Shis issue: (¥ Don’t be that guy: Digital fugitive (Y Your device puts you in public (¥ Cash and burn And more! Have your voice heard! Contact: Elliot Chan, Opinions Editor M opinions@theotherpress.ca www.theotherpress.ca Like the real thing » Your social media profile is not a measuring stick for success Elliot Chan Opinions Editor © opinions @theotherpress.ca can be certain that when I write a Facebook post, someone will read it. There are few other places where you can push a message publicly and have it received by those who you intended it for. If I want a close group of friends to read my inside joke I can link them to it. If I want to omit my colleagues from my radical political point of views—should I have any—I can simply adjust the privacy settings. We are all media producing outlets, however, today we aren't using social media to present anything of value, we are merely shouting into the void, uttering mundane nothings, and expecting praise, affirmation, or approval in return. We are living in an age where we are “liking,” “retweeting,’ and “sharing” too casually. The reason is because the gamified aspect of social media is so addicting. We feel compelled to let people know about our meals, our feelings, our day at work, our vacation spot, our new relationships, Like our athletic achievements, : and many other not-so-pivotal : details of our lives. We present : the part of ourselves we want : people to see. We are our own : public relations manager, but : the thing is it always comes : across as contrived, arrogant, : or needy. : : Everything we post today is : : measured as if “likes” have any * merit to our real experiences. i Me te : They don’t. So what? Liking is : fun. It’s good for the human 5; spirit. Sure it nurtures a : narcissistic aspect of our being, : but what harm does that do? : Why can’t we like whatever we : feel like liking? Why can’t we follow whomever we feel like : following? The thing with Facebook and other social media : algorithms is that your feed Like : impacts your friends. You are : representing all the boring : bullshit you are liking and : sharing. Marketers see your : behaviour and in return present more branded material : : on your news feed, more : Buzzfeed surveys, and more : peer-to-peer propaganda. : By liking, commenting, and sharing content you * are not invested in, you are : inadvertently spamming your : fellow followers, friends, and : fans. If you don’t value the : content and you don’t believe : your social media community : will appreciate it, don’t like it. You are not obligated to : like your best friends’ posts : about their lunches or the : way the Starbucks employee : messed up in spelling their : names. You are not obligated to : like a news article your mother : shared. Social media does a : fine job recycling content. And : with the new trending column : on the side of Facebook, you : really don’t need to share any : pertinent stories at all; nobody : is relying on you for the : breaking news. On social media, we often : get our priorities mixed up. : We get derailed from the : informative and valued path : into a trivial and anecdotal Image by Thinkstock : direction. Take the black and : blue optical illusion dress : we all saw earlier this year : on social media. We couldn't : stop talking about it, because : people wouldn't stop talking : about it. That’s the thing; it’s : a vicious cycle. If you want a : topic to die, you need to stop : contributing to it. That’s why : we should like, comment, and : share sparingly. Is university overrated? » Re-evaluating the benefits of post-secondary education “h Alex Recio The Silhouette Nowe most people think going to university is the surest way to attain success. According to recent data published by Statistics Canada, the percentage of people who have a university degree has doubled since 1990. Today, about 70 per cent of people between the ages of 25 and 44 are post-secondary graduates. These figures almost speak for themselves and point to the conclusion that Canadians are better educated than they have ever been before. When I was in Grade 12, not going to university just didn’t seem like a viable option. : My parents always made sure : that I knew the importance of : receiving a good education and : staying in school. Now that : | have been at McMaster for : almost two years, I can’t help : but wonder if they were wrong. Universities are supposed : to foster discovery. They are : places where people go to : gain knowledge, expand their : horizons, and prepare for the : future. McMaster offers many : opportunities to its students : that enable them to meet these : goals. In spite of this, I highly : doubt that anyone feels actually : ready to face the real world after : having been here for four years. The process of getting a : degree seems to mostly involve : checking a certain number of : prerequisites off a list. At least : once a semester, you are bound : to take a class that you have : absolutely no interest in. Going : to lectures is agonizing, but : you limp through to the end : by memorizing the necessary : information and regurgitating : it on the test. Two days later you : have managed to erase all of : the course’s contents from your : brain. Unfortunately, this story : also applies to the classes that : you enjoy and repeats itself : endlessly until you receive a : diploma. During the school year : most of us live from deadline : to deadline, relying on caffeine, : Gino's pizza, and Wikipedia : to get the job done. All of this : begs the question: is university : overrated? The environment that it : creates is most certainly not : always conducive to good : learning. Most of the time, it : simply confines students ina : classroom and rewards them : with a piece of paper that can : be hung on the wall for having : an ability to mindlessly reiterate : random facts. Once Welcome Week : ends, it does not take us long : to realize that university is far : from the transformative and : enriching experience that all the : brochures claim it is. On many : days the entire thing seems like : acomplete waste of time. In : my opinion, the main problem : is that students don’t feel like : they have a choice in the matter, : unless being a Subway sandwich : artist is an appealing prospect. We are just funneled into a : system that has been “proven” : to work. Life is short and the : truth is we blindly give our best : years to educational institutions : that claim to give us the tools : needed for success, but do : no such thing in reality. We : must re-evaluate the idea of : post-secondary education as a : whole and carefully consider if : it is really the best way to teach : people how they can confront : the challenges of everyday life. : The numbers don’t lie and : Canadians are definitely staying : in school longer than they : used to. We need to reconsider : whether this trend should : continue.