This was our last week of class and I can honestly say that I really enjoyed this class and every week was a different learning experience. For this week’s class, we watched dateline’s Generation Like. At face value, ‘Generation Like’ didn’t hold any surprises. Pretty much everyone knows that the Internet, in its current form, is all about likes, clicks, what you have. I mean, that’s common knowledge. But digging a little deeper, that’s where things get scary. The primary focus here is this: it’s not the technology, but what companies are doing to kids through technology. Specifically, marketing. The younger age group knows that the goal with social media is to be your own media network, and it’s a generation that is willing to do the work of the marketing department just for more likes. Selling out isn’t selling out anymore, it’s the brass ring. Sponsorship is the prize. 

Just like the rest of the millennials of this generation I too am always on my phone, except I do not spend as much time on social media as much as I used to. I usually just scroll through all my feed and not really post anything. When it comes to posting I don’t really care what I say because everyone can voice their opinions. I just wouldn’t post a threat online, even if it were a joke which is how many people get caught up. I also would never post anything personal about my life. However, some people may. Social media can be a stress reliever for some, where they can talk to people they never even met about their personal lives. But I will never forget that whatever is said online will be there forever and can come back to bite you in the ass. Many celebrities have experienced this, where before they were famous or when they were on the rise have said something online that to them was just a joke might have been hurtful to others. There are people out there who go deep into ones feed just to find something negative in order to blast them for it. I also don’t care about likes the way I used to. It is true that many people only care about likes. Some are very self conscious and feel the need to get a certain amount of likes will make them feel better about themselves. All these social media sites like Facebook and Instagram are all about likes and the public can see all of that. Even Snapchat has gotten to the point where people care how many views they are getting even when the user is the only one who can get this information. I really do believe that social media can boost ones ego up. I can’t lie, when I get a certain number of likes it does make me feel good about myself. This is really a topic that I can go on for days, but I’ll just have to save the rest for social media and society.