Why Our Screens Leave Us Hungry for More Nutritious Forms Of Social Interaction.
Pandemic has led to changes in the way people engage socially. Gatherings are banned and all types of social conferences. To fill the void left in social engagement, the use of social media has risen. Most of my classmates agree with this post that social media lacks some ‘sugar’ or say some liveliness. According to mc Schraefe from a post on September 10 this year, social media also reduces challenges that often appear in human communication. Examples include correct body language, vocal tone and how fast one speaks. From my point of view, using social media is more comfortable and convenient. However, social media affects our physical and emotional wellbeing of human beings. As a result, I perceive that majority of users feel the ‘hunger’ of using more nutritious forms of communication. My colleagues disagree totally on this because a good number are more comfortable using social media than in-person contacts. I think like me most of us miss non-verbal cues, body language and closeness in social media. The physical company reduces stress and enhances trust. Pauses of reflection are also missing in a social media interaction, used when reflecting on some subject. In the case of social media, replies are ever fast. The earlier mentioned parts of a social engagement are what I am referring to as nutritious part of social engagement. I, therefore, view these healthy parts as essential in oral traditions where history is only shared verbally.
Source: Schraefe. (, 2020). Why our screens leave us hungry for more nutritious forms of social interaction. Retrieved October 26 2020, from https://theconversation.com/why-our-screens-leave-us-hungry-for-more-nutritious-forms-of-social-interaction-142019
Fears of Assimilation in a Multicultural Society.
Fear of assimilation is a timeless issue in modern society. This issue can be traced back to the ninth century in the Spanish city of Cordoba. During this period, Cordoba was under Islamic rule, which led to gradual assimilation of inhabitants into Islamic culture. Cordoba was a multicultural city consisting of Muslims, Christians and the Jews. There exist a massive religious and cultural difference among these groups of people. How these societies managed to co-exist together peacefully continues to fascinate historians, readers, as well as my fellow students. Most of the Christians and Jews adopted Islamic culture; became Muslims, while others learnt the Arabic language. The assimilated group of people were advantageous to those who stuck to their beliefs. Despite religious restrictions, individuals were still allowed to practice their beliefs but would always respect the Islamic religion and also pay taxes. Due to increased assimilation, Paul Albar worries about the youths forsaking their culture and embracing the new culture. His utterances show his fear that the Islamic civilization was progressively replacing his own culture.
Similarly, in modern-day, this fear still exists; not a lot has changed. For instance, in the united states there live a group by the name tossed salad multiculturalists celebrate the richness of culture and emphasize on sticking to it. Therefore, they fear that the process of assimilation might turn these individuals into Euro-Americans. As a result, they are opposed to assimilation. Opposing assimilation shows that not a lot has changed regarding assimilation. Most of my classmates agree with my views while a section of them purports that, for instance, a significant population in the United States who are from different culture have assumed one culture. According to them, a lot has changed, and fear of assimilation is minimal compared to the olden days.
Experiential Exercise: A Group Visit to The National Museum Of African American History.
On October 20 this year, my friends and I visited the national museum of African American history in Washington. It was another class away from class, and we had relatively high expectations. We used an elevated to descend into an underground floor where everything about American history is found. It consists of three levels, slavery and freedom, the era of segregation and a changing America. Artefacts such as slave chains, a prison guard tower, Emmett Till’s coffin and many more. Highlights of stories regarded to as small plots such as farming were at our disposal. My classmates and I agree that having visual learning materials in the museum is far much better than reading it from books. I have a passion for history, and I felt moved. I felt a strong connection after seeing pieces of evidence of the darkest record and the untold stories of this nation—the history of America, hundreds of years of age, housed in one building. The museum is too large to cover everything in a day; therefore, as I walked out accompanied by my friends, I made a promise that I would share what I learnt. My classmates perceive me as a lucky student, having felt and acknowledged history. Learning history from such a facility is fascinating, and my classmates suggested that we should plan for a trip. In my view, the museum experience is useful to clarify or instead bring to light stories learnt in books. Besides, my classmates and I agree that it is easy to forget the contents of a history course, but the presence artefacts render history unforgettable.