Nina’s Weekly
A DILEMMA
The Downfall of Our Generation as OnlyFans Influences Young Teenagers
by Nina Pham on 31st of October, 2023
In the digital age, social media and online content creation are evolving at an outstanding rate. Young teenagers, born into a world dominated by technology are growing up in an era where the barriers between fame, fortune, and privacy are blurrier than ever. One example of this is the rise of OnlyFans, a platform originally created for adult content creators that has gained popularity among a younger audience. This catastrophe has left many concerned about the influence of individuals like Mikaela Testa and Anna Paul, who have made headlines for their involvement in the platform. Although most teenagers do not post explicit content, the aspiration to go on and make this their career and exploit themselves when they turn 18 is… let’s just say… worrying.
Mikaela Testa and Anna Paul are not well-known names, but in the digital world, they've become ‘inspiring’ figures. They are young women who have used OnlyFans to gain fame, followers, and significant money.
OnlyFans was founded in 2016 as a platform for creators to share exclusive content with their subscribers, who pay a monthly fee for access. Originally, it gained recognition as a space for adult content creators, providing a unique way for them to share their ‘work’. However, over time, OnlyFans expanded its content and user base to include individuals from various fields, including fitness, fashion, and entertainment.
Testa and Paul, like many others, have changed from classic social media platforms to OnlyFans. As a result, their fame and income have skyrocketed. This shift may seem ideal to teenagers who dream of quick success and money stability. In a society increasingly focused on the search for fame and wealth, it's important to learn about the consequences of this trend.
Influencers like Mikaela and Anna, who promote their luxury lifestyles and wealth, have the potential to affect young teenagers in several ways such as:
Unrealistic Goals
The stories of fast growing wealth and success on OnlyFans can easily lead teenagers to set unrealistic expectations. They may be tempted to follow similar paths without fully understanding the complexities and uncertainties that come along with it.
Influence on Self-Worth
The focus on physical appearance and financial gain can negatively impact the self-esteem of young individuals. They may correlate their self-worth with the number of subscribers and likes, potentially leading to feelings of feeling as if they are not enough.
Objectification and Exploitation
The objectification and exploitation of someone’s body can make unhealthy stereotypes and contribute to the normalisation of the idea of having to exploit your body to gain quick money.
OnlyFans, like many social media platforms, faces checks and analyses over the content and influence it has. As OnlyFans evolves, it's important for OnlyFans and other similar platforms to take responsibility for protecting young users and ensuring their safety. Enforcing age verification mechanisms and content restrictions is an essential step in protecting teenagers from explicit and potentially damaging content.
Further, parents play a essential role in educating their children about the digital world. Conversations, setting boundaries, and making sure sets of values are related to self-worth, privacy, and responsible online behaviour are key components of this.
The charm of quick fame and fortune on platforms like OnlyFans is definite, and individuals like Mikaela Testa and Anna Paul are proof of this trend. However, the consequences for young teenagers, create issues of self-esteem, privacy, and personal values. It's not the downfall of our generation, but instead, a call to rethink the digital world and ensure that young people are prepared to use it safely and responsibly.
RODDY RICCH:
THE RISE, THE FALL , AND THE COMEBACK
By: Aisha Adan October 25th, 2023
In the world of hip-hop, success can be a challengeable companion. One minute you're riding high on the charts, the next, you've seemingly "fallen off." Roddy Ricch, the Compton-born rapper who burst onto the scene with his debut album "Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial," is no stranger to this rollercoaster ride of fame. In this feature article, we will explore the meteoric rise, the unexpected fall, and the anticipated comeback of Roddy Ricch, a young artist whose journey embodies the resilience required in the ever-evolving music industry.
Roddy Ricch's journey to stardom was nothing short of remarkable. Born in 1998, the rapper, whose real name is Rodrick Wayne Moore Jr., faced adversity growing up in Compton. Despite the challenges of his environment, he found solace in music and used it as an outlet for his experiences. His breakthrough came with the release of "Die Young," a touching track that showcased his storytelling abilities, raw emotions, and a voice that demanded attention.
The release of his debut album, "Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial" in December 2019, marked a turning point in his career. The album was a critical and commercial success, featuring hit singles like "The Box '' that became viral sensations on TikTok and launched him to global stardom. Roddy Ricch's unique blend of melodic rap, introspective lyrics, and catchy hooks resonated with fans of all ages and backgrounds. He was hailed as the future of hip-hop, with countless awards and accolades to his name, including a Grammy for "Best Rap Performance."
As Roddy Ricch basked in the glory of his newfound success, the expectations for his next project reached astronomical heights. The pressure to deliver another chart-topping album was immense, and this is where the unexpected fall began. His sophomore effort, "Live Life Fast," released in late 2021, didn't quite reach the same level of critical acclaim and commercial success as his debut. Some critics argued that the album lacked the same raw authenticity that had made him a standout artist in the first place.
Additionally, in a rapidly changing music landscape where new artists and trends emerge daily, Roddy Ricch's absence from the spotlight for an extended period made fans wonder if he was a one-hit wonder. He fell off the radar of many hip-hop enthusiasts who were eager for fresh faces and sounds, leaving some to believe that his star was fading.
A comeback in the music industry is not merely about releasing hit songs; it's about evolving, adapting, and staying true to one's artistic roots. Roddy Ricch seems to understand this, and his anticipated comeback is marked by a newfound sense of purpose. The rapper has been vocal about taking his time to create music that genuinely reflects his experiences and emotions. He's shown a commitment to evolving as an artist while staying connected to his roots.
In 2023, Roddy Ricch made waves with the release of a new single, "Rising from the Ashes," a track that speaks to his journey and hints at the themes of growth and resilience in his forthcoming album. With this single, he's managed to reignite the spark and anticipation in his fan base. He's also been engaging more with his audience through social media, allowing fans to get a glimpse of his personal life and creative process.
The story of Roddy Ricch is a testament to the unpredictability of the music industry. The rise, fall, and anticipated comeback of this young artist summarises the challenges and pressures faced by those striving for longevity in the world of hip-hop. As Roddy Ricch navigates his way back to the top, he is a symbol of resilience, proving that the fall is just a part of the journey. In an industry that constantly demands innovation and reinvention, his story serves as a reminder that talent, authenticity, and a strong connection with one's audience can ultimately lead to a triumphant return.
Wet Week Puts Out Flame - Burning Man Disaster
Burning man, the week-long festival focused on self expression, community, art, and self-reliance has been turned into a nightmare, with festival goers being left stranded in miserable conditions.
This year's burning man festival was set for the 24th of August - the 4th of September, with numerous activities set up to help the attendees enjoy their time. This intended effect was never met, instead people were given knee deep mud, two-three months of rain, and no way out.
Over 24 hours, three months of rain was pelted down onto the temporary city of black rock, turning the desert sand into a thick layer of mud that was hard to walk in. Attendees were told to conserve food, water and fuel until the storm passed.However, according to the Bureau of Land Management “more rain is expected to hit over the next few days” and that the conditions were not going to get better any time soon. This led to the gate of black rock city being closed from exiting or entering, leaving 70,000 people currently stranded.
From such horrible conditions, many people have started to contract trench foot ;a condition that causes the skin on the feet to break down; which has caused numerous infections. Also, with all the flooding that occurred, no one has been able to get to the toilets to clean them.
Even after all of this has happened, the organisers of burning man still have faith. In a statement posted recently they stated: “Burning man is a community of people who are prepared to support one another.” Many of the attendees agree with this, staying on for the rest of the time, trying to rebuild the community.
The Evolution of Love and Romance
by Nina Pham on September 05, 2023
In an ever-evolving world, the concept of love and romance has experienced a profound turnover. Gone are the days of love letters and serenades under the moonlight. Instead, we find ourselves immersed in a digital age where swipes, likes and emojis have become the currency of affection. This article explores how technology has reshaped our understanding of love and romance.
From Love Letters to Instant Messages
Once Upon a time, heartfelt love letters were exchanged between lovers separated by distance. Just like the storyline in my all-time favourite movie, ‘The Notebook’. The written words were a vessel for deep emotions, a tangible connection. Today, we communicate through instant messaging, where our thoughts are reduced to abbreviated text messages and emojis. While communication speed has allowed us to connect more frequently, the depth of our words has become shallower in some ways. However, some argue that emojis and GIFs have introduced a new layer of expressiveness, allowing us to convey emotions that words alone may fail to capture.
The Rise of Finding the ‘Love Of Your Life’ On Social Media
Online dating has emerged as a dominant force in modern romance. Algorithms and swiping mechanisms promise to match you with your ideal partners, based on an array of data points. The result? A mix of choice and disillusionment. While technology has made it easier than ever to find potential partners, it has also created a culture of impatience and unrealistic expectations. Many have found themselves swiping through countless profiles, endlessly seeking perfection when in reality, love often thrives in imperfections.
As a 16-year-old, my swiping culture hasn’t begun but social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok have become modern love storyboards for me and many other teenagers. Couples proudly display their relationships online, sharing meticulously curated snapshots of their lives. While this can foster feelings of connection and intimacy, it also opens the door to jealousy, insecurity and the temptation to compare one’s relationship to others. Moreover, the social media realm has blurred the boundaries and lines between public and private, leading to conflicts and misunderstandings that were once kept behind closed doors.
The Age of Long-Distance Love
Technology has enabled long-distance relationships like never before. Video calls, messaging apps, and virtual reality allow couples to bridge the gap between continents and time zones. Love can flourish across borders, but it also requires a unique set of skills to navigate the challenges of distance and time.
Authenticity and Vulnerability
In this digital age, it's more important than ever to be authentic and vulnerable in our relationships. The curated lives we see on social media can lead to unrealistic expectations and standards. Honestly, trust and open communication remain essential for genuine connections and many relationships end from these two fundamental values being left unheard or understood.
While the landscape of love and romance has undergone significant changes in the digital age, the fundamental essence of human connection remains. Love endures, adapts, and thrives in new environments. Technology has expanded our horizons, offering opportunities for connection and exploration that were once unimaginable. Yet, it is essential to navigate this social media terrain with mindfulness, preserving the authenticity, vulnerability and depth that define true love. As we continue to evolve in this technological era, we must remember that love, in all its forms, remains one of the most profound and enduring aspects of the human experience.
Story by Will Cartwright
On the 22nd of August, Thornbury High had the second filming day for its movie production, Rebound. This was a huge event, involving people from years 7-12, “Easily 150 students”, said Mandaar Madhu, a year 11 student who is involved in one of the 2 Year 11 classes involved in leading the production.
We started off with all the Year 9-12s meeting and preparing all the things we needed, including all the filming equipment, after that, we launched the filming! We filmed a lot of scenes, including lots of people from any year level who wanted to be included, with a very impressive performance from Dash, who played one of the main characters, Riley, who was only put into the position a week before filming!
After a couple hours of filming, with everybody helping out wherever they could, we travelled to Narrandjeri Stadium, an absolutely massive stadium on Darebin Road, where we filmed the huge end scene. For this scene, we got people from all year levels, and of all types, to be involved in the various different teams, with everybody else in the background playing supporting fans, waving around signs for the teams, dressed up in team colours. We also had a few extraordinary guest appearances from a few teachers, like Mr. O’Sullivan playing the coach for the final game, and Mr. Cribbes, the current acting principal of THS, starred as the announcer for the final game.In the end, everybody got super involved, students, teachers, and even parents, and everybody should be super excited for the final product, which should be finished by the holidays!
Ms Lauryn Hill in Melbourne
Ms Lauryn Hill announced that while she is here she’ll perform in Melbourne, on the 3rd of October, before going to Sydney, on the 5th of October. The concert will be for all ages, with children who are under the age of 12 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times within the arena, the tickets go from $95 to $399. She will be performing with special guest Jamaican reggae wunderkind, Koffee.
Ms Lauryn Hill is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. She has been considered one of the greatest rappers of all time and one of the most influential musicians of her generation. Her tour is to celebrate the 25th anniversary of her only solo album, ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ album, which is considered one the most respected records in hip-hop history. Ms Hill’s most streamed is Doo Woop (That Thing) from the album, which has over 375,000,000 streams on Spotify.
“The Miseducation album has been a consistently special artwork that has allowed me to tour for 25 years, sharing the message and energy with its loyal appreciators," Ms. Hill spoke to ABC, talking about the tour, “I'm excited to celebrate this landmark anniversary with the fans in Australia, and I look forward to this time capsule experience."
The Miseducation album was released on the 25th of August 1998, which was her debut album after the Fugees broke up due to internal issues the year before. The album was and is still treated as the masterpiece it is. The album has influenced many singers and rappers since it’s been released.
If you do miss her she will be performing in the Promiseland festival on day 2 as the headliner. Keep in mind, the festival is for people over the age of 18.
Day of celebration this Friday
Max - culture reporter - 23/08/23
Wear it purple day is coming up!
Thornbury high school is going to celebrate wear it purple day by letting students attend school in casual clothes. Just as long as you wear something purple and bring a gold coin donation.
Teachers will organise a stand where you can get free pride stickers as well. Gold coin donations are going to a sister school in Cambodia. This is for the Cambodian school to enhance their education and wellbeing of their students.
What is wear it purple day?
Wear it purple day is an annual LGB awareness day. Allies wear purple to celebrate LGB diversity.
Wear it purple day was organised by students, running a non profit organisation based in Australia. WEar it purple day is held every year on the 25th of August and it was inaugurated on the 15th of October 2010. Founded by Katherine Hudson and Scott Wiliiams.
So find a gold coin and something purple to put on to show your support for the queer people of Australia!
Have A Winterful Time At This August 2023 Hot Chocolate Festival !
Throughout the month of August is the 2023 hot chocolate festival, serving a variety of unique flavoured hot chocolates at 35 Old Healesville Rd Yarra Glen Vic and other locations are Great Ocean road and Morning Peninsula. Organised by the lovely people from Yarra Valley Chocolaterie and Ice creamery, each hot chocolate is barista made with a shot of dark, milk, white, ruby or caramelised warm couverture chocolate served with the most fluffiest handcrafted marshmallows.
This hot chocolate festival is hands on as to anyone coming down, for $24 you can try eight out of the thirty one flavours of delicious hot chocolate while you can choose any flavour to make three custom hot chocolate spoons. This year's festival also includes boozy hot chocolate (alcoholic).
This festival's concept is that everyday of August there are thirty one hot chocolate flavours over the thirty one days to try from. This 2023 hot chocolate festival includes a barbie hot chocolate with pink infused chocolate, iced vovo hot which comes with chocolate donuts for dunking in and many more amazing unique varieties to choose from making this a fun festival to try.
“Eshay” culture and youth crimes are at an all time high
Sunday Baker - Culture Reporter - 23/08/23
It's no doubt that youth crime is at an all time high. The latest Crime Statistic Agency figures have revealed the total offences committed by children ages 10-17 has jumped 18.2 percent since last year. These numbers are astronomically bad and our children are suffering.
Youth violence often includes stabbings. A recent account of this calls to a young boy aged 16 who was murdered on NSW beach August 23, 2023. The boy was stabbed in the thigh at the beach and later found on the street, he then died in hospital. Incidents like this occur all the time and are predominantly from our youth. We need to be teaching these children that violence is never the answer.
Another more vile case of youth crime involves a girl named Kirra Hart, Kirra Hart lives in Queensland, Australia. Who was beaten and cut by 3 girls for 4 hours. She was invited to a “sleepover” but then was met with a cruel inhuman torturous 4 hours that almost took her life. This happened on the 16th of March 2023, This disgraceful attack has caused the assaulters to go to child court and are facing multiple charges. This is disgusting, The girl even posted a video after this attack claiming it was funny, this needs to stop. We need to educate our children on how to be civilised members of society and not jump to violence as the answer to everything.
Attacks such as these happen more often than we think, Our children are not safe and no one is doing anything about it.
New Festival coming soon
The Promiseland Festival is a multi-genre live music experience embodying the culturally diverse, lively, and effervescent sounds of multiple continents - genres and sub-cultures of music that have gained exceptional popularity across Australia and international music scenes in the last decade as numerous world-renowned artists tap into its unique sounds. The event is for people over the age of 18. The festival in Doug Jennings Park, Gold Coast, Promiseland will go on from the 30th of September to the 1st of October.
There will be over 50 artists performing from all over the world!
On day 1, it will be hosted by Papafrank. The artist that will be performing on day 1 will be Davido, Giveon, Six60, Fireboy DML, Ayra Starr, Onefour, Maleek Berry, Stonebwoy, Amuthamc, Baby Prince, Bina Butta, The Compozers, Cuuhraig, DJ Noiz, Discretion, DSP, Fejoint, Jaecy, Kennyon Brown, Kimani Lojay, Lowkey, Mistah Cee, Mwayz, Nokz, Pheelz, Peter Gunz PK, Say True God, Talisha, The 046, The West, and Tikelz.
On day 2, it will be hosted by Tauafao Brothers. The artists that will be performing on day 2 will be Ms Lauryn Hill, Tems, L.A.B, Stefflon Don, Koffee, Fiji, Scorpion Kings, Uncle Waffles, Aardnha, Big Skeez, DJ Bawlin, Fia, Gold Fang, House of Shem, Jaro Local, Jazmine Nikitta, Jephy Jay, Katchafire, Kojey Radical, Kristelle, Looney CK, Musa Keys, Peter Andre, Quest, Rebel Souljahz, Sam V, Sire, Stan Walker, Swiss Tree, Teejae, Temgazi, Tenelle, and Wayno.