The Yellow Jacket April 14, 2016 Howard Payne University. Brownwood, TX Volume 106, Issue 10 InsIde Trampled by Technology? We base our happiness on how many ‘likes’ we get on social media thIs Social media easily pres- Morgan Ashmore ents the image of a perfect life through our news feed. Staff Writer We see hundreds of posts edItIon and pictures of edited/fil- tered photos and expect to More than 65 percent of look the same way in reality. Americans are a member of We see people getting en- a social media site. That is gaged, married, having chil- well over half our population. dren, traveling, getting new Social media has become a cars, and we start to compare way of life in our society. It is ourselves to these people. rare to come in contact with We see a post about our a person who is not on social friends out catching up over media. But is it rare to come in lunch and suddenly jealousy contact with a person and con- creeps in as we wonder, “Why verse with them face to face? did I not get invited?” Social Social media has dominat- media puts pressure on peo- ed the way we communicate YJ File Photo ple to present themselves as in the past decade, and sadly, a perfect individual. Sadly, it it dominates self-esteem, con- The use of cellphones – whether to text, email call or take pho- HPU Fest fidence, emotions, and mental tos and videos – often seems to dominate our world. health. Is it fair to let social such a powerful way? Maybe called “social media society” Media → next page Story.................................5 media dominate our lives in Photos...........................6-7 stepping away from our so for a while could be beneficial. Editor-in-Chief Column...2 Losing cellphone service for two days provides peace of mind God’s promises are true. to me that the problem could I hated the sound of the steady I held my breath as he slid Washers & Electricity......3 Lazhay Winn either be the screen – which beeping of it every morning. his finger across the phone Changes are coming re- Staff Writer could easily be fixed – or a I prayed for my phone a lot screen to see if it worked. garding washing machines chip in the phone that had in those two days while I sat It did not. in the dorms and electricity gone out and could not around watching others en- I tried to calm myself and in the Newbury apartments. One second. That’s all it be repaired. He agreed to joying their cellular devices. assure myself that I would took to change my mood meet with me two days lat- “God, please let it be quickly find a replacement. Model UN........................10 from upbeat to panicked. er on Saturday morning. the screen and not the It was very sad, though. The HPU delegation brings “Why is it not working? Two days seemed like an chip,” I repeated often. My little pink phone had more awards home from It was fine a second ago!” eternity to wait to be able Saturday morning, I sent been my constant com- Germany than any univer- I kept thinking as I tried to to use my phone again. Life up one last long prayer that panion for three years. Al- sity slide open the lock screen of went on as usual, except for the damage was repairable ways glued to my right New Face........................12 my pink iPhone 5c. It was the fact that I got a little teary- and met with Zaccardo. After hand. Now it would not be. HPU freshman outfielder not responding at all. The de- eyed every time I saw some- sharing our greetings, he got After thanking Zaccardo Cliff Lunceford is making a vice that had my whole life one smiling down at their straight to work on checking for his help and talking to strong first impression. inside it was not responding. phone or laughing at a funny my screen. He took the phone him about places to find a I borrowed my friend’s video that had been posted apart screw by little screw good deal on a new phone, I Behind the Smile...........13 phone and quickly called my to Snapchat or Instagram. and put a screen from a dif- went on with my weekend. Behind her always-present regular phone screen repair- The fact that I had to use ferent 5c device. After more By Thursday of the next smile, Krystal Moreno has man, Anthony Zaccardo. Af- an actual alarm clock was tinkering, he turned my phone been battling cancer. not any better. I could not re- on to test it out. I sent up a ter hysterically going into Cellphones→ next page detail with him about what member the last time that I’d million more tiny prayers that had happened, he explained used one before this tragedy. my phone would work again. Continued from Page 1 P AGE 1 JUMPS APRIL 14, 2016 From Page 1: evaluate our happiness on the phones, forgetting about the because they could not pay likes and validation of others. company sitting right in front attention to them. The only Media I want to remember what of them. It is rare to see cou- time parents would stop to it felt like before social me- ples conversing face to face give their child attention is has the power to effect one’s dia, to take a picture simply over dinner without pull- when they wanted to take emotions by how many likes because it was a beautiful ing out their mobile devices. a picture to post on social are presented on a screen. moment in life and knowing Ann Smarty, community media. Social media has be- In some ways, it is human that absolutely no one would manager at Internet Market- come an addiction to most nature for people to seek the see it but me. I want to ex- ing Ninjas, states, “But not people and once we let it take validation of others, but it perience the validation of a all consequences of this tech- over our communication, is obvious that social me- moment or emotion being nology are good ones. Like we let it control our lives. dia takes it a step too far. significant to me and no one the way it has allowed us to With all of that being said, We often find ourselves else. Social media has cre- hide behind screens and lim- social media has many good taking pictures or construct- ated a sense of self-loathing ited our social interaction face aspects and is used posi- ing posts simply for the likes rather than self-confidence. to face. You get the feeling tively by many people, but of others and not for our own Social media has changed of being social without hav- it is also being abused by happiness. We feel an urge the way we communicate ing to go out and socialize.” millions of people. As a so- of emotion about something mental health because you are verbally because we simply Last summer, I worked a ciety, we can start to better and quickly take to Facebook no longer focusing on making don’t anymore. Anytime I go water park and it was unbe- our communication skills and or Instagram to post about it. yourself happy. We start to to a restaurant, I see people lievable to see the amount of happiness by stepping away This is highly detrimental to mindlessly scrolling on their parents losing their children from the screen for a while. From Page 1: slid my lock screen open. their iPhones and Galaxies. It had actually worked. After this experience, I Cellphones I quickly put my code in on realized that I can actually my phone and sent up a long have a good time without my week, I’d gotten used to thank you to God. I posted phone always being in reach. not having a phone constantly to Snapchat that my phone We should not spend so drawing my attention from was back working, texted much time on our cellular de- everything going on around people back and laughed at vices. For at least an hour a me. Also, I had more time funny videos that I’d been day, we should put our phones to think and enjoy reading a tagged in on Instagram. aside and read a good book or good book – which I had not By the next morning, after catch up with friends or even done in years. I was not wor- getting quite a bit of messag- go for a walk to clear our heads. ried about who had posted es about drama going on be- Such a small rectangular what on Snapchat or who tween a few friends, I actually device should not have such had liked a picture on Insta- wished that my phone was a big hold on us. It seems as gram. I had a peace of mind. not working again so I could if we have willingly let these Besides not having my enjoy more peace of mind. tiny computers take over our personal choice of music to It was also nice speaking lives and they now control us. listen to while working out, with people and not continu- Now that I think back, I not being able to speak with ously looking down at my cannot believe that I reacted my family constantly and phone and getting distracted to the loss of my phone as if having a hard time keep- from what was being said.