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ma9l · 5 years

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Research Project: Instagram Use and Depression

It’s fascinating. Isn’t it fascinating? What our world has become? The world is so different now compared to even a couple hundred years ago. It has advanced--especially when it comes to technology and the internet. Think about it. Social media used to be non-existent. Now it is booming with billions of users. This is proof that people are entertained by these types of platforms. However, aside from all their pros, they also hold many faults. For example, a survey (#StatusOfMind survey) was published in 2017 by the Royal Society for Public Health. They discovered that “Out of five social networks included in the survey, YouTube received the highest marks for health and well being and was the only site that received a net positive score by respondents. Twitter came in second, followed by Facebook and then Snapchat—with Instagram bringing up the rear.” Basically, Instagram was ranked as the worst social media for mental health. Although some may believe that Instagram doesn’t pose any issues, depression and Instagram actually share correlations. I believe the way Instagram is used plays a role in one’s well being and that symptoms of depression can arise if users are not careful. The world has enough issues, mental health being one of the most serious with the increase in suicides over more recent years. If we determine whether or not social media (particularly Instagram) is a contributor to depression, we could potentially end the epidemic, or at least avoid making things worse.

In the past, I would normally go about my research by googling and trying to find reliable sources that way. Usually this would present decent info, but hardly ever would it be in-depth. When I took ENGL 1010 last year, I was informed that my school’s library had a website full of databases holding a plethora of scholarly articles. My mind was blown. It was a bit overwhelming at first, but as I became familiar with the tools and resources, I learned how to properly navigate and refine my searches to produce the results I was looking for. I didn’t use the databases as effectively as I could have, but this year in ENGL 2010, I was encouraged to and I learned a lot more about how to read and interpret the articles to find relevant information. I did this by closely studying the abstract, methods, and results sections. Google searches aren’t necessarily bad. In fact, they can be used to compare and contrast with scholarly articles in order to find similarities and differences. I have also been told to use outside sources like physical books and newspapers or to try and perform my own research by creating a survey or poll. Overall, I am pleased with my education in research and feel that it has been and will be very beneficial for assisting me in my writing.

Before doing any research, I had a preconceived idea that Instagram was bad, but the more I looked into it, the more my opinion shifted from believing Instagram itself is unhealthy to believing the users of Instagram are the ones creating unhealthy habits. I came to this conclusion by reading various articles in relation to this topic and assessing my personal Instagram use.

One of the articles I read was “Instagram: Friend or Foe”. It revolves around a study from 2017 where 204 participants ages 18-48 were recruited through social media where the study was advertised. They were asked to complete an online survey regardless of whether or not they had an Instagram account. Authors actually hoped some wouldn’t so they could compare results between users and nonusers. Throughout the survey, participants (users only) were measured on seven things: anxiety, depression, loneliness, self-esteem, body image, social comparison, and time spent on Instagram. Using number scales, they would rank how they felt based on each category. In short, the authors’ hypotheses were correct for all but two of these categories: body image and social comparison where there was no significant difference between users and nonusers of Instagram. What surprised me most from the results was that those who had an Instagram account were less depressed than those who did not. I thought it would be the opposite, but I guess a reason for this could be because Instagram allows you to feel included and not so lonely with all the social interaction that goes on. “Contrary to expectation, Instagram anxiety was significantly, negatively associated with depression in this analysis. In addition, time spent , self-esteem, and anxiety were significant predictors of depression. Of note, social comparison was marginally associated with depression in the expected direction”.

The article “Instagram #Instasad?: Exploring Associations Among Instagram Use, Depressive Symptoms, Negative Social Comparison, and Strangers Followed”, held a set of online questionnaires for 117 individuals ages 18-29 who, like the previous study, were also voluntarily recruited through an online post that was shared. The questions asked were based on Instagram use, the number of strangers followed, social comparison, and depressive symptoms. Authors sought to identify the relationship between the different aspects of Instagram use. After completing the questionnaire, the following results were observed: the more one uses Instagram, the more depressed they are, but only if they follow a large number of strangers, otherwise Instagram and depression were not related. As far as social comparison goes, it was positively associated with greater instagram use meaning social comparison on Instagram is inevitable. Results demonstrated that the social comparison was more positive when users didn’t follow strangers. In conclusion, “people using Instagram or other SNS to keep in touch solely with people they know personally are not at risk for negative consequences. However, following strangers may lead to or reinforce already existing negative feelings about the self by triggering negative social comparisons.”

“Why Social Comparison on Instagram Matters: Its Impact on Depression” by Ha Sung Hwang is all about the relationship between various types of activities on social media that motivate one to participate in social comparisons and how those influence college students’ moods. It specifically focuses on Instagram for the social platform and depression for the mental illness which is exactly what I was looking for in my research. The study was carried out as 245 college students were surveyed on the types of activities they take part in on Instagram and how they felt in doing each of those. Instagram usage, activity, social comparison, and depression were individually measured. Demographics of the participants were also taken into account. The author seemed to be interested in the social comparison theory where there are three different kinds of comparisons: upward, downward, and horizontal. Upward is comparing yourself to someone who appears to be superior to you, downward is comparing yourself to someone who is inferior to you, and horizontal comparison is relating yourself to someone who is equal to you. The results presented three outcomes: “(1) looking at other people's status updates and commenting on other people's photos influences upward social comparison, (2) frequency of Instagram use predicts upward/downward/horizontal social comparison, and (3) upward social comparison was positively associated with depression, while downward social comparison was negatively associated with depression.”

One of the biggest similarities between these three sources is that the participants in each experiment were all college aged. That’s because according to “Instagram: Friend or Foe? The application’s association with psychological well-being”, “Approximately 90% of young adults use social media.” This is significant because you are college-aged and an adult, so these effects couldn’t apply to you more! Each article also agreed that users of Instagram deal with social comparison to some degree each time they interact with the app. Social comparison was measured in every case. The first article confirms that it took place-but they also expected that to happen. Many of us could probably assume the same. Article #2 concludes that social comparisons only have an effect on depression when you follow strangers. Now, because the author in article #3 performed a more specific measurement with her participants, she found that social comparison does contribute to depression, but only when it falls into the upward comparison category. A final similarity amongst these reports is support in the idea that the activities you do on Instagram will determine how depressed you become along with the amount of time you take part in them. Those activities combined include: looking at or commenting on other people’s photos and following strangers. The main difference in the studies was that they each took at least one more thing into account when analyzing what aspects of Instagram play a role in depressed moods. #1 compares users with non users. #2 wonders if gender makes a difference. #3 again, implements the social comparison theory. Limitations inevitably happened which could have hindered results, like how in the third article, the survey only took place at a Korean University. How would the results differ if UVU students took the survey? For the most part, the results were in sync. In summary, all the studies are on the same page when it comes to social comparison and activities on Instagram-believing that they tend to elevate depression. The authors also all realized that college students are most at risk for developing depressive symptoms due to their population’s heavy usage of the network.

I strongly believe that the way individuals use social media has an impact on how they feel. Instagram seems to be a culprit for influencing the rise of many negative feelings with depressive symptoms being some of many. Coincidentally, depression correlates with more frequent Instagram use which presents a predicament we ought to be concerned with because if we don’t pinpoint the epicenter of this relationship, it’s only going to get worse… and depression is going to become even more common than it already is.

According to an NBC article, Harvard University and the University of Vermont designed a computer program for spotting depressed individuals on Instagram with 70% accuracy. It was programmed to search for certain qualities of their photos in order to determine if someone was depressed or not. “Researchers found depressed individuals posted photos that were bluer, darker and grayer than images posted by others.” (Pawlowski). This demonstrates Instagram being used as an outlet for expressing one’s emotions. Elyse Fox struggled with depression and found relief in sharing her state of mind through this outlet because it helped her get things out of her system. This represents Instagram as a helpful tool. Others might not do it for relief, but simply because they are at an all time low. That’s when it becomes unhealthy and when you would need to reach out to someone you trust for help.

“In several recent studies, teenage and young adult users who spend the most time on Instagram, Facebook and other platforms were shown to have a substantially (from 13 to 66 percent) higher rate of reported depression than those who spent the least time.” This is proof of the correlation taking place.

Some may claim that it’s social media’s fault that people are suffering from mental illnesses. More specifically, that it’s Instagram’s fault if someone that uses it gets depressed. They might say it has nothing to do with the users actions because all of the potential negatives are automatically accessible before them and say that whatever happens is directly caused by the app. The blame is put on a non-living, non-physical, inanimate thing. To our knowledge, Instagram itself is not capable of causing anything. Studies show a correlation, not a causation. However, “One reason the correlation seems more than coincidental is that an increase in depression occurred in tandem with the rise in smartphone use.” (Miller). “By 2015,... 92 percent of teens and young adults owned a smartphone. The rise in depressive symptoms correlates with smartphone adoption during that period.” (Miller). The author of this write-up also mentions that there was a rise in the number of college students visiting counselors for anxiety and depression. Just so you know, UVU has counseling services available on campus if you are seeking further assistance with your mental health. (Student Health Services |(801) 863-8876| Room SC-221).

What should we do about it? What can we do about it? Personally? As a student body? I think it is a very personal issue because everyone has their agency and freedom to do what they want and really, it is up to them to decide how they will spend their time on Instagram. But we can suggest tips for those who are seeking help or for those who don’t realize what’s affecting them and want to change.

In a Ted Talk by Bailey Parnell, she suggests four tips for obtaining social media wellness. These are presented in four steps: 1. Recognize the problem. 2. Audit your social media diet. 3. Create a better online experience. 4. Model good behavior. It’s all about our awareness. If we don’t realize something’s wrong, then we aren’t going to do anything about it. After that, we are able to make adjustments based on our unique needs. For example, we could spend less time on Instagram, unfollow strangers, or make our posts more real and sincere. I, personally, need to work on all of those because I notice a difference between when my time spent on Instagram has been a waste, leaving me drained vs when it’s been productive and I’ve come away feeling enlightened or pleased with my online experience. What I consider to be a waste of time is viewing my followers profiles and engaging in social comparison where I degrade myself and wish my life was like theirs. A more productive way to spend my time would be sharing an uplifting message on my story or reach out to friends I haven’t talked to in a while to see how they are doing.

The United Kingdom’s RSPH had the great idea of teaching safe social media use in schools. (Macmillan). Because of the prevalence of social media today, it needs to be acknowledged and taught proper use. I think all schools should provide a class solely dedicated to teaching social media safety and another for teaching about mental health awareness. Instagram and depression each fall into one of those categories, so it’s perfect. These classes could be held in middle schools, high schools, and colleges since most age groups use some form of social media. I feel like a lot of students would benefit from taking these courses.

Fellow friends (A.K.A. UVU students) if you have been guilty of spending too much time on Instagram, comparing yourself to others, or following celebrities/strangers you hardly know, it’s okay!! So have I. That doesn’t mean you are a bad person, it just means that you are human. Now that you know more about what types of interactions on Instagram can make you depressed, you can choose to be more proactive and reap the rewards of “social media wellness” and obtain the happiness that comes from practicing “safe social.”

To restate my stance one more time, I will just remind you that all the research I have done and knowledge I have gained has led me to believe that Instagram use and depression correlate. Depression isn’t caused by the app, rather depression results from using the app excessively or from comparing oneself to others. I strongly believe that we have a responsibility to monitor and reflect on our Instagram behaviors in order to decrease our chances of being at risk for depression. Making simple changes can alter your perspective on life and bring you more joy. Bailey Parnell says it best: “Is social media hurting your mental health? The answer is: it does not have to.”

Google Slides (in progress): https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1jJ-aIcZZW0qCJpfWv0-SGCyrAFu7O_eLq34oCXVNsBo/edit?usp=sharing

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ftsabrinas-blog · 5 years

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phew ! for ONCE i finally put my page together & was actually prepared this time around ! usually , i’m rushing to get it done along with my intro before the limit runs out , but look at me , being productive ! anyways , my name’s 𝒓𝒖𝒎𝒊 , 22+ , i prefer THEY/THEM pronouns & this would be my very first time playing miss roseanne park so i hope i can do her some justice with my volatile baby girl 𝑠𝑎𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑎 𝑘𝑖𝑚 ! she’s the beautiful blend of part wild child , part head bitch in charge with a glorious splash of GLEAMING highlight , oversized balenciaga sweatshirts , & a tongue coated with venom . i hope you guys can grow to love her as much as i have !

˗ˏˋ PARK CHAEYOUNG ／ SHE & HER ／ TWENTY-THREE . welcome to los angeles , sabrina kim ! the glitterati has been watching you . rumour has it you made your first mark in the industry SIX YEARS ago & that your net worth currently stands at $6.8M . it seems as though you’re enjoying being a gymnast since relocating from sydney , australia . some might say you’d be a good fit for the glitterati due to your hollywood ranking being a solid #2 , & it helps that fans speak so highly of your SCINTILLATING & METICULOUS ways . unfortunately , our sources cite that those closest to you aren’t particularly impressed with your MEPHISTOPHELIAN & SENTENTIOUS tendencies . ／ PENNED BY RUMI , 22 , THEY/THEM , EASTERN , CANCER , GORE & GRAPHIC VIOLENCE .

NAME: sabrina jane kim.

NICKNAME(S): sj, rina & kimmie.

BIRTHDAY: july 9th, 1996.

ZODIAC: cancer.

MORAL ALIGNMENT: chaotic neutral.

GENDER: cisfemale.

PRONOUNS: she/her.

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: bisexual.

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: biromantic.

HEIGHT: 5′6″.

HOMETOWN: sydney, new south wales, australia.

NATIONALITY: australian.

ETHNICITY: korean.

OCCUPATION: former collegiate gymnast & olympic hopeful.

LANGUAGE(S) SPOKEN: english, korean & learning japanese.

CHARACTER INSPO: heather chandler, jennifer check, cheryl blossom ( season one ), cher horowitz & chanel oberlin ( i hate that they’re all white, but they’re the best examples i could find; please don’t hate me ! )

born in sydney, sabrina’s parents are grace and jin-young kim. grace is a former pageant queen who won miss korea in the late 80s and miss universe in the early 90s. her mom never really wanted to pursue a career in modeling, but she graciously accepted her prizes and managed to become more well-known for her acting. her mom was in a lot of early k-dramas and was a natural in front of the camera, so she immediately shot to stardom in korea. her father, jin-young, had been a graduate of the prestigious seoul national university with a degree in preliminary medicine; he went on to medical school with an interest in becoming a cardio-thoracic surgeon.

grace and jin-young dated for about three years before they married in 1994, and became parents midway through 1996. the couple moved to australia in 1995 as they wanted to build a beautiful home near the beach and thought that sydney was the best place to do it. sabrina was brought into the world after seventeen hours of labor, and much like kourtney kardashian, grace immediately reached down and pulled her out as soon as she could. it’s suffice to say that their relationship has been close ever since.

sabrina was a child who had everything she could have wanted while growing up. she always had the latest toys, the latest accessories, and the best gadgets – she never had to want for anything. this wasn’t entirely a good thing as she grew into being someone who believed that she deserved any and everything when she wanted it. ever since she was a little girl, grace and jin-young would put her in all sorts of clubs, hoping to find one that piqued their daughter’s interest and that just so happened to gymnastics.

she started a little bit later with it, joining her community gym when she was eight. sabrina was brand new while some of the girls around her had started when they were as young as two, but that didn’t deter her. she made sure to work hard and practice, and eventually, she was so good no one could tell she started late in life. gymnastics was her life and she was always going above and beyond – she started competing in competitions held around australia, never allowing herself to do less than silver. when it came to attending college, while sabrina could have stayed in australia, she decided that going to the states would bring more opportunities, so she decided to attend ucla where she majored in communications, but continued her deep love for gymnastics.

coming in as a freshman, sabrina sat back and listened to her coach as well as her captain. she didn’t really step out of the box much, but once her sophomore year rolled around, she did. eventually, sabrina became the captain of the team during her junior year and she did so with an iron fist. sabrina was EXTREMELY no nonsense when it came to practices and didn’t hesitate to rat someone out for not putting in the 110% she expected out of all of the girls, even those who were older than her. suffice to say, sabrina’s teammates did not like her.

now, sabrina’s main event was floor, but she does vault, and balance-beam. during her collegiate career, she had gotten six perfect scores for floor, so of course her head was a little inflated. she supported her team no matter what, but sabrina could be a tyrant in practice but a sweetheart during interviews, and for whatever reason her teammates had a problem with that. so, they decided to secretly record one of their rides home from a competition ( thank GOD their coach wasn’t on the bus at the time because … they got chewed out )and sabrina didn’t hold her tongue. at the time, she felt as though she was carrying the weight of the team and that the girls had given up, so she was upset especially since the team scored lower as a whole which was very rare.

next thing you know, the recording is posted ‘anonymously’ on twitter and people have a field day. not only amongst students but even a few news shows picked up on it once it became much bigger than what it should have ever been. it was a situation of “come one, come all” in a sense, where no one really had an issue with sabrina until the video was posted, and then suddenly people were replying to the tweet saying how much of a bitch, a bully, and overall terrible person she was. sabrina, however, wasn’t going to run and hide when everything hit the fan.

her coach made her write an apology letter to her team ( which she did NOT care about in any way ) and also to the ncaa, you know, to save face since she still had about six months left before graduating. sabrina was extra petty after everything happened because her team didn’t account for the mob mentality and attacking she faced, so they tried being nice to her and saying it was a prank, but she wouldn’t talk to them at all. once, they were in practice and she had to say something to group so she said it in korean and wouldn’t translate for them any of what she said.

so now, sabrina has graduated and joined a gym in california, competing and hoping to someday become a member of team usa. she probably has an entire room in her apartment that’s filled with all of her accolades since joing the team at ucla, but her ‘bitch’ reputation still follows her from ucla, but she embraced the hell out of it. even though she had to write that apology letter to her team, she didn’t mean a word of it and if they thought she’d suddenly stop being a bitch then they were dead wrong. if anything, it made her more of one and she’s not playing games, especially when it comes to her career.

lastly, when it comes to her personality, sabrina didn’t let that whole “scandal” affect her like they thought it would. honestly, she laughs about it now even though people like to think she’ll bite of their heads during competitions ( which she will, no hesitation ). she kind of likes that people have something of a fear of her, which is why her main negative trait is mephistophelian, a fancier word for demonic and derived from the demon named mephistopheles, but she’s just as charming as ever. still a bitch, manipultive, and really spiteful. she loves dropping in insult but covering it up with a false nicety, so she’s like a tiny ball of fire at all times.

#glitterati.intro #sorry this is so rambly and kinda long fdsnafa #i never know when to shut my mouth #but i love her sm even tho she's trash

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orphans-forest-blog · 6 years

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If Liberals Really Want to Persuade Conservatives ‘Global Warming’ is Real, They Need to Read This

To Persuade Conservatives 'Global Warming' is Real, Read This

Here we go again... A new bombshell report from the United States government has been released on the issue of "Climate Change," which says that we are all soon going to be destroyed by the impact of rising temperatures. Liberals and the media have, predictably, pounced on the findings as vindication of their already religious-level belief in the Blog9T concept. Meanwhile, conservatives, slow to fully accept the predictions of doom, and President Trump who is overtly disdainful of them, are openly ridiculed by the establishment as being anti-science and, frankly, at best, just plain dumb. I come at this issue from a fairly unusual position. For instance, as a highly-educated conservative who loathes Trump and the anti-intellectualism which has overtaken the Republican Party since his successful 2016 coup, I am extremely open to the idea that our climate is changing considerably, and that man may play a significant role in that development. Adding to this predisposition to accept that science is very real, and that scientists are generally to be trusted, is that my grandfather was a fairly renowned "rocket scientist." To top it off, it was his stubborn unwillingness to accept the scientific conventional wisdom which probably saved our space satellite program from some serious setbacks. To be clear, I am not suggesting that this genetic background gives me some special insight into the validity of climate science. Obviously, it does not. But this heritage does makes me very accepting of any science-based argument which is grounded in logic and evidence. Despite all this, I must admit to something which, if I was part of the media's club of "cool people," would get me kicked out faster than anything other than overt racism or sexism: I do not currently believe that the case for catastrophic man-made Global Warming/Climate Change has been convincingly made. In fact I am offended by the extreme arrogance of those who routinely act like holding such a position is akin to committing blasphemy against some sort of new-age religion. If the proof is so damn overwhelming, then why not just persuade us conservatives with the facts? Contrary to liberal perception, there actually are some sound reasons for the reluctance of many conservatives to buy into cataclysmic climate scenarios. Here are ten of them... A dramatic change in branding: When the name got altered from "Global Warming" to "Climate Change," it felt like we were being scammed and that, because it was still getting very cold in all the places where it should be, liberals simply needed a re-branding which gave them more flexibility. Suddenly, every possible negative weather event could be safely placed under the umbrella of "Climate Change," and there was no longer any way to disprove the theory because, get this, when it gets too cold that's also evidence of "Climate Change"! The climate has always changed: Each summer my family goes to Yosemite National Park where we stay in the valley which was created by a glacier, and which melted well before man could have had any impact. Weirdly, this dramatic cooling and then warming did nothing more detrimental to the environment than create one of the most beautiful places on earth. The data pool is highly overrated: Climatologists tell us all the time that the last few years have been the hottest on record, as if we have been calculating a global temperature in the same fashion since the dawn of man. But we only have a little more than a century's worth of actual temperature data against which to compare. Even then, the data is deceiving because we have only been calculating a "global temperature" in a precise way for, at most, about a generation thanks to extraordinary advances in technology caused by the space program. That short span is the blink of an eye in terms of climate, which has historically changed over hundreds if not thousands of years. While not a perfect comparison, no one would ever think they could predict where the stock market will be in twenty years based on just a few days of trading. Weather/climate hypocrisy: Whenever it gets unseasonably cold and a nonbeliever points this out (like President Trump did regarding this year's chilly Thanksgiving), it is correctly countered that this kind of thinking is illegitimate because "weather" and "climate" are not the same. However, invariably, whenever unusual weather-related events occur (like the recent wildfires here in California [which in my view had nothing to do with "climate change"], and the two devastating hurricanes which hit the southeast earlier this year), this incredibly important winter-time distinction is suddenly conveniently forgotten. It becomes okay to cite climate to explain weather. "The debate is over" argument: The worst way to get conservatives to believe in something is to tell them to shut up and just accept what liberals are telling them because it is so obviously true that there need not be a debate about it. Especially when this conviction is based on the fact that a bunch of academics and major media members, groups made up almost entirely of liberals, have nearly unanimously decided what that truth is, and that literally no one else should even be allowed to publicly question that. Saying "the debate is over" is essentially invitation for debate. Confirmation bias and conflicts of interest: A large part of why the "shut up and go along" tactic fails so spectacularly here with conservatives is that those making that case have obvious conflicts of interest. Climatology is FAR sexier and more lucrative for everyone involved if it is the source of a global doomsday scenario. The entire "industry" is now so invested in this prediction being true that it is perceived as career suicide for any established person to dare to buck prevailing wisdom. When you add to this the fact that, surely by pure coincidence, the solution to this massive and imminent problem sounds like an excuse for implementing global socialism, and it's no mystery why conservatives won't blindly go along. Over-the-top predictions that never seem to come true: Whether because of a desire to create attention for the topic by grossly exaggerating, or because they are just, oddly, really bad at predicting the very future about which they are warning, the forecasting record by the Global Warming/Climate Change people has been mostly horrible. They will tell you that the data indicating increasing temperatures in recent years is a fulfillment of their prophecies, but it is theoretically possible that there is a warming bias in the way that data is being accumulated in this now very modern technological era. Where is the real world impact?: As Walter Mondale famously asked of Gary Hart (via a then-famous Wendy's commercial), "Where's the beef?" If the climate is obviously changing so rapidly, why aren't we seeing clear-cut deviations from what we are used to? As a golfer, if The Masters tournament, held in Georgia the second week of each April because that is the prime of spring, is forced to move to March because of the warmer temperatures, then I will be an instant believer. However, until then I need something more than just biased reports on the seemingly ever-changing state of the polar icecaps. Doom is always just far enough away: History has shown us that there is very little downside to someone claiming that, unless we listen to them, we are all doomed (it's literally a "can't lose" prediction!). The key to this gambit is for the prophecy of disaster to be far enough away so that, if it doesn't happen, then people will have forgotten all about it, and the person who made the false claim either dead, or SEO Blog9T at least retired. Many conservatives are highly cynical about the fact that predictions in this realm just happen to always fit perfectly into "we have to act now while I am still relevant, or else we will all die right about the time I am no longer around to be held accountable if that doesn't actually happen" category. Can/should anything be done anyway?: This may be the toughest issue for conservatives to get past. The globe is so large, and we in the United States are such a relatively small part of it, that, even if we destroyed our own economy in an effort to combat the alleged problem, it sounds like we couldn't even make a real dentanyway. Then there's the part of this which no one ever talks about; some warming of this earth would have many positive effects and, up until a point, may actually be an overall net positive (which may be why this most recent report went WAY beyond any other by predicting a seemingly ludicrous 11 degree increase in temperature over the next 80 years). -- That's just ten reasons why there is skepticism on the right, and why liberal efforts to quash that skepticism continue to fail. [Featured image via screengrab] Follow John Ziegler (@Zigmanfreud ) on Twitter This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.

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flauntpage · 7 years

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“They can’t f*%$ing guard me!” Five Observations from Sixers 133, Nets 114

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I don’t need to see any more.

Wrap up Joel Embiid and get him ready for the season opener.

When you put up this line playing less than 15 minutes in your first game since January:

22 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block

…then you’re ready to play a real one.

Sure, it’s still preseason, and I’m not gonna go overboard in a lopsided win against the Nets, but if you watched even five minutes of last night’s contest then you saw Embiid past the eye test with ease.

1) Redefining a role

There’s not much I can say about Embiid that hasn’t already been said.

The obvious takeaway is how much he improves the defense as a 7’2″ rim protector.

Case in point, this block:

Joel Embiid dropped 20 in his first preseason half … and he brought his help defense. http://pic.twitter.com/VA9YkIOs8f

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 12, 2017

Embiid shot 18 foul shots last night. 18! And he hit 14 of them. Six of ten starters didn’t even score that many points in total last night.

Joel will spend a lot of time at the line this season. He’s already unguardable, and now he’s adding things like this to his game:

Looks like Embiid’s been watching some Dirk footage this offseason. http://pic.twitter.com/UnM3Bs1vz6

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 12, 2017

No one defends that unless the officials whistle the forearm shrug.

The thing with Embiid is that he’s not really one of anything. He’s not just a stout defender. He’s not just a low post scorer. He’s not just a pick and roll player. He does all of that and more, which essentially makes his designation as a center somewhat of a wash. It’s sort of like Ben Simmons playing the point at 6’11”. We can shoehorn guys into roles as a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, but this team has a couple of players who blur those lines to the point where it almost becomes comical to even think about.

Case in point, the “center” assisting the “point guard” in this fashion:

Who's the point guard and who's the center? http://pic.twitter.com/hTFXU9P2CZ

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 12, 2017

The only negative thing I saw from Embiid last night was a couple of fouls in the post, when he was just a tad late to shuffle his feet and slide. He moves with great fluidity but smaller guys will be able to squirt past him at times. D’Angelo Russell hit a really nice floater over Embiid with a quick release in the paint.

But on the offensive end…

"They can't f***ing guard me!" Joel Embiid 22 points (14-18 FT), 7 boards, 3 assists & 1 block in 15 minutes. http://pic.twitter.com/RYv4HEPsRn

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) October 12, 2017

2) Rajon Rondo?

Rookie moments for Ben Simmons, who continues to find his feet.

He shot 4-8 inside the key and 0-2 outside of it. Most of the stuff he’s finishing is right at the rim. His jumper is pretty much nonexistent at this point.

Does he need one right now?

No, not if he’s kicking the ball out to Embiid, Dario Saric, Robert Covington, and JJ Redick:

This, a thousand times this, @BenSimmons25 #Sixers http://pic.twitter.com/6rBLg3VII1

— Dan Levy (@DanLevyThinks) October 12, 2017

Simmons can improve offensively first by becoming a better finisher at the rim. He’s not going to need to shoot from 12 to 15 feet if he’s hitting 4-5 shots in traffic per game. That puts him on track for 8-14 points per game, considering the fact that he’s probably going to be the second-most fouled player on the team behind Embiid. A couple of buckets, a couple of foul shots, and a bunch of assists get you a double-double every night.

I’ve read some super hot Twitter takes out there, that Simmons is just a “6’10 Rondo” right now. Is that the worst thing in the world for a rookie with four preseason games under his belt? Rondo won a ring, went to four All-Star Games, and was honored multiple times for his defense and assist numbers. If Rajon Rondo is the “floor” for Ben Simmons, then what’s the “ceiling?”

3) Let’s find minutes for this guy

It’s T.J. McConnell, a guy who plays every possession like it’s game seven of the finals.

I just feel like there’s better ball movement when he’s out there, whereas Jerryd Bayless isn’t going to hesitate to take that three-point shot. That’s fine if he’s knocking them down, but McConnell is doing more to involve his teammates, dish it around, and wait for the higher percentage play.

Are there enough minutes to go around? I have no clue. You’ve got Simmons, Bayless, and McConnell in the logjam, and I didn’t even mention first-overall draft pick Markelle Fultz.

McConnell is an NBA guard. Nice find of Embiid for the And1. Embiid is better than any other center http://pic.twitter.com/806a1uhIqA

— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) October 12, 2017

4) The sixth man

Overshadowed by Embiid’s brilliance was the fact that Dario Saric was actually the leading scorer on the night.

He’s similar to Simmons and Embiid in that blurring of the lines that I mentioned earlier. He can play some spot 5 this season. A “stretch-center?” Call it whatever you want. He contributes in a variety of roles in a variety of situations. If he plays anywhere close to how he played last night, the sixth-man award is already wrapped up.

Behold:

He’s also a good judge of talent:

Saric on Embiid: "If he stays healthy, I hope I will be on his team…because of that I can start to celebrate one championship earlier."

— Jessica Camerato (@JCameratoNBCS) October 12, 2017

5) TLC

Eleven points, four rebounds, and a couple of steals in 15 minutes for Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot. He shot 57% from the field and went 1-2 from three-point land.

I thought he played a nice game, adding some defensive bite on the wing and doing a little bit of everything.

He only recently was upgraded to full health, so it’s a situation similar to that of Jahlil Okafor, where there’s probably gong to be some rust knocked off. If he can continue to improve his shooting and hit a couple of those open looks that come his way, he’ll be a solid backup for Covington off the bench while Furkan Korkmaz gets tons of minutes in Delaware.

Think about a second unit of Luwawu-Cabarrot, Fultz, Saric, Anderson (?), and Amir Johnson or Richaun Holmes (or Okafor?). That’s better than the starting lineups the Sixers were rolling out a few years back.

“They can’t f*%$ing guard me!” Five Observations from Sixers 133, Nets 114 published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

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ronaldmrashid · 7 years

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The Google Manifesto: Conform Or Perish

Once upon a time, I was 28 and dumb. But I was never as dumb as author James Damore who wrote a 3,200 word manifesto saying the reason why women and some minorities aren’t more represented at his firm is due to biological differences. That’s just offensive to the women and minorities who made it to Google.

Overall, Google’s workforce is 69% male, 31% female. However, when it comes to technical positions, just 20% of the jobs are filled by women. 56% of the workforce is White, 35% Asian, 4% Hispanic, 2% Black, 4% bi-racial, and less than 1% Other.

After a decade of trying to become more diverse, Google is clearly has not done a great job since African Americans represent roughly 12.4% and Hispanics about 17% of US the population. Interestingly, when it comes to diversity, Asian Americans don’t seem to count for some reason, even though they are an even smaller minority at only 6% of the US population.

Given Damore is now unemployed and facing potential financial difficulties (if he doesn’t win his lawsuit), I wanted to discuss some important lessons everybody who depends on a job to survive should think about. This is a site about financial freedom after all.

Lessons Learned From The Google Manifesto Fiasco

1) If you are not financially independent, never offend anybody. Something must have really bothered James to spend hours writing his manifesto. I’m guessing he was ticked off because he was passed over for a raise or promotion, and found it unfair that Google has career help programs specifically for underrepresented groups of people.

Welcome to the real world, where even working at one of the most prestigious organizations can make you unsatisfied. Even though you’ve already won the job lottery (0.2% acceptance rate), you curiously think the system is stacked against you.

Check your bank account. Do you have at least a couple years of living expenses locked away? If not, then keep quiet. Check your net worth tracking account. Does it at least equal 20X your gross annual income? If not, then shut up. Check your passive income streams. Can they cover all your living expenses? If not, then what the hell are you doing trying to piss off your managers and peers?!

Performance is only 50% of the way to get ahead at a large organization. The other 50% is developing a large support network who will fight for you at every rung of the ladder. Ostracizing 30% of your peer group when you need a consensus to ascend is a career limiting move.

A List Of Career Limiting Moves To Blow Up Your Future

Once You Have F U Money, It’s Hard To Tell People To F Off!

2) Conform or perish. Before joining a company, you need to have a thorough understanding of the company’s culture and ideology. Every large tech company in the SF Bay Area like Facebook, Google, Salesforce, Airnbnb and Apple has a left-leaning ideology. Therefore, after accepting a job offer, it’s unwise to come out against your company’s ideology.

Damore writes, “When it comes to diversity and inclusion, Google’s left bias has created a politically correct monoculture that maintains its hold by shaming dissenters into silence.”

That’s just the way it is James. If you decide to parlay your Harvard Master’s degree in Systems Biology to become a software engineer at a company you don’t respect for the sake of money and prestige, then that’s on you. Find a company that has the ideology you believe in.

No student is going to the University of Michigan to wear Ohio State sweaters to class. No person expects to live long if they continuously overeat. No financial freedom seeker expects to be rich without investing. Be congruent in your thoughts and actions.

Related: What If You Go To Harvard And End Up A Nobody?

3) Women have a powerful voice in the media. If you write about anything that may be construed as anti-women, you are putting your career and reputation in peril. The vast majority of people who have written about the Google Manifesto fiasco are women. Here’s a list of organizations that wrote about the subject and their authors:

NBC News – Alyssa Newcomb, Jo Ling Kent

Fortune – Ellen McGirt

Gizmod0 Kate Congert

Quartz – Gwynn Guilford

Wired – Nitasha Tiku

Inc. – Suzanne Lucas

Motherboard Vice – Louise Matsakis

Recode – Kara Swisher

Pando – Sarah Lacy

In many large organizations, women are well-represented in diversity leadership positions and HR roles. Don’t make enemies with the very people who can decide your fate. If you are a heterosexual male who was constantly rejected by women growing up because you were a super nerd, instead of being angry, work on your communication skills instead.

Related: The Difficulties Of Pregnancy: More Help Needed For Working Moms

4) Lack of diversity is not hard fought across job functions. Someone on the Twitter echo chamber brought up a good point, “Nobody fights about lack of diversity in modest paying jobs.” So true if you think about different industries with a disproportionate number of men or women. For example, I don’t recall seeing any outrage about the lack of men teaching K – 12 even though women make up ~75% of all teachers. Maybe I just missed it.

Teaching is one of the most important occupations in the world. Why aren’t more equal rights advocates up in arms about the lack of equality? The simple and sad reason is because the median pay for an elementary teacher is only about $40,000 compared to a software engineer who can easily make $200,000+ in salary and stock.

Society is so wrapped up in money and prestige that they conveniently forget there is inequality everywhere, not just at famous companies which pay handsome salaries. If you choose to fight for equality, try to fight for equality for everyone. The people who make less probably need more help.

After the teaching industry, let’s look for more racial representation in the NBA. I’d love to see at least 6% of the players be Asian. Basketball is huge in Asia and amongst Asian people in America. With over 4 billion Asian people in the world (more than half), more Asians in the NBA would be great for business.

After Five Years Of Unemployment I Finally Found A Dream Job

Why Don’t More Men Go Into Teaching? (NYT)

5) Employment is at-will. Unlike countries like France or Japan, where getting fired is unheard of, employees have little protection here in the United States. Allowing companies to fire employees for whatever reason is part of why we’re the leaders in innovation. America is a cut throat society that thrives on capitalism.

See what the Supreme Court of California has to say about at-will employment.

“An employer may terminate its employees at will, for any or no reason … the employer may act peremptorily, arbitrarily, or inconsistently, without providing specific protections such as prior warning, fair procedures, objective evaluation, or preferential reassignment … The mere existence of an employment relationship affords no expectation, protectable by law, that employment will continue, or will end only on certain conditions, unless the parties have actually adopted such terms.”

As soon as you become mindful that you can be fired at any time, you’ll be more willing to assimilate into the Borg. Make no mistake. If you do not moonlight or build alternative income streams, you’ve chosen to put your entire livelihood in the hands of an organization.

Related: Ranking The Best Passive Income Investments

6) Go Small Or Go On Your Own. If by now you’re upset about having to conform to groupthink, then leave and join a much smaller company or become an entrepreneur. Large companies naturally become more bureaucratic because they employ a larger representation of the American people (except for Google and many of the other tech companies per their diversity reports). One of the biggest fears every company has is getting sued for discrimination. Therefore, a tremendous effort is made to ensure proper systems are in place to make sure everybody gets along (except for at Uber).

As an entrepreneur for the past five years with only my wife to report to, I’ve found making work decisions to be 10X faster than when I worked at a firm with tens of thousands of people. We work with online contractors we’ve never met before e.g. our system administrator. We’ve had business meetings with hundreds of different men and women from all races and backgrounds. Not once did a person’s sex or race come into consideration for working together. It always came down to whether the product was a natural fit for my writing or whether the person was competent to produce good work.

You should not turn into a cancer that negatively affects everyone you’re working with. Someone else will happily take your place if you don’t want it. After getting a terrible bonus despite strong performance, I decided to engineer my layoff instead of complain. I believed in myself more than my company believed in me.

Either take the money and stop biting the hand that feeds you or move on.

If You Need Money, Proceed With Caution

Life is already hard enough as it is. Don’t make things harder on yourself by blowing up your career if you aren’t already rich. It’s OK to speak your unfiltered mind if you are OK with the consequences. Just know that whatever you write will last forever on the internet. Pick up the phone or meet someone face-to-face if you want to insult them. But before you do, learn some self-defense!

Related: Are You Smart Enough To Act Dumb Enough To Get Ahead

Readers, did you read the Google Manifesto? If so, what do you think? Why don’t more people fight for equality in modest or lower paying jobs? Has society become so infatuated with the top 1% that they’ve ignored the plight of everyone else? Why do people who don’t have FU money like to make life harder on themselves?

from http://www.financialsamurai.com/the-google-manifesto-conform-or-perish/

#Financial Samurai

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