Danger That Is Safe

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Black Friday’s intense, anxiety inducing countdown to midnight gets credit cards fully stalked (hopefully) and cash counted and ready.  Then, in a short matter of time, wallets are emptied… but it is more than their wallets that are hurting.  People get so chaotic shopping on this annual-one-day-only event that they hurt one another.  This is all for a good deal…. when sometimes, the deals are not even that great.   

Stores get trashed, workers become overly exhausted from constantly cleaning up customers’ frequent trails of messes, and fights break out.  People hurt one another to save some bucks.  Why?  Is it really worth instigating a fight and injuring a human being who is there in the very same store as you for the same purpose as you?  No, it is not.  Police getting involved in what should be regular shopping with new deals is honestly pathetic.  Those Police should not have to waste their time looking after humans who are acting like animals, when they could be home enjoying love from their family or on the job doing more important work.

Then part two comes: Cyber Monday.  This deals-for-one-day event is brought to the world via the internet.  This is one time where the internet is actually a safe place to be.  Police are not on guard to end a fight or stop people from stealing.  People are not physically hurting one another.  The pain is all in the money being spent (unless customers stay within their budgets).  

The internet is not always the worst place to be.  Sometimes, our main world, Earth, is more dangerous than online.  The internet holds phenomena that the world does not offer on its own.  We have to appreciate the internet, but at the same time, appreciate the world for they both hold danger and safety.  The internet is a part of our world now as a whole, so removing the internet entirely could cause harm in lives as most of us have adapted to it.  We have accepted a new source of danger… but we have accepted danger that is also a drastically helping hand.         

Your Own Life Can Change A Life

More than we should, we feel alone.  We feel like nobody in the world understands us.  We feel like we are the only ones suffering, miserable, even reaching a point of depression.  This is the case until one lands upon social media; the land of relatable posts. 

Whether it is a stranger, an internet friend, or a well-known figure, their posts can be like a gift one cannot find in stock anywhere else.  There is the divorcing of parents, the crumbling relationships with family members, the feeling of hopelessness where one may not know what to do next, or the grieving of a tragedy.  No matter the situation, cliché or unusual, somebody out there on social media will post something that relates to one’s situation and the sanity of that person is retrieved instantly.  It gives the person a sense of being okay and managing the obstacle in life that has started to hold the person back from moving forward. 

There are even accounts on social media that are titled “Relatable Posts” and such, and these posts range from being funny like “OH MY GOSH, YES” situations, to “Oh. My. Gosh. Yes, somebody understands me”.  The second scenario usually throws somebody off once landed upon.  It catches the person off guard first and makes them stare at the screen in complete disbelief for they did not know somebody else had the same place in life.

Sometimes, though, a stranger’s post of a relatable scenario is not enough.  There is a need for more of a connection to feel the sanity a person once held.  This is where well-known figures come into action.  Musical artists, YouTubers, Viners, talk show hosts, any admired well known figure, they can be the most powerful.  They can be admired so much that any single word they say can change a life.  Any. Single. Word.  Imagine the lives saved over a single word.  I have personally experienced this myself.  Well known artist Justin Bieber changed my life.  How?  He merely said “Believe”.  I felt alone in my life.  I felt my massive dreams were not going to be achievable because my closest friends and family felt I could not achieve them.  But Justin Bieber told his Beliebers to believe.  So that’s what I did.  I am a Belieber and have been for years.  I love Justin.  I admire him.  I listened to his words.  I believed in myself. 

I have been in three movies.    

Believe.   

Imagine what other words somebody listened to and the change their life then held.  

Technology Has Limits

Memories can last longer than time no longer exists.  But for this to happen, the memories have to actually happen.  How can this happen if kids get too involved in technology?  Technology is phenomenal, but there are limits.  Crossing those limits can ruin life itself.  Life can be missed through being so absorbed in technology... mostly when it comes to being a young child. 

With little tablet-like systems for children and online learning websites, there is little world exploration.  I am one all for using technology as I see so many pros, but that is mainly for older generations, like my generation and up.  If children are struggling to learn, then that is when technology can be highly useful and brought into play, but if they are being exposed to technology constantly and not seeing the real world as much as they can, then they are missing what life is; what life has to offer.

Too much technology takes away imagination.  It takes away discovery.  It takes away what it is to live life.  Why do that to children?  Why take away what beautiful wonders they are being offered for free and replacing them with machines? 

Before any child is exposed to constant technology, it is best to try exposing them to the world.  They have to know what it is to play with a dog and not a virtual one.  They have to know what it is to play an actual instrument and not a virtual one, and make beautiful music that is being produced through hard work and passion.  They have to know what it means to get down and dirty; play in mud and have to take a bath and reminisce on the memories they just made.  Why?  Because that is life.  With these experiences come knowledge of the world one cannot otherwise get; discoveries a computer may not know exists; passion that one may not know they have. 

But most important, these experiences come with memories.  Real, experienced, in life memories.   

Pros and Cons of Shopping Online

Pros

·      Convenience: Shopping online is so convenient, you can seat at home in your pajamas at any time of the day and order what you want and get it delivered to you. This is works greatly for busy people who do not have time to run to the store to get an item.

·      Better Prices: The prices online are relatively much cheaper and there are more sales and deals online which are also easier to find.

·      Variety: There are more options to find online than in stores. When you shop online, there is a better chance of finding the item you want with the search column.

·      Discreet: You have more privacy when you shop online. You don’t have to worry about people invading your privacy and space especially when you want to buy something that might make you to feel embarrassed.

·      Avoiding Traps: When you shop online, you avoid being persuaded by retailers to by things that you need or want. What you purchase is online is based on your decision.

Cons

·      Shipping: Shipping your items when you online shop can cost a lot. Sometimes shoppers find themselves making extra purchases of things they necessarily don’t need just total up to get free shipping. So sometimes you could even end up paying more for what you don’t need.

·      Refunds and Returns: If your item comes in damaged or ends up being the wrong order and for whatever reason you decide that you have to send it back, depending on the policies of the store you bought the item from you might have to wait a long time, pay extra money and go through a tedious process of fixing the problem.

·      Waiting: Depending on where the item is shipping from, it takes a while for the item to get to its destination and you might have to wait a long time for your item to get to you.

·      Risk of Credit Card Frauds: Online shopping can sometimes be dangerous. Depending on the site you shop from, if there is no safety protection, your credit card and bank information could get in the hands of frauds. So be careful when shopping online and make sure you do your research before making any purchases.

Happy Online Shopping!

            

Does Distance Diminish Love

Is love something that is legitimate only if the people are face to face in person during their relationship?  Or can they be in love, yet have never met?  The answer is: love has no limits. 

Whether the couple is 3000 miles away, 4 hours away, or down the street, the reason there is love is because both people love who the other person is from what they have seen.  Distance cannot break true love.  The couple may feel they cannot handle the long distance relationship and then split, but the love is still there and will forever last. 

Long distance relationships can start from a number of various circumstances.  It is the effort and the commitment that confirms the love; confirms the relationship’s strength.  Without the effort, long distance relationships are a huge fail… in fact, any relationship is a fail without effort.

Yes, there are ways to see your partner face to face, such as with Skype and Facetime, but sometimes, it is the actual physical contact that is the cherry on top of falling in love.  If one of the two in the relationship lack effort and the face to face communication does not exist, then the love is not in presence. 

Love has no limits for it is determined from the relationship.  There is no instance where love is not true if the two truly care for one another and have that connection that not even science can make.  As there are cougars and gold diggers, these relationships are fake and there is not any true love. 

People can usually tell when they are in true love... though true love is pretty hard to find.  

Love cannot be forced.  It comes naturally.  

Link into LinkedIn

Every college student should set up a LinkedIn profile the moment they set foot on campus.  There is a common notion that LinkedIn is only useful for business professionals or college graduates in general, however, this is not the case.  LinkedIn provides a wonderful opportunity for college students who wish to jumpstart their career search and get ahead of their classmates upon graduation. Although there are many useful job postings on online job boards such as Indeed, Monster, or Careerbuilder, LinkedIn takes the job search to the next level because you are able to build a network. Many of us have heard in college, so far, that networking is simply everything. According to a report from ABC News, 80% of today’s jobs are landed through networking. Since this is the case, if you aren’t already on LinkedIn, you should consider making one and making it soon.

A few days after I made a LinkedIn of my own, a manager from a local mall contacted me through a private message asking if I was interested in any of the current opportunities at her store.  Since my LinkedIn profile is public, she was able to see my resume and the experience that I have had so far and believed that I would be a good fit for the store. Regardless of whether or not I was interested in the job positions, the fact that she simply reached out to me definitely boosted my confidence and made me realize how valuable LinkedIn is as a tool for college students.  At the time, I was not looking for the kind of job position that she was offering.  Since we connected on Linkedin, however, we will be able to keep in touch and she may reach out to me again about a future opportunity.

It is important to start networking as soon as possible because forming relationships takes a long time and relationships are the key to landing jobs and internships.  Building an extensive network develops overtime and it is not wise to hold off until senior year to begin connecting.  LinkedIn makes networking easy, right at your fingertips, right on your cell phone or computer. With LinkedIn, you have the ability to manage all of your contacts in one place and use tools that allow you to stay visible and available to recruiters and hiring managers at various levels. If you are pursing a degree, you are doing so in order to build your skills and land a great job after college.  Lay down the foundation for your career path now so that you can build a network and give yourself a competitive advantage in the job hunt before and after graduation.  

Black Friday and Social Media

Every year, we hear a lot about the long lines, the anxious customers camping all night outside of stores, and the extreme shopping chaos that takes place the morning after Thanksgiving.  Black Friday, the most anticipated shopping day of the year, draws in millions of consumers who are on the hunt for irresistible deals during the Christmas season. If you are currently following any retailers on social media, you will most likely find them promoting Black Friday deals for this holiday season. Social media has become an integral part of the marketing mix for stores that offer Black Friday deals because it is an effective way to lure in eager, deal-hungry customers.

Dick’s Sporting Goods, for example, has used social media as a method this year to promote their Black Friday deals and attract customers.  The sporting goods retailer plans to surprise interested customers with a prize contest through their social media campaign. Dick's will reveal a #GiftThatMatters sweepstakes that require customers to snap a photo of an item in a Dick's store, post the picture on Instagram or Twitter and use the hashtag #GiftThatMatters. The sweepstakes will be live from 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day through 5:15 a.m. on Black Friday. Ten customers will win a $500 Dick's Sporting Goods gift card.  This social media campaign provides a great incentive for customers to shop at Dick’s during Black Friday because people are willing to participate if there is the possibility of a reward in the end.

It is obvious that social media is an extremely effective marketing tool for businesses in general, but especially during the holiday season.  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. create an avenue for businesses to communicate with their audiences; it also allows you to stay in the radars of your customers. Since many of us are so hooked onto various forms of social media, it is almost impossible to avoid the colorful Black Friday advertisements and promotions online with one-of-a-kind deals.  Retailers have witnessed the extraordinary behavior from consumers in pursuit for a bargain and they are now using social media as a tool to create even more excitement this holiday season. 

Media Interaction

The Internet has really impacted the way we communicate to each other verbally. Everything is on the internet nowadays and society is finding it harder and harder to come face to face and have a conversation with each other. Although it is a wonderful privilege to access anything we want on the the internet, it has also taken away the sense of belonging and engaging with people on a personal level.

For example, Texting is one of the ways I see people losing that close connection. When you are having a conversation with your friend, you might not get an immediate response as you would like compare to when to when you are talking on the phone. Texting gives people more time to think about their response rather than just getting a regular response. There are also different tones in texting that might mislead people to thinking something different than what you originally intended to say.

Another example is social media and the media in general. Social media is a huge factor in this decade and some people have built their whole lives out of it and can possibly not function without it. It takes away the aspect of socializing physically. You can walk into a casual restaurant or any where you can possibly meet people, even at the dinner table at your house and find out that at least 60% of the people are on their phones. Its sad that we are slowly losing interactions with one another but this is what it slowly coming to. A world of people living in another virtual world. Although, there are so many wonderful and great things about the internet and media, it also has its downside, but it can also be up to people to make a change about this and create more physical interactions with people.