Preview

America Today: Wealth, Social Media And Happiness

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
994 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
America Today: Wealth, Social Media And Happiness
America Today: Wealth, Social Media and Happiness

America Today reflects a generation of people aspiring for happiness through wealth and Social Media. America Today and one 's quest in the pursuit of happiness depends on a lot of factors. One must explore the different definitions of happiness in America and examine the true meaning of happiness and its connection with wealth and material items. Some might say, "It is the very pursuit of happiness that thwarts happiness". I will explore three important factors in America today, entrepreneurship, the Internet and its use by an American Society seeking happiness based on materialism and wealth. Three primary sources I will examine to seek the definition of America’s pursuit of happiness. …show more content…
From the dot.com boom and bust to the creation of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, America today became a society connected by a touch on the keyboard on a computer or from a touch of the screen on a smartphone. The Internet changes the way Americans date and seeks relationships. I found interesting primary sources that give a glimpse into our society today. The first is John Cedrick featuring Tiki Thunder song lyrics, “Internet Love Song” tells a story of how Americans usage of the Internet to communicate with others. The Internet is used by many as a main source to communicate with family, friends and strangers. The lyrics of this song describe a pursuit of love by using technology lingo and catchy abbreviations to tell a love story dedicated to the Internet. The song lyrics begins with, “If I could Google to find a way to help me say that I like you I’d go Yahoo make you my boo within a day or two”. The song lyrics are catchy and fun. The playful lyrics may give the listener an idea that the Internet will help your communications skills with people who matter too you. Also the lyrics describes how Americans usage of the Internet to attract connections and …show more content…
Being popular and rich in “America Today” is defined as being successful. I don’t agree with this assumption but it’s acceptable in American culture. With fame and fortune you supposedly are happy and with the success of accumulating money you are truly happy. According to CNBC Reporter, Robert Frank, “Surveys show that among Americans, most say they need $1 million or more to feel wealthy”. Americans connect money with happiness. But it has been proven that money cannot guarantee one’s life will be filled with
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Bill Mckiibben Deep Economy Thesis
    • 1846 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Bill Mckiibben Deep Economy Thesis

    One of the main arguments in this book is that money only equals happiness up to a certain financial point, in other words, even when growth makes us wealthier, it doesn’t make us happier. Actually, the level of ‘happiness’, as measured by a major survey taker, peaked in the United States in the mid-1950s, and has been on a steady decline ever since, even while the amount of material possessions, hours worked, house square footage, and cars driven has…

    • 1846 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Role Of Happiness In Novelist Ayn Rand's Anthem
    • 273 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Role Of Happiness In Novelist Ayn Rand's Anthem

    Novelist Ayn Rand, in her book Anthem, wrote, “My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose”. Although happiness may seem like a simple concept to many, sometimes we don’t recognize it but we always take different paths, face many obstacles, and spend most of our lives trying to achieve happiness. Depending on the circumstances, every person has their own definition of what it means to attain happiness, whether through wealth, success, health, love etc. Happiness is a notion that be developed by focusing on the smaller things in life which are not given a great deal of thought to, but still can heavily impact us. One of these smaller yet significant ideas in life is individualism. Today…

    • 273 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Summary Of Yes, Money Can Make You Happy By Cass R. Sunstein
    • 996 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Summary Of Yes, Money Can Make You Happy By Cass R. Sunstein

    Many people spend their entire lives searching for the key, to what will actually make them happy. In “Yes, Money Can Make You Happy,” written by Associate Professor Cass R. Sunstein, he studied the relationship between money and happiness, in his article he has borrows heavily from Professors Elizabeth Dunn and Professor Michael Norton, who listed five simple suggestions that demonstrate how people can spend their money and receive pleasure. Some people lead simple lives and enjoy pleasure surrounded by family and friends, while others are always be alert to new trends that promise to make their lives more enjoyable and easier. Practicing delayed gratification, will lead to extended periods of happiness. As a result of this experience, people will move from unhappy ways and will becoming more happy, generous, and remain in…

    • 996 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Documentary Summary: Happiness Is Real
    • 135 Words
    • 1 Page

    Documentary Summary: Happiness Is Real

    ABC News 20/20 documentary, “Happiness, how to find it, understand it, and achieve it” by Bill Weir. Happiness is what we most want in life. Happiness cannot be bought, paid for, or found. It must be created. Happiness is a choice. Create your own happiness. Many people aim for happiness. Some through money, marriage or department stores. Our goal in life is to achieve happiness. Bill Weir reports on how to get happy, how we are hard wired for unhappiness and the extremes people will go to achieve happiness. Abraham Lincoln says” Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.” Weir also visits the happiest places on earth, and these countries might surprise anyone. America is so far down…

    • 135 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Michael Norton's Essay: Can Money Buy Happiness?
    • 315 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Michael Norton's Essay: Can Money Buy Happiness?

    “How to buy happiness” is a speech presented by Michael Norton, who holds a B.A. in Psychology and English from Williams and a Ph.D. in Psychology from Princeton, in November 2011. His talk laid down a question that money can actually buy happiness. To emphasize his research, he provided audiences with some reasonable evidences from different relationships in society.…

    • 315 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Future Of Happiness Analysis
    • 489 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Future Of Happiness Analysis

    The current age that the world lives in is known as the “Information Age”; also known as the Computer Age, or the Digital Age. This name derives from the shift to technology usage and its rapid advancements. Today, however, the world turns to technology more than ever. despite technology’s convenience and aid, it can also be destructive to a society. In the essay, “The Future of Happiness”, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s erudite tone and parallelism reflects his assertion that the advancement of technology comes with consequences.…

    • 489 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    College Paper
    • 306 Words
    • 2 Pages

    College Paper

    In this essay I will examine the articles, Digital Dating: Desperation or Necessity? Written by Christine Hassler, a former Hollywood Agent, and the author of the book called Twenty-Something, Twenty-Everything. This article talks about social networks, their impact on both of our social and love life. It tries to convince us to try to experience all the benefits that online dating provides us.…

    • 306 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Toady's Unrealistic Standards For Happiness And The Pursuit Of Happiness
    • 982 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Toady's Unrealistic Standards For Happiness And The Pursuit Of Happiness

    Philosopher Confucius once said, “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated” (“Confucius Quotes”). In life, obtaining happiness is one of the most uncomplicated achievements. Today’s fast-paced world coerces individuals to concentrate on the future, making it challenging to discover true happiness. Despite these complications, society continues to promote the concept of chasing happiness without regarding its detrimental effects on an evolved civilization. The pursuit of happiness inhibits the formation and perpetuation of an advanced society due to engendering individuals to feel dissatisfied and disappointed.…

    • 982 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    English
    • 1104 Words
    • 5 Pages

    English

    The purpose of this essay is to raise readers’ awareness, causing them to think differently about American values. Furthermore, the value one places on material wealth. Ehrenreich (Ehrenreich 156) and Eighner (Eighner 172) exposed problems with the equation of wealth equals happiness. They also excluded the idea that, in America, possessing a job means economic security, happiness, and a sense of achievement in life.…

    • 1104 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    American Dream In The Film Social Media
    • 790 Words
    • 4 Pages

    American Dream In The Film Social Media

    We see that a young man created a vision that quickly and ultimately became a huge success. The network gained over one million users in record time making it the number one most used networking site in the world. It eventually became a $100 billion dollar company over a period of time (Turner). Although money does not equal happiness it is a number that can measure the success of the company. Mark Zuckerberg ultimately gained the social status that he so desperately sought after and in turn became an internationally known man who was worth millions of dollars (Sklar). The American dream stood for the pursuit of happiness but Mark Zuckerberg’s story depicted in the film, “The Social Network” depicted the new American dream of changing the…

    • 790 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Social Networking Gone Bad
    • 791 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Social Networking Gone Bad

    Have you even thought about how different society would be without social networking web sites? Many of the social networking web sites today play a huge role with the way we interact with one another in our everyday lives, which include most relationships. Using a social networking web site has many negative effects on relationship. Building insecurity, advertising personal information, and building social media moods are some of the many ways relationship are negatively impacted.…

    • 791 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Rich vs Poor
    • 560 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Rich vs Poor

    Being famous does not necessary mean bring rich, and vice-versa. Both generally bring satisfaction if brought to one in a positive manner, or in a way he/she intended it to. Because being famous and being rich are both signs leading to success, which in most cases, is the human’s ultimate goal. Being just either rich or famous, other than being a positive thing, could produce highly negative and unwanted end results too. A huge percentage of people are famous as a result of all sorts of negativity, such as criminal acts and negative politics. At the same time, a good part of the world’s drug lords and terrorism-driven groups are fairly rich too. So when does being rich or famous become a good thing? Usually, a combination of being rich and famous, surprisingly, doesn’t do as much harm to coexisting peers, as the former would. Although criminals who fall under lists such as ‘FBI’s Most Wanted’, turn out to be rich and famous, regardless of how they got to where they are. But a bigger portion of the ‘rich and famous’ category are occupied by highly paid movie stars and sportsmen, neither of whom does much harm to the society.…

    • 560 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    The Pursuit of Happiness
    • 14446 Words
    • 58 Pages

    The Pursuit of Happiness

    The pursuit of happiness holds an honored position in American society, beginning with the Declaration of Independence, where it is promised as a cherished right for all citizens. Today, the enduring U.S. obsession with how to be happy can be observed in the row upon row of popular psychology and self-help books in any major bookstore and in the millions of copies of these books that are sold. Indeed, many social contexts in the United States have the production of happiness and positive feelings as their primary purpose, and questions…

    • 14446 Words
    • 58 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Social Relationships and Identity Online and Offline
    • 1108 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Social Relationships and Identity Online and Offline

    In contrast to the typically panicked reception of older new media technologies, fearful of their ill effects on social relationships and identities, the internet has posed the possibility of entirely new relationships and identities, constituted within new media, and in competition with ostensibly non-mediated, older forms of relationship.…

    • 1108 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Impact of Social Media on Relationships
    • 1088 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Impact of Social Media on Relationships

    With online dating no longer considered banned and 65% of adults using social media sites in their daily lives, it was only a matter of time before Cupid hung up his wings and logged onto Facebook. “Social media has completely changed the approach to relationships, replacing roses and candles with tagged photos and flirty status comments. While Aristotle believed love was composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies, the romantics of 2012 would argue that real intimacy would be two souls inhabiting one conjoined Facebook account. “…

    • 1088 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More

Related Topics