Viva La Viv

In class this week we watched “The Social Dilemma” which was a thought-provoking documentary about the effects of social media on society. I found the dramatized fictional additions to the interview style documentary to be very interesting. They helped to emphasize how torn and out of control our world has become in recent years. The thought of social media taking over got me thinking. I have often heard people discussing the possibility of robots and AI eventually overtaking humanity. They describe it as apocalyptic and invasive. When this is talked about it is often implied that this would take hundreds of years. However this documentary got me thinking that this apocalypse has already happened. If “The Social Dilemma” is correct and society is already so susceptible to being addicted, manipulated and controlled by technology then it doesn't seem like we have much further to go before we can count it as a complete takeover. I liked that the movie emphasized that technology can be...

With opening night tomorrow I can’t help but feel that I am perpetually in tech week. There were four productions this semester and I participated in three of them. I feel constantly exhausted. It feels like it's been months since I’ve gotten the proper amount of sleep to sustain the lifestyle of a musical theatre major. I am extremely excited about Thanksgiving break because it means I might finally catch my breath. Of course I am also excited to see my parents again since I haven't been home since the summer. I think a big hug from them might solve most of my problems. We are flying to Kansas to see my grandma so I’m hoping the week is relaxing enough to rejuvenate me. Immediately after we get back from break we dive into tech week for the second weekend of shows in Lima. These rehearsals are especially exhausting because they include travel time to Lima as well. The nights are sure to be extremely long and sleep will be hard to find.  Nonetheless I am so excited to open this...

When Musical.ly first rebranded itself as TikTok many people were against using the app. I however was very excited to see the new opportunities it offered. I was not disappointed.  I use TikTok daily for various purposes. One of the first ways I use it is to stay updated on the news. I am not the type of person who likes to read an article or watch the news on TV so I often don’t know when something big happens. TikTok has helped me become more up-to-date on current events. I can look something up and get a quick 30-second summary of the issue. I like that I don't have to spend a lot of time searching or watching to understand what's going on. It's both quick and convenient. Another major way I use TikTok is to get reviews for products. Whenever I am shopping for something and I don't know what brand to get I look on TikTok to see what other people recommend. I love that I can see multiple reviews for almost any item all in one place. This has been extremely helpful fo...

Being a swing for the “ONU Holiday Spectacular” has been the most challenging and rewarding thing I have ever done. A swing is someone who learns multiple tracks in a show and is prepared to perform them with little notice if one of the original actors cannot. For this show I swing all of the female ensemble roles. This is around 15 tracks. It can be very challenging to know everyone’s choreography and their specific placements for every number. Each girl has a different partner and lifts that I am supposed to know how to do. I am also in the ensemble for this show so I need to know all of this and my own track as well. I have been spending a lot of time practicing in case I need to go on. Yesterday I got a text from the stage manager telling me to be ready to perform the entire track of one of the senior girls at that night's rehearsal. She has a few extra things in her track including a tap section and a few solos. I spent all day studying the track and learning the tap. It was v...

For the past two weeks I have been playing a huge game of catch-up. I constantly feel like I am extremely behind. Even now I am writing this blog later than I usually do for my second weekly entry because I am so incredibly busy. Rehearsals have been going strong but they end very late so my sleep schedule is off. I go to bed too late which makes my mornings groggy and less productive than I want them to be. I have less time for breakfast so I am often hungry and my brain doesn't function as well during my classes. This leads to more homework after class leaving me less time to practice or eat before rehearsal. As a result I am hungry and tired and feel even more behind. Then the downward spiral begins again the next day. This feeling is only amplified by the fact that I am one of the only new cast members in the “ONU Holiday Spectacular” this year. It’s an annual show and the cast stays mostly the same. The rehearsal process is short so everything is taught very quickly and it...

This week's chapter got me thinking about the many negatives of YouTube that have been coming to light recently. Many controversies surround families that exploit their children on YouTube for views. These families film every aspect of their lives and post it as a family vlog. This may seem harmless but some families take it to the next level. They film their children in moments of vulnerability that should have been dealt with off-camera. Every bad day being posted for the world to see can alter a child's formative years.  Additionally, it can be dangerous for these children to have so much information about them on the internet. The families often post full names, school information, ages and heights. It's a horrible thought but some people would take this information and use it to take advantage of them.  Occasionally, the fame gets to the heads of the parents and causes them to make decisions for the betterment of their channel rather than the betterment of their family...