Social Media News Video #2

https://animoto.com/play/yIOPUq0yQlSNwzoLD4fPUw

Working From Home? How to Design Your Home Office

    

Let's face it, we are spending more time at home than we ever have. With the COVID-19 pandemic still a threat to our health, more and more people are working from home. When this pandemic began way back in March we were all forced to work from home. Most of us thought I can work from the kitchen or dining room table or maybe set up a temporary spot in my bedroom. Well, here we are 6 months later and that temporary workspace now needs to be transformed into a home office. Many companies have come to the conclusion that their employees are just as productive working from home and have decided to cut costs and forgo renting office space. Others have decided working from home saves time and money as well as the stress of that daily dreaded commute.

    A home office can be so much more than a desk and chair. After all, if you are going to spend 9 hours or more a day occupying the area, doesn't it deserve the same attention as your bedroom and living room when it comes to designing the space. A great thing about working from home is YOU get to decide how you want your home office to look and feel. What inspires you? Is it a certain paint color? Artwork? Or particular objects? Whatever your vibe is, now is your chance to incorporate it into your workspace. 

     What if you do not have a designated room to convert into an office? Don't panic! Home offices come in many different shapes and sizes. It can be in a separate room, a quiet corner of the house, or even occupy space in the kitchen. Again, it all depends on your own personal needs. If you are a busy mom and need to attend to other tasks, office space in the kitchen or centrally located might be ideal. However, if you are a professional you may need to select a space that is quiet and further away from the daily activities of the home. 

    

    There are so many options to consider when designing a home office space to meet your needs. Does your job require reference materials or catalogs? If so, shelving within arms reach might be necessary. Will you be doing a lot of printing or scanning? Perhaps you might need to consider a workstation close by for those tasks. Let's not forget lighting. Does the area chosen have much natural lighting? Or will lamps be needed to create adequate lighting? Either way, good lighting is a necessity for any home office space. Your home office should be a comfortable and inviting space to spend time and get your work done efficiently.

    Now is your chance to create a workspace you WANT to be in, not one you HAVE to be in! Stubborn Interior Design, SID.com can help you create that perfect home office design. Contact us today for an in-home consultation with one of our professional designers.

Work From Home

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Social Media News Video

 

My Best Life!

     It's been a while...Let me start by reintroducing myself. My name is Mia Gindlesperger and I am currently a Junior at High Point University seeking to earn a degree in Strategic Communications with a minor in Social Media Marketing. I love everything about being a student at High Point University! I stay busy on campus as a University Ambassador where I can be found giving campus tours and welcoming students and their families. As a member of Kappa Delta Sorority, I have taken on many leadership roles and have made some amazing friends along the way. 

    I grew up in the "sunshine state" otherwise known as Florida. When I am not at school, you can find me in my hometown of New Smyrna Beach, Florida. I am so fortunate to live right on the ocean. I will never tire of the breathtaking sunrises and sunsets! Blissful walks on the beach with my dogs Charlie and Sophie are another one of my favorite pastimes. 

    I have one older brother and one younger sister. Yes, I am a middle child and yes, it is true what they say about being a middle child. Despite "middle child syndrome" I love spending time with my family. They are the most supportive and loving people. I would be lost without their encouragement and guidance. 

    I come from a family that owns and operates movie theaters. (Not exactly the best business to be in during a pandemic. We are hopeful though that things will turn around as we overcome the COVID-19 virus). I have always been interested in the marketing of our family business and have had the opportunity to assist with writing press releases and helping manage some aspects of our social media accounts while still in high school. This is when I discovered my passion and knew I wanted a career where I can use my talents to help promote and market businesses. 

    I am beyond blessed to be learning from some of the best professors while gaining the skills and knowledge to have a successful career. I aspire to help businesses and organizations grow through the fields of public relations and marketing. The ability to directly help a business reach its goals is of utmost excitement to me.

    In the near future, I am looking forward to pursuing an internship where I can continue to develop and grow my skills. I can not believe how quickly my college years are flying by! I plan on savoring these last two years of learning and living my best life while here at High Point University. I do believe that whatever path life takes me, I will be equipped with the knowledge and skillset to be successful. Of course, a little luck along the way is always welcomed! 

#StrategicCommunicationsStudent

#Livingmybestlife

#publicrelationsandmarketing

The Influence Technology Has on My Life

It is hard for me to remember what my life was like before it became so engrossed by technology. I started my "relationship" with technology innocently enough playing games on the computer. My favorite thing to do in second grade was to go to "Club Penguin" and set up my igloo. I even got a year membership for Christmas that year! I also enjoyed purchasing stuffed animals called Webkinz that came with a special code where you could go online and take care of your virtual pet. My friends and I loved it and I was hooked. If you are around my age, I am certain you must remember these games. Seems pretty innocent right? However, in retrospect, I was being groomed for a life of craving technology.

Things really heated up when I got my first cell phone in 5th grade. It was an LG Neon phone. I felt like such a cool kid with that thing. This was when texting was difficult and you would have to use that cumbersome alpha type of keyboard. Where there is a will there is a way though. I still managed to text friends and the vicious cycle began. By the time I was in 8th grade I had my first iPhone and started to become active on social media platforms.
Let's fast forward to 2020, I am addicted to my phone and am never without it. I Snapchat, post on Instagram and Facebook and even Facetime friends daily. Texting is a breeze now and my phone can even guess what I am about to say. Basically, I do everything on my phone. I have a pocket-size computer that goes everywhere with me. I mean everywhere! I never go anywhere without it. I am constantly checking my messages and am always connected. Apparently, I am not the only one.  Research shows American teenagers spend an astounding nine hours a day with digital technology. entertaining themselves with streaming video, listening to music and playing games.
I readily admit I spend way too much time on my phone. I have fallen victim to numbers of likes and

posing for way too many selfies. I also have found myself comparing myself to others and have felt left out on occasions. I am guilty of letting social media take up entirely too much of my time and influence my self-worth.  This is an area where I continue to struggle and am conscious of the negative effects it can have on my life.

On the other hand, technology can be so useful. For instance, during this uncertain time of COVID -19 we are still able to continue our classes and keep up with all our coursework via all the advances in technology. I am able to stay in touch with all my college friends who I miss like crazy. I can buy groceries online and have them delivered right to my door. Every song I want to hear can be played at a moment's notice. I can teach myself just about anything from resources available with just a few clicks. The list goes on and on. This is the flip side of technology, it can certainly make life easier.
I think the key to all this is moderation. Just like anything else, too much of a good thing can be detrimental.
As I type this, my phone is blowing up with likes from my Instagram post I posted this morning. I am not going to lie, it feels good to see the likes and comments. I will continue to work on limiting my time and energy into something that can prove to be quite superficial. I think as long as you do not let it define your self-worth and find balance, technology can serve as a positive influence in your life.
Easier said than done...

https://www.wvea.org/content/teens-spend-astounding-nine-hours-day-front-screens-researchers

https://qz.com/1367506/pew-research-teens-worried-they-spend-too-much-time-on-phones/

Our Surveillance Society

From social media sites to surveillance cameras to smartphones, each and every one of us leaves a digital trail that is being closely monitored with or without our knowledge. From the moment we wake up to the alarm on our smartphone, we begin engaging in the digital world. Before even getting out of bed, most of us check our emails, read news headlines and browse through our social media accounts. Every time we engage in this behavior “big data” is being stored which is accessible. As we exit the house and begin on our journey, our smartphones already know where we are going and tell us how long it will take to get there. Amazing! Right? We do not even have to put in where we are going, our phones know based on our typical travel where we are headed. Pretty cool? Or pretty scary?

Due to advances in technology, we have access to everything right at our fingertips. From computers, phones, i-Pads, cameras and even watches, we can get and send information immediately. However, all this information is under surveillance and tracked. What exactly is surveillance? According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, surveillance means: close watch kept over someone or something. Personal data is stored and can be assessed by companies. This “big data” is shared and used to predict our habits and patterns in our daily life. Is this an invasion of our privacy? Does it impinge on our basic rights? It is a big price to pay for the convenience of technology.



Most of us know we are under surveillance, but could never give up the use of all our modern conveniences and devices. “The amount of data we produce every day is truly mind-boggling. There are 2.5 quintillion bytes of data created each day.” Let me put this into perspective: On the internet alone there are 5 billion searches per day worldwide. On Snapchat, there are 527,760 photos shared every minute and on Instagram users post 46,740 photos every minute. 1.5 billion people are active on Facebook daily. The list goes on and on… Each of these clicks and each of these posts contributes to the “big data” being collected on each and every one of us.

Is “big data” all bad? The answer is no. It can help us learn and make smarter decisions. It can predict crime, improve healthcare and help us respond to and predict natural disasters. It can help companies increase profits. There are many ways that data can be beneficial. But, where do we draw the line? How much is too much information?

Have you ever looked up something on the internet and within minutes that particular item or store can be found every time you are using various apps and search engines? That is no coincidence. Your internet searches, voice searches and even your location are all tracked and stored so that the advertisements can be accurate and specific to who they are targeting. I have had some eye-opening experiences myself that have left me wondering how this “big data” is being compiled. For instance, while shopping with some friends, we were looking at some expensive Burberry scarves. My friends were trying to convince me to splurge and buy one. I left and did not purchase it. Within minutes, I was being targeted with advertisements for Burberry scarves. Coincidence? I think not. Are we being listened to through microphones on apps loaded on our devices?



Is all this surveillance impinging on our privacy? Many feel companies have taken it too far. Privacy advocates warn that it is becoming more difficult to protect privacy and are calling for more regulation. Experts say the large volume of data and the speed of its growth, increase the sense for urgent action in the United States. IBM estimates 90 percent of all data in 2017 had been created in the past two years. Congress has not yet responded, in part due to divisions over how much regulation to impose on the internet without hurting online commerce and stifling innovation. From the controversy surrounding Edward Snowden's security leak of classified information to hacked email accounts of prominent political candidates, internet privacy and cybersecurity present major ethical issues in today's technology-centric society. Countries are challenged to find the right balance in securing personal data and how to regulate the sale and exchange of information obtained on the internet. Innovative technologies and data collection that enable novel modes of interaction and new opportunities for knowledge can also be abused to invade people's privacy, provide new tools of discrimination, and harm individuals and communities.

As a society how do we handle this new age of surveillance and “big data”? How can we not be so heavily influenced by it? There are no easy answers. I can’t help but wonder where we will go from here...







Sources:




www.bernardmarr.com/default.asp?contentID=766

https://www.bernardmarr.com/default.asp?contentID=766?contentID=766

Quarantine Life

As of today, my family and I have been in quartine for 35 days. It has proved to be a time of uncertainty and fear. How can we stay healthy? Will out business survive? Will we survive?

There are so many questions and concerns running through our minds. Having my brother, sister, and I all home taking classes online has proven to be quite challenging. We quickly realized out internet could not support all three of us on Zoom, Webex, and similar platforms simultaneously. For me, taking 6 classes this semester and having them switch to online classes has proven to be one of the biggest challenges of my academic career so far. If I told you I couldn't wait for it to be over in a few weeks, I wouldn't be lying. However, I am grateful for supportive and understanding professors.

The challenges of schooling at home and scouring the internet for toilet paper are so minuscule in comparison to the heartbreak and loss some families have had to experience. I am so blessed that my family remains healthy and we have the love and support of each other. I am not going to lie though, I miss HPU and all my friends and classmates. Never in my wildest dreams would I ever of thought this is how my Sophmore year Spring semester would play out.

I will say, I have a deeper appreciation for the simple things in life. Going to dinner with friends, shopping, and the ability to leave my home. I am looking to the future with optimism and can't wait to return to High Point University in the Fall.

Some interesting perspectives on the toilet paper shortage and online education.
https://www.fastcompany.com/90491842/what-the-toilet-paper-shortage-can-teach-us-about-5-leadership-styles
https://hechingerreport.org/college-in-the-time-of-coronavirus/