Are Friends Online As Legitimate As Real-Life Friends?

Story by Vincent.

The Internet has been a part of mainstream culture for well over two decades now. It's always in your pocket; you're always on some form of social media, and yet there is still a stigma towards online friends.

Picture from my gallery with one of my real life friend.

Gone are the days of anonymous chat rooms and wondering whether the person behind the computer was even real. Now, you can video chat with your friend with ease, talk to them wherever you are and have a digital bond that lasts. However, if the friend lives in a place where traveling to just isn't possible, you may wonder if that friend is as legitimate as a friend who lives nearby, who you meet in person on a regular basis.

The answer is, as you probably expect, yes. Nowhere in the definition of the word 'friend' does it say that the friend must be offline only. You can share a bond with someone from behind another screen, and sometimes the bond goes deeper than it does for your IRL friends. That's because the Internet allows us to find people who share the same interests and beliefs as everyone else. You may have good real-life friends, but there are probably some things you just can't tell them. Be it an embarrassing confession, or a secret they'll tell everyone.

With that said, there are pros and cons to having an online friend. Here are some pros.

Pros of Having an Online Friend

1.Mutual Interests

You can meet friends on forums dedicated to an interest. Be it a political group, a blog dedicated to a certain fandom, and so on. Having a mutual interest is a great icebreaker. You don't have to have everything in common with a friend; sometimes, differences can spice up a friendship, but having shared interests is one way to spark a conversation.

2.It's Cheaper

You don't have to go to the movies, go eat out or go shopping with an online friend. You can just relax at home and talk to them while you're about to go to bed, while you're working, and so on. That isn't to say you must spend money to hang out with a real-life friend, but it does help with the bills.

3.Easy to Break the Ice

Perhaps the best thing about online communication is how easy it is to strike up a conversation. If you're introverted, shy, or just don't like talking to strangers, it's hard to make that first move. On the Internet, it's easier for most to make that first comment or send that first message. You can take time to write out exactly what you want to say. This isn't to say that there aren't some fears of talking to a stranger online, but it's just much easier.

4.You Can Get to Know Them Faster

Most people online are more comfortable with talking about themselves. They'll talk about their flaws, their mental illnesses, what they fear, and so on. In real life, it's hard to talk about some things without feeling like you're going to be laughed at. But due to the easy way of communicating, you can learn more about someone much faster than you can in real life.

5.You Can Make Friends All Around the Globe

To some, this is a disadvantage. If you live in Africa and another person lives in the America, you aren't going to walk to their house and hang out. However, making friends with someone who is different from you can be a learning experience. You can learn about their culture, and they can learn from you. Best of all, if you do get a chance to visit where they live, you may have a place to stay and someone to show you around. They might even be able to chip in for a plane ticket. For the traveler, having friends across the globe can be a good thing.

6.Evolving Ways of Communicating

It doesn't have to be text-based. You can have video chats through your computer or phone. You two can walk around the town, talking to each other. It isn't a perfect replication of actually being there, but the ways you can interact with your friend brings it closer to being on the same level as a real-life friend. And as technology evolves, it'll get even closer.

Cons of Having an Online Friends

1.Hanging Out is Hard

Even if your online friend lives just a few hours from you, you're probably not going to visit them every weekend or anything. You two have lives and arranging a meeting with your online friend can be difficult, and costly if they live far. There is a plus to that, as mentioned above, but if you need your social fix, having online-only friends may not work.

2.Miscommunication

While there are always video chats, they can't work all the time. Your friend may even live in a place where it's just not feasible. So, you may end up texting each other.

The problem with text is that there isn't enough communication. Body language and tone of voice are absent. You can use emojis, but they're not always helpful. Taking offensive to a benign message is common. It's also common to not get the hint that someone doesn't want to talk to you. Be patient and remember that miscommunications will happen. You probably won't need to hire a relationship counselor to fix your online friendship, but you never know.

3.Harder to Make Up

If you're going to be friends with someone for a long time, you're going to get into fights. Be it a disagreement or a misunderstanding (which can be caused by the miscommunication above problem.) With in real life friends, you may get mad at each other for a while but then bury the hatchet. Especially if the two of you have mutual friends. Sometimes, making up is the best option to keep the friend circle going, and it's a good thing. You're going to get into fights.

With an online friend, however, it's easy for them to get mad, hit the block button, and then find another online friend, forgetting about you in the process. When you're blocked, it gets difficult to try to reach them. It's also socially unacceptable to make another account and try talking to them. The online friend may even forget they blocked you.

When communicating with an online friend, keep your cool if there is an argument. Don't reach for the block button. Take some time alone and talk again with a cool head. If you do hit the block button, remember you can always unblock.

4.They Disappear

If you grew up online, you probably have experienced this. Your online friend just disappears. Maybe their account got deleted, or the website you use to talk about is no more. Some people take breaks from social media, or tear down their accounts and rebuild them somewhere else. All it takes is a changed username to make reconnecting with an online friend very difficult.

Of course, this can happen in real life too. Friends move away or become hermits. In either case, always get more contact info than just the social media site they're on. It's the perfect example of putting all your eggs in one basket.

6.They May Not Be What They Seem

The cliché of the online friend lying about who they are is exaggerated, especially in an age when you can see photos or video of them with ease, but if you're on a more anonymous message board, exercise caution when making an online friendship, especially if you're younger. Obviously, you shouldn't accept an invitation to hang out with someone until you know for sure they're real.

In a reminder kindly when making friends online, you want to stay true to yourself and what you want out of a friendship. You can find friends who reflect your interests and passions. It’s important when you look for people to connect with respecting you and reflecting on your morals and values. When you’re finding friends (whether it’s online or in real life), it’s okay to be picky about them. These are people who are here to support you. For them to know you well, you should stay real .

Thank you for reading this piece of an article ☺...be true to yourself,be safe online.

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Why the perception of tattoo has changed but not enough..

Story by Vincent Omache.

When I was younger, I told my mom I wanted a tattoo and she scoffed. “Tattoos are trashy, and you won’t be able to be buried in a Jewish cemetery,” she said. Today, I have seven tattoos and my mom has three. When I told her about this article, she said, “Let’s get more tattoos!” It is surprising to see how much we’ve both changed in such a short amount of time. In fact, I got all seven of my tattoos over the course of one year. I have always heard people say that once you get one tattoo, you won’t be able to stop, and for me that holds true. While my mom’s and my opinions about tattoos and the implications of having them are changing, society’s are as well.

Tattoos and their meanings have changed drastically since humans first started decorating their bodies, but even in their origins, there were stark differences in their perception. Those indigenous to North America have long been tattooing their bodies with deep cultural significance, but in ancient China, tattoos were looked upon as barbaric, and it was common to tattoo the faces of prisoners to mark them as such. While exploring during the colonial period, Europeans came across indigenous people covered in tattoos, and it was these explorers and sailors that would later return from the New World sporting tattoos.

In today’s society, tattoos have gained a great deal of acceptance. All of our favorite celebrities can be seen sporting them. Everywhere I look, I see people walking around with inked skin. But, that doesn’t mean they are not still often met with criticism and questioning.

One issue I had not even considered until writing this article is that of gender and tattoos. Men and women with tattoos are judged very differently. For example, Psychology Today reports that “men were more likely to approach the women with tattoos — not because they found the tattooed women to be more attractive, but because they believed the tattooed women would be more likely to have sex on the first date.” Additionally, research “indicated negative attitudes toward women with visible tattoos. This negative evaluation was held even by study participants who had tattoos themselves.” It is deeply disturbing to know how some men and women view and judge women with tattoos, but it’s certainly not a new phenomenon.

While some people are concerned with tattoos on others, many others struggle with the general permanence of tattoos. A question I’ve heard many times before goes something like: “What if I get a tattoo at 18 and then hate it by the time I’m 25?” My response is always that I don’t really think it matters. While tattoos are regarded as permanent additions to your body, they can be removed, altered or covered. Additionally, while we may not like all the same things we did when we were teenagers, it is incredible to have a kind of diary of who we were at different stages of our lives. There was a time when I thought tattoos had to be meaningful, but my mindset on that matter has definitely changed. People will ask about my tattoos and what they represent, and sometimes I don’t know how to answer. I just thought it was pretty, or cool, or funny — and that’s okay. Everything you tattoo is meaningful and valuable because it is a record of who you were and what mattered to you at a given point in time, which is beautiful in and of itself.

One of the biggest ways I’ve changed regarding tattoos has to do with visibility. At first, I was hell-bent on hiding them. All I could think about is what my future employers would think. I wondered if tattoos would stop me from getting into law school or put me at a disadvantage when I will apply for my job. I’ve seen many employers have policies stating “no visible tattoos,” but as society changes, rules change as well. For many professions, tattoos are okay, as long as they are considered appropriate. It also depends on the job. Writer Barrie Gross explains, “The odds are that a four-star hotel may not want the concierge to have large tattoos of skulls and crossbones on the back of each hand. But the same hotel may have less concern if a dishwasher in the kitchen has those same tattoos because direct contact with the hotel’s customers is minimal.” While you may want to avoid face, neck and hand tattoos, it seems true that your future employer is not going to discriminate against the flower on your forearm — so you might as well do what you want.

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Standard Gauge Railway Blow.

Story by Vincent Mageto,

 While Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway offers a cheaper more efficient transport option for cargo it has also resulted in job losses.

SGR Train at Mombasa terminus photo courtesy of Google

The multibillion-shilling SGR offers its services to landlocked countries in East Africa, and so far container traffic has grown fourfold, with the Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Nairobi handling up to seven cargo trains daily from just one when the freight service was launched in December 2017.
The ICD has also benefited after cargo clearance was moved from Mombasa to Nairobi. In 2019, the SGR hauled close to nine million tonnes of cargo to Nairobi after the government introduced ex-hook railage where cargo is offloaded directly from the ship to the wagon.
The initial phase of the project running from Mombasa to Nairobi was completed in 2017 and is operational with 14 freight and 4 passenger trains while the second phase – Nairobi-Naivasha SGR – is currently under construction.For centuries, Mombasa’s economy has gravitated around the port but now its mainstay is facing a challenge in what some observers say is a slow and painful death.

“The transport sector is dying before our on eyes, firms are now laying off drivers, everything is moving to Nairobi,” said Kenya Transporters Association (KTA) Chief Executive Officer Dennis Ombok.
Despite the fact that the railway is a worthwhile project expected to bring in numerous socio-economic benefits and grow the country’s GDP by 1.5%, it is a two faced sword with demerits.
Here are the negative effects of the SGR on the Kenyan economy:
1.) Increased debt
Kenya’s public debt continues to burgeon and is now considered to be on the blink of unsustainable levels at 60% of the GDP.
So bad is the situation that the IMF has placed the country on its debt-distress watch list.
To salvage the situation, the government has rolled out measures to boost revenue collection for loan repayment such as introduction of VAT on zero rated items – raising the cost of living.
While the SGR is set to be a key catalyst for economic growth, it is funded with debt at a cost of Sh1.023 trillion, without interest, making it the largest single contributor to the ballooned debt and its negative effects.
2.) Market disruption
With reduced travel time and costs, coupled with safer travelling conditions, the SGR is set to become the preferred mode of transport for passengers and cargo owners hence taking a huge percentage of them off the roads.
Unfortunately, these positive aspects of the project are set to occasion diminished business and loss of income for truck and bus owners and job loss for drivers, turn boys and truck loaders.
3.) Collapse of towns
As SGR edges out trucks in long distance cargo transport, towns and market centers heavily reliant on trucks for business opportunities will be in danger of economic downfall as establishments such as hotels, bars, lodgings and garages collapse due to lack of customers.With their ruin, loss of livelihood for shop owners, mechanics, oil recyclers, and waiters will be imminent forcing them to migrate or change profession – which is costly and time consuming.

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GLOBAL THREATS ON CORONA VIRUS.

Story by Vincent,

Coronaviruses are a family of hundreds of viruses that can cause fever, respiratory problems, and sometimes gastrointestinal symptoms too. The 2019 novel coronavirus is one of seven members of this family known to infect humans, and the third in the past three decades to jump from animals to humans. Since emerging in China in December, this new coronavirus has caused a global health emergency, sickening almost 100,000 people worldwide, and so far killing more than 3,000. As of March 3, about 100 cases had been reported in the US, and six people have died.

 An electron  microscope image of Coronaviruses image from Google.

HOW DOES IT SPREAD?
Researchers are still trying to understand how SARS-CoV-2 spreads between humans. (SARS-CoV-2 is the official name of the germ; the official name of the disease you get from the germ is Covid-19—more on that below.) It’s likely to be transmitted in droplets from coughing or sneezes, and the virus has a two- to 14-day incubation period. That means people could be infectious for quite a while before symptoms like fever, cough, or shortness of breath emerge.

Right now, CDC officials say Americans should prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Based on the number of new cases, the overall risk of getting Covid-19 is still pretty low in most parts of this country. But flaws in testing kits and strict testing requirements have severely limited how many people have so far been tested, which means nobody knows who might actually be infected, or how serious (or mild) their illnesses might be. Growing numbers of cases of community spread in California and Washington suggest that the virus may be circulating more widely than case numbers might indicate.

PARTICULAR SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19?
In the confirmed cases so far, most people get a fever with a dry cough; smaller numbers of folks might experience shortness of breath, a sore throat, or a headache.


HOW TO AVOID GETTING THE CORONAVIRUS?
Wash your hands severally using Clean water,Clean all of your tech equipment. Just like your hands, your smartphone and keyboard and headphones and anything else gets germs on it.Are you a health care worker? If not, don't buy a face mask—that depletes supplies for the health professionals who need them. Same goes for gloves

If you're in a high-risk group (over 60, have preexisting lung disease, heart disease, diabetes, or a weakened immune system) you should seek treatment if you get sick, since it can quickly go from cough to full-blown pneumonia. Call your doctor or clinic first with your suspicions so they can direct you appropriately. If you're not in a high-risk group, better to self-isolate at home with plenty of fluids and anti-fever meds. Odds are you'll recover, and this way you won't expose anyone. Still call your doctor, so they know what's going on—they may be able to direct you to people at the health department who can conduct testing. Don't go to the ER unless you're really experiencing life-threatening symptoms.


HOW  COVID-19 MORE DEADLY THAN THE FLU?

That remains to be seen. According to preliminary estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 2019–2020 flu caused 19 million to 25 million illnesses and up to 25,000 deaths. The Covid-19 numbers are harder to calculate because it’s not yet clear how many people are infected. The CDC calculates the death rate at about 2 percent, which is higher than the flu—but the real number might be a lot lower, because less-severe cases may not have been reported. People with more mild cases might not even go to the hospital, and health care workers might have mistaken cases for the flu or for pneumonia. If epidemiologists count only the most severe cases, the death rate will look higher because a higher proportion of those patients die—so that might not offer an accurate reflection of reality.

Like in the recent case whereby a shakily filmed video has been circulating on social media showing an Asian man and woman being bullied by a large crowd in Nairobi,the video begins with unidentified individuals in the crowd shouting "you're coronavirus. Showing that they are fearing and mixed with stigma.
In conclusion we should all take care of ourselves and take safety measures for good health.

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WHAT'S ALL ABOUT CAMPUS LIFE

A picture from my gallery with fellow students at TUM.

What came into my mind whenever a campus word was mentioned was freedom life and very beautiful ladies. In highschool my teachers used to say that in campus there is nothing like struggling, nobody is concerned about what you're doing.Actually this motivated me to work hard so that I can join campus and experience that kind of smooth life.

In September 2018, I was lucky to join the Technical University of Mombasa whereby I took journalism and mass communication course.In my first year of study I can't believe what I heard from my high school teachers used to say which I turned out to a total lie the kind of no struggling life they used to  say turned into a real one, what they said right is ladies are in campus but you've to tighten your heart for you to get into a relationship since this is where small young angels from high school get trapped by many guys in campus they feel so excited dating a campus guy where some guys maybe sincere while others maybe wasting your time ofcos this is the best time of courtship but many guys in campus do jumping in relationships.

Having an experience in campus life, most of the students get into drugs through getting into bad companies like I've seen many guys taking drugs since we joined campus and what comes into my mind is, it's like before getting into campus they never knew that there was existence of drugs and now they are an experts and now they feel they have acquired true friends who has introduced them into this behaviour.

In campus gambling is the most hustling activity done by the students like betting you find a student stakes a larger amount of money of which most of them end up loosing the money and forget that this is the one that they depend on for the survival while in campus and after loosing money they will ask for more from there parents through all sorts of tricks such as lying to them that there is an increment in the school fees and others get into the extent of committing suicide.

In conclusion let's know our goals and what we want in our lives.

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TOXIC RELATIONSHIPS IN CAMPUS

younggenerator.blogspot.comTOXIC RELATIONSHIPS AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS.

Hello people,

Love has lost it's meaning and has become the play of each day in social media platforms.Have you ever asked yourself why this happens?. what should you consider before you get into a relationship most of the people when getting into a relationship they are only noticing the fully feelings they experience since it's all about romance, traveling, special treatments and too much understanding this makes one to feel that everything is perfect.

As time goes on the rose coloured glasses are worn out you start noticing the flaws for lack of better words and behavioural changes therefore boundaries arises so that the partner knows that the behaviour won't be tolerated.

Like in the recent cases we have hard couples killing each other, students committing suicide in the name of love reason being one partner cheating to one another , these cases has become popular atleast in less than three months you hear same same cases arising among  university students  . sometimes this happens when the desires of one partner are not fulfilled ,pressurised by social media because they have seen some nice couples or celebrities enjoying their beautiful moments you find this young generation they also want to copy paste their way of lifestyle which is impossible since everyone is student depending on parents. probably what will happen is that a girl will out of that relationship and start looking for sponsors who will maybe be able to give out what she needs and definitely she will give in and when the other partner realizes he will end up maybe committing suicide or killing  her.

This young generation is  more worse since they have started dating at early age you find a girl of 16 to 20 years old dating a old man of his father's age what they term as sponsors it's so painful seeing that happening their future life is doomed but they don't care  because their personal desires are too much.

It's crucial for both people in a relationship to know that negative thoughts and feelings can be communicated safely without it threatening the entire future of the relationship because it's something which you can control.

I think what to do instead state your feelings and desires openly and make it clear that the other person is not necessarily responsible or obligated to those feelings but you'd love to have their support.If they love they'll always be able to offer that support.

THANK YOU.

Party after party in campus

younggenerator.blogspot.com
Campus will always remain home for the good brains. The campus has a lot of festivities taking place weekend after weekend. In fact, one thing that a student should never miss out of during their campus life is the campus parties and Bashes.

when attending campus parties: Don’t leave your drink unattended- There is nothing horrifying like waking up nude in a room full of strangers and not remembering nothing. You might be drugged or poisoned if you leave your drink unattended.  Ladies are sexually abused without their consent and the consequences that come later are so bad .Know your limits and boundaries- If you cannot drink more than two glasses, stick to what you can manage. Consuming more than you can handle can cause vomiting or worse yet.There is the loss of self-control. Don’t be that girl that will be carried home by a stranger or is throwing up everywhere. If you feel uncomfortable at a party, it’s okay to leave. Sometimes being the odd-one-out is all it takes to save you from unwant life..

All in all, parties are for fun, but remember to be careful..younggenerator.blogspot.com