Instagramaholic.

 Hi, my name is Mikayla Ellison and I am an Instagramaholic.

There is something a little addicting to me about editing my photos in such a cool way by the click of a button. It's so easy, and I like the way it makes my photos look. I also like looking at everyone else's photos and seeing what they're up to. But this little addiction has caused me to start doing something I have previously been guilty of doing on Facebook: comparing myself to others. It's so hard not to do on these social networking sites! Seeing such fun pictures on Facebook or Instagram sometimes cause me to have thoughts such as, "Wow, I wish my life was as exciting as theirs" or "I wish I could go on a fun trip somewhere", or "I wish I was eating that for dinner" (I still don't understand why people always post so many pictures of food on this app). It's really a shame, because obviously only the best/most fun times are what get captured and posted, not the other mundane, not-so-good times. Pictures on Facebook and Instagram don't accurately represent reality. I know this, but it's still hard to not subconsciously make comparisons. I have noticed that it makes me less appreciative of my life and somehow numbs me to overlook the blessings I have received in my life. It's not okay!

It is awesome that we can share our lives so easily through the use of media, but I need to be careful not to focus more on other people's lives than my own. I could instead spend that time improving things in my own life or even serving others! For this reason, I think I significantly decrease the amount of time I spend on this app. Or better yet, I should just delete it. I can't decide. My hipster edited photos are probably not worth the toll it takes on my daily attitude. Hm.....

Hooray for positive media!

MormonNewsroom.org

How did I not know about this website until today? It is AWESOME! It has all sorts of links to different places where Mormonism is in the news. It also clarifies inaccurate comments or statements made in the media about Mormons and Mormon beliefs. You can find statistics on the church such as total church membership, number of temples built, number of full-time serving missionaries, etc. It is awesome and is an official church website which means you can trust the information on the website. According to the website, "Whether you are a journalist, a blogger, a leader in another church, staff to a member of Congress or simply an interested observer, MormonNewsroom.org is a valuble-and official-resource providing news stories, commentary and insights about issues of public interest in The Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints." So cool, right?! What a positive way to use media to educate others and spread awareness of Mormons and what we believe.

For example, today I found this statement given by the church on MormonNewsroom.org:

"Finally, another small correction: Despite what was reported, the Church revelation spelling out health practices (Doctrine and Covenants 89) does not mention the use of caffeine.  The Church’s health guidelines prohibit alcoholic drinks, smoking or chewing of tobacco, and “hot drinks” — taught by Church leaders to refer specifically to tea and coffee. "

Apparently, this statement has kind of been the talk of town at BYU the past couple of days. So caffienated sodas are okay to drink? Who knew?! I do now! Because I have access to this wonderful media!

Children and Technology

My youngest brother is four years old and can work my mother’s iPhone and iPad better than she can. It baffles/impresses/scares me. It baffles me that a child who cannot read can somehow know what buttons to push and what icons to click on. It scares me to think that a child who should be playing outside with legos, cars, and airplanes is instead sitting in front of a screen playing Angry Birds and Bejeweled. I sometimes worry about my brother, Brenner, and how much time he spends playing games on my mother’s iPhone or iPad. The child development nerd in me can’t help but ask questions such as: Is it bad that children can navigate technology so well at such a young age? How much time on technology is too much at such a young age? How will this affect their cognitive development? Language development? Social development? I can’t imagine that children who spend significant amounts of time in front of a screen would have very well-developed social skills. 

As I contemplated these questions, a quote from an October 2011 Conference address popped in my head. Speaking to the youth of today, Elder Bednar said:

 “Your fingers have been trained to text and tweet to accelerate and advance the work of the Lord—not just to communicate quickly with your friends. The skills and aptitude evident among many young people today are a preparation to contribute to the work of salvation.”

According to Elder Bednar, our generation and the generations to come are meant to be technologically savvy! We are not just better able to understand technology because of our culture or some random societal influence. Heavenly Father intentionally gave us these skills for the specific purpose of advancing the work of the Lord. I had never really thought about that possibility before, until I heard this talk. So maybe it’s not a bad thing that Brenner is so technologically intuitive. As long as we regulate how much time our kids are spending immersed in the media. Everything in moderation, right? I think parents of the future generations (and now) will need to make a concious effor to teach our kids that technology can and should be used for positive things, such as advancing the work of the Lord.

Pinterest: A Love/Hate Relationship

For the first time in a couple months, I decided to use some of my free time to browse around Pinterest for a little bit. Bad idea. Twenty-two pins later, I had spent over two hours of my day reading about recipes, miracle workouts, and DIY craft how-to's. It's not even funny how easily I could waste my entire day away on Pinterest. It's quite addicting. Don't get me wrong, I think Pinterest is great and can be a positive tool for an aspiring homemaker like myself, however; I wonder if it has negative effects on women's perceptions of what being a good mother entails.

I recently read a blog post from a mom who expressed her frustration of feeling like a failure mother after looking at Pinterest. She expressed that it made her feel inadequate and discouraged. She had a realization that her children didn't want a mother who was an expert at crafting, cooking, and sewing. They wanted a mother that was active and involved in their lives. My favorite quote from her post:

"Can we remind each other that it is our uniqueness and love that our children long for? It is our voices. Our smiles. Our jiggly tummies. Of course we want to learn, improve, exercise, cook better, make our homes lovelier, and provide beautiful experiences for our children, but at the end of the day, our children don’t want a discouraged, stressed-out mom who is wishing she were someone else."

I love this idea. Children don't care if their meals are color coordinated or if their towels each have individual hand-embroidered monograms.They care about having a mother that plays with them, is attentive to their needs, and makes them feel special. It's sad but necessary to realize that even good types of media can have negative effects on us if we don't regulate our media usage and keep things in perspective. I need to remember that it's not necessary for me to be a professional home decorator or a gourmet chef in order to be a successful mother. Even I have been guilty of letting Pinterest sometimes convince me otherwise.