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# Reading Responses (Set 2)
- Checklist for a [good reading response](https://reagle.org/joseph/zwiki/Teaching/Best_Practices/Learning/Writing_Responses.html) of 250-350 words
- [ ] Begin with a punchy start.
- [ ] Mention specific ideas, details, and examples from the text and earlier classes.
- [ ] Offer something novel that you can offer towards class participation.
- [ ] Check for writing for clarity, concision, cohesion, and coherence.
- [ ] Send to professor with “hackmd” in the subject, with URL of this page and markdown of today’s response.
## Reading responses 5 out of 5
### March 11 Fri - Shaped
"Comparison is the thief of joy" - Theodore Roosevelt
With the rising age of social media, people are constantly obsessing over how they are perceived online. Whether it's taking pictures from the perfect angle, or only posting when they're out partying, most of what people post online is just a glorified half-true version of their reality. The instant attention you can receive from social media has made peoples' self-esteem a very slippery slope. Self-worth is now dictated by how many likes and comments you receive -- and this is what makes an obsession with social media dangerous. It's no secret that people have trouble accepting themselves, but on social media, we are able to control our self-perception. If we make ourselves look like the most perfect version of ourselves online and still do not get our desired outcome, a problem arises. We start thinking that we're not good enough and that we will never be enough -- because if people don't even like our most "perfect" selves, then how will they ever like our real selves? The chapter discusses how social media has made everyday normal people compare themselves to celebrities which "further shifts the standards of normal appearance"(Reagle Chapter 6). People are comparing themselves to unrealistic, (and likely) unattainable beauty standards. This can become detrimental to one's self-esteem because they will constantly want to keep up with the latest beauty trends, which is impossible to do.
Coincidentally this reading fell right after a workshop my club, WISE, hosted on Content Creation. We had an influencer (@vivacious.honey) come in and give a crash course on the ins-and-outs of content creation. However, the one piece of advice she gave that stood out the most to me was this: "*Don't let the hate get to you, but don't let the positive reinforcement get to your head either.*" It was a point I never considered before. The constant positive reinforcement one can receive on a post can slowly become their warped sense of reality. So, is social media making us narcissistic? To be fair, I think there are good arguments for either side. For now, I am going to agree with that statement. While some people can handle lots of attention, others certainly let it get to their head and become "hollywood." They think that because they have an established presence on social media, it puts them above everyone else. It also causes them to nitpick every little thing about themselves. The reality is most of the photos we see from influencers are edited. We very seldom see their authentic selves because they are focused on keeping this "perfect" image. Additionally, there is a sense of entitlement that follows instant fame. I've heard several stories about interactions with influencers who try to get their meals comped at fancy restaurants in exchange for a 'promo' to their 500k followers; or influencers who act like brats and are extremely unprofessional because they feel that everything should be handed to them. The issue with instant fame is that everything happens so quickly, many influencers forget that it takes more than just a pretty face to continue to be successful.
### March 25 Fri - Finding Someone & Living Alone
Online dating has changed the dating scene forever. You no longer have to wait for your one true love to arrive at your doorstep because you have access to a million people at your fingertips. All that awaits is a simple rightward swipe. While some people may argue that it 'ruins romance,' online dating has actually made dating easier than ever. [Derek Thompson](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/07/online-dating-taking-over-everything/594337/) of *The Atlantic* brings up a good point: "[Online dating sites] are most powerful (for better and for worse) as a tool for helping minorities of all stripes—political, social, cultural, sexual—find one another." Yes, online dating has its disadvantages, but it does help those a part of minority groups find and connect with one another more easily than ever before.
However, just because online dating has made dating easier, it doesn't mean it made it more popular. [Living Alone in America](https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/563786-living-alone-in-america?rl=1) discusses how 1 in 7 adults are living alone, which accounts for more than 25% of all US households. This could be due to the newfound desire for independence and individuality that has made a lot of people enjoy being single. They are more focused on achieving their own personal career and life goals, that they put dating on the backburner. Or could it potentially be due to the fact that making decisions and settling down scares the younger generation? As quoted by Thompson, "Søren Kierkegaard called anxiety '*the dizziness of freedom*.'" Maybe one of the reasons Gen Z relates so much to being indecisive is because we have an infinite amount of options at our disposal. I mean, it's hard to make a choice when there are literally *so many options* to choose from.
I do have to mention though, online dating has made the dating game even more unreliable. As [OkCupid](https://theblog.okcupid.com/the-big-lies-people-tell-in-online-dating-a9e3990d6ae2) reports, most people exaggerate their attributes to make themselves seem more attractive. Users make themselves taller, richer, and honestly hotter, on their profiles than in actuality. Leading many online dating users to be disappointed when they meet up for a date. This concept is directly tied to self-representation as mentioned in Chapter 6 of "Reading the Comments." Social media gives us complete control of how we are perceived. Whether we choose to stay authentic or not, is up to us.
### April 1 Fri - Manipulated
Everyone wants to get the most likes on their Instagram posts or have the most followers. Some people even go as far as buying bot-followers to make them look more popular than they actually are. Almost everything we see on social media is a skewed version of reality. [Caroline Forsey](https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/instagram-pods) writes that Instagram users gather in what's called an "Instagram Pod" to increase their engagement. Basically, those within the pod like and comment on the posts sent by other pod members. While it does increase engagement, it's only a temporary fix. I know this firsthand because these "Instagram Pods" were called "hype chats" during quarantine. It was a trend for about a solid 2 weeks where teenagers made groups of about 14 members on Instagram and would send their posts in so that members of the group chat would "hype" it up. The chat members would like and comment on posts, and in return, the other members would like and comment on their posts too. I have to admit, it did work, but it died *very* quickly.
So, how does this relate to online reviews? Online reviews are just as deceiving. With heavy emphasis, Professor Reagle discusses just how manipulative online reviews can be. He mentions how many businesses, authors, and companies write positive reviews themselves under a pseudonym or pay others to do so. While some of them got the results they wanted (more sales) they are lying to their customers by not allowing their reviews to be authentic.
As I've mentioned in readings before, I never gave much thought to these topics until we read about them, but now thinking about it. I look for certain things to try to differentiate between fake and real reviews. For example, if I see a review that has a username like "airrhs71djs," I know it's fake. If a review has *a lot* of misspelled words, it's fake, and most likely coming from someone outside of the US. On the other hand, the reviews I love the most are the ones accompanied by a picture. Not only does the picture allow me to see the product, but most reviewers will provide an anecdote describing their experience. These are the reviews I look for the most when determining whether I should buy a product.
### April 21 Fri - Authenticity, Work, & Influence
Throughout this course we've talked heavily about influencers and influencer culture. We specifically focused on influencers' authenticity. Authenticity is -- as defined in class the other day -- when a person is true to themselves regarding their values and personality, and act in a way that is *honest* to both themselves and others. The main reason influencers should strive to be authentic is written right there within its name: *influencer*. These people have the power to *influence* others, and that is no small ordeal.
When you have such a large following it's important to 1) recognize your audience. If you are an influencer whose main audience is kids and pre-teens, you must make sure you cater to them and post/share appropriate content. 2) Be aware of the power you hold. As written by [Taylor Lorenz](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/12/influencers-are-faking-brand-deals/578401/), people are "very influenced by influencers." The likelihood of a person buying a product after their favorite influencer posts about is *extremely* high, and I know this from personal experience. There have been several times where I've tried out new skincare and makeup brands because influencers that I follow on Instagram/Tiktok posted about using these products.
Aside from that, [Rachel Lerman](https://archive.ph/20200615023716/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/06/12/influencers-social-media-pandemic/) brought up an interesting point in her article where she discusses influencers staying authentic during the pandemic. As we all know, the pandemic was a time of social, political, and economic depression. I know personally that I unfollowed influencers that I felt were trying to "not take a side" during this time. To me they just came off as weak and pathetic. While it's true that influencers were put in a -- as David Craig stated -- "damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation, I appreciated those who used and continue to use their platforms to spread awareness on social, political, and economic issues.
### April 26 Tues - Pushback
As defined by Gomez & Morrison, "*Pushback* is a growing phenomenon among frequent technology users seeking to establish boundaries, resist information overload, and establish greater personal life balance." Immediately after coming across this definition, I associated pushback with "social media breaks." When someone takes a "social media break" it is usually because they are too overwhelmed with the digital world or are just feeling down and need to disconnect for a while. However, social media breaks are common and range from the most private users to the most public influencers. Sometimes you'll see famous people take social media breaks after a huge scandal, or influencers take it when things just get too hard. For me personally, I would occasionally take about 1-2 weeks off social media to either focus more on my academics or give myself a break from all the negativity I was feeling when scrolling through Instagram.
Gomez & Morrison also discussed that the main primary motives for pushback are "...emotional dissatisfaction, external values, taking control, addiction, and privacy." One of my best friends at home is notoriously known for deactivating her Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter for months at a time because she "hates the idea of something controlling her and her time." She's a prime example of the taking control motive. The issue with the accessibility of all of these social media apps, is that 1) all of our friends and family are on it for the most part, so we feel compelled to join to stay connected & 2) besides Tiktok (which was a recent update) none of the apps tell you when you've been spending too much time on it so you can easily waste hours scrolling through IG, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
To answer the question: is online communication so awful? To me, no. I think online communication is a much more convenient and efficient way to contact friends, family, and colleagues. I honestly don't know how else I would get in contact with people without the use of technology. However, those who genuinely find online interaction insufferable, yes, they can "opt-out" of digital communication. Although, I can guarantee that they will lose many relationships because they won't be able to tend to them as often as before. They'll also most likely become the P.I.T.A. (pain in the butt) of their friend group for becoming "so difficult".