Social Media

Social media has become one of the greatest human fascinations in the history of  our existance. It has transformed the entire way many communicate between friends, within the workplace, or important world news. During my week of experiencing social media at a slightly professional standpoint, I found Twitter to be a very effective tool in striking interest within different fields of work, as well as, learning fascinating information about topics I was possibly pursuing a career in someday.

I chose Twitter as my focus of media to take part in because I already had an account, and was quite familiar with the way the system worked. I comfortably used Twitter through my week tweeting organizations and programs related to my biology major. I found that being associated with these organizations, and keeping tabs on them by following them I could be updating on certain important issues within the field of biology. I learned a lot about recent discoveries taking place in the plant world, and also tragic realities involving marine animals. Genetics was another focus I watch carefully, and scientist were making great progress everyday in that aspect. Oceana was a primary source of information for me within this assignment, and I could see how getting to know these organizations could allow one to become involved, make connections, and open up opportunities for a future career.

Social media, through Twitter or any other type of medium, doesn't just have the impact of networking, it can also bring people closer together, boost a mood, build relationships, or be a wonderful newfeed connection to the world. A variety of examples of all of these characteristics of social media can be found in the articles assigned for this blog. One imparticular talks about the happiness Twitter brings to ones life. I totally believe this because I know I have gotten the random tweet that brings a smile to your face from a quirky friend or loved one. On a global level, Twitter and other social media is being used between large coorporations, employers, and other people in a position of authority to communicate. This communication isn't just minimized to that company or workers, but to potential clients around the world. Social media has even been created as a toold for helping law enforcement. The ways in which these media sites are being contructed and carried out have expanded relationships from one hemisphere to the next.

Not all social media has been considered a great thing. Many situations have been documented where social media sites have contributed to unfortunate accounts. Relationships have been lost, job opportunities are refused, and in extreme but often cases people lose their lives due to cyber bullying. One case in the article "How Facebook Can Ruin Your Friendships" a person's relationships with friends/family were damaged because they payed more attention to their Facebook status than the friend in a coma from a car accident and sending their concerns. These are examples in which social media can be detrimental to personal, or professional means of one's life.

I definitely feel I have a better sense of how to go about my use of social media from doing this activity and reading the articles. There are so many ways in which Twitter or Facebook can help boost your status in this world. It can bring people closer together or help one to meet friends in school or at college. The articles opened my eyes to exactly how many people are using these websites, and how crucial it is to keep up with changing technology. There are certain aspects I have to monitor in my use with social media because future employers do look into these sort of sites. Harmful situations can arise from these mediums, and from these articles I am aware and can carry on in my social media journey in a successful and professional manner.

MBTI Scores

In lecture, when I filled out the sheet of my MBTI scores, I was very surprised to have matched directly with the scores I had received in the summer before coming to school. I enjoyed the activity, and it really reinforced my personality, how I study, and how I live mye life. After reviewing the descriptiong of the type of MBTI profile I was, I found that it was a true fit to how I perceive myself and also how others perceive my attitudes. I was categorized as ENFP which stands for extraversion, intuition, feeling, and perceiving.

My ENFP snapshot described me as curious, creative, and imaginative. I believe those are some of my best and strongest qualities. I discussed these characteristics with my cousins and they agreed that my profile fit me perfectly. I think that's so cool how it really can match someone's personailty so well just by how I answered a few questions. I found that I was very strong in my extraversion category and had a PCI result of 30 in the area. The other categories, intuition, feeling, and perceiving, weren't quite as strong but were still apparent in my tendency of handling situations.

After further looking into my results from the MBTI scores, I found that the paragraph and bullet points of adjectives of one in the ENFP group was exactly how I would explain myself to someone else. I think these characteristics correlate to the goals I have set for myself here at Iowa State as well as throughout the rest of my life. I feel like since the type of studying I do that comes along with this type of MBTI is what makes me successful in my academics. I make my work light and playful. I do crack down when I need to, but for the most part I am optimistic. My positive outlook and enthusiasm I believe is crucial to how I will be successful in my life and carryout the accomplishments I hope to achieve in life such as being a mentor and having great relationships with those I love.

Most importantly, through this exercise I have seen things about myself I didn't really notice before. I have seen emphasis on characteristics that I hadn't paid much attention or given much credit to myself. In the last couple weeks, the loads of homework and juggling a million other things I've seen my belief of overcoming obstacles, helping others stay positive, and being a free, flexible human being. I think these are traits others see in me, but some that I never really labeled myself as. I am really appreciative of this exercise for that reason.

Overall, this activity was successful, in my opinion. I thought it taught me a lot about who I am and how I function on a day to day basis. I also liked how accurate it was on not only myself but on others I had participate in the MBTI assessment.