A Face to the World

One of the most common ways to get an initial understanding of who someone may be is by seeing who their friends are. We often hear about how negative this is but it continues to be a natural part of social interaction. Students often select friends who will describe themselves to an outside audience in order to gain acceptance. This is extremely common among high school aged students but it still continues throughout one’s life.

The audience that students are often trying to impress is other students. The social pressure felt to hang out with certain people can be extremely frustrating. However, students do not often take into consideration what image others outside of their school might be gaining from their selection. The audience includes parents, family, employers, and academic leaders. These groups will often base their views on a person simply based on who they know and what that group represents.

There are different goals when selecting a certain group of friends. The images we chose to portray through friends consist of being caring, rebellious, trendy, open-minded, grounded, religious, and the list continues. We often only focus on two groups and those are the “popular” and the “goth or emo” groups. Certain thoughts can be associated with any group these are certainly two extremes.

Students can select certain groups for many different reasons. Some might be left to certain groups that will accept them but may not necessarily describe who they are. I for example started the eighth grade in a new middle school. I went through many different groups of friends. I was stuck in a certain group for a period of time that would be considered the “druggie” group by most other students. I was nothing like this group but they took me in and for a time being represented me as being someone who might be involved with drugs also.

This is often shown in teenage movies. These movies include Mean Girls, The Breakfast Club, Sydney White, Crazy/Beautiful, She’s All That, 10 Things I Hate About You, Grease, Never Been Kissed, Thirteen, and so on. These types of movies do so well because everyone has been put through at least a little bit of difficulty trying to be seen a certain way. I know that not everyone flows into groups like these movies might show but regardless we are always put into a category. There is always a “middle” group, which many of us are in. However even in this group we might be seen by strangers with only one type of person. That can surprisingly determine how much respect that individual might give you.

Overall, we are judged by a large group of people depending on the group we select and this is also being shown through media. Throughout time students have tried to gain acceptance by others through the friends they select. Regardless of how this may affect children, I doubt it will ever be something that will change.

Andrew

There is only certain information that you can receive from looking at a facebook profile. Andrew Hopkins portrays himself ,in my opinion, to be very driven, religious, and practical. Andrew has quite a few applications but overall these are the most evident traits shown.

Andrew is majoring in Aviation Technology, which is extremely hard to get into here at Purdue. He also is running his own online business focused on selling health related goods. While also working as a security officer for Indiana Veteran's Home. Andrew is extremely busy and focused for someone who is only twenty years old. While most facebooks tell about how many parties a college student may go to or who every single one of their friends are, he is showing that he is prepared to work hard. Overall, he seems very practical and mature.

Andrew is also very clear about what he believes in. He seems to be very serious about Christianity and where he stands. He not only states that he is Christian but he has also posted a note telling a story about a girl being helped by God. He also lists the Bible first within his favorite books and in his about me section he only states that he loves Jesus.

Overall, Andrew has many applications but most are not overly used. He doesn't seem to use facebook as much as many college students do. Andrew has a few pictures, some from vacation, a few of his dog, and finally sports related pictures. He gets straight to the point with the information section on his profile. He only seems to share the things that are most important to him. He also doesn't seem to use facebook as a main means of contacting friends.

Therefore, I think I might have been able to receive a descent summary of who Andrew Hopkins is. He is a driven, religious, and practical young man. If nothing else he is someone who can make me feel extremely lazy.

Counting Crows Link

Counting Crows

My room is just, me.

The main thing that really describes me would have to be my bedroom. My room contains things that no other room in the apartment does, it describes me to others who enter, and provides a comfortable place for me to be myself.
What makes my room so different than the rest of the apartment is simply the fact that I have free range to do anything in this area. Throughout the rest of the apartment, which I share with others, it is very clean and often feels as though it is a museum. You can see that I have respect for my roommates and those who visit when you enter my somewhat messy room since the rest of our space is so clean. However, I want people to see that I am not exactly like the person who could be described by just entering our living room. My room and I both have something different to offer than just that first impression.
My room is the center of everything for me. When walking in to my room you will notice many colorful art projects on my wall all done by me that often represent my thoughts. You can see my large collection of movies and the movies I receive from working at Blockbuster. My bed is also right in the center of the room. It is decorated with plenty of colors and pillows. There is also my desk which often covered with books and other school supplies. I also have plenty of pictures of family and friends all throughout my room. The main thing about my room however, is that it is never very clean. I keep it relaxed and lived in without letting it get too messy. I want others to feel comfortable when they enter and not like they have to be careful touching anything I own.
When it comes to who will enter my room and take away a piece of me I would have to say that everyone does. Well, at least family, friends, and guests who come to visit any of us. I have actually had people I have barely known enter my room because a friend of mine has told them about my art or something I own. I appreciate having this space. I have not always had my own room and now that I do I want to feel completely at ease within it. I feel that people can see that I am a relaxed person who enjoys movies and entertainment. They can also see that I am a hard worker by looking at my books and seeing the projects I have done. Finally they can see that my family and friends mean the most to me.
Therefore, my room is by far the most important thing when it comes to figuring out who I am. I have shown how I am different, comfortable in my space and how I want to be perceived by others.