Introduction:

If I look at my phone right now, I can check my screen time and it will probably be around 8 hours. As an 18-year-old and a freshman in college, it’s probably not smart that my screen time is this high, but I am somewhat addicted. *slide 1* Since I got my first phone in 7th grade, I have practically been glued to it. That is something that I cannot change because technology is so big in our lives. I think it’s scary to think about because if we look at our generation, Generation Z, we did not fully grow up with technology, but now we are all so immersed in it that we use it for too many things. Technology is extremely helpful. Digitizing everything from documents to maps with GPS. All of this is helpful in its way, but there are things that I wish we did not have to experience. 

Take Generation Alpha for example, they are the kids born after 2010. Think about it, they are all growing up with tablets and phones. Now that they’re experiencing their childhood years, devices are going to be incorporated into this which can change their entire lives. For me, this was not the case. The younger generations are going to not experience their childhood as much due to the increase in technology. 

Body: 

1: I grew up in the late 2000s and early 2010s, I used technology, but never much. I watched TV as a kid, and would mindlessly sit in front of it until one of my parents took the remote and turned it off. “slide 2* When I was not watching TV, I usually played with my dog or attempted to bother my parents. Dolls were a big part of my childhood and I had way too many and always played with them. It was an easy way to keep me occupied and I was able to play by myself. As an only child, I was forced to find ways to entertain myself constantly. It would be extremely easy to just sit in front of the TV, but there is one thing that I always did.

2: My father always told me to go outside. I was considered a “bug kid”. I picked up cicadas, ladybugs, worms, you name it. That was the way I occupied myself. *slide 3* Yes, here’s me smiling about holding a cockroach. Not something I’d be doing at 18, but I was back then. I found peace in just going outside and making my fantasy world with nature. So many people my age did this while they were growing up. 

3: *slide 4* Come middle school, I got my first phone and I almost instantly got addicted to it. When I got my phone at a young age, I quickly became addicted to it. Since then it has gotten worse. The hours I stayed on my phone spiked and my parents realized something had to be done. The only thing that could help me was screen time limits. My parents set them for two hours each day. Meaning I would have to request time after I had already been on my phone for two hours. 

Conclusion:

Generation Alpha could be set up for failure. Childhood is something taken for granted, and this increase in technology will make kids regret not letting their inner child out when it is needed. 10-12 year olds are trying to be influencers on social media and they are growing up too quickly. While being on their phones, they tend to not pick up on social cues, which can lead them to not knowing how to carry on conversations or just simple interactions. I am worried about this usage but what can be done? Technology is not going away and kids will just use it more. Childhood is pure and it’s something that should be embraced, not filled up by technology.  

For my topic, I really want to focus on how much children are using technology nowadays. It’s an important topic because of this, kids are not experiencing kid-like things. Such as playing outside, having play dates, doing hands-on activities and crafts. They’re all scrolling on their devices and using those as their primary source of entertainment. While this can be a good distraction, tech companies expect us to get sucked into whatever we are looking at. That is their motive, and kids are becoming targeted with this. This topic is complicated because it is hard to wean off an addiction. Kids are always playing games on their tablets instead of going outside and getting dirty by running around until their lungs give out. It’s hard to see this generation not caring about being a kid anymore. It’s all about whatever is on social media. Childhood is something taken for granted, and this increase in technology will make kids really regret not letting their inner child out when it was needed.

1. Kilgallon, Ellena. “The Balance between Kids Using an iPad and Playing Outside Motherhood.” ENTITY, 27 Dec. 2016, www.entitymag.com/balance-kids-using-ipad-playing-outside/.
   1. This article talks about how there has been a 40% increase in recent years regarding kids using technology. I plan to use this source to back up some of my writing and use the small amount of stats to show how big of an impact technology has on the younger generations. 
2. McClain, Colleen. “How Parents’ Views of Their Kids’ Screen Time, Social Media Use Changed during COVID-19.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 28 Apr. 2022,www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/04/28/how-parents-views-of-their-kids-screen-time-social-media-use-changed-during-covid-19/#:~:text=More%20use%20of%20digital%20devices%20and%20some%20social%20media%20sites&text=In%20April%202021%2C%20about%20eight,from%2068%25%20in%20March%202020. 
   1. This article said that because of COVID-19, everyone was isolated and there were very few things to keep everyone entertained. Parents, especially with younger kids, turned to screens. This kept them occupied and where the parents could get work done. This source will help me when I talk about how COVID affected children at a young age. 
3. Moyer, Melinda Wenner. “Kids as Young as 8 Are Using Social Media More than Ever, Study Finds.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 24 Mar. 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/03/24/well/family/child-social-media-use.html. 
   1. The New York Times explained that every day, there is going to be an increase in technology and there is nothing we can do to stop it. Experts on this topic are worried about children/kids being on their scenes replacing other activities such as chores. I will use this similar to my first source with the statistics that they provided in the article. 
4. Young, Jeffrey R. “Today’s Kids Are Inundated with Tech. When Does It Help – and Hurt? – Edsurge News.” EdSurge, EdSurge, 12 Sept. 2023, www.edsurge.com/news/2023-09-05-today-s-kids-are-inundated-with-tech-when-does-it-help-and-hurt. 
   1. This recent article goes into detail about research showing that technology can help children thrive, but there can be consequences along the way as well. There was talk about limiting all the information that is being absorbed because children’s brains are still small and growing. Tech companies do not care about their devices ruining kids’ childhoods, all they are caring about is that more products are bought which means they’ll be making more money. They will not regulate themselves.
5. Dworkin, Jodi. “Teen Technology Use and How COVID Has Changed It.” UMN Extension, 11 Mar. 2022, extension.umn.edu/family-news/teen-technology-use-and-how-covid-has-changed-it. 
   1. This page is talking about the impacts from COVID-19. I think this is such a strong point on why children are on devices so much now. After having little to no contact with the outside world during quarantine, they all turned to their phones and tablets for entertainment. Social media is distracting and one can get sucked into it and accidently scroll for hours. 
6. Castillo, Lorena. “Must-Know Kids and Technology Statistics [Current Data] • Gitnux.” GITNUX, 15 Oct. 2023, blog.gitnux.com/kids-and-technology-statistics/. 
   1. This website has many statistics about how much kids are on screens and using devices. They also mention how easy it is for underage childress to access things that aren’t appropriate for their age. I will use this to back my statement up that kid’s do not need all of this technology at their age. They need to live like kids. 

Intro:

• Audience:
  • Penn state community
    • Students
    • Faculty
    • Staff
    • Fans
• Artifact 1
  • Nittany Lion
    • Only PSU mascot
    • Created in 1904
    • Named after Mt. Nittany
    • Unites us 
  • The mascot was created in 1904 by Penn State senior Joe Mason. Penn State did not previously have a mascot so when this idea was brought to the table, everyone embraced it. This artifact was historical for Penn State. Being the first mascot, the Nittany Lion experienced everything and truly brought the Penn State community close. The first mascot and the mascot that has been around since 1904. 
• Launch to artifact 2
  • Beaver Stadium
  • Take a football game for example, when Nittany Lion runs onto the field, everyone is cheering and waving their pom poms in unison. Those fans are so thrilled for the game to come they don’t care about politics or what others’ opinions are. The one thing they care about is Nittany Lion gearing them up for the game to come. In this video I took, everyone can see how the Nittany Lion brings all the fans together.
• Background
  •  Beaver Stadium was created in 1960 surrounding Beaver field. It has expanded in size six times since then making the current capacity a little bit more than 106,000. At some of the largest football games, such as the whiteout and the first game of the season, there are usually many more who make their way into the stadium. The largest crowd that has ever been there was 110,889 which was only a few years back. These fans are so dedicated and are always there at Beaver Stadium no matter the weather conditions. 
• Thesis statement
  • Beaver Stadium unites people together and it is one of the most unique stadiums due to its fan base. It also regards the commonplace of community with the fans and how this is all something Penn Staters can relate to: football.

Body 1

• More history of Beaver Stadium
• Football, one of the largest and most energetic things that Penn State has to offer. It builds bonds with all the fans. Since the beginning of Beaver Stadium, fans have been there. Beaver Stadium is the second largest stadium falling a little behind The University of Michigan’s stadium. 

Body 2

• We are history and how it relates to football
• The “We are” chant began when an opposing team refused to play Penn State because there was a black football player on the Penn State football team. This caused a lot of controversy and conflict between everyone. The cheerleaders began chanting “We Are Penn State” to show the opposing team that no matter who was playing football for Penn State, that it was all of them or none of them. This began the unitement of Penn State football. 

Body 3 

• Using pathos
• Just a few weeks ago, there were 110,830 people at the 2023 whiteout game. That is the second-largest attendance at a football game ever. The largest attendance was only a few years back too. This shows how dedicated fans are and how they are always here to support our team. Like a community does. These people have an emotional connection relating to Penn State football. They may all have different political views and different opinions on things but none of that matters at Beaver Stadium. When ordinary people look at Beaver Stadium, they just see a large stadium that probably has over-enthusiastic fans. Penn Staters see home, they see their Penn State family.

Conclusion

• Beaver Stadium: home to Penn State football, is a historical and statement place in State College. There is an interesting way some people can think about Beaver Stadium. Since it is shaped in a circle, people can think that a circle unites everyone. There are no edges for there to be conflict, it is a smooth circle that brings the community together. 

Citations:

“Beaver Stadium – Facts, Figures, Pictures and More of the Penn State Nittany Lions College Football Stadium.” College Gridirons, www.collegegridirons.com/stadiums/beaver-stadium/. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023. 

“Beaver Stadium.” Penn State Athletics, gopsusports.com/sports/2018/8/8/facilities-beaver-stadium-html.aspx. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023. 

“Beaver Stadium.” StateCollege.Com, 26 Mar. 2021, www.statecollege.com/beaver-stadium/.

“History of Beaver Stadium.” History of Old Main, sites.psu.edu/historyofoldmain/?page_id=27. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.

One of the definitions of a commonplace is a bit of information that is only known to a specific community. There are many examples of this, such as slogans or inside jokes within friend groups. Civil artifacts like slogans or anything that the media sees are important to commonplaces. Social media, the internet, and around public areas are the best ways to get something across. Using a platform shows your audience that you are standing up for something you believe in.

One slogan that is always in our heads especially as Penn State students is “We Are”. One person wearing Penn State apparel can start a whole conversation about out school. There are so many ways to connect over things but a major commonplace for people is their school.

Penn State University has one of the largest commonplaces there is. All of the students, faculty, alumni, and fans of the sports come together to unite and come together to relate to this amazing school. Even though every one all has their different loves for this school, they all come back to the slogan “We Are”. Because we actually are Penn State. No matter if they came here for the parties, the sports, or their love for the “Happy Valley”, they are all Penn Staters.

There are many schools that have their slogan that can instantly create a spark with others, but Penn State easily can outdo all the others. Something about the energy and the support from the Penn State community is stronger than others. There is an instant bond that is created over two people when the first one says “We Are”.

The ideology corresponding to this is simple, this community only gets the meaning of “We Are”. Yes, others have heard it but, they never truly understand the connection it has with others. Ideology is created with many factors, commonplace is the largest. Penn State’s slogan created memories to last a lifetime which strengthened those connections every one made at this university. This commonplace is like no other.

When most people think of Penn State, they think of the slogan “We Are” or the Nittany Lion. What even is a Nittany Lion? It is generally just a mountain lion but it is named after Mount Nittany, making it the Nittany Lion. The mascot was created in 1904 by PSU senior Joe Mason. PSU did not previously have a mascot so when this idea was brought to the table, every one embraced it.

This artifact was historical for Penn State. The first mascot and the mascot that has been around since 1904. Since then, the Nittany lion has only become more popular. With fans wearing shirts with him on it, to stuffed animals in people’s dorms. Nittany Lion is everywhere now and is embraced at every Penn State event. The Penn State community came together to yell “Penn State” when the Nittany Lion yelled “We Are” at them.

For this being the only Penn State mascot, there is not much need for change. Every one loves the Nittany Lion for who he is and there has truly been no need for there to be another mascot. No one could beat the Nittany Lion. To us Penn Staters, the Nittany Lion helps unite us and brings us together as a community. To others, the Nittany Lion is not the best symbol to see because possibly they go to or are fans of a rival school and there could be tension there.

The Nittany Lion brings people in the Penn State community together. It doesn’t matter if they are students, faculty, or just fans, they are all Nittany Lions. “We are” all there to support each other because of that strong bond that was created.

The Nittany Lion as an artifact fames civic by getting every one excited for whats to come. Take a football game for example, when Nittany Lion runs onto the field, every one is cheering and waving their pompoms in unison. Those fans are so thrilled for the game to come they don’t care about politics or what others opinions are. The one thing they care about is Nittany Lion gearing them up for the game to come.

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