Three Reasons Why "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" Is the Best Television Program In the History of society

1.     You get a fly on the wall view of the lifestyle of pure fame and fortune.

I’m still financially recovering from my last “major shopping spree” when I purchased my books for this semester. I find myself paying in quarters to pump my gas. When I watch the Kardashians I am transported to Calabasas California, living in a ten million dollar luxuriously furnished home, with all the latest kitchen appliances and light fixtures. I am surrounded by palm trees and the sun in always shining. I get to go to the most amazing events attended by the most powerful people on the planet. I also get to go on amazing vacations to Thailand, Greece and Cuba. And for the first time ever, I get to experience the hassle of being followed by the paparazzi.

2.     Dysfunctional, yet entertaining family dynamics

Yes, maybe they live a lifestyle I can only dream about. However, something about this family is quite relatable. They’re just as crazy as my own.

3.     Kris Jenner.

Honestly, Kris Jenner is the only reason we will ever need. Who doesn’t want to watch a sixty year old women act like a twenty year old. Watching the show, it seems like no one takes her seriously at all. She is the comic relief of the program. But I believe she’s smarter than she acts. I mean, she started an entire family dynasty worth millions of dollars after all.  

While I am aware the show certainly isn’t “the best television program in the history of society”. I personally find it hilarious and I enjoy tuning in to watch these people’s lives.

Assignment 2- Facebook: Good or Bad?

Since the creation of Facebook, there have been many changes with the way we spend time, receive news, communicate with friends and possibly the way we view ourselves. With the addition to Facebook in our society there have been many benefits and drawbacks. In its entirety, we can’t seem to come to a conclusion as a society as to whether or not the good outweighs the bad.

Facebook is one of the easiest ways to communicate with people all over the world. The best part is, communicating across the planet is completely cost free with a Facebook account. As time goes on, we see more and more people moving away from their hometowns and living in different states or countries. With families spreading around the world, Facebook is an amazing tool to help people stay in touch when they are geographically distant. An example of families using Facebook to stay in touch is the increase of soldiers using Facebook video chat to talk to their families. According to an article by USA Today, many soldiers deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan use Facebook daily to talk to their family back home and this keeps the spirits of the soldiers up (Chalmers  2011).

Facebook has also helped many companies advertise online. Businesses are able to pay a fee to advertise on Facebook. According to an article by the Huffington Post, Facebook uses the personal information that we put on our profiles to target the specific demographic that the advertiser is trying to reach (Tyson  2016). A business person can choose what age group, race or gender they want to advertise their product to. This lets businesses target an audience, which in theory, creates a more successful advertisement.

Although there has been an overwhelming amount of benefits that Facebook has brought to the world, there are some very horrible things that have occurred due to the creation of Facebook. Cyberbullying is one of the most evident negative effects. Before the creation of Facebook, perhaps cyberbullying existed, but it was not a word that most American’s new. In 2016 however, we all know what cyberbullying is. We have seen the news stories of the Facebook horror stories, and in fact, many of us have been victims of cyberbullying ourselves. According to bullyingstatistics.org, over half of all teens have experienced cyberbullying and around twenty-five percent say it occurs repeatedly. However only one in ten teens feel comfortable telling an adult if they have been bullied online (TeenHelp.com  2016). Bullying has always excised in some form, however, the bullies have adapted to using social media to execute their form of torture. Facebook lacks supervision from adults and many middle or high school students are able to say things online that they are not able to get away with at the physical school. Also, there is an element of dehumanization when someone is cyber bullying, because they are not bullying the actual victim in person, causing the bully to say even crueler things that they wouldn’t normally say.

Facebook also can lead to a lot of future regret with posts. It is very easy to post onto Facebook. Most of us can do it within seconds on our mobile devices. However, in many cases, things are posted that we may regret down the road. Perhaps someone is angry about something and posts a statement that could be offensive. This offensive post could do damage to someone’s friendships, career and possibly something in their future. According to an article by CBS New York, one out of three Facebook users reported that they regret something that they posted and twenty-one percent have removed a post due to fear of losing employment (NewYork.CBSlocal.com  2013). Because we have access to broadcasting our thoughts and feelings to such a large group faster than ever, sometimes we do so without thinking of who might see it and how they might react.

            I believe that Facebook is overall negative for me. I do see many positives, and I believe that it is a good thing to have for many people. In my life however, I have found more negatives than positives as far as my Facebook is concerned. I created my account when I was fifteen and I was in a competition amongst my peers to see who could have the most “friends” on Facebook. By the time I was eighteen my friend count was in the thousands and I began feeling unsafe. I would get negative and/or creepy inboxes from strangers daily. My Facebook page ended up becoming a major stress in my life, but for whatever reason, I found myself logging on multiple times a day! Thankfully a few years ago, I got the strength to delete all of my social media accounts. At first it was rather difficult, but I can say today that I am extremely happy and my life is awesome without Facebook.

            I believe with Facebook, there is a pressure to appear like the ultimate version of yourself and its usually inaccurate. What you see is usually not what you get with Facebook. Because Facebook is so new, it’s basically a free for all, although I have heard it has changed since I deleted my account. Anyone can act as anyone and people for the most part can say whatever they please. It has proven scary for me in my life, not to mention a massive waste of my teenage years.  

                                                                         Works Cited

Chalmers, Mike. "Social Media Allow Military Families a Deeper Connection." USA Today. Gannett, 22 Nov. 2011. Web. 12 Oct. 2016. <http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/military/story/2011-11-28/military-deployment-social-media/51349158/1>.

Newyork.cbslocal.com. "Tweeter's Remorse? Some Users Regret What They've Shared On Social Media." CBS New York. N.p., 29 July 2013. Web. 12 Oct. 2016. <http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/07/29/tweeters-remorse-some-users-regret-what-theyve-shared-on-social-media/>.

@TeenHelp.com. "Cyber Bullying Statistics - Bullying Statistics." Bullying Statistics. N.p., 07 July 2015. Web. 12 Oct. 2016. <http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/cyber-bullying-statistics.html>.

Tyson, Matthew. "Why Small Businesses Should Use Facebook Advertising." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 19 May 2016. Web. 12 Oct. 2016. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matthew-tyson/why-small-businesses-shou_b_10046180.html>.

The influence of the internet on our culture

Since the creation of the internet over thirty years ago, our culture has been greatly impacted. We have access to massive amounts of information at our fingertips and we can access this information faster than ever before. Instead of sitting in a library for hours on end, we are able to use search engines with access to endless websites. Whether one is doing scholarly research or just using yelp to find a new restaurant in your town, acquiring information has never been easier. This change has made us a more educated society. I believe that people are also more interested in learning new things because me have access to so much information.

            Since the creation of the internet we are able to communicate at faster speeds than ever before. Not only is communication faster and easier, it is far more cost effective than it ever has been. This makes it easier to talk with family and friends across the country. We can also communicate with people on the other side of the planet nearly instantly. According to the socialnomics.net, we are able to talk to people who we never otherwise would have come into contact with. Instead of only socializing with people in our immediate geographical area, people are able to broaden their social circles and meet people from all over the world (Harrison  socialnomics.net).  Because of easy access to communication, as a culture, we are more understanding of people from other places.

            Companies are able to globalize. Many stores that were limited to selling products in their small communities are now able to do business anywhere in the world. Consumers are also able to shop more cost effectively by being able to compare prices of similar products from the comfort of their own homes. In the past, people who made specialty items had a hard time staying in business because it was difficult to keep up the costs of running a store by selling items that were not highly sought after by the public. Now however, artists and craftsman are able to sell specialty items online through cites like Etsy. Large retail chains have benefited from online business as well because people find it more comfortable to shop from the convenience of their own electronic devices. Only ten years ago, one would have to the bank, the department store and then to the grocery store. Now, one day’s worth of errands can be completed in less than half the time and from the comfort of one’s own home.

Work Cited

            Harrison, Laura. "25 Years of the Internet: How It Has Changed the Way We Interact." Socialnomics. N.p., 24 Mar. 2016. Web. 28 Sept. 2016. <http://socialnomics.net/2014/07/28/25-years-of-the-internet-how-it-has-changed-the-way-we-interact/>.