Take it From Me: The Reality of Toxic Socials

By: Jolie Femia

Every day, I find myself stuck on social media. A quick browse turns into a dark hole of perfect influencers, and their alluring lives. Only after do I remind myself that the viral world is curated, and ultimately not real life. A healthcare organization, Florida House conducted a random survey of men and women finding that 50% of women and 37% of men compare themselves “unfavorably” to people they see on social media. This type of survey demonstrates the toll this content exposure has on self-image. I am measuring myself against people I have never met, admiring photoshop images and comparing my life to unrealistic standards! In 2022, an EarthWeb survey showed the average internet user spends 2 hours and 30 minutes daily on social media, which I am sure we have all seen on our screen time reports once or twice. It is a harsh reality that Instagram, TikTok, Facebook…etc., can begin to dictate our relationship with our bodies, overall self-image, and even our food choices. 

I think about our parents and grandparents time, before anyone was able to keep track of hundreds of other people's lives, and honestly, I am jealous. I am caught between deleting all of my social media accounts or curating my own socials to meet the status quo. Neither extreme is the right answer. The truth is the internet is a fake world, made by us. No one looks like their Instagram pictures at the grocery store. No one’s house is THAT perfect and clean 24/7. No one eats clean every single day. Who realistically goes on that many vacations....So here's what we should be reminding ourselves!

1. Be present every day! When you admire the fall scenery or the beautiful sunsets in Amherst, instead of pulling your phone out right away to show everyone on the gram, stop, take a deep breath and enjoy the view for a few seconds first!

2. Recognize when you are comparing your life to another online persona, remind yourself, it isn’t real life, and beautiful pictures are only beautiful pictures. Look around…how many models are at Trader Joes;)

3.  Set a goal for yourself to limit social media screen time! If you are like me and you fall into the dark hole of endless scrolling, you know that it can go on forever. Distract yourself with music, a book, a new series on Netflix, or even good old socializing. 

4. Unfollow! I know it may seem silly, but your algorithm is watching. Prevent yourself from seeing posts that trigger negative thoughts. It is a great first step to cleansing your socials. 

So next time your scrolling becomes endless, remember you aren’t alone. We are all human! We should all try your best to value our real world, more than our online world!

Here are some resources: 

How to Deal with Negativity in Social Media - Make Me Better

How to deal with the negative effects of social media - Headspace

Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health? | Bailey Parnell | TEDxRyersonU - Bing video

Sources:

Wise, Jason. “How Many People Use Social Media in 2022? (Daily & Worldwide Stats).” EarthWeb, 24 Sept. 2022, https://earthweb.com/how-many-people-use-social-media/. 

“Link between Social Media & Body Image.” King University Online, 9 Oct. 2019, https://online.king.edu/news/social-media-and-body-image/#:~:text=The%20survey%20included%201%2C000%20men%20and%20women%20and,and%2037%25%20of%20men%20compare%20their%20bodies%20unfavorably. 

“The Impact of Social Media on Body Image, Eating, and Health.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 8 Feb. 2022, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/experimentations/202202/the-impact-social-media-body-image-eating-and-health. 

Take it From Me: Career Addition

By: Jolie Femia

As a young hopeful college student, I have sought every opportunity to improve my resume, or get the next job to prepare for the future. This led me to feelings of overwhelming doom and pressure that I must accept every academic and professional opportunity that came my way. I used to think there is a linear path I must take to get to the next step in my future career. I convinced myself there is a rule book, and list of prerequisites for the end goal to being successful and finding a job that is self-fulfilling. Everyone is different but for me, that future was law school. A turning point in my path happened last year, when I met with a pre-law advisor, and after she asked why I was there, I remember saying “so basically what should I be doing right now, to prepare for law school?”. I expected to be given a rigorous timeline with set steps, resume builders and internships, yet to my surprise the advisor said, “you should be doing things that make you happy”. I remember being shocked. I’d never heard such informal career advice, but it has stuck with me to this day.  Every time I overwhelm myself with the thought of what I “should '' be doing, or comparing myself to what others are achieving, I forget the most important question we should be asking ourselves and that is what do I “want” to be doing. We, as ambitious college students, should be doing more of what brings self-fulfillment and less of what brings external validation. Career discovery is about the connections you make, and the exploration of your own ideas. Those things do not need to have pressure attached to them. We are all on a different path, with different passions and therefore have different priorities. It is up to us! Success is not self-destructive. We can make decisions that bring happiness and help us reach our goals!

The Online Shopping Trap

By: Ayesha Devani

With developments in technology alongside an increase in convenience, online shopping is more popular than ever. The Covid-19 pandemic only encouraged the same. Amazon, eBay, and the clothing brand Shein are a few of the many popular companies that operate online. However, with an increase in access to resources, brands are beginning to provide their services in-store and online. Clothing brand Zara, for instance, has broken growth records with its online presence. From a consumption point of view, online shopping has various drawbacks that are rarely revealed to consumers. This, of course, is hidden from us to promote the brand and aid its profitability. This article uses personal examples alongside references to the biggest brands in the business.

Due to my personal bias towards online shopping, I believe I have explored various brands and the services they provide. This is particularly directed at clothing stores since online clothing stores have truly revolutionized the way people shop. People, in specific, refer to teenagers since our age group is more vulnerable to marketing on social media. As online shoppers not only are we deprived of an unbiased quality check, but we are also deprived of being able to evaluate our purchase. In terms of clothing, this often leads to a lack of understanding of sizing, texture, measurements, and many others. Due to advancements in technology, online shopping websites now allow us to view sizing, insert our own measurements, and identify the perfect fit for us. However, due to how diverse our bodies and choices, it is extremely rare that these perfect fits are indeed perfect. 

A huge aspect of online shopping is heavily dependent on personal preferences. However, there are other aspects of online shopping that work to manipulate consumers. Fabletics, a recently growing sports brands company, has expanded its marketing to social media. Amongst the many others targeted, the first time I heard of the brand was through an Instagram advertisement. Instantly attracted by the “Shop 80% off,” I chose to visit the website. After adding a few pieces into my bag, I was taken to a page that asked me to join a VIP club to claim the discount. One aspect of the VIP deal that the brand failed to communicate explicitly is that the account would be charged $40 each month in order to remain a part of the club. This, a personal example, is the smallest example of how brands market their products with discounts allowing consumers to believe that they are the ones at gain. AliExpress, another recently growing brand, is often found to be controversial. Its legitimacy is one that’s at question. Its cheap prices have always attracted a rather large pool of consumers. The cheap prices, however, often result in poor-quality merchandise. The Chinese marketplace is a third-party platform and hence, lacks control over important aspects like delivery and shipping time.

With an increase in controversy alongside an increase in access to resources, online shopping brands have adapted and now allow us to access the best of the products. However, this increase in technology alongside the increase in online marketing allows them to target us and present deals that are only attractive at first. This is exactly why online shopping is a trap.

Resources:

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/safe-shop-aliexpress/

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjZ4NWQ77L3AhVNUt8KHZo6CycQFnoECAQQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.yournextshoes.com%2Ffabletics-awesome-scam%2F&usg=AOvVaw1uyC3Y3tm3X95CTuhpZMwC

Building Your Own Unique Path in Your Life

By: Sravani Kaza

Everyone in society strives to achieve overall happiness and satisfaction in their lives. As individuals, we are taught from a young age about what living a successful life means. Younger children are often asked the question of what they want to be when they grow up, and kids generally answer with out of the box professions such as an astronaut or a princess. Adults usually chuckle at these responses because they know that these professions are not realistic in the long run. As we grow older, we are taught that success can only be measured based on the job you have, how much income you earn, what house you live in, and what kind of car you drive. The career paths that are generally viewed as successful are the traditional ones such as business, medicine and healthcare, computer science, engineering, and law along with a few more. These occupations are usually seen as successful because they are prestigious and also come with a decent paycheck. However, there is so much more to life than merely looking at the definition and idea of success on a superficial level.

Growing up, my parents have always stressed the importance of education and landing a successful career when I grow up. Thus, every single thing that I did and everything I took part in during high school was driven by the advice that my parents had instilled in me. I didn’t really think to question it or try to create my own definition of success and happiness. The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic encouraged me to view the idea of life differently than I had before and forced me to create my own idea of what I want out of my life. There are very few people in my life who fall outside of the traditional, stereotypical path when it comes to choosing a career. However, those are the people that I am most inspired and motivated by because it takes an immense amount of bravery and courage to step up and do something differently than the rest of the world. For example, one of my best friends is an artist and she always has been ever since she was a little girl. Art has always been her passion for as long as I can remember and she decided to major in graphic design in college. She chose to build her own path in her life rather than following the crowd and choosing a major based on what she was supposed to choose or based on what others wanted her to choose. She knew what she wanted out of her life so she chose to go after her dreams and ambitions. 

It can be very difficult to live your life according to your own terms and to not care about what others in your life think and what they want for you as we are constantly surrounded by people in our daily lives. It is important to take in everything from your surroundings and use that in order to find your true passion and what you want out of your life. After all, you are the one that will be living your life and not anyone else so it is crucial to act according to what will truly make you genuinely happy and not based on making others happy. If you follow your dreams, they will eventually take you where you are meant and destined to be.   

Now, I try my best to live my life based on this newfound wisdom and outlook on life. I realized that being happy in life is all that matters in the long run and that everything else will eventually fall into place. Creating a life that you love and one that you are satisfied, happy, and content with is the only thing that matters at the end of the day. Whether you are an artistic visionary, an entrepreneur, an engineer, a musician, an athlete, or one of the many other possibilities out there, make sure that you stay true to who you are and to your individual ambitions in life. Don’t let other people’s metrics and measures of success become your own. Design a life that you love and live that life to the absolute fullest. Ultimately, pave your own unique path in your life and you will be happy and content.  

Staying Focused and Motivated During Spring Finals

By: Lily Elkhay

For many of us, this is our first complete spring semester here at UMass in person. Like many, I am itching for this semester to be over to begin enjoying the nice weather and free time with friends and family. Staying motivated and focused on getting work done has become more and more difficult, as the excitement of summer grows closer. However, as the semester wraps up and finals creep up, it is important to stay in the moment and focused on schoolwork. While summer may be much more exciting than finals, I promise vacation is not going anywhere, so it is important to look at the present for the next couple of weeks. Especially for many classes, these last assignments and exams are the ones weighed most heavily for the final grade.

One of my favorite ways to stay organized during finals that I begin doing my first semester of college, back in Fall 2019, is using the sticky note feature to display reminders on my desktop. Specifically, on the sticky note, I list all my classes and make bullets under each one of the remaining assignments and exams, along with their due dates. Seeing all my assignments makes me feel less overwhelmed because at this point in the semester there are only a few bullets under each class. It also does not let me forget an assignment or its due date, as I am constantly on my laptop for school. As a bonus, deleting a bullet after completing and submitting an assignment is a weight off my shoulders each time, as I can visually see the sticky note get shorter and shorter. 

It is extremely easy to feel burnt out after hours in the library. Remember to take frequent breaks to avoid feeling burnt out and get fresh air. Make mini-goals and spread your assignments and studying over several days, instead of cramming at the last minute to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Especially as the semester wraps up, I find looking at my sticky note that many of the assignments are due on or around the same date. Instead of cramming everything for the night before, scheduling blocks of time to work on assignments for the days leading up to the due dates will help reduce feeling overwhelmed. Also, not procrastinating is always worth it in the end when you are able to sleep soundly the night before an exam. Another studying tip I have for finals is making incentives. Telling yourself you can treat yourself to a smoothie at the Isenberg café, or whatever treat to make your day a little brighter, after studying one more chapter of the essay material or after writing one more paper toward your essay is always a great incentive to stay focused and give yourself something to look forward to. It can be used as a motivator to help begin sitting down to focus on work. That being said, it is also a great idea to fuel your body with snacks during studying sessions to support and energize your cognitive function!

It is important to take extra time to care for yourself during finals. As the weather warms up, I love spending time outside and going on walks by myself with a good playlist to clear my head from the stress of upcoming assignments and exams. Thinking about the huge assignments and exams that could possibly define your final grade can be incredibly stressful. Finding healthy ways to release stress is extremely important, whether that be taking a peaceful walk, taking a long and hot shower, hitting the gym, having your favorite carton of Ben & Jerrys, or streaming a movie on Netflix. Taking finals season day by day, with relaxation in between, will help you ace your assignments.