#cyber literacy

[wrathsofgrapes]

Social Media, Sousveillance, and the Self (The Three S’s!) REVISED AND BASS BOOSTED

Preface: I posted this as a gaggle of thoughts some months ago, which you can see if you scroll down just a little bit on my blog. These thoughts were decently unorganized and months later, after slow broiling and marinating these thoughts some more, I decided to turn it into a real conjecture of sorts.

Very special thanks + shoutout to my philosophy professor Daniel Rodriguez-Navas for his careful, thoughtful, constructive, and encouraging guidance throughout the development this paper.

Most young people are socially expected to have a form of social media now, and especially expected to have some form of personal information be public. Many find it strange if one does not post photos of themselves online. Most of us, generation Z, are expected and encouraged to contribute to this massive user-curated database, and in exchange, we are able to receive more attention than what was previously fathomable in the form of likes, shares, and comments. This attention is addictive, debilitating, heart-wrenching and hyper-fixated. It has never been possible in human history to access this many people at once, to be heard by this many people and hear this many people. The digital space has never been “natural” - though depending on particular definitions of “natural”, the transhumanist may argue that the digital space is the next step in evolution; an extension of the human realm. But we were not eased into this digital realm, we were thrown, many of us at a very young age, into this realm with a violent and perverted amount of freedom, enticed by information overload and the addiction of attention. The societal over-exposure to the current climate and habits of social media platforms has had not only a detrimental effect on users’ physical health and self esteem, but has also created an uncanny simulacrum of the ways in which we interact and present ourselves with/to others in real life. The incorporation of social media in our everyday lives has solely transformed the ways in which we love, hate, cry and laugh, prioritize - at others and especially ourselves. 

The new product of attention has become a pinnacle of desire; and we pay with sensation, with shock, with beauty and individuality. When these technological experiments first came out, our young, malleable, dissatisfied minds were the first to latch on. Our parents critiqued this, which made the project even more successful. But it is not a phase like our parents said it would be. They caved. All it took was a few years of normalization - advertising, attention, and they too, became hooked. A 2021 Pew research center study found that 91% of US adults aged 30-49 use online platforms, slightly decreasing in ages 50-64 with 83%, and 49% in adults aged 65 and up. We no longer even have an ancient antagonist to complain about “kids these days”. It has become all free and liberated, no shame in this addiction because the algorithms have improved, proved to be impenetrable in its strategy. 

What we now value is increasingly impacted by the digital sphere, riddled with advertisements for particularly desirable lifestyles. With a life revolving so much around the aspect of the digital realm, and with the digital realm being created on the foundation of capital pursuit, value is no longer personal. Life and culture are no longer personal. The personal is no longer personal. Lee Artz, author of “Global Entertainment Media: A Critical Introduction” describes how world culture no longer stems from local cultures, created by people. Instead, TNMCs (TransNational Media Corporations) create a culture based off of the pursuit of production and wealth, skillfully peppered with some features of local culture for the sake of relatability and familiarity, sold under the guise of “cultural diversity”. 

The transaction is subtle - we buy a fix of attention, a sense of connection in exchange for personal information, the more intimate the better. Post a photo of yourself - better if you are wearing less, better if you are doing something vulnerable, intimate, better with more controversy. A 2018 study by Bell, Cassarly and Dunbar examines the extent to which young women aged 18-24 posted self-images that were sexually suggestive and its correlation with the amount of “likes” and online engagement one would receive. The results concluded that this type of positive engagement on sexually suggestive photos encouraged young women to post more of them. As young people have been subject to this reward system for longer and whilst our young minds are still developing, we have a heightened sensitivity to this type of social reward. The oversharing of one’s sexuality and body essentially transfers ownership, or feeling of entitlement to the consumer, who possesses the power of encouraging it, or negatively engaging.

It’s not only sexualization that receives this engagement - the new phenomenon of oversharing personal information on the internet, especially now that less people are choosing to stay anonymous on the internet than ever before, has become essentially a new norm. Simply opening the Tik Tok app will present you with people in their homes, talking to the camera about intimate, vulnerable, and often embarrassing stories in full detail. The fascination with this seemingly raw and unfiltered form of content, or sexualized content, taps into a different type of perversion in the human psyche; this type of content, because it is in a way so humiliatingly honest, welcomes the most brutal responses. Though many love informational oversharing, with netizens commonly expressing that it makes them feel better about themselves, or relieved in its relatability, a 2022 study concluded that informational oversharing stems from anxiety and alienation from society, where people desperately try to find intimacy, attention, and relatability in their vulnerability.  “Better to shock than to bore” - or relevance over irrelevance, has become the subconscious logic. Relevance is emphasized more than ever now, where even “normal” people have a fixation on “staying relevant”, much like a celebrity would traditionally have. The “digital footprint” is no longer about reservation or preservation, it is about sensation and impact. That’s the new age of fame, and it is stupidly easy, stupidly addictive. 

I feel like this newfound addiction to attention and instant gratification has shifted our collective values. We value privacy much less, in favor of attention. Social media platforms have taught us that we can receive a great amount of attention, validation, and discourse just by trading one’s privacy, the value of which has been artificially decreased by TNMCs just as the value of fame/exposure has been artificially increased. 

The strategy of self advertisement is now learned by young adolescents before, or even instead, of the strategies of self preservation and self protection. No real cyber literacy is taught - it is simply learned through experience. Older generations and very young children do not have the years of developmental experience infiltrated by the digital space to garner an awareness of the real-life-to-digital dissonance. The two are not as easily separable to someone naive to the difference of impact they have. The digital space gives one, in a way, the illusion of ultimate privacy, almost like it encourages the exploitation of your deepest vulnerabilities. You can tell your innermost secrets out loud, alone, in the comfort of your own room, and be heard and seen by millions. Accounts of very young children or older people often go viral because their personas online are often either the most vulnerable pure reflection of their reality, or they are presenting themselves in a very obviously curated way, where they naively act like how they think people on the internet should act. These types of accounts are almost always loved by the public in an exploitative or patronizing way, where the humor lies in the fact that they do not act on social media in the way that shows a sense of “getting it”, part of this dreadful post-ironic, terminally blasé attitude that has plagued those with experience-based, shame-based digital literacy. I propose that this attitude is formed out of self protection, or a need to present oneself as somebody who is impenetrable in vulnerability.

The internet is where anything is said mostly without real life consequences - and this is another large aspect of why the digital space is addictive. One gets addicted to the honesty, which coaxes you into delving into and producing opinions that one would not think of producing in real life. Because of this honesty, people often purposefully think of things to critique and reasons to attack. But this is also a product of the oppressive real-life social norms of courtesy and the overbearing expectation of niceness. The digital realm is, in a way, a solace where we can reject that. But that freedom of communication is simply on the other extreme end of the spectrum of healthy communication. The pendulum never stops in the healthy middle. I often like to think of all my social media comments as if they were being said to me, in person, by the people behind these profiles. They usually have photos of themselves publicly posted. They say vile things because I am not real. To them, and funny enough, oftentimes to myself as well, I am just a monkey that is dancing on the circuit board inside their phones, in their pocket, accessible at any time and able to be deleted at any time. I am so beautifully insignificant, so temporary, and yet it inexplicably gives me a sense of a permanent presence - a stable one, that will not fade. I am not immune to the fetishization of fame.

Schlosser identifies self presentation versus self disclosure; self presentation being a goal-oriented, strategic, and curated presentation of the self, with self disclosure being sharing factual information to another about oneself, regardless of its impact on one’s social reputation. She finds that the internet gives affordance for self disclosure due to the option of anonymity, but also discourages disclosure through unfiltered and open audience feedback. Through personal observation, I believe that the issue is more complex, and calls for a more nuanced discussion than whether social platforms promote or discourage presentation or disclosure - because this discussion suggests that there is no blurred line between the curated self and the objective self. Even in a non-social media context, it is hard to differentiate between genuine and performative behavior, since it is so hard for a subject to differentiate and admit to it. With how engrossed most people are within their digital selves, I will argue that it is all presentative - and that even content that feels like disclosure is self presentation. Is there really no motive in disclosure, as Schlosser puts it? 

Maybe disclosure is innocence - a naieveté that is ironically revered and unironically feared. With the internet being an automatic concrete archive of one’s opinions and expression and a machine that almost always guarantees a consequence, there is a saying that has emerged in recent years: “be careful of what you say on the internet”. This is referring to the fear of getting “canceled” for saying something problematic, or to the possibility of publicly embarrassing oneself whether in action, speech or aesthetics. When people have an understanding of this ruthless internet system, everything one says and does on the internet is purposefully curated, with extra care in the desired effect of the content. Even when content is created for the purpose of self-degradation or self embarrassment for humor, it is still careful to not be too vulnerable, or too weird. 

Referring back to my earlier observation of how content from young children or older people who do not necessarily “get” the internet often go viral, I think that maybe this form of simple, naive, innocent and vulnerable content is the only true disclosure that exists on the internet - unintentional disclosure. Unintentional disclosure also can come forth in times where one may try to present a lie to consumers, and are proven false. I believe that this is why these videos and posts go viral - we all truly do love disclosure. We love honesty and vulnerability, proof of humanness and unintentional subjects of endearment. I do believe that my current generation is striving for real human connection, closeness, and earnest communication in this epidemic of loneliness, spearheaded by the cave-like illusion of comfort that technology brings. We’re just scared - I know I am - because who wouldn’t be, as involuntary test subjects for mystifying technologies? 

Altman and Taylor proposed the social penetration theory (SPT), where surface-level relationships can develop into much deeper ones, where the seal of intimacy gets penetrated, in a sense, through the sharing of personal information - self disclosure. The goal within self disclosure is social penetration, which is more present than ever in the context of social media, except social media does not give the affordance of other strategies to gain social penetration - such as a slow, gradual relationship, face-to-face contact, and mutual acknowledgement. Since content creators do not have these other affordances, I will argue that they feel the urge to go to extremes with a performance of self-disclosure, for the main goal of social penetration, creating parasocial relationships. 

The parasocial relationship is the driving force of the use of influencers in modern day advertisement. Simulating intimate, honest relationships is what the content creator strives for, because that is what creates the most engagement and makes for the best product endorsements, encouraged and funded by TNMCs. It is what the consumer also loves to consume, because without the added aspects of social penetration such as a slow, gradual relationship, face-to-face contact, and mutual acknowledgement, the consumer is able to have a fundamentally not whole but idealized version of the curator, where the curator’s personality can seem much more wholesome, specified, honest and relatable than the personality of anyone that the consumer could know in real life. 

The influencer blurs the line between “normal” person and celebrity. Celebrities used to be elusive creatures, where a sighting of them outside of a movie or magazine was considered fascinating - because celebrities used to be untouchable. They were Gods rarely among men and worshiped for their unapproachability. The influencer in the digital age has fundamentally transformed the concept of fame into one based not necessarily on traditional talent, but on social penetration, controversy, and very importantly, attractiveness. Even traditional celebrities are now, in recent years, joining social media platforms to engage with fans in a parasocial way - to show that celebrities are just like us! They eat food, shit it out, and have bad hair in the morning! We have all found out how profitable it is to be human - but not too human - that now, even the Gods have come down to earth to cash in. 

Even if consumers are aware of these dynamics in their media consumption, they will still often choose to engage positively in this system. 54% of young Americans would even become an influencer themselves if given the chance, because of how it is advertised and idealized. The parasocial relationship has created a simulation of what a person should be, due to the lack of affordances for actual human connection whilst simulating a version of human connection that is advertised as better than a real human connection - but I will argue that in reality, digital social penetration, or maybe even the illusion of it, fails to satisfy real social needs, but instead of this dilemma spurring people to seek out in-person connections, the instant and effortless gratification of a digital parasocial relationship makes users simply seek out a surplus of it.

My image, or at least the image I carefully project, has been seen by millions. Millions now have a specific perception of me - two-dimensional and dictated by an altered fraction of my legitimate self, locked in time. But what is the legitimate self? The digital age has created a larger gray area in the concept of “self” and “individual”, widening the hole that capitalism has created, where one is not only a product, but a walking advertisement. We now express and define the self through sousveillance, and often do not know ourselves without it. The self has come to be defined as the density and reaction of digital perception. Sometimes people no longer know who they are after their popularity leaves them. Late stage capitalism, bass-boosted by new technologies, has made individuals to be solely defined by reaction - because reaction is what creates transaction, what creates currency, whether it be a fix of mental gratification or actual money. I cannot think of anyone who would possibly like to admit it, but there is certainly a present attitude of “if you don’t exist online, do you even exist? Why wouldn’t you want to be online?” Why wouldn’t you want to partake in this addictive algorithm, endless scrolling, information overload, stimulation overload, and the promise of attention? You are weird if you don’t.

 With the value of personal information going up, and the value of privacy going down, with people believing that they are so insignificant that their information does not matter - I will refrain from using that as a main talking point. The promotion and investment into the advancement of social technologies almost feels like state-funded propaganda, but I also will not get into that talking point in fears of sounding like a crazed conspiracy theorist. The main issue is how it has shifted our entire social attitude, and has deeply affected the social dynamics of communities and circles in real life. Human connection is strained by image and obsession. It is strained from a disembodiment of the self and the environment. We now have to control our social lives online (transcending location and social boundary) as well as our social lives in real life. Because of how personal one’s social page seems, and how unintimidating and easy it is to contact anyone, there is no secrecy left. And some of the world’s greatest stories revolve around the beauty of secrecy.

This conjecture is not just to say that everybody should return to analog, and that the digital age has not had its glorious moments - but social media tries to convince you that the main purpose of your patronage to their platform is connection, fun, and inspiration, while the purpose is really all capital. And because we, the 21st century, have become test subjects for these new, cruel, untested technologies, there was truly no restriction or boundary on who was deemed able to access essentially this panopticon of positive/negative reinforcement, and content from every dark crevice of the world. This promotion of self exploitation has wedged its way into being a priority for many. Friends become friends and lovers become lovers based on aesthetics, image, and attraction. The curation of a profile is just as important as the curation of the real self. The curation of a profile becomes the self. The line between who one is online and in real life is becoming more and more blurred; people try to mold themselves to act in the way they are able to online. Online, one is free to lust and lie and hate and obsess and love. Online, one can be confident, sexy, loud, carefully vulnerable, relentlessly controversial, smart, beautiful, mysterious, careless, carefree, detached, ethereal and unreal. But maybe humans were not meant to be all of those things, all at once.

Author’s note: If you read to the end of this, thank you, and if you’d like access to the bibliography please PM me! I would have liked to make this longer - there’s so many things I could have gone on and on about. I’d also love to hear any comments or questions or general feedback.

[anthropologistfromentropy]

Just reported an ad on Tumblr that was pretending to be a Finnish news website (Aamulehti). I know most of us don't click ads here anyway, but some may not notice something is an ad.

And be wary of believing all headlines you see, could be fake news. At least this one was pretty harmless, just stupid drama of a Finnish celebrity. But I'm worried people from other countries, especially USA, could be getting actual political propaganda. With the election year, and Ukraine and Palestine crises and everything.

[cyberniix]

I do not trust anyone who hates any of the "main" (Dipper, Mabel, Stan, Ford) (Honorary mention: Fiddleford) GF character's i'm ngl

The GF fandom's constant demonization of complicated characters for daring to make (very human) mistakes is insane. They would much rather defend the morally worst character in the show (Bill) than accept that sometimes teenagers make mistakes. (A good example is everyone shifting the blame for weirdmageddon onto Mabel, or Dipper wanting to stay in Gravity Falls)

I could go on and on about this for HOURS about specific characters, especially Ford & Fiddleford, but I'll save that rant for another day when it isn't 7am 😒

[the-penguin-of-baskervilles]

I just read a fantastic article about how Tiffany Haddish handled cyber bullying. This is the line that really jumped out at me in the piece:

[Haddish] hired a digital forensics analyst when death threats started coming her way. The analyst’s research showed that 75% of these threats were “created by robots in Malaysia and Iran.”

This is something that I need to keep in mind more when I’m on social media. Because how much of what we’re seeing is really people’s opinions? How much is rage bait for profit? What amount stems from political manipulation and foreign influence?

[microburstmedia]

We at MicroBurstMedia, a digital solutions company is excited to announce the launch of our new book—The Beginners Guide to AI Automation Setup System!

Highly recommended if you're a beginner looking to get started in the online workspace, learn how to turn your set of skills and experience into your own automated sales system for business and or work purposes, our book is available and on sale as we continue to gain interests among tech users, business startups and entrepreneurs across web platforms.

This book breaks down the construct of this topic on a micro level scale, along with setup instructions showing how we got started and how you can too providing AI computer software system recommendations making it accessible for everyone—even if you’re not tech-savvy—by any means we ensure you get as much out of it guaranteed along with online support to assist in answering any questions you may have!

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This Information📚 Was brought to You by MicroBurstMedia, a digital solutions company. 🏢

[cyber-soul-smartz]

Mastering Technological Overload Wilderness: Skills & Strategies

Navigating the wilderness of technological overload often leaves me feeling overwhelmed and disconnected - a constant struggle to find balance & peace amidst the digital chaos. Let's journey together towards digital well-being. #DigitalDetox #Mindfulness

[cybersixed]

Me: yeah I think it’s ok and perhaps even good to have media that challenges our morals to some degree, exploration of dark themes in media is not inherently bad

Me the moment a piece of media is challenging my personal morals and sense of righteousness:

[kids-worldfun]

How to Teach Kids the Dos and Don'ts of Social Media Posting

Teaching children the appropriate and inappropriate ways to post on social media cannot be overstated. Instilling healthy internet behaviors in children at a young age enables them to navigate the digital environment responsibly. The empowerment of children with these abilities is vital for their online well-being. In this parenting blog, we will discuss practical methods that may be used to…

[townpostin]

Singhbhum Chamber to Host Seminar on Cyber Fraud and Banking Services

ICICI Bank experts to address cybercrime concerns and highlight financial products for businesses Event aims to educate local entrepreneurs on fraud prevention and available credit facilities. JAMSHEDPUR – The Singhbhum Chamber of Commerce and Industry is organizing a seminar on cyber fraud prevention and banking services for businesses on June 25 at 7:00 PM. ICICI Bank experts will provide…

[jcmarchi]

Nicholas Brackney, Dell: How we leverage a four-pillar AI strategy

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/nicholas-brackney-dell-how-we-leverage-a-four-pillar-ai-strategy/

Nicholas Brackney, Dell: How we leverage a four-pillar AI strategy

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Dell is deeply embedded in the AI landscape, leveraging a comprehensive four-pillar strategy to integrate the technology across its products and services.

Nicholas Brackney, Senior Consultant in Product Marketing at Dell, discussed the company’s AI initiatives ahead of AI & Big Data Expo North America.

Dell’s AI strategy is structured around four core principles: AI-In, AI-On, AI-For, and AI-With:

“Embedding AI capabilities in our offerings and services drives speed, intelligence, and automation,” Brackney explained. This ensures that AI is a fundamental component of Dell’s offerings.

The company also enables customers to run powerful AI workloads on its comprehensive portfolio of solutions, from desktops to data centres, across clouds, and at the edge.

AI innovation and tooling are applied for Dell’s business to enhance operations and share best practices with customers.

Finally, Dell collaborates with strategic partners within an open AI ecosystem to simplify and enhance the AI experience.

Dell is well-positioned to help customers navigate AI workloads, emphasising choice and adaptability through the various evolutions of emerging technology. Brackney highlighted Dell’s commitment to serving customers from the early stages of AI adoption to achieving AI at scale.

“We’ve always believed in providing choice and have been doing it through the various evolutions of emerging technology, including AI, and understanding the challenges that come with them,” explained Brackney. “We fully leverage our unique operating model to serve customers in the early innings of AI to a future of AI at scale.”

Looking to the future, Dell is particularly excited about the potential of AI PCs.

“We know organisations and their knowledge workers are excited about AI, and they want to fit it into all their workflows,” Brackney said. Dell is focused on integrating AI into software and ensuring it runs efficiently on the right systems, enhancing end-to-end customer journeys in AI.

Ethical concerns in AI deployment are also a priority for Dell. Addressing issues such as deepfakes, transparency, and bias, Brackney emphasised the importance of a shared, secure, and sustainable approach to AI development.

“We believe in a shared, secure, and sustainable approach. By getting the foundations right at their core, we can eliminate some of the greatest risks associated with AI and work to ensure it acts as a force for good,” explains Brackney.

User data privacy in AI-driven products is another critical focus area. Brackney outlined Dell’s strategy of integrating AI with existing security investments without introducing new risks. Dell offers a suite of secure products, comprehensive data protection, advanced cybersecurity features, and global support services to safeguard user data.

On the topic of job displacement due to AI, Brackney underscored that Dell views AI as augmenting human potential rather than replacing it.

“The roles may change but the human element will always be key,” Brackney stated. “At Dell, we encourage our team members to understand, explore, and, where appropriate, use tools based on AI to learn, evolve, and enhance the overall work experience.”

Looking ahead, Brackney envisions a transformative role for AI within Dell and the tech industry. “We see customers in every industry wanting to become leaders in AI because it is critical to their organisation’s innovation, growth, and productivity,” he noted.

Dell aims to support this evolution by providing the necessary architectures, frameworks, and services to assist its customers on this transformative journey.

Dell is a key sponsor of this year’s AI & Big Data Expo. Check out Dell’s keynote presentation ‘From Data Novice to Data Champion – Cultivating Data Literacy Across the Organization’ and swing by Dell’s booth at stand #66 to hear about AI from the company’s experts.

The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo. Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

Tags: ai, ai & big data expo, ai and big data expo, artificial intelligence, dell, enterprise, ethics

[pro-sipper]

Sooo so so sick and tired of the holier than thou "proship and antiship are both dumb" "I'm so over shipping discourse" "I'm a secret third thing (adult with a job)" circle jerk bullshit I keep seeing on this site

First of all, most of these people don't even see what's actually going on here. It doesn't stop at what fandom ships are good or bad.

And where do they get off thinking it's just some dumb internet tumblr drama? Do you know that people who exist online also exist in real life? And the ideas that they express or act on online (like wanting to censor fiction, thinking they're the authority on what can be written about, sending death and rape threats to people who write fiction in a way they don't like) also carry over into real life?

Real life where we're in a fucking puritan nightmare of a media literacy crisis. You can really look around you at the world we live in and think a thing like censorship is just an issue that exists in cyber space?

[poisamm]

S M O K E A N D S U G A R

a Coyote Ugly x College AU

Part 1

content warning: none really, intros to Miguel and Amara, both are a little shy and awkward, he forms a crush slow but fast all at the same time. but will go on to be suggestive so dni minors, and go on about class difference and other stuff.

word count: 3,175 (mostly proofread, she’s a long one oops!)

Kind of the trope of opposites attract, tall big bf and shorter thicker gf, STEM bf and creative gf, nerdy bf and alt gf vibes :)

I took a lot of self liberty on certain things so if they’re not canon to comics that’s why, but 1992 run and other runs of Spider-man 2099 will be incorporated

i was highly inspired by Crazy Rich Asians the books and movie, Spider-Man movies, my own college experience and talented writers like @bluesidez @feyhunter78 @cheonstapes giving y’all your accolades and flowers fr🫶

Part 2 🍒⋆｡°✩🔬⋆｡°✩ Masterlist

Born in Manhattan to Conchata O’Hara, a formidable lawyer with sky-high expectations, and Tyler Stone, a wealthy CEO more interested in boardrooms than bedtime stories, Miguel’s world was one of sharp edges and colder comforts that have only warmed as of late. His father’s sudden interest in his life came only after the dust of his infidelity settled—when the scandal was quieter and the damage was done. It didn’t matter much. Miguel had long learned to rely on himself, but could acknowledge his dad was at least trying though. Plus the money he gets and the car he drives wasn’t too bad either.

Raised primarily by his mother and stepfather, George O’Hara—a cyber engineer who wrestled with his own demons before finding sobriety—Miguel’s home life was complicated. Kron, his competitive half-brother, took every chance to remind him of his shortcomings, turning sibling rivalry into something resembling a COD lobby—seriously the amount of times the boys scrapped was insane. The only real peace Miguel found was with his maternal grandparents and younger brother, Gabriel—the only people who saw him, not just the expectations placed upon him.

Now 21 and a senior at Empire State University, Miguel poured himself into his Applied Biology major with a focus in Genetics. He lived by structure—early mornings at the campus gym, black coffee or a protein shake in hand, nights spent buried in lab reports. He chased excellence like a man trying to outrun his own shadow, determined to earn his master’s and PhD, dreaming of genetic advancements that could actually change lives.

But even a man like Miguel—stoic, hyper-focused, a perfectionist to the bone—needed a break sometimes.

That’s how he found himself in Media Literacy.

Well, it was a last-minute elective—one he chose more for convenience than curiosity—but the syllabus promised less memorization and equations, which felt like a small mercy.

Amara Reyes lived her life with her feet planted firmly on the ground, even if her heart sometimes wanted to float away.

Born in Staten Island to a lower/middle-class family, Amara had spent her life working—working to be the daughter her parents wanted, working to prove herself in every classroom, working to carve out her own path. After high school, she moved to Florida with her family since they wanted to leave the island, so she took a gap year before starting college there. But the Sunshine State didn’t feel like home. It didn’t really work for her ideal career.

So New York called her back.

Now 21 and a junior at Empire State University, Amara studied Communications with a minor in Entrepreneurship. She hustled hard, attending on a waiver, juggling classes and her involvement with The Beacon—the university’s paper and magazine—where she designed, and wrote, and then the communication club where managed their social media pages and helped coordinate events on campus. She had a great roommate, Jess Drew, the girls got along and hardly ever had issues from being so in sync.

But when the sun set, Amara had another life entirely.

From Thursday to Sunday, 8 PM to midnight, she worked at Coyote Ugly as a Coyote Girl—bartending, dancing on the bar, and pocketing tips big enough to keep her afloat with whatever her waivers and parents couldn’t cover. The bar was more than a job; it was an escape. A place where she could be bold and untouchable—red nails, sharp winged eyeliner, and her body moving to the music, it was good dopamine.

She was both parts—smoke and sugar—a girl who could charm you with a remark but never let you get too close, unless she opened up, rarely.

They met on a Monday, first day of the semester around noon.

Media Literacy was packed—mostly with Communications majors Amara already knew, either through classes or The Beacon. She felt at ease, slipping into her usual rhythm, greeting familiar faces with small smiles and hellos.

Miguel, on the other hand, stuck out like a sore thumb.

He was too tall for the cramped desks, all 6’6 of him hunched over his laptop, and too serious, his jaw tight, a black coffee on the table in front of him. His broad frame looked better suited for a gym than this class, and Amara noticed how his dark eyes skimmed the room—calculating, cautious. Out of place.

When she scanned for a seat, she spotted an ideal spot—close enough to the board that she could see without straining (she needed that, switching between her glasses and contacts as often as she did), and next to an outlet for charging her phone.

And, well… the cute guy sitting there didn’t hurt either.

With a slight hesitation—because, really, why was she nervous?—Amara slipped into the seat beside him.

Miguel barely looked up at first, just a brief glance. But once she settled in, pulling out her laptop that has stickers on them and adjusting her black-rimmed glasses, his gaze flicked back.

He noticed the small details—her curly brunette hair with bold red and blonde chunky highlights on the left side of her hair, the glimmer of her hoop nose ring, the three tattoos dancing along her right arm, the sharp black eyeliner and the way her acrylic stiletto nails tapped softly against the keys, not in an obnoxious way like most would think, though.

His legs are long, his broad frame making the space he had at the long table with 5 seats along the row feel even smaller, but he keeps his focus locked on his laptop looking at the class’ canvas page. His jaw works — tense, contemplative — but he’s careful not to make it too obvious that he’s stealing glances at Amara.

Then a girl with bangs and the comfiest outfit sat next to Amara with a ‘hey mama!’—she seemed to know everyone in the class. The girls chatted a bit till the professor started speaking in the lecture hall.

Amara leaned her elbow against the desk, resting her chin in her hand as she stares at the projector after the professor switched the slides during his introductions about himself, his education, stuff he likes—he’s a Trekkie—and his wife and pets. Amara knew all of this since she’s had the professor before and he was cool. But she’s acutely aware of Miguel sitting next to her — the way his cologne smells, like cedarwood and something spiced, the way he moves with this calculated control, like he’s perpetually holding something back. Probably cause he was a big dude and aware of the space he took up.

God. He’s really cute. Like… annoyingly cute.

The professor’s voice echoes through the room, “Alright, enough of me, let’s get started. Just go down the list, take turns asking each other the questions. It’s not that deep.”

Amara shifts in her seat, her curls falling over one shoulder, and offers Miguel a slightly awkward smile, she and the girl next to her, Jen, knew each other already so she had to talk to the guy next to her. “Guess we should just… start.”

Miguel’s lips twitch at the corner, not quite a smile, but enough for her to notice. “Yeah.” His voice is deep, smoother than she expects.

She taps her nails against the table idly looking at the projector of the icebreaker prompt then back at Miguel. “Okay… what’s your name?”

“Miguel O’Hara.”

There’s a moment of silence as Amara processes it. It suits him — sharp and memorable, she hummed.

“You?” he asks, tilting his head slightly.

“Amara Reyes.”

Miguel repeats her name in his head like he’s etching it into his memory. Amara. He likes the way it sounds — "to love", nice meaning.

“Major?” she continues, keeping her tone light, though her heart’s beating faster than it should be. She usually was shyer with new people regardless.

“Applied Biology. Genetics.” He watches her expression shift — eyebrows raising slightly, lips parting. He knows the reaction — most people don’t expect a guy like him to be in science, let alone genetics.

“Whoa,” she says, blinking. “That’s… intense.”

He huffs a quiet laugh. “Yeah, I get that a lot.”

“What about you?” he asks, though he already has a guess — she carries herself like someone in the creative field, not a STEM person really.

“Communications,” she says, tucking a curl behind her ear. “Minor in Entrepreneurship.”

Miguel’s head tilts again, like he’s trying to figure her out. “That tracks.”

Amara squints. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He smirks — not in a cocky way, but in that almost shy, hesitant way like he doesn’t want to offend her. “Just… you seem like you know how to talk to people.”

Her cheeks warm. “I’m actually not that great at it.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

She bites the inside of her cheek to stop herself from smiling too hard. Focus, Amara.

They go down the list, the conversation flowing easier than either of them expected.

“Where are you from?”

“Staten Island, but I moved to Florida after high school. Came back to New York for this. You?.”

“Manhattan, Midtown really. Born and raised.”

Then comes the next question. “Guilty pleasure?” Amara reads out loud, already feeling a little amused about what she’s about to say.

Miguel leans back slightly, one arm resting on the back of his chair. “You first.”

She narrows her eyes at him playfully. “Why me?”

“’Cause I wanna hear yours first.”

Amara sighs. “Jersey Shore. But from the second season cause everyone in the house knows each other better and it’s more iconic when they were in Miami. And I’m not guilty about it.”

Miguel blinks, then his lips quirk up in genuine amusement. “Seriously?”

“Yeah.” She grins. “It’s entertaining, I love it.”

He chuckles softly, shaking his head. “It’s been trending again so that makes sense I guess. My mom used to watch it but like hate watched kinda but then liked it.”

She laughed. “Makes sense.“ She then tilted her head. “Well… if we’re talking actual guilty pleasures… I do fall down Hollywood deep dive rabbit holes sometimes.”

Miguel raises a brow. “Like… celebrity gossip?”

Amara scoffs. “Not gossip — history. Like how celebrities careers actually were, or like the history behind movies. I know the most random stuff about pop culture moments.”

Miguel’s grin lingers. “Huh.”

“What?”

“Just… didn’t expect that either.”

Her nail taps against her laptop. “Alright, your turn. Spill.”

He hesitates — just long enough for her to notice — then mutters, “Old novelas.”

Amara’s eyes widen. “What?”

Miguel shrugs, like it’s not a big deal. “My abuela used to watch them all the time when I was a kid. I still watch them sometimes.”

“Like Rubí?” she asks, biting back a laugh.

“Yeah,” Miguel says, a little sheepish but not embarrassed.

“That’s… kinda adorable,” Amara teases, but there’s a warmth to her voice. “My parents love El Señor de los Cielos”

“Good show,” he nodded, glad she didn’t think it was a bad thing.

The last question hovers between them: Tell me something about yourself.

Miguel taps fingers against his notebook, thinking. “I wake up at 5 AM every day to work out.”

Amara’s jaw drops. “Five?”

“Yeah.”

“Willingly?”

He chuckles softly. “Yeah.”

“You’re crazy.”

Miguel leans forward slightly, resting his arm on the desk. “What about you?”

Amara hesitates, then says, “I’ve had my nose pierced three times.”

Miguel’s brows knit together, and for the first time, he really looks at the hoop in her nose — delicate, with tiny diamonds. “Three times?”

She nods, lips quirking. “First time was normal. Then, the piercing fell out. I went to get it back in, wouldn’t go in, waited two weeks and got it redone, but the jewelry was an L shape — wrong kind — so it fell out again.” She laughs softly. “Had to wait a year to get it done right. They even had to put iodine up my nose and everything.”

Miguel winces. “Iodine?”

“Yeah. Felt weird, inside my nose was like orange for a bit, but it barely hurt getting done.”

He laughed. “Looks good now, though.”

Amara blinks. “Thanks.”

The professor claps his hands, pulling the class back to order. “Alright! Hope you all learned something new about each other. Let’s move on.”

Amara glances at Miguel one last time before turning back to the professor, her heart still doing that stupid fluttery thing.

And Miguel — well, he’s already replaying her laugh in his head.

The first few weeks of the semester unfolded like a slow burn — steady, unspoken rhythms forming.

Every Tuesday and Thursday, Miguel finds himself arriving to Media Literacy a little early, not just because he’s prompt to classes — but because Amara always gets there a few minutes before him. Without fail, she slides into her usual seat: second row, close to the board, next to an outlet. The first time it might’ve been coincidence, the second time routine — but now, Miguel wonders if it’s a silent agreement between them, an unspoken decision that yeah, we sit next to each other.

She always has her headphones in when she walks in, big over-ear ones that match her all-black laptop bag, jingling softly with every step because of the keychains hooked onto it — a silver skull, a tiny plush hello kitty, and a heart-shaped charm with a spiderweb design. Her jewelry only adds to the jingling— silver and crystal pendant necklaces layered at her neck, the small hoop in her nose catching the light every time she moves. She practically chimes when she sits down.

Her scent always hits him next — smokey, warm vanilla, but not the overly sweet kind. It’s richer, like burnt sugar and something dark, with a faint undertone of black cherry — probably from the hand sanitizer she pulls out every time she settles into her seat. He doesn’t mean to notice this much, but it’s hard not to when she’s right there, and the smell lingers even after she’s gone.

She always says hi.

It’s never just a nod or a wave — it’s always, “Hey, Miguel”. He likes the way she says his name, even if it makes his stomach twist a little more than he’s willing to admit.

The class itself is… fine. The professor’s energetic enough, pacing at the front of the room while talking about media echo chambers, power structures, and the way people consume information. It’s interesting, sure — but what’s more interesting is Amara.

She’s locked in when it matters — eyes slightly narrowed, lips pursed, typing in bursts on her laptop — but she’s also always doing something creative before class officially starts. Some days, it’s doodling on a digital canvas, her stylus tapping softly against the screen as she works on graphics for The Beacon or content for the comm club’s socials. Other days, it’s designing a flyer or scrolling through Pinterest. Miguel pretends not to glance, but he catches enough to know she’s not just messing around — it’s all purposeful, even if it looks casual.

Once, mid-lecture, the professor brings up Foucault — something about power and knowledge being intertwined — and Miguel watches Amara’s head snap up, her fingers immediately flying across her keyboard. She’s not typing notes, though — he can tell by the way her face scrunches in that determined, focused way — she’s Googling something.

Sure enough, a minute later, she mutters, “Found it,” under her breath — Power/Knowledge by Michel Foucault — free PDF download flashing on her screen.

Miguel can’t help but smirk. “You really just downloaded the whole book?” he whispers.

Amara flicks her gaze to him, her lips twitching. “What? I’m curious.”

That’s something else about her — she’s curious in a way that’s not performative. She doesn’t care about sounding smart; she is smart, and she asks questions without dressing them up in flowery language. She has this way of connecting ideas — tying media literacy back to American individualism or how the general public is responsible for who gets a platform so yes it matters if a controversial person has so many people say ‘well i’m just one person’ it ends up being everyone and that sentiment was individualistic. She doesn’t talk to sound important. She talks to make sense of things.

And Miguel respects that — a lot.

The discussions are the best part of the class, though.

Every time they pair up or break into small groups, Miguel notices how Amara leans into the conversation — not just skimming the surface, but really thinking. Like when they talk about media bias, and she offhandedly says, “People don’t want to hear things that aren’t comfortable or opposite of what they believe, it doesn’t matter if it’s truth or not, it’s aligned with what they want to hear,”

Miguel just stares at her for a second before saying, “That’s a good point.”

Amara’s used to people agreeing just to move the conversation along — but with Miguel, she can tell he means it. He doesn’t add fluff; he just acknowledges when something’s smart.

Outside of class, their interactions are brief but consistent.

Sometimes, Miguel spots her on campus — usually alone, clutching a book she got for free from the library’s withdrawn section. It’s never just fiction — she’s always walking around with some random communication theory book, a collection of essays about film, or a philosophy text. He wonders how her brain isn’t constantly on fire with all the things she’s thinking about.

Other times, he notices how she interacts with people in class — like the girl named Jen who always greets Amara with a cheerful, “Hello, my dear,” or, “Hey, mama.” Amara always responds in kind, asking about Jen’s day or their shared classes, her voice warm but laid-back. She doesn’t cling to anyone, though — more often than not, she’s on her own before and after class, scrolling through her phone or reading.

Then there’s the other stuff Miguel starts to pick up on.

Like how Amara’s emotions are always on her face, despite her resting bitch face.

The first time someone mentions Elon Musk in class — something about him “innovating” media platforms — Amara visibly cringes. It’s not subtle either. Her nose wrinkles, her lips flatten, and her whole body leans back like she’s just smelled something awful.

Miguel bites back a laugh.

And when someone makes a comment about how people just need to stop being so sensitive about media representation, Amara’s reaction is instant. Her brows shoot up, her mouth opens slightly, and her head tilts — a perfect picture of are you serious?

She doesn’t let it slide, either. “It’s not about being sensitive — it’s about acknowledging how representation shapes perception, that empathy should be normalized, godforbid a human basic trait is used. You can’t pretend things exist in a vacuum.”

Miguel finds himself waiting for those moments now — those flashes of honesty in her expressions and the way she speaks up without hesitation.

She had this quietly intimidating, don’t-mess-with-me-but-I’m-nice-if-you-don’t-be-stupid kind of way.

It’s hard not to be drawn to that.

So every time Amara slips into class with her jingling bag, her smokey vanilla and black cherry scent, and her casual, “Hey, Miguel,” — he feels it a little more.

God. He’s screwed.

dividers by @enchanthings and @horangipilled

[mandatory-blog-stop-asking]

It's funny how most every cyberpunk story or setting thought that due to technology taking over people's lives and humanity, computer literacy would become commonplace enough that the very term would disappear. Everyone in Night City or whatever is super into hacking or can at least give you the difference between hardware, software, antivirus, spam, etc. To not know the basic gists or cybernetics and cyber security is paramount to not knowing how to count or how to read.

In reality we're about to enter an age where knowing how to create a folder or a zip file is back to being ancient lore inscribed in tablets that only the 30 year old who works at your IT office knows how to do. Phones and the growing marketability of easy-access no-customization technology means kids just don't use computers anymore. And it's crazy how fast it happened.

When I was in kindergarten we still had "computer class" once a week, and it was objectively useless for everyone in my class. Regardless of our age or interests, all of us had casual PC time either at home or in cyber cafes, all of us knew how to do things the teachers many times struggled with. The moment typing machine class became keyboard typing class, computers were already dominating most of our time. I learned how to navigate a computer the same way I learned English; by myself, because it was vital for my own interests.

And between highly streamlined video games, single umbrella closed OSs and everything being a fucking app, a 14 year old nowadays is lucky if they know what quotation marks do to your Google results. It's genuinely harrowing how the future is tech-dependent, yet we're becoming completely tech-illiterate.

The worst part is that it's completely on purpose by the tech industry. Much like not being able to fix your own products when they break, if you simply don't know what your phone or your computer can *do*, it's much easier to sell you a borderline identical one a little earlier than you'd actually need it. Phone updates are already pretty much semantic; you can't even see the difference between new models and old ones anymore, unless the visual difference is the point. And it all just gets more and more expensive for less and less bang for your buck.

We never expected the cyberpunk dystopia to be dull, and to rely on making us dumb. Crazy how well it worked.

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[study-diaries]

Heyy so I need to give a speech for my English class but I can’t come up with any topics do you have any suggestions? (The topic has to be about a problem and interesting to my classmates) 🩷

Hello! :)

I hope this helps! <3

Education:

How education can solve generational poverty?

How the current education system is not flexible enough for people with disability (physical and mental) including LDs and mental illnesses?

Why the current education system is not suitable for the modern day youth?

Even though the literacy rate has gone up in the last 30 years, lack of jobs and unemployment are still high and situations like under employment is on the rise.

Health:

The rise in obesity and it's connection with lifestyle diseases.

The interrelationship better physical and mental health and how it is affecting work/study areas in our lives.

Sleep deprivation among students/employees gone up affecting their health and overall development.

Environment:

Overfishing

Ozone layer depletion

Deforestation

Technology:

How modern technology is affecting unemployment negatively.

A pandemic of adversity due to social media

Cyberbullying/cyber stalking/harassment

Social:

Migration (rural to urban -> urban congestion)

Gender inequality

Feminism

Overpopulation

Miscellaneous:

Beauty pageants objectifying women

Addictions (video game/ social media/ alcohol etc)

Traffic jams

Choosing the right career path for the modern job market

These are all i could think of. Hope you do well on your speech! :)