SURF # W7239678

E-100/T-Th @ 1:15, OCN

CRAAS Exam
2/19/2015
The Social-media trap
Summary:
Ethan Kuperberg in his 2013 The New Yorker article Shouts & Murmurs tried in a
humorous way (something this magazine is famous for) to show us how we are giving out our
most important secrets and information about our lives. The simple fact of liking your friends
picture or video tells them a lot and it will be in your record for good, and who knows what they
are going to do with it. There is also the endless times you have to state your will to deactivate
your account; not that they like you, but losing a data provider and consumer is the worst thing
to a company like theirs. How your old pictures and chats are going to be handle is another
obscure subject, as you agreed to consent them full use of them all by agreeing with the never
read Terms of Agreement. The massive brain wash we have being inflicted by the media made
one of man and social media, for we can no longer disconnect ourselves from it. Therefore think
twice before sharing that secret or hot picture via social apps; it can and will be used against
you.
Essay:
Im just a social-media service to which you granted access to all of your personal
details to without reading the fine print the statement from Ethan Kuperberg is shocking, but
true; most of us are uploading our personal information careless of the consequences. Would
you give your PIN number to a stranger? Think better, you might be doing this when saving your
credit card and PIN on that social-media in app purchase. Even though it sounds absurd things
like this happens, so be aware of what you post on the internet. Next time you have to share
that breaking news secret with a friend think about meeting him for a coffee instead of recording
it forever at the social-media chat database because you allowed them to do so when you
agreed with that unread fine print. Deactivating your account will not help, as all your information
will remain on their files to further use. Thus be very careful with what you let the social-media
know about you; it is the best way to protect yourself.
How my friends are going to know about my latest vacation trip, how I am going to get in
touch with my high school friends without giving all to the social-media? That may be the first
question popping on ones mind when trying to escape this vicious cycle. The answer is simple
yet difficult to some accomplish nowadays; invite them for a dinner, as our parents,
grandparents did. The art of eye to eye contact is getting lost in trade of sms and smartphones
chats. People are becoming unhappy and depressed watching others perfect lives on the
internet because their nine hundred friends only post happy and successful moments; Dont
worry they also have bad moments too!
Posting a picture or any personal information on-line is a one way path, and you cannot
remove it later. At first when you were excited about the novelty of communicating with all your
distant friends in a blink, and you neglected those fine prints of the Terms and Conditions you
gave them the maximum authority over everything you post. That power goes way beyond
storing the pictures for you; actually you granted them permission to do whatever they want to it.
Discussing about it can become an endless argument, but to make complicated things easy the
best way to turn around the previous ignored terms is to keep a low profile and avoiding
exposing too much of your life to the world.
No, deactivating your account will not have any effect, as the term itself says you is only
putting it on hold; since you authorized them keep all your data. Why would they do that?
Business, of course. All the likes you gave, the time watching that cat video, the ads you clicked,

and even the messages you exchanged are priceless consumer data they can sell and use. The
whole purpose behind the social media is to collect (for free) a massive amount of consuming
behavior, and sell it to the consumer orientated industry. Knowing who the consumers are they
can profit by selling personalized ads that are posted on your profile, so the perfect restaurant
you accidentally found was not an accident you told them what you liked and they sold you that
restaurant.
In conclusion is wright to say that if you want to keep you preferences and life
anonymous just resist the urge to post it, so the next door friend you dont see in person for
years could see it. Instead think about calling him for a dinner and show him a printed one.
Before getting depressed because your college friend got a job promotion and you dont, just
remember that the life people show on the social-media is a fake good moment only life. Before
you rush to grab your smartphone to snap the perfect sunset picture to your profile; seat back
and capture it on your mind, even better if your friends are beside you. Dont bother with the
undeletable account keep and use it with wisdom.
Works Cited
Kuperberg, Ethan. 'Deactivated - The New Yorker'. The New Yorker. N.p., 2013. Web. 20 Feb. 2015.

CRITICAL READING EXAM RUBRIC

[Good; Acceptable; Needs Work]
THE TITLE is original, thematic & effective
Annotation is thorough & demonstrates grasp of essential strategies

NW

5-4

2-1

Summary is clear, specific, accurate & concise;

5-4

2-1

Analysis is clear & articulates the discussion in-depth; the paragraphs are specific, detailed &
articulated
Writing Clarity & Coherence:
The writing is clear, demonstrates effective word choice & use; the sentences are clear &
clearly link ideas; the writing demonstrates effective transitions, variety, and overall readability

10-8

7-5

4-1

5-4

2-1

25-22

21-18

17<

Grammar, Mechanics, & Punctuation (final draft) + MLA Format:

The writing demonstrates clear, effective grammar, mechanics & punctuation
The writing deonstrates accurate use for MLA format (in-text citation, Work Cited)
TOTAL: x/25 possible [EX] 20/25 = 80%