Summary:

In the article “Enough about You” Brian Williams analyzes the selfishness of the modern era and the dangers it is causing.  Williams goes on to explain how every modern American has to feel special.  Nowadays “everyone gets celebrated” (473) to put an end to cruelties.  Another point Williams made was that people can now have only what they want.  They can listen to any music they want to, they can find television stations that agree with everything they say, and they can find sites on the internet that only show them the things that they want to see.  Williams goes on to warn Americans of the dangers of the new democratic media.  He believes that we will be too busy worrying about ourselves which will cause us to “miss the next great book or the next great idea, or that we fail to meet the next great challenge” (474),  Americans are so worried about themselves that they are going to forget about everything else that makes life truly enjoyable.

Response:

After reading this article, I decided to take a look in the mirror.  I am not a completely selfish person, but Williams’s article made me reconsider my view.  I think it is hilarious that nowadays every little thing someone does is celebrated.  When I was growing up only the best players and the best teams were awarded with a prize.  Everyone else got acknowledged for their hard work, but not everyone deserves a prize.  The only way someone becomes a great player or a great team is through hard work over and over again.  A kid does not deserve to be rewarded just for showing up.  If a kid gets rewarded for every little thing that he or she does they will stop working as hard as they can to achieve something amazing.

Summary:

In Ian Daly’s article “Virtual Popularity Isn’t Cool – It’s Pathetic”, he talks about how people believe that online popularity is a necessity in life.  Daly goes on to explain that even though people feel popular over the internet, the popularity is self-created.  No one has 10,000 friends that truly care about what you have to say or how you feel.  Another point Daly made in his article is how social media can affect your career.  People are allowed to tag you in any picture which can be seen by current or future bosses and coworkers.  Online popularity is perceived as being a necessity, but in reality people who live their lives through social media are the ones missing out.

Response:

When I read this article for the first time it was a real eye opener.  I am not one of those people who thrives off of social media popularity, but I know people who do.  The article is kind of a warning for those of us who have not let social media control our lives yet.  Daly does a good job of explaining how social media can start to ruin people’s lives.  People can start to look forward to their social media lives more than their real lives, which actually counts.  If people are not careful, social media can affect the jobs they try to acquire later in life.  No fake popularity is worth ruining the rest of your life.