Episode 5: Its Movie Time

Have you ever watched the movie "We're the Millers"? 

The movie is about a drug dealer who convinces a group of strangers to pretend to be his family so he can smuggle drugs across the Mexican border. There's a scene that has since become a meme, in which one of the family members realizes the others were being paid to participate in the family trip. 

If you have never seen the movie, the joke is that everyone else knows something that he doesn't. Similar to how I felt when I first started this course 

As I read some of the blogs, I'm impressed by how everyone connects concepts to their own experiences. In a way, I felt like I was playing catch-up, like wait a minute ... y'all knew we were learning on these platforms? 

Before this course, I wouldn't have described social media as a learning space. Instead, it was a place for me to connect with my colleagues, keep up with old friends, and, honestly, doom scroll. Many of the platforms I had joined served as learning communities. Communities that deepened my love for cooking, introduced me to new perspectives, and broadened my overall knowledge. 
 
There is something special about the way the internet connects people. For the longest, I have only considered how it connects us to others in far corners of the world. Now  I'm coming to appreciate how it educates, inspires innovation, and creates spaces where people can learn from one another. 

If you would like to check out the scene, here is the clip in reference: https://youtube.com/shorts/1nwsLTDcpu0?si=siz4OLuyNmn_KMZs


Comments

  1. Maria HJuly 12, 2026 at 4:31 PM

    I admit, I might be the slowest person on Earth when it comes to memes. I used to follow a middle school teacher on Instagram - he would educate other teachers about memes and internet culture. This class has been full of surprises for me, too, and I really enjoy that we are learning together - like checking your blogs weekly to see what I can learn from you. So, thank you for teaching me.
    By the way, I did a test - I asked my 11 year old if she had seen the YouTube short and she said yes. As for me, I had never seen it before.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Episode 1: The potato and Reddit

Image
Is this a safe space? Because I have a confession. I have no idea how to actually use Reddit.  Honestly, I'm convinced that Reddit is the dark web, or at least an entry point to it. I have stumbled across some bizarre things on Reddit that have me wondering if I should delete the app afterward. Is there a user guide for Reddit? I fear I missed a tutorial video or orientation class on how to use Reddit effectively.  I have joined one community since downloading the app. I use it mostly to keep up with what's going on in Tallahassee and for the weekly events. I really like it for the cooking subreddits, which I have been exploring more over the past few weeks. This week alone, I explored several of the cultural cuisine subreddits. I'm mostly an observer, choosing not to comment but to sit on the sidelines, taking it all in. Sometimes it can be overwhelming because there are so many people contributing, and it's difficult to find exactly what I'm actually looking for. ...
Read more

Pilot: A Potato Story

How did I end up here?  The description of this course made me think this is going to be just what I need for the summer. A little sun (because who doesn't love a baked potato) and a course that helps me understand social media and how it impacts the potatoes around me.  My history with social media is one of many tales, some fairytales, and others like horrors. Social media was a space for me to connect with my fellow potatoes, meet new potatoes, and learn about potato society. In most cases, I truly enjoy social media, but, just like in real life, I can be a bit of an introverted extrovert (Ambivert). I can do it, and sometimes I feel great at it, but I often need long breaks from it. I "unplugged" back in April because I felt like I had been consuming too much and engaging beyond my capacity, so I logged out of the apps and even deleted some. The desire to connect is still there, but I haven't figured out safeguards to do it in a way that protects me.  Now you'...
Read more

Is Social Media Addictive?

Image
 Let's address the elephant in the room Is social media addictive? This question stemmed from the NPR episode - Social Media is changing what "addiction" means. Now, before I get too deep in my recap of the episode, I am pausing to answer the question: Is social media addictive? The answer for me is yes. One could also argue that I have a slightly addictive personality (but just a little). If you've never heard that term before, the  Cleveland Clinic defines "Addictive Personality" as a "casual" term used to describe a person who exhibits behaviors that lead them to overindulge.  Here's another cool article from the Mayo Clinic with a few signs of addictive personality traits.  Now back to the podcast.  In short, NPR host Brittany Luse, guest Shannon Bond, and Dr. Carl Erik Fisher are breaking down allegations that tech companies intentionally design apps to be addictive for young users. I wanted to look into these cases further, so I'm ...
Read more