S - Social Media

Talking about Social Media is quite a large topic. I mean there are good and bad points to this widely used form of communication so it's impossible to cover all the points, however I think speaking about the problems surrounding going online is an important topic to talk about.

When I was 11/12 social media was still up and coming, Bebo was still quite popular and it was only when I was becoming a teenager that Facebook took over. Skip to a few years later and twitter was all the range - I can remember creating a twitter account back in 2010 and barely using it for the first year. I was the generation where more and more social media sites were created and slowly became more popular. It's strange seeing all the kids now walking around with their iPhones when they can't be more than 10 years old - at that age I had my sisters old Sendo phone which only form of entertainment was the snake game where you had to gather the grey squares to make the snake longer - that use to keep me entertained for hours.

I think one of the main problems with social media now is the lack of in-person conversation - everyone's guilty of it - I know I definitely am. It's so difficult to stay off your phone even for 10 minutes, I'm ashamed to admit I spend way too much time staring down at my phone when I should be watching where I'm going or when me and my family are out for coffee; I have to constantly remind myself to leave my phone alone and actually make conversation with them or to take in my surroundings - because once I actually do it's so much better than scrolling through instagram or twitter which I can do at home. It's just such a difficult habit to get out of, being on your phone is addictive, however I don't think it could ever replace actual face to face conversation no matter what technology is developed there's nothing like spending time with friends and family and making actual memories with them.

Another issue is privacy, since social media has become more popular around 62% of teens have admitted to having been sent nasty messages via social media, with 37% reporting cyberbullying on a frequent basis. This has increased greatly over the past few years, because it's so easy to send anonymous messages and it's so much harder for the victims to avoid it. It's also much more difficult to report than physical bullying - because although it has the same impact on the person, in-person bullying can be reported to a teacher or parent and action can be taken to prevent it continuing but with cyberbullying it's so much more difficult to stop a person accessing their social media account and sending the messages. 52% of people have never reported the online abuse they've received - and 26% of the teens that did, felt like nothing was done about it. A lot of teens don't even know how to report someone if they are sending abuse - this is because social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter don't make the buttons obvious enough - yes it's easy enough it block someone but how do you actually fill out a form and officially report it? I don't think I even know the answer to that. So I did some research and Here is a website with all the links to report someone for most social media sites. If someone is bullying you, or have just sent you one or two nasty comments please report them. I know it's really difficult to do, but I promise, the first step is always the hardest, and sometimes writing it out to begin with is easier than speaking about it.

I know there are many more problems with social media, but these are just two of the main issues that I really felt needed covering, especially because these two issues are just getting worse as time goes on. This movie on cyberbullying really brings into perspective the dangers of social media and the impact it can have on a person. It covers the majority of the main issues related to cyber bullying and I think it's an important film to watch.

"What happens on social media, stays on google forever"

Until tomorrow,

Alice x

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G - Going to University

Moving to University in September is going to be a big step for me. Leaving home, moving to a brand new place, meeting brand new people. However, as my moving date gets closer, I'm getting more and more excited about moving. Of course I'm nervous as well. I know I'm going to get horrifically home sick and miss my parents to no end, but I also know the move will be good for me. I've always been really close to my family, so I know becoming a bit more independent will be a good step for me. It'll make me grow up and I know living alone will really teach me to look after myself properly.

My mum has been teaching me to cook and clean for myself, over the course of this year. Starting with homemade recipes she normally cooks for me and my family on a weekday, I've learnt Spaghetti Bolognese, Salmon, Chicken Wrapped In Bacon and also how to cook New Potatoes and vegetables, so I can eat healthily with recipes that aren't too difficult to learn. My sister has also been teaching me how to do the washing so I won't take look at a machine when I get to Uni and end up putting my clothes on the wrong wash (which would've happened this time last year). Because I've had time to learn all these small things which will make my life easier in September, I'm actually glad I got the chance to take a gap year. I now realise I wasn't at all ready to go to uni last year, I wasn't prepared in terms of looking after myself and I definitely wasn't ready to leave home. So taking the year out to save some money, and spend time with my family has really helped me become more excited for uni rather than terrified.

I've already joined a couple of facebook groups for my university. I thought getting a head start on finding people from my course and talking to people going to the same uni as me - whether I'll actually bump into them when we get there or not - just talking to a few people that will be starting at the same time as me has already made me feel a bit more confident in meeting new people once I arrive.

I think going to my acting auditions last year has also given me an advantage over most people moving to uni. When we were at our auditions everyone was talking to each and being friendly, nobody new each other, but we were all in the same situation. We could sit in silence not talking and make the day really boring and un-enjoyable, or we could talk, have a laugh, get to know each other and make the experience fun. After only a few hours at each audition, I even came out with a couple of friends who I even keep in contact with on the odd occasion now. It just goes to show how quickly and easy it is to meet and bond with new people. On the first day of uni, it's not like you're the new kid in a class full of old students, you're all in the same boat with the fact nobody knows who anyone else is. So I know when I first meet my room mates or my course mates I just need to be confident in talking to new people, being friendly and being myself.

If you have any advice for moving to uni let me know in the comments!

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so difficult"

Until tomorrow,

Alice x

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