Digital Nation

Wow. After watching that Frontline piece, I am completely stunned. I had been feeling concerned about my Internet habits before viewing the special. I am 100% certain that I have some addiction issues now.

I could relate to almost everything covered during the program. My writing is done despite constant distractions. Even when I write for my personal blog, which I get the most enjoyment out of, I find myself taking breaks and losing my initial train of thought. I am constantly checking the same sites every couple of minutes. I have stayed up into the wee hours of the night playing video games. I feel like I am a good multi-tasker, but now I am second-guessing myself. I question my own critical thinking and problem solving abilities compared to when I was younger and more focused. I am almost scared thinking about what I have become through my exposure to the Internet.

In high school, I never had a Myspace or AIM, but I found other ways to distract myself in the digital world. Now I have caught up in these mediums, and feel like I am dealing with distractions in almost every part of my daily life. I would like to think that I am adapting well, but I feel like my attention span is even worse than it was before. I will need to bring my laptop with me while I watch television just to I can satisfy all of my impulses. It almost sickens me that I spend so much time in the digital world.

One thing that I am proud of, though, is that I did write this post all in one sitting.

Published!

My letter to the editor of the Daily Collegian was just published in the Thursday, February 18 issue of the paper. Here is the link of the letters that were published, and mine is at the bottom. My voice was heard!

My letter-writing experience

Going into this, I had no idea what to focus on. I don't follow a lot of local or national topics, so I don't really have that many opinions on a lot of things. After I saw the letter to the editor in the Globe about multiple sclerosis, it gave me inspiration for a letter about my multiple sclerosis.

I decided to respond to the Globe with a letter of my own. I figured the paper would love to have a college student's opinion, especially with such a personal theme throughout. I don't have too much knowledge of health care reform, so I tried to focus on how I am affected without insurance. I tried not to sound too similar to the previous letter, but I am not sure if I succeeded. I sent that one in on Wednesday, but still haven't heard back from them.

It felt good writing the letter. I felt like I was getting something off of my chest, which I wasn't expecting at all. It was depressing not hearing anything back, however, almost discouraging. What is the point of expressing your opinion if no gets to hear it? It was an odd mix of emotions throughout the whole process.

To boost my confidence, I decided to write a letter to the Daily Collegian. I again didn't know what to write about, but I since we talked about the raise that Chancellor Holub in class I figured that would be topical. I decided to put a little different spin on it and talk about how the Massachusetts state budget might come into play. Then I tried to talk about my situation as an out-of-state student and what effect it might have on my fees. Since the Collegian is a small paper, I thought that it would be easier to get published. I didn't get my letter out until late in the week, so I am not sure whether it will make it in.

I thought the experience as a whole of writing these letters was productive. It made me feel like I was adding something to the conversation, whether it was valid or not. Not getting published was a bit of a disappointment, but it strangely does not discourage me from writing again in the future. I feel like I would do this again if something really struck a chord with me.

My letters to the editor:

1. Sent in to the Boston Globe:
"Dear Editor,

After reading the letter in Monday's Globe by Marsha Zabarsky, it got me thinking about health care reform and my own situation.

I am a junior at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and I also am living with Multiple Sclerosis. I am fortunate to be under my parents' health insurance while I am attending college. We certainly would not be able to afford my medication unless we made serious sacrifices.

I have peace of mind for now, but I am constantly thinking about life after graduation. Will I find a job with a health insurance plan that can afford my medication? It is very daunting to consider life without medication, and I can't begin to imagine what Marsha and other people that have trouble with insurance deal with on a daily basis.

Health care reform is a must, and the sooner that something is done, the sooner a lot of fears can be put to rest. Not just for myself, but for anyone who suffers without insurance.

Ross Bernhardt
Amherst, MA"

2. Sent in to the Daily Collegian:
"Dear Editor,

I am not quite as outraged as a lot are about the raise for Chancellor Holub. It seems absurd that during a recession we give the Chancellor a raise, but he has had to deal with running the university despite the economy.

The only thing that I ask is that he keep the fees for out-of-state students, like myself, right where they are. Governor Deval Patrick's new budget is going to bring more then $20 million into the university. The new budget will hopefully lessen the burden on out-of-state students, or at least keep it as it is. I think it is outrageous to make students from outside of Massachusetts pay so much, especially after an increase in federal funding.

Ross Bernhardt"

The one I sent to the Globe hasn't been published, and I haven't heard back from the Collegian.

Letters to the Editor

I looked at a bunch of letters to the editor over the week. The first link I will share comes from my home-town paper, the Times Herald Record. I thought all of these letters were good from Thursday, January 28. The one that really caught my attention was the last one entitled "Lottery jingle's dangerous." I was not aware of this jingle that played on lottery machines in my state, and it is definitely an intriguing scenario. I know that I would probably go nuts if I won any amount of money in a drawing, so the jingle would be irrelevant. Everybody would know that I had won something! I think the sound effect adds some excitement to the already exhilarating prize. I am just a hopeless optimistic, and I would only assume no one was out to get me and ruin my victory. With the current economy, anything is possible. It is refreshing to see someone looking out for the well-being of others, even as minor as it might be.

This second letter to the editor, from the Boston Globe, hits a little closer to home for me. I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis the day before my freshman year at UMass. I am fortunate enough to be in school, and as a result am still covered under my parents' insurance. Without the insurance, I don't know how we would be able to afford my medication. Annually, the pharmaceuticals cost around $20,000. That kind of money just isn't in our budget. I can't imagine not having my medicine, but I only have another year and a half in college. I was excited with Obama's election and the promise of universal health care, but I know it is going to take time. With the super majority now gone, I know it will take even more time. It is easy for me to see how this woman would be a little upset, and I don't blame her either.