Final Blog Post 

Relationship With Technology 

  Technology, at first, was built with the intention of making our lives easier. However, the way we view and use technology has changed. It shifted from assisting us in our daily lives to being something we cannot function without. It plays a massive role in our daily lives and can be found everywhere. Not only is it already a big part of our lives, but it's evolving every day, and new technology is coming out constantly. 

The videos we watched in class show both technological advancements and the negative connotations that technology brings. The video on the Futurama ride in 1964 showed how technology would change the world. The 1964 World's Fair in New York displayed Futurama, which shows what types of technological advancements the world was believed to make in the future. It's remarkable how accurate these predictions became. Most, if not all, of these predictions became reality in some way. For example, they showed a submarine, highways across the country, an underwater hotel, and the moon exploration by both man and drone. The next video focused on the darker side of the new technology era that we find ourselves in. Mad World Remix of Moby Video (Are You Lost In The World Like Me) displays how attached we are to technology. This video is very powerful, and I noticed different details every time I watched it. This video highlights how absorbed we have become with technology and how it controls our lives. It shows everyone 100% concentrating on their phones and not aware of their surroundings. 

The last video, MAN, also depicts the lasting effects our evolution has had on nature. It acts as a type of warning message exploring the effects that come with becoming overly enthralled with your own pleasures. 

These videos reminded me of the Disney movie Wall-E, which is set on an uninhabitable (although it really isn't) dystopian Earth. Wall-E is a cautionary tale for the misuse of the environment, like the MAN video. It also portrays the impacts of the overuse of technology, as shown in the Mad World video. For the environment, the movie shows the result of extreme pollution and waste. The film shows the Earth completely covered in trash caused by human overuse. Like the MAN video, where the man continues overusing for personal well-being, the Earth is degrading. For technology it highlights the dangers of depending on technology. It foreshadows the risk of only looking at one source of media. Like in the movie, the humans only know what the ship's computer tells them; similarly, if you only look at one media source, you will only see news from that perspective. Also it highlights the influence technology can have on us and how it shapes our preferences. It also shows the risk of being too absorbed and dependent on technology. Like in the Mad World video, the people are overly obsessed with their phones, and the world around them becomes invisible. Similarly, in the movie, the people become obsessed with their high-tech chairs and amenities and don't bother to worry about anything happening around them. Ultimately, it shows that technology can be used for good and positively controlled in the right hands. Wall-E can also be seen as similar to the Futurama video because of its foreshadowing. Futurama video predicted technological advancements while Wall-E showed us the dangers of technology and where the direction of Earth is going if we don't change our behaviors with climate change and consumerism (maybe not to the extent of the movie's depiction, but pretty close to it). 

This course has improved my self-reflection on my relationship with technology. Technology allows us to access information quickly, improves telecommunications, enables us to connect with friends and family anywhere in the world, and provides entertainment. We do all of these things pretty much every day. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I couldn't live my life without technology, but it would be challenging. Despite using it daily, I believe I have a healthy relationship with technology. I try not to use it before going to bed. I do not look at my phone immediately after waking up and I try not to be on my phone when I'm with friends. I do, however, use technology quite a bit during the day. When I'm bored I find myself scrolling through TikTok or instagram. I use my iPad and my computer in all of my classes and use them to complete all of my assignments. But that is how our society is today. We are in the age of technology. Instead of going to the library and searching for books or studies on a topic for a class, all I need to do is a quick Google search and get millions of results. I also use my phone to make many calls and text people throughout the day. However, most of those calls and texts are to my mom or friends back home because I'm an out-of-state college student and miss my family and friends. Although I think I have a good balance with my usage, I think can be more aware of it and making sure I'm not using it to procrastinate

This course has also made me very aware of my digital footprint and online presence. In this sense, I also have a good relationship with technology. Since discussing privacy in class, I now use fake emails when needed on websites asking for my information. My social media is set on private, and I only allow people that I know to follow me. When searching my name, only my LinkedIn profile and picture pop up. I also am very self-aware of what I post on social media. I do not post anything that a future employer would dislike. Overall, I have a good relationship with technology and use it appropriately without being too attached. I will continue to be mindful of my screen time. I am also smarter about my online presence and double check before I post anything. 

 Blog Post #10

EOTO 2: Response

Group 3's presentation really caught my attention. I felt those terms resonated with my term, disinformation, as well as they were just important to know. Three terms that stood out to me the most was illusory truth effect, confirmation bias, and spiral of science. These three work to construct false narrative of beliefs. 

First illusory truth effect. Illusory truth effect is essentially repetition equals the truth. A belief or statement that is repeated enough becomes the truth. This is seen in political campaigns, where campaign slogans or promises will continuously be repeated with the end goal of convincing the public their idea is the best. 

The second is confirmation bias. What I found interesting in this presentation was the study of confirmation bias had confirmation bias in its experiment. Confirmation bias is when you seek out data or information that supports your already preconceived belief. This makes you disregard any opposing information.

The third is spiral of science. This one I found the most interesting, especially the story of the emperor. In this story the emperor said he was wearing clothes, and that only smart people would be able to see them. Everyone praised his clothing however, he was not wearing any clothes to begin with. Spiral of science is that you will remain silent if you have the minority view. Whether this is for moral implication like fear of isolation if wrong it becomes an under coverage problem where minority viewpoints aren't being heard. I believe the idea that our identities are anonymous online plays into this. Everyone seems tough behind a computer screen and is not afraid to share their opinion. However when it starts to build up where everyone is sharing there views, having an opposing view, leads to you being attacked for no reason. In today's society there is a need to be accepted and to fit in so people would rather be silenced than canceled. 

Blog Post #9 

AI

AI makes everything easier, right? While AI does have many positive aspects and propels us into the future of technology, it does have many negative implications. AI stands for artificial intelligence, which refers to machines learning and evolving to perform tasks. They learn from experience and continue to learn from more interactions. At first, it's exciting. It's going to make our lives easier. But at what point does it make it too easy and start to do more harm to society? 

The frontline documentary provided insights into AI and its developments. The first thing I found amazing was that this video was from 4 years ago. So, the progression from this video to today is even more advanced. The video explores aspects of AI growth and its role. The conversation was always there but became a headline when it was AI versus the best Go player, Lee Sedol, and the AI came out victorious. I believe this example in itself shows the positives and negatives of AI. It positively shows how AI can help us think outside of the box and create new ideas and moves. However, it indicates how AI can outsmart humans and take over their roles, which leads to present-day how AI is stealing human jobs because it is cheaper and faster than humans working. While its productivity is up, that increases unemployment. 

The video also touched on the connection between AI and privacy. The video shows China and its surveillance system tracking citizen movements. China uses this to control human behavior. With cameras all over they are able to track people and uses this as a threat to keep people in line. Another example is Google. The quote by Shoshana Zuboff, "We thought we were searching Google, we had no idea that Google was searching us," stuck with me. This is very telling of how much our technology has advanced and changed. We used to use technology like Google to gain information at a faster pace than reading books, for example. But now, utilizing the technology that was meant to help us is simply a backdoor for them to track us and keep record of what we do. 

This documentary reminds us that while AI is convenient we should continue to educate ourselves on it. Its goal is to guide us into the future and help us work more efficiently. Not be used to violate privacy and used as a threat. It cant become too powerful.

 Blog Post #7 

Privacy

I used to think everything I did on a personal device or in my home was safe, and I had a sense of privacy. Privacy was never something I thought I would have to second guess about. However, privacy is not what I once thought it was. There is no privacy within the Digital Age that we live in today. The TED talks were very interesting and highlighted the realities of privacy today. 

I've been in a situation where I would be on the phone with my mom talking about a sweatshirt I wanted or something along those lines, and then when I hung up, sweatshirt ads were all I saw. I am also guilty of the situation where when I open a website and the cookies notification pops up, I immediately click accept without thinking. The first TED talk I found that resonated with these situations was Christopher Soghoian's "How to avoid surveillance... with the phone in your pocket". In this TED talk, Soghoian highlights the issue of our phones listening to us. Our phones wiretap, where they can track our conversations and highlight keywords. Then, governments and other companies can exploit this data for profit and overall surveillance. This happens essentially with no consent and our knowledge of it happening at all. He talks about the importance of encryption to ensure our digital privacy—companies like Apple install high-end encryptions to their products so they cannot be easily wiretapped. These encryptions are often built into the products and on by default. This is what makes the government mad. For example, Prime Minister Cameron believes that the government should be able to track communications, and the encryptions are making that difficult. Although we live in a dangerous age with bad people, that should not outweigh the majority of good people's privacy. Soghoian ends with an emphasis on securing our devices and using all necessary encryption tools and devices to take proactive measures to ensure our privacy.

The second TED talk that I liked, was Juan Enriquez's "Your online life, permanent as a tattoo". This video is essential to understand because it emphasizes that your online identity is not as anonymous as some might think. Keeping your digital footprint clean is so important. Enriquez talks about the importance of this because your digital identity sticks with you forever. My business professors have also emphasized this point because future employers will do a search on you when you apply for an internship or job, so it's important always to keep this in mind. 

 Blog Post #8

EOTO 2: Disinformation 

What if I posted, as a doctor, I have found the ultimate cure for Covid 19, and it was as simple as having your tonsils taken out. I wrote a scientific statement about how removing your tonsils completely eradicates your ability to get Covid 19 and posted it on Twitter under my account "Doctor Brianna". However, this is complete nonsense. Not only did I just intentionally spread a misleading narrative, but now thousands of people across the world are running to the nearest hospital to have their tonsils removed. I, a doctor, a person of authority over the health realm, intentionally spread inaccurate information. Despite my false claims, I made a significant impact with a straightforward sentence. 

This is the problem with disinformation. 

Disinformation is the spread of false information that is deliberately intended to mislead, intentionally misstating the facts. The most important part of that definition is that it is false information and intentional. Not to be confused with misinformation, which is false or inaccurate information but not intentional. Disinformation has become extremely prevalent in today's society and happens way more often than we even realize. 

So how is it spread? How else than through social media. Social media has increasingly grown in power and influence and facilitates the delivery of fake news. Now, an even more intriguing question: why do people spread misleading and inaccurate information? More often than not, disinformation is spread for four reasons. First, political influences, like influencing elections, promoting a specific narrative, or manipulating public opinion. Second, government motives to ensure government stability or create instability. Third, economic motives to influence financial markets and consumer behavior. Finally, health influences related to issues such as vaccine safety and causes of diseases. This can have significant effects on our society. It causes people to believe statements and ideas that are not true. This can lead to harmful behaviors. Disinformation is used to manipulate people's opinions and beliefs. This leads to the spread of fabricated ideologies. Also, it can be used as a tool to spread malware or scams, leading to data breaches and cybersecurity risks. 

There are many examples of disinformation; it happens frequently. However, I believe we are subject to it more times than we think. For example, have you ever seen an ad so intriguing you just wanted to click on it so badly and see what it says? "Confirmed: Taylor Swift accepts Travis Kelce's marriage proposal." I don't know about you, but this would catch my attention and is something I'd like to read more about. However, when I click on it, my page turns black, and my computer is slow. This was an example of a disinformation ad to spread a virus to my computer. An example from a political or governmental standpoint is Russia during its war with Ukraine. Russia's government spread false claims to justify the war to its citizens, including the recent military invasions and citizen fatalities. 

In the end, I want to go over the positives and the negatives. We can see that disinformation has many dire implications. It's intentionally misleading and dangerous and fabricates fake news. However, on the flip side, I want to emphasize that while disinformation has a negative impact, we can learn something from it. That is, it improves our media literacy. Meaning it enhances our ability to assess the credibility of the content. It improves our skills in filtering out fake news. Finally, it encourages us to engage in our research actively, emphasizing the importance of verifying information.

I wish to leave you with a key takeaway: don't believe everything you see. Always double-check your information. 

 Blog Post #6

Anti-War

The Antiwar and The American Conservative sites were exciting sources I would've never encountered. These sites would not pop up if I simply did a search about today's news. Thinking about the mainstream media outlets today like CNN and Fox, you would never read anything like what you see on these two websites. This is because these two sites go against what the government wishes to put out there. The government is pro military so anything antiwar goes against them. These organizations would not want to be a part of that. One main reason might be that it could endanger any government sources they have. Another reason could be the audience of the mainstream source. I can't help but wonder if major media channels want to broadcast news from a specific perspective to align with their audience's viewpoints. The information on Antiwar.com and The American Conservative write for the peoples benefit. It's only to produce the information for the public to remain informed, no other hidden agendas. In my opinion, that can't be said about the major media channels. 

The Antiwar site was very intimidating at first. The influx of numerous different headlines made it almost impossible to know where to start. The American Conservative also had very intriguing headline articles. After reading a few articles, I truly realized how much information I wasn't getting from mainstream sources. These sites provided unfiltered fact-based information. All of these articles and reports are crucial current news stories. 

These websites and assignment showed me how the government does censor information. I think these two sites show how important it is to seek out all types of information. It proves that our mainstream outlets are only a tiny portion of what's out there. 

 Blog Post #5 

EOTO Response

I found the topic of carrier pigeons to be fascinating. I had no idea how complex this form of communication was. During the time sending messages could be a tedious process. But carrier pigeons made this easier. Instead of using horses or walking by foot, you can send a pigeon with your message and it will come back home.  

They have an internal homing beacon that includes a want to return home. They register where they were born and raised as "home" and will return to this 

destination.  With enhanced senses like smell, vision, and hearing they are able to guide themselves home. There sense of direction is guided by an internal magnetic compass they use with Earths magnetic compass that puts them in the right direction. They also use landmarks to find general areas. 

Sending a message is actually simpler than it may seam. If you want to be able to receive messages from someone you would send your carrier pigeon to them. They would attach the message to the pigeon and then your pigeon will return home therefore bringing the message to you. 

I thought the story of the carrier pigeon during war time was very touching. This pigeon was sent with a message but ultimately was shot, injuring and blinding it.  However, it perceived and delivered the message. I think this showed how reliable this communication system can be although it seems like such an unconventional form to us now. 

I also found it very interesting how carrier pigeon use has developed in today's world. Although there are now more efficient ways to send messages via text messages or email, people are still finding a use for carrier pigeons. This is for smuggling drugs. I thought this was a very surprising development.  People thought a carrier pigeon is the last place to look for contraband and it can be smuggled without detection. 

Blog Post #4

 EOTO 1

Development of the Television

I want you to think about how many TVs you have in your home. Most of us can't imagine how we would function if we didn't have TV in our lives. TV has become essential to our society, impacting our politics, consumerism, and culture. But how exactly did this machine come to be?

The creation of the first TV can be credited to a combination of contributed ideas. Many engineers and scientists were looking at components to make the television. John Baird gave the world's first demonstration of a mechanical television in 1927. This mechanism scans an object and then generates the image. This was the step in the right direction, and The Baird Televisor is considered the first television sold commercially later in 1929. From the mechanical television came the electronic television set that converted images to electrical waves and transmitted an image. This was created by Philo Farnsworth in 1927. Philo Farnsworth is credited for creating the television since later developments came from his original design.

Russian Scientist Zwarykin demonstrated his all-electronic television in 1929. The RCA (Radio Corporation of America - the biggest communications company at the time) saw this demonstration and invested 50 million dollars into developing electronic television. However, this erupted into a legal battle against Farnsworth. RCA claims Zwarykin's patent for his electronic television had priority over Farnsworth's design. After three years, Farnsworth ultimately won the suit with the help of an old teacher who had kept a picture resembling the design in 1935. 

The development continued, and the American public was introduced to television when NBC broadcasted the 1939 World Fair in New York. This included a speech from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who subsequently became the first president to appear on TV. After this, NBC started regularly broadcasting television, CBS followed, and then ABC. 

Televisions were initially only available to the privileged few since they were so expensive. Also, these TVs were at most 12-inch screens. Development and purchases slowed for a few years as attention was drawn to World War Two. However, by the 1940s to the 1950s, TV had entered the mainstream. By 1955, TV replaced radio as the primary source of home entertainment. Over 5 million sets in US homes, which stated from the History channel article, is "more than half of all American homes owning a TV set". Then, by 1960, when satellite became available, this increased the number to over 40 million TV sets in America. This was a drastic increase in popularity in just a couple of years. For reference this years number is at 123 million TVs in American homes. The graph below shows the upward trajectory of American homes owning a TV set from its creation.

Throughout this time, the RCA and the NTSC (National Television System Committee) worked to develop an all-electronic color system. Before you know it, color TVs became common in the 1970s. In the blink of an eye, flat screens were introduced in the late 1990s, and then smart TVs in the 2010s.

This invention has continually evolved to where we are today, with flat-screen smart TVs, 85 inches and beyond. The first TV was a starting point for the entertainment industry and has skyrocketed since. It has completely changed the way the world gets access to information. TV has become the bond between the world, where we can all come together and watch significant events unfold. Some major events that have been televised are the first televised baseball game, the first televised debate, the JFK assassination, the moon landing, and 9/11. 

The next time you sit down to watch TV, I challenge you to think about what it would've been like watching on one of the first TV sets.

Blog Post #3

8 Values of Free Expression 

    The First Amendment specifically states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." The First Amendment ensures our right to freedom of expression. This means the government can't dictate what we like, think, write about, or believe in. The eight values of Free Expression demonstrate how the First Amendment is utilized in the world. Going over the eight values of free expression was informative, and below, I will highlight some that I thought were important and resonated with me. 

Many of the eight values stood out to me. They are all so important and shape how society is able to function. I think arguably the most important value to our government system is a check on governmental power, especially after reading the article and watching the video on the Supreme Court; it's so important to have checks and balances in our government system. This essentially prevents any one branch of government from doing anything they don't have the power to do. We have the right as citizens to call them out on it. 

The next one that resonated with me is individual self-fulfillment, which protects our ability to think, express ourselves, and believe what we want. Freedom of expression is necessary to promote individual self-fulfillment. Identity is what makes each person who they are; opinions, beliefs, and how they behave are all included in your identity. The freedom to express yourself allows individuals not to be condemned for their perspectives and opinions. This is so important in today's world. Each person has their own personal identity and their 

own voice, which deserves to be heard. Individuality makes each person unique; this is how we get diverse opinions. 

Another two values that resonated with me  are connected to each other. These are participation in self-government and protect dissent. Participation in self-government displays a dialogue with the government and can be seen as the central meaning of the First Amendment. Protect dissent reiterates that the First Amendment protects minority views. Along with the participation of self-government, protecting dissent states that it is your right and duty to criticize the government. No matter how unpopular, you have a right to disagree with the government. This applies to more than just the government. Even if 99% goes one way, the 1% on the other side still matters. This is very important in today's world. It would be best if you did not have to worry about opposing another viewpoint and being prosecuted for it. This would only force people to go with the majority and not express there true beliefs. 

The ones my group talked about that we found important in today's world were promoting innovation and a marketplace of ideas. We thought these values were connected to each other and displayed how most people communicate their First Amendment rights. Innovation helps our world evolve; without it, our world would be vastly different. People would feel unsafe to share ideas. Innovation requires the First Amendment protections to work properly. The First Amendment encourages an environment of innovation where ideas, opinions, challenges, and competition can flourish. The marketplace of ideas reflects the concept of sharing diverse opinions and beliefs. The most valid ideas will triumph through competition. I believe this strongly advocates for free speech and free press since the opposite would be prior restraint, which refers to the government dictating what you think or believe. When the government interferes with the flow of ideas, it's called a marketplace failure. If people are afraid to be creative and share ideas with one another then competition becomes inefficient. 

Blog Post #2

SCOTUS

I learned a lot from the Supreme Court article. The Supreme Court is the highest-ranking court in the country. It is the head of the Judicial Branch and functions as defender and interpreter of the Constitution, which I think is the most important takeaway since it shows how important it is to our government. In addition, its judicial review power is an essential part of our government's system of checks and balances. This ensures that each branch of government adheres to the limits of its powers. The Supreme Court is the final judge in legal disputes, especially those involving prominent constitutional issues. The Supreme Court's decisions help create a precedent and provide conflict resolution to legal issues that may come up in lower courts. The Supreme Court has presided over many notable cases like Plessy v. Ferguson. However, it has also presided over cases relevant to today's world but might be lesser known. For example, Mapp v. Ohio made that evidence obtained illegally cannot be used in criminal cases. 

 I did not know that the first court consisted of six justices and that they were required to hold a circuit court twice a year in each judicial circuit. This was not an ideal situation at the time since transportation was inefficient, so Congress scraped this in 1891. I also just found out that the original court comprised only six justices. However, in 1869, Congress set the number to 9, which it has been since. 

The Supreme Court video was also very informative. Hearing Justice Sandra O'Connor speak on the process of certiorari was very interesting. Certiorari is the process of a higher court reviewing a lower court's decision. Justice O'Connor explains that in accepting or denying certiorari, every petition made receives equal consideration. She specifically says it does not matter whether it was a prisoner writing it himself or a prisoner in jail. All petitions are weighed the same. I think this is so important since it is another example of how everyone should be treated equally. 

Blog Post #1

5 Sources

Staying informed in today's world is very important. News provides awareness of the world's dynamics, including culture, economics, sports, fashion, and politics. We can better understand the world and how it works by utilizing news. It's essential to get information from reliable media outlets. I have listed my top 5 news sources below. 

Apple News

 

Apple News is one of my favorite sources of information. This app is installed on all Apple products and provides much content. Well-known news organizations like the New York Times and The Washington Post are featured. It's very convenient and an easy way to stay up to date on news and information. You can also customize preferences on what type of news is most relevant to you. Trending and relevant news can also be set to show up right on your phone display screen. Even if I don't have time to read a full article, this popup gives me a brief synopsis which I really enjoy. 

ESPN

I am an avid sports fan, so ESPN is one of my favorite media outlets. This outlet is on many platforms, including TV, radio, web browsers, and apps. All forms are easy to use and cover a wide range of sports. They have a feature where you can set your favorite teams, allowing you to get notifications on all news and related game updates. ESPN provides exclusive content and articles with never before scene content so viewers can get the news they might not find on other media outlets. I also am able to watch games that are not on TV through there extension ESPN +. 

Tik Tok

Although it may be considered an unconventional news source, TikTok is a very convenient and entertaining way to get news. You can follow your favorite news accounts, making all your preferences appear on your For You Page. TikTok's various video options provide quick or long updates with lengths varying from three seconds, ninety seconds, and ten-minute video uploads. Sometimes, reading long articles can become tedious, so TikTok is an entertaining alternative while still gaining information. 

Family 

Family is another news source for information. This provides a unique way of gathering information because they might look at different articles or news than you usually look at. My parents like to send different articles on various topics related to the world or our lives in general in our family group chat. Most of the time, the articles they send are ones I would never look at or find on my own. 

New York Times 

 The New York Times is another site I look to for information. I have used The New York Times for many classes for current events assignments and know many of my classmates do. They send me daily emails with the most recent articles about current events. The site is easy to use and has all types of articles to read.  The New York Times has a good reputation for accuracy and investigative journalism.