Dual Identity

"You are sentenced to three years in prison. No parole," The judges voice boomed out to the half full court room.

The Facebook comment was still projected onto the wall. The ugly and harsh words seemed to be magnified by the stares of the people and a crying woman behind him. The handcuffed student slowly looked down. He couldn't make eye contact with the judge that had just ruined his life. No. It wasn't the judges fault. It was mine. He suddenly became self conscious of his thoughts, as though the entire room could hear the voice inside his head.

He knew he shouldn't have done. He had wanted to be cool online. It had all started as just a bit of fun. Just a little messing around in some of his comments on statuses. He had wanted to fit in with the cool crowd, of course.

His best friend had made a comment to him, in person, about his sudden change online. He remembered the comment vividly, wishing he had listened to it in the first place.

"You know, you really aren't the same anymore," His friend had said. "You better watch what you say, man. It's going to come back and bite you."

He had shrugged off the conversation. He though his friend was overreacting a bit. No one could get hurt when they were all hiding behind computer screens. And besides, it had all been just a little fun.

But things changed rather quickly. James Castle was his name. He jumped out of a bathroom window in the top floor of the school. Suicide.

It was all because of me. There were his thoughts again. He jumped because of me. I pushed him to do it with that stupid comment of mine.

He was escorted away by the bailiff. He looked at his parents in the back of the room. They were in shock. His mother waved at him, almost as though she was reaching out to grab him. He waved back.

He looked at the comment still projected on the wall.

"You might as well just end your life now. No need to put us through the misery of seeing your face everyday."

The janitor turned off the projector. He began sweeping the floor.

About Ourselves Projects

This project has shown me all the forms that people can use to highlight themselves and their talents. I have learned many different ways to present myself in a creative way. Using these tools will help me in the future when I need to interview for college or jobs. I've learned to present my talents in an interesting way that may get me a step ahead my competition.

3 Tips for TED Speakers

Daniel Pink gives good advice in his article. He understands how to present important ideas in a new way that keeps an audience engaged. He seems to be very experienced when it comes to giving presentations and knows how to say his ideas in a profound way. He talks about how to be prepared and to be yourself when presenting. Pink gives good advice in his article, and will definitely help me with my presentations in the future.

The Facebook Challenge: Day 5

Today is the final day of the project. I'm kind of glad to see it end. I'm ready to return to Facebook and see all I've missed. Of course, I'll have to wait until tomorrow morning, but I've already lasted this long. I've had a Facebook for about a year and a half now. Originally, I didn't want one. A friend convinced me to sign up, but I never fully understood why people find it so much fun and so addictive. Hopefully, I won't waste my entire Saturday on Facebook due to withdrawal. Living without it might have made me appreciate social networking more, but it has also made me appreciate face to face interactions.
It's been a long week, really. The first few days I was fine without Facebook. But these past few days, I've been tempted to log on. My  first instinct when I go online is to open Facebook. That made these past few days a little more difficult. Somehow, I was able to overcome the temptation, and am now only a few hours away from being back on Facebook.

The Facebook Challenge: Day 4

My struggle without Facebook has continued. I am becoming super aware of whenever I mention anything remotely related to Facebook, such as NewsFeed. When I went on the Internet, my automatic instinct was to go on Facebook. At least I'll be able to go on in two days. The experience has been pretty eye opening, actually. I never realized how much the people I know depend on it. Living without it for this past week has really shown me that face to face interactions can be just as much fun, and even more productive. Of course, Saturday morning I'll be back on Facebook right away. Five days is enough for me.

The Facebook Challenge: Day 3

Today I found myself with the urge to go on Facebook. The only thing that kept me off was the changed bookmark title, which gave me a (not so friendly) reminder that I really can't log on. I still have another two days to go with this project, and I'm beginning struggling. I seem to be more aware of the word "Facebook" when it comes into conversation. I can't help but feel like I'm actually missing things; the pictures of all the girls in strange poses looking for attention, the changed relationship statuses, and the funny cinnamon challenge fails. Even just knowing that I'm missing out on something that everyone else is a part of is difficult enough already. On the bright side, the project is more than half way finished. Just another two long days until I can return fully into the world of social networking (because, sometimes, Twitter isn't quite enough).

Facebook Posts Costing Some Students College Opportunity

I think it is wrong for colleges to check applicant's Facebooks for more information on them. Facebook does not always show a clear picture of a person's actions. Many posts and photos can be taken out of context. Checking a Facebook profile tends to negatively impact the applicant's image and chances of the school accepting them. A Facebook profile can also hurt someone applying for a job.
Young people tend to not be aware of the fact that what you post online is out there for the world to see. Many do not understand that their image and reputation can be destroyed because of a single picture or video, or a hacked status update. People of all ages need to learn more about being safe online so they do not hurt themselves in the long run.

The Facebook Challenge: Day 2

Currently two days clean of Facebook. Honestly, it feels kind of good. All of my friends are on constantly in school, and I never realized how badly people depended on it until I had to give it up. I engaged a full on poking war with my friends in gym class. At first they were all very confused as to why I randomly began poking them. Eventually, they caught on and joined in. I also deleted the Facebook app on my iPad. I now have no excuse. There is no way for me to accidentally log on and ruin the project.

The Facebook Challenge: Day 1

As of now, I've survived nearly a day without Facebook. Surprisingly, I've been able to keep away from it. I haven't even been tempted to log on yet. I don't feel like I'm missing very much, actually. All the people I really care about I see in person everyday.

To stop myself from being tempted to log on, I've changed the bookmark name:

Hopefully, this will keep my temptation at bay and I'll remember not to log on. Unfortunately, I did not have any strange or interesting interactions today. I've told a few friends about quitting Facebook for the week. They all think I'll be able to last. Many have said that they would be able to last the five days. I doubt they're willing to try, though.

The Facebook Challenge: Initial Thoughts

The task seems simple enough; do not log into Facebook for five days, beginning Monday. Will it be difficult? Probably. Will I want to give in and log on and see what the rest of the world is up to? Of course. I am human, after all.

The second part of the task is the fun part. Live your life for a week as though it were Facebook. As of now, I do not have many ideas as to how I should live Facebook. I think it would be the most fun if I do not plan most of the week. Living Facebook would be the most fun if each day was spontaneous. I'll continue to enjoy Facebook as much as possible over the next few days, and quit cold turkey next Monday.

Facebook is Using You

Your Internet searches should not have an effect on your life. Employers should not be able to turn you down for a job due to a "bad" online history. The Internet should remain your personal space to do whatever you want. Facebook and Google should not sell your information without your consent. It is wrong for them to use you for their gain. The United States should make a law against using your information in the way that some online companies are doing. The only reason some of the companies exist is because people use the site. Now, the companies are going against what most people want by selling our information. It is also wrong for credit card companies to lower spending limits just because a person shops at a certain store or visits a certain website.

The Independent Project

I was very impressed by the students who designed the Independent Project. Their idea of changing education is new and seems to be working for them. Being able to decide what you want to learn and actually pursue it is something that has never been done before. Being able to express myself and take control of my education is appealing to me, and it would be interesting to see how effective the project is first hand. Success, to me, is doing what you love and being happy while doing it. Getting into Harvard is not success until you are able to do something that you enjoy when you leave the school.

Why SOPA is a Bad Idea

I agree with Clay Shirky when he says SOPA is a bad idea. The Internet should not be censored at all. It should stay open to the public, and Congress and the media should not try to get in the way. Shirky brings up a lot of good points when discussing the reasons that SOPA should not be passed. The background of how SOPA came to be is interesting and surprising. The fact that acts like this have been tried before means that if SOPA does not pass, there will be more just like it in the future. The Internet needs to remain open and uncensored. Censoring the Internet will not help it, only hurt it.

TED Talk Reflection

In class today, we watched the TED talk where Eli Pariser discussed "filter circles" online. I did not know about the filter circles before today's class. But, I must say, I'm not a fan. I would much prefer the web to be totally free of filter circles so that I can see all the information the Internet has to offer on the topic I'm interested  in. The fact that major websites like Google and Facebook are filtering the information we receive upsets me. I believe we should be able to view everything the web has to offer. Google and Facebook don't really know what my interests are just because I tend to click certain links or search for specific things. The web was once a place totally free of filtering. It needs to get back to that point.