Week 4 – Journal Entry

After reviewing Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, each level of the hierarchy is contains something I can relate to from a technology experience.

Physiological Needs: In high school, I had just gotten a new phone since I needed an upgrade from the previous one that was slowing down and making it more difficult for me to get my work done. After about two weeks of having the new phone it got stolen and I had to resort to living the next couple of weeks old fashioned and means of communication was difficult. I couldn’t talk to classmates outside of school and if I had to stay after school for sports I had to just hope my ride would come on time without me calling. It was crazy and rough. I understood in that time how much of a need having a phone is today when you get to a certain age.

Safety Needs: Personally I’ve never experienced being the victim of a virus on any of my devices, however, my father has. We have a family computer and one time in middle school my dad was checking his personal stuff and since he’s not a tech guru he clicked on an email that contained a malicious link posing as the bank and our computer got hit with ransomware. He was frustrated cause the number that was listed said that he needed to transfer $20,000 in order to get rid of the pop-up box. He was frustrated and it frustrated me too because I was only 14 and had no idea how to combat something like that as he assumed I could figure something out to get rid of it. Eventually we called the police and got it cleared, but it was stressful for the both of us to deal with. After we both understood not to trust every email that’s sent.

Belongingness and Love Needs: Since middle school, having social media has been essential for me to create bonds and form relationships where not having it would can make a person seem like an outcast. Whether it’s friendly, intimate, or professionally.

Esteem Needs: Currently LinkedIn is essential for me. If a post reaches a certain amount of impressions and gets a good amount of reactions then it boosts my esteem in knowing that someone in my field/industry of cybersecurity will keep an eye on me. https://www.linkedin.com/in/isain-cortes-jr-594895237

Self-actualization: Technology and social media can leave a lasting impression and greatly influence individuals. Late middle school, the music scene was changing and a lot of the artists I was getting into and following greatly influenced my love for certain things and how I act for fun. It also brought a more creative side of me to try out new things and do hobbies that were out of my comfort zone. Also being able to watch successful people within the IT industry explain keys to achieving goals really influences me to get things done and look into things that could help me in my future cybersecurity career.