essay about fake life

A Virtual Life: How Social Media Changes Our Perceptions

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In social psychologist Kenneth Gergen’s, Ph.D., 1991 book, “ The Saturated Self “, he warned of an Orwellian world where technology might saturate human beings to the point of “multiphrenia,” a fragmented version of the self that is pulled in so many directions the individual would be lost. “I am linked, therefore I am,” he famously said, playing on Descartes’ “I think, therefore I am.” Little did Dr. Gergen know how dead-on his prediction would be.

Because as our society sits here more than 20 years later with our tablets and cell phones and electronic gadgets—seduced by the lure of the blue light glow—we have never been more linked, more connected, and more bound to a virtual reality that many of us can no longer live without.

“Tethered to technology, we are shaken when that world ‘unplugged’ does not signify, does not satisfy. We build a following online and wonder to what degree our followers are friends. We re-create ourselves as online personae and give ourselves new bodies, homes, jobs, and romances.

A virtual life is shiny and bright. It’s where you post your prettiest pictures and tell all your best news.

Yet, suddenly, in the half-light of virtual community, we may feel utterly alone,” writes licensed clinical psychologist and MIT professor Sherry Turkle , Ph.D., in her best-selling tome,  “Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less From Each Other.” Founder and director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, the book is the third in a series on the effects of technology on society and culminates 15 years of research on the digital terrain.

The long-term psychological impact of social media on individuals and their sense of “self” remains to be seen. But there is one thing we do know. Our daily lives have been digitized, tracked, and tied up in metrics. Our real selves have split into online avatars and profile pictures and status updates. And while social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are powerful tools that have the potential to build communities, connect relatives in far-flung places, leverage careers, and even elect presidents of the U.S., they are also unleashing myriad complex psychological issues that have altered our collective sense of reality.

A virtual life is shiny and bright. It’s where you post your prettiest pictures and tell all your best news. “In games where we expect to play an avatar, we end up being ourselves in the most revealing ways; on social networking sites such as Facebook, we think we will be presenting ourselves, but our profile ends up as somebody else—often the fantasy of who we want to be,” Dr. Turkle writes. But is it real? More importantly, is it healthy?

The Unreal World

Ali Jazayeri, Ph.D., associate professor of clinical psychology at The Chicago School’s L.A. Campus , thinks there are clear and present dangers that can’t be ignored.

“I definitely think that social media has had a very deep impact on our lives. The world that we see on Facebook and other social media sites is not a true and real world. It’s a creation of people,” Dr. Jazayeri explains. “Among other dangers that Facebook might possibly pose in our lives, such as lack of privacy, is this habit of always comparing ourselves to others. People, when they are happy, post a lot of happy things. But when I’m not happy I will consciously, or unconsciously, compare myself to others. As a result, I create a world that is not a true world because I imagine that everybody is happy in that world, except me.”

While each social media site has its own personality and purpose, the wildly popular Facebook with its estimated one billion active monthly users has gained the most attention from psychologists for its potential to distort an individual’s sense of self and sense of other people. The magnetism of social media in conjunction with the effects on reality while diminishing individuality comes with significant consequences.

What concerns Jazayeri most, from a psychologist’s perspective, is the danger of slipping too far into a virtual world and losing a sense of real life, real self, and real priorities.

A 2011 clinical report on “ The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents and Families ,” published in Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, was one of the first to raise the issue of “Facebook depression” among young people worried that they weren’t accumulating enough “friends” or “likes” in response to their status updates.

Around the same time, Cecilie Andreassen, Ph.D., and her colleagues at the University of Bergen (UiB) in Norway published a piece about their work with the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale in the journal Psychological Reports. And this all came on the heels of somewhat controversial news that the American Psychiatric Association was considering the addition of “ Internet addiction ” in an appendix to the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).

What concerns Dr. Jazayeri most, from a psychologist’s perspective, is the danger of slipping too far into a virtual world and losing a sense of real life, real self, and real priorities. 

“Some people use this social media to create something that they are not,” he says, explaining that the virtual world can distract people so much from their real lives that they either forget who they are or become so involved in the reality they’ve created that they don’t want to work on their own issues. Social media can ultimately create a false sense of reality.

“Instead of me trying to deal with things I don’t like about myself, I will go online and present myself in the way I’d like to be seen, without any changes to me,” Dr. Jazayeri says. “It’s dangerous, and very deceptive. If you look at the history of psychology, we’ve spent the last 100 years trying to help people know themselves better, deal with their shortcomings, deal with things they don’t want to have, so we have a very reality oriented atmosphere in our Western psychology.”

Dr. Jazayeri worries that an overreliance on this virtual world is undermining all the progress human beings have made in addressing real-life problems. Social media allows an escape from reality to the point of neglecting real-world issues and creating a false reality. 

“As psychologists, we have theories based on the reality of patient’s lives. Our goal is to help people try to see themselves for the reality of what they are,” he continues. “But if we perceive that everyone else is perfect, then we push ourselves to become someone that we are not, and then we get frustrated, and then we get depressed.”

Like Dr. Turkle and other experts, he is careful to also note the value of such sites for helping people do everything from reconnect with old friends and family members to rallying community members during times of national tragedy or disaster. However, he believes we need limits—that as a society we need to be vigilant about taking time to unplug, to disconnect, and to reconnect with ourselves and our real lives.

In a statement that echoes Dr. Gergen’s words from 1991, Dr. Jazayeri concludes by saying, “Someday, I hope we will appreciate that the computer is not a substitute for a real human being.”

Consciousness, Collected

Eleazar Eusebio, Psy.D., formerly an assistant professor in the School of Professional Psychology at The Chicago School, has been fascinated with the concept of virtual worlds and social media since the early chat rooms of the 1990s.

“Something I like to talk about a lot in psychotherapy are the various dimensions of consciousness,” he says. “It can get really psychoanalytical if you’re going to look at what kind of behavior people are putting out there. I have been studying Jungian analysis, and I do find it interesting, especially when you look at personality types.”

Whether your inner nature tends toward paranoia, narcissism, manic, depressive, or even melodramatic behaviors, Dr. Eusebio says these things unconsciously manifest themselves, rather publicly, in an online setting.

As any Facebook user knows, there are “types” among almost anyone’s collection of “friends.”

“I don’t want to psychopathologize everybody who’s online, but I think it’s possible to take a quasi-diagnostic look at it when you examine what people write or how they interact online,” Dr. Eusebio says.

Of all the social media sites, he says Facebook is a place where almost every personality type can be found and analyzed. “This is the best modern example I’ve come across of what I’ve been calling the collective unconscious personified. How do we choose to present ourselves to this world? In addition, at what point do we stop?”

As any Facebook user knows, there are “types” among almost anyone’s collection of “friends.” Some use the site solely to promote their business or career. Others take the opportunity to share political opinions, while others post several status updates per day about things as banal as what they had for breakfast or what’s on the dinner table. Some are a series of check-ins at restaurants, clubs, museums, and airports. There are braggarts and complainers; cheerleaders and naysayers.

“Online groups tend to triangulate people. This environment will provide you the tool to display any kind of psycho-pathology,” Dr. Eusebio adds. “Cyberspace alone is a psychological extension of our own intrapsychic world. We all have various dimensions of our unconscious. And with social media, you can really dive into people’s lives. The danger is we throw our reputations out there, and we put avatars attached to who we are.”

While he says most adults have the foresight to screen their online behavior—to think twice about who’s viewing their status updates, photo albums, and check-ins,the more compulsive types often do not, especially if the posts are made in the heat of the moment, late at night.

“One notion we might overlook is whether we would be saying the same things or sending the same messages if we were face to face in a coffee shop,” Dr. Eusebio wonders.

Or, even scarier, a job interview.

The Professional Fibber

John Fowler received an M.A. in Psychology at The Chicago School’s Chicago Campus in 2009 and for several years made his business teaching other professionals how to use social media to advance their careers. Three years have passed since he published his book, “Graduate to LinkedIn: Jumpstart Your Career Support Network Now,” and he says the social media of today is already vastly different.

“Professionally, you say that you want to brand yourself. But you can sometimes get so lost in branding yourself the way you want to be perceived, that what you present online isn’t who you really are. When potential employers meet you in person, they want you to be consistent,” cautions Fowler, who now works at Deloitte Consulting and sometimes uses his social media background to help clients leverage their brands.

However, in a virtual world where it is understood that everyone exaggerates and reality is always slightly distorted, the temptation to lie or stretch the truth is more pervasive than ever.

It’s one thing to post your prettiest vacation photos on Facebook or to exaggerate how wonderful your life is (for the clear benefit of ex-boyfriends or college rivals), but when it comes to using social media for your professional advancement on sites like LinkedIn, truth and ethics are just as important online as they are on your printed resume.

“One huge thing that’s gone on over time is the social media world isn’t always real. It isn’t reality. I think we need to keep that in mind,” Fowler says. “There’s a fine line between branding yourself well and straight up lying and misrepresenting your experience.”

Resumes have always been prone to exaggeration, despite the best advice to be ready to back up any degree or certification you might claim to have earned. However, in a virtual world where it is understood that everyone exaggerates and reality is always slightly distorted, the temptation to lie or stretch the truth is more pervasive than ever. It then turns into a battle between  truth and falsehoods originating from virtual reality and perceived expectations.

“And for the younger generations—people who were born into this age—there’s a danger there that they could possibly take this as the way the world is,” Fowler  continues. “I think some people want to hide. You go on Twitter and you have an avatar, and you want to hide behind that. But when that doesn’t match up to who you really are, especially professionally, that’s when it comes back to haunt you.”

That said, Fowler still believes in the professional power of social networking sites like LinkedIn, and more recently, Facebook pages being utilized by businesses and organizations. “Social media has its advantages and disadvantages. It’s a tool, and like any tool, you can use it the wrong way. There are great things that come out of it. Just recently, it was instrumental in raising money for people who were affected by Hurricane Sandy. And I think it’s going to evolve. The social aspect of these platforms is going to live on. What remains to be seen is how this will affect the way we conduct business.”

Love in the Time of Social Media

In all of the incarnations and manifestations of social media in our lives, one aspect that can’t be ignored—particularly when it comes to how we present ourselves and perceive others—is how the always-on, must-be-perfect virtual world has changed our most intimate relationships.

Whether you’re a single 20-something looking for a Mr. or Mrs. Right or a newly divorced parent dipping your toes back into the dating scene, online sites such as Match.com , OKCupid.com , and eHarmony.com have revolutionized the idea of how we meet and connect with new people. The fairy tale endings are legendary, as are the tales of love, loss, and heartbreak.

But what is often overlooked is how the surreal world of social media affects people who are already in domestic partnerships, marriages, and other long-term relationships.

Melody Bacon, Ph.D., a licensed clinical therapist, assistant dean of academic affairs and chair of the Marital and Family Therapy program at The Chicago School’s L.A. Campus, says social media and the distractions of technology cause problems for couples because they provide another way to disconnect.

As far as affairs go, Bacon says if the will is there, people will always find a way.

Most people these days have heard stories about how Facebook and other social media sites that offer opportunities to chat or flirt online have wrecked marriages. But Dr. Bacon says we shouldn’t blame Facebook any more than we should blame our 24/7 dependence on cell phones or other digital technology.

“In terms of relationships, it’s just one more thing that keeps people from being able to connect and be together without fighting for attention. I know of young mothers with little kids. I see them at the park, the kids are playing or trying to get attention and mom’s on Facebook or doing something on her phone. They think they’re engaged with the outside world but they’re not. Children are drowning with their mom and dad sitting there on their smartphones. They have no idea how disconnected they are.”

As far as affairs go, Dr. Bacon says if the will is there, people will always find a way.

“If someone’s going to have an affair or cheat in some way, it’s just another opportunity,” she says. “I don’t think it’s causing a problem, but I think it does make it easier. I don’t think it necessarily starts relationships, but people become open, they start flirting, and over time it can become where they connect in person. If you have a partner who is unhappy in their marriage, they are more likely to be available to someone else online.”

The question is, how “real” is that virtual paramour? And if the relationship is based on a carefully groomed online persona, how “real” are you?

A Balance Between Social Media and Reality

That disconnect that Dr. Bacon refers to is at the very heart of what Dr. Turkle is chronicling in Together Alone.

“As we instant message, email, text, and Twitter, technology redraws the boundaries between intimacy and solitude,” she writes. “We talk of getting ‘rid’ of our emails, as though these notes are so much excess baggage.

Teenagers avoid making telephone calls, fearful that they ‘reveal too much.’ They would rather text than talk. Adults, too, choose keyboards over the human voice.”

The irony of it all is that we can see it happening—to our kids, our friends, even ourselves. We know it’s a problem, but we don’t know how to stop it.

As  Dr. Jazayeri says, social media is here to stay and is a new reality we have to contend with. The question is, how do we find balance?

“Sites like Facebook can be positive in connecting people. In my classes, we do family diagrams, and students are connecting with people across the country or across the world. Facebook is great for meeting up with people that way. It can be positive, but to a limited degree. Because once you’ve made that connection, unless you talk on the phone or have some verbal communication, you’re limited to verbal sound bites,” Dr. Bacon says.

 Tom Barrett, Ph.D., department chair and an associate professor in the clinical psychology department at The Chicago School’s  Chicago Campus, shares many of the same concerns as his colleagues about people losing themselves in this new virtual world. But he also believes that the motivation for connecting online is the same as it’s always been—a human urge to belong, and to be accepted.

“It’s not that the ability to network this way is a problem. People have always experienced the range of emotions from the insecure to the confident,” Dr. Barrett says. “I think we tend to think the technology is what is causing the problem but we just have a new way of expressing an old problem. It’s a long-standing reality that people struggle in relationships. This is a new way to disconnect from your family, or partner, or loved one, but it’s just a new form of doing an old thing.”

As Dr. Jazayeri says, social media is here to stay and is a reality we have to contend with. The question is, how do we find balance?

“I definitely do not want to discard the benefits of all this connectivity, but there has to be a limit to it,” he continues. “I hope people can begin to recognize that Facebook and social media can’t be a substitute for everything in their life. Instead of me sitting and reading other people’s posts on Facebook for two hours, I can go do some community work. Maybe I need to ask myself, ‘why do I always have to be so busy with someone who is not real?’”

As Dr. Gergen said more than two decades ago, “I am linked, therefore I am.”

Do we want this to be our future, our reality? What happens from here is up to us.

If you’re interested in learning more about how social media and the virtual world have impacted people’s idea of reality and individualism, study Psychology & Behavioral Sciences at The Chicago School . 

* This article, originally appearing in the Spring 2013 issue of INSIGHT magazine, was updated in July 2023.

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The fake life of Social Media influencers

Article Contents

Social Media has made our lives much simpler.

With the touch of a button, we can send our message across the world.

With the help of social media, it is much easier to connect to people.

Social Media has brought the world to our fingertips. With the advent of Social media came the influencers.

Influencers are popular celebrities with a huge fan following, more prominently, actors.

The main job of a Social Media influencer is to get more followers to whom they can advertise their endorsed products.

They also get paid by the Social Media platforms for the advertisements their viewers see.

Lives of Influencers

On face value, the lives of Social Media influencers look flamboyant and luxurious.

They seem to have the ‘Picture Perfect’ lives, with a fixed schedule, a perfect professional and personal life, and all the luxuries that a person wishes for.

People envy their perfect lives, their good looks and wish they also lived a life like the influencers.

Sometimes, people obsess over celebrity lives so much that they try to imitate them, and then become sad and anxious when it does not work out properly.

Their videos and cringe dances become popular overnight.

   (courtesy: digitalmarket.asia)    

There is another side of these Social Media Influencers.

They are the best examples for the “fake it till you make it” attitude.

Even though their lives look ideal from the outside, in reality, their lives are far from ideal .

They suffer from substance abuse , family issues, or personal issues, which are usually well hidden from the outside world.

Sometimes, they become too egoistic due to their popularity, that they end up in unwanted scandals and controversies.

One must always remember that influencers are paid for looking at acting perfect.

They extract revenue from each and every fan of theirs.

Toxic Fan Following

They also know that their followers and fans will go to any extent to support them.

Hence, they try to polarize their fans by endorsing a particular ideology.

These influencers sometimes endorse controversial skincare, beauty and wellness products that have skewed views on the ideal body size and skin colour.

Their followers look at their advertisements and promotions and get carried away by the idealism these influencers market.

People start hating their bodies and have a negative body image.

But the truth is that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.

Beauty does not mean a pretty face and a size zero figure; beauty is the idea of accepting oneself.

The skewed beauty standards in our country are due to these ‘fake’ influencers.

Follow Motivational Speakers instead!

It’s high time we stop following these fake influencers.

Instead of following these fake Social Media influencers, we must follow entrepreneurs and scholars.

Following entrepreneurs gives us a sneak peek on their business lives, and scholars give us the inspiration to perform better.

One can also follow prominent sportsmen of various different sports, and learn life lessons from them.

Nowadays, Motivational Speaking is gaining traction .

There are numerous Motivational Speakers, holding events in TED , TEDx and various other platforms.

By following them, we can bring positive improvements to our lives.

There are YouTubers that cover topics such as Geography, Business, Yoga, Wellness, etc.

Start following them. They usually cover important abstract topics that will be very useful to you.

Read Later Add to Favourites Add to Collection

What do you think?

Written by Creig Luke

very helpful and informative…keep it up

keep up the good work!

really true! a unique article indeed

A very important issue that we need to look at.

Thanks a lot!

well written!

Informative!

Nice revelation of the reality of the lives of social media influences. Well written.

Reality very beautifully told. Loved it. Keep it up.

The work and the life of the social media influencers are correctly pointed out in the start. The issues they face tell us that they are humans at the end, like all of us. Appreciated how you mentioned how their toxicity and actions impacts the lives of others. The solutions at the end, are very useful.

Great work Creig. I really appreciate how you have bought the toxic side of social media influencers. I agree with you that it’s better to follow motivational speakers instead. However there are really good social media influencers out there who are doing actual good work through the platform they have. Again, therevis always an imbalance between actual influencing and creating a toxic environment. I personally think it’s really about who we choose to follow on social media so that they have a positive influence on us and how we let them influence us. Thank you for the amazing work. I look forward to read and learn more from you!

loved how you redirected the getting influenced part to the motivational speakers. Although i’d still appreciate all the work social media influencers do. they don’t let their personal issues come in the way of their work. you should atch “the social dilemma’ on netflix to understand social media better. amazing work!!

Nice article, in detail describes how the illusion of perfect lives on social media leads us to making comparisons and having feelings of jealously. However, what is imp is for us to understand that we shouldn’t be unduly influenced by these creators and their lives are more or less similar to ours, they are normal people like us. Quite an informative piece!

The truth has been revealed. Wanted to read an article on it so bad. This was everything I wanted to know.

very informative

Nicely written

very good article!

a must read

thanks for writing …this is so wonderful article..loved it 🙂

I feel that even some motivational speakers have a level of controversy surrounding them, it seems hard to trust anything online!

very very informative … keep writing:)

Crisp and to-the-point!!! You’ve beautifully unveiled the ugly truth.

In recent times, the impact of social media influencers has become a very important topic of discussion. It is really great of you to shed light on such issues!

I think you did a great job!

Absolutely loved this! I really liked how instead of simply pointing out the toxicity of social media influencers, you also humanized them – talked about the personal issues that they might be going through. Many a time people pretend to live a life that others want so that others won’t discover the fact that their life isn’t really as conventionally “perfect” as they make it seem, it stems from insecurity mostly. It was a wonderful read!

Such an honest and we’ll written article. I am glad that you brought up the toxic life of social influencers into light. We often tend to blindly follow people without thinking through. We are blinded by the outer image of people and gets carried away by their external appearances. We should learn to focus more on productive and motivational TED talks as it can be very useful for us in the future. I am waiting for more such informative writeups from you.

Hey Creig, loved how you took up this issue, whether its their perfect lives or toxic fan following or the unsavory practices they follow!

If you could have elaborated on how to spot a fake influencer, that would have been great! Also, trying to find authentic information about an influencer beyond social media would help us to know their authenticity, wouldn’t it? Just a thought. You could have also elaborated a little on how an influencer’s daily routine is difficult to carry, even if he or she is authentic, so people thinking to become one would know the reality.

It’s an interesting topic that you have choosen to write about. While I agree that there is indeed a toxic side to social media influencers, i believe there are a whole lot of influencers who genuinely work for the betterment of people. Similarly there is a toxic side to motivation speakers. I believe it has more to do with how much we let ourselves be influenced by either side. Moderation is extremely important especially when consuming social media and related stimulants.

You have added great points to the article and the issue that you have brought out is very very important. Our lives are entangled in this web called social media. Even if we try to come out of it, sometimes we fail. You are right, there are various toxic social media influencers but we cannot forget the fact that there are various positive and good social media Influencers as well. Like you said, they are imposing a personal or particular ideology on people. In this article, you have not given the other perspective which does not give the reader a choice to choose or prepare a solution for themselves. You can improvise your article by adding both perspectives and leave it on the reader’s part.

Really an amazing article. You presented it nicely and clearly. Keep doing. All the best.

Good topic chosen however it was not elaborate properly i felt. Try including more topics next time. ❤️

informative.

Keep it up!

Keep writing!

Keep posting!

People envy their perfect lives , their good looks and wish they also lived a life like the influencers . Sometimes, people obsess over celebrity lives so much that they try to imitate them, and then become sad and anxious when it does not work out properly. Their videos and cringe dances become popular overnight.Nice information.

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Reality of Social Media Essay

• February 1, 2023

Reality of Social Media

Reality of Social Media Essay: Introduction

Reality is changing inevitably. What people called reality in the middle-ages is much different than the reality for people in the pre-industrialization era. Similarly, what people called reality before the internet is much different from our reality today. There is a quote from Heraclitus, which remains correct throughout time, and it says, “the only thing that does not change is the change itself”. Not so long before, no one was able to foresee that half of the people in the world would have online identities, whether it is fake or real. Similarly, this rate goes up as high as above 90% in developed areas, where internet connection is not a problem anytime.

Fake is the New Reality

Everyone on social media is miraculously just too happy. Too happy, right? The lives of people on the internet are so flawless and sparkling. However, is it real? Or how real are these perfect lives? People generally do not post their photos on their social media accounts while they are crying or struggling.

Being one of the products of digitalization, social media is in everyday life for billions today. Social media, at the same time, is one of the cornerstones of popular culture, along with consumption and individualization. Social media is not a venue where people display what they experience. It is a place where people post things in their lives that they would like other people to see. Therefore, social media creates a perception of reality, which is fake. Though, this is not a claim that calls the life, which everyone envies and follow, fake. Allen (1993) explains the concept of truth in his work as the information that is obtained, including both good and bad sides of a state or action. Therefore, one displaying only the good in his or her life on social media and hiding the bad is technically lying. There is not a need to show off using items that people do not possess in order for a social media account to be faking. Arfini et al. define online identity as the characterization of a person in a way that they would like it to be (2020). Having a fake life on social media has an effect on real life. This side effect is internal sadness, which leads to some other bigger issues that will be explained later in this essay.

Fake Life to Real Sadness

The examples of the perfect lives on social media accounts were given above. Let us open it up a bit and analyze it more in-depth. Influence is one of the main aspects of human nature. An artist uses another artist’s work as an influence for himself, a scientist bases new studies on a previously proven theory, and a person observes an action or a style in another’s life and copies it or improves his or her own style. There is even a concept we call a “role model”, which means copying or varying the life, achievements, or ideas of someone accomplished.

However, the role models of yesterday were way too different than the sources of influence of today. Remember Marie Curie, who influenced many young women into the world of science. Michael Jordan, the idol for another NBA superstar Kobe Bryant. Or Nikola Tesla, who influenced countless engineers to develop new gadgets. Now, having a look at the role models of today, the difference is obvious. 8 out of 10 accounts on any social media platform contains the tag “influencer” in it. Is it that easy to influence people today? Or since the population in the world has boosted excessively, so that humanity needs more and more icons to get influenced? Or are we all just faking? Leaving the cheap influencers on social media, let us have a look at the celebrities who people see as role model for themselves. Kim Kardashian, a barbie-doll woman whose all capabilities are fighting with her family members on TV and spending a tremendous amount of money on nonsense items. Justin Bieber, a male child singer with an ordinary voice, and now as he is an adult, he is able to pose half-naked. Elon Musk, an ordinary engineer who made a lot of money in an easy way thanks to his luck, and now acting as a genius. These examples of made-up role models are countless. However, the point is that these people are not worth being role models, as well as the people who own a million-follower social media account.

These sources of influence are another factor that brings the fake reality of popular culture into existence. Everyone could be Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber, or Elon Musk. It does not necessarily require talent or intelligence. However, at the same time, not everyone could be one of them since they do not have the advantage that those people had in the beginning, or they are not chosen to be figures of the popular culture. This means there are two types of inputs in the market of popular culture. These two inputs that popular culture consumes are the worshipped and the worshippers. 50 years from now, none of these figures or the ones who admire them, or even the platforms used today, will be remembered, just like a singing superstar of the time on a VHS cassette.

The concept of social media, the fake reality that it creates, and the figures it uses to create this fake reality have been introduced and explained up to this point. Lastly, let us have a look at the final outcome of these. As it was explained before, social media creates a fake reality where everyone is happy, and it creates role models that everyone loves and want to be similar to. As a result of these, people feel poor, helpless, alone, or unaccomplished as soon as they move their eyes away from the screen of their devices (Jurgenson, 2011). The final product of this setup is sadness. The aim of this popular culture marketing strategy is to make people more worthless so that they would follow their role models more and imitate them. As a result, the popular culture will be more popular and richer. People who lose their connection with the perception of reality of the world tend to start living in this fake, flawless, and sparkling life. Which leads to alienation. Maté (2020) defines alienation in his speech as the lack of ability of people in society to socially interact.

Reality Essay: Conclusion

The result of alienation is a strategy that is kind of similar to the divide and rule policy of offensive totalitarian leaders. People are pulled off the society one by one using a number of sources on the internet, and these sources we call social media are all very easy to control since every single platform is directed by a headquarters of its own. Singled out people start to drown in a whirlpool of fake reality and feeling of inadequacy. The alienation comes as the final step of all these processes. Today’s youth read less than half of the youth of the 80s and the 90s. The vast majority of young adults are interested neither in politics nor in economics, and these two determines the way they live their real, physical life. The social interaction of people in real life, such as on the street or a bar/café, is at the lowest level possible. No one has trust in another, and no one opens up with the fear of revealing their weaknesses. This is the overall result of popular culture and social media. This is pure alienation from society. This is the alienation of the whole society.

Allen, B. (1993). Truth in philosophy. Harvard University Press.

Arfini, S., Botta Parandera, L., Gazzaniga, C., Maggioni, N., & Tacchino, A. (2020). Online identity crisis identity issues in online communities. Minds and Machines. doi:10.1007/s11023-020-09542-7

Maté, G. (2020, February 7). How society makes you feel alienated – Gabor Maté. YouTube. Retrieved February 12, 2021, from https://youtube.com/

Jurgenson, N. (2011). Digital dualism versus augmented reality. The Society Pages, 24.

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China Books & Literature

No man’s city – a chinese blogger’s powerful essay about the “fake lives” of beijing residents.

An essay titled “Beijing Has 20 Million People Pretending to Live There” by Chinese blogger Zhang Wumao has gone viral on Chinese social media. The essay describes how Beijing has changed into a city that is overrun by ‘outsiders’ and no longer belongs to the ‘old Beijingers.’ The article has now been censored. Chinese state media say the essay impedes good relations between Beijing’s locals and immigrants.

An essay titled “ Beijing Has 20 Million People Pretending to Live Here ” by Chinese blogger Zhang Wumao (张五毛) has gone viral on Chinese social media, sparking wide debate on life in China’s capital. The essay describes how Beijing has changed into a city that is overrun by ‘outsiders’ and no longer belongs to the ‘old Beijingers.’ Chinese state media say the essay, which is now censored, polarizes the relations between Beijing’s locals and immigrants.

A n online essay titled “Beijing Has 20 Million People Pretending to Live Here” (or: “ There are 20 Million People in Beijing Pretending to Have a Life ” “北京,有2000万人假装在生活”, full English translation here ) by Chinese writer and blogger Zhang Wumao (张五毛) became a viral hit on WeChat and Weibo after it was published on the author’s WeChat account on July 23.

The essay is a witty yet powerful critique of Beijing and its residents. Over the last decade, and especially over the past few years, Beijing has undergone enormous changes. The city is expanding, high-rise buildings are mushrooming, while old hutong areas are bricked up and familiar neighborhoods demolished for the sake of the city’s metamorphosis in an ‘international metropolis.’

According to Mr. Zhang, the city’s rapid transformation has turned it into a place with no identity; a place that nobody can call home. The essay argues that Beijing has been overrun by migrant workers or waidiren (外地人, ‘people from outside the city’), and that these ‘outsiders’ have turned China’s capital into a place with staggering house prices and heavy traffic that lacks soul. The city no longer really belongs to native Beijingers, Zhang writes, as they cannot even recognize their old neighborhoods anymore.

The essay describes how Beijing has become so big, so full, and so expensive, that life has virtually become unsustainable. The result of Beijing’s transformation, according to the post, is that its residents, both locals and immigrants, just “pretend to live there”, leading “fake lives.”

ZHANG GUOCHEN

“It was destined to go viral. It ridicules Beijing + it talks about migrant workers + real estate market + and state of life.”

Zhang Wumao, whose real name is Zhang Guochen (张国臣), is an author born in the early 1980s. He is from Luonan, Shaanxi, and came to Beijing at the age of 25 in 2006. A year later he started blogging. He previously published the novels Spring is Burning (春天在燃烧) and Princess’s Tomb (公主坟).

Zhang’s online essay about Beijing spread like wildfire on WeChat and Weibo on Sunday. It was viewed over 5 million times within an evening and soon became a trending article on WeChat. It triggered wide debate across Chinese social media on the lives of people in Beijing.

WeChat’s “Today” overview showing dozens of mentions of Zhang’s essay earlier this week. (via zhihu.com)

On Monday and Tuesday, the essay was also republished by various Chinese media such as Tencent News, iFeng, and Sohu.com.

But on July 25, the full text was removed from all social media accounts and Chinese online newspapers. Its hashtag on Weibo (# 北京有2000万人假装在生活 #) is now no longer accessible.

On Tuesday, any link for the online essay came up with a ‘404 page’ saying: “Cannot open – you can no longer view this page!”

The article also disappeared from Zhang’s WeChat account.

Zhang’s Wechat account shows that the article from July 23 has now been deleted.

On Quora-like discussion platform Zhihu.com, one person said the essay was destined to become a hype: “This is a typical Wechat viral article. It ridicules Beijing + it talks about migrant workers + real estate market + and state of life. As it contains all of these elements in 1 article, the author just intended for this to become a hit.”

A SENSITIVE ESSAY

“What Beijingers increasingly feel is the suffocation of the smog and the high cost of housing. They cannot move, they cannot breathe.”

Zhang’s essay is divided into five paragraphs. In the first part, he explains that Beijingers often seem inhospitable; the city is so huge and congested, that people simply cannot find the time to see their friends in other parts of the city.

“Beijing is really too big; so big that it is simply not like a city at all. It is equivalent to 2.5 times Shanghai, 8.4 times Shenzhen, 15 times Hong Kong, 21 times New York, or 27 times Seoul. When friends from outside come to Beijing, they think they’re close to me. But actually, we’re hardly in the same city at all.”

“For 10 years, Beijing has been controlling housing, controlling traffic, and controlling the population. But this pancake is only getting wider and bigger, so much that when a school friend from Xi’an calls me to say he’s in Beijing and I ask him where he is, he tells me: “I am at the 13th Ring.” Beijing is a tumor, and no one can control how fast it is growing; Beijing is a river, and no one can draw its borders. Beijing is a believer, and only Xiong’an can bring salvation.”

The second part, which is titled ‘Beijing actually belongs to outsiders’ (北京其实是外地人的北京), claims that Beijing is one of the most beloved cities in China because of its rich cultural heritage and long history, but that this is something that is only of value to people from outside the city.

“In the 11 years since I’ve come to Beijing, I have been to the Great Wall 11 times, 12 times the Imperial Palace, 9 times to the Summer Palace, and 20 times to the Bird’s Nest. I feel emotionless about this city’s great architecture and long history. (..) Going into the Forbidden City, I only see one empty house after the other – it’s less interesting than the lively pigsties we have in my native village.”

“Upon mentioning Beijing, many people first think of the Palace Museum, Houhai, 798; they think of history, culture, and high-rise buildings. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? It’s good! Does it make us proud? It does! But you can’t make food out of these things. What Beijingers increasingly feel is the suffocation of the smog and the high cost of housing. They cannot move, they cannot breathe.”

He then goes on to mock the old residents of Beijing, who still have the upper hand in the real estate market despite the flood of new immigrants, all owning “five-room houses.” The old Beijingers lead very different lives from the migrant workers, who are caught in a negative spiral of hard work, no social life, and finding a place to settle down.

“In Beijing, the migrant workers, who have no real estate from previous generations, are destined to be trapped in their house for life. They strive for over a decade to buy an apartment the size of a bird cage; then spend another decade struggling to get a house that has two rooms rather than one. If that goes well, congratulations, you can now consider an apartment in the school district.”

“With a house in the school district, children can attend Tsinghua or Peking University. But Tsinghua graduates will still not be able to afford a room in that district. They will then either need to stay crammed together in the old shabby family apartment, or start from scratch, struggling for another apartment.”

“For Beijing’s new immigrants, the city is a distant place where they can’t stay; for Beijing’s old residents, the city is an old home they can’t return to.”

In the final part of the essay, however, Zhang shows his sympathy for the old residents of Beijing:

“I once took a taxi to Lin Cui Road. Because I was afraid the driver wouldn’t know the way, I opened the navigation on my phone to help him find the way. He said he did not need the navigation because he knew that place. There was a flour mill there 30 years ago, he said, it was demolished 10 years ago, and they built low-income housing there. I asked him how he knew this so well. “That used to be my home,” he said, the sorrow showing in his face.”

“I could hear nostalgia and resentment from the driver’s words. For Beijing’s new immigrants, the city is a distant place where they can’t stay; for Beijing’s old residents, the city is an old home they can’t return to.”

“We, as outsiders, ridicule Beijing on the one hand, while on the other hand, we cherish our hometowns. But in fact, we can still go back to our hometown. It is still there. (..) But for the old Beijingers, there really is no way to go back to their hometown. It has changed with unprecedented speed. We can still find our grandfather’s old house. The majority of Beijingers can only find the location of their old homes through the coordinates on a map.”

He concludes his article by highlighting the recent demolishment of old Beijing shops and restaurants, saying that the city is being renovated but is becoming less livable.

“Those who chase their dreams of success are now escaping [Beijing]. They’re off to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, or the West Coast of the United States. Those who’ve lost hope of chasing their dreams are also escaping. They return to Hebei, the Northeast, their hometowns.”

He ends by writing: “There are over 20 million people left in this city, pretending to live. In reality, there simply is no life in this city. Here, there are only some people’s dreams and everybody’s jobs.”

CHINESE MEDIA RESPONSES

“The contrast between old Beijingers and new immigrants is exaggerated, and it polarizes the relationship between locals and outsiders.”

Despite censorship of the actual text, Zhang’s essay is widely discussed by Chinese official media.

State media outlet People’s Daily (@ 人民日报 ) writes on Weibo:

“The essay ‘Beijing Has 20 Million People Pretending to Live There’ is a viral hit but is not approved of. There really is such a thing as the “Big City Disease”, and we do not need to pretend as if people in first-tier cities are not struggling and facing hardships. But in Beijing, both locals and outsiders are alive and kicking; they are all the more real because of their dreams. Making a living is hard, but it is the days of watching flowers blossom and wilt that are full of life. The city and its people don’t have it easy, but they have to show some tolerance for each other and then they can both succeed.”

Xinhua News Agency also published a response to the article titled: “Lives in the City Cannot Be Fake” (“ 一个城市的生活无法“假装 “).

Lashing out against Mr. Zhang, they write that: “Beijing has no human warmth, Beijing is a city of outsiders, old Beijingers can’t go back to their city – behind every one of these sentences is not the ‘fakeness’ of Beijing, but the clamor of the author’s emotions about ‘coming to Beijing.'”

State broadcaster CCTV (@ 央视新闻 ) also responds to the essay on Weibo, saying:

“Over the past few days, the essay ‘Beijing Has 20 Million People Pretending to Live There’ has exploded on the Internet, but how the text portrays the contrast between old Beijingers and new immigrants is exaggerated, and it polarizes the relationship between native Beijingers and outsiders. In reality, Beijing is not as cold as it is described in the essay. Everyone already knows that it’s not easy living in a big city. The future of Beijing is in the hands of competent, daring and hardworking people who pursue their dreams.”

A STORM OF DEBATE

“I am one of these 20 million people, and my life is not fake – I am living it.”

On social media, many netizens commented on the state media’s responses to Zhang, saying they were tired of the repeated emphasis on “people’s dreams.” One person said: “My belly is empty, what are you talking about dreams for?! Dreams cannot guarantee our most basic needs for survival.”

Many people on Weibo and QQ also applauded Zhang’s essay for being “well-written”, “honest”, and “real.”

But there are also those who do not agree with the essay and take offense at how it describes Beijingers leading “fake” or “pretense” lives. A Beijing resident nicknamed ‘Little Fish’ (@小小的爱鱼) commented: “What on earth gave him the courage to speak on behalf of 20 million Beijing people? I am one of these 20 million people, and sorry, but my life is not fake – I am living it.”

“I work overtime until 9 pm, then take the bus and subway and won’t arrive home before 23:38, then quickly rinse my face and brush my teeth and roll into bed. But it’s still life. What life and being alive is all about ultimately is a personal issue,” one other netizen from Beijing says.

“Mr. Zhang,” one angry commenter writes: “You can leave this cold and big city of Beijing, and go back to your ‘real’ live in that pigsty of yours that’s supposedly more imposing than the Forbidden City.”

The recent hype surrounding Zhang’s essay somewhat resembles the overnight buzz over the autobiographical essay of Beijing migrant worker Fan Yusu . This essay also described various hardships in the lives of Beijing migrant workers.

Fan Yusu’s essay and posts related to it were also taken offline after several days when discussions on the account spread across Chinese social media.

Zhang’s hit essay shows that the combination of writing about “migrant workers + Beijing + real estate + state of life” = indeed one that is bound to attract wide attention and debate on social media. Although it is also a recurring topic in China’s official media, those channels prefer to focus on the idea of hardworking people who pursue their (Chinese) dreams, rather than to spread a narrative about people living “fake lives” in a cold city.

One commenter says: “Whether you fake it or you try hard, it’s all okay: this is Beijing. It’s not livable, but you sure can make a living.”

Special thanks to Diandian Guo .

©2017 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at [email protected] .

“Beijing Has 20 Million People Pretending to Live Here” (Full Translation)

The Anti “Halalification” Crusade of Chinese Netizens

Manya Koetse is the founder and editor-in-chief of whatsonweibo.com . She is a writer, public speaker, and researcher (Sinologist, MPhil) on social trends, digital developments, and new media in an ever-changing China, with a focus on Chinese society, pop culture, and gender issues. She shares her love for hotpot on hotpotambassador.com . Contact at [email protected] , or follow on Twitter .

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Why Chinese Publishers Are Boycotting the 618 Shopping Festival

Bookworms love to get a good deal on books, but when the deals are too good, it can actually harm the publishing industry.

JD.com’s 618 shopping festival is driving down book prices to such an extent that it has prompted a boycott by Chinese publishers, who are concerned about the financial sustainability of their industry.

W hen June begins, promotional campaigns for China’s 618 Online Shopping Festival suddenly appear everywhere—it’s hard to ignore.

The 618 Festival is a product of China’s booming e-commerce culture. Taking place annually on June 18th, it is China’s largest mid-year shopping carnival. While Alibaba’s “Singles’ Day” shopping festival has been taking place on November 11th since 2009, the 618 Festival was launched by another Chinese e-commerce giant, JD.com (京东), to celebrate the company’s anniversary, boost its sales, and increase its brand value.

By now, other e-commerce platforms such as Taobao and Pinduoduo have joined the 618 Festival, and it has turned into another major nationwide shopping spree event.

For many book lovers in China, 618 has become the perfect opportunity to stock up on books. In previous years, e-commerce platforms like JD.com and Dangdang (当当) would roll out tempting offers during the festival, such as “300 RMB ($41) off for every 500 RMB ($69) spent” or “50 RMB ($7) off for every 100 RMB ($13.8) spent.”

Starting in May, about a month before 618, the largest bookworm community group on the Douban platform, nicknamed “Buying Like Landsliding, Reading Like Silk Spinning” ( 买书如山倒，看书如抽丝 ), would start buzzing with activity, discussing book sales, comparing shopping lists, or sharing views about different issues.

Social media users share lists of which books to buy during the 618 shopping festivities.

This year, however, the mood within the group was different. Many members posted that before the 618 season began, books from various publishers were suddenly taken down from e-commerce platforms, disappearing from their online shopping carts. This unusual occurrence sparked discussions among book lovers, with speculations arising about a potential conflict between Chinese publishers and e-commerce platforms.

A joint statement posted in May provided clarity. According to Chinese media outlet The Paper (@ 澎湃新闻 ), eight publishers in Beijing and the Shanghai Publishing and Distribution Association, which represent 46 publishing units in Shanghai, issued a statement indicating they refuse to participate in this year’s 618 promotional campaign as proposed by JD.com.

The collective industry boycott has a clear motivation: during JD’s 618 promotional campaign, which offers all books at steep discounts (e.g., 60-70% off) for eight days, publishers lose money on each book sold. Meanwhile, JD.com continues to profit by forcing publishers to sell books at significantly reduced prices (e.g., 80% off). For many publishers, it is simply not sustainable to sell books at 20% of the original price.

One person who has openly spoken out against JD.com’s practices is Shen Haobo (沈浩波), founder and CEO of Chinese book publisher Motie Group (磨铁集团). Shen shared a post on WeChat Moments on May 31st, stating that Motie has completely stopped shipping to JD.com as it opposes the company’s low-price promotions. Shen said it felt like JD.com is “repeatedly rubbing our faces into the ground.”

Nevertheless, many netizens expressed confusion over the situation. Under the hashtag topic “Multiple Publishers Are Boycotting the 618 Book Promotions” (# 多家出版社抵制618图书大促 #), people complained about the relatively high cost of physical books.

With a single legitimate copy often costing 50-60 RMB ($7-$8.3), and children’s books often costing much more, many Chinese readers can only afford to buy books during big sales. They question the justification for these rising prices, as books used to be much more affordable.

Book blogger TaoLangGe (@ 陶朗歌 ) argues that for ordinary readers in China, the removal of discounted books is not good news. As consumers, most people are not concerned with the “life and death of the publishing industry” and naturally prefer cheaper books.

However, industry insiders argue that a “price war” on books may not truly benefit buyers in the end, as it is actually driving up the prices as a forced response to the frequent discount promotions by e-commerce platforms.

China News (@ 中国新闻网 ) interviewed publisher San Shi (三石), who noted that people’s expectations of book prices can be easily influenced by promotional activities, leading to a subconscious belief that purchasing books at such low prices is normal. Publishers, therefore, feel compelled to reduce costs and adopt price competition to attract buyers. However, the space for cost reduction in paper and printing is limited.

Eventually, this pressure could affect the quality and layout of books, including their binding, design, and editing. In the long run, if a vicious cycle develops, it would be detrimental to the production and publication of high-quality books, ultimately disappointing book lovers who will struggle to find the books they want, in the format they prefer.

This debate temporarily resolved with JD.com’s compromise. According to The Paper , JD.com has started to abandon its previous strategy of offering extreme discounts across all book categories. Publishers now have a certain degree of autonomy, able to decide the types of books and discount rates for platform promotions.

While most previously delisted books have returned for sale, JD.com’s silence on their official social media channels leaves people worried about the future of China’s publishing industry in an era dominated by e-commerce platforms, especially at a time when online shops and livestreamers keep competing over who has the best book deals, hyping up promotional campaigns like ‘9.9 RMB ($1.4) per book with free shipping’ to ‘1 RMB ($0.15) books.’

This year’s developments surrounding the publishing industry and 618 has led to some discussions that have created more awareness among Chinese consumers about the true price of books. “I was planning to bulk buy books this year,” one commenter wrote: “But then I looked at my bookshelf and saw that some of last year’s books haven’t even been unwrapped yet.”

Another commenter wrote : “Although I’m just an ordinary reader, I still feel very sad about this situation. It’s reasonable to say that lower prices are good for readers, but what I see is an unfavorable outlook for publishers and the book market. If this continues, no one will want to work in this industry, and for readers who do not like e-books and only prefer physical books, this is definitely not a good thing at all!”

By Ruixin Zhang , edited with further input by Manya Koetse

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The Many Books Lost in the China Floods: Catastrophic Flooding Hits Zhuozhou’s Publishing Industry

After Typhoon Doksuri, some major warehouses in Zhuozhou have seen their depots transform into a sea of floating books.

Dozens of prominent Chinese publishing companies and book warehouses based in Hebei’s Zhuozhou, a major hub for the publishing industry, have witnessed their book depots destroyed as water levels surged as high as the second floor. Distribution will be at a standstill for at least 15 days.

Z huozhou (涿州) is a county-level city in Baoding, Hebei Province, known as a major hub for the Chinese publishing industry. It is one of the areas that has been badly affected by the heavy rainfall and flash floodings China has seen this week, after Typhoon Doksuri moved from the Philippines to Taiwan toward Beijing and surrounding regions in mainland China.

In Zhuozhou, dozens of publishing warehouses were affected by floods and water damage due to the storm, resulting in losses amounting to hundreds of millions of yuan. Zhuozhou’s print media industry is closely linked with the center of China’s publishing industry in Beijing, just 25 miles away.

Some warehouses, such as that of Beijing China Media Times, are as large as 8000 square meters, housing over three million books. According to Sina News , one area that housed around 200 publishing companies was almost entirely flooded.

A Weibo post by the Hong Kong Ta Kung Wen Wei Media Group (HKTKWW, @ 大公文匯網 ) showed the status quo at some warehouses, which had changed into a sea of books.

Posted on Weibo by HKTKWW, @ 大公文匯網 , the situation at the Beijing China Media Times book warehouse in Zhuozhou.

Publisher Books China (中图网), known as an industry “outlet store” for selling discounted and out-of-print books, also saw its central Zhuozhou warehouse completely flooded.

Around 100 of their staff members remained trapped at the office on Tuesday night without any food, drinks, or blankets, while water levels continued to rise. An additional cause for concern was the strong odor emanating from a nearby adhesive tape factory. Some employees suspected that toxic gases might have leaked, leading to several of them feeling unwell and vomiting after exposure.

According to China News (@ 中国新闻网 ), all employees were safely evacuated on Wednesday.

Photo posted on Weibo by China News (@中国新闻网), showing how the Books China (中图网) major warehouse was severely impacted by the recent floods, with water levels rising up to the second floor.

In an interview with Chinese newspaper Southern Weekend (南方周末), Beijing China Media Times CEO Ran Zijian (冉子健) revealed that his company had not received any advance warning about the heavy rains and the possibility of flooding, despite the area being prone to floods due to its low-lying terrains. All of the company’s 3.6 million books are now submerged underwater.

Photos provided to Southern Weekend, Weibo .

The water levels rose so rapidly on Tuesday that there was hardly any time to rescue the books, making the evacuation of staff members the first priority. Bookseller Zou Bin (邹斌) told Southern Weekend that he saw the water levels rising so fast in his 5,000 square meter warehouse that he basically witnessed “25 million yuan [$3.5 million] disappear in an hour, powerless to do anything about it.”

According to several Chinese news outlets, the distribution and dispatching of books will be impossible for numerous publishing houses based in Zhuozhou for at least the next 15 days. As the local book industry continues to assess the damages, it remains uncertain how severely the companies have been affected at this stage. For some, it feels like they are starting from scratch all over again.

But most netizens emphasize that it’s more important that employees are safe, as people’s lives are more important than paper books. “Who cares about dispatching books at this time?” some commenters wonder, while others express grief about all the books lost, saying, “It’s just such a pity.”

By Manya Koetse  

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Attitude — My Attitude To Fake Friends

Fake Friends Experience and My Attitude to It

• Categories: Attitude Friendship Personal Life

About this sample

Words: 580 |

Published: Jun 17, 2020

Words: 580 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Works Cited

• Archer, J., & Coyne, S. M. (2005). An integrated review of indirect, relational, and social aggression. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 9(3), 212-230. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327957pspr0903_2
• Bukowski, W. M., & Sippola, L. K. (2018). Aggression and friendship. In The Cambridge Handbook of Group Interaction Analysis (pp. 119-138). Cambridge University Press.
• Camarena, P. M., & Sarigiani, P. A. (2017). Adolescent peer relationships. In P. M. Camarena & S. Sarigiani (Eds.), Handbook of adolescent development research and its impact on global policy (pp. 195-210). Oxford University Press.
• Coyne, S. M., Archer, J., & Eslea, M. (2006). We're not friends anymore! Unless...: The frequency and harmfulness of indirect, relational, and social aggression. Aggressive Behavior, 32(4), 294-307. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.20115
• Hamm, J. V. (2015). Peer harassment and victimization in adolescence: An overview of the nature, extent, and impact of a growing problem. In R. DiGiuseppe & J. Leafgren (Eds.), A therapist's guide to child and adolescent depression (pp. 237-254). Routledge.
• Hojjat, M., & Moyer, A. (2017). The psychology of friendship. Oxford University Press.
• John, A. (2014). Betrayal and its aftermath: The emotional impact of trauma. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-human-beast/201406/betrayal-and-its-aftermath-the-emotional-impact-trauma
• Leary, M. R., & Springer, C. (2001). Hurt feelings: The neglected emotion. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 5(11), 520-534. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9004.2011.00410.x
• Salmivalli, C., Kärnä, A., & Poskiparta, E. (2010). Bullying in schools: The power of bullies and the plight of victims. Annual Review of Psychology, 60, 365-385. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.093008.100534
• Vangelisti, A. L., & Perlman, D. (2006). The Cambridge handbook of personal relationships. Cambridge University Press.

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Trump rally flag flew high above stage, not photoshopped in | Fact check

The claim: Image showing US flag behind Trump during shooting was doctored

A July 14 Threads post ( direct link , archive link ) questions the authenticity of an image showing an American flag flying behind former President Donald Trump after he survived an assassination attempt on July 13. 

“This has been bugging me since it happened,” reads the post, which is a response to another post with a collage of shooting pictures.

One of the photos in that collage shows Trump with blood on his face, pumping his fist as an American flag flies above him.

“The viral pic has a flag. There was no flag behind Trump and the SS. Who photoshopped in the flag?” the post says

The Threads post was reposted more than 80 times in two days. The original post also spread widely on Threads. 

More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page

Fact check roundup: False claims about Trump rally shooting spread online

Our rating: False

The image wasn’t doctored. The flag was positioned high above the stage, so it could only be seen from certain angles and distances.

Livestream, photos from various outlets show flag

The flag was present at the rally, though its position meant it wasn't visible in every photo from the event. It was hung between two cranes and positioned well above the stage at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, T he Washington Post reported . 

The flag can be seen in a post-shooting wide shot from Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci, who also took the photo included in the original Threads post. A photo by the London-based Daily Mirror also shows the flag flying between the cranes from a different angle. 

Fact check : Man pretended he was Trump rally shooter in a viral video

The flag can also be seen flying in the background of Right Side Broadcasting Network's livestream of the event.

USA TODAY has debunked an array of claims surrounding the shooting, including false assertions that a video shows the assassination attempt was “staged,” that an image authentically shows Trump with smiling Secret Service agents after the incident and that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas denied requests for additional security at the rally. 

USA TODAY reached out to users who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Our fact-check sources:

• Associated Press, July 15, At the Trump rally, it was evening sun, songs and blue sky. Then came bullets, screams and blood 
• The Daily Mirror, July 15, EXCLUSIVE: American flag and spotlights only remnants of deadly Donald Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania
• CNN, July 14, Trump safe, two dead after assassination attempt at Pennsylvania rally 
• Right Side Broadcasting Network, July 13, BREAKING: ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON PRESIDENT TRUMP AT BUTLER, P.A. RALLY – 7/13/24
• The Washington Post, July 13, Pops, screams and then blood: On the scene at the Trump rally shooting 

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here .

USA TODAY is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta .

The Gunman and the Would-Be Dictator

Violence stalks the president who has rejoiced in violence to others.

Listen to more stories on hark

When a madman hammered nearly to death the husband of then–House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Donald Trump jeered and mocked . One of Trump’s sons and other close Trump supporters avidly promoted false claims that Paul Pelosi had somehow brought the onslaught upon himself through a sexual misadventure.

After authorities apprehended a right-wing-extremist plot to abduct Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Trump belittled the threat at a rally. He disparaged Whitmer as a political enemy. His supporters chanted “Lock her up.” Trump laughed and replied , “Lock them all up.”

Fascism feasts on violence. In the years since his own supporters attacked the Capitol to overturn the 2020 election—many of them threatening harm to Speaker Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence—Trump has championed the invaders, would-be kidnappers, and would-be murderers as martyrs and hostages. He has vowed to pardon them if returned to office. His own staffers have testified to the glee with which Trump watched the mayhem on television.

Now the bloodshed that Trump has done so much to incite against others has touched him as well. The attempted murder of Trump—and the killing of a person nearby—is a horror and an outrage. More will be learned about the man who committed this appalling act, and who was killed by the Secret Service. Whatever his mania or motive, the only important thing about him is the law-enforcement mistake that allowed him to bring a deadly weapon so close to a campaign event and gain a sight line of the presidential candidate. His name should otherwise be erased and forgotten.

It is sadly incorrect to say, as so many have, that political violence “has no place” in American society. Assassinations, lynchings, riots, and pogroms have stained every page of American political history. That has remained true to the present day. In 2016 , and even more in 2020, Trump supporters brought weapons to intimidate opponents and vote-counters. Trump and his supporters envision a new place for violence as their defining political message in the 2024 election. Fascist movements are secular religions. Like all religions, they offer martyrs as their proof of truth. The Mussolini movement in Italy built imposing monuments to its fallen comrades. The Trump movement now improves on that: The leader himself will be the martyr in chief, his own blood the basis for his bid for power and vengeance.

Christopher R. Browning: A new kind of fascism

The 2024 election was already shaping up as a symbolic contest between an elderly and weakening liberalism too frail and uncertain to protect itself and an authoritarian, reactionary movement ready to burst every barrier and trash every institution. To date, Trump has led only a minority of U.S. voters, but that minority’s passion and audacity have offset what it lacks in numbers. After the shooting, Trump and his backers hope to use the iconography of a bloody ear and face, raised fist, and call to “Fight!” to summon waverers to their cause of installing Trump as an anti-constitutional ruler, exempted from ordinary law by his allies on the Supreme Court.

Other societies have backslid to authoritarianism because of some extraordinary crisis: economic depression, hyperinflation, military defeat, civil strife. In 2024, U.S. troops are nowhere at war. The American economy is booming, providing spectacular and widely shared prosperity. A brief spasm of mild post-pandemic inflation has been overcome. Indicators of social health have abruptly turned positive since Trump left office after years of deterioration during his term. Crime and fatal drug overdoses are declining in 2024; marriages and births are rising. Even the country’s problems indirectly confirm the country’s success: Migrants are crossing the border in the hundreds of thousands, because they know, even if Americans don’t, that the U.S. job market is among the hottest on Earth.

Yet despite all of this success, Americans are considering a form of self-harm that in other countries has typically followed the darkest national failures: letting the author of a failed coup d’état return to office to try again.

One reason this self-harm is nearing consummation is that American society is poorly prepared to understand and respond to radical challenges, once those challenges gain a certain mass. For nearly a century, “radical” in U.S. politics has usually meant “fringe”: Communists, Ku Kluxers, Black Panthers, Branch Davidians, Islamist jihadists. Radicals could be marginalized by the weight of the great American consensus that stretches from social democrats to business conservatives. Sometimes, a Joe McCarthy or a George Wallace would throw a scare into that mighty consensus, but in the past such challengers rarely formed stable coalitions with accepted stakeholders in society. Never gaining an enduring grip on the institutions of state, they flared up and burned out.

Trump is different. His abuses have been ratified by powerful constituencies. He has conquered and colonized one of the two major parties. He has defeated—or is on the way to defeating—every impeachment and prosecution to hold him to account for his frauds and crimes. He has assembled a mass following that is larger, more permanent, and more national in reach than any previous American demagogue. He has dominated the scene for nine years already, and he and his supporters hope they can use yesterday’s appalling event to extend the Trump era to the end of his life and beyond.

The American political and social system cannot treat such a person as an alien. It inevitably accommodates and naturalizes him. His counselors, even the thugs and felons, join the point-counterpoint dialogue at the summit of the American elite. President Joe Biden nearly wrecked his campaign because he felt obliged to meet Trump in debate. How could Biden have done otherwise? Trump is the three-time nominee of the Republican Party; it’s awkward and strange to treat him as an insurrectionist against the American state—though that’s what Trump was and is.

David Frum: Biden’s heartbreaking press conference

The despicable shooting at Trump, which also caused death and injury to others, now secures his undeserved position as a partner in the protective rituals of the democracy he despises. The appropriate expressions of dismay and condemnation from every prominent voice in American life have the additional effect of habituating Americans to Trump’s legitimacy. In the face of such an outrage, the familiar and proper practice is to stress unity, to proclaim that Americans have more things in common than that divide them. Those soothing words, true in the past, are less true now.

Nobody seems to have language to say: We abhor, reject, repudiate, and punish all political violence, even as we maintain that Trump remains himself a promoter of such violence, a subverter of American institutions, and the very opposite of everything decent and patriotic in American life.

The Republican National Convention, which opens this week, will welcome to its stage apologists for Vladimir Putin’s Russia and its aggression against U.S. allies. Trump’s own infatuation with Russia and other dictatorships has not dimmed even slightly with age or experience. Yet all of these urgent and necessary truths must now be subordinated to the ritual invocation of “thoughts and prayers” for someone who never gave a thought or uttered a prayer for any of the victims of his own many incitements to bloodshed. The president who used his office to champion the rights of dangerous people to own military-type weapons says he was grazed by a bullet from one such assault rifle.

Conventional phrases and polite hypocrisy fill a useful function in social life. We say “Thank you for your service” both to the decorated hero and to the veteran who barely escaped dishonorable discharge. It’s easier than deciphering which was which. We wish “Happy New Year!” even when we dread the months ahead.

Adrienne LaFrance: Thoughts, prayers, and Facebook rants aren’t enough

But conventional phrases don’t go unheard. They carry meanings, meanings no less powerful for being rote and reflexive. In rightly denouncing violence, we are extending an implicit pardon to the most violent person in contemporary U.S. politics. In asserting unity, we are absolving a man who seeks power through the humiliation and subordination of disdained others.

Those conventional phrases are inscribing Trump into a place in American life that he should have forfeited beyond redemption on January 6, 2021. All decent people welcome the sparing of his life. Trump’s reckoning should be with the orderly process of law, not with the bloodshed he rejoiced in when it befell others. He and his allies will exploit a gunman’s vicious criminality as their path to exonerate past crimes and empower new ones. Those who stand against Trump and his allies must find the will and the language to explain why these crimes, past and planned, are all wrong, all intolerable—and how the gunman and Trump, at their opposite ends of a bullet’s trajectory, are nonetheless joined together as common enemies of law and democracy.

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How to Fake an Answer to an Essay Question

Last Updated: October 27, 2021

This article was co-authored by Megan Morgan, PhD . Megan Morgan is a Graduate Program Academic Advisor in the School of Public & International Affairs at the University of Georgia. She earned her PhD in English from the University of Georgia in 2015. This article has been viewed 23,096 times.

Many of us have had the experience of sitting in a classroom or lecture hall, staring at an essay question without the faintest idea how we'll compose an answer, even if we've studied. Essays require more creativity of test-takers and offer fewer boundaries for those unfamiliar with the material. The good news, however, is that the open-ended nature of essay exams offers a variety of opportunities to salvage your grade, even when you feel unprepared. Some methods require a few minutes of advance preparation, while others are useful strategies to tuck away in case of future academic emergency. Use a combination of these methods to ensure that even when you "fake" an answer you aren't just wasting time and pencil lead.

Preparing for an Exam When You're Short on Time

• Take a few moments to familiarize yourself with a few key concepts from the units or topics covered since your last exam.
• Avoid becoming bogged down in details when time is limited -- skim quickly through the material, then go back if you have extra time. Look for the "big picture" themes and topics, as these are likely to be helpful when writing an essay answer.
• That being said, pay particular attention to recurring terms or specific jargon. If your instructor frequently refers to a specific term, changes are he or she finds it significant. Review frequently used jargon so you don't find yourself hung up on unfamiliar wording. You'll be disappointed later if you discover you really did know the material, but failed to recognize a key technical term or phrase!

• Do you recognize names, dates, events, concepts, or ideas elsewhere in the test that might be relevant to the essay? Treat the rest of the test as a memory-jog for the essay.
• Can you use an example stated elsewhere in the exam as an example in your essay?
• Once you've finished the non-essay portion of the test, do you feel, based upon your quick review of key topics, like anything big is "missing" from the exam? Chances are that even if you find the language of the essay question confusing, the "missing" topic(s) are what the essay's meant to cover.

Composing an Outline During the Exam

• What is the central topic of this essay? Jot down your best guess, even if you're unsure of the material.
• What type of essay is the teacher requesting? Is your instructor asking you to compare and contrast two ideas, describe a given idea or process, or compose an opinion essay? Note this information so you can compose your essay accordingly.
• If you see terms such as compare , contrast , apply , cause , and relate , your teacher is asking you to demonstrate how ideas are connected.
• Prove , justify , evaluate , respond , assess , support , synthesize , analyze , or argue are all clues your teacher is asking for your interpretation of the material. Keep in mind, however, that even when you're asked to interpret--state your opinion--you'll need to back up your opinion with concrete evidence. [1] X Trustworthy Source University of North Carolina Writing Center UNC's on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing process Go to source
• Pay particular attention to adjectives. A history essay, for example, may ask students to describe the political, economic, and social impact of an event. List these adjectives and be sure you address all three.
• Also note requests for specific numbers of examples. A biology essay might ask students to provide three examples of an evolutionary process. Note "three examples" and be sure you address this request -- even if you need to write that you only know two.

Avoiding Common Mistakes of the Unprepared

• Instead of absolute terms, use qualified statements. Rather than proclaiming something the "greatest" or the "worst," try using "among the best" or "perhaps some of the worst." Using qualified statements helps you avoid sounding foolish if you're not quite sure whether an event really was the "greatest," or an idea is, in fact, "the worst" of all time. [3] X Research source
• Don't lose sight of the larger picture. You might not enjoy the current political climate, for example, but calling a particular politician or party "the worst in history" on your politics exam is more likely to elicit a chuckle or an eye-roll than admiration; your teacher knows people have been referring to various politicians and parties as "the worst ever" for hundreds of years.
• Acknowledging that an issue or topic is highly complex can actually work in your favor. Write something like "It would be impossible to fully discuss the complex nature of Topic X in a limited essay, so I will focus on Themes A and B." Your teacher may be more likely to chalk up any omissions to the complicated nature of the subject -- which you've demonstrated you are aware of -- rather than you not knowing the material.

Working Your Way Around to What You do Know

• Which elements might connect to information you do understand?
• How might you compare what little you do know about a given essay topic to a topic you better understand?
• What openings do you see for demonstrating your understanding of the wider subject, even if you're unclear on something specific your teacher seems to be asking?

• Develop an analogy. Perhaps, for example, you recall studying the life cycle of the frog, but your essay question asks you about the life cycle of the salamander. You know they're both amphibians; perhaps your coverage of salamander larvae is a bit fuzzy, but if you can say they're similar to tadpoles and describe tadpole development, you can demonstrate you do have some knowledge of the broader subject.
• Tailor your examples. Your history teacher might be asking about the effect of the Cold War on 1950s popular culture; maybe you only remember how the Cold War impacted government, but you can make a case for how government itself impacts popular culture. State your case with confidence.
• Make use of transition words and phrases. Terms such as therefore , for this reason , it follows that , as a result , because , however , and consequently are tools you can use to direct your reader. These elements serve to highlight what information you are able to provide and may keep your teacher from becoming hung up on deficiencies elsewhere in the essay. [5] X Research source

Expert Q&A

• Some information is better than none at all. Even partial essay credit adds to your overall exam score, so always do what you can. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Learn from your past mistakes. What could you have done differently? Looking over the methods presented above, which ideas would have been most helpful for you? Tailor your approach toward future essay exams accordingly. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Resist the urge to resort to plagiarism, even when you're confronted with a completely unfamiliar essay topic. Plagiarism is any attempt to pass off another's work as your own, whether copying from a classmate, cutting and pasting off a Web site, copying from a book, or using an online essay mill. If you bomb an essay, you may fail the exam. If you're caught plagiarizing, however, you'll not only fail the exam but face additional disciplinary consequences. School policies differ, but common consequences include a zero on the entire exam and a disciplinary note in your academic file. Repeat offenses can bring more serious punishment. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

Other wikiHows

• ↑ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/essay-exams/
• ↑ https://www.csbsju.edu/academic-advising/study-skills-guide/essay-exam
• ↑ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/737/1/

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A sovereign citizen group is using a fake court to justify child kidnapping and extortion

The logo on the official-looking letter was unfamiliar, but even before opening it, Scott Murrin knew who it came from.

Beneath a motto that read "do no harm", the "warrant" demanded he surrender his two sons to "court sheriffs" and submit himself for arrest.

A failure to comply, it read, would result in life imprisonment with "hard labour".

The document was sent to Mr Murrin in March by a group calling itself Nmdaka Dalai Australis (NDA), a radical anti-government organisation that is aligned with the sovereign citizen movement.

Sovereign citizens oppose the government, viewing it as illegitimate and having no authority over them.

Members of NDA were among the protesters who clashed with police at Old Parliament House in December 2021. That protest resulted in fires that caused nearly $5 million in estimated damages.

NDA was co-founded by Mr Murrin's former partner Helen Delaney, who attracted national attention last year when a video went viral showing a NSW Police officer ripping out her car window to arrest her, as she voiced baseless claims about why she and her companion were exempt from the law.

Ms Delaney lost custody of her children in 2022 and Mr Murrin says NDA is her latest attempt to take back their two sons by force, accusing her and her anti-government allies of making his family's life "pure hell".

"My youngest son has nightmares of people pulling bags over his head and dragging him off his pushbike," he says.

He says the boy, on police advice, carries a tracking device when he goes to play at his friend's house.

"They've taken my children's innocence away."

Mr Murrin and his sons are far from the only ones to have been impacted by the group, that claims its own court, administered by its members who wear a uniform and call themselves "sheriffs".

These "sheriffs" have deployed the threat of NDA's bogus court as a weapon in family law disputes around Australia, harassing and intimidating judges, lawyers, officials and parents and children involved in custody battles.

An ABC Investigation has uncovered how the group is using its "court" to justify the kidnap of children involved in Family Court matters.

Many sovereign citizens espouse unfounded beliefs that the country's legal institutions are facilitating child trafficking.

Among the group's other alleged activities, some of which are being investigated by NSW Police, are serious crimes including attempted extortion, attempted false imprisonment, and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Legal and extremism experts told the ABC the group's activities were part of an alarming escalation of the sovereign citizen movement from public nuisance to dangerous menace.

"We should be very worried when these people turn their ludicrous ideas into action," extremism researcher Kaz Ross says.

"This movement isn't a joke. It needs to be taken seriously."

'I'm at war with them ... for my family'

Ms Delaney lost custody of her and Mr Murrin's two sons in 2022 over her sovereign citizen ideology and her refusal to recognise the court's authority.

"When you initially get into the sovereign citizen stuff, you think it's silly," Mr Murrin says.

"But the more I got to know about their organisation and the things they do … you know, I'm at war with them, for the safety of my family."

He says gifts and cryptic notes have been left for his sons at their home and strangers have spoken to the boys.

On one occasion, Mr Murrin says an unfamiliar person approached the youngest boy and whispered in his ear: "Mummy is coming to get you tomorrow."

Mr Murrin says that last year a mysterious car staked out their home, driving off when police arrived on the scene.

He says police later told him they found connections between the vehicle and a close associate of Ms Delaney.

He says the boys' NSW primary school has barred them from attending excursions or playing sports because their presence is a security concern for other children.

In early March, Mr Murrin became aware of a photo posted to a sovereign citizen Telegram group that showed Ms Delaney and their sons, with a description of the suburb they lived in.

"These boys [her sons] trafficked by Family Court to the narcissist father who withholds them from seeing or speaking with their Mum," the post read.

"Anyone [who] sees them please ask them to call their mum."

Mr Murrin said when he saw the Telegram post, he felt sick to his stomach .

He went down an internet rabbit hole, trying to document and memorise every NDA member he found online, in case they ever showed up to his house or to his children's school.

"I find it fanciful that they can claim they 'do no harm' and that's all they've been doing," Mr Murrin said.

After receiving the "warrant" for his arrest and surrender of his children, Mr Murrin was directed by the group to travel to an isolated rural property in Veteran, near Gympie in south-east Queensland, to face judgement from a jury. He ignored the demand.

Further "warrants", also threatening fines and imprisonment for non-compliance, were sent to others involved in Mr Murrin and Ms Delaney's Family Court case.

This included several Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCOA) employees, Mr Murrin's family lawyer, and NSW Police officers.

The ABC understands some of these "warrants" were delivered to their home addresses.

The FCFCOA declined requests for an interview, stating it would be inappropriate to comment on any Family Court proceedings.

However, ABC Investigations understands that after it made the Family Court aware that its employees had been targeted by the group, the court's marshal wrote to NSW Police requesting it investigate NDA.

A NSW Police spokesperson said the investigation into Ms Delaney was "ongoing and we won't be providing any further comment or interviews".

NDA involved in child kidnapping trial

Mr Murrin's ordeal is not an isolated case — Ms Delaney has claimed the group is involved in more than a dozen Family Court matters across Australia, and ABC Investigations has confirmed that the spouse of a senior NDA figure has been charged in connection with an alleged child kidnapping case.

In Facebook posts seen by ABC Investigations, the alleged kidnapper said they took the child because they believed they were a victim of a child abuse ring.

For legal reasons, the individuals involved in the child kidnapping trial cannot be named.

The senior NDA figure said neither they nor their partner were NDA members. However, they do serve as an advisor for the group.

The figure told ABC Investigations that they recognised NDA's authority above the Australian justice system and NDA had "nullified" their spouse's case during their own separate hearing.

This led to NDA members filming themselves serving "arrest warrants" to the judge and prosecutors involved in the child kidnapping trial.

Since becoming active in December last year, NDA claims to have grown to 150 members.

In May, during a recruitment drive in the Gold Coast hinterland town of Nerang that was led by Ms Delaney, NDA members were seen wearing uniforms — khaki pants, Akubra hats, and light beige shirts with the word "sheriff" on the breast pocket.

Over the past six months members have filmed themselves entering or attempting to enter court houses, police stations, local council chambers and commercial offices across the country.

During these interactions, an NDA "sheriff" typically approaches a polite, but often confused, front desk worker to proclaim Australia is now a "demilitarised zone" and that all government authority has been dissolved before handing them a written notice.

The notice warns "failure to be fully compliant" with NDA's rules "will certainly place you at severe risk of possible persecution, imprisonment or financial ruin".

Over time, these interactions have become more confrontational.

Video seen by ABC Investigations showed police forcefully ejecting members of the group from Gympie Court House in May.

That same month, a Sydney man named Rocco Avati said in a recording of himself that he had tried to serve an NDA notice to a judge during a trial in Windsor, north-west of Sydney.

In the recording, Mr Avati recounted that when a court officer declined to pass the documents on, he labelled the officer "a piece of shit", while his friend warned the court would "get what's coming to them".

When ABC Investigations sent Mr Avati questions he made unfounded claims Australia would introduce the death penalty.

"[I] hope to see you noosed up in gallows later this decade," he told our reporter.

In June, the group also started selling fake driver's licences.

These documents were created by one of its "sheriffs", who prior to joining the group, authored books about being able to telepathically communicate with aliens.

Outside family law disputes, NDA members have sought to use the threat of their fake court to settle personal scores.

NDA notices have been served to commercial businesses in the Northern Territory to whom members apparently owed money.

Mr Avati, battling driving offence charges, has sent an email to a magistrate in the Sydney suburb of Burwood demanding they pay $100,000 into his account or face a "full investigation by the first nations Nmdaka Dalai Australis Court".

'Utter weightless legal gobbledygook'

Former magistrate now Dean of Law at Southern Cross University, David Heilpern said people holding sovereign citizen ideologies "pose a real threat" to workers in the Family Court system.

He pointed to the United States, where the movement is deemed a domestic terror threat.

Mr Heilpern characterised the group as a "delusional cult", its behaviour as "unlawful and bizarre" and its claims to legitimacy as "utter weightless legal gobbledygook".

Its members, he said, had also engaged in clear intimidation of people involved in a court proceeding.

"This would constitute an office that attempted to pervert the course of justice … seeking to unlawfully influence proceedings by threatening judicial officers, witnesses, or legal representatives," Mr Heilpern said.

He added that because the group was threatening fines of up to $40,000 a day for failing to comply with their orders, this was a "textbook example" of demanding money with menaces (more commonly known as extortion), a crime in every jurisdiction.

Conspiracy researchers from the podcast Tinfoil Tales who have been investigating the NDA said the group had been targeting vulnerable people for recruitment.

"They are influencing people who are potentially already isolated due to their conspiratorial beliefs, people who may be going through custody battles, and actively tell them that they need to do everything possible to 'save' their children," they said.

Extremism researcher Kaz Ross says NDA is the "logical conclusion" of an anti-government movement that sincerely views the country's political and legal institutions as an active threat to the public and sees its own actions as protecting children.

"A group doesn't need to be committing mass murder to be considered dangerous or terroristic," she says.

A fire at Old Parliament House

Property records show the Queensland house that Mr Murrin was summoned to belonged to Jeffrey Cranston, a sovereign citizen who local media reported had threatened to burn down both the courthouse and council chambers in Gympie.

The 43-year-old has also publicly claimed to have been involved in the fires at Old Parliament House in 2021.

While the two people convicted over the blaze were not NDA members, ABC Investigations has established that some of the group's senior members were part of the protest group that clashed with police as the doors to the building burned.

Also present was Ms Delaney, who took her sons to the protest without Mr Murrin's knowledge.

He discovered they were there when a relative told him footage of the boys standing near the flames had been shown on national television.

"In hindsight, I carry a great deal of guilt about that," Mr Murrin said.

"My youngest son tells me that he tried to pull the fire away to stop it, because he knew it was the wrong thing to do. They saw people assaulting police and saw people getting pepper sprayed."

Ms Delaney and NDA did not respond to ABC questions.

Ms Delaney, who now refers to herself as "Maya", the self-described "Lore Chief" of NDA, has eight warrants out for her arrest.

NSW court records show several of these relate to contravening apprehended violence orders and intimidating Mr Murrin and his family. Others relate to her breaching bail conditions related to the arrest in Coffs Harbour last year.

At the time of writing, Ms Delaney remains at large. The ABC understands NSW Police has been coordinating with Queensland Police to extradite her back to NSW if she is found.

Mr Murrin said he had pleaded with authorities for more than 12 months to find her, but there had been no significant developments from police until ABC Investigations began making enquiries about NDA earlier this year.

In late June, the NSW Commissioner of Victim Rights approved Mr Murrin for financial assistance after an independent assessment determined he and his family were victims of "relentless" intimidation and harassment.

Mr Murrin's home has been upgraded with high-tech security systems and while this has brought the father some relief, he still has many restless nights.

Sometimes he stays up watching his ex-partner's sovereign citizen presentations.

"You know, I think Helen's lost sight of what she's fighting for," Mr Murrin says.

"I think she's forgotten about the children."

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Guest Essay

A Shooting Changes a Family. And It Can Change a Nation.

By Patti Davis

Ms. Davis is a daughter of President Ronald Reagan and the author of “Dear Mom and Dad: A Letter About Family, Memory and the America We Once Knew.”

On March 30, 1981, I was sitting in my therapist’s office when one of my Secret Service agents burst through the door. At first I was angry, thinking, “Now they’re intruding on my therapy sessions?” But then I saw how pale his face was. He said, “Patti, there’s been a shooting.”

The day was one of the longest of my life. I didn’t know if my father, Ronald Reagan, would live, and I found out later that the doctors searching for bullet fragments in his chest didn’t know, either. There was a long flight on an Army transport plane, arriving in Washington, D.C., a few hours before dawn; there was my mother sleeping with one of my father’s shirts pressed to her face to breathe in his scent; there was my father pale, fragile in a hospital bed, his eyes here but also far away. And there was the stunned mood of the country over the days that followed — strangers coming up to me gently, compassionately. Politics became irrelevant, at least for a while.

I don’t know where Donald Trump’s family members were when bullets were fired at his Pennsylvania rally, injuring him, killing one attendee and seriously injuring two others. I think I do know the shock that they’re feeling. For all of the apparatus around a president or a presidential candidate, for all the planning, the security, it still comes down to this: They are flesh and blood, they are human beings just like the rest of us, and their lives can change in a split second. It takes only one bullet to bring that fact home.

America is far more angry and far more violent now than it was in 1981. I don’t know if this event will soften any of that. I don’t know if the Trump family will have the same experience I did — that of a nation setting politics aside and simply responding in a human and humane way. I also don’t know how, or if, this experience will change Mr. Trump. My father believed that God spared him for a very specific reason, to end the Cold War with the Soviet Union, to try to reach some kind of agreement on nuclear weapons. It’s possible that what he and Mikhail Gorbachev achieved might not have happened had he not been shot. That’s the other part of being reminded of your fragility as a human being: You are reminded that time is precious and it’s imperative to use its gift in the most meaningful way you can. But how any individual interprets that realization is impossible to predict.

Having a loved one shot changes you, regardless of whether that loved one is famous. It unravels you in the first horrible, chaotic moments, and it rearranges you in the days and years afterward. The event on Saturday should also change us as a country, shock us into remembering who we are supposed to be, who we are capable of being: not people riddled with rage and reaching for weapons, not people who try to influence elections with gunfire. I long for the America that wrapped itself around my family after my father was shot, and I pray we can find that in ourselves again.

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Essays and Short Answer Prompts

The Penn application process includes a personal essay —which is sent to most schools you apply to—as well as a few short answer prompts . We read your words carefully, as they are yet another window into how you think, what you value, and how you see the world. Through your writing, we get a glimpse of what you might bring to our community—including your voice and creativity. 

Remember, you are the expert on your story. This is an opportunity for you to reflect and understand who you are now, and who you want to be in the future. You have the agency to choose the information you want to share. This is your story: your experiences, your ideas, your perspective.   

A Few Writing Tips

• Review the prompts thoroughly.  Be sure you’re answering the question or prompt being asked. Topics are chosen because the Admissions Committee wants to know specific things about you. If you don’t address them directly, we are left to make decisions regarding your application with incomplete information. 
• Consider your response carefully.  We understand that you may be writing responses for different schools and you may want to reuse material, but be sure to read through your response to make sure it is relevant to the prompt. 
• Double-check your writing.  Give yourself time to revisit your response. Try to avoid rushing your writing process so you have time to revise your work. Ultimately, it is up to you to polish and proofread your writing before you submit. 
• Do your research. Are there classes you’re eager to take? Research opportunities you’d love to pursue? A group or club you want to be a part of? This kind of specificity shows us you’re serious about Penn and have thought about how you’d spend your time here. 

2023-24 Short Answer and Essay Prompts

When answering these prompts, be precise when explaining both why you are applying to Penn and why you have chosen to apply to that specific undergraduate school. Some of our specialized programs will have additional essays to complete, but the  Penn short answer prompts should address your single-degree or single-school choice.  

• Write a short thank-you note to someone you have not yet thanked and would like to acknowledge. (We encourage you to share this note with that person, if possible, and reflect on the experience!) (150-200 words, not required for transfer applicants) 
• How will you explore community at Penn? Consider how Penn will help shape your perspective, and how your experiences and perspective will help shape Penn. (150-200 words) 
• The school-specific prompt is unique to the school to which you are applying. (For example, all applicants applying to the College of Arts and Sciences will respond to the prompt under the “College of Arts and Sciences” section). Considering the undergraduate school you have selected for your single-degree option, please respond to your school-specific prompt below.  

Transfer Essay (required for all transfer applicants): Please explain your reasons for transferring from your current institution and what you hope to gain by transferring to another institution. (4150 characters) 

Undergraduate School-Specific Short Answer Prompts

For students applying to coordinated dual-degree and specialized programs, please answer this question about your single-degree school choice; your interest in the coordinated dual-degree or specialized program may be addressed through the program-specific essay.  

Penn Nursing intends to meet the health needs of society in a global and multicultural world by preparing its students to impact healthcare by advancing science and promoting equity. What do you think this means for the future of nursing, and how do you see yourself contributing to our mission of promoting equity in healthcare? (150-200 words) 

To help inform your response, applicants are encouraged to learn more about  Penn Nursing’s mission and how we promote equity in healthcare . This information will help you develop a stronger understanding of our values and how they align with your own goals and aspirations. 

The flexible structure of The College of Arts and Sciences’ curriculum is designed to inspire exploration, foster connections, and help you create a path of study through general education courses and a major. What are you curious about and how would you take advantage of opportunities in the arts and sciences? (150-200 words) 

To help inform your response, applicants are encouraged to learn more about the  academic offerings within the College of Arts and Sciences .  This information will help you develop a stronger understanding of how the study of the liberal arts aligns with your own goals and aspirations. 

Wharton prepares its students to make an impact by applying business methods and economic theory to real-world problems, including economic, political, and social issues.  Please reflect on a current issue of importance to you and share how you hope a Wharton education would help you to explore it.  (150-200 words) 

To help inform your response, applicants are encouraged to learn more about  the foundations of a Wharton education . This information will help you better understand what you could learn by studying at Wharton and what you could do afterward. 

Penn Engineering prepares its students to become leaders in technology, by combining a strong foundation in the natural sciences and mathematics, exploration in the liberal arts, and depth of study in focused disciplinary majors. Please share how you hope to explore your engineering interests at Penn. (150-200 words) 

To help inform your response, applicants are encouraged to learn more about  Penn Engineering and its mission to prepare students for global leadership in technology . This information will help you develop a stronger understanding of academic pathways within Penn Engineering and how they align with your goals and interests. 

Coordinated Dual Degree and Specialized Program Essay Prompts

For students applying to coordinated dual-degree and specialized programs, please answer the program-specific essay below. 

** Numbers marked with double asterisks indicate a character count that only applies to transfer students applying through Common App.  

Why are you interested in the Digital Media Design (DMD) program at the University of Pennsylvania? (400-650 words / 3575 characters**) 

We encourage you to learn more about the DMD: Digital Media Design Program . 

The Huntsman Program supports the development of globally minded scholars who become engaged citizens, creative innovators, and ethical leaders in the public, private, and non-profit sectors in the United States and internationally. What draws you to a dual-degree program in business and international studies, and how would you use what you learn to contribute to a global issue where business and international affairs intersect? (400-650 words) 

The LSM program aims to provide students with a fundamental understanding of the life sciences and their management with an eye to identifying, advancing, and implementing innovations. What issues would you want to address using the understanding gained from such a program? Note that this essay should be distinct from your single degree essay. (400-650 words) 

• Explain how you will use the M&T program to explore your interest in business, engineering, and the intersection of the two. (400-650 words) 
• Describe a problem that you solved that showed leadership and creativity. (250 words) 

Describe your interests in modern networked information systems and technologies, such as the internet, and their impact on society, whether in terms of economics, communication, or the creation of beneficial content for society. Feel free to draw on examples from your own experiences as a user, developer, or student of technology. (400-650 words / 3575 characters**) 

Discuss your interest in nursing and health care management. How might Penn's coordinated dual-degree program in nursing and business help you meet your goals? (400-650 words) 

How do you envision your participation in the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER) furthering your interests in energy science and technology? Please include any past experiences (ex. academic, research, or extracurricular) that have led to your interest in the program. Additionally, please indicate why you are interested in pursuing dual degrees in science and engineering and which VIPER majors are most interesting to you at this time. (400-650 words) 

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Dancing yeti crabs, morphing cuttlefish, other stories from the deep sea

Emily Kwong

Rachel Carlson

Berly McCoy

A cuttlefish swims on seagrass. Cuttlefish can change the color and texture of their bodies. cinoby/Getty Images hide caption

A cuttlefish swims on seagrass. Cuttlefish can change the color and texture of their bodies.

As a kid, Sabrina Imbler loved the ocean. They'd swim and snorkel, following around parrotfish in the water. Later, they tried to learn everything they could about these brightly colored tropical fish, like how they produce a mucus bubble to sleep in or how they help keep coral reefs healthy.

In learning these details, Imbler felt like they got a glimpse into what parrotfish do when they weren't following the fish around the ocean, and how creatures help shape the environment around them.

"I was like... I'm a fish person now," they said. "These are the creatures that I love."

Now, Imbler is a writer at Defector , where they often write about the ocean. In 2022, they released a collection of essays called How Far The Light Reaches: A Life In Ten Sea Creatures . Each chapter focuses on a different marine species – from feral goldfish to yeti crabs near hydrothermal vents in the deep sea to the morphing abilities of cuttlefish. Often, these creatures act as a mirror for Imbler to explore parts of their own identity.

"Understanding...how they live and move throughout the world, I think it would always sort of make me turn those questions on myself and think about myself as an organism," they said. "Like someone who is just as interested in survival and adaptation as any of the creatures that I was writing about."

Want more on the wonders of the deep sea? Email us at [email protected].

Listen to Short Wave on Spotify and Apple Podcasts .

Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.

Today's episode was produced and fact-checked by Rachel Carlson. It was edited by Berly McCoy. Kwesi Lee was the audio engineer.

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