Using Facebook to Create Identity

Using Facebook to Create Identity Facebook biography Introduction A Facebook biography is a form of identity mask. People can hide their defects what they do while others and deceive others about their real identity true self. Traditionally, people make friends with others who are around them. Nowadays, people send friend requests to random people on Facebook or get connected use available through other networks to increase their number of friends. Others might make befriend friends with those people they interact with online. Many friend requests are sent after making contacts in other areas of the Web online websites. However, most people rarely interact with the majority of their Facebook friends, thereby creating a dormant archive of relationships. Despite this, most people want to portray certain traits through their bios. The Facebook bios of celebrities and professionals are frequently searched. In his article Reflections in the Facebook Mirror, Aimee Lee Ball argues that Facebook users hide their identity through well-crafted bios. Using Facebook to hide Identity The need to hide information about oneself is motivated by the increased possibilities of revealing oneself to large groups of people. People hide their identities so they can be liked more. Facebook increases opportunities for communication and influences how like other types of communicative such as the phone and email are used. It is difficult to describe oneself in a few words as required in Facebook; this is the reason professionals some people with a long list of credentials find it stressful difficult to describe themselves. Many people want their biographies to be simple but to reflect their skills and abilities as much as possible approachability. They want to look accomplished, but not boastful. There are professionals who expose a lot of information in order to ensure themselves open and sincere. Most of them have taken professions that are characterized by too much fraud and insincerity. Moreover, people do not want to limit their access by being on the other side of the political or religious division. They will go to great extent to hide their religious and political affiliation. Sometimes, they will make complex depiction of themselves. Regarding religion, Facebook users will make descriptions that make them look normal and acceptable. People rarely state that they are atheist. Others, who present themselves as atheists, have something else to compensate this weak point. Some Facebook users do not like the idea of filling in their bio-data especially because they will be required to get out of their comfort zones. Consequently, they will give haphazard descriptions in the ‘religion’ and ‘politics’ sections. Disgruntlement towards Facebook bios may stem from a desire to keep some aspects private, and the need to escape bias (Boyd Ellison, 2007). Most descriptions are radical and are a sign of protest to the inclusion of these fields in the identity information. In the religion section, a description such as â€Å"I have given up on God and now just worship Oprah† may be protesting at the self-promoting attitudes that people have as they post their information. Facebook bios are a sign of self-adulation and self-satisfaction. Most people do not change their bios after changing their habits, due to things such as relocation. Others may not be experts at stating that what hobbies they actually have. But their association with a hobby reveals innermost desire to become or to achieve. Some professionals reveal more than aspirations; they go to great lengths to show that they did something unique such as attending Yale University or working for Bain Company. They feverishly flood their profiles with events, achievements and projects. Still, some Facebook users prepare their bio in a self-exploration manner. For instance, they may want to test their marketing and branding skills. Self-exploration can be taken in the form of fun. Individuals will play with words in order to appear as jovial and open-minded. Identity formation through a Facebook profile is arguably a rational process of self-deception. Some professionals hire individuals to manage their profiles and increase obscurity through writing and vocabulary (Zà ºÃƒ ±iga, Jung Venezuela, 2012). However, most of the Facebook users use well-crafted words to show that they are interesting and creative. Others may give detailed descriptions in an a ttempt to show non-allegiance to common beliefs and associations. These people tend to deceive themselves. For example, a friend of mine is obsessed with the idea of achieving fame through the use of social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. She uses Photoshop on all of photo to make her look prettier and those photos made her over ten thousand â€Å"friends† and â€Å"followers†. But friending people online is not a substitute for real friendship in real life. She doesn’t have many friends in school and the friends she got left her behind because her self-importance of being famous on the social media platforms. But eventually their mask will pull off at a certain point and people will find out who they really are. Depending on individuals, preparing a Facebook bio can be a threat as well as an opportunity. It needs to be brief and may consume hours to make it short and satisfactory. Those who succeed in writing a good bio tend to think of the proc ess as a copywriting exercise. Individuals who see opportunities in writing a bio tend to think of it as an introduction of them on the social network. They think that the bio is the merit for an audience to evaluate them and to decide whether they are worth their time. It is a rare chance for them to make a big impression. Many Facebook bios intend to show what a person does, rather than what a person is. Therefore, such bios comprise on actions and thus have resume-like descriptions of individuals. For instance, a classmate of mine who always posts photo of his designer clothes, luxuries and expensive food on Facebook or Instagram to make other people on the social media platform to think he is wealthy to gratify his vanity. But in real life, he always borrows money from other people and something he does not pay them back. The approach has also been incorporated in the portrayal of character. Rather than stating that, individuals have certain traits such as creativity or sociability, the bio references specific projects or activities that demonstrate those traits. There are people/professionals who help their friends or clients to prepare an appealing Facebook bio (Boyd Ellison, 2007). They tend to have three main ingredients: wit, focus, and evidence of polish. Wit means there’s a governing intellect behind the style while polish means there’s an element of authenticity. The things such people keep in secret, are like they do not define themselves as much as they are exposed to the public (Boyd Crawford, 2012). Firstly, people succeed in deceiving others through their attractive bios that do not reflect their true identities. Secondly, no one is willing to expose the questionable individuals who hide their real identities to deceive and are engaged in crime and misdemeanor. In particular, stalkers are rarely exposed. Facebook users tend to block the friends and strangers with questionable character or background to restrain their access to their profiles. However, they do not do enough to help others for escaping the stalkers, rapists and cons. In addition, many questionable individuals have tailored some keywords to attract the audience. Keywords are used by many Facebook users to specify that what individuals they are. As most social media bios are searchable to some extent, individuals tend to state specific positions or qualities so that they can be found easily. Many Facebook users cannot be measured on the basis of their self-evaluation. Most of the people cannot adequately state their level of competence in their respective positions. It is critical to evaluate them on a person-to-person basis or through their friends and former clients. Professionals also introduce new styles to personal descriptions so that they can appear creative and adventurous to explore. They want to raise their value proposition. Followers cannot determine the value a professional has unless they try his services. However, many professionals do not reveal cases or challenges that threaten, or may have threatened, to keep them out of business. They will not expose such hobbies that are uniquely theirs. Measuring someone through his own impression in person is achievable. A face-to-face meeting can reveal whether the person is familiar with their profession o r not. The discussion of their hobbies and interests can be involved in the meeting. Facebook users who have stated their real interests in their profiles will also give much detail about it. Frequent dealings with a person can reveal whether he has a fully rounded personality or if merely deceives people through their profiles (Boyd Crawford, 2012). For example, people who appear disorganized in their Facebook bio or profile are likely to be disorganized in real life. The intention of determining the real identity of a professional is to verify his identity and level of professionalism. If individuals are found, for example, to have different hobbies, their competence can be put in questioned. Facebook profiles should be changed if progress warrants it. While some people are evaluated by others in their timeline, taking care of some supporters may have their own personal interests. Conclusion A Facebook biography is a form of identity mask that people can wear to deceive others about their real identity. Facebook bios are a sign of self-adulation and self-satisfaction. Identity formation through a Facebook profile is arguably a rational process of self-deception. Most of the Facebook users cannot be measured on the basis of their self-evaluation as they have perfection in the art of deceiving others. Measuring someone through their own impression in person is achievable. In future, Facebook users may describe themselves in more complex terms than today; this may grow out because of the need unique and distinct appearance from others in an increasingly populous planet. References Boyd, D. and K. Crawford. (2012) Critical Questions for Big Data: Provocations for a cultural, technological, and scholarly phenomenon. Information, Communication and Society: 662-679. Boyd, D. M. and N. Ellison. (2007)Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship . Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication: 210-230. Zà ºÃƒ ±iga, H. G., N. Jung and S. Venezuela. (2012)Social Media Use for News and Individuals Social Capital, Civic Engagement and Political Participation. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication: 319-336.

The Human Muscular System Essay -- Science Biology

The Human Muscular System The human muscular system is made up of over 600 connecting muscles. All of the muscles work together in sync to make your body move in inumerable different ways. None of the body systems can work without muscles and your muscles can't work without your other body systems so that means that all of your body systems need each other to work and make your body function correctly. Your muscles need protein, nutrients, and oxygen to move and work. Then the circulatory system carries those essential particles to your muscles from the digestive and respiratory systems. That is when your circulatory system carries the leftover waste back to the original systems to be discharged from your body. Your nervous system runs the whole show by telling your different systems to make this whole process happen. Muscles Your muscles are made up of body tissue which consists of very very small fibers which make up your muscles and you also have ligaments which help your muscles move in the right way. Each of your muscles are responsible for their own special job. All of your muscles contract to provide motion when the brain sends a signal through the nervous system which are stimulants. These stimulants tell your muscles to move your arms, legs and other muscles move your eyelids and they all work in sync to make you walk and talk. There are some muscles in which you have no control over like the muscles in your internal organs like your heart, sto...

Passionate Learning :: Philosophy Psychology Education Essays

Passionate Learning To lack [self-respect] is to be locked within oneself, paradoxically incapable of either love or indifference.....It is the phenomenon sometimes called 'alienation from self.' In it's advanced stage, we no longer answer the telephone, because someone might want something; that we could say no without drowning in self-reproach is an idea alien to this game. -Joan Didion, "On Self-Respect" Last Spring, as part of a senior project, I took Tai Chi classes and researched how meditation is used in mind/body medicine. I read several books by doctors who use meditation as a form of healing, in stress-reduction clinics and as treatment for people suffering from severe pain and panic disorders. One doctor in particular, Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn teaches a method he calls mindfulness, in which he has his patients meditate in order to achieve total mind/body awareness. Zinn instructs patients to focus on their pain and to become aware of it. This often helps them realize that they can live with their pain. No pain is too extreme, he says, in the same way that no emotion is a wrong emotion. Awareness is the only absolute, and the only thing that allows people to live in the moment. Not live for the moment, but live in the moment. I left that project feeling extremely aware and extremely at peace. After three years of struggling to find answers, happiness, and a sense of purpose, I began to appreciate my present state of mind. I began to revel in the struggle, confusion, and push of not knowing. And as I approached graduation, my high school experience suddenly made sense to me. I understood life as a system of games. High school was simply one of them. I came to realize that playing games was both understandable and necessary as long as we are aware that we are playing them. I realized that a major struggle throughout high school had been my struggle to resist playing its game. I spent my three years at boarding school governed by my passions rather than playing by the rules of the institution. And in refusing to play by its rules, I made it increasingly more difficult for me to function within its realm. By rules, I do not mean the actual do's and don't's, but rather, I am referring to the prompts the school sets up in order to fulfill its goals as an academic institution.

Introduction to Phonetics

INTRODUCTION TO PHONETICS Communication is possible only with use of language. A language can be used in two ways for the purpose of communication . The two purpose of communication is spoken and written. Speech is more important medium than the medium of writing. USES OF SPEECH: *Speech comes first in history. *Speech comes first in the history of any individual. *Speech is used much more than writing as a medium, *Written language is an attempt to represent the sands used in spoken language. * Modern technology has given more importance to speech.Linguistics is a systematic study of language. Phonetics is a branch of linguistics and it is the branch dealing with the medium of speech . It deals with the production, transmission and reception of sounds of human speech. THE AIR STREAM MECHANISM: Speech needs air stream. The air stream that flows out of our mouth is modified into speech sounds by the action of creation organs of our body these are commonly known as â€Å"ORGANS OF SPE ECH†. For the articulation of most speech sounds lung air is used.The respirative system consisting of lungs, muscles of chest and wind pipe (trachea). since the air steam mechanism involves (inspiration) breathing in and breathing out (expiration). It is the expiratory lung-air that becomes the basis for the articulation of most of the speech sounds. The air stream involving in lung-air is called Pulmanic Air-stream. There are three main air streams mechanisms 1. Pulmanic 2. Glottalic 3. Velaric The Pulmanic air stream mechanism is initiate by the walls of the lungs. The air is drawn into

Online Payroll System Essay

This chapter presents a brief discussion and introduction about the proposed system, the Online Payroll System. Its conceptual framework, the process of the existing manual based system as well as the automated process of the proposed system, the problems and the possible ways to minimize the hassle of the existing system, and the objectives and significance of the study. Introduction Every employee needs to be paid for the services he provides. For this to happen, the employer must have a payroll system in place. So obviously, there are benefits to be derived from using a payroll system. A payroll system is the method used by payroll professionals to pay employees for their services. As computer technology changes at such fast phase, many businesses sectors try to cope up by upgrading computer system constantly in order to stay competitive. The multi-function ability of technology for its advance system is also an important factor for a company to use software. It makes efficient use of the advance technology and has ambition to discover more. Computers have the great impact on the profession of accounting. With the rapid growth of technology today, there is no doubt that computer will become a common asset in all profession. The program also allows the monthly payroll schedule to be calculated accurately. Just by having all employees’ info like name, working hours, pay rate many others to enter in the database. Therefore, payroll can be done with the guide of the program. The system is good in for its specialty in the fields of accounting. It is easy to use, effective and efficient in organizing and calculating the payroll. In addition, this study aims to develop a reliable and manageable computerized  payroll system for Eastwoods Professional College of Science and Technology for a better manageable of a business. The Proposed Online Payroll System will give a big relief of the employee and employers as well. Payroll consists of the process by which a business pays its employees for work performed during a specific period. A payroll system allows businesses to follow a set series of processes in order to make timely, correct payments incompliance with government regulations. A payroll system may be manual or computerized and handled in-house or outsourced to another provider. The payroll process typically includes calculating employee pay, recording payroll transactions and determining and paying payroll taxes. A company must have in place a timekeeping system that accurately reflects the hours put in employees as well as the regular salary payments for exempt workers. Employers typically withhold federal income tax from employee earnings; at the end of the year, they must report all wages, tips and other compensation paid. The solution has to take care of calculation of salary as per rules of the company. This Online Payroll System is a full-featured system that manages financial information of every employee in an organization. It computes and processes the payroll in the certain payroll period. This Online Payroll System is also a flexible compensation administration solution. It is designed to help human resource professionals as well as finance and accounting personnel to manage employee compensation, deductions, allowances, and benefits in an  organization. The system is integrated with the Employee’s information, offers efficient features and functionalities to manage company’s expenses. Background of the Study Nowadays all establishment are becoming modernized, they use modern technologies to make their transaction fast, easy, and accurate in order to avoid waste of time and for the sake of safety and security. It also helps human to solve and understand complex problem and analysis such us the  computational need of humans. Especially to business establishment or corporation processing enormous data and complex transaction. Payroll is an example of a complex transaction because it is a critical business operation dealing with numerous accounts and produce plenty and confidential files. Payroll is encompasses every employee of a company who receives a regular wages or other compensation due to each. Applying manual procedure on a Payroll transaction involving the vast beat answer in that problem would be computer because computers can simulate enormous data and can process complex transaction in a fast and efficient way. It can generate numerous accounts and data accurately. An Online Pa yroll System will not only provide accurate calculation and fast process of Payroll transaction but it will secure data through security implementation and accordingly arrange files provided by a well-designed database that will produce a paperless environment. Conceptual Framework The group gathered some data and information by conducting feasibility studies on heads of every department in EASTWOODS Professional College of Science and Technology by conducting an interview with them on how the user monitor and manage the items respectively, specifically to the main user of the inventory which is the admin. a. Process of the Existing System b. Process of the Proposed System Statement of the Problem The existing system expected to encounter problems with regards in the manual computation of the employee’s income. It might have an error in the computation because it is manually calculated. Moreover, the manual system needs so much effort and spends so many papers which is obviously expensive. Due to this, the developers think of the different possibilities wherein, the problems that were encountered in the manual-based payroll system will be taken away. The study intends to minimize the hassle in bookkeeping and calculating the employee’s income.The group seeks to answer the following: 1. Can the system lessen the hassle in data storage and calculation of  employee’s income of the payroll systems? 2. Can the system be able to surpass on the following criteria: Accuracy Security Reliability Accessibility Efficiency Flexibility Effectiveness and Functionality 3. From manually to online way of data storage and calculation of employee’s income in the proposed payroll system, what are the different advantages? Objective of the Study General Objectives To develop a network-based payroll system for Eastwoods Professional College of Science and Technology, that is user-friendly, more accurate, more efficient, and can easily produce reports of the transactions faster. Specific Objectives In order to fulfill our objective, we will observe the following: 1. To conduct an interview about the current payroll system. 2. Observed how the current payroll system performs the operations. 3. To identify the different problems of manual payroll system. 4. To help the municipal hall and the employee to make their work faster and shorter. 5. To identify problems in using the system through data flow diagram. 6. To design a new system that is an online based. Significance of the Study a. Economic Significance For the system is paperless, the proposed system is economically significant because it can lessen the expenses such as spending money for buying papers. b. Educational Significance The proposed system is educationally significant because the administrator may discover some new learning on how to develop and improve the system so that it become more reliable and more useful. c. Operational Significance The proposed system is very significant when it comes to the operation because it can avoid the hassle in calculating the employee’s income. Moreover, through the proposed system, it can lessen the error in calculation. Also, the data encoded in the proposed system is secure when disaster comes likes flood, typhoon, tsunami and many others. d. Legal Significance Scope and Limitation The scope of the developed system is to generate an Online Payroll System which is capable of calculating the employee’s income. The main user, which is the admin can use this Online Payroll System to calculate and store the encoded data online. The proposed system can automatically calculate the employee’s income after the admin encode all the information needed. Compare to the manual based system, this is more accurate, fast and easy to use. Moreover, every employee can access the Online Payroll System so that they can monitor their income individually. The project is developed by the Administrator and it will work only in EASTWOODS Professional College of Science and Technology. The proposed system is accessible in all web browser such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Internet Explorer and many others. There are 2 users that can access the system, the Admin and every employee. The Admin can view reports of the calculation of employee’s income. The pro posed system is useful as long as the internet connection is present.

The Birthday Party

â€Å"Birthday Party† Love can fade away or be lost by even the strongest of couples in the view of society. The â€Å"Birthday Party,† by Katharine Brush relates the relationship of two â€Å"unmistakably married† couple, out for a small celebration, which goes wrong as an example of love that can not always be sustained by age. As couples get older it is harder to sustain love in front of society, and Brush shows the idea by incorporating symbolism, tone, and point of view to the story.Brush uses the tone to build up the audience’s emotions toward the married couple and also identify why the situation occurred. In the begging she mentions that they looked â€Å"unmistakably married† which emphasizes the bond of love that appears on the outside. The physical aspect of their relationship is good to show because it lets society know that there is a strong bond, making it easier for the audience to react in the shocked way that they did when the incid ent occurred. The contradicting choice of words of Brush when describing the incident also gives the confusion that something is not right.By using fadingly pretty, beamed with shy pride, unmistakably married, hotly embarrassed and not pleased you can see a foreshadowing of what may happen according to the mixed signals. In a way, it has the reader thinking back and fort whether this is love after a long period of time. What seems to be an ordinary day out, turns into a small celebration in which we can compare the minor events as symbolism to their love. The cake that was brought out showed the wife’s affection for her husband, therefore simply signified her love to him.When the cake was rejected by the husband, it meant that the husband had little interest in her love. This reveals that the strong physical relationship that the audience saw in the beginning is false now that they see the husband hotly mad. It shows that their love is slowly decaying in front of society. The fact that they are out in public illustrates the judgment of all to what love truly is, difficult to manage as time goes on. People will always be judgmental of couples and their relationship which is why Brush describes the wife as wearing a â€Å"big hat. The big hat that she wears, after she has been humiliated by her husband, represents what most girls do during emotional tolls. They use them to cover up their emotions so that they are not pitted on by others. This attempt to hide does not work very well because Brush describes the scene where the narrator shows a sign of pity for the lonely sobbing woman. In this short story love has shifted the couple’s relationship in a serious way which gives the audience an opinion of how they should react according to their point of view.There are many biased forms to interpret who is to blame for a fallen relationship. The way that Brush describes the story and from what point of view she portrayed the situation it seems as thoug h there is a feminist background on who is to blame for this relationship. Describing the woman more dramatically, â€Å"fadingly pretty† and â€Å"in a big hat,† than the man, it implies that she finds the woman to be more presentable to society; therefore carrying more about how people see her. There is evidence of acting dramatically.When she cried inside the restaurant, it can most likely show that from the point of view of the audience she was the helpless one with a broken heart and the man was very rude. Throughout life the bond of love is seen in society in different ways than they are seen in the inside. Society can change the view of love as Brush shows that love is can’t be predicted and that hopeless love is possible. If there is no hope for love as an older couple that it shows us what couples of today’s generation will go through. The Birthday Party Have you ever been so afraid that you have felt that even your hair trembled? When a delightful day starts and you are full of life but suddenly you think you are not going to tell your friends and family how much you love them, and how much you miss them before you die. At 7 o'clock in the evening I went to the cinema with some friends to celebrate my birthday. I knew that something was going wrong. I knew that, that night wasn't an ordinary night. I knew I had to go home on foot and not by car. Everything and everyone was different. My friends arrived and we decided to watch a horror movie, â€Å"Gothika†. We entered the screen but something strange happened. There weren't any other people! In the middle of the movie somebody was calling me. I did not know the number, so I did not answered but whoever it was, he kept calling. I answered. A creepy voice whispered, â€Å"It will rain tonight.† I told my friends about it, and they laughed. â€Å"Leoni don't be crazy! It's just a joke! This morning the sun was shining it will not rain! â€Å"Come on do not be afraid. Calm down Leoni!† Peter soothed. â€Å"The movie we have chosen is a bit scary and she is afraid. Calm down Leoni!† Epaminondas whispered. â€Å"She is just not in a good mood.† Maria said. â€Å"I am telling you there was something scary with those words, something strange.† I whispered. At about 11:25 everybody left and I started walking back home. There was a full moon. A terrifying wind made the trees rustle. The wind whistled through the leaves like a wining sound. I was so frightened. I felt like someone was coming after me. I saw a narrow road and I decided to go home from there. Suddenly, it started raining. I panicked. A howling voice whispered, â€Å"I told you, it will rain.† Blood boomed in my ears. I wanted to run away or close my eyes and be at home but it could not happen. While I was thinking about any ideas dealing with my scariness I saw an old lady. She was a short, fat lady and with grey hair. Was she behind this bad joke? She seemed like an ordinary woman with droopy eyes and short hair. I started walking towards her when a black figure appeared. Who was he? Was he someone she knew? Was he the one that phoned me? What was this night about? The man had long, black hair and almond eyes. He was carrying something. A knife! I wanted to warn her but I couldn't move. I was stuck and I couldn't move my legs. I called Maria she was sleeping. Jane was sleeping too. What shall I do? Who shall I phone to come and help me? What if it was all my imagination? I phoned Chris, I didn't say much. I just told him to come to the narrow road, near the cinema. The woman was still there. She seemed to be looking for something. The man was still behind her. I told Chris to pull me just to try and move my legs. I could walk! I could run! But I couldn't run for long until I stopped in front of the old lady. While trembling I asked, â€Å"What are you looking for?† â€Å"My umbrella, child, didn't anyone tell you it would rain tonight? You are all wet. Come, take my jacket!† she said. I looked behind me and I saw the man walking away. The figure became one with the dark night. When I turned around I saw him. My heart was beating so fast and I could hardly breathe. It missed a beat! He opened his mouth to say something and I noticed that he was missing a tooth. He was very scary. He whispered, â€Å"Didn't I tell you it would rain? You thought I was joking. You did not believe me! I will make you believe me!† â€Å"Chris! Chris! Where are you?† I shouted. I opened my eyes. Chris and my friends were next to me. They were all smiling but you knew they were upset. â€Å"†Was the film so boring that you slept while we were watching it?† Chris asked. â€Å"It was a nightmare! Thank God!† I called. â€Å"You have a missed call from an unknown number.† Epaminondas said. â€Å"Oh no!† I shouted. â€Å"What's wrong?† Maria asked. â€Å"I saw a nightmare. Don't tell me to explain it because I cannot. Please can somebody do me a favour?† I asked. â€Å"Whatever you want! We will always be there for you!† Joanna shouted. â€Å"Can you phone this number back?† I asked. â€Å"Sure.† Joanna said. She phoned. She waited. She phoned another time. Nobody answered. She phoned from her mobile. Again. No answer. â€Å"Leoni are you sure this is the right number?† She asked. â€Å"Yes. This was the number that phoned me.† I whispered. â€Å"But†¦Ã¢â‚¬ She mumbled. â€Å"But what? What is wrong? Tell me!† I cried. â€Å"This number is not in use.† She whispered. â€Å"It is! Look it is calling me again.†Ã¢â‚¬  I complained. â€Å"Answer it.† Maria suggested. â€Å"I t will rain tonight!† A creepy voice whispered. â€Å"Oh no! This cannot be happening! Can you take me home? Please?† I asked desperately. â€Å"Hello? Can you hear me? Maria? Joanna? Chris? Epaminondas?† I shouted. But nobody could hear me. It seemed that I was trapped somewhere and nobody could hear me or even see me. Yes†¦I was dreaming!!!!!!!! I opened my eyes and suddenly the lights went on, a chorus of happy voices yelled happily happy birthday to me!

This assignment will examine issues around social exclusion and teenage pregnancy

Q. Describe and write a critique of any ‘personal trouble' and illustrate how the key theoretical concepts raised in this class can help you explain it as a ‘public issue'. This assignment will examine issues around social exclusion and teenage pregnancy. It will explore the links between teenage pregnancy, poverty, and how it links into the underclass theory. This assignment will look at the trends in teenage pregnancy in the United Kingdom. It will focus on issues based around assumptions that teenage pregnancy is a personal trouble and a public issue and why teenage pregnancy is a problem and whom it is a problem for. I will be looking at what the government expectations of young people are and how they hope to raise the aspirations of these young people through education and training. It will examine the government policies and practices in relation to teenage pregnancy whilst critically analysing the implications that these have on teenage pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy according to figures published in S. E. U (1999) are rising dramatically and despite the introduction of compulsory sex education there doesn't seem to be anyway of stopping these figures from further rising. In England alone there are approximately 90,000 young people getting pregnant, girls under 16 account for about 7,700 of these pregnancies, and approximately 2,200 of these being under 14 years of age. Out of these pregnancies around 3/5,s go to full term and result in live births. If you explore this further the figures show that around 56,00 babies are born each year to teenage mothers. The figures suggest that there are 87,000 children living with teenage mothers in England alone. These statistics are frighteningly high and the government is aiming to halve the rate of teenage pregnancies in nder 18 year olds by the year 2010. Teenage pregnancy occurs in all classes of society but the figures show definite links between teenage pregnancy, being more prevalent in the poorer underclass, and those daughters of single mothers who themselves may have been teenage mothers. These links according to S. E. U (1999) state that ‘ socialisation and deprivation are two of the main causes of teenage pregnancy. ‘ They also state that ‘overall teenage parenthood is more common in areas of deprivation and poverty†¦ teenage pregnancy is often a cause and a consequence of social exclusion. Information collated and analysed by the S. E. U enabes us to see how they have reached their theories surrounding teenage pregnancy. It shows how they identified and linked the risk factors to teenage pregnancy and how all of these seem to have an association with the poorest category of society the `underclass`. The report by the S. E. U (1999) also shows how these risk factors can be seen in geographical concentrations, thus the teenage pregnancy map, ‘ resembles the distribution of local authorities identified as the most deprived in the unit's report on neighbourhood enewal. ‘ The map shows that the poorest areas of England have up to more than six times a higher rate of teenage pregnancies than the more affluent areas. The areas outside of London which have been identified has having the highest rates of conception amongst young people are industrial cities which are going through economic recession and ports which are suffering from loss of jobs due to the recent collapse of ship building industries. How does this then prove the government's theory that teenage pregnancy is linked to social exclusion? A list of factors relating to women in their mid-thirties who had become teenage mothers, the evidence confirms that the vast majority are low achiever's, do not work, single with many being reliant on long term benefits. As a result of this they have not had the opportunity to progress in life and has a result of this are trapped in the cycle of poverty, deprivation and social exclusion. Hence the S. E. U report say ‘teenage pregnancy is often the cause and a consequence of social exclusion †¦ overall teenage parenthood is more common in areas of deprivation and poverty'. Thus adding weight to the governments argument about teenage pregnancy being a public issue. The figures show that teenage pregnancy is a public issue; the facts show that the UK has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Western Europe. This is three times higher than France and nearly six times higher than Holland. Could this be down to our lack of morals? The fact remains that in Holland if you have a child in your teenage years and out of wedlock the local communities still shun you and there is a lot of social stigma attached to this. Whilst in the UK teenage pregnancy along with cohabiting has become the `norm` and are more easily accepted, with very little stigma attached to it. The law states that sex under sixteen is unlawful and young women cannot give consent for sexual intercourse to take place. Yet in 2000 there were more than 7,000 young people under sixteen, who had conceived, with over 54% ending in legal abortions. That is a lot of young people participating in an illegal sexual intercourse. Where have all the traditional family values gone? Traditionally people meet, fall in love, get married, have children and become a loving secure family unit. With the changing trends and loss of family values more than 90% of teenage births are outside of marriage. Thus changing family life has it was and creating a new trend towards single young mothers, children being brought up without permanent father figures, who are dependent upon the state to provide for them unless some changes can be made. The government states that it costs tax payers over i10 billion each year, the S. E. U reports say that this money could be better spent else where, and that unless we get this phenomena under control we can not support this rising tide of young teenage mothers. The government has been looking at the Netherlands and the United States for inspiration on how to deal with these issues. The Netherlands have one of the lowest teenage birthrate, they educate young people from a young age and take a more realistic approach to sex education. Compare this to the United States who do not provide support for teenage mothers and have used controversial measures such as forced sterilisation of certain ethnic groups and the family of these young people have to support them financially and emotionally in order for them to survive. Do young people see it as a problem? Is it an issue for young people? After looking at facts there seems to be no evidence that states it is a problem for the young people themselves, thus it is no big issue for them. Maybe it is just another way for the government to control the lives of young people? The government seems to be saying that teenage mothers are not equipped with the skills and knowledge to become competent parents, but who decides what makes a good parent, how can age be a deciding factor in good and bad parenting. So is it just an assumption that teenage pregnancy is a problem, functionalists would argue that it is just a process of socialisation and that if the young people aspirations could be raised then they would be able to break the cycle. Durkheim's anomie theory (1951: 273) seems to suggest ‘that a condition of normalness arises when a disruption of the social order occurs†¦ so that they are no longer controlled by the collective social order. ‘ Compare this to Merton's anomie (1938:53) ‘ the roots of which lie in a structural strain, generated by differential access to opportunity structures. Currently young girls who have little or no education and very few plans for the future are 30% more likely to get pregnant than those who aspire to gain qualifications and are well educated. Not being educated, in training or work are factors that are seen as being a negative influence on young girls and thus the risk of them becoming pregnant rises. Teenagers from socially deprived, poor families are less likely to have abortions compared to the young girls from more affluent families has they have higher aspirations in life and also have the funds to pay for private abortions. The lack of aspirations in the poorer young girls life, can lead them to believe that they can do nothing else and also if it was not a personal trouble for their mother then why should they expect anything else in life. Evidence seems to support the socialisation theory, with young girls often having no prospects due to lack of education, family support to break the cycle, believing that this is the way life is that this is all that life has to offer them and seeing that this is the way their life has been apped out for them. The lack of knowledge and confidence can also stop young girls from accessing services, which are available to them, and this just reinforces the negativity within their lives. As a result of finding themselves pregnant many young girls from poorer backgrounds, are less likely to continue with their education, compared to the young girls from more affluent homes who are expected to succeed in education and already have a prosperous career mapped out for them by their parents and peers. As a result of this young mothers from poor areas, start to become trapped in the cycle of poverty, with no way of supporting themselves and child they find themselves in the benefit trap. If they wait until the child is old enough to start school, returning to education is extremely hard and most training and apprenticeships are only open to school leavers. So with no experience, qualifications, expensive childcare and limited employment options due to most young mothers only being able to afford to work during the school time hours which are usually the lowest paid jobs the poverty trap begins a down ward spiral of debt and depravation. Therefore becoming a single teenage mother is a stigma and figures show them to be a burden on society hence a public issue. Are teenage mothers to blame for the creation of the emerging underclass in society? Teenage young mothers are often referred to as being a contributing factor in creating the underclass. The underclass theory (Murray 1980) describes this as ` people who are at the bottom of the social ladder, structurally separate and culturally distinguishable from the `decent` working class `. Murray (1980) discovered this new class of people in the 80's and he labelled them as the new underclass in Britain. He blames this emerging underclass on the over zealous welfare state system, which was set up to provide relief from poverty, not provide people with an alternative way of life. Where has Marx (1951) suggests that` we are born into a social class†¦ which are modified locally by region and neighbourhood`. Thus the teenage mothers cannot be to blame for the creation of the underclass, which adds viability to the theory put forward by Murray. The result of this theory is that there are now younger single parent families due to the ability to support themselves through the benefit system. Murray (1980) goes on to say that before the welfare system started to increase the level of provision there were few single parent families because they were not economically viable. He states `that the more generous benefits have made it possible for women to have children outside of marriage†¦ therefore the welfare state is to blame for this phenomenon. Thus he argues that the benefit system is to blame for single parents and they are a contributing factor of the underclass theory. Charles Murray (1980) goes on to say that we are creating a culture of dependency and if the benefits were taken away from single parents, it would discourage young people from becoming pregnant and is a possible solution to stop further development of the underclass. Many other people believe that young girls get pregnant on purpose in order to gain priority in the housing and benefits system. There are many flaws in Murray's (1980) theory the main one being that single teenage parents is seen in all class stratification and is not exclusive to the underclass element of society. Statistics show that young people do not start to enquire about benefits and housing prior to getting pregnant therefore these facts are not a forethought to getting pregnant. Research shows that most teenage pregnancies are not planned and young people seem to rarely plan for the future until after they are pregnant so they are very unlikely to have become pregnant in order to obtain benefits. Liberal thinking social theorists argues that the idea of an underclass diverts attention away from what the real issues are and the disadvantages experienced by certain groups of people in society especially young people from working class backgrounds. The conservatives denied poverty existed, so why is there a need for a welfare state and where is the emerging underclass. Labour said that it is just a lack of means to work that causes poverty, thus justifying the need for a welfare state and acknowledging the `underclass` exists. Other political groups outside these seem to blame poor education, bad housing unemployment, and family breakdown has main reasons why people become dependent on benefits and thus the underclass theory serves a purpose to hide the real causes of teenage pregnancy and social exclusion. Teenage pregnancy is a cause of and consequence of social exclusion, these young people share the values as everyone else unfortunately they have limited opportunities and are therefore restricted in plans for their future. These young people are deemed to be suffering from inequalities in life and are victims of an unjust society, which fails to ensure a fairer distribution of opportunities and resources. Poverty and social exclusion has a direct affect on the choices young women make about abortion and sex education, and if all young people had the same opportunities and options open to them when they find themselves pregnant or prior to having sex then maybe the rate of teenage pregnancies would fall. If young women have a clear vision about their future, their options in life explained clearly through education and training then they will have nothing to gain by choosing early parenthood. Whereas young people with no job prospects, poor education, who expects to be on benefits anyway might see that having a baby is going to provide them with a better future. The government are under pressure to cut the rate of teenage pregnancies as currently the UK has the highest rate in the western world. So what can the government do when the media seems to undermine all the initiatives that the labour government have come up with? All the media misrepresentation has altered the public's perception of teenage pregnancy and how the sex education program is delivered. The general consensus seems to be that Pregnancy advice is right, just the tactics used to deliver it are wrong. The media has highlighted this issue, alongside figures pointing out the amount of money currently being spent to deliver these services. It implies that all the time and money is being wasted has teenage pregnancy rates continue to ise. The media seems to be blaming the government for wasting money and accusing them of being dictators to young people The Daily Mail newspaper reports â€Å"60 million to tell girls that it is okay to be a virgin† how can this reduce the rate of teenage pregnancy, this nanny government is wasting money telling young people how to their lives. Whilst the girls are being advised to stay virgins they are not being told about sex and how it could affect them in their future and the message to boys is that sex is okay just wear a condom so the gap between the genders just keeps getting reinforced. The government have responded to this positively by bringing out new policies and are changing ways of delivering this service to youngpeople these include: Compulsory sex education: Sex education in schools is to become compulsory part of the national curriculum and will be taught alongside reading, writing, maths and science. The fact that it is compulsory seems to indicate that all children are being taught sex education but this is not so as parents can opt to remove their children if they so wish to. So were is the compulsory part? Should it be given to all children regardless to what a parent may feel? It is a civil right for every young person to be educated, so why is the choices to learn about sex being taken away from the young person, Why does a parent have the right to dictate to the young person what they need to learn to become a responsible adult later in life? Without sex education how can a child make the transition through adolescence from a child to a teenager who has a need to experiment sexually safely? To conclude, teenage pregnancy is a personal personal and a public issue. Many adoloscents I think fell trapped in a viscious circle. However I think that social exclusion and teenage pregnance are inextricably linked and these terms cannot be separated. The government have reccomended that young people should have better access to sex advice and other issues based around sex education. This is good practice but these clinics are not available countrywide, it is up to individual schools and parents to decide whether or not this service is should be available. On the other hand would these clinics encourage young people to have sex which would create an even bigger public issue?