Trend (Final): BeReal

Social media apps are taking the world by storm with new features and the ability to connect with friends from far distances. BeReal is a social media app that is trending. Originally, it was made for college students in 2020 but boomed in mid-2022.

BeReal features a daily notification at a random time for users to take a picture of what they are doing then and there. That notification pops on the front screen with caution signs on the side saying “Time to BeReal.”

The window for users to take a picture is a maximum of two minutes. The way that the app works is that it takes a picture of the front camera simultaneously with the back camera. Of course, the person does not have to take the picture right then and there but it says however late the picture was posted.

Former Morningside Student Emma Endrulat said, “It’s just another form of social media where people try to show others how much better their lives are. It’s just a competition.”

BeReal was developed by a former employee of GoPro Alexis Barreyat, and Kevin Perreau. This app is available in many languages such as French, German, Spanish, and Korean.

Morningside Student Alejandra Iniguez said, “Normally I wait to post something on BeReal because I want to be seen doing something fun. I do not post on a daily basis because I am usually doing something or I do not feel like it. I have 92 friends on this app so it is hard to keep up with everyone.”

This app is meant to make users more confident in posting pictures without editing them as they would with Instagram, or using filters like Snapchat. But similar to those apps, BeReal has the choice to put a caption on the post to show authenticity.

BeReal has the opportunity for users to look back on their memories under their profile over the times that they have posted. This makes it similar to the app One Second Everyday. Because it is a daily thing, it has been compared to Wordle by The New York Times.

Morningside Student Genivive Bundy said, “I know a lot of people that have it but I do not I am not giving into peer pressure to get it. I really don’t want to get it because it is just another form of social media. Social media dominates our world and I know it is supposed to be ‘at that moment’ but I just want some things in my life to remain private. There comes a time when there are too much social media and this is it.”

The app features a “Discovery” section where users are given the option to share with a much wider, public audience. These audience members come from all parts of the world. However, this feature is limited because users are not able to interact with the posts through comments or RealMojis, which are basically pictured reactions.

Morningside graduate Sharon Bassette said, “I used to have it but I no longer do. I thought it was silly because people were posting way later than the notification or they posted when they were doing something cool. That defeats the purpose of the app.”

One thing to mention is that users can see how many times someone retakes their BeReal by tapping the three dots icon located at the top of someone’s post. Not only does it show those stats but as well the location that the person is at when they took that post and if someone screenshotted their post.

As of this month, BeReal is ranked #5 on social networking and has an Editor’s Choice Award. It is over 10 million active users are on it every day.

Trend (Draft): BeReal

Social media apps are taking the world by storm with new features and the ability to connect with friends from far distances. BeReal is a social media app that is trending. Originally, it was made for college students in 2020 but boomed in mid-2022.

BeReal is a social media app that features a daily notification at a random time for users to take a picture of what they are doing then and there. The window to take this picture is a maximum of two minutes. The way that this app works is that it takes a picture of the front camera simultaneously with the back camera. Of course, the person does not have to take the picture right then and there but it says however late the picture was posted.

BeReal was developed by former employee of GoPro Alexis Barreyat and Kevin Perreau. This app is available many languages such as French, German, Spanish, and Korean.

BeReal is meant to make users more confident in posting pictures without editing them like they would with Instagram, or using filters like Snapchat. But similar to those apps, BeReal has the choice to put a caption on the post to show authenticity.

BeReal has the opportunity for users to look back in their memories under their profile over the times that they have posted. This makes it similar to the app One Second Everyday. Because it is a daily thing, it has been compared to Wordle by The New York Times.

BeReal features a “Discovery” section where users are given the option to share to a much wider, public audience. These audience members come from all parts of the world. However, this feature is limited because users are not able to interact with the posts through comments or RealMojis, which is basically picture reactons.

One thing to mention is that users can see how many times someone retakes their BeReal by tapping the three dots icon located at the top of someone’s post. Not only does it show those stats but as well as the location that the person is at when they took that post and if someone screenshotted their post.

As of this month, BeReal is ranked #5 on social networking and has Editors Choice Award. It is over 10 million active users are on BeReal every day.

Music Review

Natalie Janowski, otherwise known as Natalie Jane, was a Top 40 contestant on Season 18 of American Idol. However, she is more recognized on the social media platform, Tik Tok, for her short videos of her music as covers of songs.

Janowski is from Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey. She is a Tik Tok influencer and pop singer who gained over a million followers on her account nataliejanesings on different platforms. She posts covers, often pop songs, and her own original music. Her songs, specifically on Spotify, have reached over two million streams.

Janowski has released five original singles in the year of 2022. In each of these songs, she is known to belt the lyrics and then go really low with her voice. The beat to the music is very pop with a mix of musicians like Billie Eilish, Halsey, and Britton. Most of her song lyrics feature storylines from personal experiences. One of them is how her ex-boyfriend wanted to change things about her self or how he was having an affair with someone.

Her most popular song is “Seven” with 19.8 million streams on Spotify. Next, is “Mentally Cheating” with 17.2 million streams. Eventually, her newest song “Ava” has 3.1 million streams which was dropped November 18th. Lastly, her songs “Kind of Love” has 10.3 million streams and “Bloodline” has 3.6 million streams.

Personally, I love Natalie Jane due to the fact that she seems to be different from other artists. I see a lot of her covers on Tik Tok and each one of them is done wonderfully. Hearing her music makes me feel like a super villain in my own life. Her music makes my anxious feelings and doubt drift away.

I do not listen to a lot of pop music in general. Most music that I listen to is country, nostalgic, punk, or worship. I think that Natalie Jane will make it pretty far in her career because she is only 18 and has hit record numbers in her streams already. I cannot wait to see what the future holds.

Trends Story (Sketch)

Ever hear “Dang, it is really cold outside. However, it wouldn’t be so cold if it weren’t for the wind.” Well if you have not? Then you probably have not lived in the midwest. The days are long and the winters seem brutal. One thing that someone can have is a big, fluffy puffer jacket. These puffer jackets have hit the market and sold out like crazy. They are in multiple colors and different lengths. They are perfect for winter.

Personally, I have one due to the fact that it was pretty and I needed a winter coat. I see them everywhere. If you walk into a classroom, there is at least one puffer coat.

They are toasty warm and can go with any outfit.

Culture Story #3 (Final): Alcohol Abuse

Over the course of a student’s life at university or college, there are many assignments, class participation points, exams, and more. However, there are also a lot of frat parties, drinking games, and pregaming antics in college. A big part of college culture is drinking and partying almost every weekend.

Drinking during college has become a ritual that students have seen as a “necessary evil” during their formative years and higher education experience. Students come to college for their education, but some already have drinking habits.

One female student said “Yeah I drink, a lot of people here do. I literally did a beer bong last week after a hard day at school. Later tonight, I am doing a margarita tower with my roommates. I don’t think I have a problem with alcohol because I am in college. One can’t be an alcoholic when they are in college.”

According to a national survey brought by the National Institute of Health, a little over half of the full-time college students drank alcohol in the past month and a third of them engaged in binge drinking within that month. Binge drinking is defined as drinking more than 5 drinks on one occasion for a male and 4 drinks in one setting for a female.

High-intensity drinking is described as drinking double that in one location, which is something that college students tend to do. With a university as small as Morningside, that is a huge statistic.

There are multiple consequences that can happen due to a student’s drinking habits. It does not only affect college students but also their families and communities. These consequences such as death, assault, vandalism, and academic problems. Alcohol abuse can lead to car wrecks due to driving under the influence, sexual assault, missing class, and falling behind.

Freshmen students are one of the most influential college student groups out of all of them. Within the first six weeks of starting college, freshmen students are responsible for heavy drinking and the consequences of dealing with alcohol. This might be because of student expectations and social pressures at the start of the school year. This is the first time that some freshmen are out of the house and away from parental control. Other factors are Greek life and athletic programs.

Some students constantly question if nursing, business, communications, etc. are what they could see themselves doing for the rest of their lives. They have put so much tears, time, and money into their schooling that you are just there to graduate. It doesn’t matter if they finish their anticipated degree, at least they can say “I graduated college.”

Former Morningside student Spencer Stall said, “I changed my degree three times because I could not for the life of me see myself doing what I was studying. I eventually just dropped out of Morningside because I fell into some dark habits. Since I left, I found something that I am pretty proud of what I am doing.”

Alcohol abuse is the sad side of college culture. Something along the lines of “I can go to college, but they can’t make me think” is when it gets really bad. Students have disassociated from their classes and turned to alcohol as their homework assignments.

It seems to be a race of how many drinks you can drink in one night. The summer after high school students graduate, those students can’t wait to get to college and party every weekend. But how much drinking is too much? When do students turn from exams on Monday morning to “Wasted Wednesday,” “Thirsty Thursday,” or “Fireball Friday,” or it’s the weekend now might as well drink?

Overall, it is important to learn the ability to limit the alcohol one person consumes in an individual setting. This will limit the number of consequences a person has in one night. College is one of the most fun times in a student’s life. It is alright to go out and make some memories with friends but do not let it hinder your academic success.

My America Photos

Culture Story #3 (Draft): Alcohol Abuse

Over the course of four years at college, there are so many assignments, exams, papers, and tears shed by some students. Not only is it at universities but at any college. However, all those worries make up for it for the tailgate on the weekend or the post-exam margaritas at a restaurant. Students seem to find a reason to drink and -sometimes- happen to drink to excess.

If you’re a college student or are just getting into the college world, you will have those days when you do not know what you want to do with your life. You constantly question if nursing, business, communications, etc. are what you could see yourself doing. You have put so many tears, time, and money into your schooling that you are just there to graduate. It doesn’t matter if you finish your degree, at least you can say “I graduated college.” If this sounds similar, it is because it is the new normal for college students.

This is something along the lines of “I can go to college, but they can’t make me think.” The sad side of college culture is when students have disassociated from their classes and turned to alcohol as their homework assignments.

It seems to be a race of how many drinks you can drink in one night. The summer after high school students graduate, those students can’t wait to get to college and party every weekend. But how much drinking is too much? When do students turn from exams on Monday morning to “Wasted Wednesday,” “Thirsty Thursday,” or “Fireball Friday,” or it’s the weekend now might as well drink?

Students can find any excuse to drink and repeat the cycle all over again. Wake up, get dressed, go to class, eat, practice, take a nap, get a drink, shower, and then go to bed. A few students crack open a drink as they do their assignments. Some might have a drink after an exam, after practice, after work, or even in the shower. They call them “shower beers.”

One student has claimed to have done a beer bong after a hard day this week.

From the Deck: “Watch For Gesture”

As I sit directly in the middle of the first-floor library, I see a lot of things. There are a group of girls to the left of me chatting away and making funny faces at each other. There is a robust male sitting alone in the far right corner listening to music with earphones with the cable on his iPhone 11 in the black phone case. He has a grey hoodie on and is twirling his hair with his left hand on the top of his hair and scrolling through his phone with his right. An unopened computer sits in front of him his face seems sad and anxious. He leans forward in his chair, props his arms in front of himself still scrolling, and tunes out the noise.

There is a lot of activity happening on this floor. People studying, others ordering coffee, girls chatting away, and then there’s me staring at all these familiar faces but since I have been away, I feel like I do not know anyone. Maybe they are freshmen or transfers, but I know that some of them are seniors trying to make it to graduation. The couple in front of the left of me is talking about schedules and plans. The girls I mentioned earlier are talking about one of the girls’ hair because it is bright red and curly. She almost looks like a poodle.

I notice the cheer bow hanging out of her black backpack and the white tennis shoes that have pink hues at the bottom rim, it must be from the track. The girl props her left foot on the chair in front of her. It might be a natural response to the past injury she acquired. She sits in silence when her friends are talking about the past weekend out and showing pictures of it. There is a big smile on her face with joy. Her Adidas maroon jacket is tight when her arms are folded. A plain silver ring sits on her middle finger in her right hand. She picks up the black phone checks any messages and sets it back down. Does the same thing a few moments later. No response. A frown settles.

The girls get up. The one girl hikes up her pants, picks up her book bag, and says goodbye to her friends, and walks away.

College Culture (Sketch): Alcohol Abuse

If you’re a college student or are just getting into the college world, you will have those days that you do not know what you want to do with your life. You constantly question if nursing, business, communications, etc. are what you could see yourself doing. You have put in so much tears, time, and money into your schooling that you are just there to graduate. It doesn’t matter if you finish your degree, at least you can say “I graduated college.” If this sounds similar, it is because it is the new normal for college students.

This is something along the lines of “I can go to college, but they can’t make me think.” This is the sad side of college culture. Students have disassociated from their classes and turned to alcohol as their homework assignments. It seems to be a race of how many drinks you can drink in one night. The summer after high school students graduate, those students can’t wait to get to college and party every weekend. But how much drinking is too much? When do students turn from exams on Monday morning to “Wasted Wednesday,” “Thirsty Thursday,” or “Fireball Friday,” or its the weekend now?

Students can find any excuse to drink and repeat the cycle all over again. Alcohol abuse is a huge problem in college culture.

Personal Narrative (Final)

Moving out of your hometown and going to college can be hard for anyone. It’s a new area with new people for new experiences. As I got older, the campus did not feel like it used to. My close friends either graduated, transferred, or did not reach out anymore. I made the decision to move off campus into a studio apartment downtown in May. This way I could have a home for the summer and for my senior year. However, this means that I would have a further drive to classes, pay monthly rent, have to pay out-of-pocket for my own meals because I did not have a meal plan, and have to pay to do my laundry at a laundromat because there is no laundry facility in my complex.

It also meant that the presence of friends that I would have on campus when school started would plummet because I would not be a door away. I used to have my door unlocked and my friends could barge in anytime because they were in the same complex. Now, I deadlock my apartment door and have to go down two flights to unlock the front door to let people in. Half the time the people that do come over, I text them to wait in their locked car until I am outside their car and can walk them to my complex doors. I also walk them back to their car when they leave. I do this for their safety and my sanity.

I was looking online for a good few weeks in April for a one-bedroom and one-bath apartment near campus. I found some but they were too expensive. It was nearly double what I am paying now. I knew that my bi-weekly paychecks as a host at Four Brothers could not get me that nice of a place. I asked my manager at Four Brothers if she knew of any realtor companies and she gave me a list of ones. I looked further into them.

I reached out to a company she gave me and they offered me a tour of one I found. It was a little bit closer to campus but the place smelled like cigarette smoke, there was a car outside that was sitting on a cinder block, and there were cigarette butts all over the balcony. One of the rooms did not even have an outlet. I had a friend come with me to check out the place and even she did not like it. I knew that that place was not for me.

The second place that I looked at is a block away from where I am now. It was a studio apartment being leased by the same company that I am using now. The parking lot was wonky and was a tight fit otherwise I would have had to use street parking, which I am not a great street parker. The rooms that they showed me were laid out weirdly. The entry into the complex was so complicated. You had to enter the complex with a key, go up a flight of stairs, and use a different set of keys to enter a door, and then walk down to the middle of the complex and open the door to the apartment with another key. When entering, the sink was covering the toilet and that was a deal-breaker. I am a bigger woman and that would have driven me crazy. The other qualm I had was the fact that there were no doors covering the closets.

I let her know that the place was not for me and I asked for other options. The woman gave me a tour of the place I am in right now after and I fell in love. The brown tones of the tile wood flooring and the dark brown wall are what caught my eye. The appliances were new and fit well with the aesthetic. I liked how the room was at the end of the hall. That way, no one would be making noise right outside my door. One would have to walk all the way down to the hall to knock on my door. I was a big fan of the fact that this room had doors for the closets and storage areas. If I can’t stop thinking and daydreaming about it, then I am more likely going to go through with it. I put in my application and my deposit soon after. I got approved to move in on May 10th.

At first, it was troubling. When I moved in, the apartment was dusty and grimey. There was so much dirt on the ground that I spent maybe $40 on cleaning supplies and two days cleaning it. I remember putting my phone in the sink and using the echo of it to play my music like a speaker and getting to work. This 700 sq foot studio is my new home so I might as well take care of it. I was having the hardest time doing laundry but I had a friend staying on campus for May Term so I conspired with her to let me into Roadman so I could do my laundry without spending my own money. I was technically a student so I didn’t think it was illegal.

When I moved my furniture and decor, all I had to sleep on was a 4-inch mattress topper on the ground in the middle of the room and a lot of blankets. I was all alone in a scary area but the Hobby Lobby decor hanging on my walls made me feel secure.

One night at 11:00 p.m., two weeks after moving in, I heard a crackling and a bang coming from my bathroom. I thought it was strange. I took a step up and boom- I saw my ceiling caved in and crashed into the tub. There was dirty water gushing out of the ceiling and into other tiles. It smelled like moldy water. I laid some old, crunchy towels down and checked if it was leaking anywhere else. The pipes are connected through my closet so I checked that and saw that the crack in the ceiling was leaking some of that water. I could taste the tears falling from my face and feel my heart thumping rapidly in my chest. The dirty water got on some of my jackets and my tote of hair things. I took out everything in my closet and laid a towel in the cracks to make sure the water did not spill into my apartment.

Eventually, I called my property manager but she did not answer. Then I called maintenance twice and they put a report in. They came at 9 a.m. the next day. These men did not know what was going on so they called specialists and got the shower cleaned out. When they looked at the drains, it turns out that the pipes did not have a drain at all. The water was basically going through the walls and tiles. Reminiscing on this incident still gives me a panicked feeling.

Looking back, I thought that this incident was the end of the world for me. It really was a test of how resilient I could be. There have been instances where I have been followed and catcalled, horrible smells, and a case of bed bugs for two months. I would think that paying $635 a month would give me a little bit better life.

Overall, this new life I created myself is just a test. Not everyone is going to go through the same thing. I grew up not asking for help because I am independent enough but I learned that it is okay to ask for help. It is a learning experience and I will grow from it. My mother, on the other hand, says that she wants me to break my lease and get the heck out of there.