Emojis: Inclusive or Intrusive?

Various races available
(Screenshot by/Taylor McKenna)

By: Taylor McKenna

Emojis are a fun way for people to communicate using a smart-phone. While there are many reasons people love using them, like the fact that there is an alien, there is a ton of controversy due to the race indicated by many of the emojis.

When choosing to send a friend a sassy hair flip or a cute family, the options are not very inclusive. Each emoji is usually Caucasian, leaving little room for diversity. This is a major issue, as it is offensive to people of other races.

Recently Apple released a new update for their emojis, which includes various skin-tones to be chosen from when selecting an emoji. While this was a well intentioned effort at fixing an offensive issue, the new emojis have taken a turn for the worse.

“While it is outstanding for racial diversity to be applied in all aspects of our society (though in regards to emojis, it seems long overdue), it is important to take these accomplishments with a grain of salt. While there are steps, racism is still institutionalized deeply in our culture, and recognizing that is the only way to abolish it. While it is not the fault of Apple that people are using these emojis in all the wrong ways, it cannot be ignored simply because the emojis are available,” said (AHS) senior Tony Bollino.

People now feel compelled to use the emoji of their skin tone, taking the issue of race into what should be a minuscule part of life.

“I feel like the new update helps me communicate with my friends, but it still seems odd the way Apple did it,” said AHS senior Amy Tundel.

On April 10, the Washington Post stated that Apple has taken the easy way out, as instead of creating culturally diverse emojis, people can just choose to make the white ones different in race, basically whitewashing and making a joke of the situation entirely.

Not only is that an issue, but the new emojis have been used on social media platforms as a new way to make racially insulting comments. One of the most obscure of these is a photoshopped list of the emojis, including the late Michael Jackson’s face showing his progression from black to white.

It was a lighthearted attempt to end controversy over emojis, but created a larger problem than before. While some are happy with the ability to choose their race, some find it offensive, which is contributing to the original issue.

“I think they are helpful because not everybody agreed with the one skin tone and now that there are more shades it shouldn’t be controversial,” said AHS senior Aleisha Campbell.

Some teenagers said the update helped the situation, like AHS senior Brittany Dixon who said, “I feel like they shouldn’t have changed it, but I like how they put the different races in. It makes them more inclusive.”

AHS senior Tiffany Tong also thinks the diversity is a good thing, saying “go diversity.”

It’s true that the update has made the emojis more inclusive. “I think it’s honestly a good idea but it would have been better if they had focused more on culture and less on race,” said AHS sophomore Jared Winn.

AHS alumni Giovanni Carcamo said, “The state of mind this country is in now, I don’t think it’s the right time yet because more examples will come up of how races are still not equal, so this is ammunition for the fire. We are just not 100 percent ready for this step because we will go back to old ways.”

 

iPhone 5c

 

iPhone 5c in green
(Photo by/ Marie Urmson)

By: Marie Urmson

The iPhone 5c was released on Sept. 20 2013. It was designed in a cheaper, colorful polycarbonate case instead of the regular metal and glass like the other iPhone models. This makes the threat of a smashed screen far less imminent.

“Pick up the iPhone 5c and there’s no mistaking that this handset isn’t clad in the premium materials which have adorned the more recent models,” said Techradar.com writer Gareth Beavis. This aside, it is still an extremely powerful, structurally sound, piece of technology with a colorful touch.

The iPhone 5c comes in five bright colors: green, pink, blue, white, and yellow. When un-boxing a new 5c, the default background will always match the outer color of the phone, which pairs the hardware and software together.

“I like how colorful and fun it is,” said North Attleboro High School freshman Julia Consentino.

Lindsay Chee, a freshman at North Attleboro High School said, “It has a beautiful screen.”

The phone’s steel frame holds the antenna, making signals easier to keep. A larger battery may cause the 5c to weigh just .07 of an ounce more than the iPhone 5, but it also gives a longer battery life – a great thing. The phone’s battery no longer drains overnight, which is a reoccurring problem with past iPhones.

“I like the size of it, and the color part is pretty cool,” said Attleboro High School senior Kayla Alvarez.

Along with the release of the 5c, Apple released a selection of fun silicone cases to go along with it. Although very effective in keeping the phone protected and easy to grip, the hole-filled design on the back isn’t to everyone’s taste. Fast Company writer John Brownlee wrote an article on his view of the 5c case, talking about how it does not fully cover the writing stamped on the back of every 5c. “What is mystifying to me is the way the polkadot grid of the iPhone 5c case half-obscures, half-exposes all of this text,” he said.

The iPhone 5c and 5s were the first iPhones to be released with iOS 7 (the version of Apple’s signature operating system, which was newest at the time) pre-installed, since iOS 7’s arrival in Sept. 2013.

“I really enjoy how nice iOS 7 looks on the 5c,” said Attleboro High School sophomore Mia Forrest.

Along with iOS 7, the 5c also supports Apple’s new iOS 8, which has several new features, including the ability to answer text messages without having to exit an app, the allowance of third-party keyboards, pre-installed apps to help track dietary habits and exercise, and iPhone tips. iOS 8 has a lot of potential, but before it can be reached some of the bugs need to be worked out, such as problems with battery life and Wi-Fi.

“The apps run very smoothly,” said Consentino.

The 5c comes with an 8MP iSight back camera and a 1.2MP front camera. The video recording is high quality, except for zooming in on the footage, because the closer the zoom, the more pixilated the picture becomes.

The writers from Macrumors.com claim that for the price of $99 for 16GB of storage and $199 for 32GB, that the iPhone 5c is not worth upgrading to from an iPhone 5. “Performance and battery life of the iPhone 5c is comparable to the iPhone 5,” they wrote.

For users who just ended their two-year contract for an iPhone 4s, the 5c is a great option if the 5s ($199 for 16GB and $299 for 32GB), 6 ($199 for 16GB, $299 for 64GB, and $399 for 128GB), or 6 Plus ($299 for 16GB, $399 for 64GB, and $499 for 128 GB) models are too pricy.

The iPhone 5c deserves five out of five stars because of its sturdy feel, high speed performance, and long battery life, which combine to create a phone that is worth the price and has an overall enjoyable user experience. It doesn’t need to be instantly replaced; this phone can outlast the two year contract typically expected of today’s phones.

“The 5c is my first iPhone, and I am so happy I chose the brightest, most durable phone Apple has,” said Chee.

Electronic Trends

By: Avi Nerenberg

Thousands of reporters, enthusiasts, and exhibitors flocked in early Jan. to Las Vegas to attend the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show (CES.) This three day event is an annual exhibition that plays host to some of the newest tech gadgets that consumers can expect to see throughout the year. Here is a brief look at some of the major trends.

4K and Curved Display

4K imagery is photo and video with four times the resolution of current HD. According to Tomsguide, “a viewer of a 4K display can view the screen up to two times closer than a HDTV without seeing individual pixels.” Curved displays offer a concave screen, providing for theatre-like viewing within any home.

Internet Everywhere

Internet connected appliances are becoming more common, and the companies attending CES demonstrated this. Coffee machines and toothbrushes are just two examples from the wide array of devices that companies such as Samsung and Google claim are “enhanced” by internet connectivity. These devices track user habits to increase convenience and improve health according to Discovery. AHS IT Administrator Jonathan Plourde sees potential in this. He said, “The ability to say ‘turn on the coffee machine’ from my smart phone [before] I get home wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

Wearables

Smart watches, augmented reality glasses, and other wearable tech arrived in force. These devices sport a display that relays phone messages and other information to the wearer. Currently a consumer niche, this market is predicted to be valued at $30 to $50 billion in the next five years, according to Bizjournals. Plourde believes that, although expensive now, the price range for these items will drop as mass production becomes more convenient, and there is “[potential for] the replacement of tablets and phones with devices such as Google Glass.”

AHS Principal Bill Runey said, “Smart devices are already a part of many peoples’ lives, and as prices drop these tools will become more prevalent.”

Cell Phones a Distraction for Students During School?

A student texting in class. (Photo/Kayla Houle)

By: Kayla Houle

Cell phones have become a major distraction while students are in school. Many different rules have been put in place to try to eliminate the use of cell phones during class.

Throughout AHS, students are allowed to use their cell phones in the hallways and during lunch time in hopes that the students would not be as focused on social media during classroom time.

“I want to be able to use my cell phone without getting in trouble,” said senior Mackenzie Parker.

There is a disagreement about the rules among the students and staff though. Most students say they wish that they were able to use their cell phones more.

“We should be able to use it whenever because we are old enough to know when to pay attention and it is on us whether we get distracted on our phones,” said sophomore Emily Houle.

Other students agree that AHS has given them enough time to use their phones. “I think the school has given us enough cell phone use without creating too much of an distraction,” said senior EJ Santarpio.

Most teachers are allowing the use of cell phones for academic reasons only. Others let the students use them throughout the class as long as they are completing their work. Teachers and students are finding it is helpful to have the ability to quickly look up needed information throughout class.

“It is good we allow the use of cell phones during down time, such as lunch and in the hallways. It is important for teachers to recognize that students are people too,” said AHS history teacher Mrs. Molly Foley, who added that she does allow students to use cell phones in her classroom.

“Improper cell phone usage can be a distraction for students who have difficulty paying attention in class,” said Spanish teacher Mr. David Seavey.

Seavey added, “Sometimes I find the improper use of cell phones in the classroom frustrating because I feel students are not always receiving the message of the teacher. But if a student is getting their work done during independent work and has their phone out, I will look the other way.”

Because phone use is not allowed in many classes, students can get in trouble if they are caught in the action of using their cell phones. As a result, students may be assigned as much as an extended, which has the students staying after school until 5 p.m.

“It depends on the student, for serious students, using cell phones in the hallways and during lunch has helped keep them focused in class. As for students who are easily distracted it does not help,” said English teacher Mr. James Clarke. He added, “Under certain circumstances cell phones have benefited students during research or class discussions.”

Snapchat

Home page of Snapchat
(Photo/Rachel Oliveira)

By: Rachel Oliveira

Teens have multiple ways of communicating with each other, from texting to Facebook to Twitter, to now even Intstagram. There’s a whole new experience today called “Snapchat.”

Just take a snap of a silly photo or even a video and send it to a friend. They’ll see it for at least up to 10 seconds, “love it” then “laugh at it.” Then it disappears from the screen, that’s if they don’t take a screenshot, of course.   

Taking a screenshot isn’t a very difficult task. For iPhone users all there is to do is to click the home screen button while clicking on the on/off button at the same time. The screen shot picture automatically saves to the user’s album.

“I absolutely hate when my friends screen shot my Snapchats, especially the ugly ones. If I wanted them to keep the picture of me I would’ve just sent it to them, not Snapchated it,” said sophomore Alyssa Lentini.

On Dec. 31, 2013 Snapchat was hacked. According to Wikipedia about 4.6 million Snapchat users’ photos were hacked by anonymous perpetrators.  The hackers sent out a statement saying that their motivation behind this was to make the users of Snapchat aware of the issue and to put pressure on Snapchat to fix the app’s safety.

“I don’t use Snapchat but now that I’ve heard about the hacking, I don’t feel safe enough to even make one [an account],” said junior Emma Giddens.

In response, Snapchat wrote that an updated version would let users have the option of having “Find Friends,” which requires stored numbers so that other users can access them. The site also said that other changes had been applied to improve security, but was not specific.

Teens love this new way of keeping in touch with close friends. Snapchat is in the top 10 in the app store. “I rarely use text messages to talk to my sister; I just Snapchat her,” said junior Arianna Johnson.

Snapchats’ new update allows users to take photos or videos and send them to their Snapchat story, allowing everyone on their friend’s list to view the pictures and/or video for at least twenty four hours.

“The new update on Snapchat is cool. You get to post goofy pictures that all of your friends can see for about a day,” said sophomore Jeremie Sek.

“I love this app more than any other app; you get to take the ugliest picture of yourself, send it to a close friend and they only get to see it for a couple of seconds. It’s pretty entertaining, ” said junior Melody Torres.

This entertaining app is available at the app store. Just type in “Snapchat” and install if you own a smart phone.

App Survey

A screenshot of the Eagle’s Eye’s Twitter account. Twitter was the most popular app among AHS students. (Screenshot/Cameron Merritt)

By: Erin Lemieux

A survey was conducted through House One advisories in January. A questionnaire asked each student what their favorite app is and which phone app they most often use. A total of 506 surveys were returned and, surprisingly, the app choice didn’t differ based on either gender or age.

The results for the favorite apps are: 32 percent for Twitter, 29 percent for Instagram, 20 percent for Snapchat, 13 percent for Vine, 4 percent for Wanelo, and 2 percent for Other.

The category of “other” was a mixture of apps not listed on the survey, some examples are: Facebook, Youtube and Tumblr. Most males voted for Twitter over Instagram but 37 said Snapchat was their favorite.

The most used app results were extremely similar to the favorite app results; they even ranked in the same order as the favorite app. However, the numbers were closer this time. 33 percent chose Twitter, 30 percent chose Instagram, 29 percent chose Snapchat, 4 percent chose Vine, 3 percent chose Wanelo, and only 1 percent chose Other. The Other category consisted of Tumblr, Facebook, and YouTube.

Surveys that were filled out by the students. (Photo/Erin Lemieux)

The overall most voted for app was Twitter. Twitter is a social networking app where people can tweet their thoughts, feelings and opinions. It can also be used to keep up with news and the latest pop culture. A tweet can be no longer than 140 characters and followers can retweet, favorite, reply to, or even quote the tweet. The Twitter app is free from the app store.

Instagram is another social networking app where photos or short videos can be posted. Different filters can be added to pictures/videos to make them more artistic or appealing. Recently, a type of messaging through photos has been added to Instagram where photos with messages can be sent to followers.

Snapchat is an app where photos can be snapped and sent to Snapchat friends for one to ten seconds. After the photo is opened and the time is up, the picture can never be seen again. Snapchat recently updated their site and now it is possible to add pictures to a “Snapchat story” where friends can see what people are up to. It is also possible to draw on the photos and write small messages.

Wanelo is an online shopping app where it’s possible to scroll through thousands of clothes, shoes, or phone cases, and save them on a wish list or even purchase the items. Wanelo pays attention to things that the user likes and usually displays other “likes” that are similar to those interests.

Vine is an app where everything is in video form. The thing about Vine is that the video is only six seconds long so it has to be an entertaining six seconds for followers to watch. Vines are grouped into categories such as: Comedy, Popular Now, and Scary. People are able to “revine” vines that they enjoy and want displayed on their profiles.

TAYLOR’S TRUTH: Problem with Smart Phones

By: Taylor McKenna

There have been many technological advances made within the past few years that help improve the lives of people. While some of these have become substantial in saving lives, such as machines used for medical purposes, others have only made life easier.

Lately, people barely have to lift a finger to retrieve information. Literally, thanks to such programs as the iPhone’s Siri, people ask a question and the answer is right there within seconds.

The new technology, while making lives easier has also made people lazier. They no longer have to work to figure anything out. For example, when tipping at a restaurant, people no longer need to know what to tip because they can simply use the calculator on their phone. They will still have to remember that the appropriate percentage to tip is 15-20 percent.

There’s not much information that isn’t online or easily accessible. Sooner or later, there probably won’t be newspapers or textbooks. In school, teachers constantly ask students to look things up on their cell phones during class, and it’s becoming common for students to look up something as the teacher discusses a subject.

Common Sense Media conducted a survey of 1,013 students between May 28 and June 5, 2009 that resulted in worrying outcomes. 35 percent of students use their cell phones to cheat during class. They do this by storing information on their phones to look at while taking a test (26 percent), sending texts to friends asking for answers (25 percent), taking pictures of tests to send to friends (17 percent), using the Internet on their phone to search for the answers (20 percent), and/or warning a friend about a pop quiz with a phone call or text (48 percent).

Cell phones and even computers have become essential to students in everyday life. Students receive e-mails sent to them from their teachers regarding homework, which can cause them to rely on teachers to always remind them what their homework is.

A start to a solution would be to try harder to limit student use of their cell phones by making sure they write down their homework assignments on paper or even on their phone or at take a picture of the assignment at the end of class. Keeping phones in their backpacks or purses during tests and exams, with no exceptions, might reduce the number of students who cheat.

Cell phones will never go away, and they don’t have to, but people should work on not relying on their phones to do everything.

Taylor’s Truth is the Eagle’s Eye’s columns for Wednesdays, written by In & AHS and general editor Taylor McKenna. In the junior’s column, she discusses issues and topics in the world that are most important to her and gives her input.