My name is Moses Okpala, I am originally from Anambra State, Nigeria. I currently live in St. Louis Missouri and go to the University of Illinois.
At U of I, I major in psychology and I'm part of the football athletic program. I like to read and write, moreover, I like to hear and tell very interesting stories.
My Stories
Tik Tokers Blame Biden for Fuel Prices
Over quarantine, the music/entertainment/social media application ‘tik tok’ has grown exponentially. According to music business worldwide when quarantine hit in March; on the week of March 16 the social media application was downloaded 2 million times, this is an 18% increase in downloads from the week prior. Tik Tok has the power to sway a lot of minds due to the number of active users that it generates and maintains.
This February, after President Joe Biden took office in January a lot of popular tik toks flared up and most of them were blaming the rising fuel prices on the newly elected president. The app users created a hashtag to rant about how the president is mishandling fuel prices, for example, looking at the #Fuelprices one will see tik toks like this. The video was made by ‘gunslinger1’ on the video gunslinger is at a pump getting gas and he put a voice-over that sarcastically said “thank you for everyone who voted for Biden” his sarcasm is revealed in his next message where he says “I bet if you actually paid for Gas you would’ve never voted for him.”
In another video seen on the #fuelprices page, the user by the tag of ‘Joshtheplumber1776,’ Josh talks about Joe Biden’s decision to pull the Keystone XL pipeline permit on his first day in office. He says “I hope you guys enjoy those low gas prices over the last four years, cause dumb-dumb Joe Biden has decided to pull the Keystone pipeline out of business,” he goes on to talk about how there would be no crude oil manufactured in the country and the country would have to go back to depending on other countries just like in Obama’s regime. He also added that he loves saving the environment but not at the expense of the American people losing their jobs.
Kenley Grimmer, sophomore studying kinesiology at the University of Illinois talks about her view on the topic, she says “it sucks that I have to pay a lot more on gas than I did about two months ago.” Grimmer also talked about how she’s not the only one that has this view on blaming the rise of gas prices on the president, “a lot of tik tok users have shared their discontent with the president and I think he should work harder in reducing the gas prices.”
Grimmer is not wrong, a lot of tik toks videos and users like that of gunslinger1, Joshtheplumber1776 can be seen on the #Fuelprices page, and most of these videos have massive audiences. In these videos, users are seen ranting and blaming the president for rising fuel prices. Nonetheless, some of these videos have been met with some major criticisms, where other tik tokers ‘duet’(i.e reply to them publicly) these videos and also the reply section of some of these videos is littered with criticism.
Some of the critics point to these facts, some talk about how supply and demand has a lot to do with the rise of fuel prices, some talk about how data sets that compare gas prices to this time of the year, finally some talk about how in comparison by this time of the year last two years in 2019 during Trump’s administration, gas prices where higher.
Tik tok and its users have a lot of biases, with that comes with a lot of opinions and as a consumer, it is really hard to know exactly what is true. To find out exactly what’s the truth, users should be advised to look at neutral sources like that of AAA.
According to AAA, when it comes to gas prices, a lot of things are out of the consumer and government’s control, for example, “things like fluctuating oil supply, regional price differences, and disruption in production” are all out of the consumer’s control and they talk about their research.
According to AAA, the rise in gas prices has a lot to do with “rising crude prices, tightening gas supplies, and increased gas demand” a lot more people are driving now compared to a couple of months ago due to less restriction about quarantine. On the AAA website they talk about Thursday’s formal trading session and how “the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) decided with its allies, including Russia, to maintain existing crude production cuts of 7 million b/d through April.” This means that one of the reasons why people see increments(i.e rising crude prices) in fuel prices has been steadied through April, however, all other factors are still subject to change.
Tik tok seems like a very influential app with its hashtags and political topics but consumers of information need to be critical of where they get their information from and how trustworthy those pieces of information can be.
My Stories
Students struggle with faith commitments amidst COVID
Christians around the world are getting ready for the celebration of ‘the rebirth of Jesus Christ,’ a Christian holiday also known as Easter. Eden Bruhns who hails from Streator Illinois and a full-time student at the University of Illinois, says that she normally attends mass at St. John's Catholic Newman Center located on the south end of campus. However, things have changed because “due to covid I have to reserve a seat in advance and they get filled up pretty quickly because the church has a very limited amount of seats available for students.” Eden complains that faith during this time is a major struggle, “for instance, I can’t receive Eucharis because if you miss the mass of the prior week, it is advised not to get it...this makes it harder to get deep into my worship, at least not as much as I’d like to.”
Although COVID cases, deaths, and hospitalization are in it’s declining phase, thanks to isolation, social-distancing, and vaccination. Religious attendance is getting better now, compared to what it was like a year ago when COVID just hit. However, religious centers are still struggling with congregatory attendance and motivation. According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center “roughly four-in-ten people who typically attend religious services at least once or twice a month say they actually have done so, in person, during the past month.” As Easter draws near, many family traditions are to be re-visited, but the way things are headed, it is about to be the second year in a row that COVID-related issues have stonewalled Easter celebrations. “I have a really big family and we always get together on Easter but we cannot do that this year because not everyone is fully vaccinated,” Eden says with a dejected tone.
Another poll conducted by the Pew Research Center suggests that “only 39% of U.S Christians plan to go in person to church services this Easter Sunday, which is sharply lower than the 62% who say they typically go to church on Easter.” Eduardo Alvarado is Catholic and also a full-time student at the University of Illinois, Alvarado says that he is not very religious, however, “since my parents are very religious, it is religious holidays like Easter that I always make sure to try and attend.” Alvarado went on to reinforce the fact that religious holidays brought his whole extended family together regardless of misunderstandings, however, COVID has robbed him of this experience because “usually after a holiday mass, there’s a family dinner, but due to covid it will be a smaller event, most likely including just my immediate family.”
Attendance is not the only issue that students face when it comes to how COVID has affected religious practices among students, motivation and physical participation have declined as well and this takes a toll on one's faith. Though religious places adapted to streaming services online to encourage consistent religious empowerment. Eden argues that “It is definitely not the same cause you are in bed, or somewhere in your apartment but you can’t get holy water, communion or like do some participatory things like kneeling.”
Due to these issues churches are in predicament as to how to maintain people’s attendance, motivation, and overall faith.