My entire life, my connection to my Italian heritage has been purely digital. Family has always been an important value for Italians; however, growing up in Atlanta, Georgia, with my Nonna and Noono in Australia, I felt disconnected from my family and as a result, my heritage. This all changed, however, when my family went to Italy to see my nonni, specifically visiting the village where my Nonno grew up, called Castel Del Monte. Going to Castel Del Monte was like traveling back in time. The town was so beautiful, and touring it with my Nonno made me feel more connected to my heritage than ever before. We walked along the cobblestone roads overlooking the mountains, through the piazza, and visited the house where he grew up. I've always been proud of my last name, Scalzini, and this pride only grew when I got to see the place where it originated. In Castel Del Monte, my sister and I cooked and shared meals with our nonni, making us feel closer to them and our heritage than we ever could over FaceTime. My nonno explained how hard it was to leave his people and travel to Australia for a better life, where he didn't know the language. His resilience and determination in immigrating to a foreign country so that his children and grandchildren could have a better life inspire me every day to take advantage of all my educational opportunities that he and my parents sacrificed for me. Family is one of the most important values for Italian families. Although technology has brought my distant family together, I've also noticed how it's bringing geographically closer families further apart. Almost every app begs for our attention, purposefully designed to keep us hooked and attentive. I first noticed this addiction after TikTok launched and with it its algorithm that's now ubiquitous across all digital platforms. The variable ratio design, eerily similar to that of a casino slot machine, makes half an hour feel like five minutes, and the apps that implement it are actively taking us away from our lives, and most importantly, each other. By distorting our perception of time, creating individualized echo chambers, and reducing our attention spans, the current design of our social media platforms is bringing us further apart instead of closer together. People feel they no longer have time for one another, and our society is becoming more individualized. This upsets me because I worry future generations of Italian families will feel more disconnected from one another than my family, with a literal ocean between us. By missing out on engaging family dinners, games of scopa, and tales of family history, we are not only losing connection, but also our heritage. Although it's a very daunting task, I'm dedicated to preventing any further damage to our brains, families, and lives by these digital platforms. By studying computer science and cognitive science, I plan to dedicate my work to fully understanding the impact technology has had on our brains, families, and society, while researching ethical design alternatives to mitigate these harms.

It's hard to imagine our day-to-day lives without our phones. A device small and convenient enough to accompany us wherever we go, filling any spare second we have. Whether in line, in bed, or in the bathroom, our phones have become an extension of our beings, making us simultaneously more connected and isolated than ever. Almost every app begs for our attention, purposefully designed to keep us hooked and attentive. I first noticed this addiction after TikTok launched and with it its algorithm that's now ubiquitous across all digital platforms. The variable ratio design, eerily similar to that of a casino slot machine, makes half an hour feel like five minutes, and the apps that implement it are actively taking us away from our lives, and most importantly, each other. By distorting our perception of time, creating individualized echo chambers, and reducing our attention spans, the current design of our social media platforms is bringing us further apart instead of closer together. People feel they no longer have time for one another, and our society is becoming more individualized. Additionally, these algorithms create ideological echo chambers for each user, shielding them from other opinions and perspectives, making our society less empathetic. As a species, humans crave and thrive on community, and this individualism presented by technology is causing us to feel more lonely and hindering our growth. Although this individualization concerns me, it motivates me to be part of the change. By raising awareness and researching how technology harms our society, we can design impactful solutions that reverse it. Specifically, I am passionate about researching how different designs affect our brains and, as a result, our society. For example, if algorithms don't expose users to content that opposes their confirmation bias, our society can become more ignorant and less accepting of one another. In the long term, this can escalate national and global tensions, creating a more divided society. By doing this research, I will discover new solutions that foster community and collaboration over individualization. I learned I can implement these solutions as a User Experience designer. This profession first piqued my interest when I realized I could combine my creative and design skills acquired through my yearbook class with my technological interests. User Experience is at the forefront of digital platforms, as a result, it's at the forefront of the technological impact on humanity, and its designs must be human-centered. As a User Experience designer, I can design products that are intuitive, accessible, and most importantly, beneficial to users, not harmful. Through research, design, and implementation, I hope to develop technologies that foster positive change for humanity rather than contribute to its demise.

When I press play on my August 23 playlist, I am suddenly sitting in front of my mirror, singing along to Olivia Rodrigo's new song while doing my hair for the first football game of the year. The music transports back to a specific period of life, and I think about the beauty of having it all encapsulated into a single playlist, accessible via a push of a button. Music is one of the most ubiquitous aspects of the human experience. It unites people in a way few other art forms can, as nearly every culture has their own version of it. It can help us express our emotions sometimes better than language and it has the power to transport you to another era, or period in your life by the sound of a simple melody. I use music to help me process my emotions and experiences and it often makes me feel less alone when I feel down. Through digital streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music, music is more accessible and as a result, has transformed the music industry for artists and users alike. Listening to any song or album by simply pressing play gives listeners more customization with their music, making it easier and affordable to expand their music taste and listen to any song at any time. Not only that, these apps have transformed experiencing music through their playlist features, which allow users to customize their music taste to perfectly suit them. Playlists allow users to encapsulate a feeling, moment in time, or experience into a custom selection of songs. Although it might seem minute, easy access to music and customizable playlists makes a big impact on users, allowing them to easily turn to music to enhance their mood or situation. I love using this feature whenever I finish a book, as I listen to playlists curated for the book to further immerse myself in the story. Streaming has also made discovering new artists more accessible through personalized recommendations beyond radio hits. This has transformed the music industry from the inside, making the career path more accessible for new upcoming artists, who might not have the resources, connections, or money to start a music career the old-fashioned way. Through increasing access for users and artists, streaming has expanded the music industry, allowing people to curate their own personal music tastes and soundtracks to their lives.