Drug and Alcohol Use

Everyone knows that the legal age of drinking in Australia is 18 and when most students hit their legal age, the first question asked by their peers is “What drink did you have as your first?” Drinking alcohol is part of the Australian culture but at times, alcohol does more harm than good. Every year, there are so many young Australians that die due to alcohol use and as a result, many schools have resorted to running different workshops and talks about the sensible use of alcohol.

In my opinion, more than legal-aged drinking, under-aged drinking is an issue. Most students have access to alcohol within their own homes and most parents do not hesitate to give their kids maybe a sip of their drink before they are of age. It is the continuous exposure to drinking and the associated benefits of having a ‘good time’ as well as peer pressure that causes many young people to have their first drink before it is legal. It is also some aspects in the media such as American movies and TV shows that portray drinking and drug use as a desirable behaviour. Shows such as Gossip Girl, especially, show drinking and drug use to be a common and preferred way to live life. In most cases, however, the media does aim to raise awareness of the associated negative effects of drugs, which is something that should be continued. 

Aside from alcohol, the exposure and access to drugs at such a young age, especially in highschool is a rising issue, which in my opinion needs to be more addressed within schools. Most students are aware of the effects of alcohol but not all are aware of the effects of drugs. A different drug produces a different effect on the body, especially synthetic drugs. Some adolescents, in the hype of trying new things only take a particular drug once but its effect is for life. In my opinion, preventing the exposure to drugs is difficult, however, raising awareness of the different types of drugs and their effect is vital to today’s society. And for those who are addicted, it is necessary to raise awareness of the help that is available.

- Areeka 

The Aftermath of Online Shopping

Online shopping is something we all enjoy: cheap but stylish clothes, and the feeling you get when your parcel arrives is something which in indescribable and incomparable to anything else. But have we ever thought what its effect is on the hundreds of clothing stores within our country? Of course not. We just want our dress to arrive on time and in perfect condition

The sad truth is that because of how little we usually pay and how convenient it is to choose our whole summer collection in one click, consumers are significantly effecting the Australian economy and the profits of many clothing stores. Christmas time is a period when many retailers update their sales and marketing strategies to attract customers as it is expected that their sales would peak during this time but over the years, there have been decreases in many annual profits because of the fact that many consumers are resorting to online stores to purchase their Christmas gifts. Not only is it usually cheaper, but it saves a lot of time in terms of firstly finding a parking spot, spending ages looking through the clothes that have mostly been thrown to floor and finally spending time waiting in line to process your goods.

Online shopping not only directly affects Australian retailers, but also the economy as a whole. The rise of Australian dollar in the past years has caused imports to be cheaper and exports to be more expensive and in order to control this, the government has introduced a tax on imported goods, known as GST which imposes a 10% tax on imported goods. This tax aims to protect our local stores and to encourage consumers to resort back purchasing Australian goods, rather than going online.

Even though the video below is dated back to 2010, the factors mentioned that effect retailers are still evident today and are probably even more heightened because of the increase in technological resources.

- Areeka 

Media and Food Influence

It is becoming evident that in contemporary society people are leading extremely busy lives balancing work, family and leisure commitments. As a result, levels of fast food intake are on the rise and are creating health issues. I believe that this is because fast food is relatively cheap compared to gourmet and healthier options. I have seen a variety of fast food outlets every few minutes in my surrounding suburbs and this convenience attracts customers.

Also, the media plays a major role in food influence in society as TV advertisements, billboards, radio advertisements, celebrity endorsements and promotion packagings are all involved in the food choices we make on a day to day basis.

These types of mass media communications advertise fast-food outlets such as Mcdonalds, Pizza Hut, KFC, Oporto and Cadbury, to name a few. The infamous soft drink Pepsi has signed celebrity Beyonce as part of their campaign to attract more customers as she is an international phenomenon.

The majority of companies listed sell energy dense unhealthy products. In my opinion, this means individuals are exposed to many unhealthy foods that are available instead of healthier foods. I believe that media advertisements are created to inform society of a product and its availability. I’ve also realized that certain products such as cereal are advertised during children’s programs in hope the children will nag their parents for that product.

- Huda