Latest Hot-Wheels

How many of you have learned to drive stick shift? How many have you learned to parallel park without using a backup camera? How many of you have listened to the radio that required you to turn a dial? Lastly, how many of you have used a physical map to get you to point A to point B? I know I can raise my hand to all of these questions because I was not raised to rely on technology to help me drive. My first car was a used Toyota Matrix 2004 that was given to me in the summer of 2013 when I was starting my first year of University. Yes, I did not expect my parents to provide me with the latest and greatest car as it would teach me nothing. I feel that in today's society young drivers are too privileged and entitled as they feel they need a backup camera and notifications when it is safe to merge into a lane in order to get to point A to point B. Right here folks is another perfect example where we have allowed ourselves to rely on technology in order function!

 What if one day all safety features were shut down in all the cars? would you feel safe one the road? I have a funny feeling that there would be a lot more accidents simply because many have not learned how to drive independently without technology holding their hand. Don’t get me wrong, all these safety features are amazing and help you to have that piece of mind while on the road. But there are red flags, parents are too blind to see how their kids safety could be put at risk if they are not taught  how to drive a car without the help of safety features. I know from experience, when it comes to your drivers test, you are not are not permitted to use any safety features. According to a report, Sean de Jager who  has been teaching road safety and advanced driver training in Toronto area for more than a decade brought up many concerns. He feels that these new features may be causing more problem than they are solving, "Some drivers think they're being told they have nothing to fear and so they stop respecting the road" ; in other words these new technologies are making drivers worse (Mulholland, 2018). With that being said, if we are not allowed to use these features when doing a drivers test then they should not be in cars as people will become lazy and develop bad driving habits.

Now I ask you; for your first car would you rather have a used car that has no safety features compared to a  new one that has safety features?

References:

Mulholland, A. (2018, March 07). How new safety technology might actually be making our driving worse. Retrieved May 17, 2018, from https://www.ctvnews.ca/features/how-new-safety-technology-might-actually-be-making-our-driving-worse-1.3823118

Eye Robots

In the early stages of growing up I was  not the most confident kid when it came to communicating with people as I felt overpowered and less experienced. Don’t get me wrong, I had many friends; however as a young girl who had strong aspirations to play every sport possible, I caught myself playing and getting along with the boys more compared to my girl friends. Even though we had access to gaming devices growing up, my generation was always outside and NEVER inside glued to our technology devices; bad weather was the only factor that kept us in from enjoying the fresh air. With that being said, I feel that technology  has taken control over society as parents have lost a sense of balance when it comes to disconnecting from the virtual world. More and more kids are growing up without knowing how to converse and hold a conversation without feeling the need to check their mobile devices. Technological advancements are continuing to occur and doing so increased options for internet activity have emerged in recent years (Tackett, 2017).  It is scary that 91% of Canadians have used the internet in the past month; no wonder we are spending less time devoting to cultivating deeper real-life relationships (Tackett, 2017). Adults are just as guilty as our younger generation; according to a report that was conducted in 2017, 74% of people aged 65 and older were using the internet regularly in 2016, which has jumped 20% from 10 years ago (Tackett, 2017). After reading this report I found it very shocking that this made the highest growth in any age category, as I felt that the older generation was too stubborn to involve themselves in the latest technological advancements. We all feel that technology allows us to keep up to date with the latest news, to feel connected with one another, and to feel important. It is said young Canadian between the ages of 18 to 34 are spending even more time on the internet which results 34 hours per week, or nearly five hours per day (Tackett, 2017). Without taking the time to take a step back and think how often we are glued to our technology we will never truly understand how addicted we are, and by looking at these statistics we ALL need a reality check!

People! We NEED to hit the reset button when it comes to technology; we NEED to have a clear understanding that relying on technology is NOT a healthy way to live. Yes, we use it to communicate with one another, to perform our jobs, but it should not mean that we spend less time devoting to cultivating deeper real-life relationships with one another. Growing up, I had to earn my screen time  as it was never given to me for free; I had to complete a small chapter book which gave me 30 minutes to play my Nintendo 64 or watching TV. One thing is for sure, when I become a parent my kids will have to earn their screen time as it can become an addiction if it isn't monitored properly. Everyone, we need to let our kids be kids; let them play outside instead of becoming robots!

References:

Tackett, B. (2017, May 03). Social Media and Body Image. Retrieved May 14, 2018, from https://www.projectknow.com/research/social-media-and-body-image/

Barbie and Ken Have Taken Over!

Everyone is on social media platforms looking for the next popular trend; with that, many tend to come across societal norms where they feel pressured to live a certain way. I'm not talking about how we interact with one another;  or the latest food trends, or how we are continuing to pollute our mother earth. I'm talking about a more serious matter in which many people, specifically our youth are growing up with the notion that they have to be a certain size and look a certain way in order to be accepted. This is where I feel fake news comes in to play.  There are many pictures on social media that have been edited to make viewers believe that their body needs to look like. Social media can increase a persons' exposure to body shaming as well as promote body obsessions, comparisons, and competition, all of which can contribute to eating disorders (Tackett, 2017).

Don't get me wrong, body transformations can be healthy; however, many young girls and boys can lose control in order to make themselves fit in with societal norms. Many girls want to be skinny; and want to be a size zero. With that being said, young girls do not realize that these pictures shown on social media have been edited or distorted to make them believe that this is healthy. These pictures can cause some serious damage to our young woman; many girls will develop body issues which can lead to starving themselves. It is sad that girls will do anything in their power to feel wanted, or be recognized. 

Flipping gender gears, social media has deemed it acceptable that every guy needs to be muscular and have a six pack in order to be attractive. This is where many young boys feel that they will be judged by their peers or bashed on social media if they do not convey these attributes. Our boys are too young and uneducated to understand that majority of these muscular men shown on social media platforms are "fake", not authentic as many choose to take fat burners or steroids in order to develop muscle. Our young boys need to have a FIRM understanding that this is not healthy, and that harming their body can have long-term side affects if they choose to take the unnatural route. 

We need to teach our youth that majority of pictures on social media are fake and to not believe everything that they see. We need to STOP them from believing that their body needs to look a certain way in order to be accepted in society. Instead, we need to teach them along with ourselves to LOVE our body and to live our life in the most POSITIVE, AUTHENTIC, and HEALTHY way possible.

I wonder if everyone would live their lives more authentically and healthy if we did not have these social media platforms to cloud our vision? We need to change our views on what is deemed acceptable and to stop judging one another. The minute self-harm has entered the playing field, we all need to understand that these expectations are NOT normal and NOT healthy and it needs to STOP.

References:

Tackett, B. (2017, May 03). Social Media and Body Image. Retrieved May 14, 2018, from https://www.projectknow.com/research/social-media-and-body-image/

Life is a Highway

Everyone is so concerned about what others may think of them that they are forgetting to live their lives to the fullest. People are so consumed with societal trends and norms that they are afraid they will be shunned by society for being their authentic self.  At the end of the day people need to take the time and realize that everyone is on their own journey and that everyone has a purpose in life. Some may take longer to realize their own power; some may choose to be honest; some may choose to conform to societies trends. That being said, people need to realize it is okay to be different; taking the time to find your true self and live your life to the fullest is way more important than blending in with the majority.