Final Post

 For my last post, I looked at two social media articles.

Opinion: Does social media rewire kids' brains? Here's what the science really says.
The first post is an opinion piece from the Los Angeles Times by Anthony Vaccaro, an independent journalist and postdoctoral research associate in neuroscience. With his background in neuroscience, Vaccaro's argument is thought-provoking, refuting the widely held claim that social media rewires kids' brains. Jonathan Haidt's book The Anxious Generation toted the claim that social media and smartphones are to blame for today's youth's anxiety. He correlates the rising mental health issues in the youth to the use of social media in their formative years of brain development. Vaccaro, backed by his scientific knowledge, points out that science states otherwise. The American Psychological Association Health Advisory stated that current research shows "using social media is not inherently beneficial or harmful to young people" and that its effects depend on "pre-existing strengths or vulnerabilities, and the contexts in which they grow up." With his expertise, Vaccaro points out that traditional imaging studies are broken into two categories. One that does not do a specific behavior and one that does it more frequently. He explains that fearmongering happens when "the mere association between an activity such as social media use and a brain pathway is taken as a sign of something harmful on its own." It is impossible to prove that specific pathways are bad or good, as there is no status quo brain that everyone's health is based on. Mr. Vaccaro, with his scientific background, points out this fearmongering about pathways led in the past to claims about addiction to cheese, Oreos, and God.

 When I was reading articles to figure out which ones to use, one of the articles pointed out that TikTok has a lot of misinformation. I was confused about where they have been in the last 40ish years of the internet. As long as I have been on the internet, there has been misinformation regardless of what site it is. I have seen it on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter(X), and LiveJournal. Had the author never heard of Urban Legends before? 

The other thing I came across when reading was the continuous blame of social media for depression and anxiety in youth. From the research, I found depression and anxiety come from a multitude of sources. Looking at our society today, there are a lot of things speaking as a person who has both issues that can cause anxiety and depression to soar. The fear of dying in the classroom as politicians refuse to do anything about gun control, the planet is on fire, and big businesses are allowed to get away with it, a mass number of our friends and family dying from permittable disease, our families are one always one paycheck away from losing our homes. No one can go to the hospital or take a day off work if we are sick because we might lose our jobs. All this reminds me of is the Simpsons Principal Skinner meme about him being out of touch and blaming the children instead. It feels like the same shit that I grew up with politicians blaming video games, rap, and heavy metal music for societal issues. 

                                                    

                                                    Meme generated by self on imgflip.com

                                                   The Simpsons ⓒ 20th Century Fox

The second article I read was From shrimp Jesus to fake self-portraits, AI-generated images have become the latest form of social media spam.

It was written by Renee DiResta, Abhiram Reddy, and Josh A. Goldstein. The article discusses the increasingly bizarre amount of AI images seen on Facebook in the past six months. It is bizarre in the sense that many of the images are sea creatures and Christian imagery combined. For example, one image has Jesus Christ, whose legs are now giant shrimp. There has been so much AI "art" that the Stanford Internet Observatory and Georgetown University's Center for Security and Emerging Technology have investigated over 100 FB pages for AI content. Results were posted in March 2024, but the findings have not gone through peer review. Scammers and Spammers on Facebook aren't anything new regarding the website's history, but AI is so "visually appealing" and cheap to produce (tell that to the significant environmental impact it has already left on the planet) that it has made scammers and spammers' dreams come true on how fast they can create new posts. The article's authors point out that when users react by liking or commenting on these types of posts, it informs the algorithm that this type of content should be pushed to more people. The authors viewed on their own FB feeds that even viewing any AI content "without commenting on, liking, or following any of the material – Facebook's algorithm recommended reams of other AI-generated content."

 I have seen those bizarre AI posts cross-posted to Tumblr, and they are very bizarre to look at; they are highly uncanny valley-like. I was also following a FB group posting them; I unfollowed them as I followed them for real cute cats, not creepy machine cats. 

 

Reddy, Abhiram, et al. "From Shrimp Jesus to Fake Self-Portraits, AI-Generated Images Have Become the Latest Form of Social Media Spam." The Conversation, 24 Apr. 2024, theconversation.com/from-shrimp-jesus-to-fake-self-portraits-ai-generated-images-have-become-the-latest-form-of-social-media-spam-226903.

 

Vaccaro, Anthony. "Opinion: Does Social Media Rewire Kids' Brains? Here's What the Science Really Says." Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2024, www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-04-26/kids-social-media-brain-smartphones. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.

  

Media Literacy

Image by Stephan Byrne

Media literacy is crucial in the misinformation and Fake news world that we live in. However, we should also focus on information literacy. "Media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, create, and participate in various forms of media, such as print, broadcast, digital, and social media." "Information Literacy is the ability to find, evaluate, use, and communicate information effectively and ethically for a specific purpose." As a person who works in a library, my goal when helping patrons with their research is to enhance their media and information literacy skills. By enhancing both skills, patrons will be informed citizens who impact their communities and governments more.

Hobb's five competencies, access, analysis, creation, reflection, and acting, fit media and information literacy. Just because you can access the information/media doesn't mean it is correct or outdated. I have repeatedly seen people citing information from books or something seen in the media, which is entirely incorrect. Two such "facts" are constantly repeated in pop culture and by politicians. First, we only use 10% of our brains at a time. This is incorrect, as fMRI scans have found that no area of the brain is completely silent or inactive. The second is that we don't have mature brains until age 25. This is also incorrect. At the time of the first study, MRIs were a new technology and costly, so scientists had to limit the number of participants in their study. They decided to follow children aged four to 18 to 20. The scientists decided to cut the age off to 25. They did not continue the study with the same participants years later. The study only focused on one part of the brain as well.

All the competencies other than creation are essential to students. As lifelong learners, we should have the skills to understand media or information and not take what is given to us as "facts." I do not believe that creating is an essential competency as it seems connected to the recent mentality that we must always be "creating" things for others' consumption, aka side businesses or hussle culture,  and not just learning or experiencing something for personal enjoyment.

The competency that relates significantly to McLuhan's "the medium is the message" the best is the analysis competency. Throughout Elementary, High School, and even College, we are given reading in our English/Literature class and told to analyze the author's intent. The language of the author matters, the tone of the language matters, and the author's background matters. Nothing is created in a bubble; everything is influenced by something else. This intent doesn't matter if it was created 200 years ago or uploaded barely three seconds ago.

The form of the media that the author used is essential as well. Why did the author choose the form in which the media is produced? Some mediums add or subtract meaning from their message to the audience.

When asked if a source a patron finds is credible, I have them look up a few things. First, is the piece in question an opinion piece or factual data? Next, when was the information published? Next, who is the author, and what are their credentials? Next, who is the publisher, and where is it published? Do they have "political" biases? Is the publisher a satire site? Is any information like scientific facts the same as on other websites?   

The sites I use for this task are Snopes and Allsides.com. 

Online Child Protection Laws

 

Image from iStock

My thoughts on CIPA/COPPA and any other child online protection law that will or will not pass are more harmful than good and do nothing to protect children from harm. 

Proponents of these bills state that they will help curb child sexual grooming and abuse. Then why, in 93% of cases of sexual abuse against a minor, did the victim know the perpetrator, 77 % of them were a parental figure? That's not online.

They bring up issues of Anorexia and bullying behaviors being limited. Even without social media, Fatphobia is so ingrained in Western culture in TV shows and movies with skinny adult actors playing teens, ads on the TV, in the stores, and magazines. They also get it from relatives, doctors, and other adult figures. As a person who was bullied in their Elementary School days, today's bullying is entirely different from the social isolation I experienced. One could say cyberbullying is the worst as it can happen 24/7, and you have no clue who it might be doing and no matter how many times you block or delete messages, they still come through. On the other hand, in-person bullying can be worse, as one student stated, "You can't block face-to-face bullying." Sometimes, it even leads to assault or death if one attempts to ignore or "incorrectly" responds to it.

 Dear Teachers, saying, "Just ignore them. They're doing it because they are jealous/like you," is not good advice.

As to limiting suicidal behavior, recent research says that increased screen time MAY be linked to increased self-harm and suicidal behaviors. Note the MAY being bolded and underlined here, as it is not the only actual factor for the increase in suicidal behaviors. The thing is, not discussing issues of suicidal behaviors stigmatizes it. Hence, people who experience these thoughts suffer in silence either from the social stigma of mental health or social media algorithms making them censor themselves, such as the "unalive" tag on TikTok. Our communities also have peers stating, "Man up, big girls don't cry. What do you have to cry about? Quit being so lazy, or pray harder. I'm even more amazed that more children are not diagnosed with depression and anxiety today, with politicians caring more about stupid test scores and the rights of metal death weapons over the mental health of children. The same government is fighting over whether a select group of people have the right to exist and use the preferred bathroom while the planet is on fire and modern-day genocide is happening.

The new child internet safety bill KOSA is the most harmful of the internet safety bills as it would hide LGBTQIA+ (Queer) materials from children. Proponents of this bill state that by allowing state attorney generals to have the choice whether they want to sue online platforms if they deem it is showing unsafe materials to minors. The same attorney generals who sent child protective services to trans-affirming parents and tried to band gender-affirming care? Even if the attorney generals don't sue online platformers, how do we know that schools will not over-censor information? One school district went so far as to block access to NASA. Even if there are blocks in place, a back door or another site will pop up, taking the original's place. I remember that in high school, Facebook was banned on the school computers, but I still saw my classmates on it as they got through on a Chinese website. The American Library Association also pointed out that putting in bans/filters costs money. One needs to have a server that blocks all the websites and terms, and then all the users are allowed. Then, there is maintenance and upkeep of the servers themselves. There is also the consequence of expanding the digital divide.

 

Danah Boyd must be living under a rock when it comes to their comment that COPPA teaches kids to lie about their age online. Lying about your age online is the cornerstone of Millennial and Gen Xers' youth. Even I did it, I didn't talk to anyone online. I watched movie and anime trailers with "adult themes," aka a lot of violence and blood, as they were vampire series.

 

I find these types of internet "child protection laws" as just another form of fascism and censorship. These bills erode democracy and prevent teenagers, the largest up-and-coming voting group, from having the language and tools to be active citizens in their government. 

 

What would help children online would be comprehensive sex education classes. Social media companies must de-emphasize the importance of legal names and facial images of users to protect themselves from harassment. Social Media companies must also take allegations of racial, gender identity, and sexual identity harassment seriously over freedom of speech protections.

 

Citations

Admin. "Why Filters Won't Protect Children or Adults." Advocacy, Legislation & Issues, 24 July 2006, www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/filtering/whyfilterswontprotect.

Clerkin, Bridget, and Michelle Ervin. "Fat Shaming | the Devastating Effects." Withinhealth.com, 9 Feb. 2024, withinhealth.com/learn/articles/fat-shaming. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.

Crane, Marisa. "The Racist History of Fatphobia and Weight Stigma." Withinhealth.com, 13 Apr. 2022, withinhealth.com/learn/articles/the-racist-history-of-fatphobia-and-weight-stigma.

Jones, Shervin. "New KOSA Bill Still Threatens LGBTQ Access to Internet." Www.washingtonblade.com, 7 Mar. 2024, www.washingtonblade.com/2024/03/07/opinion-kosa/. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.

Luria, Aliya Bhatia, Michal. "Restricting Access to Information Online Won't Keep Teens Safe. It Will Only Erode Democratic Rights." Ms. Magazine, 23 Jan. 2024, msmagazine.com/2024/01/23/kids-safe-online-access-social-media-censorship/.

Mass General Brigham McLean Hospital. "How Stigma Affects Mental Health | McLean Hospital." Www.mcleanhospital.org, www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/stigma. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.

MathewsonTara García. "Schools Are Censoring Websites for Suicide Prevention, Sex Ed, and Even NASA." USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024, www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/04/13/school-porn-filters-block-suicide-prevention-lgbtq-sites/73293675007/.

National Children's Alliance. "National Statistics on Child Abuse." National Children's Alliance, National Children's Alliance, 2023, www.nationalchildrensalliance.org/media-room/national-statistics-on-child-abuse/.

Newton, Casey. "How the Kids Online Safety Act Puts Us All at Risk." The Verge, 4 Aug. 2023, www.theverge.com/2023/8/4/23819578/kosa-kids-online-safety-act-privacy-danger.

Queensland University of Technology. "Face-To-Face Bullying Worse than Cyber-Attacks, Students Say." ScienceDaily, 11 Mar. 2015, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150311091046.htm.

Rainn. "Children and Teens: Statistics | RAINN." Rainn.org, RAINN, 2021, www.rainn.org/statistics/children-and-teens.

SIECUS. "The SIECUS State Profiles - the State of Sex Ed." SIECUS, 2023, siecus.org/state-profiles/.

Singhal, Nikhita, editor. "Stigma, Prejudice and Discrimination against People with Mental Illness." American Psychiatric Association, 2020, www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/stigma-and-discrimination.

Statista Research Department. "Child Abuse in the U.S. - Reported Victims by State 2021." Statista, 26 Jan. 2022, www.statista.com/statistics/203841/number-of-child-abuse-cases-in-the-us-by-state/.

Tait, Amelia. "Are TikTok Algorithms Changing How People Talk about Suicide?" Wired, 27 May 2022, www.wired.com/story/algorithms-suicide-unalive/.

Vaas, Lisa. "Cyberbullying Is Worse than Face-To-Face Bullying, Teens Say." Sophos News, 24 Sept. 2015, news.sophos.com/en-us/2015/09/24/cyberbullying-is-worse-than-face-to-face-bullying-teens-say/.

Vox Creative. "The Global Spread of Weight Stigma." Vox, 10 Aug. 2022, www.vox.com/ad/23292474/the-global-spread-of-weight-stigma. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.

My Digital Tattoo

 I decided to “audit” my social media account for this lesson. It took me a while to remember how many I have/had. I have Reddit, LiveJournal, DeviantArt, Facebook, Twitter (2x), Tumblr (2x), Instagram (2x), Pillowfort, BlueSky, Dreamwidth, Pinterest, Twitch, Discord, YouTube (2x), and Cohost accounts.

They can be sorted into a few categories, such as how much I use or do not use them.

Use Often: Instagram, Tumblr, and Pillowfort

Check once or twice a day: Facebook, DeviantArt

Check when I can: YouTube, BlueSky

I forgot I had an account due to work and school: Pinterest, Twitch, Discord, Reddit.

I haven’t used it because the website is a dumpster fire, and the CEO is awful: Twitter/X.

I haven’t used it because the group I was part of disbanded/the server was sold to a company that decided to purge large groups for LGBTQ+ content: Dreamwidth and LiveJournal.

No one is using their accounts: Cohost.

 

Are there any you decided to add or delete?

There are a few accounts I need to delete, such as one of the two Instagram and Tumblr accounts and the complete Cohost account, as they are not needed. I don’t know if I can delete my Dreamwidth account or not. I want to delete my Reddit account, but I need to keep it to see posts that are adult-only.

Image via ohmytat.com

Are there any images/posts/comments that you deleted to keep your digital tattoo positive?

Yes and No. I have deleted posts/ comments/ images because I was told they were incorrect or the original poster was a Transphobe or White Nationalist. I have not deleted anything to make my digital tattoo more positive. I post, reblog, and share content about Social Justice issues, which are not positive posts. I don’t care if my digital tattoo is positive or negative. I’m more concerned about freedom of information and being an informed citizen.  

Under my Legal Name, I don’t have a complete digital tattoo. Looking up my name on Google, I found only two posts about me and not people with a different spelling of my last name. One is my LinkedIn account. The other is a Legal thing about being a public employee with the city. I use a “pen” name for all my other accounts.

I have never had a job ask me for my social media accounts. If asked, I would deny them as it is not their business.

Looking at the list of 14 social media moves that could harm your career, some make sense, others I would like clarification on, and some I would completely ignore. The Ones I would like clarification on are: what does this article mean by “political rants” and “details” on your sex life? For the LGBTQ+ (Queer ) community, their identities are seen as political or their mere existence as “sexual” in nature. The other issue is (at least in the United States) that we have the right to Freedom of Speech, allowing us to criticize the government. I should have the right to say that I don’t like a policy or law that hurts individuals, especially those of minority groups. Corporations should not be able to tell me what I can and cannot say about my government. Corporations should not have more rights than their citizens.  

Hilton Andersen, Charlotte. “14 Social Media Moves That Could Completely Sabotage Your Career.” Www.msn.com, 17 May 2023, www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/14-social-media-moves-that-could-completely-sabotage-your-career/ar-AA11PoMR. Accessed 9 Apr. 2024.

Acceptable Use

 Image from Adobe Stock

According to  TechTarget.com, an acceptable use policy states the limits and practices users must agree to in order to access the internet, corporate network, or other resources.

 I was looking at the acceptable use policies for the Chicago Public Libraries; to say they are lacking and vague would be an understatement. The policy states, "It is not within the purview of the Library to monitor access to or content of any resources for any segment of the population. Individuals are expected to use library computers in a responsible and courteous manner." I agree and disagree with this policy. I agree that no site should be blocked as it limits freedom of information, but on the other hand, I wish there was a way I wouldn't accidentally see Adult content walking past a patron on an adult-only computer. The policy then continues, "The Chicago Public Library reserves the right to intervene when activities on a Library or personal device cause a disruption to library users or staff. We will call police when such activities violate local, state or federal laws." The thing is, what constitutes a "disturbance"? Some individuals think having Queer content is a disturbance to the public. I don't want to see political views that I do not follow as disturbing the public. Where do we draw the line?

 

I decided to look at the acceptable use policies of the Chicago Public School system for staff and students compared to the Chicago Public Library's acceptable use policy. The Staff acceptable use policy is broken into four sections and a way to report unacceptable use to the CPS board. The first section covers staff-to-student mobile device communications, which discusses how teachers and other staff communicate with students outside of in-person communication. The acceptable way to communicate with students is through their CPS email account. The second section is staff-to-student social media communication. This section has the most "with conditions" regarding what to do and not what to do with interacting with student social media accounts. Most communication with students on student social media accounts requires principal approval or higher authority on the CPS board. The third section is the most straightforward as it concerns staff-to-staff communication. The last section further details what is and is not acceptable regarding posting, emailing, messaging, etc.

 

The student-acceptable use policy for CPS is just a list of what is not prohibited between student-to-student and students-to-staff. The most extensive section is the significant details of what is and is not acceptable regarding posting, emailing, messaging, etc.

 

Neither the Chicago Public Schools staff nor students' acceptable use policies reference anything about the use of AI, as the policy states that it was published in 2019 before the use of AI became popular. The Chicago Public Library's acceptable use policy also does not state anything about the use of AI. It's time to update the acceptable use policies to include AI, as students are already probably using it in their homework, as the educators I follow online have seen it in theirs. Professor Casey, an information science professor on Instagram, is the person I follow on most AI news and legal issues.

 Both the CPS acceptable use policies reference not phishing others for their data. One of the resources allowed me to do a phishing quiz to see if I understood the most common ways individuals get phished. I originally got a 5/8 on it, but I retook it and got an 8/8. The quizzes were like the ones we, as staff, got tested on in the Chicago Public Library. I also did a security checkup on my Google account. According to it, my account is safe. I decided to check my main Google account, and I need to change a few passwords on a few accounts, but everything else is good. I want to tell Google to ignore the rules for password repeating, at least for a few accounts, as they are interconnected and are the ones I need for school. It's the homework site, the school email, transcripts and other school records site, and the library site.

 

Chicago Public Schools. "Staff Policy | Chicago Public Schools." Www.cps.edu, 2019, www.cps.edu/about/policies/acceptable-use-policy/staff-policy/. Accessed 3 Apr. 2024.

---. "Student Policy | Chicago Public Schools." Www.cps.edu, 2019, www.cps.edu/about/policies/acceptable-use-policy/student-policy/.

"Computer and Internet Use Guidelines | Chicago Public Library." Computer and Internet Use Guidelines, Chicago Public Libraries, www.chipublib.org/computer-and-internet-use-guidelines/. Accessed 3 Apr. 2024. 

What is Privacy?

                                            Image from VectorStock

 I read three articles about privacy. I value my privacy like any other person. I don’t use my legal name on social media accounts (other than LinkedIn), and I don’t post images of my face. My parents and friends do not tag me in images on their accounts. I clear my cookies on my work and personal devices. But I wonder if what I do is enough or too late to protect what I have, especially with more and more businesses and law enforcement using facial recognition software and AI to track everyone’s movements, spending habits, and other collectible data.

Prominent Tech analysts state that using Adblockers and VPNs helps protect your privacy. VPNs cost money when tons of people are already living paycheck to paycheck. Data privacy is low on the list. One could use a free VPN, but there is the risk of selling your data to others. Google, a company and search engine that a majority of individuals use, is the processing of making access to an adblocker on their applications obsolete by June of this year. 

 

The article from the New York Times I read for this assignment suggests using a different email for each account you make. That is too much work and effort for something I must remember, such as the email and password, years later. The same article states that we should not use Facebook. Facebook is one of the few sites where I can contact family and friends because they live across the globe without having to pay exorbitant calling or texting fees.  The article also suggests using Apple products if you value your privacy. This brand loyalty is ill-advised. As of last year, Apple was fined 8.5 million dollars for illegally collecting iPhone users ’ data for Ads.  

 

What about the students and workers who are not allowed to download or use extensions on the devices given to them? Isn’t their privacy just as important? Are they supposed to thinklessly think that their corporations and schools are updating privacy protections? What about public computers in libraries? It takes time to download VPNs and Adblockers, and when you are only given an hour to use the computer, it is easier to start on whatever you are working on than concern yourself about protecting your privacy.

 

The 2019 privacy tips state that you should change your social media privacy settings. That is easier said than done when companies make it difficult to find them or they are worded with so much legalese that the typical user doesn’t understand it. There is also the issue of companies making the selling of your data something to be opted out of after the fact when you didn’t know that was a thing happening when you created the account in the first place.

 

Even if you take all the safety measures for privacy on your devices, how do you know that devices from others aren’t stealing your data or that “Smart” devices like fridges, microwaves, and dishwashers whose settings are located on an app where you must remember a username and password are doing so too?

 

“10 Tips to Protect Your Online Data Privacy in 2019.” GeeksforGeeks, 15 Oct. 2019, www.geeksforgeeks.org/10-tips-to-protect-your-online-data-privacy-in-2019/. Accessed 27 Mar. 2024.

 

Manoush Zomorodi. “Do You Know How Much Private Information You Give Away Every Day?” Time, Time, 29 Mar. 2017, time.com/4673602/terms-service-privacy-security/.

Pogue, David. “10 Tips to Avoid Leaving Tracks around the Internet.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Oct. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/10/04/smarter-living/10-tips-internet-privacy-crowdwise.html?action=click&pgtype=Article&state=default&module=styln-digital-privacy&region=BELOW_MAIN_CONTENT&context=storylines-guide. 

Personality Tests

Cognitive is the area I associate the most with the benefits of a PLN. I love learning and have always considered myself a lifelong learner. Learning things from other's perspectives allows me to see and solve problems in nontraditional ways. A jack of all trades is often better than a master of none.

I decided to take the three personality tests for my PLN. I have always taken these personality tests with a grain of salt. I have seen and experienced people falling into "groups" of personalities. Still, I generally assumed social or cultural norms influenced these traits, as we are primarily products of our environments. What I didn't like about these tests was that they ignored the shades of gray within people or situations and the habit of large businesses using them to weed out individuals with developmental disabilities such as autism, ADHD, and borderline personality disorder, stating their "personality" doesn't fit their work culture preventing them from getting hired. 

The first quiz I took was the FiveThirtyEight. I got an 88/100 for openness to Experience. This score makes sense, as I always like researching or learning about new things. However, I am apprehensive about trying new things without someone I trust. I got a 67/100 on agreeableness. This score also makes sense. I have been told I am a people-pleaser and have been slowly setting boundaries so I don't experience any more burnout. I do disagree with the low score in respectfulness. I have been told I am overly polite even when I do not need to. The low score in trustworthiness makes sense as I have been stabbed in the back, so I am slow to trust. I got a 46/100 on conscientiousness. This score is incorrect on two fronts. Keeping my desk space clean is challenging when I share it with three to four others. The other issue is that it doesn't consider the issue of coworkers affecting my productivity. Sometimes, I have to help them finish or redo their work because they are taking far too long on a task, making the patron line long, or have to fix an issue because they did it wrong in the first place. I got a 75/100 on negative emotionality. I am not surprised by this score, but it makes sense, as millennials have higher rates of depression and anxiety compared to other generations. The last score I got was 50/100 on extraversion. I am OK with this score. I've always seen myself as ambivert in personality. I am social to a point but enjoy my alone time. 

The second test was the Five-Factor test. I scored 65% on extraversion, 91% on openness to Experience, and 73% on consciousness—agreeableness at 66% and 61% on Neurtoticism. The choice of the word neuroticism is noticeable as it is a negatively charged word in today's society. The word neurotic has been routinely placed on individuals of minority groups whose anxiety and depression are products of a society that wishes them harm. 

The last test I took was the Personality type indicator. I have taken this one multiple times and typically get the same INFJ answer. To my surprise, I got INFP. It states, "You are imaginative, warm, idealistic, and compassionate. You are usually open-minded and accepting unless someone is violating one of your values." Yep, this is me to a T. It is actually on a plaque about the meaning of my legal name in my room. 

What does "I am traditional" mean in the first place? Traditional clothes, politics, social norms? This is so vague?!