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An expertly crafted breakfast, an aesthetic beachfront view, or a posed snapshot of an idyllic family vacation—things we have all seen on our social media feeds. Perhaps such things are posted in the name of art, the pursuit of informing our close friends, or even a way to document life experiences. But how does social media make us really feel?

The rise of social media has been inescapable for the millennial generation. Over 2.8 billion people are using some kind of social media, with a 21 percent increase in usage from 2015 to 2016, HootSuite reports. With over two billion monthly active Facebook accounts, in addition to millions of Snapchat, Tumblr, and Instagram accounts, most millennials have at least one social media outlet they connect with. Yet, social media has been influenced even by those outside the millennial generation.

Indeed, with Donald Trump’s Twitter account boasting over 38 million followers and 35 thousand tweets, social media has been impacted by anything from small local brands to the President of the United States. The presence of social media has transformed the face of modern politics, becoming the fastest way for news to travel worldwide and the vessel for coining phrases such as “Sad!” or “Fake News!”

Yet with social media serving many practical uses, it also has transformed into the main way in which people interact with one another. So how has communication and the ubiquitous presence of social media become synonymous over the years? The answer may lie in self-esteem.

“It’s almost considered strange if your friends don’t like or acknowledge your post or tweet,” said Zachariah Simms, a student studying media for his career in broadcast. “Social media is a really weird space.”

Thus, one’s activity on social media sends a message. In liking someone’s picture, in following a new account, or in retweeting a stranger’s tweet, one has the ability to communicate current feelings or interests, all in the public eye. As most information is visible, anyone with the incentive can check who their friends are following, who follows them, and whose pictures are attracting the most attention. In short, the most activity can be seen by anyone who can view the accounts in question.

Social media has become so predominant that even privacy has become something of the past. With the introduction of SnapMaps, a location tracking service on Snapchat, friends are able to see a person’s exact location. This depends on whether or not someone chooses to share their location with all their friends—which many do. Instagram posts have become sorted by location, and Twitter encourages users to tag the place or venue in which photos were taken or messages were created. In addition, most electronic devices use location to promote what content the user is seeing.

“Social media has nothing to do with privacy,” Simms continued. “When you post a picture of your friends or even yourself, people know where you are and where you’ve been.”

Yet, this aspect is appealing to many people who utilize social media. In documenting a seemingly perfect moment, a communicative message is sent to followers that one’s life is flawless, happy, and worthy of evoking envy. Such an attitude introduces a competitive aspect of social media; a race for who collects the most likes, retweets, followers, and general attention. The more friends one has in real life, the more likely they are to have greater following on social media–presenting a greater image of popularity and social wealth.

With World Stream reporting that most Instagram users are between 18 and 29 years old with 32% of users being college students, the millennial generation has an incentive to join the world of digital posting.

Social media lover Abigail Ocampo spends about six hours on her devices every day, juggling Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and Tumblr. “Social media is a part of my career,” the second-year journalism student said. “Without it, I would feel completely unconnected from the world.”

As the future of social media remains a mystery, only time can tell how the long term effects of spending time connected to the world through media correlate to self-esteem. “It’s just a habit,” Ocampo said. “I’m not really thinking about how it makes me feel.”

Local filmmaker Eddie Vigil first encountered the world of film when he was in middle school. He worked in an editing class for the school’s news channel. In the years following, he made some short films for fun or for class projects. Vigil said, “I guess I’d always dreamed about being in the film world.”

Vigil attended the University of Nevada, Reno and graduated with a degree in mining and engineering in 2011. In his last semester, he took an acting class for fun. The class rekindled Vigil’s passion for film, and he claimed, “it kind of reinvigorated my soul.” After graduation, he couldn’t find any work in his field. He then decided to pursue acting and eventually created his own film and production company, EV Pictures. Vigil also created a local group of filmmakers called the Reno Film Collective. The collective utilizes the talents of about a hundred local creators, ranging from writers to actors, to shoot entire short films in a single day.

During auditions for one of his films, “Status Fracas,” Vigil met Justine Reyes, owner and Talent Director at Take 2 Performers Studio. She encouraged him to try to make a career in film. Since then, EV Pictures has worked in coordination with Take 2 Performers Studio to run a film workshop.

With the workshop, Vigil has provided a unique opportunity for people in the community to get a shot at creating short films. Vigil runs the kid’s acting workshop at Take 2 Performers Studio, where instructors teach classes ranging from acting to voice training. The kids class creates two original shorts in two months, while the adult class creates three original shorts in three months. Each student gets the chance to work in front of the camera, whether as a lead actor or in a bit part, and behind the camera, running lights or even the camera.

Former student Brad Vance took the adult class because he wanted to make the switch from writing novels to writing screenplays. He says the immersive nature of the class taught him a great deal. While his focus is on writing, he claims that learning the other aspects of film allowed him to write from a more knowledgeable position. Vance said the class, “informs your other work.”

At first Vance experienced stage fright. He would spend hours memorizing his lines and once he was in front of the camera, he forgot them. However, he eventually learned to overcome this fear.

“In the workshop I had the freedom to fail” Vance said. He overcame his stage fright and went on to learn other aspects of filmmaking. Since the workshop, Vance has worked in several local short films. He hopes to continue working in the arts.

In the children’s workshop, in the allotted two months, the class works in coordination to produce two original short films, written by Vigil. The workshop is aimed at giving every student a chance to act in a leading role. The main actors in the first film are the supporting cast in the second film, and vice versa. Vigil tries to write the characters for the actors. By the second film, he understood the actors a bit better. Vigil said, “I’m writing with them in mind.”

The first film this class made was “Marley and the Mystery at the Magic Shop”. The film, which is currently in post-production, is about a magician who finds that his rabbit has been murdered. Vigil said, “It’s a murder mystery. A classic whodunnit.” Vigil describes the characters as, “Over the top. We have the private investigator and the butler, kind of like Clue.”

The second film is currently in production. In the film, an office of superheros hold interviews with the boss to join their superhero team.

Predictably, the children’s’ workshop can be a bit hectic. Between takes, and sometimes during, the students are excitable and talk loudly amongst each other. One student is absent and everyone jumps at the opportunity to get to play his character, Fire Ninja, a ninja with fire powers.

The commotion dies down when Eddie yells, “Quiet on set!” before the start of a new scene. There’s a stream of superhero interviews. The students wear various costumes, indicating various superpowers. “I’m Angry Penguin,” said one student. “I was bitten by an angry penguin. Now I have ice powers, also I can turn into an angry penguin.” And there’s Cat Lady, who only communicates by meowing. And there’s Vigil himself, otherwise known as Bird Guy, who has no powers, but is “just a guy out trying to do good.”

Eddie ensures every student gets a chance participate as cast and as crew. A student will run the camera while another runs the lights. A student calls out, “action” while a few students act out a scene.

One student stutters as she recites her lines. By the third take she recites them smoothly and by the next scene she’s more confident.

“It definitely builds confidence. Experience is everything” said Vigil.

If you’re looking for a place that’s both hidden and hilarious, look no further than the Reno-Tahoe Comedy Club. This underground gem is right outside of the Pioneer Center downtown, leading you down a small staircase that takes you to a comedy club you never knew you were standing on before. The venue hosts a wide variety of comedians from all kinds of backgrounds, including young teenagers, high school teachers, and a featured Family Guy voice actor. The owner, Wayne Wright, opened Reno Tahoe Comedy at the Pioneer Underground six and a half years ago.

“The best part is the great people I get to work with,” Wright said. “The people that are here, they all love comedy and that’s why they’re working here. People just love being here, and we’re working with good people. And if you’re a jerk, we’re not working with you.”

One of the lead comics at Reno/Tahoe is “Sean Peabody, The Hawaiian Comedian.” Peabody has been doing stand-up comedy full time for the past twenty years. He originally started his comedy career during his time in the armed forces.

“I was dared to go on stage by my unit,” said Peabody. “I was in the military in ‘97, and I used to teach rifle marksmanship. And when I would teach my classes I would always tell jokes in the middle because, you know, I got marines walking around who are holding weapons so when I taught my classes I would always tell jokes, and they would laugh. But then there was a coach from another unit that came up and asked me if I was ever interested in doing stand-up and if I would be willing to come up and do it. He gave me my first 7 minutes in Oceanside, it was like a dare. He was like ‘just do it Peabody!’ so I was like, alright. And since then I’ve had the [comedy] bug.”

Peabody travels the world doing stand up and has been involved with Reno-Tahoe Comedy since they opened.

The Pioneer Underground even hosts comedians you wouldn’t typically expect to see, like 18-year-old Reno local, Tatiana, who first started stand up when she was 16 years old.

“I was 16 and I always wanted to do stand up comedy so my parents took me to a coffee shop. They do open mics, and my whole family came to this, and I talked about orgies. The audience gave a really good reaction. It was weird, but with comedy I can be whoever I want to be and say whatever I want to say.”

At age 18, Tatiana is a young woman in what seems to be an old man’s game. With that, there are some hurdles that she had to overcome in her career.

“A lot of people assumed I didn’t know what I was doing or that I was just doing this as a hobby,” said Tatiana, “Even still, I’ll go to big clubs in San Jose and people will say ‘uh you should just go to school, you should get a real job, this won’t pay off for you very well’. So that’s different, because nobody will say that to a 40 year old man who is doing it for fun.”

Amy Bosch, a single mother and an online high school teacher, has also been doing stand up for the past two years. After the death of her friend she decided that life is too short, and she needed to get out and do what makes her happy.

“I love making people laugh,” Bosch said. “It is such a release to laugh and I really feel that laughter is the best medicine and can cure anybody’s day. It’s just so much fun to see the faces light up, the belly laugh, the chuckle, even the snort. It’s fun! Who doesn’t like to laugh? Unless if they have a stick up their butt.”

Bosch is the Assistant Manager at Reno-Tahoe Comedy, and sometimes even her students will come and see her perform.

One of the lead comics of September, Kabir “Kabeezy” Singh, has been featured on shows like “Punchline”, “Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand Up Revolution,” and was a voice actor for a few Indian characters on “Family Guy”. The lead comics are on the stage for the biggest block of time, so having a lot of material is key.

“Writing jokes man, every couple hours a day. You just gotta sit there with a pen and paper. During the duration of an evening I’ll jot down ideas in my phone and write about it. It’s tough to do it any other way, it’s all up to allocating time to do it.” Singh said.

Reno-Tahoe Comedy has shows playing every week, Thursday through Sunday, with a new lead comic each week. The Pioneer Underground is filled with such interesting comedians, who are sure to make you laugh.

“When you’re at a comedy show and laughing, no matter what problems you have in life, whether if you’ve paid your rent, or if you haven’t paid your car note, or maybe car has been repossessed by the time you’re at the comedy show (laughs), but the best part is that when they’re sitting in there with you and laughing with you they’re not thinking about that stuff,” said Peabody.

For more information on schedules and comedians, visit renotahoecomedy.com.

The concept of ‘putting yourself out there’ is, to say the least, daunting. At some point or another, you have some sort of feeling that says “I’m going to show everyone what I do the way I do it.” It’s a vulnerable position to put yourself in, especially when it’s that vulnerability that performers in particular experience that finds itself into my conversation with the members of Reno local four-piece Shit Metaphor.

We find ourselves at Bibo Coffee shop on Record Street near the university, taking refuge from a gusty September afternoon. I meet with Ilya, Rosie and Sophia, who play guitar, drums, and keyboards, respectively; all three sharing vocal duties. John, who plays bass, joins us on speaker phone whilst driving from Las Vegas to Reno. We start the conversation with a question that opens any musician up- I ask for a list of influences, musical or other. It often times opens the door to a larger discussion about music. What I notice in particular about the members of Shit Metaphor’s response to this was not one of them had a direct answer for what influences them. Their approach is to have none, something many bands could take note from. Rosie mentions that her musical choices are arbitrary, doing what feels natural as opposed to what is expected. Ilya remarks “I’d rather just let the music speak for itself and not attempt to contextualize it.” Rather than recreate or repackage influences and ideas, they organically shape the sound to create something unique.

Shit Metaphor started around six years ago in the Bay Area as a duo project between Ilya and one other member. After a move to Reno, Ilya recorded and released the first self titled SM tape. The artwork for this one, as well as the other two tapes they brought for me, were all done by either Ilya, Rosie or Sophia. After a Halloween cover show featuring the current members, Ilya decided it was time to make the move from solo endeavor to group project. In particular, including John added a darker element to the band previously not achieved. He mentions that the songs on the first tape sound like “folky, hippy jams” and “for some reason it made me feel uncomfortable,” to which everyone at the table laughs. “I’m really into dark and evil stuff,” he adds. Since making SM a full band, there have been two more releases, another self-titled tape as well as their most recent, titled ‘This Deadbeat Heart’. These two releases swan dive into the aforementioned “dark and evil stuff,” mixing loud reverb-laden guitars with crashing drums. The album release for the ‘This Deadbeat Heart’ show took place back in March at Serva Pool, a pool equipment storage room in the back of the Holland Project. We continue talking about the vulnerability performers face when they put themselves out there, especially adding another element to the performance. I inquired Ilya about a picture I’ve seen from a SM live photoset where he dons what looks like an anteater costume. He emphasizes the difference in “performing” versus ”writing” mentioning that SM seeks to leave audience members with something other than “these people stood here and played the same songs the same way they did last week. I want to be something more than just someone standing there playing music.” For Ilya, Sophia, Rosie, and John, their philosophy revolves around the absence of exactly that.

It is common for a student to walk through the Church of Fine Arts on the way to or from class, listening to the notes of songs as instruments sneak through the cracks of the doors and into his or her ears. To many, it is a mystery who is producing such lovely music. What many at the University of Nevada, Reno don’t understand is what music education majors do to be able to make that music.

Pursuing a degree in music education is a unique experience at UNR. It takes five years to accomplish, ten semesters of upwards of 12 credits each, countless hours of practice outside the classroom, and even more hours in schools getting firsthand experience with students. The reason for an extra year is because the student needs to acquire a mastery in teaching as well as in a variety of instruments. The woman in charge of this rigorous program is Dr. Kate Pollard. Dr. Pollard is the coordinator of the music education program and an instructor for many of the music education courses. She constantly works towards improving and growing the program, integrating the music and education curricula from the very first semester.

UNR may not have the biggest music education program in the country, but it is up there with the best where quality is concerned. Many of its participants agree that it boasts a varied faculty whose commitment to their students is unmatched. Brandon Pierce, a junior in the program, says “That’s why I chose UNR, because of the faculty.” A student can join orchestra symphonic band, wind ensemble, jazz ensemble, or marching band. The program offers a variety of musical outlets to match each student’s interests.

To be accepted, a student must audition as well as apply to the university through the regular application. They perform in front of a panel of judges as an instrumentalist or vocalist. They have to show an adeptness at reading music and are expected to already have a certain level of experience. These high expectations are necessary because many of the courses a music education major will take their freshman year will expect that they already have a basic background of knowledge. Every student, regardless of focus, will be expected by graduation to be able to play the piano and be proficient in a variety of other instruments. To graduate, similar to what some other students would experience as a thesis or a senior project, students have to perform in front of another panel of judges. This performance is done using whatever instrument the student decided on for their emphasis in their major. If they are a vocalist, they’d sing. If they focused on the trumpet, they’d play trumpet. They are judged on the musicality of the piece, tone, dynamics or volume, and notes missed. It all goes into their final grade.

Yet another graduation requirement is four semesters of a course known as sight singing. This is notoriously one of the most difficult classes a music education major will encounter. The reason this class can be so hard is because it is based on ability not knowledge. Aurora Smith, a junior, says “It’s only something you can practice, but it’s essential to be a musician and move forward.” Sight singing tests a musician’s ability to hear different notes and pitches and recognize them. Based off of this, they must sing an entire sheet of music accurately. Even for those who come to the university with a background in instrument or vocals it is a lot of hard work. Dr. Pollard says the faculty keeps a closer eye on students while in those classes, to make sure that they are grasping the concept and proving their skills accordingly.

UNR’s program draws students in, not only for its rigor and opportunity for growth, butfor its obvious care for its students. With just 50 or 60 students in the whole program, many of them grow close, especially since most of their classes all take place in the Church of Fine Arts. Dr. Pollard shared that the music department often feels like family, seeing each other so often and getting to watch the students grow in their studies.

After graduation, students have lots of options. This is purposeful. Dr. Pollard shared that graduates have to be prepared to teach anything from elementary school to high school and anything as focused as a jazz ensemble or as general as a music appreciation course in high school. EJ Monjaras, a freshman, hopes to use his degree to someday be a college band director. Although music education majors have demanding schedules they try not to miss out on some of the more social events and opportunities. Marching band members get to play at football events and even travel with the team. Greek life doesn’t forget about them, either. There are three different Greek organizations available that focus on music. Phi Mu Alpha, a fraternity for men; Sigma Alpha Iota, a fraternity for women; and Kappa Kappa Psi, a fraternity that focuses on service and is heavily involved with the marching band are all offered at the university. All of these do not require certain majors or instrumental skill. They only require members to have a love for music.

Music education majors might have been a very talented mystery to students in the past, but it takes a great deal of commitment and love for their field. It takes a special student to put their heart and soul into the work they produce and to be able to share that love and appreciation of their music to others.