When Did We Become Prisoners to Our Smartphones?

The video above highlights a major problem in our society today, the addiction to our smartphones and social media. Today almost everyone has a smartphone, even people who cannot really afford to pay for one. When did the world become this way? Perhaps it became this way when the use of social media became popular.

Social media is a way to help people stay connected with one another, except our society is overusing it. According to writer Saima Salim, internet users are now spending an average of 2 hours and 22 minutes per day on social networking and messaging platforms.  I know some people who spend more than that a day on their phone. There are many problems with this overuse, one of them being that people could accomplish so much more in their day if they did not have the distraction of their cellphone. I know college students who complain about how much work they have to do but then sit on their phone for hours instead of completing assignments. Another problem is that our phones hinder connecting with others on a personal level. When a group of friends go out to dinner or hangout you often see them on their phones the entire time instead of talking with one another. This does not allow you to actually get to know them on a deeper level, you only know them based on how they make themselves appear through a screen. Another issue is that one can miss out on their own lives. People are so focused on capturing every moment that they see their lives through a screen, they are not truly living in the moment. 

There is a possibility that if people did not only highlight the best moments in their life and put on an act for the internet that social media may not be as bad. However, our society has made it hard for one to just be themselves without someone judging them. People make judgments on other peoples quality of life based on what they decide to share. Social media has caused so many people to compare their lives to others that no one can truly be happy anymore because there is always a chance to compare your life to others. Based on how people present their life it can look better than it really is. 

Our addiction to our smartphones and social media is destroying us. I agree that social media has some positive aspects, such as sharing important news or influencing others in a helpful way but I believe that the negatives outweigh the positives in this situation. A good majority of our society recognizes this problem yet we all still participate in it. 

When Did Grades Become Of More Value Than Learning?

'Grade anxiety' is something I and many other conscientious students struggle with. Personally, 'grade anxiety' causes me to worry more about getting an A on an assignment or test rather than actually learning and applying the material. If I receive a B on a paper I view it as a bad grade, while professors view this as a good grade. When did this viewpoint change? This is true for many students, which is something that needs to be addressed. When did we let America reach a point where it is so competitive that we value GPA on a resume rather than one's knowledge and skills? 


American college students are a product of their society. I, as a college student, believe my perfectionist attitudes toward school evolve from growing up in a country that has so thoroughly degraded its public vision of life to an endless quest for wealth and power. Every aspect of our lives is measured and compared, this is especially true for newer generations. We base our success on how much money we have, how many social media followers we have, and our grades. Grades, with the weight of an institution behind them, serves as a final judgment for many students. In the minds of students, receiving A's gives them a better chance of reaching success, anything less than the optimum might lead to unhappiness. 

There is no avoiding the conclusion that 20-year-old adults obsessing and crying over their grades is not a sign of societal health. Perhaps America should adopt different styles of schooling, Finland's elementary schools allow children plenty of free time for play, while also encouraging them to indulge their curiosities in the classroom. While in the United States, an American kindergartener has an average of 30 minutes of homework per night.  

The idea that school is the most important thing in life is ingrained in us students just at the young age of 4. I hope that soon one day students will be able to develop their passions and have less of an emphasis on grades.

Has Google Become too Powerful?

48 U.S. States, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico have launched separate investigations about whether Google has violated antitrust regulations. The United States Department of Justice has already begun its investigation. This investigation sprung from concerns about Google becoming too dominant in the online advertising space and as an internet search engine. There are additional concerns that Google may be behaving similar to a monopoly, buying out any competitors thus having major control of the advertising market. 

Google has a major online presence, nine of 10 online searches are conducted through Google. I use Google as my primary search engine, as do many others, it has not been an issue for many, including myself, to use Google until the company has been criticized for prioritizing its subsidiaries in search results. There's definitely concern on the part of the advertisers themselves that Google wields way too much power in setting rates and favoring their own services over others. Small businesses with low advertising budgets are suffering due to Google's high rates, they do not have a chance in advertising on Google and besides Google, there are very few options to go. Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge emphasized the importance of this issue by stating, "When my daughter is sick and I search online for advice or doctors, I want the best ones — the best advice or the best doctors — not the ones who spent the most on advertising".  

The consumer is not only impacted by what company is advertised first but also by how much that company had to pay for their advertisement. The higher Google's rates are, the more the advertisers have to pay, causing the customers to pay more.  Jen King, the director of privacy at Stanford's Center for Internet and Society addressed this issue by stating, "There's definitely concern on the part of the advertisers themselves that Google wields way too much power in setting rates and favoring their own services over others". 

     The Antitrust Investigation into Google will take some time and as of right now it is unknown what kind of penalties Google will face. Possible outcomes for Google are that they might be forced to change their business practices, have to pay a large amount of fines, or forced to spin off search as a separate company. 

The American People's Court

 

After watching an informational video about the Supreme Court, I was able to fully grasp just how fragile and important this system is. The Supreme Court is "the most powerful judicial body on earth" yet their power lies in public faith and the trust of the American people. 

The Supreme Court is made up of the chief justice of the United States and eight justices who all make their decisions on cases based solely on the Constitution. The Supreme Court determines their decision on a case in private. During the video, some of the justices stated that they go into conference with an idea of their decision and sometimes end up changing their decision based on what is said by another justice. Serving on the Supreme Court is an immense responsibility, advice from experienced justices to newer justices have said to give it three or five years then the work will not seem overwhelming. The Supreme Court receives about a hundred new cases every week yet they only consider about a hundred a year. Something that stood out to me is that the justices individually meet every week to choose cases to consider and no matter who and where the case comes from they all receive the same consideration. 

Overall, it is important to know that the Supreme Courts "legitimacy is in the Constitution". The Constitution is the basis of freedom and Americans accept that. If the court were to ever stop supporting the Constitution or the people ignored the court's power then the Constitution that keeps the United States one of the freest nations in the world "would cease to exist". 

Video Links: Part one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWRoXYRsaeo&feature=youtu.be

Part two:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca8qSuWxcG8&feature=youtu.be

Digital Streaming No Longer a Financial Void for Music Artists

A new album from your favorite music artist releases, do you race to the store to buy a physical copy or do you stream the music from the convenience of your own home? 76 percent of music listeners now stream their music. However, music artists often point out how they are underpaid or not paid at all by streaming services due to longstanding challenges and actually finding the right people who are owed the money. It did not matter how many times their music was streamed, until now.

In October of last year, President Trump signed the Music Modernization Act which simplifies how the streaming services pay the songwriters through building a licensing system. This new system will ensure that artists are paid for their music that is streamed. Essentially this law is closing a loophole in copyright law so it better fits the digital era. 

The making of this law not only united the streaming companies, labels, and songwriters but it united the House and the Senate. The Music Modernization Act passed without opposition which is typically unheard of lately in Congress. Music artists Dionne Warwick and Smokey Robinson expressed their support in this legislation by going to Congress. Robinson testified that this was a "livelihood thing" for musicians.

While most find this to be a good solution to a longstanding problem the constitutionality of it is being questioned by some. Personally, the only way I listen to music is through streaming applications, therefore, I believe music artists should receive royalties for their music that is streamed.