{"id":2505,"date":"2026-01-23T13:33:41","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T18:33:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitalcorps.bsu.edu\/?p=2505"},"modified":"2026-01-23T13:33:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T18:33:41","slug":"the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/2026\/01\/23\/the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world\/","title":{"rendered":"The Importance of Independence in a Dependent World\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Society&nbsp;teaches us to be dependent on&nbsp;<em>everything<\/em>\u2014social media, technology, relationships, money, consumerism, etc. We base how we dress on trends, how we talk on the latest TikTok \u2018stim,\u2019&nbsp;and&nbsp;how we react&nbsp;on&nbsp;those around us. What happened to \u2018you?\u2019 What happened to&nbsp;\u2018I?\u2019&nbsp;What happened&nbsp;to&nbsp;alone time?&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According&nbsp;to an article by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/the-inner-journey\/10-reasons-why-should-you-go-on-a-solo-date-part-i-f42f2638c0cb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Medium<\/a>,&nbsp;there are so many benefits&nbsp;to&nbsp;time alone:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Understanding yourself better, your boundaries, your limits&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gain self-confidence&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Acquire&nbsp;stronger self-respect&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Growth!&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Self-sufficiency&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Deeper connections with yourself, and therefore others&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is Independence?&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a society, prioritize the feeling of spending time with others\u2014whether&nbsp;it&#8217;s&nbsp;doing so, or thinking we should be. It is important to allow yourself to be alone and&nbsp;<em>do things<\/em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Often people think of \u2018alone time\u2019 as taking time to yourself, usually at home, and simply going about your day, but by yourself. Doing chores without distraction, doing some self-care, going to the gym, watching a movie, and so many other things.&nbsp;That being said, doing things that alone is not the same as being independent.&nbsp;It is a common misconception that independence is equal to self-reliance, and while that is important, it is not necessarily true.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Independece-Definition-Graphic--1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2506\" style=\"width:537px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bsu-wpe-blogs.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2026\/01\/14202300\/Independece-Definition-Graphic--1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/bsu-wpe-blogs.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2026\/01\/14202300\/Independece-Definition-Graphic--300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/bsu-wpe-blogs.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2026\/01\/14202300\/Independece-Definition-Graphic--768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/bsu-wpe-blogs.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2026\/01\/14202300\/Independece-Definition-Graphic--1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/bsu-wpe-blogs.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2026\/01\/14202300\/Independece-Definition-Graphic-.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Quality Time with You&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In terms of spending time alone, this means allowing yourself to go out and enjoy activities and things that may, societally, require another person, but going against that grain and going out alone.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Day after day we are taught the importance of quality time with all types of relationships but often forget to prioritize it in our relationship with ourselves. It is important to spend quality time with yourself.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Luci Bluto, Video Team Specialist,&nbsp;has some wonderful thoughts on how quality&nbsp;time with&nbsp;herself&nbsp;has helped her.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"737\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Luci-Bluto-1-2-737x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Digital Corps Specialist, Luci Bluto, smiles for the camera. She has dark, shoulder-length hair and glasses.\" class=\"wp-image-2517 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bsu-wpe-blogs.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2026\/01\/14202400\/Luci-Bluto-1-2-737x1024.jpg 737w, https:\/\/bsu-wpe-blogs.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2026\/01\/14202400\/Luci-Bluto-1-2-216x300.jpg 216w, https:\/\/bsu-wpe-blogs.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2026\/01\/14202400\/Luci-Bluto-1-2-768x1067.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bsu-wpe-blogs.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2026\/01\/14202400\/Luci-Bluto-1-2.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 737px) 100vw, 737px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Focusing on my independence this past year has really allowed me to become more aligned with my personal goals and growth.\u00a0I&#8217;m\u00a0a big people person and found myself often relying on social interaction and others to feel happy. By recognizing that and spending time\u00a0independently,\u00a0I became more aware of how I can serve myself, especially when I\u00a0can&#8217;t\u00a0always be with others. I feel like a stronger person because of it.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Solo Dates&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There\u2019s&nbsp;no need to jump right into a sit-down dinner by yourself, start out small.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Go out, get&nbsp;a coffee,&nbsp;and stay at the coffee shop.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Go thrifting.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gander around an antique store.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Go grab ice cream,&nbsp;a&nbsp;shake&nbsp;and fries.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Watch a movie&nbsp;in&nbsp;the theatre.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Go to the park!&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Volunteer at an animal shelter, soup kitchens,&nbsp;or&nbsp;other&nbsp;opportunities.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Go to the zoo,&nbsp;the&nbsp;aquarium, or&nbsp;the museum.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Visit your local farmer markets.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is&nbsp;<em>fun<\/em>&nbsp;to be alone and do things solo, but it can also be scary, and&nbsp;that\u2019s&nbsp;okay!&nbsp;Sometimes we need to work up to things like this, do some soul-searching, learn more about yourself, respect yourself, and gain more confidence in&nbsp;<em>you<\/em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Jane-Eyre-Quote-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2512\" style=\"width:564px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bsu-wpe-blogs.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2026\/01\/14202358\/Jane-Eyre-Quote-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/bsu-wpe-blogs.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2026\/01\/14202358\/Jane-Eyre-Quote-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/bsu-wpe-blogs.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2026\/01\/14202358\/Jane-Eyre-Quote-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/bsu-wpe-blogs.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2026\/01\/14202358\/Jane-Eyre-Quote-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/bsu-wpe-blogs.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2026\/01\/14202358\/Jane-Eyre-Quote.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Society&nbsp;teaches us to be dependent on&nbsp;everything\u2014social media, technology, relationships, money, consumerism, etc. We base how we dress on trends, how we talk on the latest TikTok \u2018stim,\u2019&nbsp;and&nbsp;how we react&nbsp;on&nbsp;those around us. What happened to \u2018you?\u2019 What happened to&nbsp;\u2018I?\u2019&nbsp;What happened&nbsp;to&nbsp;alone time?&nbsp;&nbsp; According&nbsp;to an article by&nbsp;Medium,&nbsp;there are so many benefits&nbsp;to&nbsp;time alone:&nbsp; What is Independence?&nbsp;&nbsp; As a society, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":463,"featured_media":2514,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[29,35,149,150,38,26],"ppma_author":[154],"class_list":["post-2505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-self-improvement","tag-creativity","tag-digital-corps","tag-independence","tag-independent","tag-productivity","tag-self-improvement"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Importance of Independence in a Dependent World\u00a0 - The Digital Corps Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Importance of Independence in a Dependent World\u00a0 - The Digital Corps Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Society&nbsp;teaches us to be dependent on&nbsp;everything\u2014social media, technology, relationships, money, consumerism, etc. We base how we dress on trends, how we talk on the latest TikTok \u2018stim,\u2019&nbsp;and&nbsp;how we react&nbsp;on&nbsp;those around us. What happened to \u2018you?\u2019 What happened to&nbsp;\u2018I?\u2019&nbsp;What happened&nbsp;to&nbsp;alone time?&nbsp;&nbsp; According&nbsp;to an article by&nbsp;Medium,&nbsp;there are so many benefits&nbsp;to&nbsp;time alone:&nbsp; What is Independence?&nbsp;&nbsp; As a society, [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/2026\/01\/23\/the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Digital Corps Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-23T18:33:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/bsu-wpe-blogs.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2026\/01\/14202300\/Independece-Definition-Graphic-.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jacey Hollars\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jacey Hollars\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bsu.edu\\\/digitalcorps\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/23\\\/the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bsu.edu\\\/digitalcorps\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/23\\\/the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jacey Hollars\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bsu.edu\\\/digitalcorps\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f84408c6e1fedd4efb8152b289370d42\"},\"headline\":\"The Importance of Independence in a Dependent World\u00a0\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-23T18:33:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bsu.edu\\\/digitalcorps\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/23\\\/the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":592,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bsu.edu\\\/digitalcorps\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/23\\\/the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bsu-wpe-blogs.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/50\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/14202359\\\/Independence-Cover-Photo.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Creativity\",\"Digital Corps\",\"Independence\",\"Independent\",\"Productivity\",\"Self Improvement\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Self Improvement\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bsu.edu\\\/digitalcorps\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/23\\\/the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bsu.edu\\\/digitalcorps\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/23\\\/the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Importance of Independence in a Dependent World\u00a0 - The Digital Corps Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bsu.edu\\\/digitalcorps\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bsu.edu\\\/digitalcorps\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/23\\\/the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bsu.edu\\\/digitalcorps\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/23\\\/the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bsu-wpe-blogs.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/50\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/14202359\\\/Independence-Cover-Photo.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-23T18:33:41+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bsu.edu\\\/digitalcorps\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f84408c6e1fedd4efb8152b289370d42\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bsu.edu\\\/digitalcorps\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/23\\\/the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bsu.edu\\\/digitalcorps\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/23\\\/the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bsu.edu\\\/digitalcorps\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/23\\\/the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bsu-wpe-blogs.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/50\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/14202359\\\/Independence-Cover-Photo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bsu-wpe-blogs.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/50\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/14202359\\\/Independence-Cover-Photo.png\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":1080},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bsu.edu\\\/digitalcorps\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/23\\\/the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bsu.edu\\\/digitalcorps\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Importance of Independence in a Dependent World\u00a0\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bsu.edu\\\/digitalcorps\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bsu.edu\\\/digitalcorps\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Digital Corps Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bsu.edu\\\/digitalcorps\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bsu.edu\\\/digitalcorps\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f84408c6e1fedd4efb8152b289370d42\",\"name\":\"Jacey Hollars\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b13897a32410a0c34174f9d07bac931b7c26acbe32a8a6032aadcf80141be6d8?s=96&d=mm&r=g8da98876ea13f8a5d47069e2bb513b61\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b13897a32410a0c34174f9d07bac931b7c26acbe32a8a6032aadcf80141be6d8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b13897a32410a0c34174f9d07bac931b7c26acbe32a8a6032aadcf80141be6d8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jacey Hollars\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bsu.edu\\\/digitalcorps\\\/author\\\/jacey\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Importance of Independence in a Dependent World\u00a0 - The Digital Corps Blog","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Importance of Independence in a Dependent World\u00a0 - The Digital Corps Blog","og_description":"Society&nbsp;teaches us to be dependent on&nbsp;everything\u2014social media, technology, relationships, money, consumerism, etc. We base how we dress on trends, how we talk on the latest TikTok \u2018stim,\u2019&nbsp;and&nbsp;how we react&nbsp;on&nbsp;those around us. What happened to \u2018you?\u2019 What happened to&nbsp;\u2018I?\u2019&nbsp;What happened&nbsp;to&nbsp;alone time?&nbsp;&nbsp; According&nbsp;to an article by&nbsp;Medium,&nbsp;there are so many benefits&nbsp;to&nbsp;time alone:&nbsp; What is Independence?&nbsp;&nbsp; As a society, [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/2026\/01\/23\/the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world\/","og_site_name":"The Digital Corps Blog","article_published_time":"2026-01-23T18:33:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/bsu-wpe-blogs.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2026\/01\/14202300\/Independece-Definition-Graphic-.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Jacey Hollars","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jacey Hollars","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/2026\/01\/23\/the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/2026\/01\/23\/the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world\/"},"author":{"name":"Jacey Hollars","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/#\/schema\/person\/f84408c6e1fedd4efb8152b289370d42"},"headline":"The Importance of Independence in a Dependent World\u00a0","datePublished":"2026-01-23T18:33:41+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/2026\/01\/23\/the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world\/"},"wordCount":592,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/2026\/01\/23\/the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/bsu-wpe-blogs.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2026\/01\/14202359\/Independence-Cover-Photo.png","keywords":["Creativity","Digital Corps","Independence","Independent","Productivity","Self Improvement"],"articleSection":["Self Improvement"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/2026\/01\/23\/the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/2026\/01\/23\/the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world\/","name":"The Importance of Independence in a Dependent World\u00a0 - The Digital Corps Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/2026\/01\/23\/the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/2026\/01\/23\/the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/bsu-wpe-blogs.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2026\/01\/14202359\/Independence-Cover-Photo.png","datePublished":"2026-01-23T18:33:41+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/#\/schema\/person\/f84408c6e1fedd4efb8152b289370d42"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/2026\/01\/23\/the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/2026\/01\/23\/the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/2026\/01\/23\/the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/bsu-wpe-blogs.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2026\/01\/14202359\/Independence-Cover-Photo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/bsu-wpe-blogs.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2026\/01\/14202359\/Independence-Cover-Photo.png","width":1080,"height":1080},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/2026\/01\/23\/the-importance-of-independence-in-a-dependent-world\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Importance of Independence in a Dependent World\u00a0"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/","name":"The Digital Corps Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/#\/schema\/person\/f84408c6e1fedd4efb8152b289370d42","name":"Jacey Hollars","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b13897a32410a0c34174f9d07bac931b7c26acbe32a8a6032aadcf80141be6d8?s=96&d=mm&r=g8da98876ea13f8a5d47069e2bb513b61","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b13897a32410a0c34174f9d07bac931b7c26acbe32a8a6032aadcf80141be6d8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b13897a32410a0c34174f9d07bac931b7c26acbe32a8a6032aadcf80141be6d8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jacey Hollars"},"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/author\/jacey\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/bsu-wpe-blogs.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2026\/01\/14202359\/Independence-Cover-Photo.png","authors":[{"term_id":154,"user_id":463,"is_guest":0,"slug":"jacey","display_name":"Jacey Hollars","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b13897a32410a0c34174f9d07bac931b7c26acbe32a8a6032aadcf80141be6d8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/463"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2505"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2505\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2505"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/digitalcorps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=2505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}