Blog #12 Final Blog Post

 As Media Law and Literacy comes to an end, I have begun to reflect on all the topics and theories we have discussed; whether they are from hundreds of years ago or from the past five years, they have all been related in some way. This course has provided me with multiple outlooks on my surroundings and society as a whole in relation to the first amendment. In review, technology has provided people with endless opportunities in both a good way as well as the opportunity to take advantage of the usage to harm others. As we covered throughout this course almost everything has baggage, the good, the bad, and the ugly surround us all the time in our daily lives. 

After watching the video about the 1964 Futurama at the New York World Fair, I was quite impressed by the ideas and theories that were established over fifty years ago. The Futurama was the World Fair's most popular attraction, hosting 26 million people for a ride into the "near future". While some predictions discussed in the Futurama were farfetched and irrational, some are in the process of being achieved today while some may still need to be established in the future. 

In the video, the narrator describes the future of cities and urbanization. He explains how there will be plazas built above freeways, vehicles will be electronically placed in pre-determined routes, convenient public transportation, and radiated walkways for shoppers. The narrator finishes this description and the video by stating, " Technology can point the way to a future of limitless promise, but man must chart his own course into tomorrow.  A course that frees the mind and spirit as it improves the well-being of mankind." I find this statement to truly be remarkable, and still very relevant to the human impact on our planet. This quote explains that technology can only take and advance society so much, that it comes to a point where humans must take matters into their own hands to improve the norms of society and how we function. Humans must use technology in a positive manner to help our environment, unite society and communities spread information, make improvements to outdated resources, and make our planet safer so we can sustain life for as long as possible. 

Without the internet and many technological inventions, our world would not be anything close to what we experience on a daily basis. The internet and many forms of technology that are at the tip of our fingertips change the way we live and will continue to live in the far and near future. The internet has allowed millions of people to communicate, learn, teach, laugh, and connect no matter the distance between them.  Thinking back to our class discussion on The Eight Values of Free Expression, the internet seems to be the biggest driver in the current Marketplace of Ideas Theory. Without the internet, individuals would not have the option to read 16 different sources about one topic if they pleased. The communication opportunities that accompany the internet I believe outway the negatives and is why the internet and technology consumes people everyday. 

With the easy access to technology and information, there are obviously many people and companies that take advantage of tech to harm others. In this class we discussed the facebook scnadal and privacy issues they faced. This is quite firghtening when you really think about it. A majority of my own personal life has been entered into servers and data for various apps, and people can use that to hurt me. It is scary to think that as society progresses, people enter social media and technology at even younger ages now. Kids are given ipads at early ages which can be very harmful if they do not know how to properly use them or is restrictions are not put in place. As users we should not feel afraid to enter our phone number, email, or personal info. The tech industry needs to do better at protecting their users from scams and hackers because these apps and internet are not going away anytime soon. In the animated video by Steve Cutts, it shows a series of impactful scenes with no words or text needed. A series of people walking, consumed by their cell phones, all enter the dark hole of the internet with no notice the person in fornt of them did as well. As a society we need to set boundaries and work to protect ourselves as well. We cannot solely rely on a laptop or smart phone to run our life. We cannot lose touch with communication, and word of mouth; the video illustrates families eating a meal together but all are too busy engaging with their phone to actually converse. What's the point? You might as well just eat alone then! It is sad to see young kids active on social media and other platforms because as someone who did not grow up on technology I know they are missing out on the beaitful planet we live on. For any change to be seen in the future, technology needs to be safer for users and the consumers need to be more aware of what they are doing and how much they are letting technology take over their life. 

Finally, it is up to us to make this change and take action. Over the course of my life I hope to see many positive changes to our planet and to society. Humans are the ones who make the impact and decide how to leave this earth. Technology will continue to advance and make life easier in some ways, but that does not mean we can give it total control of our life. This course has really made me think about my personal footprint on social media and technology, as well as all the issues and frightening aspects it entails. 

Blog #11 EOTO 2 Discoveries

                                         

 After hearing all the presentations today in class the one term that stuck out most to me was the presentation on Confirmation Bias. Confirmatoin Bias is very closely related to the topic of Echo Chamber that I did my research and presentation on. Confrmation bias is defined as "the tendency to process informatioin by looking for, or interpreting, information that is consistent with ones existing beliefs."    The effect of confirmation bias is typically stronger for emotionally charged issues and for deeply rooted beliefs. Confirmation Bias typically happens when a person gives more weight to evidence that confirms their beleifs and undervalues the evdence that could disprove the side on which they agree. 

Confirmation Bias appears in daily life at times we might not always know. For example, it is common for confirmation bias to happen in the lives of people who are religious and have a strong connection with their faith. Believers of any faith may see everyday occurances as "proof" of their faith. Positive events are typically viewed as miracles while negative situations are known as "tests of faith." On the other hand if you do not practce any religioin you will see the same occurances in a way to support your lack of faith. People who have a strong opinion willl justify almost any occurance or event to support the way they already feel or believe. I found this example, through my own research after class and found it very intreging and true because faith is not something for everyone but for those who take part in it it is typically a substaintial part of their life. Confirmation Bias has evolved tremendously due to social media and current day media and communication. 

Blog 10 Echo Chamber EOTO#2

 For the second EOTO presentation, my group was tasked with researching multiple topics in the media sphere. Our topics range from mainstream media, online influencers, alternative media, whistleblowers, and echo chambers. Many of these topics are terms and concepts many are aware of but let's take a closer look into one: echo chambers. 

An echo chamber is defined as "an environment where a person only encounters information or opinions that reflect and reinforce their own." Echo chambers have become increasingly widespread throughout the media and especially on social media platforms. Echo chambers are created quite seamlessly on social media platforms through the algorithms that the apps put in place. These apps take control of all data and information on these apps and provide each individual user with a feed that pertains most to their likes and interests. This is a flaw in social media that many are unaware of; young adults who spend hours on social media will begin to be engulfed by their likes and opinions and those of people who agree with them, thus creating confirmation bias. Confirmation bias goes hand-in-hand with echo chambers because both utilize the input of similar outlooks to viewers. 

During research and in my personal beliefs there are many more negative impacts of echo chambers than there are positive ones. Echo chambers can hurt individuals in many ways. First, echo chambers eliminate the theory of having a marketplace of ideas, as we previously discussed in class having diverse and an abundance of sources is essential for expression under the first amendment. In a marketplace of ideas, "truth and falsehood are allowed to freely grapple, the truth will win out. And the grappling makes the truth even stronger," (Smith). When you are trapped within the bubble of an echo chamber it is impossible for the real truth to be unfolded because only one side is being delivered. 

Another downside to an echo chamber of media and news is the effect it has on a variety of individuals. Young adults and younger generations who rely on social media or their phones for news and information will be missing out on a whole other thought process because of the algorithms our phones provide us. This will cause younger people to be undereducated and naive in the sense that they are unaware of multiple and opposing opinions to their own. On the other hand, older generations will grow frustrated with media and the way of life. Many older people want to see and understand both sides to a story because it is how they grew up seeing news when they were younger. They were able to read multiple newspapers, magazines, and print media in order to develop their own opinion. 

In my personal life, I find that I receive news and information solely based on what I believe or enjoy. I personally find myself falling towards to middle and neutral range politically not an extremist either way but someone who can understand and agree with both parties at times. Therefore, I never see news articles on extreme opinions regarding a political topic. Although, I do enjoy reading about what I enjoy I feel uneducated about those who are different than me at times. On social media, I very rarely see an advertisement for a product I or someone my age would not want. All ads I see are for women's clothing, travel, stores I frequently search, etc., they know what I want to see and they show it to me every chance they have. 

To end on a positive note, some researchers have found positive aspects to an echo chamber. The first one I saw while doing research was that it could be less controversial and can eliminate violence and fights. Next, echo chambers can provide journalists with a specifically targeted audience. This will allow them to understand the audience and tailor their publications to that audience. 

Writing this blog post really brought this course full circle for me. The echo chamber goes back to privacy or lack thereof and then back to the first amendment. We have the freedom to press and speech, so we should have the right and opportunity to read and view everything. As this course comes to an end I have become much more aware of the faults in our government surrounding the first amendment, it makes me wonder what they will take advantage of next? 

Blog #9 Privacy Online & Off

After watching all the TED talks I honestly went immediately to my laptop and phone and erased multiple things, cleared my search history, and tried to do what I could to make myself feel safer although I know so much of my information is already circulating in databases. The topics discussed in the TED talks are all very relevant to me in my personal life as well as millions of others across the world. Every day millions of people sign up for an app or service and willingly give away multiple aspects of their personal identity without even questioning it. This is a huge issue. 

 

The personal story given in the Ted Talk about revenge porn was very eye-opening. I feel that it is uncommon for TED Talks to be so personal so that one really stood out to me as unique. The topic is also not talked about very often so it stuck out to me most after thinking back to all the Ted talk topics I watched for this blog post. The most surprising thing about the revenge porn video was that there is little to no punishment for people who publish graphic nude photos without the person's consent. It also shocked me that there was just one law in place to protect and help those involved with a revenge porn case. 

The second TED Talk that stood out to me was the one about Proton Mail, in this video scientist, Andy Yen speaks about how the world must come together and agree that privacy should be the top priority. We must decrease spending on advertising and transition that focus to advancing privacy. He described his personal journey in creating an email service in which messages are sent and received without the server reading the message. Only the receiver of the message can read and see it. Protonmail had substantial growth and funding that they believe it can become universal with help from others across the world. We must all agree that privacy is imperative and we must ensure it is not on default mode. While these platforms are very tedious and challenging they are possible. 

I think that the government needs to reevaluate the way they interact with the private and personal data of US citizens. I think that there needs to be a database where each app or communication industry stores their user's data and it is protected from hackers and those with bad intentions. The government should be required to ask permission to access that information since it should be privately owned by the app. The data needs to stop being sold and accessed for pleasure or personal monetary benefit. Users should not be afraid to sign up for an app or mailing list, as consumers we should be able to trust companies, big or small with the personal information that they require us to fill out. I also think that the government should teach Americans how to use and access a VPN to keep them safe from viruses and hacks on their personal devices. It is frightening to recount how much data we share online and how much we are being surveillance on an everyday basis. We can try to protect ourselves by being more educated and aware of the big data companies that try to steal personal information from innocent civilians. 

Blog #8 Diffusion of Innovation Theory

 

The Diffusion of Innovation Theory is relevant to almost every invention, idea, or widespread thought process. The theory is visualized as a bell curve that starts with the pioneers or innovators, these are the people who first think and initiate discussion about an idea or concept. These are typically people who are open to taking risks and experimenting and learning along the way. Next, as you progress up the bell curve shape you come across the early adopters, who are typically trendy people who enjoy trying new things such as new technology products. Then the theory progresses to influence the majority of society in the early majority phase. In this phase, the individuals "pave the way for use of an innovation within mainstream society and are a part of the general population."  Making your way down the curve the late majority will have their turn to hop on the bandwagon of the innovation. These are people who witnessed the early majority take part and have a positive experience, they then join in after the risk is lessened and the product has less of a demand among the general population. Finally, the laggards will be the people who first resisted the innovation, they are risk-averse people who tend to be cautious and conduct research before purchasing products. The laggards wait so long to get on board with the innovation it makes their daily tasks more challenging without it. 

I think that these phases are very interesting and allow for a lot of self freedom for society. This theory allows people to decide if they want to take a risk, play it safe or follow suit from their peers. This is one of the most relevant and interesting theories I have learned about so far in college because it truly does relate to all aspects of life. 

In relation to my EOTO project on Instant Messaging, I think that at the time most businesses and major companies were in the early adopters phase. I think these because this would have made communication very conveneint and efficient in a large office space / setting. I think that after the security issues and data breaches that were initially experienced were solved then the early and late majority would decide to start using instant messaging. 

Blog #7 EOTO Presentation Discoveries

 Today in class I learned a lot more about communication technologies of the past as well as those that control our daily activities and habits. I chose to write about one I felt I was most uneducated about prior to the presentations today, that was drones. During the presentation, I learned that drones and the meaning of a drone have changed dramatically over the years. The idea of a drone was first thought of in 1782 by a  French man names Joseph Montgolfier. He was concerned about a threat of attack on his city and he created a contraption one night staring into his fireplace that resembles something like a hot air balloon that we know today. From this realization, he found that it would be beneficial to see above an area and examine all that is living and happening below that on the ground. 

He later partnered with an American electrical engineer by the name of Abraham Karma, who aided in the creation of a more modern drone that would be used today. Early prototypes came with complications and areas where obvious advancements were needed quickly appeared. The first drone was used for the Israeli Air Force, which then lead to other armies and military forces requesting access to drones for military use in 2001.   

These drones and the more modern versions come with multiple benefits including, providing military intelligence for those who are not able to be in sight or near a battleground for example. It also can see threats and possible dangers that can then be communicated to the necessary people to defend against an attack or keep people safe. On the other hand modern-day drones come with negatives as well, for example, there can be a threat to security and privacy. Drones do not have any laws or regulations to follow like where they can or cannot be flying overhead. Also, drones are not always the most accurate, for example, innocent people were killed when a drone dropped bombs on someone believed to be a terrorist but in reality, it was innocent civilians that were killed due to the inaccuracy of drones. Overall, I enjoyed learning about drones and I believe that when used in the proper ways drones can be very beneficial to society and in many professions.