Is My Smartphone Hurting Me?

Twenge thinks that smartphones are ruining children's lives. She talks about cell phone addiction and the mental health issues that correlate with it. Twenge also talks about how newer generations are almost forced into addiction “We didn’t have a choice to know any life without iPads or iPhones. I think we like our phones more than we like actual people". Twenge also discusses how smartphone scan lead to loneliness, and less interaction. Twenge writes a very opinionated piece and uses a lot of studies to back up her points. Cavanagh argues that the kids will be fine. She writes in a educational manner, and describes why Twenge's article lacks authenticity. Cavanagh states that all of the studies show similar outcomes, and were picked by Twenge, proving that Twenge's article isn't based off of proper research or studies. Both can agree that overuse of smartphones are not healthy for children and teens, however, they disagree on the long term affects cell phones may cause. 

I first got my cellphone when I was eleven. My parents got it for me because I had a very busy dance schedule and often had to get rides from friends. They thought it was important for me to be able to communicate with them. Having a phone was a new found freedom. I was able to FaceTime, text, and watch YouTube videos. At the time I was not to addicted to my phone since I was busy with school and sports. However, when covid happened di became really addicted to my phone. It was the only way I could communicate with my friends. Since I was stuck in the house with nothing to do I often found myself scrolling on til Tok for hours. My average screen time during covid was about six hours a day. Post covid I have definitely gotten better about limiting my screen time however, I still struggle with putting my phone away once I am on it. I think If I had to give up my phone for a day, it would definitely be a weird adjustment. I think we all use our phones a lot more than we realize. I would need to find better ways to entertain myself. I think that it would be a good challenge, and I am going to try it this weekend!

I think that the lesson is that everything is fine in moderation. Cell phones are definitely not going away anytime soon, and so we must learn to limit our screen time and find hobbies and socialization outside of a screen. The use of data in an argument helps to validate your point, especially if your data is from a credible source. I think that incorporating outside data is important, because things like visuals and statistics help make your points easier for the reader to understand. 

Deep Dive into the Next Subject

Brainstorming:  

Things I want

• new white sneakers 
• a vacation to the south of France  
• to be done with school  
• a lot of money 
• a nice house with a pool 
• a new phone 
• another dog 
• free college 
• banana bread 
• to be a good cook 

The Jury is Still Out

• my sleep schedule 
• my job 
• the way Tammy cuts my hair 
• my taste in movies 
• my taste in music 
• my family 

My Media and My Obsessions

• Only Murders in the Building 
• Tik Tok 
• Desperate Housewives 
• The Last Mrs.Parish 
• Justin Bieber 
• Miley Cyrus 
• Slither io 
• Subway Surfers 

Things That Bother Me:

• Chipped nails 
• People who constantly make noise 
• People pleasing 
• My brother 
• School work 
• Doing my chores 
• Driving somewhere you don't want to go 
• People who cough or sneeze right next to you 
• When people let the door slam in your face
• People who chew with their mouth open 
• When people have crumbs on their face
• Being thirsty 
• Being hungry and not having the food you want 

Compare & Contrast:

    If Desperate Housewives taught me anything its that he days of the classic suburban housewife is over. One may argue that Desperate Housewives is a stupid show. Don't get me wrong it is, but it is so addicting to watch. Some tragic event always happening, manipulative people playing devious tricks to get their way. It is never boring. Four main characters with four different stylings, each one more dramatic than the other. The drama is pretty stupid and very unrealistic. The secrets Wisteria Lane holds can engulf some into five episode binges, while making others want to turn it off within five minutes. Both sides can easily be argued. 

    Wisteria Lane appears to showcase a simple suburban life, however it residents are very unexpected, and problematic. Several house fires, multiple deaths, messy divorces, a plan crash, several hostage crises, surprise children and affairs, yet no one seems to have any sort of anxiety or PTSD. Despite it being unrealistic all of the drama provides great entertainment. It is not a show you can casually watch, if you miss even five minutes you will end up very confused. Compared to the reality of suburban life, Desperate Housewives is very far off. 

    

Deep Dive with Sherlock Holmes, Fairies, and the Devil Baby of Hull House

1. Doyle failed to do good detective work in many ways. The first way he failed was sending someone else in to do research for him. If he is going to write an opinionated belief he should have done all of the research himself. Second of all I think that he should have watched the girls take the pictures, or even if the fairies were scared of adults he could have filmed them taking the pictures. He also should have had separate interviews with the girls, so that they can't cover for each other. They were definitely many things Doyle could have done to investigate the case better.
2. Addams discovers that many of the women have lost children themselves. One of the stories that interested me most the story of Liboucha. Liboucha was the daughter of an immigrant mother. Her mother had to scrub floors and work as a janitor, her moms only goal in life was to make sure that she was well educated and had a better life than she had going up. Liboucha suddenly died of heart failure, and the mother wasn't notify until two days later.  I think that people are drawn to believing in thing that don't exist because they provide a sense of comfort. Often times in movies and television fairies are seen in positive light. For example the fairy godmother. When people go through something traumatic like the loss of a loved many people start to question the after life. Some people believe in reincarnation and might think that people could be reincarnated as fairies or animals. In both of the stories the people who believed in the fairies and the devil baby were people who had lost family members and people close to them.
3. I think there is a particular mystery behind science. A lot of times unexplainable things happen, and you don't really start to believe or question science until you experience it for yourself. I'm not sure how much of it I believe, but I definitely think there is a possibility that there is more out there that we don't know about. 
4. I researched the Ghost of Helen's Bridge in Asheville North Carolina. The story is about young mother who lost her child in a fire. Helen and her daughter were poor, and they lived up in the mountains of Asheville near the bridge in a small hut. In the mountains lived a wealthy family with a huge mansion. The bridge was "constructed in 1909 to provide access to the nearby Zealandia Mansion". The family who owned the mansion was having a party one night, and they hired Helen to work serving drinks. While Helen was working her daughter played in the library far away from the party. Later that night a fire broke out. The cause of the fire is unknown. Helens daughter died in the fire. Helen was distraught and hung herself off of the bridge. The legend has it if you go to Helens bridge and call out her name three times your car battery will die when you try to leave. There have also been reports of a women crying and a child laughing. This story proves that not all ghosts are harmful. 

Figs in My Writing

1. The painting that caught my eye was "Hurdy Gurdy Man" by Jennifer Steinkamp. 

2. 

Simile: The flower petals were smooth like a leather. 

Metaphor: She was a flower in a field full of dirt. 

Alliteration: The flowers faced the sunlight. 

Personification: The flowers begged for water as they wilted away. 

Onomatopoeia: The bee buzzed around the flowers looking for pollen.

Hyperbole: The flowers were so beautiful my eyes hurt from looking at them. 

3. As I looked up all I saw were beautiful flowers filling the sky. The flowers faced the sun, and danced with the wind. I saw beautiful hues of pink and yellow. The petals were soft and smooth to the touch. A yellow pollen painted my fingers as I touched them. It smelled like spring. The pretty pink flowers accented the yellow nicely. These were the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen. 

4.  The flowers were pink and yellow. The stems were tall with four our fives leaves on each. The petals formed a circular shape and had many layers to them. The center of the flowers was a circle filled with pollen. The color of the stems varied flower by flower, the pink with darker, and the yellow with lighter. The one consistent color is the color of the leaves, a dark green. The flowers faced up towards the sun and their roots grew deep into the ground. 

5.