NINA

Slika: Sigmund, Unsplash

Početkom pandemije Covid-19, svi smo bili prisiljeni na neku vrstu prilagodbe, pa su tako Zoom i Microsoft Teams zamijenili nastavu u prostorijama škola, pa tako i fakulteta.

Kao i svaki početak, prilagodba na nastavu online išla je sporo i klimavo, većina studenata preferira nastavu uživo, ili tvrde kako im je teže pratiti nastavu online, te mnogi tvrde kako nisu usvojili znanje onoliko koliko bi ga usvojili da slušaju predavače uživo.

Uz sve to, ipak postoje i razlozi zašto ne bi trebalo potpuno isključiti mogućnost slušanja predavanja online.

Za početak, studenti koji nemaju stalno mjesto bivališta na lokaciji fakulteta, moraju osim potencijalnih troškova koje im nosi sam fakultet ( knjige, ovisno o fakultetu školarina, pribor potreban za nastavu ) razmišljati i ubrojiti troškove puta do grada u kojem studiraju, te troškove privremenog smještaja. Covid-19 imao je utjecaj na većinu ljudi i financijski - iako su možda ti isti studenti imali stalni smještaj, treba se uzeti u obzir kako im treba dulji period za financijski oporavak, te bi na ispite i/ili nastavu, trebali imati mogućnost spajanja online.

Mnogi su studenti radi pandemije ostali bez studentskih poslova, kojima su plaćali same troškove za fakultet.

Neki su studenti pak pronašli prakse te, ako rade u struci za koju uče, i ako im fokus može biti dovoljno usmjeren i na fakultet - zašto ne bi odabrana predavanja pratili online, ako taj dan rade, ako im taj posao nudi isto neko znanje korisno za struku?

No nije ni sve u financijama, poslovima i osobnim odabirom prioriteta.

U veljači 2020. godine, na portalu studentski.hr objavljen je članak o mentalnom zdravlju studenata u Hrvatskoj.

Istraživanja su pokazala kako stopa studenata koji pate od depresije u Hrvatskoj raste, te da od nje pati 1 od svakih 5 studenata.

"Osim depresije, studenti pate od tjeskobe i anksioznosti, a nerijetko se okreću i ovisnostima. Od pretjerane konzumacije alkohola pati 20,37% studenata, a od poremećaja osobnosti 17,68%. Budući da je očuvanje mentalnog zdravlja zbog mnogih stresora u studentskom životu dosta teško, izuzetno je važno osvijestiti simptome mentalnih bolesti te prepoznati kada je vrijeme za traženje stručne pomoći."

studentski.hr

Iako je jasno da je za mentalno zdravlje bitna i socijalizacija, bitno je i uzeti u obzir i one kojima na neke dane to jednostavno odmaže.

Studenti koji pate od napadaja panike, anksioznosti, epilepsije, te bilo kojeg drugog oblika mentalne bolesti - neke dane jednostavno možda žele provesti u okolini u kojoj se osjećaju najsigurnije, što nije nužno u prostorima fakulteta.

Ovaj članak ne nudi izravno rješenje, niti sigurno nabraja sve argumente za ili protiv online nastave,no izaziva nas da si postavimo pitanje koliko je pametno istu zanemariti kao opciju, zanemariti dobro koje je nekima pružila, te nas tjera da se pitamo - zašto ne zadržati mogućnost online nastave i koristiti je kao pokazatelj koliko obrazovni sistem može biti napredan i dostupan sve većem broju ljudi.

Nina Vresnik

*anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on social media. I'm not one to talk down on frequent social media users - I was one up until a week ago. 

Over the past year, I went from having a public Instagram account with a little over a thousand followers, to starting from scratch as a private account for sharing personal moments with friends, to deleting my account, a week ago today.

So no, I may not be the one to talk about how deleting the account changend my life, not just yet, but in a week, I've noticed a few things that only make me more sure and content with my decision to delete it. I've been striving to become the best version of myself I can be. I know that seems like an unreachable goal, as we are always learning and evolving, but I feel like this step was much needed for me personally to continue that growth. 

Instead of excuses why not to, think about it, why not delete Instagram? No, really - do you need it?

Try it, at least for a week. If you notice no significant changes - you're good. I know some people's job is social media. But unless you have to use it, think about it - do you really need it? If you don't find anything in this article relatable - that's great! But if you do, maybe it's time for a little social media distancing.

I mentioned before the idea for stepping away from Instagram came from a place of want for personal growth. Does that mean I think Instagram is holding back everyone from their best selves? No.

However.

If you find yourself always wanting to know what your friends are up to, always wanting to share what you're doing or if you endlessly scroll through hundreds of pictures and videos, some making you happy but some hitting right in that spot of self-doubt, insecurities and other little demons we possess... it's probably not a healthy relationship to be in with an app. Nor is that the best version of yourself, that's for sure.

An app on our phones shouldn't dictate your life in any way, no matter how big or small the influence is. 

If you find yourself mostly using it because you feel like you have nothing else to do, take that as a wake up call and find a hobby or a job you love and start building a life that you compared yourself to that time on Instagram.

No goal is unreachable if you work for it, and I believe that most of you want to become independent, successful, financialy stable and happy people.

So give social media break a try, and use your time away to read a book, give away stuff you don't need, declutter, see your friends, work on your CV, study for that exam. Stop comparing yourself to people you admire, and become one. 

It is easier to sit back, scroll and complain but is living through an app hours at a time a day, really living a fulfilling life? Is it really necessary to show people everything you're doing and is it really that important to see where your friends are eating right this moment?

                              PICTURES OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN

FOMO is a real thing that most of us deny to have.  Fear Of Missing Out is the deadliest fear among all social media platforms.  It's normal to be curious, but maybe have a little private time, enjoy the moment without feeling the pressure of sharing it.

A nice alternative for me was a disposable camera, while some may be satisifed enough with their phone, I really enjoy the whole process of taking a picture, forgetting about it and after a while it turns into a printed out photograph that I can keep in an album. Think of it like an offline instagram feed.

Insta makes us subconciencely believe life is what we see on our feed, which, we can't choose. So for me, life looked like people were living in their own perfect life bubbles, always smiling, polished, no misplaced  strand of hair, "perfect" tummies and so on. It made my perception crazy bad, of myself and of the world around me.

I know it's only been a week but I can honestly tell you - you won't miss knowing what everybody's up to. If anything, it feels better not knowing. 

I can now peacefully work on everything I thought I didn't have time for, because I would scroll that time away.

If you google "instagram and mental health research" you will find many, many, oh so many negative outcomes of the research, and so many percentages showing the negative outcomes of simply spending time on an app. Watch Social Dilemma on Netflix, do some research on your own.

So whatever your choice is, stay on the grid, ghost social media, it's up to you.

But give yourself a break if you need it.

Most of these are just a bunch of random thoughts I’ve gathered throughout the past week, but please feel free to check out the other sources :

Social Dilemma on Netflix  https://www.netflix.com/title/81254224

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-15210-001

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA5Ilzauebo