FINAL BLOG POST

 My Relationship With Technology 

A device perfectly sized to the amount of a back pocket, a small clutch, or a hand. The iPhone gives us many reasons to be appreciative of the technology we have in today's age. iPhones' gives us Siri, a perfect example of artificial intelligence, 

maps to get us to our desired destinations, and loads of social media apps that lure the brains of many around the globe. Today, we grow and thrive with immediate access to hand-held technology. 

As technology has been a prominent form of communication and education, you could very well argue it has given us many benefits. For example, being able to FaceTime or Skype others in different parts of the country is something everyone is grateful for. I know I am. In my senior year of high school, I moved along the East Coast, and not being able to see my friends or family for long periods of time was often hard but the goodbye was often, "Only a FaceTime call away!" For that, I am so grateful. I was able to see my friends and family members through the screen of my phone when I was many miles away. Education during the times of the 2019 pandemic helped me keep up with my studies in the form of "Google Meets" or "Zoom." Without this, kids all over the globe would've struggled to gain more educational values. 

Social media apps such as TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat provide a way to connect with my friends and keep each other updated on what is new in their lives. 

Although technology can be a great way to stay connected, there are many reasons why it can be considered an invasion of our private lives, and the idea of taking away the essence of "living in the moment." We use internet browsers such as Google in our everyday lives and really think nothing of it. Because it's always at the tip of our fingers, it's so easy to forget about the deeper meaning of how a website operates, what information "they" know, and how "they" always know what your next search may be. 

Throughout the semester, learning about all types of technology, artificial intelligence, and the government, was truly an eye-opening experience. I was able to discover some dark truths about the digital world we live in today. This made me want to become more aware of my presence on social media which could be classified as a "digital footprint." When looking myself up on Google, I came across several of my social media profiles such as my Twitter account, SoundCloud, Instagram, and LinkedIn. My face was displayed as my profile picture on Google Images. Seeing this was quite surprising although there was nothing inappropriate, I wouldn't really want my future boss to see a younger version of myself posing with the "duck face" on a worldwide internet website. 

Something that I will never forget was watching the documentary produced by FRONTLINE. In the video, In the Age of AI Shoshana Zuboff, a Harvard Business School professor emerita talks about her years of research. In 1988, she wrote a definitive book called "In the Age of the Smart Machine." She discusses the term "Surveillance Capitalism" throughout her section of the documentary. Briefly, this is the idea of a private human experience. Zuboff discusses this idea because we think our information stays private on the internet and browsers such as Google but in reality, it is just the opposite. Her studies included Google's creators Sergey Brin and Larry Page in 1998 when Google had just started. 

From the beginning, they were very public about how they would advertise and market their site. There was a set of discoveries that during the dotcom crash, Google began to flourish as it was the default search engine for millions of people around the world. It then appeared that whenever a search would be made, digital traces of our own personal behavior would be left behind. Soon after, they began to make revenue because of this. This was kept a secret from millions of people because of the way they were getting people's personal information. There have been so many private corporations that have built surveillance around us without our permission. 

This idea is very similar to what happened with over 87 billion Facebook users during the 2016 presidential campaign. A political company from the UK harvested personal information from users to get more insight into the election. Anyone with a lot of money can buy data which can affect our democracy which is what happened in this case. Mark Zuckerberg took responsibility for this mistake and was fined $5 billion and then added better security and privacy settings to Facebook users. 

It's very important in today's digital world to take responsibility and remember that websites and social media apps are really never private. Now knowing that digital companies have way more insight into me than I really think, I'm going to become more aware of how I use the internet and social media sites. I think it's also very important for people all over the world to become more educated about this topic so people can live better secure lives. 

Because I have grown up in a society where social media is at its peak, it is hard to limit yourself to the technology you use and the amount of time a day you spend on your devices. I face this struggle daily with the fear of missing out on plans or a funny text I received from a friend if I'm not on my phone. Limiting my use of technology is something I am trying to work on to better myself, and to be more productive but mainly, to protect my privacy. 

I am thankful for the technology I have access to today but remembering my personal information is somewhere out there in the cloud of internet browsers is something that is very important to continue to stay aware of.

BLOG POST #11

 EOTO Reaction

"False Flags"

After listening to Caleb Leventhal's presentation on the topic of "False Flags" I was very informed of all of the information and learned many new things. To summarize the idea of what false flags are, they are fake military attacks, which then create a deception towards a specific territory.

An example of a false flag was used in the operation of Northwoods in the year of 1962. This operation was a plan signed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1962 but was rejected by President Kennedy. It was also known as the "Cuba Project" which was a proposed order to invade Cuba.

This false flag operation was planned with the idea of using fake terrorist attacks caused by the CIA toward American citizens, then blaming it on Cuba to spark a war. This particular operation was proposed to do a number of things including actively causing terrorism in the US, assassinating immigrants from Cuba, and attacking and hijacking ships and planes.

A more recent example can be considered the Douma chemical attack in 2018. This was considered a chemical warfare attack which resulted in the death of 43 people. There were many conflicting reports from this operation as Ukraine and Russia both denied it.

 Ultimately, false flags are created to cause hate against various nations, and views on nationality and religion can also be warped from this idea. This damages the relationship between the government and the people. 

BLOG POST #9

 EOTO

NEWS DESERTS

After doing some major research on the topic of "News Desserts" I have found that the UNC Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media defines it as a community, either rural or urban, with limited access to the sort of credible and comprehensive news and information that feeds democracy at the grassroots level.

You may think it's no big deal... I can look it up on my phone! However, you do not want that to be the case, especially for those highly involved in their community who want a valuable source of news. Newspapers provide communities and neighborhoods with valuable information such as government, health, and environmental issues. Because local newspapers have always been the main traditional source of providing information, communities are going to struggle because of the disappearance of newspapers throughout recent years. 

 

"Between the pre-pandemic months of late 2019 and the end of May 2022, more than 360 newspapers closed, the report by Medill’s Local News Initiative found. Since 2005, the country has lost more than one-fourth of its newspapers and is on track to lose a third by 2025 (Northwestern News)." There is now over 1/5 of the country left without news. This can be considered a crisis for our democracy and society, leaving people with limited sources to find out information.

 

A report from The Washington Post states, “Invariably, the economically struggling, traditionally underserved communities that need local journalism the most are the very places where it is most difficult to sustain either print or digital news organizations.” As new deserts keep increasing, more than 70 million people are a loss of local news. 

Although there are still areas in the United States that are receiving newspapers, a huge amount of local journalists have been laid off because of the increase in news deserts. Not only is it hurting the professions of many journalists, but it is hurting society as a whole. False information is more easily spread without a source of news, and voter participation begins to decline along with a very corrupt side to businesses and government organizations.  

Why is this happening? You may ask.

The digital world of news media is thriving! Media outlets began to grow from huge profits through articles off of the internet because it was cheap, and quick to publish. However, this is not a good thing whatsoever. 

Josh Marshall, journalist, and founder of Talking Points Memo believes that the whole age of digital news has been entirely based on lies. 

Social media has changed how news is reported and how users perceive it on various social media platforms. People can now post about an event that has already happened on their own platforms to record what they see and hear. For the most part, social media is a very poor credible source to rely on for news. 

To begin, FAKE NEWS is a problem that has been around for centuries and is only going to keep evolving with the use of social media platforms and technology. An article written about the subject of fake news published by three MIT professors, Sinan Aral, Deb Roy, and Soroush Vosough declared, “they found falsehoods are 70% more likely to be retweeted on Twitter than the truth and reach their first 1,500 people six times faster.” Knowing this is a scary thought, especially knowing how many people love to scroll through their Twitter feed and react to political information being spread. 

Clickbait is another reason why fake news exists because an ad will present you with an exaggerated photo to grab your attention. It is an extensive issue, especially in today's society, where most people are on almost every social media platform. 

Obtaining news is important to read from a variety of trusted sources. It is important to have more than one source and to keep an open mind. 

Anyway...

Wouldn't it be nice to have the good ol' newspaper back with a hot cup of coffee? 

BLOG POST #10

 LIVING IN THE AGE OF AI

"It wasn't that the computers beat the humans it was that one type of intelligence beat another." 

Learning about the game AlphaGo and its success with using artificial intelligence was truly mind-blowing. Showing that AI could process a massive amount of data at once more than a human could handle was something I have never learned about before. There is so much great potential and prosperity for what AI can do. There have already been so many improvements in AI since the game which is significant for the future we face. 

Although artificial intelligence can be seen as a huge improvement in technology, it can take over society in a negative way. For example, there are already so many jobs being lost due to AI such as cashiers. Fast food restaurants... specifically, McDonald's already have touch-screen ordering. This is just the beginning too. 

Artificial Intellengence has been a significant factor in increased inequality in the United States. For the next several decades it's going to be a big problem for the economy if AI continues to grow and prosper which is a scary thought.

Harry Cripps was a guest in the video and mentioned how he was scared of the future for this entire country if life continues in an automated system which I have to agree with as well. Because the future is being shaped by big, successful companies, how are smaller companies still going to prosper?

The technology today is so smart and has so much control over us it is scary to not have any control over our own lives. Surveillance capitalism is a private human experience that collects all of our human behaviors. When we search Google, Google is really searching us. 

In the Age of AI was truly eye-opening for me from learning about AI to knowing the secrets of Google. I never realized how much the internet actually knows from just doing a simple search. It's crazy to think that some people have no idea what happens behind the scenes. I truly believe if more people were aware of these circumstances, there would be fewer internet users. 

I will now never trust the internet again!

BLOG POST #8

DIGITAL PRIVACY

After watching and interpreting Andy Yens TedTalk on digital privacy, I can strongly say that I no longer feel safe using internet websites and emails. Yen discusses that the most widely forms of communication are sent through emails. Before we sent emails, people sent letters that no one had access to because they had no digital footprint. Nowadays, any website has access to read any email you send without you even knowing. 

Yen suggests that people should be using encryptions to protect their servers however it's not as easy as it seems because still with those, the government can have access to your personal information. Knowing this information affects me because knowing that many people out there have access to my personal information makes me feel uneasy. As for my friends and family, many of them are unaware of how much the internet actually knows about them which is why I feel it's really important for people in today's society to be educated on this topic. 

If the government could solve the issue of large companies such as google stealing our personal information such as our address, birthday, likes, and dislikes it would be a must safer place. However, that is why companies like Google are thriving because of all of the advertisements they make from learning more about us. 

In Andy Yens TedTalk he states that the big internet companies are making over 137 billion dollars in advertisements. I honestly think there should be a much more secure search engine that doesn't allow location permission settings or asks for any of your personal information to keep everyone safer from these issues regarding digital privacy. If there was a way the government could make a secure base I think that could solve a lot of issues but then if there are no advertisements for finding people's information, how are they going to make a profit? 

To protect ourselves from invasions of our privacy, it is important to remember where you are submitting your personal information on the internet. Using a secure web browser, unlike Google.  Honestly, I think being smart and thinking through before using the internet is the best option. Now knowing that there are companies out there invading my privacy, I will be much more careful about what I submit on certain websites. 

BLOG POST #7

 DIFFUSION THEORY

After reading Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations on Wikipedia, I learned that the adoption of a new idea is influenced by five key factors: the innovation itself, adopters, communication channels, time, and a social system.

Immediately, I thought of an app that is used a very substantial amount in our society today, especially amongst the age group of 18-24. The app being, TikTok.

    TikTok is an app where you can start scrolling around 10:00 pm and look at the clock when it feels like only a few minutes had passed meanwhile it's been hours. Personally, I have done this numerous times and then proceed to ruin my whole sleep schedule... 

TikTok ultimately caught on the spread of becoming a new technology for people to constantly scroll on because there are so many engaging creators making content all around the world every day. During the 2019 quarantine era is when most of my friends and I latched on to the idea of following the new dance and lip-syncing trends. It was a way to feel connected to my friends in different towns and cities and learn more about influencers. TikTok is a platform where people can easily become recognizable as the app has become more personal and shows videos based on an algorithm of likes and comments, favorable to your account. 

From what I noticed while using this app, I can consider my mother, aunts, and uncles as late adopters after seeing my cousins and I rant and rave about the app, they wanted to see what was so special about it. They joined and became just as entertained as my cousins and I were. Now today, at least once daily, a TikTok video is sent to our family group text. 

Because it is so easy to lie down and scroll endlessly on the app, it is clear that there is a downside to this new technology because it is so addictive and entertaining it can be sometimes challenging to exit the app. 

There was a study done by Dr. Nia Williams at Bangor University where students had to delete their TikTok account during final exam period because they were spending way too much time on it. The constant scrolling with a personalized algorithm on TikTok leads young people to get addicted because of the release of dopamine that gets sent into the brain. 

Although this app can often lead me to chuckle, I honestly think it would be best for me to limit the time I spend on it or delete it from my phone because it's ultimately a distraction in my everyday lifestyle and makes it hard for me to get certain tasks done because I want to keep scrolling. The age of TikTok entertaining but really not beneficial.

BLOG POST #6

 ETO PRESENTATION REFLECTION

After reflecting and listening to Maddie Berl's presentation on Bluetooth technology, I was grateful to say that I have never learned so much about one topic in a short amount of time that is so looked upon in today's society. Today, technology is such a prominent device in our world. We should all be grateful for the advancement of Bluetooth because it is what makes our world of communication through smart technology so seamless. Bluetooth was developed by a Swedish telecom vendor named, L.M. Ericsson dating back to the year of 1994. It was created to transmit data wirelessly among various different places. Bluetooth started off as a problem-solving invention because of all the different ways it became invented. 

At first, there was a lack of transmitting the same message between two different devices before its final advancements. The tiny chip inside each device is what creates Bluetooth communication successful. It has been rapidly developed since 2004. There are constantly new features being added on because of constant security threats. Although Bluetooth is a great tool to have, it can often lead to security breaches and hackers can access unlimited information without you even knowing. 

Besides the problem of unsafe uses of this invention, Bluetooth has certainly made a hands-free lifestyle a reality in technologies like Amazon Alexa, HandsFree Apple Car Play, and even health inventions like pacemakers. With this, the increase in productivity has improved substantially. Along with making healthcare in this current time seamless. 

We can be grateful for the advancement of this new Bluetooth technology in helping world communication, healthcare, and the business world for its improvement in technology. 

BLOG POST #5

 ANTIWAR 

The Progressive Era, which approximately lasted from the 1890s to the 1920s, was marked by social and political transformations in hopes of a better nation. During this time, battles were fought for equal rights, including the right of women to vote and just industrialization practices. Progressive reformers founded a new worldview on a few fundamental beliefs. The first was that laws, rewards, and penalties may be wisely implemented in order to enhance human nature. The second fundamental premise was that the federal government might be used as a force for social change and individual advancements.

From what I have learned about war through social media and various websites and shows is that the government will do anything it can in order to have war. When in war, the government has full power over its citizens and is able to collect a lot of money. Antiwar voices are never casted on mainstream media because they want us only to think of it one way, which is ultimately manipulation. As an American citizen, I believe we should have the right to say how we feel about the subject of war and have it posted on mainstream media.

People often believe everything that is on the news and only listen to the opinion of one source which is why America is the way it is today. 

After looking at the website, ANTIWAR and American Conservative I can proclaim that I was unaware and confused at what the two sites presented. The headlines that were posted on AntiWar are so cluttered, disorganized, and hard to follow. None of them are ever on mainstream media sites either. When compared to American Conservative, it was a better website, however, the headlines presented were some topics I have never heard of ever before. I have never heard of these websites existing and I don't believe a lot of other people do which is suspicious to me. 

What is the government hiding? 

I believe that there should be no reason for the punishment of different opinions about war. In the past, people have been persecuted and thrown in jail because of their AntiWar opinions. America could become stronger if more ideas were thrown together and nothing was hidden from the rest of us. 

BLOG POST #4

ETO PROJECT: HISTORY OF THE TYPEWRITER 

Traveling back to 1888, when the typewriter aged only a decade old, the business world already began to change due to its effectiveness. The first patent was created by Henry Mill back in 1714. Little did he know that his idea would become one of the most revolutionary pieces of technology known to mankind and become such a positive change in the business world. 

Christopher Latham Sholes was an American inventor who developed the typewriter. After he finished his years in school he moved to Wisconsin, he was a publisher for the Green Bay newspaper which shortly after led him to an editing job for the Wisconsin Enquirer, in Madison. With these jobs, he began to thrive in the journalist world which resulted in an upbringing in the political world where he served in the state legislature for Milwaukee. Sholes gave up his position to accept an appointment from President Abraham Lincoln as a collector of the port of Milwaukee. 

In 1864, Sholes worked with other inventors including Samuel W. Soule. 

The patent they made granted for a machine only printing numbers. Their idea was to print consecutive numbers for train tickets. A few years later in 1867, Carlos Glidden who worked along with Sholes suggested that his machine should print letters as well as numbers. 

Sholes, Glidden, and Soule soon got to work and resulted in a machine that could only print the letter "W." The first model they got to work on used piano keys to move each individual letter which was a clumsy design and needed much more work. Their second model which became a patent in 1868, was designed with more advancements and could print text faster than handwriting. Due to the fact it wasn't as successful as planned, there wasn't enough money raised to manufacture it. 

Later that year, James Densmore, a businessman bought a part of the typewriter patent to bring it to the Telegraph Company. Thomas Edison claimed that he could make a more significant model, costing less money. Finally, in 1873, Densmore arranged an agreement with a gun manufacturing company, E. Remington and Sons for $12,000. 

During the Civil War, Remington and Sons put up its first commercial typewriters for sale in the year 1874. They sold the typewriters for $125 and only sold 5,000 within 5 years.

The impact of these machines during the industrial revolution was substantial. Factories were able to produce more work at a faster pace, smaller workshops began to close, and trade and communication began to increase. The typewriter established the QWERTY keyboard which still remains on the keyboards we use today. Not only did this invention increase productivity in the office, but it also helped women in the workplace and new employment. In 1880, 5% of office clerks were women and by 1900, that percentage increased to 75%.  By 1909, there were over 89 typewriter manufacturers in the United States and the number of patents relating to typewriters was over 2,500. 

We can thank these founders of the typewriter for the technology we have today and the advancements it created.

BLOG POST #3

EIGHT VALUES OF FREE EXPRESSION

There are Eight different Values of Free Expression. These include Marketplace of Ideas, Participation in Self-Government, Stable Change, Individual Self-Fulfillment, Check on Governmental Power, Promote Tolerance, Promote Innovation and finally, Protect Dissent. 

Upon reflecting on the Eight Values of Free Expression I think the few most important are, Individual Self-Fulfillment (freedom of speech), and Stable Change ("venting"). I think when people are able to freely express their opinion it's easier to expand new ideas and hear other people's inputs on situations when having a clear discussion. Individual Self-Fulfillment feels most personal to me because I always refer to it when having a discussion. Freedom of speech is something many individuals, including myself value. Just think about what life would be without it. You would never be able to voice and tell others how you feel. Essentially, there would be a lack of freedom without it. It is very easy to see in everyday life as well. Without the freedom of saying what we feel, discussions would be pointless. Especially when handling situations regarding relationships, or generally in school. As for society, it would be unfair to be unable to state our opinions or have any sort of freedom. 

Stable Change is very similar to Individual Self-Fulfillment. It is stated that being able to speak your mind will lead society to become less likely to resort to violence. 

To connect these freedoms to more of an outside source, it can be easily compared to social media which many people today utilize. To elaborate, anything you post on social media whether it be, Instagram or Twitter you have the power to post your thoughts to the public, or your followers about how you're feeling. 

The seventh value of free expression is, Promote Innovation. The values of being in a community where free speech is valued in a creative way make it enjoyable for citizens to be able to fulfill themselves in numerous ways. Posting images on Instagram can be an example of this. Sharing an idea, or something you value in an image can be a very creative way of sharing an opinion. To use a real-life example, climate change is a problem many people are concerned about today. To bring awareness to this idea many people post about it whether it's an image or thoughts turned into words in a comment. 

These photos and captions bring awareness to ideas that are happening around the world today. We can value freedom of speech and are able to post how we feel about a particular idea to rise to a conclusion. We can thank social media for this as well so many other people can become engaged and bring new ideas to a given situation. 

BLOG POST #2

 THE FOUNDING ERA

Without knowing much about the Supreme Court, after reading the article, on HISTORY I was able to learn a lot that I never knew before. The Supreme Court is the highest power of the government as well as the head of the judicial branch of the government.

There were many new interesting aspects of the Supreme Court that I hadn't already known until after reading the article and watching the video. For example, the court is made up of nine different justices. This is because they can be granted powers to evaluate the other branches of government. Something else I learned was that when the supreme court planned its first meeting in New York City in 1790, it had to be postponed until the day after due to transportation issues for some of the justices'. Finally, the first court ever only existed of six justices' until 1869 when congress set the amount to nine which is what it is today.

The most important takeaway point about the Supreme Court is that ultimately, it has the highest amount of jurisdiction, over every single law within the country. Ultimately, the Supreme Court has the highest amount of authority in the government. 

The most surprising thing that I learned was how originally the supreme court was only composed of 6 other justices. This was established by George Washington when he signed the Judiciary Act of 1789. He inferred that those six justices would serve their positions until death or retirement. 

The video changed the way I thought about the Supreme Court because it helped me understand how exactly how it functions regarding different instances. Such as, when a case begins, there is a written petition which often arrives with many others. All of the Supreme Court discussions are extremely confidential. It takes a lot of pride for each justice to keep between themselves and the public. 

BLOG POST #1

TOP FIVE SOURCES OF NEWS AND INFORMATION

Personally, Instagram is my go-to app when trying to find out news on recent celebrity drama, or generally what's happening around the world. Instagram is an app many people in this generation utilize which makes it easy to connect with other followers. Scrolling on the home page to see what's new in the lives of your followers helps stay in touch with friends and family. There is also an explore page that displays posts that are based on accounts you follow, interact with, and photos you like. There are many different options Instagram has to offer when revealing news and can be as simple as a scroll. 

Another app/website many people today frequently visit is Twitter. Twitter has an engagement of 396.5 million users according to Google. Due to this high amount of people, the impact Twitter has on providing news is often exhilarating especially knowing the number of people who use that database. There are many people who can post, reply, and like comments making the engagement rate a very high number. The way news can be spread is very quickly, which can sometimes be scary because not everything you read or see on the internet can be true.  

The video app, TikTok has become one of the most used apps around the world for a variety of ages. Not only can you post videos, but you can like, comment, save, or send other people videos that reach you. TikTok can be a very educational app at times and teach you many things you probably have never learned in school. Besides the dancing aspect of making TikTok videos, it's very easy to scroll past news in the media, especially with relevant pop stars. Although this app is a way to pass time quickly, it often teaches me new things about the world and keeps me up to date on the latest "tea" as the TikTok stars refer to drama. 

One of the top-rated cable network news shows, Fox News is often watched in my household which teaches me what's happening in the world, especially regarding politics. Something I enjoy about Fox News is that they always seem to bring on many different people to speak on their show which ultimately gives a lot of different outlooks on different current situations happening around the world. It is also helpful to know that along with watching on regular television, their website contains clips and most important up-to-date news that is as easy as one simple click. 

One of my other favorite ways to stay tuned in the news of the pop culture world is by watching the television show, TMZ. A lot of people, even myself sometimes think it's exaggerated and too far stretched out but personally, it gives me a good chuckle sometimes. I enjoy TMZ because they insert real clips from videos of celebrities that happen in real time so it's easier to understand what news they are talking about. It's also a great way to stay on top of all the celebrity drama, know when a new singer is releasing new music, and most importantly a show that can make you laugh at the latest gossip.