Media warms our hearts

Using the media is a good way to spread the word of what amazing people we have in this world and their stories. If you’re a Facebook fanatic then you have probably watched tons of videos that share the story of an individual that has touched your heart. This one has recently touched mine.

It is the love story of Samantha Dilberian and Staff Sgt. Chris St. Onge. St. Onge and Samantha’s brother Bryan served in Afghanistan. When they were in a routine patrol in July of 2011, there was an unexpected explosion. Bryan was injured resulting in the loss of both of his legs and his left arm and Chris was there to stop the bleeding and get him to a hospital.

St. Onge continually checked up on Bryan through emails with his sister Samantha. They emailed and talked on the phone for over 8 months before they finally got to meet. St. Onge stated that, "I think we both knew, we just didn't know how to express it to each other”. Not long after meeting for the first time, they were engaged and entered in a contest for the third annual “Mission I Do” Dream Wedding Giveaway which awarded the winner a check for $30,000 and an all-inclusive wedding at a venue at Old McMickey’s farm. The owner says “he's so grateful for all that service men and women do, so he enjoys helping them celebrate the biggest day of their lives”.

Chris and Samantha won the giveaway and had an incredbly beautiful wedding with Brian serving as the best man. This just comes to show that what goes around does come back around and Chris risking his life for us daily and saving his now brother-in-law’s life really has paid off.

These heroes deserve to have their story told and social media is the perfect way to share it.

http://news.yahoo.com/soldier-marries-sister-man-saved-181516461.html

Media Alters our Political Decisions

With the upcoming presidential election this year, minds across the country are racing to decide who will be best in office this November. Some younger voters pick sides based on how their parents think or don't acknowledge any political sides at all. However, most of our nation is fed their views based on what they see in the media. While it could be a good way to gain information about our candidates, the media can also be incredibly biased and can alter many peoples' decisions.

Unfortunately, it is not likely in this country that every news source will give the same information and show the exact same bits of presidential debates and such. To my knowledge, there is not a single news source that can speak of a election based topic without hinting towards their opinion.

In an article on journalism.org, our most popular news sources are separated and explained based off of their views. Fox news is known as a more conservative based source, while CNN is the ultimate liberal source. According to the article, 47% of conservatives listened to fox news as their main news source. Other conservatives tuned into local radio stations, local television, and yahoo news. Liberals, on the other hand, focused on CNN, MSNBC, NPR, and the NY times.

However, news sources aren't the only mediums of politics. Social media is now playing a huge role in helping people make decisions as well. When one uses a site such as Facebook to share their political views, everyone they are friends with have to see it. Comparing this to news sources, you only see stories on Fox or CNN if you choose to turn it on.

One big issue with the "Facebook politicians" is that it is an easy way to share false information. Across the internet, there are hundreds of websites that claim they are credible and true when in fact they are not. Every time I log into Facebook, i see a false article about "All Taco Bells closing down" or "Justin Bieber dying" for the tenth time. And because Facebook users see it comes from a website with the word "news" in it, they believe it is true. With the election coming up, these false news websites are sending out tons of distorted posts about our potential presidents,

Because of this, people who are relying on social media to learn about the candidates will vote differently compared to those who watch or read traditional news. Furthermore, it is also possible that people who watch Fox news may vote differently then those who watch CNN. Where you get your knowledge from has a huge impact on decisions you make.

http://www.journalism.org/2014/10/21/section-1-media-sources-distinct-favorites-emerge-on-the-left-and-right/

Media Corrupts our Relationships

The major affect media has on our lives too often goes unnoticed. Social media runs lives, and nobody likes to admit it. Social media allows you to see every aspect of one's life. 

Their body. 

Their home.

Their relationships.

It allows you to see everything.

Social media has corrupted good relationships because we live in a generation that assumes when things are not posted about your significant other, it means they don't want you. The issues of not texting someone back in a certain amount of time, or going to dinner and having your eyes glued a phone rather than your partner has become the new norm in our society. Our generation is now finding out information about their new friends or crushes by stalking their Instagram, Tinder, or Facebook vs. actually sitting down and getting to know somebody.

In an article on Time.com, former Americas Next Top Model contestant Kim stolz speaks up about the issue of social media/phone addictions and the negative impact it has on relationships. She believes it's such a big deal that she even wrote a book about the subject. In a survey she released, she discovered that 10% of people admitted to checking their phones during sex- the most intimate time in someones relationship. In another study she mentions in her book, she "found college students are 40% less empathetic than they were 30 years ago, thanks to on-screen interactions that make it easier to say mean things and act before considering the consequences of our actions." This certainly doesn't help the issue of digital breakups, which is a whole other subject to touch on. 

Photographer Eric Pickersgill also has a problem with the addictions of technology. In a documentary he released, he shows the eroding of personal relationships due to electronic devices. He took several pictures of people with their family, friends, or significant others, and removed the phones from their hands to show the problem. 

Social media allows people the gateway to never have to share feelings face to face because they can do it all online. Our lives have become consumed in the media without us even realizing. Let's face it, the world revolves around the media and it will only continue to become more reliant on it. Does media have a positive effect on us? Of course. It also has a huge negative effect as well. We've lost the value of conversation, and small talk is the new deep. Between what is said and not meant, and what is meant but not said, most of conversation is lost through the deep dark wires of electronic communication.

See the article here: http://time.com/2917916/kim-stolz-how-social-media-is-ruining-our-relationships/

See Pickersgill full documentary here: https://vimeo.com/113723654

Media Affects Our Self Esteem

In today's society, everyone is concerned with their idea of self image. In young teenage women especially, the thought of having to take the perfect selfie to get a lot of likes on Instagram is more of a priority than things that actually matter, such as school or real life relationships. The main reason it has become such a high factor in our culture is because of the media.

In an article on the Huffington Post, self esteem expert Jess Weiner sheds light on how the media portrays confidence in women in a negative way. Throughout all types of media, confidence isn't shown or isn't acceptable until a person looks the way they want to, or have accomplished a goal of some sort. However, this is not the way it should be perceived. To properly sum confidence up, Weiner says "Confidence is not a destination in life, but a journey of how you get there".

If you turn on the TV, you can't get through a full commercial break without seeing an advertisement for a weight loss product, make up, or hair product. This is because these things are starting to consume our world. In many reality shows or sitcoms, they also put such an emphasis on the women or men having to have "the look" to find a partner or to be considered "cool".Instead of being praised or accepted, people who don't have the right body, or a certain amount of money, or socialize with the right people are actually shamed in all types of media. People search for confidence through the acceptance of others rather than the acceptance of themselves. Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are also huge sources to this self esteem issue. As young people scroll through these social media feeds, they begin to compare themselves to their friends and acquaintances.

The article explains how confidence after reaching a goal should not be the only time one feels good about themself. However, it is about self discovery and acceptance for who you are. And until this is set in our generations minds, the low self esteem hole will just keep growing deeper and deeper.

See the article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/confident-women-media_us_565f0a43e4b08e945fed8252?utm_hp_ref=body-image