xtra blog 5

"Stephen Toulmin describes several key elements of an argument... the claim and the reasons and evidence (also called data) offered to support the claim." (Huillet, 249)

   I believe the Toulmin method is a very smart and healthy way to handle an argument. It allows one to break the argument apart and understand each aspect. I feel as if people in general use facts and proof to back up their argument. If their argument has no evidence, it might be hard to support and prove right; but people still have their right to an opinion and sometimes do continue with their argument.

   I could use the Toulmin method to dissect an argument that bothers me and a mass majority of others every day. Let's say:

 Caim: College in the America should be free for students.

Reason: College debt is a major problem in the United States.

Evidence/Data: The statistics in 2015 show seven out of ten seniors who graduated from public and nonprofit colleges in America had an average of $30,100 in student loan debt.

    This argument has been brought up across the country many times. Some states have turned their schools to have free tuition. An article published on trade-schools.net speaks on the pros, cons, and alternatives that go along with the idea of free college. I'll leave the link here for you curious to check it out, <http://www.trade-schools.net/articles/should-college-be-free.asp>

• Some positives listed are: "people would be able to take the good-paying jobs that often go unfilled," "could result in billions of additional dollars circulating throughout the economy since people tend to spend more money when they have higher incomes and little or no debt," as well as the possibility of better focus on the education rather than the money stress on students, and the percent graduating on time could rise.

• A variety of negatives: "State budgets could become strained, which might lead to cuts and decreased access to the programs that students want to take," "If a lot more people are able to earn college degrees, then the value of those degrees could decrease," as well as the possibility of students not taking college as serious as they do now due to the money invested.

• Suggested alternatives: "Greatly expanding the existing Pell Grant program while cutting back on student loans," "investing in better pre-college education that teaches students, in greater detail, about all of the realistic options that are available to them," 

  THIS second option I selected is my favorite. Don't get me wrong, the Pell Grant expansion would be so nice and helpful  But, being taught ahead of time on how to handle financial issues and how to be an adult could REALLY help future students. I wish I was taught in school how to apply for a lot scholarships ahead of time, take out loans, pay bills, and learn more options for financial aid, and learn more information about grants and such. This argument has both negatives and positives. I know it might be hard for the country to decide fully on free college, and I don't have ALL the information on it. I do truly this could benefit millions in the country. I believe there are more positives than negatives to support the argument. I also believe the decision would have to come with strict rules as to achieve the free tuition, and how to maintain it throughout the educational journey.

Sources

Huillet, Michelle. Communicating Online. N.p.: McGraw Hill, n.d. Print

Redd, Luke. "Should College Be Free? Pros, Cons, and Alternatives." Should College Be Free? Pros, Cons, and Alternatives. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2017. 

"The Institute For College Access and Success." State by State Data | The Institute For College Access and Success. N.p., n.d. Web. /.latest_citation_text

be a lover not a hater

"Cyberbullying leads to Pueblo teen's suicide"

(http://www.koaa.com/story/34368479/cyberbullying-leads-to-pueblo-teens-suicide)

    This article is about a girl named Ariana DeHerrera. This 13-year-old girl committed suicide  this past month after being constantly bullied online. Someone had earlier made a fake account to purposely send her hurtful messages. The article describes Ariana as trapped. This story is very emotional. It is so sad to know that people turn to end their life due to harassment. This shouldn't exist in the world.
     In our communication book, Brian Feinstein holds an experiment to see if Facebook is bad for college students health. He retained much information from the results, one being "that individuals engaging in negative social comparisons while using Facebook placed themselves as risk for rumination, and, consequently, depressive symptoms" (184). This study can tie into the article about Ariana DeHerrera. Although she was only 13, she experienced the negative side of social media and has the most horrible outcome of all. Her whole life was taken away due to the feelings and symptoms she experienced.

    The Cyberbullying Research Center released statistics of lifetime cyberbullying victims from 2007 to 2016. The highest percent was reached in 2014. Although rates have gone down from them, cyberbullying should still be considered a serious issue in the U.S.
    Back to the article by Laura Wilson about the cyberbully victim, the overall fact that someone went out of their way to make someone else feel horrible could have been easily avoided. If you're feeling hatred or anger, write a letter and never send it, get a stress ball, or work-out until you can't feel your body. The taking your anger out on another human go-to should be avoided as a whole. I don't respect or support that. No one should let their emotions fully control them. We allow social media to be an outlet for many problems and feelings. Instead of abusing the power of the internet, we should be utilizing it to make our world a better, more advanced place.












Sources

"Cyberbullying_victimization_all_studies_2016." Cyberbullying Research Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 

   Huillet, Michelle. Communicating Online. N.p.: McGraw Hill, n.d. Print

@LWilson_TV, Laura Wilson ReporterBioEmailConnectBiographylwilson@koaa.comFollow. "Cyberbullying Leads to Pueblo Teen's Suicide." Home - KOAA.com. N.p., n.d. Web.

that blog 3

   “The Internet allows us to see what other people actually think.” I agree with this quote by Shirky. Through the internet, we are able to learn what the world's opinions are. We are able to connect and gain knowledge from not only the news and media, but through other humans. 

    I have heard that sites like Reddit are full of millions opinions every subject one can think of. I believe that hearing others opinions is good for oneself, you are able to gain different perspectives and see what others feel about a certain topic. I think it broadens one's mind set and allows us to expand our knowledge. 

  Comment sections on websites such as news articles and social media are always going to be a mess. Everyone has a right to their own opinion and some feel as if there opinion is superior to others, thus causing something like a "social media war". 

  For example, my mother recently ranted about a Facebook argument she had. A friend of hers posted about saving the wolves in America and petitioning against hunting. My mother, on the other hand, believed the wolves being hunted was apart of the circle of life and it is good for our ecosystem. The argument went back and forth, both standing their ground and not moving from their opinion. The argument ended as one friend blocking another, thus on bad terms. This outcome of the "social media war" is quiet familiar nowadays. Usually things end on a bad note.

It can be pretty funny to watch though...

everyone at some point has snooped on an online argument.

The link attached is an opinionated page created by Alexandria Limonite. She lists 20 pet peeves of hers within the social networking world. It is opinionated, of course, but it shows how people's opinions can develop into pet peeves, and maybe even a future argument. Believing your pet peeves and letting them get to you could even cause some serious damage in your virtual world! 

 http://forevertwentysomethings.com/2014/11/04/20-pet-peeves-when-working-in-social-media/

  The online world can both create truthful stories and false stories. But today, a lot of people believe what is on the internet. The face that "there are no rules restricting the range of possible interactions," (Kaplan and Haenlein, 64) allows us to create and believe just about anything. It is scary how the internet world works. You really have to double check everything and anything before you truly can believe it.









Sources

Huillet, Michelle. Communicating Online. N.p.: McGraw Hill, n.d. Print

Kaplan, Andreas M., and Michael Haenlein. "Users of the World, Unite! The Challenges and Opportunities of Social Media." Business Horizons 53.1 (2010): 59-68. Web. 

Shirky, Clay. "Shirky: ‘We Are Indeed Less Willing to Agree on What Constitutes Truth’." Poynter. Poynter, 08 May 2016. Web. 08 Feb. 2017. 

N.d. Forever Twenty Somethings. Web. 08 Feb. 2017.