Similar to the stereotype that Barbie sets, social media also sets a negative stereotype in our society. Just like how we want to believe that "Barbie is just a harmless plaything for little girls" (Prager), we tend to think the same of social media. However, the reality of social media is quite the opposite. Everyday, almost everyone uses some form of social media, whether its Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, etc.. While it is true that social media has impacted generations before ours, the extent to which social media impacts our generation today is quite dramatic in comparison. Our generation tends to base most of our lifestyle choices off what we see on social media. We strive to look like the models, athletes, or actors/actresses that we see, however this leads to unnecessary stress and even unhealthy choices. For example, when we try to look like the models we see--especially girls--we sometimes end up making choices that can be quite unhealthy. In some cases they lead to eating disorders, depression, etc.. We have been raised around social media and the internet that are decision to strive to be like figures we see is inevitable and in our nature. Our "idols" lives seem so glamorous, however behind all the glamour is a lifestyle that's not so as impeccable as it seems. When this is put into perspective, it makes us think, are our inspirations truly setting positive examples for us? Social media hides our flaws and is not the realistic side of our lives. Therefore, when we base our lives off of social media, we are stuck in a superficial cycle that never seems to end.
Poetry- the unit that most students dread to learn about in their English class. But why is poetry so disliked among high school students? A few of these reasons, and that I can attest for personally, are that poetry is seen as old, it can be quite difficult to understand/interpret, and we just fail to see the point of it. However, after interpreting some poems in class, my perspective began to shift (only slightly not significantly though). While I am still not the biggest fan of poetry, I am beginning to see a different side to it. Yes, poetry is all of the negative things that I stated above (at least in my opinion) but once poetry is understood, the lesson becomes that much clearer and applicable. Understanding and correctly interpreting poetry is not only a beneficial skill to have but it also opens your eyes to a deeper understanding to things that are important in terms of culture, history, and etc. For example, poetry has effectively been used to advocate and teach about i...
I really liked how you used the quote from "Our Barbie's, Ourselves" to relate to our generation's social media. As you stated that it may seem like harmless thing, its effects are nearly the opposite. I think as society changes, the technology for youth may change, but the effect is all the same.
ReplyDeleteI like how you introduced a new idea that influence stereotypes in society, like Prager did. In society today, I totally agree that society media has a big impact on setting positive / negative examples for many teens especially.
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