Feb. 19, 2014: It was a Saturday night. I was sitting at my laptop drinking a small glass of the extraordinary Coca-Cola Vanilla. Drink in my hand and laptop on my bed, I was talking aloud about the negative effects of social media. Not to myself, but to two friends on Skype.
I was on Facebook at the time I was having this conversation. Facebook and other social media websites are like crack cocaine--fun for the first five seconds and very addictive thereafter. Even though nothing new really happens, I check mine every day. Wasting so much time on the Internet when nothing new happens is very bad. You don't get back these valuable minutes, which could have, instead, been used to spend quality time with your friends and family.
Even when people are out with their friends, they are still online posting pictures. I do not see the point. I understand if someone posts pictures occasionally, but some people have thousands of photos and they post a few every day.
The only reason I can see a use for social media is to get in contact with someone. There is nothing gained in posting so many pictures. I just see it as a way to get "likes" and "comments" for the attention seeker. It could also cause jealousy among friends. If you decided not to invite someone to a concert and you post pictures of the event, that friend might get very mad.
In my opinion, the reason so many people use social media every day is because they care about how they compare to what others are doing. I couldn't care less about what others are doing and how my life stacks up against theirs. I do not let social media get in the way of spending time with my close friends. Therefore, I might check my Facebook every day, but you will rarely see me post any updates to my profile.
If people took some time to just think about how much of the day goes toward sitting on the couch watching TV and refreshing their computer every five minutes, they might make some changes in their daily lives.
Although I don't see a point to a lot of social media, do not get me wrong. There are positive aspects to it.
Websites like Tumblr are similar to Facebook but are used differently. Tumblr has the same concept as Facebook in that you upload photos and videos, make status updates, upload music, etc. The way that it is actually used, however, is to share interests by posting pictures of your hobbies or by re-posting pictures from other people's blogs. Re-blogging pictures means you are re-posting stuff from other people's Tumblr blogs to your own blog. This is not considered stealing because it shows that you share similar interests with someone else. Therefore, you might try to connect to them by following their blog. I see this as a positive because if someone is shy in real life and has trouble sharing his or her life with others, that person could share online in order to meet new people.
Photo by N. Bower
Bronxville is a quaint village (one square mile) located just 16 miles north of midtown Manhattan (roughly 30 minutes on the train) and has a population of approximately 6,500. It is known as a premier community with an excellent public school (K-12) and easy access to Manhattan. Bronxville offers many amenities including an attractive business district, a hospital (Lawrence Hospital), public paddle and tennis courts, fine dining at local restaurants, two private country clubs and a community library.
While the earliest settlers of Bronxville date back to the first half of the 18th century, the history of the modern suburb of Bronxville began in 1890 when William Van Duzer Lawrence purchased a farm and commissioned the architect, William A. Bates, to design a planned community of houses for well-known artists and professionals that became a thriving art colony. This community, now called Lawrence Park, is listed on the National register of Historic Places and many of the homes still have artists’ studios. A neighborhood association within Lawrence Park called “The Hilltop Association” keeps this heritage alive with art shows and other events for neighbors.
Bronxville offers many charming neighborhoods as well as a variety of living options for residents including single family homes, town houses, cooperatives and condominiums. One of the chief benefits of living in “the village” is that your children can attend the Bronxville School.
The Bronxville postal zone (10708, known as “Bronxville PO”) includes the village of Bronxville as well as the Chester Heights section of Eastchester, parts of Tuckahoe and the Lawrence Park West, Cedar Knolls, Armour Villa and Longvale sections of Yonkers. Many of these areas have their own distinct character. For instance, the Armour Villa section has many historic homes and even has its own newsletter called “The Villa Voice” which reports on neighborhood news.
Village of Bronxville Administrative Offices
337-6500
Open 9:00am - 4pm excluding holidays and weekends
Bronxville Police Department
337-0500
Open 24 hours
Bronxville Parking Violations
337-2024
Open 9:00am - 4pm excluding holidays and weekends
Bronxville Fire Deparment
793-6400