The Overwhelming Feedback of Social Media

 Humans naturally communicate from a very early time in our lives. When I saw the transmission model of communication in class it seemed obvious, although, I hadn’t ever thought of what feedback looks like in various ways of communicating.

We learn language, point of view, and so much more from feedback in communication, it is what we rely on to understand others, and have others understand us.

When seeing the model of social media – many senders and many receivers – it brought to mind the overwhelming feedback social media posts can gain. Sometimes I avoid the “big players” such as Facebook for the very reason that everyone has a voice. It can become a platform for discussion, but also, it can become a platform for arguments and slander when others don’t agree or understand another user’s point of view. Maybe this is not positive or negative, but it was the thought that was provoked for me in our presentation.

Legal Cannabis... mouldy buds?

I was pretty excited to hear that Cannabis was going to be legalized in 2018. I have a number of people in my life who have used the plant medicinally for years and have found numerous health benefits from the psychoactive and non-psychoactive properties that cannabis contains. However I, like many, have been a little skeptical on how the transition from black/grey market would look to the legalized market. Well, it hasn't gone all too smoothly, don't get me started on the federal laws we're breaking in Victoria, today my rant is about the government allowing subpar and mouldy buds to be sold through the government regulated market. I guess it can only get better from here?

The full story from CBC is below. 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/ontario-woman-upset-after-legal-cannabis-shipment-arrived-late-and-mouldy-1.4917146

Did you know Canada was selling our recycle to China?!

So an interesting (and saddening) fact I learned for a research paper this year is that many of the things I put in my blue bin were getting sold to China before 2018. Up to 80 percent of recyclables in some cities were being sold - and this was happening across Canada. Since then, we've had no real back-up plan, the stuff is piling up everywhere. Here's one of CBC's latest articles talking about what plastics have the best shot of being recycled now that no one wants the hard-to-process plastics. 


https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/plastic-valuable-ottawa-recycling-1.4818980

A Vision of Students

Hey CMNS 150,

Here's group 3's YouTube link for "A Vision of Students" project. Hope you enjoy :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pZQ1D5O5nU&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR1M9SkFWnJXyBI4RbyIomlbf-SOQLHX0WEjxoCBW5wPSoFbYjHbksmh5Es

Salt Spring's South End History - photo essay

I was really excited to be able to explore the history of home for my Photo Essay on Salt Spring Island. This project brought new meanings to many of my favourite places. The link is below if you'd like to check it out!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/BnEL4o69ELzJDJQ56Salt Spring's South End History - Photo essay

Turkle - Connected but alone

In TedTalks “Connected but alone”, Sherry Turkle raises relevant issues with technology, especially in regard to social isolation. Turkle asserts that connecting primarily through social media gives people a false feeling of companionship; this leads to feelings of seclusion and loneliness. I agree with Turkle more than I don’t. I don’t post very much on social media for that reason. When Facebook started to climb to its peak I was in the middle of high school. I don’t think there is anything more dangerous than teenagers feeling even more isolated than they already do; and I actually stopped posting very much towards the end of high school as I felt I was getting addicted to people “liking” my posts. And when they didn’t, I would turn my extroverted self into an introvert and start to question my validity. That being said I am still addicted to watching what happens in other people’s lives, and, I often take note if a friend of mine is going through tough times but still posts only happy-go-lucky “living my best life” sort of posts. We have control over how we are perceived… is this better or worse for this friend’s mental health and sense of connection?  

An Interesting Read

https://theconversation.com/why-its-so-hard-to-deletefacebook-constant-psychological-boosts-keep-you-hooked-92976