A Letter? For Me?

By Haley Aguirre

I have tried hard to remember which birthday it was when I was gifted my first set of personalized greeting cards. There was an elegant lavender “H” on each card, with a single vine of leaves decorating the letter. The white background gave me room to write and draw on them. They seem to have been a constant presence in my life, lacking a beginning. The art of letter writing in general however, has just about come to an end.

It was not any day in particular, just sometime during elementary school, not too long ago. In my first five years I wrote letters to my cousins who lived abroad. We struggled to form complete sentences at that age, but loved the idea of sending things half way across the globe to a friend and receiving something in return. In a way, it was a gift exchange, which made running out to the mailbox everyday a bit of an exciting mystery. In first and second grade, my class wrote to pen pals. We never met those whom we addressed letters to, but they were students our age attending a school just like ours. Somehow we could talk to them and get to know them by putting pen to paper. Quite fascinating when you think about it! By the end of elementary school, most thoughts or efforts to write letters had fizzled out. My lavender greeting cards remained in my in my desk, however, in case any opportunity rose to write again.

Okay, enough of the nostalgic talk. There is real discussion going on about this. Could writing letters be a forgotten pastime, a dying breed of communication, a sad reminder of how technical everything seems to be becoming? Or has it become more appreciated than it ever was before? The image to the right helps explain it.

It all depends on the norm of the time. Which is new, rare, and exciting: instant message or paper mail? Which one do you anxiously anticipate receiving while stuck at school, work, or on the bus? But then again, it does not have to be what is cool at the time...letters can just mean a lot because they naturally do mean a lot. The Art of Manliness authors Brett & Kate McKay write, “Sending a letter is the next best thing to showing up personally at someone’s door.” They are practically artifacts or heirlooms, nothing virtual. We’re talking real paper you can grasp in your hands and cherish longer than 10 seconds. Communicating this way can be the sincerest way to display how much you care, because writing a letter takes time and effort. It is a chance to be artistic in language, thoughtful in message, and caring in penmanship.

This does not require a melted red wax seal, fountain pen, or even personalized paper. No one needs to send four pages of reading to their peers and loved ones. The fact of the matter is that writing letters is pretty cool, and it will always be there as a creative and joyful outlet for conversation…a weeks-to-months long conversation. Lol, like millennials have the patience for that!

So though you don’t have to, I encourage you, write away my friends. Write away...

Millennial Movies

By Nick Ryor

Millennials are very important to the industries that run America. This generation is progressing in technology, business, and entertainment industries. For example, the taxi industry changed drastically when services like Uber and Lyft entered the game and took over with better prices and convenience with an opportunity for young people to make money. Specifically, millennials have a major influence on the movie industry by purchasing the most movie theater tickets and being the most popular users on Netflix.

The way most people watch movies in the 21st century is changing entirely. At first, there was Blockbuster, the library, the movie theaters, and DVD’s. After Blockbuster, there was Redbox. After Redbox started to decline, there was the uprising of Netflix. One could speculate that this trend would eventually lead to the downfall of the movie theater. Not only is the way we watch movies changing, but movie theater ticket prices have also skyrocketed and are now at their highest price of all time. This skyrocketing is a result of people losing general interest in movies.

Movie production has gone way up as well, so one would presume that theaters would not last. Statistics would prove otherwise. The statistics show millennials greatly affect the movie industry, with studies showing that 53% of movie ticket purchases are bought by millennials. The movie industry specifically targets millennials and they have done so successfully. Another study shows that per year, the average millennial will go to see 6 movies in the theater. 47% of movie tickets purchased by millennials are bought on opening weekend. This could be a reflection of the fact that young people like to go to events and the latest thing. Young people love group settings and doing things with friends. An opening night screening in a movie theater is a great atmosphere for millennials.

The reason that millennials see so many movies in the theater could also be a reflection of how many commercials millennials see or the amount of television they watch. The most popular films watched by millennials are horror films (like M. Night Shamylan’s Split), urban movies (such as Straight Outta Compton), young adult comedies (like Sausage Party), and huge budget films (such as the Marvel comic book series).

Sequels thrive with the young crowd, probably due to the fact that the original versions of these “sequels” were childhood movies for millennials. Movies like Star Wars, Disney movies, superhero movies, and urban movies like the Friday series, were films that shaped the movie perspective for millennials. The highest grossing films of 2015 and 2016 were both Star Wars movies. The millennials indeed are the primary influence behind these statistics. The previous generations might say that the kids have ruined the film industry and polluted entertainment in general. This is entirely false. The older generation should humble themselves and realize that the millennials are what is keeping the industry alive. If it were not for them, there would be no industry. There is a reason that they are the main targets for directors and producers. Millennials have saved the movie industry and continue to shape it.

Stop Shooting on Millennials

If you are older than the millennial generation, you may find your favorite pastime is shooting on millennials. Yes. Everything is our fault. The Great Twinkie Crisis of 2012. That was us. The reason you spilled your coffee on your tie this morning. Yup, right here, we did it. This buzzfeed article perfectly highlights many things we are killing. Democracy even makes the list.

Glad we could be here for you. We are more than happy to be your scapegoat.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/ahmedaliakbar/millennial-murder-spree?utm_term=.vfAJ9e4YM#.ca1wZKAp1

How We Listen to Music

By Frank Manriquez

In today’s society, people do not exactly seem to know what they want when it comes to music. Some want old technology to be improved and perfected, while others want the latest and (supposedly) greatest. Companies are always making improvements and creating new products. The question is, is technology moving too fast when it might not be quite ready yet?

The evolution of how we listen to music has changed drastically just in the past twenty years. Cassette tapes were big when we were growing up. This was the primary way we listened to music in the car. If you wanted to listen to a different artist or album, you had to eject the tape and put another one back in. The Walkman was a portable device where people were able to play their music while on walks or at the ballpark. I believe this device was very influential to the technological advancements shortly after that. Being a millennial, I have been able to see technology change dramatically throughout the course of my short 22 years.

Thinking back, I do not remember seeing many people walking around listening to music like they do today. In 1984, CD players came out, and they too had portable devices just like cassette players do. Although it was portable, the CD players were inconvenient and cumbersome in addition to frequently skipping when one would walk with it. In 2001, music would change forever when the first generation Ipod came out. Before the Ipod, the only way to listen to a variety of different music was to purchase a hard copy of each album. The Ipod quickly replaced that when the Itunes store was created where anyone could purchase individual songs rather than having to buy the full album.

This advancement not only changed the way we listen to music, but also the accessories surrounding it. For example, headphones became more of a necessity. Having this quick access to music resulted into people wanting to have the best sound quality. This created a whole new market of competitive headphone businesses such as Beats, Skullcandy, and Bose.

As time has passed, these companies have remained successful. People typically love anything that is new, but what the people really want is a product that sounds great and has been perfected. However, they are always trying to make their products better by pushing for things like wireless headphones. Consequently, this causes the quality of music to go slightly down and another thing to worry about: battery. In turn, this has impacted companies such as Apple in the recent release of their wireless headphones. Not only do the headphones lack sufficient sound quality that one might get with wired headphones, but the design is a weak as well.

  

Our society has come a long way in the recent years when it comes to music and how we listen to it. I do believe that this has been a good thing, but also a bad thing too. Because of the high demand for constant change, companies have been forced to work faster. That being said, with less time comes less investment into a single product to perfect first. Although I don’t deny that music in general has made leaps and bounds in the past twenty years, I feel like companies still have work to do.

Making “The Flip”

10 Reasons I Ditched My Smartphone For A Flip Phone And You Should Too

By Presence Massie

My grandmother would tell me at the dinner table, “You’re like Edward Scissorhands but instead of blades and scissors attached to your fingers, it’s your smartphone!” She was right. The communication, games, and tools a smartphone provides causes us to be enslaved to our devices so much so that it becomes an appendage.

It is an appendage in the likeness of Edward’s that not only harms ourselves, but others we come in contact with. The tyranny of the notification has conditioned us to check our phone when we imagine it vibrating. It keeps us from observing the world around us and showing care to those with whom we are physically present. We are, as Thoreau once wrote, “tools of our tools,” enslaved to the very thing said to make us free.

I ditched  my smartphone for a flip phone and it was one of the best decisions I made. Here are ten reasons you should too.

1. Save Money

Flip phones are relatively cheap. I purchased mine for no more than $20. If you buy a flip phone instead of the new Iphone 7, you will have saved $750. In addition to the cost of the phone, your phone bill will be significantly less. My Iphone’s phone plan added to $60 a month and my flip phone is half that. My bank account has seen this frugality and yours will too.

2. Battery-Life

Flip phones have an incredibly long-lasting battery compared to smartphones due to fewer programs running on your flip phone. I had an Iphone 5S and would find myself charging it by mid-afternoon. If I was nearing 30% battery (even on battery-preservation mode) and would open an app such as Snapchat, my phone would give up and die. My flip phone can go a week on a full charge.

3. Little-to-No Glitching

Have you ever had you smartphone die on you unexpectedly? Has it ever frozen or crashed as you were trying to start up an app? Flip phones do not have this problem. Our blog’s Chief Creative Officer has only had a flip phone and claims it has never glitched on her. Mine has yet to do so as well. Through the years smartphones are constantly changing, causing you to need the next model, but the flip phone has remained simple.

4. Social Media Surrender

No one needs to see a snap of what coffee you purchased or a boomerang of you and your friends on the metro. Constantly documenting your life through social media is excessive, unnecessary, and studies show it restricts our memories of particular events because we view them through a screen and rest our knowledge on the image we took.

5. Living Life and Enjoying Others

When we keep our bodies hunched over our phones as we travel from place to place, we become disconnected with our surroundings and less acquainted with the outside world which, let’s face it, is most important. The first week of having a flip phone, I noticed when I walked past someone, I would take out my phone to avoid greeting them. Since I didn’t have anything to do on my flip phone, I realized I wasn’t looking at anything, but was giving into a reflex I developed with my smartphone. This was a  reflex I also gave into when I was at the dinner table with others. Instead of interacting with them, I would check my phone to avoid uncomfortable silence. With a flip phone, I have trained myself to put effort into conversation and enjoy others.

6. Comparatively Compact

Let’s be honest, some of the smartphones are cumbersome, mini-tablets. This is especially problematic for women whose front pockets are for fashion more than function. Small front pockets mean most have to move their Iphone 6+ phones to their back pocket where it can bend when one sits, increasing risks of cracks.

7. Distractions

The only notifications you receive on your flip phones are texts and calls. You will not be distracted by social media notifications or apps luring you in to play a game and keep you from focusing on the task at hand.

8. Durability

The screens will not crack as easily as smartphones’. I have cracked at least three of my previous smartphones. Flip phones can drop dozens of times without causing any issues. The ground might even break before the phone does.

9. Strengthen Your Sense of Direction

Many people I have talked to say the biggest reason they cannot make the switch is because they use their phones as a GPS. Mapping out your journey before you drive is a solution. Instead of completely relying on a GPS, get to know the area better and strengthen your geographical brain muscles. If you are desperate, call someone who might have access to news or maps. OR go the old-fashioned route by pulling over and asking for directions.

10. Others Are Too

When  a friend calls you a Luddite, take it as a compliment. You’re not alone. CEOs and celebrities such as Anna Wintour and Rihanna have been seen recently using flip phones. But don’t let this be the primary reason you make the switch… or should I say “the flip.”

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Shed the smartphone from your fingers and you will feel the weight has been lifted. Switching to a flip phone will be one of the best decisions you make. You don’t have to take it from me though. I’m just a millennial.