When I first started thinking about what topic I was going to write about for the research paper, I did not even know where to start. As a science major, I knew I wanted a scientific topic with research and facts rather than a topic with opinions. I googled scientific research topics and I came across one that really stood out to me: Vaccinations. Vaccinations have always been a big controversy on whether or not people should be legally inclined to receive them. Although I have been aware of this controversy, I have never looked into the topic. When I started my research I found the topic to be intriguing. Within a matter of seconds I was surrounded with scholarly papers and research about the topic. I carefully conducted my research on each side of the topic and found I agreed with the side claiming vaccinations should be required by law. Although I saw both sides of the argument valid, I found the required side to have more evidence and credibly sources to back it up. One reason many people are against vaccinations is because they believe they can cause serious and sometimes fatal side effects. Although this may happen, the chances of this are very rare. The most common side effect of vaccines, anaphylaxis, occurs in one per several hundred thousand to one million vaccinations. Another claim of people opposed to vaccinations is that they contain harmful ingredients. Although vaccinations do sometimes contain harmful ingredients such as thimerosal, formaldehyde, and aluminum, these ingredients are not used in harmful quantities in vaccines. Paul Offit, MD, notes that children are exposed to more bacteria, viruses, toxins, and other harmful substances in one day of normal activity than they are in vaccines. Vaccines are checked by many medical organizations before administered to the public. Some of these organizations include the CDC, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Institute of Medicine (IOM), American Medical Association (AMA), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Vaccines are also needed to protect the public. I understand vaccines go against some religions and that is respectable. However for medical purposes, if vaccines are only given to a critical portion of a population against a contagious disease it is unlikely that during an outbreak everyone will be protected.
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When reading "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock's Avatar" I noticed it talked about how if you don't have Facebook, you are disconnected from the world and don't have an online identity. I found this to be very true, especially in college. In every organization I have joined, you must be part of the Facebook group to stay informed. If you do not have a Facebook, you will not be informed. Although Facebook is largely filled with social aspects, it is starting to gain professional aspects as well.
We live in a society focused on appearance and health. Everyone is always talking about how much weight celebrities have lost or gained. The latest weight loss tips are posted like breaking news. The online community I chose for this project was myfitnesspal. This is an app that is focused around the individuals weight and health. Individuals with this app log their calorie intake for the day as well as any exercise. Their weight, age, and height will also be entered to calculate the calorie intake needed for the individual to reach their fitness goal. This app is a community because you are able to follow others and support them in their goals. I feel the social aspect of this app is very important. Motivation and support are both important aspects when it comes to reaching goals. The social aspect of this app is what really makes it a community. Although I have not personally put myself in this community yet, both of my parents are active and very happy with their results. I feel that this app will mainly be focused around weight loss, however there is a weight gain option. I think if the person is fully committed to logging every calorie, then they will see results. I love to help motivate people to meet their goals. I also love to see when people meet a goal that helps improve their body image because I feel self confidence is a big problem in today's society. Although health and fitness are things I am fairly interested in, I was wanting to focus on an online community that focuses on activism. Also, I am open to any comments or suggestions.
For the technology research paper, I have been thinking of a topic of interest I can write about. Although, I have not narrowed down my options to one, I have a list that interests me. One topic I thought of was how digital learning is going to change schools and education. Another I thought of was how our brains differ from a computer. I am a science major, so I was hoping to pick a topic that incorporates science and technology. For my online community project, I am going to use myfitnesspal. I decided on this because it is a community of people who share a common goal and can follow others to show there support.
After looking into the assignment guidelines for the online community assignment, I have narrowed down a couple topics of interest. The major online communities that I am currently apart of or follow are Pinterest, YouTube, and Vine. However, I was not sure if these online communities are specific enough for this assignment. I really like the idea of an activism community, like the example in class. I have had trouble finding specific examples, though.
This was a very insightful story. I have always loved to read and found it quite amazing the journey that words can take you. Although now I have gotten to college I don't have time to read as much as I would like. The author brought up a good point that maybe all the answers to the universe can be found in a library, although this is quite astonishing to think. I also like how the author brought up that we bring meaning to words, and without meaning they would mean nothing. However, I did not understand the authors reference to the hexagon.
The E-Density issue I will be discussing, is the issue of privacy on social media sites. The first website I will be analyzing on this issue is http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/03/08/data-online-behavior-research/5781447/. This website uses ethos when it uses interviews with experts about the issue. It also talks about research that has been conducted among fellow social media users. The author also uses pathos in the beginning of the article to grab the reader's attention. The second website I will be analyzing is http://www.reputation.com/reputationwatch/articles/top-five-social-media-privacy-concerns. This website gives the reader advice on how to be safe online. At the beginning of the article the author uses ethos when they state two facts about internet safety. They also uses logos when they talk about social media concerns and how to stay safe.
I do agree that social media makes it easier for people with similar interests to come together and make a difference in the world. For example, when the Ferguson shooting occurred, my feed was filled with hashtags about Mike Brown along with people sharing their opinions on the event. It was a way for people who believed in the same thing to come together. On the opposite side of the fence, I have seen posts from my friends sharing a tragedy. Social media is an effective way to share information to a large group of people. After reading this article, it was incredible how people could get larges groups of people together in the past without it.
Jenna Marbles has been a celebrity I have watched on YouTube for years. I have always admired her care-free and humorous outlook on life; that is why I chose her for the rhetorical analysis assignment. For this assignment I have not only viewed her recent videos, but also some of the first she has posted. I watched her grow and got a better understanding of her edenity. Jenna is now expanding her social networking to not only YouTube, but also Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Vine. As her popularity continues to grow, so does her self-promotion. Writing this assignment has been more fun than a hassle, however I am still looking for the perfect multimedia element.
For the rhetorical analysis assignment, the public figure I am choosing to analyze is Jenna Marbles. Jenna Marbles is a YouTube personal. While performing my rhetorical analysis I will be begin by looking at her FaceBook account. As I view her account, the first thing I notice is her colorful profile and cover picture. She has many links, so her fans have easy access to her YouTube page. As I scroll down, I see the link to the newest video she has released. The post has a little over 3,000 likes. This lets me know that she is famous, but not on the same level as Justin Bieber, who has hundreds of thousands of likes. The next photo is of a ukulele with a note next to it. In the caption above, she describes the ukulele as her girlfriend Karen. I am able to tell that Jenna is a comedian that enjoys to make others laugh. I can also infer, she has a very bold personality and is not afraid of what others think about her. The next social media site I view is her twitter account. As I scroll down the page, I find more retweets than I do her actual posts. Her retweets mostly consist of humor and fans. She appears to have various pictures of her dogs. However, I do not see many of other people. This may indicate she does not have a lot of friends or social interaction. The last social media site I will visit is her Instagram. Her profile picture on this site does not contain her face and has more of an emphasis on her body. This could indicate sex appeal. She also continues to have more pictures of her dogs, but also what appears to be friends. After viewing all of Jenna's social media sites, it seems that she is targeting her fans and looking for new was to not only express herself but also promote her videos. I think Jenna presents herself in a more positive light than other celebrities. She shows that she is comfortable with who she is.
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