Are You CONTENT with your privacy on social media?

 

By: Emily Brosky

When thinking of security on social media, what is the first thing that comes to our minds? Passwords. Using such easy and harmless acts such as these can create a widespread phenomenon of privacy concerns when dealing with social media engagement and how it can cause the engagement to decrease. Things such as hacking accounts, sharing locations, identity theft, data exposures, and access restrictions are all areas of where security on social media plays a part on the media; however, they don’t always satisfy their jobs completely. 

Image by Piranka via Pixabay

When carrying a social media platform and increasing engagement with it, can cause security risks to increase based on the information the audience must give in order to access your content or see certain pictures or links you provide in your blog, article, or website. 

According to the study “Should I Post or Ghost?”: Examining how privacy concerns impact social media engagement in US Consumers,” written by Laura F. Bright, Hayoung Sally Lim, and Kelty Logan, listed to go along with this blog, they describe privacy concerns as being negative towards social media engagement. They describe that users for these platforms must have “privacy protection barriers, social media trust, and social media fatigue” in order to fully get the wear out of the social media platforms they use. Using terms such as social media fatigue can cause confusion when dealing with social media. 

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Image by Oatawa via Pixabay

Social media fatigue can be defined as the user’s tendency to pull back from social media after being bombarded with too many social media platforms and followers, which can become a lot when trying to maintain this specific social life. 

The study included with this blog is a study that also conducted an online survey with a total of 760 U.S. social media consumers to test the relationships between privacy concerns and the social media engagement affected by it. The results from this online survey revealed that when users or the audience have a highly trusted relationship with a platform, social media engagement will increase without thinking of the concerns that need to be resolved by privacy precautions. 

When using social media platforms that require privacy, it is easy to blame the audience or users who view these forms of content that need to be accessed a certain way; however, according to this study and other forms of research, the creator of the content should ensure data privacy, and non-surveillance using materials. 

When having massive storage of data, and personal information available to hacking and scraping within a platform, using things such as access restrictions for influencers’ resources or content can create a barrier to stop the process a little better. Having this advantage still does not guarantee the thrill of keeping all your personal information safe and secure. 

Returning back to the study provided, they talk about a term called “privacy paradox,” which is the way a user online will choose to protect themselves and their information online versus the way they actually behave online, and what extent they go to protect their private information. Using examples such as, someone giving away the value of their password for the worth of a piece of candy truly shows the pedestal users put social media on for the cost of their identities, and information. 

About 69% of American adults have now brought themselves on some kind of social media platform, which includes 35% of that group 65 and older. (Rainie, 2018) As users become more frequent, it is getting harder and harder to protect the data that comes with them; the biggest age group who use social media the most are teenagers. Teenagers use social media the most when using communicating with their friends, whereas the older generations use it for facts and answers to their questions, such as health facts, political, and scientific information. 

Now, in order to end, we must leave thinking with these thoughts: is using extended versions of social media worth our personal information and everything we’ve worked for? What can we do to ensure more safety precautions are happening online? Let’s reward ourselves by paying attention to hazards such as hackers or scrapers and figuring out if certain things are a must or a bust. 

More resources must be made in order to prevent this issue, and slowly it can become quite preventable for online users.

 

It’s Okay to Take More Than Four Years to Complete Your Degree

Written by: Kirsten Werner

Image by Mohamed_hassan from Pixabay

Picture this: you’ve just entered your first semester of college and you have absolutely zero clue as to what you should major in. You set up a Zoom meeting with your advisor to discuss your options based on your interests. Upon going through your options, you still have a lot of deciding to do. But, by the beginning of the following school year, you have officially declared your major.

Now you begin to worry. What if I don’t finish my degree when I had wanted to? What if I fall behind my friends who graduated high school with me? What if I want to change my major again? Does taking longer than four years to complete my bachelor’s degree make me a failure?

In short, no, it does not make you a failure. Many college students, myself included, end up taking longer than four years to complete their bachelor’s degree. But that is okay. Shawn Laib’s post talks about how “There are many different paths to the same goal of getting a degree.”

In kindergarten through high school, there is an emphasis on how age and grade level intertwine. Kindergarteners are generally 5 or 6 years old, first-graders are 6 or 7 years old, and so on. However, once you graduate from high school, you can decide whether or not you want to continue your education.  Some people go off to college, while others enter the workforce immediately after graduation.

When you become an adult, you start to realize that the age at which you complete the goals you’ve set for yourself doesn’t matter nearly as much as it did previously. For example, I will be graduating at the age of 23 rather than 22, but I will still be in the same stage of life even though I am graduating a semester late.

It’s important to take the time you need to find yourself, whether that means declaring your major later than others or taking a gap year after high school. Setting goals for yourself is healthy, but it can become unhealthy when you set those goals in stone. Think of college as you would driving; detours are inevitable, so you must not limit yourself to one particular path. If you find that another route is a better choice for you on your journey, it is acceptable to take that one instead.

No longer are there stages of development that you need to meet by a certain age. When you are a child, you are expected to walk and talk by a certain age, as well as match your peers in terms of academic, social, and emotional milestones. As an adult, you do not need to move at such a rapid pace to meet your goals. As long as you keep learning and growing, you will accomplish what you set out to do, no matter how long it takes.

The act of comparing yourself to those who you graduated high school with is not a healthy practice. It will do nothing more than intensify any feelings of anxiety or ostracization you may have. It is best to consider that phase of your life to be over. That’s not to say that you can’t offer any congratulatory support, but you shouldn’t obsessively check people’s feeds to see who is graduating versus who isn’t.

Someone will always be ahead of you, but that doesn’t mean they are better than you or have everything figured out. Higher education does not have to be akin to a race, as you can allow yourself to finish in your own time by separating your past life from your current one.

Lastly, a critical thing to keep in mind is the fact that college is optional. You have chosen to further your education, so you may do so however you wish. You were selected out of thousands of candidates to attend your university of choice, so make the most of it. If you finish in three years, that’s wonderful! Four? Amazing! Five? Perfect! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

The Effectiveness of Radio Messages and Advertisements During the COVID 19 Pandemic

Image by Silvo Bilinski from Pixabay

By Tyler Rake

In 2020 the COVID 19 pandemic changed the world as we knew it forever which meant many things we were used to had to change over the course of a few weeks. This change made it difficult to advertise things in the usual way businesses do so many businesses took up radio opportunities to still reach clients.

I know that when I am listening to the radio that the advertisements as well as the shows aren’t all up in your face, metaphorically speaking, they are calmer and try to welcome the listener and gain their trust and commitment so that people will want to come back to the show based on trust and the content that’s created rather than coming back just because of the content of the radio station.

In an article called “The sound of responsibility: evolution of the use of radio advertising as a corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication channel before and after Covid-19. A significant increase” In order for businesses to continue to operate during the pandemic they had to do advertising in a crisis situation which led to a change in how advertising was carried out. Radio advertising is meant to be much more personal as well as trustworthy. Therefore, companies had to all fit the same general genre of advertising which is credible and welcoming advertising. To this day radio is still one of the most trusted platforms for advertising.

People everywhere still listen to the radio which is why it is such a big platform for information and advertising. Even if a radio is playing in the background somewhere people are still listening to the radio and getting whatever information they need from it even if they aren’t actively trying to listen to it. This is why radio reaches more people compared to television or social media because people of all ages listen to radio. If a company is reaching out to older clients, they most likely don’t look into social media as much as a younger generation, but they do still listen to radio. If organizations want to reach a younger audience. The same thing applies in the fact that they may have restrictions, but younger audiences may listen to the radio with their parents.

One of the positives for moving advertising to radio is that radio, even though it isn’t a main source of information or entertainment as much as it used to be, still reaches the most people compared to television or billboards or other forms of advertising which allows companies to still reach a wide variety of listeners. Something that is also worth mentioning is that in times of crisis people tend to turn to traditional forms of media to get accurate information and luckily for organizations radio is one of those traditional forms of media.

Radio has been around since the early 1900’s and has been a source of information since the very beginning. Before televisions existed, radios used to be what families would gather around and listen to for entertainment and information. Even when the television did come out, they were so expensive that radios were still very popular even when television programs gained major popularity.

Something that also helped organizations is that rather than attacking the listener with advertisements that are supposed to be big and bold to get them to buy or use their product or service organizations used radio more as a means of communicating information. This form of advertising not only allowed the organizations to show what their company has to offer but allowed the companies to gain the listeners of the radio stations’ trust.

So. How effective was radio advertising during the COVID 19 pandemic? The answer to that question is extremely effective. Radio is what allowed some businesses to stay afloat during a time of great turmoil and crisis. The reputation of the radio allowed businesses to redirect their advertising efforts and make new campaigns in order to be able to survive during something that was completely new to everyone.

Radio has and will continue to be a reliable and trusted source of information for people even in times when communication can seem impossible.

 

Should I Be Using Music to Assist in Falling Asleep?

Image by sweetlouise via Pixabay

By: Ri Wescott

Are you struggling to fall asleep due to the stress of rigorous college coursework? Maybe a noisy roommate keeping you up at night? Using music to assist in falling asleep may be the solution.

Many people struggle with sleeping problems and these problems are only heightened when large amounts of stress and being in a new environment is involved. College students are prone to more stress and/or anxiety because of large amounts of difficult work while also adjusting to being independent and living in a new place with new people. It makes sense that a lot of college students would have a hard time adjusting to an unfamiliar sleep schedule.

One of the most effective ways that’s been found to help people doze off to sleep easier is using music to aid in the process. In an academic article posted by Sleep Foundation, scientific evidence is presented as to why listening to music while sleeping can help us improve how we sleep and how fast we can get there.

Our body’s autonomic nervous system naturally reacts to music we are listening to by lowering our heart rates, slowing our breathing patterns, and reducing our blood pressure which causes our bodies to physically relax. Music can also help mentally by causing the brain to avoid overthinking and anxious thoughts by lowering cortisol levels; this allows our brains to have an easier time getting to sleep. Dopamine, a positive hormone, is released when we listen to music which will leave us feeling good during sleep; it can also help reduce physical pain as well leading to a less painful night’s sleep for people who experience chronic pain. 

Along with the physical and mental benefits that music can have, it’s also practical in a college living situation. Most college students live either with a roommate, in dorms where there are rooms surrounding their own, or in houses with fellow students. College students can be loud; whether it be parties, late night furniture rearranging, or aggressive keyboard typing, there is always some sort of noise that can be distracting from a good night’s sleep. Music is an effective way to drown out noises to help avoid any sleep-interrupting sounds. 

Does that mean we should listen to any music while sleeping? Technically, no. There is no one stopping you from falling asleep to screamo or dubstep, but there are certain types of music that are more recommended than others. Our bodies respond well to calmer, slower music so genres like folk, classical, soft pop, or jazz are effective. Focusing on the tempo of the music you are listening to is important as our heart rates tend to sync with the tempo of a song; it is recommended that we should be listening to music with a tempo of 60-80 BPM  to reflect the 60-100 BPM of most people’s resting heart rate. Listening to the wrong type of music such as something loud, violent, and fast could lead to an increased heart rate and anxiety possibly making it harder to sleep. Volume also plays a factor since the music is supposed to aid in sleeping rather than keeping you up by being too loud. Overall, the music you pick should be calming and enjoyable allowing for an easier road to relaxation and positive feelings. 

Listening to music while sleeping isn’t perfect however. Depending on the way that you are listening to music–earbuds, headphones, etc.–there could be some problems that arise. Using earbuds overnight can lead to a buildup of earwax which can result in ear pain and/or infection. Headphones, if worn tightly, could worsen blood flow and lead to body tissue death around different areas of the head. If they are corded earbuds or headphones, the possibility of strangulation arises. If music is played too loud, it could lead to depletion of one’s hearing. It is important to be smart when listening to music while sleeping because if done wrong it could lead to worse sleep or serious health issues arising.

What exactly should you be doing when choosing to sleep with music? The smartest way to listen to music while sleeping is out loud through a device’s speaker; this allows for sleep without worrying about something physically being in or on your ears allowing for more overall comfort during sleep. Having a roommate, however, could make this difficult. I recommend that people with roommates invest in a pair of sleep headphones which are a comfortable headband with built-in speakers over the ears. They are inexpensive–averaging at around twenty dollars–  and comfortable to sleep in without the possible issues of headphones or earbuds. While using your speakers or sleep headphones, you should have a playlist full of calming songs that you enjoy and would help you relax at night. If you aren’t well versed at making playlists of your own, there are many already made including my own that I use every night.

College students need sleep to do well in studies and to have good physical and mental health, so music is a lifesaver during sleepless nights.

 

Play Video Games During Your Brain Break

Written By: Carmen Girton

Image by cromaconceptovisual from Pixabay

Being a college student can be tough. With little to no free-time, burnout can be especially prominent without some sort of brain break. Sometimes college students, myself included, work themselves until they can’t even think anymore. Just a simple change in activity could be the answer to help prevent this burnout from happening. Video games can provide a break from the stressors of college life, and can also provide a sense of accomplishment. Additionally, video games can also help to improve problem-solving skills, which can be beneficial in academic and professional settings.

Matthew Barr and Alicia Copeland-Stewart’s research study written in 2022, examined how video games affect players’ well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the quarantining  part of the pandemic is over-with, I think that their research can still apply to college students today. Their research states that many people turned to video games during the pandemic and 71.3% of their respondents reported that the time they spent playing video games has changed. Now for college students, It may be difficult to find time to fit gaming in, however it reaps many benefits. Barr and Copeland-Stewart said that some of the benefits include stress relief, cognitive skills development, combating loneliness, and more. 

People reported feeling anxiety around the time of the COVID outbreak and video games gave those people something else to focus on, and in-turn, reduced levels of stress. The stress of too much school work can be just as daunting. Instead of scrolling on social media in between chapters, maybe play a game or two of a game you enjoy, whether that be puzzle games, first person shooters, or sandbox games like Minecraft! The data the researchers collected referenced gameplay improving mood levels overall. One of their respondents said that having time set aside to engage in something they enjoy has had an overall positive improvement on their mood.

When I was going through the COVID-19 pandemic, I made a lot of friends via multiplayer games. The authors reported that there was an increase in multiplayer games because it was driven by players’ desire to socialize. This can also apply to college students too! After a long day at the library, playing video games online with friends can help you not only improve your mood, desire to socialize, but also gives you an opportunity to make connections you normally wouldn’t have made. Even playing split screen with your roommate could be beneficial to both of your cognitive health. 

The authors reported that people were anxious around the time of the COVID outbreak and video games gave people something else to focus on and ultimately reduced their stress levels. They reported that it improved players’ mood, helped them feel grounded and in control. With crazy college assignments or courses, video games can help you gain some sense of control back. Some people in the research study reported feeling less anxious when distracted with video games, and kept them away from other bad habits like absorbing bad news from social media. 

The authors reported that some people chose to play video games during a lunch break or between calls/quiet times when referring to remote work during the pandemic. These people sometimes used video games to help separate from work time and non-work time when they were stuck at home. This most definitely can apply to on-campus and online coursework as well. Those people who took video game breaks during the pandemic reported back feeling far more fulfilled than watching something on Netflix. Not only does playing games help relieve stress, it gives you a sense of control and accomplishment. Sometimes a little sense of accomplishment can help while taking advanced college level courses. 

All in all, taking a little video game break in between writing essays or reading chapters can cognitively benefit you. It helps you gain a sense of control, accomplishment, feeling less stressed, anxious, and helps ground you as well. So, instead of taking your typical social media break, turn to something that gives you entertainment, socialization, and control all in one. This stress relieving and mentally stimulating escape can help prevent burnout and help promote your cognitive health during your college journey.