrawing from the situation. Blocking accounts and deleting comments can only go on for so long. It is shown that trolls are nearly impossible to stop.
 Can you really win against trolls? If its know that you can't stop them then how do you fix the problem? I think what it comes down to is seeing that what these trolls are saying are just words. You can't let it get to you. You just need to believe in yourself and believe that these words are not the truth. Their words don't define you. You can't let others control you. Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt me.

Is trolling constitutional?

 Some may argue that trolling is protected by the first amendment. I don't think this is what our founding fathers thought we would be using our freedom of speech for. Trolling is  not something that can be justified. There is no valid reason for someone to troll. A person is deliberately trying hurt another individual for a petty reason. Freedom of speech is used for the suppressed individuals who want to a voice in society. I personally don't think trolls need a voice, it has no purpose.

Why entertain them?

I always wondered why do people entertain trollers , Is it because they want to be in drama ? Is it because they feel the need to argue with them. One thing I learned is once they start they do not finish , they keep going till they know your in a breaking point. I stopped entertaining them because I noticed they just didn't have nothing to do with their life. Trollers like to put others down to make their selves happy and it shouldn't be like that at all. You having people killing their selves over stuff like this , it shouldn't be like this. they like doing stuff like this because maybe they have a hard background or my mom says they don't get attention at home.

My thoughts of online trolls

Trolls feed on attention. I think trolls are unhappy with themselves so they take it out on other people hiding in their darkness and threatening people. But I think the real problem is people themselves who respond back to the trolls. The trolls actually find the time to attack others online rather if its anonymously or public they want their point out or just want to bother a person. In my opinion people should not reply to the trolls because doing that only makes things worse and the troll will only be winning the battle by getting the attention they want by that person. I think people should ignore the troll even if it may affect them in any way. At the end of the day that troll's thought should not matter to you because someone will always have a different view than yourself. So with that being said people should not pay any attention to the negativity coming from an online troll because they are just looking for drama and people should try their best to stay out of drama.

My Internet Life

     I wouldn't say the Internet has completely consumed my life but it has played a big role. Sometimes I don't even think about want I'm doing I just have my phone in my hand looking at snapchat or Instagram pictures without even thinking. The Internet is like a bad addiction I don't need it at sometimes but I have to have it. Social media is like my friend except I don't have to talk to it unless I want to, by friends I mean it knows what I like and what I don't like and it'll show me and little bit of both. I wouldn't call myself a troll on social media because I don't go starting trouble but I love going through other people's social media accounts looking at their pictures and watching their videos like I know them. I'm not weird it's just on my explore page it's a variety of pages to look at so I see it as if it's open for me to see one picture why not just look at the rest of them. I've gone threw so many Instagram pages I've learned what their names are, how many kids they have if they have them,  where they from, everything. I'm still not weird guys it's just my internet life.

The Entertainment for the Trolls

I feel people who troll is to start us some drama and see what reactions they can get out of people. Some people though get too out of hand and say cruil things that hit peoples sensitive side. Its all for their entertainment, trolls like to thrive on peoples feelings and reactions, for some reason they get a kick out of it, its pretty pathetic but its almost 2017, nothing suprises me anymore.

Trolls need love too

Trolls are often seen in a negative light. They are often associated with some of the worst traits a person can  have, yet most  are probably harmless. Unfair disproportionate attention is drawn to them because some decided to begin harassing individuals over the internet. There is a problem going on today in regards to bullying, however generalizing them with people who stupidly start argument for fun with the use of the word "trolls" is a stretch. Solving problems requires to identify the specific cause and not to broadly identify it.        

Definition of a Troll

As we move through this unit and I spend more and more time studying trolls, I still seem to be stuck on one rudimentary idea: what is a troll/what is trolling? I know this seems like an easy question, but I've come to understand that people's definition of a troll tend to vary. 

Here is the surprisingly legitimate definition of a troll from "Urban Dictionary":

One who purposely and deliberately (that purpose usually being self-amusement) starts an argument in a manner which attacks others on a forum without in any way listening to the arguments proposed by his or her peers. He will spark of such an argument via the use of ad hominem attacks (i.e. 'you're nothing but a fanboy' is a popular phrase) with no substance or relevence to back them up as well as straw man arguments, which he uses to simply avoid addressing the essence of the issue.

In this sense, I understand trolling. But what about when trolling becomes more than just "you're nothing but a fanboy" such as in Lindy West's or Zelda Williams' cases? Is this still considered trolling or is this a catchall term we've tacked on our most vengeful cyber bullies? I would assume that your average gaming trolls who's comebacks are usually "your mom" are slightly offended that they're being confused with the likes of seriously harmful cyber bullies. I'm not condoning this behavior but I definitely think that there is a hierarchy within the trolling community that needs to be more broadly recognized. With that being said, I tend to think of trolling similarly to our classmate Cristofer Trimble, as he posted somewhat of a class system for trolls in an earlier post ( I'd recommend checking that out if you're lost in the world of trolls like me).

What's your definition of trolling/trolls? Do you think there's a hierarchy or is a troll a troll no matter the severity? 

122 Days till Graduation

When I started senior year I was expecting this year to go by slow but it has been quite the opposite. The semester is close to ending and I am realizing that soon we are all going to be graduating and going our separate ways. Senior year so far has been filled with great memories that I will cherish forever and it is making it difficult for me to let go of high school.

I feel as though I am ready to take that next step towards college but that means leaving the people I know and leave to an unknown place with new people. My dream is to attend a university out of state so that means leaving my family and friends and I am wondering if I can handle it. My family is very important to me and if I do leave out of state it will be very difficult for me to be on my own in a place I do not know.

When I tend to think of this I try to get it out of my head because I am learning that I need to be enjoying the moment with the people that I love. Throughout my years at Mayfair I have made friends that I never want to leave their side but instead of worrying what is in the future I'm living in the moment and enjoying my time that I have with them now.

online trolling

This whole unit we're are on is talking about online trolling, I was talking to my classmate the other day and saying how I rarely see trolls. The few cases I've seen, the trolls weren't anonymous they had normal profiles with pictures of themselves. I don't understand why people would waste their time commenting and lowering someone else self esteem just for "fun".

Females usually have a higher risk of getting bullied because we tend to react and have to have  a say in everything, but I believe that there are times where the people who are harassing you don't deserve your attention. To me I find online trolling not a huge deal but that's because I've never really experienced it.

I really want to know how does it feel to have a troll or be troll?

Posting Blogs: Nerve wracking or Easy?

I have been trying to find new angles about trolling and online behavior to discuss about on this blog, but it is starting to sound redundant.  It got harder for me to come up with a post that does not sound like someone else's. I have been trying different topics, jotting down ideas on my phone, but I would just keep getting stuck halfway through.  It all felt too forced.

I then realized that this- right here, blogging- was an online activity that I could post about.  My personal experience with posting stuff on the Internet or on social media is very limited and nearly nonexistent.  In fact, posting on this blog is one of the only times I have to worry about putting something out, there that I care about, where other people can see, judge, comment, or even simply ignore.  

Even though I have been posting blogs for English class since last year, my finger still hovers over the cursor before pressing publish.  I know the people reading my posts are the people I see in first period.  They are not trolls and would not leave mean comments, and I know that these posts are not permanent; they can be edited or deleted. However, I still have this need to read my post out loud a couple of times before clicking the dreaded button, and I still check once in a while to see if anyone cared enough to leave a comment.  There is this nerve wracking feeling even though I am getting used to blogging and commenting more often.

How do you feel about blogging?  Is it something you can do without really thinking or do you have to carefully craft a post?  Is it nerve wracking for you too or maybe an easy task?

My Online Troll Story

So one day it was a regular day and i'm instagram and all of a sudden I start getting these followers out of no where so immediately I get to thinking i'm all popular and to remind you this is when I barely started using it so I'm thinking my I'm that guy hahaha.  So I accept all of them so surprisingly one of my or used to be my nerdy friend messages me and says did you just grt a lot of followers out of no where? I said "yeah" he told me to block them I said why? He was like they are spam account and could hack your account so now I'm all scared like someone is going to steal my identity, get me in trouble all these are going through my mind so I block all of them and I think everything is all good so days after I attempt to log in and my password is not working so I gave up and made a new account account and just accepted that my first Instagram account was hacked I didn't really see his or her point in doing so but yeah.

Why can't anyone help?

I really cannot grasp why it is so hard for anyone to step in and help this situation.  I mean, this is not just a hater being a hater, it is much more than that and it's not so easy to just "let go" of what they say as if they did not say it. I've heard of cases where trolls have been the main cause for suicides and deaths. I don't understand why the law enforcements can't get involved? Just because it's not happening in person does not mean it's doesn't exist. I mean these are death THREATS, and  something needs to be done because it's easy to be fearful after hearing the. Take for example the article we read in class, where the girl was constantly harassed online and she was alone through it all! No one did anything to help her and the police wasn't even involved. Why is that? What do you guys think might be the reason that police can't/won't do anything to help this situation?

How easy is it to be a Anonymous Troll?

  I've been asked before by some of my fellow peers that, are not tech-savvy how easy it is to be anonymous online. The sad answer is VERY EASY! This strikes a lot of people being very shocked or appalled. Although this is a sad conclusion because, although sites may require some sort of information to have an account or membership somewhere, most of that info is fake. Here I'll explain how easy it is to be a troll online and be anonymous or being anonymous in general. Some of these basic steps is creating a dump email account, acquiring an identity, and most importantly being disclosed online.  

  Acquiring a dump email account is the first step to being anonymous. A dump email account is basically a fake inbox where you can have your fake accounts linked to this email. It is because, most online sites require you to have an email to inquire more information about you or to send you promotions etc. etc. . Some of these online sites are little moles that act as beacons (i.e Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Blogs, and even shopping websites) they collect your info to sell to third parties or even to the government to keep their site alive and to make money of course. With your dump email account this prevents that, and allows you to create a fake identity for yourself so that you can keep yourself somewhat anonymous and your real identity to yourself. To create a dump email account its best you don't use any popular email sites ex. Google, Yahoo, Microsoft Outlook, MSN, iCloud, or even Aol.com! They all trade info with the government and third parties so it's best to stay clear of these sites. So instead use email domains like LinuxMail.org, Husmail.com, or Canada.com. Your probably wondering why Canada.com...well its because, the canadian gov. doesn't really monitor their citizens online as much as the U.S gov does so it's a safe haven for some hackers. Once that's done you can now feel free to set-up as many accounts as you want on your dump email account.

  The next step on your quest to be an anonymous troll online is to acquire a fake identity. For some this may be kinda hard because, some trolls like to link their account to a fictional character or a person in history to be clever (To those who make a historical figure linked to their internet pathetic games making that person a abomination. F*** You). For others they may just make a random name. After acquiring that name you must assert that name as that person and create a profile around you by pulling pictures off the internet that you want to use for your accounts that you set-up within that dump email. This quite frankly is the easy step in your identity creation because, there are sooooo manyyyyyyyy faces to choose from! You can use a celebrity's face, that Ex that did you wrong in college, that boss you really hate working for, a fictional character, a non fiction character, THE SKY'S THE LIMIT! Don't think though you are limited to that one face though, you can use all the faces you want for your online site accounts. After this you are almost done and ready to troll.

  The last step being the hardest is being disclosed. What I mean by this is that you never...ever! reveal your REAL LIFE INFO! This is an important principle to follow if you want to remain anonymous online. Even the slightest bit of info such as your first name or birthday could be linked back to you. (This is where I get technical so bear with me) Smart hackers, computer wizzy's, government, and companies can use that info to find any information they want to know being your house that you live in, your Computer's IP Address (where your internet signal is coming from, like the address on your street), any accounts linked to that name or birthdate, hack into your email account and reset the password and completely steal any accounts that are linked to that email, or can just completely use your computer's IP address to simply spy on what you're doing and control your computer by inserting a bug that collects all info from the computers keystrokes and mouse clicks and sends it back to the hacker's computer. So at that note remember if you're going to be a troll online or want to be anonymous, always keep your real identity disclosed at all times!

Anonymity or the Ability to Hide?

When I am online, although I do not see it often, I see trolling. I read anonymous posts filled with negative comments and rude remarks. However, in places where speaking to someone face to face is required, such as at school or in other public places, I do not see people being harsh or mean when talking to others. I can almost guarantee that some of these people I see in my daily life troll online. They are not rude in person, only when they are on the internet.

Sometimes online, being anonymous is an option. But, on some sites, a name and perhaps a picture is required to make an account in order to post or comment. I always thought that trolls only made condescending comments when they could be anonymous and when it would be nearly impossible to track down who they are. But even on those websites where anonymity is not allowed and it is an easy task to find out who is posting or who is commenting, some people still choose to troll. I have always wondered what makes people think that is okay to be a bully or harass someone online but not okay to do it to someone in person.

I always assumed that people felt comfortable hiding behind the anonymity and the fact that no one, besides the police or computer geniuses, would be able to track down people who chose to be anonymous online. But, I now believe it is not just that they are able to be anonymous, but that they are able to hide at home behind a screen and can still express negative thoughts and feelings towards others.

What do you think? Do you think people choose to harass online because they are able to be anonymous or do you believe that being able to hide behind a screen is what makes trolls have the courage to be mean online, but not in person?

How to Combat the Cavemen of the Internet

  Before I start this off I want to say that I used to be a troll but have also been the victim of many trolls. As this may be startling to people and others, as a Troll I didn't conduct myself in the way you are thinking. I do not go on forums, blogs, twitter to harass, electronically threaten people, or even to make ridiculous insults. This is what I call a Toxic troll someone that has a determination and thought to make someone's day or life worse by doing that crap or worse. Me is what I call a "Midget troll" people that make little sarcastic comments on places like 4chan, as well as play competitive video games that you are very good at to upset and to make someone "Rage Quit" being the technical term. Some games that you may consider would be Call of Duty, League Of Legends, Halo, Counter Strike, World of WarCraft, Grand Theft Auto, and last Battlefield these being big titles. In my expertise I say there are 3 classes of trolls Toxic trolls being the top, Mediocre Trolls being the middle, and Midget Trolls being the bottom. Ill explain of what classifies these types of trolls.

  As the Internet and Technology became apart of my life sense, the day I was born I was crafted into this age of information. Meaning that most of my time was spent on the computer and technology whether it be gaming, watching videos, building computers, editing videos, having a YouTube channel, etc. etc. (Yes I know I have no life and this sounds boring but bear with me) Being on the Internet is something we all do today and it is a curse, sin, great communicator, something to bring people together, share ideas, getting into heated political debates, build memories, make friendships, and more! Today though it seems to be that the cons outweigh the positives because, as we are experiencing right now the rise of trolls. When you go online now you usually see a different side to a person nowadays. Some get very angry and they whine, complain, start a internet fight with someone, making heated debates on who is the most worst candidate for the office of the presidency, fueling the fire with the Kim Davis issue, attacking the Kardashians, Caitlyn Jenner's change of gender,  or even be up in flames with a blog or newspaper.  This year I can say marked the year of most problems that have been publicly made available to the masses that have been developed on the Internet.

  The real question you guys want to know is what is the best way to combat these toxic trolls that give no mercy to anyone on their "hit list" or in their way. Toxic Trolls: a troll that expresses foul, mean, and violent thoughts/threats and words to others through means of electronic platforms Ex: Twitter, Email etc. How to Combat?: Don't engage with them/report also block, is right now the best defense we have to combat these toxic space takers. Until social media sites and applications can come up with a algorithm, code, or plan to detect the source of the troll and shut him/her down we can do nothing. Mediocre Trolls: Trolls that are not as mean as toxic trolls but, still will express their unnecessary opinion or words on electronic platforms. How to Combat?: These trolls are not as determined or smart as the others and they will not go to lengths to send death threats but instead just leave ridiculous and stupid comments on instagram pictures, tweets, or even forums but do not have the balls to stand up to a group of individuals or to a single person. So simply rally your friends or followers up and attack the account block, report, spam about how mean that person is and overwhelm him to the point where he/she will quit and simply back off. The last troll being Midget Trolls: Trolls that simply roam the threads of 4chan and video games that just make snark comments and make a person rage quit. How to Combat: You will rarely see these trolls unless you participate in these places so just simply ignore them and block, they are most likely 12 years yelling or even trying to be annoying to someone. Don't give the power to the trolls and sink to their level simply rise above it. They don't deserve your feedback plus all they want is that response and they will let you have it. If you wanna make a difference though like me RAGE AGAINST THE TROLLS and simply get your friends/followers together to attack the troll and be little them to see the error in their ways (I know that's really dark sorry bout that XD ) Like I said report and block, is right now the best defense we have to combat the most toxic space takers. Until social media sites and applications can come up with algorithm, code, or plan to detect the source of the troll and shut him down we can do nothing. So fight on and RAGE AGAINST THE TROLLS! 

  I'm interested what your guys thoughts are about these types of trolls and which have you encountered before! Do you find this information insightful and does it help you at all? How does it feel having a troll in your midsts? I hope I did not affect your opinion of me in a bad way lol it's really just a competitive strategy for me to help me win. XD

I Don't Understand Internet Trolls

The start of my blog, I will like to state I don't understand what I'm doing and I don't understand what to do.


Trolls and like a pimple on your face, once you get rid of them, more come back. They are sad and lonely people who have so much time in their hands just to make others ruin their day. I've trolled, but only in a good manor like I give hints to people if i like then or someone else does. I don't think trolling is all bad, it has its ups in downs, and mostly downs. Having internet access everywhere doesn't help put the trolls at ease.

Many people complain and why people troll and stuff, but i think they should use that stress and just ignoring them. I mean trolls are really bad right now, especially everyone privacy is all out there. i don't think their isn't much people can do to stop trollers. There are people who work to just search the web for anyone abusing their policy's. The future is coming faster than we think and people aren't going to keep up with the trolls and the trolls are going to keep up trolling.

Internet Trolls

Social media is a weapon best used by people named Trolls. Trolls are basically bullies and their main objective is to hurt people on social media. It's strange how people actually do this for fun on a daily basis. I've heard stories that people actually take their comments seriously and commit suicide cause of how harsh some comments are. The easiest way to prevent trolls from harming you is to block them from whatever website or app your using. This will disable them from commenting on your posts and you won't get bothered by them again.

     
                                          Make Americans Troll Again

The new Ghostbusters movie released with an all-female crew including openly gay actress Kate McKinnon an African American actress Leslie Jones. Only a few days after the premiere Leslie Jones was bombarded with hate throughout twitter, people saying the movie was horrible because it costed mainly women including one gay and one black people went as far as to call her an ape. Many of the hate came from anon profiles but some did not. Many are abusing this large platform the internet provides for us to spread negativity. In a recent interview with ABC, " self-proclaimed internet troll": Milo Yiannopoulos, even after being banned from Twitter remains proud of his taunting and has no regrets.....
   Interviewer: "Are you a troll?"
   Milo: "Of course!"
   Interviewer: "What is trolling, what do you see it as?"
   Milo: " I like to see myself as a virtuous troller you know I'm doing God's work."
   .....
   Interview: You called her a man, what if Leslie Jones was here right now? Would you tell her she looks like a man; would you call her a dude?
   Milo: Yeah probably. Yeah I would.
   Interviewer: You're an idiot really.
 
Milo as everyone calls him is one of the most famous internet trolls, editor at Breitbart what are the most conservative news websites. He accused Jones of being a liar and playing the victim. He even claimed he was illiterate.

Milo: I don't say anything I don't believe but of course I do say things in a way that's going to elicit a response from people.... " the idea that celebrities are these fragile Wallflowers give me a break we both know people in Hollywood. (indistinct arguing amungst interviewer and Milo)
Interviewer: Why didn't you stand up for her when people culture an ape monkey and gorilla and say guys this isn't how to act."
Milo: "I'm responsible for what I say not others, I think that stuff is disgusting. Sorry for being popular but I am not responsible for what 350,000 people stay on the internet. I'm responsible for what I say. You go off to Selena Gomez when her fans send death threats to Justin Bieber? No. You go off to Beyonce when her fans go off on Taylor Swift? No.
 
      The 48 year old it's a regular on Saturday Night Live, Ghostbusters is here first premier in a major film. Leslie Jones is just one target of the "self-proclaimed troll". Milo Mexico sparking up hatred towards many. One of his main target are women's choice of how use their bodies as well as Feminism itself. He often describes feminists as sociopaths and psychopaths.

   Interviewer: Image winter storm called her a dude!
   Milo: That's what I've been entitled to I have the right to call her a dude. She did a good job as a hot black dude in the movie. She looks like a man. I'm entitled to say I think a celebrity looks weird.
   Interview: You think that's fair comment?
   Milo: Totally, that's like the definition of fair comment. Here's one thing to do, you don't like what I have to say don't follow me on Twitter. Trolling is important, trolling is absolutely essential for America. America needs more trolling because trolling is the only way people tell the truth these days.

    To me Milo represents the fraction of us who can open our minds enough to see past the first perspective. The as you would call straight white male mindset that's some things are just an overreaction and are ignorant to the problems that life for there beneath the surface. Don't be Milo, Milo's a jackass.

Dont do it

Honestly I think internet trolling is a waste of time. I feel bad for the people who get trolled. Why would someone do that to another person. Do they not have anything better to do with their time. This is more serious than it seems. Some people don't have a hard shell and internet trolling can really get to them. Its crazy that people do this for no reason. It needs to stop, there is no true purpose for this.

Internet Trolling

Honestly, I think trolling will always be around as long as the internet is around. In my opinion trolling is a person who wants attention from other people. I don't know if that person is just bored and enjoys it or if they find enjoyment of it or just simply want to make a person feel some type of way. People will always state their thoughts online rather if its good or bad but me i don't care for things like that because its the attention that people want in a way I don't think is right. I have seen trolling online and I am sure most of us have experienced it if you have any form of social media. However, on social media there is the option to delete other peoples comments or by simply blocking a person from your page if you want nothing to do with negativity of any sort. Trolling is a form of cyber bullying  and might not ever be fixed online I think if anything matters will only get worse.

Everyone has their own thoughts but my question is why do you guys think people are trolls and their intentions of it?    

CATFISHED: Who's Really Behind the Screen?

Trolls are mystical creatures that pollute the internet realm setting traps to latch onto unsuspecting "passer-byers". They release trial balloons of racist, misogynistic, xenophobic and other offensive comments just to create discourse for their own viewing pleasure. Trolls feed off the little glimmers of attention they receive. 

The most common and capitalized form of an "internet troll" is the Catfish. Catfishes often end up going faceless or even nameless due to the anonymity of the internet which is very dangerous. 

definition via Urban Dictionary (a super reliable source)

The ability to conceal your identity or even falsify your information is a very strong power to have. The premise of the popular docu-series on MTV "Catfish" is to unveil these fake personas that people are creating and I believe that when the media makes these situations into entertainment it's just furthering the problem. 

What do you think? Should shows like "Catfish" even exist? Is it worsening the problem of "internet trolls" and "catfishes"?

Here's just a random episode of "Catfish" if you've never seen it!

Sorry for such a late post I've been sucked into the musical.
Shameless plug come out to see Mary Poppins when it shows in January!

Trolls Are Just Bullies

I don't understand the Internet. Honestly, I don't think anyone truly does.  One of the things that I really do not understand is trolling. Why do people feel the need to ruin a random person's day? People say and do some horrible things on the Internet. It's easier when you don't have a face and can just talk a bunch of mess behind a keyboard, but just because it's easy does not mean you should do it. Trolling is really just another name for being a bully. A cyberbully in this case. You are putting a comment or post or video or a whatever to intentionally hurt someone or make them upset. By my standards, that is bullying. You need to figure something else to do in your free time. Start a journal, and put all your nasty thoughts in there instead of messing up someone's day. I don't know, but get a hobby. I honestly feel a little bad for trolls. There must be something broken or wrong with them that they feel the need to partake in these activities. I am not saying that all trolls have this horrible thing wrong with them either. They just a little guidance or a wake up call to show them that this is not a thing they should be doing.

On a side note, I feel like there are different levels of trolling. The very first level is like leaving a "JB sucks" comment on a Justin Bieber music video just to mess with the rapid fans girls and that's really not that bad. However, the highest level of posting racist, xenophobic, homophobic, misogynistic and all the other -ists and -phobics that may be out there comments to the Internet it start to become bullying and harassment.

So do you find that trolling seems to be an extension of cyberbullying? And do you agree with my different levels of trolling or do you feel like any sort of trolling is 100% wrong?

Is online trolling that big of a deal?

        I may sound like the ignorant person now, but I don't really see it as a big deal. I do agree that it can get a little out of hand sometimes. I haven't first-handedly experienced trolling, or been a troll before. And be me saying this, this doesn't mean I support cyber-bullying. I see a difference between trolls and cyber-bullies. The people who attacked Zelda after her father died, those are cyber-bullies. Trolls are the people who are playing little jokes and tricks to get peoples attention and to irritate people. They're just annoying people. Cyber-bullies are the people trying to force you offline and deeply hurt you, like with Zelda Williams. Trolls are often times seemed as bigots and ignorant people, which is what they want to do. They want to be noticed, an if they have to be rude to get that they will be. Which I also want to cover, by giving them this attention it is only encouraging them. By writing news articles about them, they know they can get attention from it. I don't know, it just seems like we're focusing on cyber-bullies rather than trolls.

Get a life!

I think trolling is a way for people to say they are not happy with themselves and only feel better once someone else feels worse. Seriously people there are way more things in the world to do than to hop under someone's picture just to express your uninvited opinion. Now I know that everyone is entitled to their own opinions and that's all fine until someone gets hurt. I know of people who will spend their time whole day bullying someone just to see what will happen. Because of these people there is a high rate of suicide and attempted suicide among teenagers. Could you actually live with yourselfclassroom.google.com knowing that you were the cause of a suicide all over some posts on twitter! This even goes for celebrities. Why on Gods green earth would you think that a multi millionaire would care if you don't like the way they posed in a picture. However, no matter how rich and famous you are you have feelings too and I'm sure you would feel upset if someone called your child ugly. People don't know how to keep their opinions to themselves, or at least not venting them to people who don't deserve it. Find something to do in life: get a hobby, join a club, and most importantly get a life.

not worth the time

Okay so I understand that internet trolls can say some mean things but why waste your time to even read the negativity ? All you have to do is turn of your screen it's that simple besides the more attention you give these entertainment seekers the more they'll keep bugging you because that's what they want. In my opinion internet trolling is so extra but taking your time to actually care is even more

The Internet v. Amy Schumer

This morning, while listening to the radio on the way to school I heard about a bit of controversy surrounding a new Barbie movie starring female comedian and actress, Amy Schumer. The radio hosts stated that Schumer had been getting a lot of hate from trolls online in regards to this casting mainly because people don't seem to think she's "thin enough" for the role of Barbie. I was appalled that so many people would go out of their way to intentionally body shame an actress who obviously fit the role in the filmmakers eyes; nobody is perfect and she shouldn't have to be to play Barbie - but the internet thinks she should be.

I decided to look a bit further into the issue and came across an article titled "Outraged Trolls Body Shame Amy Schumer Following Barbie Casting Announcement", written by S.C. O'Donnell, which points out that the casting was done intentionally to break the perfect mold that Barbie has come to symbolize for women. "As far as we know, the plot for the film revolves around Barbie being kicked out of Barbie-Land for not being "perfect" enough – she then sets out on a journey of self-discovery, and learns that real beauty comes from within" states author O'Donnell. The twitter trolls seem to be against the forward thinking ideals of this movie and continue to hound Schumer about her weight. 

I wouldn't say that I'm a radical feminist but I do believe that women are still oppressed in many areas of today's society. Mainly, society has such a "perfect" yet unattainable view of women and cannot come to accept anyone who doesn't look like a Victoria's Secret Angel  to be cast in a leading role in a movie or on the cover of a magazine. Isn't it crazy that in such a "progressive" society, we can't even be accepting of our mothers, sisters, and daughters in all shapes and sizes? Feel free to leave comments on the topic or just women & the Internet in general. 

Mayfair Restrooms

Restrooms in Mayfair are filthy, especially later on as the day progresses. It is clear that the problem isn't the janitors but people who publicly vandalize public property. I might not know who they specifically are but I am sure  that most of them are very immature. No decent person would wreck their own restrooms at home why do it with ones in public. How should the school fix this problem.    

Why do People Troll?

     Honestly, I hate internet trolls. I have zero patience for them and I truly don't understand why they troll. I just can't seem to understand why someone takes joy in causing problems online that can cause severe damage to the one being trolled. I've never liked how relentless trolls are and how they never stop even after people beg them not to. It just seems like they have zero cares about the havoc they're causing to others and only want the attention. Sadly, trolling seems to be getting more and more popular but I still don't seem to get what's so big about it.
     So my question to you all is why is online trolling such a big thing? Why do people love to do it so much? Is there a specific reason behind trolling or simply just because someone wants to?

Trolling in our generation

In this generation , there is always at least one person who trolls because of what they been through. Some people have a rough background so they go on social media and talk about people to make their self feel good. In my opinion , people have trolled at least once and then you have some people who love to do it. Trolling in our generation is very common , people go on Snapchat , Twitter , and instagram and expose people. They do it because they are hiding behind a computer screen.


My question to you is Do you troll often ? Have you ever experienced it ? How do you feel about it ?

We ignore but they still come

As much as we try our best to speak our mind about some things, the trolls never leave.  There are little ways to counter their petty attempts to mess with our minds because all trolls have different intentions.  As bad as their comments are or how annoying and rude they may seem, a human being is still behind that account posting such things to mess with others.  There's no doubt that they are trying to mess with people's social lives on the Internet, but how they want to mess with them is unpredictable.  Do they want to see one respond to start a dispute or do they just want to comment about one's thoughts about a subject in a rude manner and move on?  Since they are anonymous, they are unpredictable.  As much as I'd like this activity  to cease to, they will always be around.
Like dust in the air, they'll get noticed once they gather.

  So how do you beat these trolls of the Internet?  Well not all can be beat, because their intentions are different, but they all have one purpose, to make people think differently.  Just kidding.  But, it does lead to that sometimes.  The real purpose is to irritate people to the point that they want to stop posting their thoughts all together.  From my experience,  if you want to win most of these disputes online, the best way is to ignore them.  If they see that you are happy and are unaffected by their small talk, they will stop.  Some people are just mean to others to make them feel better about themselves, so this  is the best way to irritate them to a big degree.  If you are affected and  really need to respond,  there are two attributes that your response has to have.  They need to be mellow to the point that they sound like you don't care, and smart enough to the point that they can't say anything back.  If you seem like the logical one, they won't be able to say anything back because in the end, your logic is simple and easy to understand and theirs is just plain stupid.

I wonder what you think about trolls in the web.  Do you have trouble dealing with such people?  Is there one in particular that is so stubborn to leave you alone?  Are you one?  If so, what is your reason for being what we label as trolls?  Please leave your comments below and speak your mind.  Don't worry, in here trolls have no anonymous profile so if someone says something, you'll know where to look for them and find out their intentions.

A Troll's True Intentions

Lately, I've been thinking about the effect trolls have on us, debating what their true intentions are and why they do it. Are they bored? Are they jealous? Are they just bad people? Are they mad? Who knows, they could possibly be feeling all those emotions, yet that still doesn't make it right. So, what are their true intentions? After thoroughly thinking about this questions I came to the conclusion that not only are they are out to ruin the internet, but they're dragging our self-esteem with them as well!
These manipulating trolls and their degrading actions ruin the internet by no longer making it an enjoyable experience or environment to be around. I mean, how enjoyable can it be, if after every picture or thought we post we are bombarded with negative comments. Keep in mind that when one starts, it's as if the entire troll family decides to join in and they all begin to savor the moment by agreeing with each other instead of standing up for one another. Instead of making the internet a fun experience, they are just corrupting the internet and adding onto its million issues with cyber bullying.
Not only are they destroying the internet but they are ruining our self-esteem. For example, a model can post a picture and under her comments people will say "She's too skinny," or "She's too fat" or many more hateful comments when in reality why should she be criticized because a person has their own preference? Why is that her fault? Many people will believe that it's not affecting her because she is living her life, but we don't know that. After some research, I found that many teen models who had encounters with trolls were suffering emotionally and physically- some more than others. Some girls had disorders either before or after the troll decided to make the hateful comment. Trolls ultimately have the power to deteriorate a person's self-esteem but my question is why do you guys think we give them that power? Are there ways to prevent it? If so, how?

Don't show emotions

Trolls are pretty much everywhere now that I think about it. Internet trolls have a major impact on what people think of themselves, but people have to learn to have thick skin. Internet trolls see victory in themselves when they defeat someone; therefore, you can't let someone bring you down or at least let them know you are feeling down. People will critique everything no matter if it is good or bad they will find a way to say something that doesn't pertain to them. Keep doing you and if people don't like that concept oh well, you not doing it for them you doing it for yourself.

Snapchat Spectacles and Google Glass

In class a few days ago Ms. Fletcher was discussing a type of glasses, made by Snapchat, that is able to take photos and videos. I had heard of these before but I did not know much about them, so I decided to do some research. I found out that these glasses have a special name, Snapchat Spectacles. By pressing a button on the glasses, you can record a ten-second video that can be saved to the Snapchat application. Luckily, the glasses have a light that turns on when recording so that you can see when you are being recorded.

After seeing these strange, but frankly interesting glasses show up on the market, I was curious as to whether or not other types of glasses were made with recording capabilities. I came across a product called Google Glass. These glasses look even more out of the ordinary than the Snapchat Spectacles and do not allow others to see if any type of recording or picture taking is being done. Plus, they can record for an unlimited amount of time, whereas the Snapchat Spectacles can only take a short video.

Google Glass has been out much longer than the Snapchat Spectacles but did not get very far. Besides a $1,500 limited first edition released in 2013, Google did not make another pair. No one was comfortable knowing that they could be recorded without knowing it. With this knowledge, it is strange that Snapchat Spectacles are so popular since Google Glass was so unliked.

What do you think? Would you be comfortable knowing that someone could be recording you without your consent? Would you buy either of these glasses?

To Be a Troll or To Not Be a Troll

          I want to start of my asking, how many of us have been internet trolls at least once? I'm sure someone is going to say I've never trolled in my life which is a complete lie. Almost everyone has said something on social media that another person might has seen mean or offensive regardless of if you intended to or not. All I'm saying is if your going to internet troll at this do it on somebody page that's going to actually care.
          With that being said does that make me a internet troll because I'm calling everyone a liar?

Don’t Fuel Their Entertainment

I have been trying to find something to post about this whole week.  Maybe, I was struggling because this topic is so broad.  Online and anonymity. There is so much to say about this or at least there should be, but I am having a really hard time.  Maybe it’s because I don’t know very many trolls.  I might come across a comment from one once in awhile, but my experience with Internet trolls is actually very limited.  

We have grown up in an environment surrounded by the Internet, and people who are mean to each other for fun.  There are lots of nice people too.  Comments are not always negative, but the mean ones always seem to stand out.  People gravitate towards rude, hostile comments.  They get angry, and they argue.  They start to poke at one another and it becomes such a negative place to be.  It becomes exactly what the troll wants.  They post negative comments to provoke others and to gain attention, so reacting to it would be fueling their entertainment.  The only way to stop them would then be to ignore them right?  If no one responds, then trolls would eventually get bored and leave.  I get that this might sounds simple, but it is so much harder to do.  When someone starts attacking your own beliefs or identity, things become personal, so you would want to attack back.

How do you respond to trolls? Is there a correct way? I really doubt it.  Do you come across trolls very often?

 

Should you respond to anonymous comments under your pictures?

Multiple times I have posted something online and it will get some likes or whatever, days would go by to weeks and suddenly there's some no life that has a default profile picture commenting something pointless like out of all people you decide to comment under my picture like go somewhere.  Most of the time I'll brush it off and just delete the comment but sometime some of them are actually rude of course it doesn't hurt me feelings because obviously they won't say it to my face.  So yeah... but my question to you is would you choose to respond or let it go?