Media Use

Social media has gotten a bad rap lately: it’s been blamed for growing feelings of low self-esteem, loneliness, and bouts of depression. And not without warrant. Not only have users of the platforms reported these negative effects, but studies have shown that social media is, indeed, a likely culprit of…

When I was in college, I lived in Africa for five weeks, as a part of a study abroad program called Linking Lives. The purpose of this program was to immerse us students in a completely unfamiliar culture and environment, whilst also giving us the opportunity to help others. Now…

Growing up, my two brothers and I loved to play all sorts of video games. We’d crowd onto the couch and battle each other in Halo 2 and Call of Duty on the Xbox. We’d spend hours creating our dream houses and families on Sims (with the help of some…

Video games have always gotten a bad rap from the national media. Over the years, they’ve been blamed for acts of violence and increased aggression. They’ve even been accused of being a cause of obesity. What the media rarely discusses, however, is the fact that video games may actually be…

Pros and Cons of Swipe Dating On Your Mental Health, MoodThere was a stigma to online dating ever since Match.com first launched in 1995. The perception was that it was for people who were desperate and incapable of meeting someone in person. I’ll admit it; I never tried online dating…

The second season of Stranger Things debuted last weekend, and once again, Netflix subscribers all over the world had another season and reason to “get their binge on.” Netflix was the first streaming platform to introduce this epic television watching experience, and to say it’s been met with positive feedback…

A couple years ago, my little brother called me into his room and begged me to try on his new video game headset. This wasn’t any old gamer headset—it was virtually a portal to another world. I’m a baby so, of course, I denied his request at first. But then…

The new, much-anticipated medical drama The Good Doctor finally premiered last night, September 26 on ABC—and all eyes were on Freddie Highmore, as he made his debut playing young autistic surgeon Shaun Murphy. Many shows and films have gotten bad raps in the past for misrepresenting mental illnesses or perpetuating…

There are 7.5 billion people around the world. 3.17 billion use the internet. 2.46 billion use social media. 1.32 billion people sign onto Facebook every day. Over 95 million photos and videos are posted on Instagram every day. Over 400 million snaps are posted on Snapchat every day. Over 500…

Substance use disorders (SUD) start with “I’ll give it a try” and “why not just once”—but they turn into greedy, unshakeable, demanding monsters. Once you’re hooked—whether it be on alcohol, opioids, or another drug—your entire life changes before you. You feel like you can’t live without the substance: you have…

[Photo from http://assets1.ignimgs.com/2017/09/12/screen-shot-2017-09-12-at-21847-pm-1505241170887_1280w.png] Yesterday, Apple officially announced the release of iPhone X, a phone “so immersive the device itself disappears into the experience. And so intelligent it can respond to a tap, your voice, and even a glance,” according to their website. This was music to iPhone, Apple, and technology-lovers’…

From Pac-man to Playstation, video games have become a big part of our culture. This year, on September 12, gamers all over the country will want to mark their calendars for National Video Game Day. With 24 hours dedicated to the pastime of video games, gamers will want get their…