#milentry5

Technology has been playing an important role in our lives. It had a very big impact on society and made our lives easier. And now that technology is continuously advancing, social media has also emerged into the picture. Social media being a big part of many teenagers’ lives has affected youth in today’s generation, mainly the Gen Zs. It allows us to experiment, find, and create our identities as teenagers who are doing their best to survive from this cruel society. Teens also use social media for entertainment and self-expression. Our voices can also be amplified, especially those who have platforms or to those who are in need of help. Another good that we can get from social media is communication and interaction. It makes it easier for the people of this generation to be able to communicate with someone who's far away and helps us to still keep in touch with them. We can also find and make new friends that may be a help to alleviate loneliness and depression. Social media has helped us get information much faster because of its accessibility. We can now be aware and be updated on the news and important events that are happening in our surroundings, our very own country, and even every corner of the world. Because it’s easy to get in touch with a large group of people, information can be shared and can spread quickly and effectively. And fake news is not an exemption.

In this generation, we are now using social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. to communicate and connect with other people without going outside of our homes. Due to evolving technology, we are now adapting and accepting these changes that give us a lot of benefits which at the same time, have its downside. When these things come up, we now have the capability to multitask, work faster to finish things, and to be more efficient in time. In this midst of the pandemic, many of us weren't able to go outside and should stay at home to prevent the virus from spreading. Social media plays a crucial role in helping us stay connected with our friends and to those people who weren’t able to see us due to this crisis. Social media really helps each individual in making communication more efficient and easier for everyone.

 In this generation, we are now using social media platforms such as facebook, twitter, youtube, etc. to communicate and connect with other people without going outside of our homes. Due to evolving technology, we are now adapting and accepting these changes that give us a lot of benefits which at the same time, have its downside. When these things come up, we now have the capability to multitask, work faster to finish things, and to be more efficient in time. In this midst of the pandemic, many of us weren't able to go outside and should stay at home to prevent  the virus from spreading. Social media plays a crucial role in helping us stay connected with our friends and to those people who weren’t able to see us due to this crisis. Social media really helps each individual in making communication more efficient and easier for everyone.

Social media has a large impact on our lives, affecting everything from our mental health to our physical health, as well as our behaviors, attitudes, values, and preferences. Social media, like everything else, has advantages and disadvantages. I'd like to share how social media affects my life, specifically how it affects my mental health and relationships. I used to feel inadequate about my own life back in the day. I became ungrateful and dissatisfied with everything, including my accomplishments. What I saw online about people living luxurious lives and being able to get their desires only fueled my insecurity. Then it got to the point where it was affecting my mental health, which is one of the many negative effects of social media on our lives. We all, or at least the majority of us, have this experience. The good thing is that as time passed, many realizations and significant events occurred, causing me to change and appreciate everything, from small to large accomplishments, in every aspect of my daily life. 

The digital divide has existed since civilization started thriving towards a comfortable future. Today, it is still existent in countries that are developed and also in progressing ones. Fortunately, the gap has lessened over the years but everything took a halt when the pandemic happened. As people say:  "Progress is never linear." In this time of the pandemic, people have evolved to have a technology-based lifestyle. Unfortunately, some people cannot afford to keep up with the lifestyle as the economy started to fall, jobs have become scarce in number, and providing basic needs and safety for the family is a priority. People don't have the same financial capabilities to obtain gadgets, geographical locations to obtain a good broadband signal, and resources to be technology literate individuals.  This has made the stairs harder to climb and the finish line longer to reach. The new normal has brought change to our life and has led us to a world where technology is like a lifeline for everything.

It is undeniable that our country is one of the countries that is recognized for having impressive progress. However, what many do not see eye to eye is the widening gap of digital division in people, morally and ethically. In technological advancements and times of crisis, capitalism took the opportunity and stunned everyone through increased prices of our needs and wants. It has affected many, especially in the education and labor sectors. As we are transitioning to contactless transactions, everyone has been too reliant on technology and spends more time in the virtual world than being present in reality, but also many are left behind. Each one of us is facing our battles, yet not everyone can alleviate them. Considering each factor and effect,  we cannot stop the digital divide but we can lessen the gap. Creating effective solutions that are in touch with reality is one solution to having a more inclusive environment for everyone.

In the technologically advanced world, where technological progress made the access to the internet and other digitally inclined devices transcend physical and geographical boundaries and cultural differences between people, there is bound to be a gap between individuals, societal classes, businesses, and even countries with varying backgrounds and their capability to access information and use communication technology. This gap is called the “Digital Divide”, which refers to the idea of “being left behind” in digital knowledge, skills, and accessibility. In the past, having access to smartphones and the internet is a luxury that only those in the upper class can afford, and the digital divide at that time only refers to a person’s ability to possess these things, but as time passed by technology also evolved and became more accessible for everyone throughout the world, changing the whole concept of digital divide into who has greater, or less internet bandwidth, or who has the skills to utilize it and who has not. The digital divide is very evident in the new normal, for a lot of activities that are usually done face-face were now done online as a compromise to continue their services. The gap that is already very wide before the pandemic, has widened even more because of the limited interaction amongst individuals, greatly affecting a lot of major sectors of our society. The influence of the new normal has also reached the domain of education; schools were forced to halt face-to-face classes in fear of the transmission of the virus, but a new way of learning that was safe was presented, which is online learning. Online learning is the most suitable way of teaching in the new normal since it allows students to learn, and interact with their classmates, and teachers without risking their health, this is also true for the teachers, and all the other members of Universities, since they were able to keep the school in business amidst the pandemic. Nevertheless, we can all agree that access to the internet, and devices, required in online learning, needs a hefty sum, which not everyone is capable of providing. Furthermore, internet bandwidth plays a major role in online learning since it affects the amount of data a connection can send and receive at the same time. This is important for the students who rely on the internet to continue their education. This leads me to believe that the benefits that online learning can provide are favorable to the privileged and will widen the digital divide between individuals, and those with less access to the internet and other digital devices will be left behind in the digital literacy race.

The digital divide is the gap between those who have access to current communication and information technology and those who don’t, and it affects people of all ages in both positively and negatively. Humans are sociable creatures by nature. Every day, we progress because of technological advancements such as the internet, social media, and gadgets that have become essential in our everyday lives. Having a digital divide in our society has different effects on every individual in their daily lives. Whether it may be advantageous to them or not, it still matters. But it is still important for us to cope up with our gaps and have the capability to access and use information communications technology, and that's how to make our lives more efficient and convenient.

The digital divide may be a term that refers to the gap between socioeconomics and districts that have get to advanced data and communications innovation (ICT), and those that don`t or have restricted access. This innovation can include the phone, tv, individual computers and web network. Even among populations with a few get to technology, the computerized isolate can be apparent within the frame of lower-performance computers, lower-speed remote associations, lower-priced web utilize associations such as dial-up and restricted get to subscription-based substance. Digital divide is something that we all experience in this new normal. The global digital divide also contributes to the inequality of access to goods and services available through technology. Computers and the Internet provide users with improved education, which can lead to higher wages, the people living in nations with limited access are therefore disadvantaged.