“I wish...” Nikola thought for himself as he entered the house, looking down. He tossed his school bag away, sat down on the couch and grabbed the remote. The next day was a bit more cheerful for him. It would always happen like that. Every morning, he would feel that childlike joy. However, as the day went by, his mood would change.

A month ago, I got my first classical guitar. I was very excited because I always had an indescribable love for music and for the way it can convey the emotions of the one who plays and composes it. I immediately began learning scales, chords and music theory. As the days progressed, I would increasingly find myself in the melodies I played, and I would spend hours listening to music and learning new things about it. I had less time for social networks, on which I had earlier spent up to 6 hours a day. I forgot about problems at home, the stress related to my enrolment in high school, and...

In 2016, adolescents from two earthquake-affected regions in Ecuador - Esmeraldas and Manabi – were trained to use a digital mapping tool to document the impact of the April 2016 earthquake in their communities. The goal was to empower the youth and enable them to be part of the earthquake response. The “Voices of Youth Maps” application allowed participants to gather information through photographs and GPS, by using smartphones. Originally, 20 young people were trained and undertook mapping over 4 weeks in Esmeraldas. The project was later extended to Sucumbios province and 55 young people...

We are living in the world with many critical issues: climate change, poverty, inequality, corruption, and the opportunity gap. All these problems keep evolving and fall on the shoulders of youth. Digital technologies and the Internet can help solve some of them, at least partially, creating more opportunities to benefit children. But simultaneously they also put other risks on the table, particularly linked with children’s digital rights and privacy. Are there solutions to protect children’s rights in the digital age? A huge part of our lives 95% of US teens have their own smartphones which...

Rural areas are essentially the backbone of America, but more and more young people are eschewing their rural roots in order to seek better opportunities in metropolitan areas. While there are a number of advantages to growing up in a rural environment, such as wide open spaces and a tight-knit community, many young people in rural America believe that the challenges outweigh the perks. Young people who choose to relocate to urban areas are typically seeking higher wages and increased access to resources such as healthcare, education, and healthy food. The Center for American Progress reports...

I haven’t always known for sure what I wanted to do with my life. When I was 15, I founded a (now registered) nonprofit called WiTech (Women in Technology). It initially began as a blog that reported on and shared my interviews with women who held jobs in technology in various industries. I used to find them online via hashtags on Instagram, LinkedIn, etc., and wanted to share their stories to hopefully redefine what it meant to be a person in the booming tech industry. In all honesty, it also had the additional benefit of meeting great female mentors and role models in an industry that is...

Last week, while I was in charge of hall monitoring along with a friend of mine, I paid attention to some things I usually don’t notice. In the everyday rush to get to my classes on time, with all the stress about grades and talking with my peers, I normally do not pay attention to parents and their children. This time, however, I did. Towards the end of the last class, most first-graders were sent to the classroom for after-school care. The children were hopping with joy while they waited in the queue to get into the classroom. At that moment, I remembered the time when I used to attend after...

Social media is a powerful tool of communication. It allows everyone from all sides of the platform to express themselves. Generally speaking, this is a good way to make the freedom of speech and information accessible to all. However, this perspective only works under the light of positive social media use. In social media, free speech is for all, which means every perspective from both positive and negative side is allowed to have a voice. When you are on a social media platform, you have the choice to become anonymous or not. Becoming anonymous generally means you will most likely not be...

The bell rings, what’s the first thing you do? You reach down and pull your phone out of your bag. Maybe you didn’t notice, but the other twenty students around you did the exact same thing. The addiction is seen throughout the halls, the streets, even at a dinner table surrounded by a group of friends. Everyone’s head is down and their shoulders are curved, their eyes missing out on what’s directly in front of them. We have become slaves to our devices, to the beeps and dings that it emits, to the never ending flow of messages and posts. I know this is true because like you, I am a victim. We...

How far can we go? What is science? Science is a body of knowledge that makes observations about the world, systematically describes them (theories, rules and laws) and serves as modelling tool so that we can predict the future. Science is powerful. Very powerful. It is the cause why we can communicate with people thousands of miles away, why we can heat our food in microwaves, why we can watch TV, why a simple cold is no longer dangerous to us, why we can monitor the weather, why we can grow oranges and tomatoes even in the coldest climates etc. The uses seem to be simply endless. Or are...

When the topic of kids and the internet arise in just about any conversation, the subject of cyberbullying is rarely far behind. It’s one of the most prominent issues children and teens are facing today. Unfortunately, it’s not the only thing parents should be concerned about when it comes to their children using the internet. Online predators, posting private information and hackers phishing for information are just a few more of the problems we have to watch out for as our kids learn how to be responsible digital citizens. Here are just a few issues adults can keep an eye out for when it...

Do you know what a kiosk is? You may not be familiar with the name, but you've probably used them a lot. A Kiosk is a touchscreen information delivery system installed in public places. And we're using it in many fast food restaurants, banks, hospitals, etc. If you check the introduction rate of kiosks in one of the top three fast-food restaurants in Korea, more than 60 percent of stores have already introduced kiosks, and the increase rate is steep. The reason why we use kiosks so much is because it is convenient, but I think we should stop using them. First, it's hard for people with...

In today’s world, technology plays a major role in almost every economic and social aspect of society as well as in our daily life. A life without it has become unimaginable. Also, the health sector has become highly dependent on it, in terms of medical devices and equipment for diagnosis and therapy, process organisation and data management, for the development of pharmaceuticals etc. While the people working in the medical sector are thrilled by these developments and face the future optimistically, patients on the other hand increasingly voice fear and unease concerning the mechanisation...

How the internet can help democracy – or not… The Arabic spring introduced a new era of revolution. An era of revolution whose main weapon is the internet – revolution 2.0. Like so many other revolutions also the Arabic Spring began with severe disappointment and discontent. The people were fed up with the brutally dictatorially and rigid regimes and the lack of freedom of speech and possibilities. Poverty, education, big differences in social classes, corruption etc. were all things that frustrated the people. After years of silence and suffering the people decided to stand up for their...

Cyberbullying is a pervasive problem on social media these days. If you are like me, you have probably scrolled through an Instagram feed, Youtube comment section, or online forum and seen people mocking others for their appearance, ethnicity, sexual orientation, personal beliefs -really anything can become the target of hate online. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be that way. Although vile comments are seemingly everywhere on social media, they truly don’t belong anywhere. For this Safer Internet Day, here is a list of ways to combat hate online and replace it with kindness, making the internet...

There is no doubt that COVID 19 has come as a surprise to us all. People have chosen to react to it in several different ways. It is expected that by now the average person has chosen to start keeping a small stock of medical and food supplies and become very aware of the situation in their community, whilst trying to remain calm. They have also started limiting the number of journeys outside their house, and is also continuing to thoroughly wash their hands whilst avoiding to touch their face. However, there are some people who have been taking draconian measures that reflect their unrequired...

Before I share with you this information, I have one question, how did you find this article? This is a rhetorical question in the sense that I don't want an answer, but this can lead to great discussion. You could have found this through a direct source where the article was actually posted. You could have also found the article through indirect links where it has been shared via a weblink that directs you to one of these direct sources. Why is any of this important? This is important because it helps us understand the power of the media, and that is exactly what I want to discuss in this...