Da ein Großteil unserer Leser aus Deutschland kommt, gibt es heute mal wieder einen deutschen Gruß. Ja es war ein schwieriges Jahr für uns alle. Jetzt um die Weihnachtszeit sind wir vor allem froh einander zu haben und die Geschenke sind zweitrangig. Solltet Ihr euch niedergeschlagen fühlen, denkt daran dass wir alle gemeinsam durch diese Zeit gehen. Es hilft mit anderen zu reden und auch mal zuzuhören und da zu sein. Bei uns ist Feuerwerk an Silvester verboten ich bin mir aber ziemlich sicher, dass irgendwo vielleicht etwas außerhalb der Stadt trotzdem der ein oder andere aktiv wird. Wir haben bisher zwei mal '3 Haselnüsse für Aschenbrödel' geschaut. Da heute erst der erste Weihnachtsfeiertag ist, war das bestimmt noch nicht alles und wir schauen es auch noch zum dritten mal an! 😊Also, wir senden Euch liebe Feiertagsgrüße und lasst den Kopf nicht hängen. Nach der Krise kommt der Neustart! 2021.✨

The statistics are shocking:

• 210 million people suffer from social media and internet addiction worldwide.

• Social media disagreements cause one in three divorces.

• 91% of Gen Z’ers experienced emotional or physiological stress-related symptoms from social media. (from Marisa Peer Newsletter)

Social Media app founders/owners and big corporations don’t care about how you feel. In fact they want you to feel bad about yourself and life so you buy many things to try and improve it. They cash in.

We all want a loving partner and now this is the playground:

As a guy on Social Media, you are competing for attention with other guys, who are showing off and showcase their real? success and wealth often times with rented cars, houses and girls.

As a girl, you are not competing with other girls. You are competing with filters, photoshop and in many cases a team of plastic surgeons, hired PR companies and even porn stars showing OFF. 

In both cases it is a battle that you can not win.

Let me repeat that: IT IS A BATTLE THAT YOU CAN NOT WIN. No matter how hard you try. No matter how rich or naked you get you will never be the best in this fake, parallel universe. It is a set-up. A facade. Eine Scheinwelt as we say in German.

Now you could say it is up to each person, if they want to take part in this or not. Considering especially young people, will fall into the peer pressure category. 

They do what is ‘IN’ now. What the majority of their peers are doing.

There is no reality check police on social media. Everything and all goes and is published with the tab of a button. Just like there are no fact checkers for a big number of news outlets.

For many teenagers or people in general, this means: Whatever is being presented to them on Social Media, is real as far as they are concerned. They carry their phone around at all times. 

Nothing else matters anymore. This is where ALL their attention is going. A like = a short feel good moment. And it is a trap. They are being deprived of real human connection. 

No big social media app company wants to take responsibility (they only want to take your data) for screwing up these young lives but in my opinion (and this is an opinion piece), this is exactly what they are doing. 

They keep us on these screens for the ad dollars.

There was an article about app developers that are being sent to seminars by their companies, teaching them how to manipulate people to keep their eyes on their phone for as many hours in a day as possible.

Before the pandemic I have also noticed, so many people being on their phone during work in restaurants, at museums, the airport, the store. They did not pay attention to their job or duties. This addiction is a pandemic in itself.

We only have the timeframe that is given to us in our lifetime. Valuable time for real life experiences and the people around us, to connect and be there for each other. 5 senses have been given to us. We are social creatures. 

On top of Social Media addiction which was already bad before, we are now isolated because of covid. A like gives you a dose of dopamine, a short moment of joy. You want more so you go back and stare at your phone. 

We used to get tons of dopamine by interacting with other humans in real life.

Personally, I have quit my instagram at the end of 2018. If you check on my posts, for me it was like a photo diary of my Canada time and I wanted to document things I encountered and the good parts of it. 

Also because I knew absolutely no one when I moved to Toronto in 2017. Maybe at that time it was a potential tool to connect. The officer at immigration said: 'So you are just going to wing it?' I was like: I guess so..

It is easy for some parents to give their kids a phone or tablet to keep them entertained for a while. But in the long-run at what cost? What is the psychological impact? Studies have not been concluded but the impact is obvious.

The problem is, there are not that many alternatives. Especially in 2020 when we were encouraged to not leave the house at all because of the pandemic. Eyes on the screen at all times.

Social Media seemed like a quick fix. A way to connect?

Even back in my teenage years there was not much to do in our small hometown. No places to meet, productive things to do. I think our cities and states are failing young people since decades.

If you give them places to meet, things to do in a group, activities or creative projects, they will not only learn, they will also bond with people and connect in real life.

Where is all that tax payer money they collect and why is it not being spent on improving the lives of young people? They need options! They need a chance. A way to discover their interests, talents and abilities.

And yes, in the beginning (10 years ago?) Social Media was this exciting new thing. It was fun to see where your friends are, what they are doing in that moment or discover new people. But what has it become?

Just another advertising platform, sprinkling in some photoshopped images of success and perfection to make you feel inadequate. Bombarding you with fakery - and all the things you are NOT - all day long. 

To make you feel so bad so you buy all the stuff they suggest to make you feel better. That is the concept. And IT PAYS. BIG TIME. They are thriving based on our suffering. 

Especially in a time like this, when we are looking for true meaning and connection, Social Media is not where we will find it. 

Or when one of your favorite actors passed away and the only option to react is to 'like' or with a heart LOVE IT. No I don't like that nor do I love it. I feel sad about it. Where is that button?

Or another example, if people do not show up at your birthday party because they already LIKED the fact that it is your birthday online. And that's done. Don't you feel so loved? (talking about pre-covid times)

Sorry but you can't outsource human contact. A phone notification is not a substitute for a hug or kiss. 

Or as Brightside.me put it: 'Psychotherapists are convinced that people create emotional bonds with their devices, which is unhealthy and leads to various problems in relationships. If you want to have a healthy relationship, keep in mind that hugs, kisses, touches and presents can not be replaced with digital communication.'

👿

Spending your life on a screen is like living in theory. Not actually living.

As you can see, instagram has now become something like a public version of Tinder. With thousands of people staring blankly into nothing. Documenting their own loneliness.

Until a certain point, I was no exception until I realized, where this is going. That this is harmful to me, my well being and my psychology. I took back my life to where it belongs, privacy. Occasional travel post on this Blog! :)

Trends are as old as time itself. Everyone wants to have the latest gadget, wants to take part in the new thing that everyone else is doing. What if it is our only option to connect at all in covid times..

Well you still have whatsapp to keep in touch with people. To me this one is not a social media app. Even though Facebook bought it, like everything else - to find out what YOU are up to!

But can we for a moment, just stop, take a step back and ask ourselves if Social Media apps and spies like Alexa are improving our lives or if they are actually making things worse by isolating = hurting us? 

It is on ourselves to create a different lifestyle. To put the phone and tablet down. Despite of what the masses are doing. So what if I am not cool, if I don't use them. I'd rather be uncool and have a better life quality instead.

Marisa Peer on 'How to break your Social Media addiction'

You decide how you spend your (life)time

Yes go ahead and share this anti-social media post on social media, using these buttons that just showed up now and can not be removed.

Hello dear readers! Welcome back. This adorable little saw-whet baby owl, was found in the Norwegian spruce that was chopped down in upstate NYC to become this years Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. The baby owl reportedly traveled to the city center inside the tree for 2 days and a total of about 170 miles. After it was found by the tree workers, it was taken in by nonprofit rescue Ravensbeard Wildlife Center, where it received food and fluids to recover. Once at the new place, the cute little fellow (plot twist: turns out it is a girl!) received the name 'Rockefeller' and will be released back into the wild shortly, after being checked out by a vet.

In other news: After the unveiling of this years Christmas decoration highlight in the city center of NYC, people already joked about it on Twitter, saying this tree represents 2020 perfectly. Just because the tree looked 'a little exhausted'.. But the tree did not want to take that lying down, defending itself via the Rockefeller Center Twitter account saying: 'Wow, you all must look great right after a two-day drive, huh? Just wait until I get my lights on! See you on December 2nd.' Ok, we will have a look. 🎄

photo via Ravensbeard Wildlife Center

photo via Ravensbeard Wildlife Center

The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree 2020. Is it not stunning?

Hello, hello everybody! How are you doing today?! Welcome back to your favorite Blog. Did you have a long night as well? The last few days were nothing less than a THRILLER. Every day we were checking the latest updates and on some days the numbers just did not move for hours. Up to 16 hours sometimes. Looking back at it now, the first day was probably the toughest and most stressful. Once the democrats had a strong lead, it got a bit better. Pod Save America kept us updated. I just thought the world was so silent during these days. It felt like the world stood still! Yet it was and still is important to #counteveryvote.

NYC Wall Street Girl - I like you but you stole my pose. 

I was there first. #Biter :)

Kamala Harris will be the first woman in the position of the Vice President EVER! Also first black/south asian woman. Congratulations!

Yesterday, finally the race was called for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. We are relieved. Now sanity will make a return to the White House. The last 4 years were pure chaos. An unqualified person was placed in the position of the President of the most powerful country in the world. A person who pushed hard to make hate, lies and obvious crimes the new normal, the new standard of the United States. And most of the media did NOT contest it - for ratings. But America was not having it. Not anymore. When they got the chance to turn it around they did! And we are ever so thankful. Around 160 million people voted.🗳️

Kamala Harris addressing the nation after the historic win

This was the biggest voter turn-out in US history! We really like Kamala Harris, she is very sharp and outspoken. She just made history as the 1st female Vice President-Elect. We find it ironic that President Trump paved the way to make this success possible. Thank you. Thank you for your total incompetence. We saw almost every campaign appearance of her, in the run up to this election. We are very grateful that in these tough times, two people were elected into the White House who have (working) people's best interest in mind. 2 people who speak clear facts even when it is not easy. There is a sense of clarity and hope that this new approach brings.

via Charlamagne 

Whoever supported anything else than this outcome, to possibly save some tax dollars should check their values and morals. This is not a matter of rich or poor. This is a matter of common sense and respect and empathy for others who suffered under this President for 4 years, without any possibility to intervene. Also nature and the climate crisis affecting our planet. I thought you like nature?! People who lost loved ones because internal covid warnings, available in January, have not been shared or had been publicly downplayed. To support this man means to support everything he has done during his time in that office. If being a good person is the goal, this is obviously not the track to be on.

And I would have never thought that some people I have looked up to would side with this person. Musicians for example. This is a serious matter. Obviously everybody has the right to make up their own mind. But when it comes to the younger generation, I feel like some of them have not been able to grasp the gravity of the situation. They were willing to side with racism and hate just because it might be (potentially) the new majority. Would you run with the school bully too? The president of a country is setting the tone. He/She is the person, people look to for leadership, guidance and as an example. Kids see Trump behaviour as a norm when growing up. Who with a conscience would support that?

© Stranger Things on Netflix

Who would want to bring up children in a Trump world? We are so glad that this mess just got cancelled. This does not mean all problems are solved instantly. It just means that people will now have a chance for change. A chance for real leadership. January is not yet here. I think we are in for at least 1 more surprise until then. As Conan said, White House movers should ask for the payment up-front. 💁We are still in the covid crisis. The numbers in Germany went up too. So now is the time to acknowledge facts and take action on the behalf of the people. I am talking about our government too. With all this high tech we have, where is that vaccine/medicine? How can we talk about a solution when there is no treatment yet. Please get to work.

Stephen Colbert

Trevor Noah