Desperate housewife

Rania Moukaddem

My washing machine needed to be cleaned.  I tried to clean it but it appeared to be harder than I thought. So I called a Pakistani electrician. When he arrived at my home, I explained for him what I did.
He  looked at me kind of furious and asked : Are you an electrician? What made u think it s easy to clean a washing machine?
Then he asked sarcastically: do you work or are you a housewife?
Sooo shy I replied: I am a housewife ( I wanted so bad to tell him that I am a freelancer and i’m looking for a job not just any “desperate housewife”)
So he concluded: you re not an electrician, you don t work, you have NO experience in any field and you thought that you can clean a washing machine?!?!?
(as naive as i can be, i never doubted that this was the privilege  working women don t have,” knowing how to clean a washing machine”. not to forget that I have 2years experience in the advertising field)
Finally he said: my wife is a chemical engineer but she does not touch any electrical machine.
Mouth opened, I was not able to confront him and I felt even more stupid.
“Le pire”; he told me before going u don t look lebanese or Arab. You look more Indian or Pakistani.Oh ya I look like Benazir buto

Nour A, university student talking about social media.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Thesaharization1?feature=mhee#p/a/u/1/SbYf3nbo-kw

Ali Karaky, 45 years old talking about social media.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Thesaharization1?feature=mhee

3 interviews on social media with different age groups

I did four interviews with : 1- a 5 years old child, 2- 17 years old school student 3- 20 years old university student 4- 45 years old working man. Mainly, i asked the 4 persons similar questions but had to include some changes because of the age difference.

What i conclude from the interviews:

1. there was no difference between the school and university student, both of them were addicted to facebook, had blackberries and were 24 hours updated on facebook. Both were not active on Twitter. And finally, both used social media for entertainment and not education.
2. The 5 years old child, used Ipad to play some games. She knew that on Facebook people share photos. In addition, she said that skype helped her connection with her aunts and grandma living outside lebanon. Of course she doesn’t know what social media really means and cannot compare her life before and after social media but she recognized well some instruments of social media and what were their importance.
3.   The 45 yeras old working man, knew what social media is and defined it as being twitter, facebook and skype. He said that he never think about having an account of facebook because he doesn’t have time and finds it as an invasion of privacy. Yet he uses skype for videoconferencing and for working.

All in all the results weren’t so surprising and unpredictable, we can see that with the presence of blackberys and iphones the use of social media have certainly increased.

Facebook Relationship Status: It’s Complicated

Once upon a time, a ring and an exchange of vows crowned romantic stories. In our social network culture, a simple click on a button can mark the beginning and end of a relationship.

“You change your Facebook status when it is official,” Rola El Hajj, a business student at LAU, said. “You have to be 100 percent sure of your decision.”

El Hajj believes that the proper breakup norm on Facebook is not to change your status until youmutually agree on the breakup. “You shouldn’t dump your boyfriend or girlfriend unexpectedly on Facebook,” El Hajj explained.

Not everyone agrees, of course. Some couples are officially engaged but do not announce their commitment to their social network. Although Facebook was the reason for her engagement, Nour Yehya, a psychology student at LAU, refuses to publisize her relationship status. “Everyone knows I am engaged, why do I have to state it on Facebook?” She explained.

Facebook users can choose from six relationship categories: Single, in a relationship, it is complicated, engaged, married and in an open relationship.

Some students consider that the digital commitment you make to your social network may cause problems for the existing relationships. Hiba Salami, a journalism student, firmly rejects the idea of listing her relationship status on Facebook. “As soon as someone announces his breakup on Facebook, the condolences start pouring in,” Salami said. “All friends want to show their care and their pity, as if what happening is not enough.”

Salam Kabbara, a psychology student at LAU, sees that listing the relationship status on Facebook is a must when a relationship is official and serious. Kabbara agreed with Salami that sometimes Facebook adds pain to a sensitive situation. “The worst thing about Facebook breakups is when someone puts the ‘Like’ button or puts comments that can be hurtful to both partners,” Kabbara explained.

Hassan Shamas, an accounting student, sees it otherwise. “Even if I’m dating a girl, my relationship status might stay ‘single’ on Facebook,” Shamas said.” Sometimes I changed it to “in a relationship” if a girl is following me and I don’t want to talk to her,” he laughs.

Shamas believes that if he really loved a girl, he wouldn’t let her open a Facebook account and he would deactivate his. “What is Facebook good for, if you really love someone?” Shamas explained.

Facebook has come to mirror how people see themselves in real life. Photos broadcast the fun they are having. Status updates reflect what is on their minds.  A change in relationship status announces their availability, commitment or breakup. “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, what happens in Lebanon goes on Facebook,” Ayman Itani, digital media instructor and social entrepreneur, said.

I hate Foursquare and check in on Facebook

Social media is making us with less and less privacy. Now with Foursquare, everyone is able to know where do you go and at what time. Foursquare is basically a social media game, which requires players to “check in” at various locations they visit as they vie to become the Mayor of that location.
if you are in university, the hospital or in the bathroom? Frankly i don’t care!
are people understanding how much risky is what they are doing. Aren’t they afraid of a stalker? or a burglar who knows where and at what time  they leave their houses? why do we have to be so open to everyone? Although my teacher tried to convince us in foursquare and check in on facebook i can’t find any advantages for this application.  I think foursquare is a way of advertising for brands and companies and Yes no one cares where do you go but the company and the brands you are mentioning.
Where are you at:

Bathroom

Bed

Kitchen

WHO CARES?