Social media brought out the narcissist in us. The word “selfie” was eventually recognized by most dictionaries because people loved taking their photos and posting it on social media. While initially, photos reminded us of important milestones in our lives, too much picture taking has bordered into the extreme. Many people post their every move on social media, which isn’t entirely necessary as not everyone is interested in every detail of their lives. Another issue with social media is how you only show off the good side of your life. It gives others the impression that your life is perfect. It’s very apparent with the social network, Instagram. They even coined the term “Instagram-worthy or IG-worthy photos” when posting pictures on this channel because most posts describe perfection in a picture. Others get insecure that their lives aren’t as glamorous as their friends and start doubting their self-worth. That’s when Instagram became more of a curse rather than a blessing.
A person’s mental health is compromised by seeing almost perfect photos of families, friends, and even strangers filling up their phone’s screen. And because most people are none the wiser as to which photos were curated or not, they tend to accept it as real on face value that leads to an intense feeling of depression and insecurity. Aside from that, it is not healthy to be so obsessed with social media. It takes your time away from more important life realities and prevents you from establishing meaningful relationships with the people around you.
Perhaps another reason why Instagram shatters a person’s mental health and confidence is because it is heavily image-based unlike other SNS like Facebook where you can see a variety of content.
(Via: http://fortune.com/2017/05/08/instagram-mental-health/) You can’t help but feel depressed when you see other people fare better in life than you. It’s quite understandable, really. But when it became the focal point of your day, that’s when your social media obsession becomes detrimental to your health. But despite knowing that photos posted on social media are heavily curated and their owners are only posting the best shot of the day, many still can’t help but feel bad for themselves after seeing these filtered pictures. To improve Instagram’s image, they are now taking initiatives to address this connection between the use of their app to the prevalence of mental health issues by allowing users to anonymously flag posts that are suggesting of underlying mental issues and redirect the user to mental health organizations that can help them. While it isn’t the ultimate solution, it is one step closer to addressing the problem with too much social media use and its negative effects to one’s health. The blog post How Instagram Messes Up With Your Mental Health is republished from IANAA from https://www.iamnotanartist.org/how-instagram-messes-up-with-your-mental-health/
0 Comments
That big black box where a moving picture with sounds is shown has always been the highlight of every home. Most families bonded over a movie or two and family members always had a favorite television show they wait for in anticipation weekly. As the years went by, the picture quality improved and you no longer had to watch black and white shows but colored ones. Then came cable TV. Others who don’t want to wait for shows to be aired rented or bought Betamax and VHS tapes until they became available in VCD and DVD format. But with the popularity of the Internet these days, streaming became the preference of many and in a way, it has replaced the role of television in our lives. If you are clueless as to what Internet streaming really is, it actually is otherwise known as background downloading. It’s basically related to regular downloading but with a twist. You don’t need to wait for long to be able to view a video clip you are downloading because you can already watch it while it downloads. Another difference between the two is that you don’t keep or save a copy of the video you download when you stream. You have to stream it again if you want to watch the same clip once more.
(Via: https://america.cgtn.com/2017/05/09/netflix-looks-to-expand-streaming-services-into-chinese-market) People often watch music videos, TV series or movies when they stream. Netflix and Youtube are among the favorite streaming sites of Internet users nowadays. You only have to wait for a few seconds before the video starts playing and buffering depends on your Internet connection. People from all over the world are streaming videos almost daily now, thanks to social media that also helps promote these videos that are shared on people’s newsfeed.
The rise of smart gadgets also helped this shift in the people’s viewing preference. You can easily watch a video you want from your smartphone as long as you have a stable Internet connection. Also, Internet access became more affordable and accessible to the masses, so there’s no reason now for the average Joe to miss out on the benefits of streaming. Many teens and young adults today actually prefer to watch from the comfort of their smart gadgets rather than turn on the TV and wait for a show they like and suffer in silence as they watch the commercials in between. They can even watch while on the go. It’s no wonder people claim that smart gadgets and the Internet have rendered “boredom” obsolete in this day and age. Why settle for the waiting game of TV watching when you can watch the show you want when you want it simply by streaming. Streaming Is The New TV was initially published to I Am Not An Artist Blog from https://www.iamnotanartist.org/streaming-is-the-new-tv/ Education is the most powerful tool anyone could ever have to uplift their lives. Even the poorest of the poor who had access to a good quality education were able to transform their lives for the better. They are able to compete with others who were raised by more affluent families and have higher chances of going up the corporate ladder or finding a decent job that will put food on the table, a roof over their heads, and even pay the bills aside from helping them become self-actualized individuals. Most of the time, it is the government’s responsibility to educate its young citizens because they are the future of any nation. While the intent is noble, the challenges are huge. Money is definitely an issue because you pay for books and facilities as well as the salary of the teachers. Then, there are other school supplies that must also be met aside from making sure that kids are fed, so they have the energy they need to absorb all the new things they will learn in school each day.
(Via: http://www.khmertimeskh.com/5077520/project-offers-children-education-remote-areas/) This is a common initiative in far-flung and third-world countries where the government has a hard time meeting the needs of the people. It is often a holistic project that aims to address all the factors surrounding a child’s education and not just the ones required within the four corners of a classroom. These nations will keep on struggling with uneducated citizens in their midst and keep on relying on others for help especially during calamities if they aren’t empowered now through education.
Education shouldn’t be just a second thought anymore considering that the largest part of the world’s population today is made up of the youth. They’ll soon make up a big chunk of the workforce but what will happen to the positions vacated by more senior officials if the kids in line aren’t knowledgeable or skilled enough to assume more technical or executive positions in any given company or organization? Education is still the key to achieving success in life, so they shouldn’t lose sight of what is important amidst the many distractions in today’s modern world. Even the poor deserve a chance to find jobs that can create a positive impact in their life and that of their families. If not, they’ll be trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty where they can barely feed themselves and stay out of the streets. Why We Need To Educate The Poor See more on: The IANAA Blog from https://www.iamnotanartist.org/why-we-need-to-educate-the-poor/ We all know that our lives here on earth are finite. Nothing goes on forever except the planet perhaps. At some point or another, we all get hurt and eventually die. That’s the cycle of life. And while death isn’t always the end for most species, for some it is. It’s what you know as extinction. We know about various animals that used to walk this planet but are now gone forever. Various factors are at play as to how extinction works but it does happen and continue to occur until today. Considering that there’s the lingering threat of global warming and climate change, it is highly possible that more animal species will disappear for good if we don’t act on it today. Fortunately, scientists are already at work in ensuring the survival of those species nearing extinction. It is all made possible by new technologies that aim in preserving genetics, so we can continue to perpetuate those endangered species regardless of the current circumstances in their immediate environment and the world at large.
And while this technology is aimed at preserving livestock, for now, it won’t take long before newer technologies will be developed that will also work on more diverse groups of animal, and perhaps, even humans too if we get lucky. No need to worry further about losing a certain breed of animal anymore because we can simply create one from the lab using genes saved up for this very purpose.
Others take animal preservation quite literally and really go into the wild to ensure that poachers and other hunters can’t further reduce the already dwindling population of wild animals. Most poachers know their way in the area and are familiar with the traps and other deterring efforts set up by conservationists to prevent them from killing more animals, hence the need for more sophisticated technology to be used subtly in the vast open spaces that can alert officials to the presence of potential hunters and poachers nearby. We still have a chance of saving many of these endangered animals, so let’s not waste our chance (and time) by taking an active part in these efforts or at least support those individuals and organizations that does what many of us aren’t capable of doing – by actually doing all the dirty work to ensure diversity remains to be a big aspect of life on earth and preserving animal species from going into oblivion. The post Animal Preservation At Its Finest was first published on https://www.iamnotanartist.org from https://www.iamnotanartist.org/animal-preservation-at-its-finest/ People pursue various interests in life depending on their personality and unique characteristics. Yet there are still major driving forces that unite everyone together regardless of race, religion, educational background, etc. – it is our love for music. Music has different genres and you are sure to find one that you’d like no matter what your interests are. Music helps you chill out when you have nothing better to do and serves as a great stress reliever too. But some people don’t feel contented by just simply listening to their favorite tunes on the radio, on TV, or through their cellular phones. Going to a music festival is just as good as going to concerts. You get to see various artists perform live in a comfy and lively atmosphere shared by all music lovers. And the highlight is, of course, seeing your favorite singers and performers perform live. You don’t get to see that often and a music festival gives you all that vibe and so much more. This certain high you get from attending music festivals is one of the reasons why many keep coming back to these events and share their love for music with everybody else.
There is a lot of planning and preparation that is necessary to make a successful music festival a reality. Even in choosing the artists, inviting them, and bringing them to the event takes a lot of multitasking especially that there are factors that you can’t control that can have a big impact on the event. Knowing about all these preparations is what encourages people to go to these events because they know they’d really have a great time. Can you imagine seeing ten, twenty, thirty, or more acts all lined up in one event that you’d never get to experience if you don’t brave going to a popular music festival that even foreign acts grace with their presence?
(Via: https://www.magneticmag.com/2017/08/reasons-why-we-love-north-coast-music-festival/) Before you get lost with all the perks a music festival offers, the main motivation for people to go is mainly the music. Would you dare waste your time, money, and effort on something that doesn’t excite you at all? Not likely, probably. Aside from the music, the vibe in the event is quite ethereal as well. Music festival organizers go the extra mile in ensuring everything is A-class and will meet everyone’s standards. It is especially helpful at a time like today where almost everyone is on social media and you can quickly go viral if the public likes what they are seeing in other people’s posts. So, what are you waiting for? Do something crazy now and then so you have something to laugh about when you grow old someday. The following post Why People Go To Music Festivals was originally published to https://www.iamnotanartist.org from https://www.iamnotanartist.org/why-people-go-to-music-festivals/ If there is one thing that stands out in the world today, it is the dominance of technology in almost all aspects of our lives. Wherever you look, there is some sort of tech device that takes center stage. A few decades ago, the closest thing to technology the people have access to were the TV, radio, kitchen appliances, and the telephone. You have to do thing manually for everything else that is left. But today, there is a tech gadget to do the job for you in virtually everything. While they have generally made our lives easier, they somehow made it more complicated too. Your brain has to learn how to operate all these gadgets and even use them simultaneously at times. Smart gadgets are a personal favorite of just about everyone, though, because there are a myriad of things you can do with them, so you can finally say to boredom for good – that is if you don’t forget to charge it so it does not run out of battery when you need it the most. For the upcoming innovative technologies that are yet to hit the market, the best place to learn more about them and see them beforehand are in tech fair and conferences where their makers flaunt their specs and features for all to see.
Expect to see all sorts of technologies and contrivances during these tech fairs. While you won’t find some of them useful in your daily life, others can really blow you away for sure.
Attending these tech conferences is a great way to stay in the loop on emerging tech trends that will soon dominate the market even if you are not actively working on the tech sector yourself. It is also an excellent way to network with peers and potential customers for various reasons. You’ll be able to build a strong and diverse network of peers and professionals alike that may or may not be aligned with your profession. Tech conferences are there so that their makers can share their discoveries with a wider audience and ask for the feedbacks of the people in attendance. It’s the perfect opportunity for tech companies to interact with the people who will likely buy and support their products once they are sold in the market. Bringing Technology Closer To The People was originally published to The I Am Not An Artist Blog from https://www.iamnotanartist.org/bringing-technology-closer-to-the-people/ Addiction affects people of all walks of life in America. From the youth to the elderly, whether you are a man, a woman, or gay, rich or poor, educated or not, there are different forms of addiction that plague addicts and dominates their lives. Addiction often pertains to vices – smoking, alcohol, prohibited/recreational drugs and even to medicines such as painkillers – but most prominent of all is drugs, leaving people unable to function normally in its absence but more so when they are high. The lives of these addicts are crippled and devoid of opportunities to start anew. But in as much as we loathe addiction, there are fewer stigmas surrounding it, but it is still there. Help is now available if they only learn to acknowledge that they need help in the first place.
(Via: http://11thhouronline.com/2017/02/16/getting-higher/) It may be a struggle for addicts to free themselves from their addictions but it is possible.
Along with other addiction managements, drug testing is a powerful tool to reform addicts or even prevent a relapse.
(Via: https://www.drugaddictionnow.com/2017/03/11/can-drug-tests-make-addiction-recovery-more-effective/) Even if help is readily available for adults in big American cities, the opposite can be said in rural areas.
And it is a problem that the government needs to address, like any other issues concerning its citizens.
(Via: http://www.stardem.com/article_931a1361-788d-5cb9-b062-0b8affeb3650.html) More work is still needed to eradicate the addiction problems in the country. The best recourse is a collaboration between private/ non-profit organizations and the government to reach out to addicts and help them recover from their addictions (through drug rehabilitation centers and psychological support) and lead a normal life once again. It is a difficult process and may take years but is a necessary step to give these people a new lease on life and cut off their reliance on their addictions. The bottom line is for addicts to acknowledge that they have a problem and to tell the people who care for them that they need help to get out of this situation for once and for all. An Addict’s Life: Is Help Available? was first seen on The IANAA Blog from https://www.iamnotanartist.org/an-addicts-life-is-help-available/ Young kids can’t wait to go to school. The idea of meeting new friends, having new school stuff and learning a lot of things excites many young students. However, their enthusiasm wanes down over the years. Peer pressure, problems with bullies, and increasingly difficult class lessons can put a strain on a student’s mental health. Add to that, parents have less and less time for their kids because of added demands at work and the desire to earn more to provide for their family. As student’s progress through school, they face more and more stressors that affect their outlook on life. Gone was the bright-eyed child so full of excitement and curiosity to learn more in life. College proves to be the hardest hurdle of all as the pressure of rising tuition fees, relationship conflicts with peers, lack of funding for educational groups and the opposite sex and academic challenges leave students drained and mentally exhausted.
From puberty to their late teens, students find it difficult to make the transition from their youth to adulthood because help is not always there when they need it. And many of them also feel alone once they go to college.
It is high time that the government steps in and address these sensitive issues faced by students all over the country.
It is definitely good news for everyone – especially households with college students.
In as much as the community and the government have a role in improving the mental health of students, it is primarily the responsibility of their parents to do so. Aside from providing for their needs, parents should also be sensitive to their feelings and offer support when they need help. Students can cope better at school if they know that their parents got their back and that they are always there when they need them the most. The following article Why Students’ Mental Health Deteriorate? Read more on: I Am Not An Artist Blog from https://www.iamnotanartist.org/why-students-mental-health-deteriorate/ All human beings are different. Nobody was created equal – even twins. And as such, misunderstandings happen. Confusion adds up because of the fact that we come from different nations and speak different languages. Personal preferences also play a role in making the world more diverse than it already is. There’s a saying that “Men are from Venus and Women are from Mars”. It is right on point. Men and women see things differently and may be poles apart but still can’t live without each other. Then, there is also this confusion among gender roles in both sexes. Men would say they are a woman trapped inside a man’s body and vice-versa. Confusing more than ever, right? Transgenders and transsexuals are growing in numbers. Unfortunately, the World Health Organization considers it as a mental illness.
But thankfully, some changes may soon take place after arguments of its nature not being a distress or a dysfunction come to light as of late – which can ultimately promote acceptance and less hate. A lot of activists fight for this cause to enjoy equal treatment from everybody and not be considered as social outcasts. Transgenders and transsexuals are not sexual deviants. But the more we treat them like that, the deeper and lasting the stigma becomes making it impossible for them to lead normal lives. Hence, they rebel against the system and fight for their rights – even the right to use public bathrooms.
Respect begets respect. And as long as we do not respect our individual differences, conflicts will persist and activism for various causes will continue.
Baby steps like this cover on the National Geographic pave the way for a more promising future for those who do not feel comfortable with the sex they were born with. Love more, hate less. Understanding and tolerance are the least we can afford them who are constantly ridiculed because of their identity. Transgender And Transsexual Activism was initially published to https://www.iamnotanartist.org from https://www.iamnotanartist.org/transgender-and-transsexual-activism/ Technology is advancing further and further as the days go by. It is hard to keep up if you are an ordinary person but the majority of us increasingly rely on technology in our day-to-day. Our home is full of various technological knick-knacks from cooking, entertainment, comfort, to communication, you name it. You can even shop or do your banking online too. Imagine how many hours you save from doing all the mundane things by yourself with the help of technology. As we increase our dependence on these technological wonders, we also share more and more personal data on the web that may be at risk of hacking or data theft in the absence of reliable security measures. And we should not only be wary of nameless hackers but even of certain government agencies too.
(Via: http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/34704071/wikileaks-aid-on-cia-software-holes-could-be-mixed-blessing) Seems like straight out of the movies, right? True! The alarming thing about this is that it is not a movie and our data is indeed at risk from people whom we thought should be protecting us in the first place. It also does not help that the budget on many services is being cut down, proper maintenance or even a much-needed upgrade of computer systems are far from the horizon. And worse, it is a reality in most U.S. states.
We should all take data security seriously because criminals have also leveled up their game and they can easily mess with your life with just a few clicks of a button. Learn the computing language since you use gadgets like smartphone, tablets, computers, laptops, and SmartTVs on a daily basis. An understanding of how they work means you’d also be able to better take care of them and make use of effective and up-to-date data security measures. Moreover, these are not just your only causes for concern but as well as a more pressing and entirely sensitive item we use regularly.
(Via: https://www.gamblinginsider.com/in-depth/2942/advanced-guard-the-importance-of-data-security) Even if most data loss issues are external, there is one that does not have to do with anybody else – a hard drive failure. Important files may be lost and can make life difficult for you for a while. However, all is not lost and you can recover your data with a few tricks of the trade or with the help of some who is handy with computers. The post Cyber Safety and Security: How Safe Are You And Your Data Online? Find more on: https://www.iamnotanartist.org from https://www.iamnotanartist.org/cyber-safety-and-security-how-safe-are-you-and-your-data-online/ |
ABOUT USDesign for life and everything in it. ArchivesNo Archives Categories |