Are There Solutions to Cyber Bullying?

It's both a gift and a curse to live in a time in which personal computers are considered normal, and in some cases a necessity. By the end of high school,I feel as if most teenagers have purchased or have received their own personal computer. Thus, teens all over can be connected to their online social lives just by the click of a few buttons.

Throughout high school, I noticed that cyber bullying was a huge issue. I recall my junior year was particularly bad; as people w would send viral text messages discussing the most recent "Facebook fight" or aggressive status updates. These altercations would often start with one person, and then as time went on more people would join in, adding hurtful comments or defending their friend. 

Our school tried to solve this problem in multiple ways. First, they had their own Facebook account and attempted to add most of the student population. They felt that this would help them survey all online activity. If they found a picture, comment, or status, inappropriate, they would call you into the office. Often times, it was hard for the school to find everything everyone was doing on Facebook. And not to mention, it was obvious who the administration was on Facebook. Next, they would hold occasional assemblies. I felt as if these were least effective because the only reason students were excited to attend assemblies is because they got to miss class. Finally, our school had to implement a hotline in which parents could anonymously call in, leave a message regarding any inappropriate behavior or bullying issues and the school ensured impose the proper consequences. More often than not,I found my peers were uncomfortable with their parents complaining. 

There was also one instance, in which a friend of mine printed out a Facebook fight she was involved in a took to the office in hopes of putting an end to her on going cyber bullying experience. The school didn't do anything about this issue except issued a detention for the bully. My friend was even mocked for going to the office with her parents; she was looked at as being a "baby" and immature.

Overall, I haven't quite decided what the solution to cyber bullying is. It is hard to imagine being able to put an end to this issue all together, as a whole.    

Communication City: What Does Art Say About Our Culture?

This past winter term I was enrolled in Intercultural Communication; a course that shared much about communicating within the American culture, but also communicating cross culturally as well. Overall, I was able to learn things about communication and different cultures that I would never know if it weren't for Intercultural Communication. Not only did this class teach me things I can apply to my every day life, but it was also possibly one of the most interesting classes I have taken at North Central thus far. With that being said, I wanted to dedicate this particular blog post to focusing on a specific lecture from this communications course.

About half way through Intercultural Communications, we started discussing the topic of art and how it relates to particular cultures. We focused on the different types of arts in a variety of cultures and we looked at what these photographs, sculptures, and paintings shared about the culture to the outside world. It was argued that one way an American could grasp and learn the values and beliefs of the Nepali culture was by simply looking at a portrait or painting done by an prominent artist, and vise versa.This notion brings me to my main point.

The pictures below are sections from digital art called Communication City, by the artist group eBoy. Carefully observe the pictures, zoom in on particular parts, and perhaps Google the full picture. Then, ask yourself, "What does this piece of art say about the American culture"?