<p>Hi, so this was my essay prompt for my mock test:</p>
<p>PROMPT:
Nowadays nothing is private: our culture has become too confessional and self-expressive. People think that to hide ones thoughts or feelings is to pretend not to have those thoughts or feelings. They assume that honesty requires one to express every inclination and impulse.
Adapted from J. David Velleman, "The Genesis of Shame"</p>
<p>ASSIGNMENT
Should people make more of an effort to keep some things private? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.</p>
<p>Let me first of all say that during the time I wrote this essay, I felt my mind wander for some reason. Part of the reason why this essay is so weird is because I kind of misunderstood the topic in the beginning. I am not blaming anyone but myself, but I am just saying this is probably one of the worst essays I have ever written. As a result, my essay seems weak. Please tell me your honest opinion about this essay and the type of score it would receive if I did this for the real SAT.</p>
<p>Essay:</p>
<p>In the age of information that the world lives in today, people can now exchange information through instantaneous means. As a result of this, our lives have become more public and less private. Through emails, instant messages, phones, as well as social media, our lives are no longer as private as it was decades ago. Despite all this technological achievement, one should still be able to maintain a semblance of privacy.</p>
<p>Many people in the world today use Facebook. It is through Facebook where millions of people everyday inform their "friends" about their mood, status, and day. These people upload pictures, write status messages, and share different forms of data to their friends. Many other sites, such as Twitter and Tumblr also allow for this type of activity. However this promotion of sharing details about everyday life is destructive as well as pointless. By encouraging people to freely indulge in sharing their personal feelings or thoughts, it takes away the aspect of personal identity. There are some things that are best left unspoken, people should not be pressured to unwillingly express what they don't want to say. It is also these hidden thoughts or feelings which bring an element of uniqueness and attractiveness to a person's character. Society should not pressure people to behave like an open book.</p>
<p>Ironically, social media makes us more homogenous rather than more diverse. Many social media sites have norms and standards, breaking any of these alienates one from his or her peers. This is a reason why many people seem similar in regards to their public expression. Nowadays, most public expression is through the usage of this new medium. It takes away our privacy, it takes away our identity, it makes us all the same.</p>