5 meaningful images : conveying powerful emotions

1.



     In this picture, a girl and her mother carrying shopping bag are holding their hands together. The point is that although taking merchandise, both of them don't forget that someone else is here right beside themselves. I am very impressed by the feeling of humanity, the dear relationship between people especially who are closest to each other. 


2.



     On a woman's face, a variety of patterns and figures are drawn. It may be interpreted as the beauty of makeup. However, I focus on the complexity of them, because it represents all the complicated emotional situations she has. It is not only the problem that is relevant to her, but to all the people living in this fast-changing, unpredictable modern society, for which I feel pity and sympathy.  


3.

 

     A boy is holding a house-shaped box, which seems to be used for begging his food on the street. Around him there are some of people who are in the same situation as him, a shabby house and a worn mat on the ground. I am moved because all the peoples and object triggers the pain image of poverty in the Third World countries. I feel real compassion about that. 



4.



     In this picture, a tiny earth shaped like a dew forms on a leaf. It explains the nature's wonder, in that every object in the nature is made by the power of earth. In spite of the advance of human's science and technology, nature is fundamental to all the living things, so we humans need to keep it for the rest of our lives.

5.
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     You can see a tomb of someone in a battlefield, with the helmet, army clothes and ammunition. Everything around becomes davastated but the weed surrounding it. It is a very hurting picture since I can feel the tragedy of war, which takes away hundreds of people's lives and ruins all the things, including the happiness of lovers and families. I wish there would be no war in the world anymore. Conserving peace should be assigned as the most important duty to humans, the lord of the creation.

Two faces of SNS : good&bad, and our responsibility

     SNS, an abbreviation for Social Networking Service, is essential in the modern society. Nowadays we see many of others sending text messages through smartphone, while uploading videos, music and pictures on their facebook and blogs. Sometimes we kill time chatting by twitter. It is certainly true that humans are living in the world of SNS!

     SNS indicates all of the online system by which people are able to use as a means of communication. The main objective of this is for people to share with their ideas and life, which strengthens human relations. Scholars named Boyd and Elison defined it in 2008 as follows; a web-based service within a certain system in which people reveal their identities, offering list of other users with who they have a relationship and enabling them to look around others' connections. Although its meaning varies depending on a situation, the common functions of it include showing users' identities and interests, providing information, sharing multimedia products(video, movies, music, pictures, etc.) and networking with others.    

       

     It has been at the center of the controversy since digital era began. Many social issues, either good or bad, appeared due to its huge influence regardless of time and space. There are three chief advantages of it; 1) expanding each person's relationship, 2) sharing useful information and contents with others and 3) delivering important messages as fast as possible, especially in case of emergency. First of all, SNS helps us to get in contact with others all over the world. We attach our daily life on facebook or blogs so that not only our own nationals but foreigners can see who we are and what we are doing. Even we send messages to celebrities through twitter, keeping track of every schedule they have. Second, with different kinds of it, it is possible to offer useful information. Users give others from academic to even practical, empirical knowledge, for example how the snow is made and what to do to make more delicious brownie as well. Finally, due to its characteristics of network, with it officers both in public and private sector deliver important messages within a short time, therefore they can take actions immediately and prepare for the crisis.

     However, it also has disadvantages. Mostly three things exist; 1) being addictive to it, 2) spreading groundless rumors or malicious contents, 3) losing sociability or having a hard time establishing relations in real world. First, since SNS occupies the majority of communication media, we are vulnerable to indulge in it. As a matter of fact, it is common to see people looking into their smartphone during the whole time on the subway. Some of them feel nervous when their smartphones disappear or they become unable to utilize any kind of SNS. Second, users make up stories, particularly about famous people, so that the emotional attack the victims receive is enormous. As an evidence of it, nowadays many celebrities are killing themselves or filing a suit against the perpetrators. Finally, people may have difficulty in hanging out with others, which causes even social phobia or depression. They are all big mental diseases, leading to huge social problems at the same time. Although the world in SNS looks almost the real one, actually it is not; it is definitely virtual, invented space where we can't feel interaction or contact with each other. 

     In my opinion, SNS ought to be used in either good or bad way depending on the situation. As I said before, there are some of advantages and disadvantages of it as well, so it is necessary to apply it in a more useful, appropriate way. It has good points in strengthening human relations and functioning as an immediate and effective means of communication. On the contrary, it is bad in that it makes people addictive to it or unsociable to get along with others, causing social problems of diffusing vicious rumors. So it would be good if we utilize it to deliver a lot of information at the same time or making friends. Regarding to the disadvantages, we should minimize them; trying to conduct educational program for curing the personal and social diseases might be a good improvement measure. A few of regulations are also needed to enhance their sense of ethics and purify the whole online culture.
     I am in favor of SNS basically, but I recommend you to use it in a more clever way. First of all, check everyday how much time you spend doing SNS. It will help you not plunge in it, which enriches your life with quality information and entertains you with many friends. Second, try to abide by the rules that all users online must keep. Freedom should be accompanied by responsibility, therefore you are in charge of every action of you. If we keep the regulations not by pressures outside but by ourselves, the problems related to both personal and social phases will diminish. Third, for the government and the organizations in public or private sector, it is important to guide users to use it properly. For example, holding a campaign for making good use of it and educating people the advantages and disadvantages of it can be effective methods. It helps to solve many of the social problems that we the users can't figure out on our own but only the big-size institutions can. In short, it is absolutely true that we can't live without any of SNS, which means that it already has become one of necessities in our society. However, it has both sides; advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, we have to use it smart, maximizing the good points while minimizing the bad ones. In that way, we can enjoy SNS as our friend who relieves our stress, not the enemy who ruins our life. Furthermore, practical use of it would make us and our society develop toward a wholly different level, with high-technology and intimacy with a variety of people. 

** For more information, visit this site: 
http://www.ask.com/?o=16149&l=dir&qsrc=14137
If you type in 'Social Networking' in the search engine, various information comes out including mainly Q&As, blogs, news and videos. It will help you understand SNS a lot better. 

Persuading : The dark side of plastic surgery

 

 Nowadays, many of the young people in South Korea are fond of getting plastic surgery. For various purposes, such as a means of self - improvement or finding a good job, they try to justify why they have to get plastic surgery. However, is it really reliable that we can do it without any doubt? Should we do it to live a better life? In my opinion, plastic surgery hurts not only their bodies or minds, but the way society functions toward the right direction.

    First of all, it is very dangerous to get plastic surgery, especially for young people who haven't finished their growth. They only focus on the success of it, but there are hundreds of side-effects behind at the same time. If the surgery goes wrong, recovering or regaining our original face is almost impossible, according to the example of the well-known South Korean woman whose face became like a bomb due to numerous plastic surgery. Furthermore, it impacts badly on their feelings and minds. They torture themselves to look perfect, so continue to get the surgery to approach the "perfect" face they have always pursued. These behaviors lead to addiction; as they start fixing one part of their bodies, they keep on it to other parts to look more attractive. They are never satisfied, though, and instead of developing intellectual ability, they only care about how others think when they see their face.



    Second, each person's unique characteristics is ignored. On the advertisements of plastic surgery in South Korea, doctors warn that everybody except you is getting prettier and prettier. They regard normal face as a disaster, or absolute evil; beautiful face is a powerful arms to acquire all the things they want. The beautiful face, in their words, is to have bigger eyes, a higher nose and a smaller face. However, it solely fits to Western's standard of beauty. For Koreans, it is awkward to follow it. As we fix our face, we are losing our distinct, innate features that can be a real beauty both for ourselves and other races in the world. Many people are already tired of seeing 'a face that can be seen 10 times or more a day'.

    Finally, it triggers 'lookism' or 'commercialism' in our society. As I said before, if plastic surgery becomes prevalent, it makes people think that beautiful face is the only ability to succeed or be recognized by others, aside from mental faculty or good personality. Those who don't get plastic surgery, in comparison, becomes less confident and worse, they hurt themselves with hatred of their ordinary face. This process is fanning 'plastic surgery trend', along with the sweet talk instigating it on the advertisements. 
Doctors emphasize only bright side of it; how you will dramatically change when you get plastic surgery, including your face and your life. In reality, however, they aim to earn as much money as possible, by stimulating human's intrinsic desire for beauty. None of them are willing to be responsible for the harm caused by it. 

  

    To sum up, plastic surgery is not magic that makes you wonderful as you think. Rather, it can ruin your life, physically as well as mentally, and lead the trend of public opinion in a bad way. More and more people are trying to get it, but our society is not equipped with any security system which can afford to cure the prospective failure. Keep in mind; you are the boss of your life. Find the real meaning of it by allowing your drawbacks and striving for improving them for yourselves.