pros and cons | Plaid Line + PRIZM + Scottie News

By: Seng Nhkum

Today many people use social media, and approximately 5.66 billion people globally use social media, representing about 68.7% of the world’s population. Some examples of social media are TikTok, Instagram, SnapChat, Facebook, and X. I think social media can be negative and positive and these are my reasons why.

First, a reason why I think social media can be negative is harassment and cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is when someone is repeatedly creating harmful behavior using technology to threaten, harass, embarrass, or target another person. This can be negative for social media because although it’s easy to just block them they can still continue making accounts to harass you. Also, cyberbullying and harassment can lead up to damaging the person’s mental health and well being.

Another reason why I think social media can be negative is stranger danger. There are tons of people on social media which means lots of people you don’t know. Strangers can try to take advantage of you and manipulate you especially if you are still young. Strangers can take advantage of you like if the stranger knows about what you’re struggling with they could try to take advantage of that and try to manipulate you into doing something. Like what happens a lot is when a minor runs away from home to secretly meet with the stranger, which leads to a negative outcome because they don’t even personally know the person but still chooses to meet up with a stranger.

Then a reason why I think social media can also be positive is communication and awareness. Social media can spread news quickly and this leads to faster communication making communication more efficient. Also, social media can spread a lot of awareness about many things, for example like any social issues that are happening in the world, and this is positive because it shows people what things are happening in the world changing their perspectives on anything.

Lastly, another reason why I think social media can be positive is you can make a career off it making lots of money. Like many people called influencers, who post videos on social media, have made a career out of social media and being really famous while making tons and tons of money.

Overall, social media is negative and positive because it can put you in dangerous situations, but could also provide for you, or help you. Always use social media safety and use it wisely.

By: Kara Fini

Mutts are dogs that are a mix of different types of breeds. Many people don’t know about all of the wonderful things that come with owning a mutt, so here’s some pros and cons of owning a mutt.

To start off, mutts are less likely to develop health problems. This is because purebreds have a history of genetic diseases that have developed. This makes mutts less likely to develop spinal disease, heart disease and cancer. Overall, they are stronger and healthier and have longer lifespans.

The next reason that can make a lot of difference for many people, is they are more affordable than purebreds. The initial cost of purebreds usually cost from $500 to $3000 dollars while mutts are generally only about $0 to $250 since most of the time they come from shelters and rescues.

If you want to help save a dog’s life then try adopting a mutt! Most mutts come from shelters or rescues. This means you are providing a home for these dogs in need. Around 75-90% of dogs in shelters are mutts.

The last pro for mutts, is they are not trained to perform certain tasks. Purebred dogs have been bred for years to create a nearly perfect dog for certain tasks, for example shepherd dogs are specifically designed for herding cattle and hounds are designed for hunting. While this is useful when performing these tasks it can become hard to handle in a household environment, especially with children. In mutts these instincts can still exist, but the severity of the traits are a lot lower.

Even though there are so many great things about mutts, here are some cons to consider.

The first is that because they are not a specific breed, if you adopt a mutt as a puppy there little chance you will know how big it will get. This can be difficult for families who need or want a specific sized dog to fit in their life. It can also be more difficult to guess the age of the dog if they didn’t come into a shelter or rescue, not as a young puppy.

The next con is that many mutts come from a background of trauma. This can make it difficult to train, especially if they are in this traumatic event around the age of 8-12 weeks, as this is the time they are most impressionable.

The last reason a mutt might not be for you is that they are most likely not hypoallergenic. Even if a mutt has poodle or other types of hypoallergenic breeds in it, it’s hard to know if they are 100% hypoallergenic.