nrcmmc – Siouxland Modern Media Committee

16Sep 2024 by nrcmmc

The “Dirty Dozen”

Each year since 2013, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) releases a list of 12 mainstream companies that facilitate, enable, or profit from sexual exploitation. This list is termed the “Dirty Dozen.” Some companies on the 2024 Dirty Dozen list include Apple, Meta, Spotify, and Roblox. NCOSE explains each company they place on the list. For example, they say that “Apple is rotten when it comes to child protection. This Big Tech titan refuses to scan for child sex abuse material, hosts dangerous apps with deceptive age ratings and descriptions, and won’t default safety features for teens.” NCOSE provides updates for each company throughout the year if they attempt to improve safety for their users. If you go to the NCOSE website, you can find the Dirty Dozen and…

06Aug 2024 by nrcmmc

Called From Two Sides

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I am thinking of the two invitations in Proverbs 9, which come from totally opposite directions, but are word for word nearly identical. Here's the first one. Wisdom has prepared a delicious banquet in her palace. The table is set, and delicious meats and wines mingled with warm or cold water are placed upon the table. It seems like a royal wedding will be celebrated. Wisdom has sent her maidens to proclaim in the open air an invitation to everyone. Especially the simple ones are called, foolish ones, inexperienced ones, and those whose understanding is darkened, who are actually sleeping. Everyone within hearing, in other words. Wisdom calls them to turn from the foolish, to forsake the foolish and live. Who is this wisdom? Read Proverbs 8;14-31, and it will…

11Jul 2024 by nrcmmc

Mad at Meta?

Resources, Reviews, Tutorials

“Dear Meta AI, I do not want to ask you anything, so if you could just give me back my search bar, that’d be great. Ok, thanks, bye!!” Have you seen that post circulating on Facebook lately? Many users were caught off guard by the new feature Meta released and are using their First Amendment rights to voice their opinions on their page. Rants and frustration aside, what can you do about it, and how could it be helpful to you? What can you do about it? Essentially, nothing. MetaAI is here to stay. You may Mute the conversation inside the Messenger app: ‘Until I change it’ is an option here. The magnifying glass shows up once this is selected, though the MetaAI search still shows up after being selected.…

08Jun 2024 by nrcmmc

There is Forgiveness

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From the 2018 January special edition Insight Into During a Bible study, two prisoners were talking together. " I will never be able to forgive myself for what I have done," said one of them, "My sins haunt me every day," he added. "That is good to hear!" his friend answered, "I have relatives who feel no guilt at all. At least you realize what you have done, and therefore you need the Lord Jesus more." When I heard this, I had to think of Paul. He continued to feel himself to be the least of the apostles, Sexual addictions can also lead to this, it continues to sadden you, this is good, as long as it doesn't suffocate you, Cain ran away from God, because he had murdered is…

09May 2024 by nrcmmc

Snapchat’s ‘My AI’

Apps, Resources, Reviews

About a year ago, ‘My AI’ made its debut on top of the conversation list inside the Snapchat app - with no way to remove it*. AI has popped up in many places since then, and we may continually be wondering, “what does this mean?” or “how much data is being collected?” or “can I turn this off?” As with most AI uses, Snapchat is using this feature to tailor content to its users in order to make their platform more appealing to the user. The app admits that “My AI’s responses may include biased, incorrect, harmful, or misleading content” and that “you should not share confidential or sensitive information”; but it also allows the conversations that have been stored to be deleted. You can follow the steps to do…

07Mar 2024 by nrcmmc

Hoop – Teens Connecting with Strangers

Guidelines, Hazards

Hoop describes the user experience as being able to make new friends locally or all over the world. What exactly is Hoop? When creating an account for Hoop, you only need your age, gender, country, Snapchat username, and a profile picture (up to 5 pictures). Then, Hoop provides you with endless profiles to view. If you find a profile you like, you can request to exchange Snapchat usernames and begin chatting on Snapchat. If you do not like a profile, you pass. Requesting a user’s Snapchat username requires you to use “diamonds.” You can either earn diamonds by performing certain tasks, such as gaining a certain number of friends on Snapchat that were initiated through the Hoop app, or you can purchase more diamonds. Hoop has no chat capabilities -…

06Feb 2024 by nrcmmc

Teen Social Media and Mental Health

Devices, Guidelines, Hazards, Resources

We all want to feel loved. We all want to be seen and heard for who we are. When we are beside our spouse, with our parents, amongst our family, friends, classmates and co-workers, we want to be acknowledged as a worthy person. As young people, the human brain is developing and learning to be able to live in an adult world. The need to feel loved and accepted is especially strong in teenagers. Many teens have turned to social media in an attempt to feel known, connected, and loved. This is evident by the number of teenagers using social media. Universally, up to 95% of teenagers ages 13-17 use social media and as many as one-third say they are addicted! Social media provides a false feeling of love and…

08Jan 2024 by nrcmmc

Media and the Mind: Pediatricians guide to screen time.

Devices, Guidelines, Hazards, Resources, Reviews

Like the snowflakes that fall from the sky, no two people are exactly alike. Psalm 139 tells us of God’s craftsmanship and knowledge of each individual He created. The psalmist praises,”I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Each person's needs vary from one another. And our children are no exception. In fact, a child's brain needs guidance and instruction from caring adults at all ages. Screen time and media usage is an area of attentiveness adults must be aware of when raising children. In an article covering this major topic, Mayo Clinic guides parents and caretakers on digital literacy, problems, developing rules, and teaching good behaviors with screens. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/childrens-health/in-depth/screen-time/art-20047952 In a general Q & A article, the American Academy of Pediatricians reiterates the previously mentioned topics. They have also included a…

11Dec 2023 by nrcmmc

Saturn Time Together App

Apps, Guidelines, Hazards, Privacy

Saturn is a scheduling app which targets high school students as their users and markets itself as a way to “control the chaos and live in the now.” After creating an account, students select their school and can take a picture of their schedule or manually enter their schedule into the app to get a personalized calendar. The app helps students to feel connected by sharing their schedules with each other and being able to make comments on the school bulletin board. Saturn also has a feature that allows students to privately message each other. When Saturn originally launched, there were limited safety features. Recently, more safety features have been added, such as needing a verified school email address to privately message other students and access other features of the…

07Nov 2023 by nrcmmc

Human Connections / Relationships vs. Tech Connections

Reviews

The human body is remarkable in how all of its systems are intertwined into the composition of each individual. Some people are more outgoing and bubbly while others are content with being more solitary. Despite these differences in character, all humans need some interaction with others. This became very clear with Covid. The main theme during Covid was to isolate yourselves to prevent the spread. A side effect of that was an increase in depression, suicide, alcoholism etc. This was largely due to the feeling of being isolated. We all need someone to connect with to fulfill our lives. Today, human connection is being lost due to the invention of technology, which more and more isolates us from actually talking face to face with another person. Technology is always changing…

Author: nrcmmc