*Madi Is Just Tryna Be Different*

     As of April 9th, 2019, my daily average screen time was about 6 hours and 43 minutes. I am now at an average of 6 hours and 9 minutes a day. Although this is only a 34 minute difference, I can say that I have tried to limit the use of my phone. I do almost everything on my computer and phone. Whether it is homework, talking with someone, or watching television.      Media has caused me to loose sleep, because I get too distracted and I end up watching 2 hours of Youtube instead of doing an assignment. I think that media is toxic. Before I had a phone, when I finished my homework I would go directly to sleep. Now, I unwind by checking through my phone. I have no set time for myself to sleep, so whenever I do, it is always pretty late.      I think that media is mostly for those who have self control about how much time they spend on social media before it is time to stop. Media really challenges self control because it is there for you until you decide that you do not want to par

     We have all had a moment where we were talking about a product that we were interested in, and all of a sudden our social media platforms are plastered in advertisements for that specific product. I find is scary for them to know what I want if i did not directly look it up myself.      Companies know so much about each one of their consumers. They track the videos, websites, and the things we buy. They gather information from everywhere so that companies can put out a specific advertisements on your timeline. It's kind of crazy to me how these companies think that they know what kinds of things that I like. Then again, they are looking at every post that we make online, so they must know best.      Some companies sell their consumers information to other companies. Most of the time, the companies will mine their own data. We all agreed to those long terms and conditions that nobody ever reads that allows the companies to sell our information.      I think that data mining

     This week we watched MissRepresentation in class. This made me think about how many companies photoshop women to have unrealistic bodies and faces. Making it seem like the model actually looks like the touched up image, causes women to have eating disorders and hate themselves for not being "pretty".      Scrolling through the internet, I have come across many alarming before and after photos. Companies like CVS, Ralph Lauren, and L'oreal have come under fire for smoothing out wrinkles, cinching waist lines, and reconstructing their faces. Here is a of picture that especially drew my attention.                       photoshopped       non photoshopped                             They edited this photo to the extreme. I am not sure if Ralph Lauren has ever put out an apology for this magazine cover. It makes me sick to look at the photo and think that someone thinks that having that body is ideal.      Today, many influencers are very open about how they use ap

     I went to the water store with my dad to get water for his fish tank. The storekeeper's son was playing games on his phone behind the counter. We went up to pay for the gallons of water, and all of a sudden, the child says "what the f**k". He was probably 7-8 years old. I thought to myself, what has technology done to children? I also thought where did he learn that?      As the years pass by, more and more parents are buying phones. Those parents are probably relying on the technology to keep their kids entertained, so that they don't have to deal with them, similarly to how parents give their teens spending money to make their kids feel happy. Anyways, why would a child need their own phone?      Many children who have a phone are not disciplined enough to own one. Before kids had their own phone, there is no doubt that they have used their parents. When their parents lends their phone to their child, the child most likely will cry or beg for more play time

     A midriff is a girl who acts older than she is, and also is consumed with her appearance and sex. The perfect example of a midriff is all of the girls in the show Beverly Hills, 90210. The character Naomi Clark is a teenager who always parties, and chases after boys and drama in her school. She even has to go to summer due to her constant partying. 90210 Cast      When teenage girls watch this television show, they get the wrong idea of what high school is supposed to be like. There are girls who will mimic the actions of what they see on television and it causes them to confuse reality with fiction. The Midriff is always the most cool or popular person on their show. Girls who are insecure will most likely follow the characters actions because if the character looks cool doing something, they would do anything to be just like them. Teens always want to fit in, wether it is the way they act or the things they own. The midriff definitely has an impact on the teenagers because

     I was scrolling through my youtube page this morning, and I found this live stream of a subscriber counter for James Charles and Tati. Some drama happened between the two, as many are aware. Tati was one of James' first friends that he made 3 years ago, when he moved to LA and started his career as a makeup artists. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM3kcTeuTbY      James Charles is said to be a sexual predator, who would go after straight men and try to change their sexuality for his pleasure. He would also prey on younger teens. I think that this is disgusting to do, especially when you use your fame as something to hold over the other person's head. It is good that someone caught James lacking, or spoke up about it. People like James are manipulators and do not deserve fame no matter how talented they are, because they use their fame as an excuse the justify their behavior.  To me, this is the perfect example of someone who lets fame get to their head.      I thin

     After watching "The Merchants of Cool", I thought of Brandy Melville. Brandy Melville is a popular clothing brand that many teenagers have been obsessed with for the past 3 to 5 years. Their clothing is labeled as "one size fits all" but, their clothes are not made for certain body types.      Brandy creates the need for affiliation because if you can fit into their clothing, then you are considered cool. I find it amazing that Brandy has never advertised themselves, yet they are one of the most well known brands. I personally think that many people wear Brandy just because they are trying to fit in with everyone. I do think that they have cute clothes, but it does get tiring to see 5 girls wearing the same outfit everyday.      I think that people only shop at Brandy for the tag. If they sold the same clothing pieces at Forever 21 or Tillys, people would rather buy Brandy because it is "better quality". In Arden Mall and Roseville Galleria Mall, Br

     In the past year, vaping has become a big problem amongst teens. Whether they are doing it for stress relief, or have fallen under peer pressure, it comes with major health risks. Many teenagers go through many pods of e-liquids containing an alarming amount of nicotine in them.      I was reminded of the issue of teens vaping when I saw this poster at the gas station last weekend.     The poster says "ask now to get $10 off Juul.com today"     I think that because most of our youths are vaping, our future does not look very good. Many teens start smoking before they even have had a cigarette. e-cigarettes were made for adults trying to recover from previous addiction.       The companies such as Juul produce E-liquids in appealing flavors to kids such as mango, cucumber, fruit, creme, and mint. On top of their "yummy" flavors, these products become highly addictive. Recently, the FDA cracked down on the sale of Juuls at gas stations, where minors c

     On Instagram and many other social media platforms, there are paid promotions for products everywhere. In my opinion, this is a good way for brands to target audiences because the marketers know that is someone like Kylie Jenner or someone with a large following is using Sugar Bear Hair or Flat Tummy Tea, then their fans will want to buy the product and try it out for themselves.      I find it ridiculous how these celebrities can make anywhere from $10,000-$250,000 per post depending on their following. With the continuous use of product placement, it is hard for us to tell if the influencers are in it for the money, or if they truly like the product.     A few years ago, Instagram added a feature where ads will pop up after every 10 posts you scroll through. They have slyly placed ads in our feeds thinking that we do not notice them. It is annoying to me because I am not interested in the products that they are showing me. They make it so that you cannot unfollow the people po