Can Facebook Predict Suicide Risk

The article I read was on mashable.com and was published on 7/6/2013. The articles title is "Can Facebook Predict Suicide Risk." The article discusses how the Durkheim Project app which launched on July 2, will monitor content from multiple social media sites and identify common words or phrases among people who may be thinking about suicide. At this time, it's monitoring only veterans who have higher suicide rates. The app also stores information from a users mobile device. The problem with this is that users have to opt-in and many may not want to do that. I myself think this is a great way to identify someone who may be suicidal and I think that it should be mandatory. Although the article states that no information is given to 3rd parties and that there is a firewall in place to block out potential hackers, I do feel like a lot of people would feel like it was invading their privacy; but I think that the Durkheim Project's benefits outweigh the negative aspects. I feel like a lot of people who are suicidal may actually reach out to people on their social media sites, but no one pays attention and if it was being monitored it could possibly save a lot of lives.

http://mashable.com/2013/07/06/facebook-predict-suicide/

Smartphones are still the now!

It's crazy to see just how much technology has grown through out years. It has become something we rely on constantly and have come to appreciate a lot more. One of the biggest forms of technology right now is the smart phone. While it has been around for a few years now, the constant improvements and updates have people still using them full force. In the article at the bottom of the page, it talks about how for the first time ever smartphones sales reached a billion in the last year. This exciting fact exceeded the previous year by 38% and is believed to continue this increase throughout 2014.

For all of you Apple users out there here is a surprising fact; Apple didn't have the most smart phone shipments this year. In fact, Samsung lead the way with their increased high demand due to phones like the S3, S4, and Galaxy note. I personally found this to be really interesting and perfect testament of how much technology has improved. I constantly find my self hearing of people exchanging their Apple product for a new Samsung Galaxy. The technology brings a different light to smart phone use that helps to keep drawing in more users. I think as long as technology improves it will be both good and bad for smart phone users and companies. Only time will tell us what the next big thing will be!

http://tinyurl.com/m3jdjr5

Does TV news actually suck?

      Jeff Jarvis, whom we all know now from reading his article about the future of articles, analyzed the current state of TV news and how it needs to change to stay current in our ever-evolving world. It's true, many times we may think TV news, whether it is local, 24 hour cable news, or nightly world news, sometimes sucks. But why is this really? Is it because of the ridiculous, fake way the reporters and anchors talk? Or is it because of the way news crews can never really be there when the real action happens, unless it happens outside the TV station?
      
       Whatever the reason, Jarvis and I agree that something needs to change in order for TV news to stay a current
medium. What many TV stations do now, right here in Rochester is include people's feedback on current stories via Facebook and Twitter, and feature them on the news, perhaps to include some more "relatable" viewpoints. What I personally think is the best example of what most TV news, especially local, will be like in the near future is ROC City Tonight on News 10 NBC. It features today's news in a fast-paced way, as well as information from around the web. Having all that current information that we are bombarded with every day online, presented in a news format, in my opinion, is the way of the future. If that is a foreshadowing of what is to come, perhaps TV news will still suck in the eyes of some, but it will suck less, and that is a good thing.

Article posted by Jeff Jarvis on December 31, 2013

The Power of Online Campaigns

Tensions continue to run high leading up to this year’s Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. However, this time its focus is not on security or terrorist issues but on homosexuality. Just this summer Russia passed an Anti-Gay Bill in hopes of promoting “traditional Russian values” while banning any information about homosexuality to minors. Even though this issue has been longstanding at least hosting the winter Olympics in Sochi has brought it to the surface for the rest of the world to see.

The mayor of Sochi, Anatoly Pakhomov recently told the BBC that his town does not have any gay residents. During his interview Pakhomov repeatedly stated that we do not have “them” in our city. Claiming that a city of over 340,000 does not have a single gay resident is proving hard to believe. This incident was not the first time Russia has received criticism over it's anti-homosexuality policies.  Earlier this month Russian president Vladmir Putin was quoted saying gay people were welcome to attend the Games in Sochi as long as they “leave kids alone.” Additionally Russian extremists have used social media to post photos with the rainbow flag crossed out along with "support Russia!" making matters worse. If that’s Russia’s way of greeting gay fans and athletes than they might want to try a different strategy.

Even with Russia’s intolerant atmosphere some people are creating new opportunities through online media to expand upon gay campaigns. For example, the “It Gets Better” project based in the U.S. created an online campaign specifically for Russian Youth. The video that is being shared online is called "To the LBGT youth of Russia. You are beautiful inside and out. With love, The It Gets Better Project."  This new campaign supporting Russian youth has created opportunities for the gay community in Russia to express their feelings online in a safe environment. Additionally there are multiple video's displaying support for the Russian LBGT community from eleven different countries thus far.  Another online campaign that strives to help the Russian LGBT community is called "Children-404." The name of the project comes from the widely known internet message "page not found." This is because within Russia message to society is gays are not found in nature.

Video found on You Are Beautiful

The winter olympics may have brought light to this situation but it is through these online campaigns that we can provide a safe outlet for members of the gay community in Russia.  It's hard to imagine how intolerant some countries still are, thankfully we live in a world where we can use multimedia tools to give others a fighting chance. 

For further information visit: Sochi Mayor: My City of 343,000 Has 0 Gays and It Gets Better

Suicide... Is it Worth It?

Unfortunately, many high school students frequently feel the urge to hurt themselves due to mental issues, broken relationships, cyber bullying, and much more. Yesterday, a high school student from Westminster located in Colorado, set himself on fire attempting take his own life as well as putting other lives in danger.

Thankfully, the student survived, but is in severe condition. The high school sent out a statement saying, "The student has been transported to an area hospital and is in critical condition. Our hearts and prayers go out the family and school community." The school continues to search for more information in regards to the student. 

In my opinion, the school needs to answer the question, "Why?" Why is this student attempting to commit suicide? What made him feel this way? Once these questions can be answered, then comes the next question. What can the school as well as the country do to prevent something like this from happening again? 

In conclusion, this brutal suicidal story continues to occur on a daily basis in this world. It is so difficult to put the blame on anyone for this problem. Usually, it seems to be mental problems or of course, other issues that provoke these actions. Hopefully, as a society, we can prevent these sort of detrimental problems through smart courses of action. For more information, please visit http://abcnews.go.com/US/colorado-high-school-student-sets-fire-cafeteria/story?id=22238943.

Here is a photo from the scene in front of Westminster High School.