The Facebook Project

In order to test my dependence on the most popular social networking site, I restricted myself from using Facebook for an entire week. I logged off Saturday the 10th and did not log back on until Saturday the 17th. I found this restriction to be extremely challenging. The most difficult thing for me, was logging onto the internet, and not pressing the Facebook button that was preset on my toolbar. I was so used to my regular routine of checking my account frequently, that is was hard to resist. This made me realize how much I depend on Facebook. I use it subconciously. Whenever my computer is on, I am logged onto Facebook on another window.

Facebook affected my life in several different ways. I felt disconnected from the world. It made me anxious not knowing what pictures people recently uploaded, what comments people have left me, or how many people have been trying to communicate with me. When I finally logged onto facebook after a week, I discovered that I had 63 notifications. My notifications include friend acceptances, picture comments, and wall posts. In one week, I had 63 comments waiting for me. Another way Facebook withdraw affected me was that I no longer had a vice for procrastination. While writing an essay, there was no one who tried to Facebook chat me. Before doing my homework, I did not spend a half an hour procrastinating.

My dependence on Facebook became clear after this experience. I use it more frequently than necessary and I use it when I should be doing other priorities. I believe that avoiding Facebook helped me to focus on schoolwork, but avoiding Facebook negatively affected my communication with all of my friends. The most important thing that I, along with the entire world, needs to apply is that everything is beneficial with moderation. Less Facebook means more effective time spent doing homework and a little Facebook helps you communicate with anyone. :)

How much would you sell your right to vote?

Meredith and I polled ten people around the campus and asked them how much they would sell their right to vote. In other words, how much money would you like to be paid if it meant you could never vote again. We interviewed a diverse variety of people. We asked seven students, three adults, boys, girls, and people of different majors. Some people claimed that they would never sell their right to vote, stating their right is priceless. These people included two students, a lady working at the Pickle, and Gillan Murphy. People who were willing to sell their vote, gave a monetary amount ranging from 0 dollars to 50 million dollars.

The people who refuse to sell their right to vote and the people who put a very high price on their right represent the strength in our community. The community at UNCSA values the democracy our country obtains. The Pickle employee specifically proclaimed that people died in order to gain black rights and if US citizens ignore this right, then that is extremely disrespectful to those who fought.

Dropped One Card

For this lab, CJ and I experimented with trust in our community.
We inconspicuously dropped one of our one cards on the floor, and
 video taped the responses of our fellow schoolmates. As you watch,
 you see a girl pick up the one card, and turn it in to the front desk.
 We were amazed at how fast responses came to the lost card. It
 only took a little over a minute for the girl to pick it up, and on our
 first attempt, someone picked up the one card so fast that we didn’t
 even have time to catch it on film. Our results showed that we
 clearly have trust in our small community of UNCSA.

It's Good to Have Friends!

Since 1985, the average number of close friends an american had dropped from three to two. This decline is a huge deal considering that most features in people’s lives sustain stability from year to year.

There are many potential reasons for this dramatic decrease. For example, the average person is spending much more time in the labor force, shortening time with their family and friends. Families are continuing to grow smaller because of the expenses of having children. They’re moving to the suburbs where there are less potential ties to be made. Also, less people are joining groups and organizations, disabling them to meet people. Even technology is providing a barrier to social capital. When people use cell phones, email, and facebook to communicate, it’s shortening the amount of time they spend with their friends in real life. We have developed many habits over the past years that are disabling us from making close ties.

Friendships are very important, so this decline is inevitably a huge issue. Overall, friends provide benefits for each other. You can confide in them with your issues, and they provide safety nets, offering help with favors. Confidantes give you support. These ties make you much more civically engaged. Without close friends, America is predicted to experience a drastic increase in crime rate, and less generosity. Kids will fail to thrive, and politics will coarsen. Eventually, death will even come sooner.

America needs help in pulling our average number of close friends back up. This will not only be beneficial to the friends, but it will also provide more social capital in communities throughout the U.S.