Close Friends- by Lauren Campbell

A friend is someone you tell your secrets to, run when you need advice, a shoulder to cry on when you are sad and someone to have a laugh with. Studies show that the average American only has two close friends compared to three in 1985. This is because the pace of life has sky-rocketed in the past decade. People are a lot busier with their work and their family.

Danielle, Katrina and I went around asking students at UNCSA how many close friends they have. We defined a close friend someone you could tell anything to and you would trust they would not tell others. Parents and siblings did not count in this poll. We interviewed a total of 70 High School students. 22 were boys and 48 were girls. 17 were Freshmen, 31 were Sophomores, 14 were Juniors and 17 were Seniors.

We discovered that boys and girls have fairly close to the same number of friends. Most girls had five to nine friends and no girls didn't trust anyone. Most boys had five to nine friends too but some guys didn't trust anyone. Very few people trusted more than 10 people.

Then we asked students in different grades how many close friends they had. Most freshman had five to nine friends. Sophomores have the most range in the number of close friends they have. Many Juniors trust more than 10 close friends! Seniors have between 2 to 9 friends.

The averages were all very close. Boys did have more close friends than girls but only by a third of a friends. Freshmen and Juniors trusted more people than Sophomores and Seniors.

Wall-E Lab- by Katrina Dowling ~THE LAB ONLY APPLIES TO THE FIRST THREE MINUTES OF THE VIDEO~

In the first three minutes of this video, you see how the world of Axiom has really brought society together in a new way. Axiom is a spaceship made for your comfort and happiness. This spaceship gives you everything you want whenever you want it so you will never have to struggle again. Remember those annoying car rides to the grocery store? Forget about those pesky rides to get food. With a push of a button your snack is ready for you whenever you want it. Remember those tiring walks to the mailbox? In the world of Axiom, you'll never have to walk again! Just sit back as you enjoy your cruise in a comfy reclining chair with the world at your fingertips. With the press of a button, find yourself talking to a friend sitting right next to you over a screen device. Axiom is the perfect place for relaxing. Never have to worry about another thing again!

Although Axiom seems to take care of all your all one's needs and troubles, it doesn't seem to have a connection with anything that's going on around you. This video clip reminds me of the exaggerated version of our society today. We are all caught up with electronics, the internet, and other distractions that we have taken own mind completely off the world around us. The people in Axiom still had a connection with the people around them, but seeing people through a screen is different that getting to actually see the person in real life. Through a screen you can only share certain interactions. Although it may seem convenient, imagine not being able to talk to a person face to face.

Socializing online also hinders your increase of social capital. When you are communicating over the web, you are unable to meet new faces. This also applies to other things such as cell phones, iPods, computers in general, and other devices. Whenever we are on these devices, they are distracting from the world around us and keeping us from meeting new faces. So in conclusion, electronics are a big part of our society today, but instead of bringing us together, they seem to be distracting us from others and focusing on ourselves. I think Wall-E is a perfect example of what’s going on in our society today. How we are so distracted on going the easy route that we have completely turned ourselves off from society.

31 Hours Without a Cell Phone- by Danielle Green

From 7 pm Tuesday, October 5 until 2 am Thursday, October 7, Lauren, Katrina, and I turned off our cell phones. Here is my experience during this time:

At first, it was a shock to have my phone off and tucked away in my desk drawer. Even though I had let my parents know and felt prepared, I really wasn't. Every few minutes, I would unconsciously reach for my phone and have to remind myself I couldn't have it. "Oh great," I thought, "This is only Tuesday night and I have to get through the whole Wednesday!"

Wednesday morning started off with an empty pocket in my bag. Again, I reached for my phone many times thr

oughout the morning before I started remembering not to. As I walked across campus, I found myself disappointed each time I thought of calling my mom or texting a friend. I

felt disconnected, like I had no social capital.

However, when I headed back to my room at lunch that

all changed. I sat down to check my email and Facebook as usual, and I suddenly realized that, even phone-less, I was completely connected. Not having a cellphone didn't stop me from chatting on Facebook or scrolling down my feed to see what other people were up to. I could still message someone in an instant or post on their wall. Email, while not quite as fast, connected me even further with those who don't have a Facebook. With all of those instant connections, I definitely felt like I had social capital. I still had the power to check my email and Facebook as many times a day as I wanted, and talk to whomever I choose. Not to mention all the face-to-face interactions I had around campus.

In the end, my conclusion was that taking away cellphones does not make us totally disconnected. Although it may take a bit more effort to turn on the computer and navigate to a website rather than picking up my phone and hitting speed dial, I still felt in touch with people across the country. Cellphones increase our social capital, but are not responsible for all of it.