Prince Ea

Nicole Malley, Staff Writer

Ea has been sweeping the web, from social media and beyond; Ea is influencing people with topics such as technology dependence and environmental destruction. If you haven’t had the chance to see his videos going viral on Facebook, you can follow his YouTube channel, which is simply Prince Ea.

Ea shadows a multitude of subjects that plague society today. His most notable video is titled “Can We Auto-Correct Humanity?” which presents a powerful message and signifying the outrageous reliance on technology our generation has, and how it is inadvertently hindering our progress in communication. He acknowledges the irony of how technology is supposed to bring us closer together, but how everyday life is plagued with individuals glued to their phone, which disrupts the face-to-face interactions that really make a difference in life.

Many people see this as a very black and white matter, some even criticizing Prince Ea for using technology to get his message across. Ea points out in his video’s description that technology is best used with cautionary moderation.

Are his assertions correct? Think about your own every day interactions. Are they disrupted by technology? Do you find it hard to pay attention to your face-to-face conversations when you are engaged in activities on your phone?

Some may argue that technology has made communication easier and more efficient on a global and local scale. At the touch of a button, you can find out the exact location of a friend, message a friend or family member five time zones away, or order a product on Amazon from India and have it shipped the next day.

Others feel that technology is disconnecting us from the physical realm of existence and wreaking havoc on how people interrelate with each other. Ea argues for the latter and even points out how people measure their self worth based off their social media, which can be detrimental to people’s self confidence.

Ea presents his case in a rhythmic manner; a lot like how slam poetry is executed, making his message come across strong. The musical mechanism really helps in reflecting the strength of these issues, how prominent they are becoming in society, and the potential effects it could have on our generation in the future.

Another one of his videos that hits close to home for those of us at school, “Working to Live or Living to Work?” presents the notion that people are taking away from their lives by spending all their lives working, even when they don’t necessarily need to be.

The American workaholic stigma is unusual to a lot of people, especially those from European countries, who get several weeks of paid vacation a year. According to Ea, 50 percent of Americans choose not to take their full vacations off from their jobs. This is relevant for those of us in college right now, working towards our career paths.

Many current college students will be in some type of debt when they graduate, and working is the only way to use your education to pay off that debt; but what happens when the debt is paid off? Is the pressure to keep working still there?

With today’s economy, it is necessary to work. Unfortunately, these pressures carry over to the mental health issues in today’s society. Working takes away the time you have to spend with your family and friends, and your mental stability. Whether it be scholastic work, a job, or a career, working uses time you can never get back, in place of money. It is up to the individual to determine whether this is worth it for them or not.

Take the time to watch some of Prince Ea’s influential videos, and determine how his messages make you feel. Maybe it will persuade you to shut your phone off when you’re out with friends, or reconsider how you use your time. Whether you agree with his assertions or not, you can’t disregard the strength in his message.