Mojo, Micah

[micmaxene]

“The Good and the Bad: How Social Media Affected Me as a Gen Z Individual”

We, the Generation Z, are the first generation to be fully raised in the world of smartphones and social media. We are heavily influenced by social media because the media has the ability to influence our thoughts. Yet, we all know that social media has its pros and cons. Presently, social media can be a very powerful tool to connect with people who share the same interest as ours, it helps us to easily create a bond towards other people even if we don’t communicate personally. It can also be a medium to promote a brand or product, fill our knowledge of some issues, and use it as a platform to create awareness. More to that, social media can also influence some of our skills, for instance, our communication and socializing skills have been improved online. Social media can feed us positivity, yet the number of positive traits that social media has given us can be equalized by its cons. With today's technological advancements, Gen Z’s have been mostly consumed and been drawn to the products of the tech industry. Today’s youth has experienced different emotional struggles that result from our online habits. Through excessive use of social media, it leads to depression and anxiety. Also, low self-esteem, insecurity, and fear of missing out are emotional states that can be caused by social media use. There are many more factors of social media that can cause mental unhealthiness. Other than that, the lack of human-to-human interaction can result in the usage of incorrect ways to use words or have long sentences to use in their judgments and ideas. Regardless of social media's negative reputation, it is undeniably a useful tool for students, teachers, and netizens. It entertains us in a variety of ways, and communication has never been easier or more accessible.

[micmaxene]

“Digital Divide in the New Normal”

When the world is one and moving towards the New Normal in the covid-19 pandemic scenario we remain divided socially, economically, politically, and digitally. Digital Divide in the New Normal creates another standard when it comes to the classification of ability when it comes to using technology, especially now that we’re in a time where everyone is in need and must use technology, whether it is for education, work, and other activities. As information technology spreads its tentacles deep and wide in all aspects of life, it brings to the fore sharp debates about the digital age's neo-have-nots, who may have money but lack online access. The digital divide in the new normal is the increased movement of labor, education, and services to the online environment are one of the many ways the COVID-19 epidemic has impacted modern life. Currently, we’ve become accustomed to taking out our phones to snap a QR code before entering a location, and Zoom calls have become a common aspect of the workweek after a year of the 'new normal' of pandemic existence. It is expected that there are consequences of the digital divide that are far-reaching. It cannot just impact one group of people but all of the generations. For the students, who are one of the groups who is the most affected in the digital divide. It can impact students by preventing them from accessing resources that they need to participate. The failure to acknowledge this issue will almost certainly result in a larger achievement divide, a problem that existed before the pandemic. The digital divide now threatens to widen that gap, further marginalizing pupils who were already on the point of falling behind. If the digital divide cannot be addressed as soon as possible, it would result in limiting everyone’s access to knowledge and inducing the digital and social inequality that is currently happening today.

[micmaxene]

“Understanding the Relevance of Information and News Literacy in the Midst of Social Era”

As technology is advancing in gathering and easy and faster sharing of information. And in our generation, we are living in this generation or in this social era where we can easily access information. There are lots of apps that are made for us that will be able to help us, such as Facebook, Twitter, and many more. And being news literate or information, it is a big role nowadays because it is an advantage for us to avoid false information. In the present Information Era connected with the Social Era, where data and news is bountiful and tremendous, it is critical to realize how to channel such information. Data Literacy alludes to the capacity to know when there is a requirement for data. Additionally, it's the capacity of an individual to find, assess and produce any sort of media. While being news-educated, implies having the capacity to get news or information in a sensible and basic way.

In this era, the spread of information is very fast due to connectivity with things, people and ideas. Information literacy is an important tool to learn how to verify and analyze every information obtained for better understanding. The relevance of Information and News Literacy encourages problem-solving strategies and critical thinking skills such as asking questions and seeking answers, gathering information, forming opinions, evaluating sources, and making decisions, resulting in successful learners, effective contributors, confident individuals, and responsible citizens. Knowing what’s going on in the world is, arguably, a citizen’s responsibility. Plus, it feels good to join in a conversation and know the facts, or to be sure we’re sharing a meme, social media post, or news article that’s accurate and trustworthy.

[micmaxene]

“Media and Government: A Love-Hate Relationship”

The role of media has created a big impact in people's lives. Without media, individuals wouldn’t be able to be notified or alerted about what’s happening today in our world, and without our government, who would be there to discipline the society and lead them to the right path. We all know that media and government are the two most powerful institutions in the world. Both of these institutions are made for the humanity, of the people. Media is a medium that is used by the government to connect with the citizens and a medium for the citizens to create a voice to reach the government.

The media and the government can deceive people and change their minds about current events in our globe. Yet, both sides tend to have conflict at times. People claim that some news reports are politicized, while the government claims that this is not the case. But sometimes the information shared by media is incomplete or false. This leads to misinformation from the media can lead to panic or conflicts of the citizens that can affect the government. This creates chaos between the relationship of the two if the information from the media is compromised it affects the government and sometimes it’s the other way around.

[micmaxene]

“The Value of Being a Media and Information Literate Individual”

Presently, the relevancy of media and information has been a channel for molding us to be better individuals. The value of being a media and information literate individual is all about the ability to take in information and remain somewhat objective to analyze facts and perceive the truth that allows us to interpret and make knowledgeable judgments. Being a media and information literate individual doesn’t only focus on the facts, statistics, or data about the media but rather to learn, to raise the right questions about the information that is being relayed to you.

Being a person who is literate in media and information needs to have a skill in critical thinking which will benefit us from time to time, mainly in terms of giving and collecting information, as we will be able to identify the most false and accurate information in various types of medium that we usually use, especially in media. To be that person, helps us to verify the information and recognize someone’s point of view. It may also give fundamental human rights since we can convey our thoughts and what we feel based on the article of information that is presented.