Final prompt

Technology and Me

Technology has been a part of my entire life. My dad is a whole tech nerd so he always had the newest technology in the house. Which means I had access to said technology. There isn't a time I don't remember having some type of device starting from my iPod touch when I was 7.

This being said, I think having unlimited access to all the technologies I had have cause a few issues. I was easily distracted by them and prioritized whatever game or YouTube video I could watch in them instead of doing things like homework or chores. Not only did it distract me but certain apps like vine caused an even shorter attention span for me.

This is because i had access to technology at such a young age I didn't Know how to manage my screen time and my responsibilities. This poor management stayed with me to this day. My screen time for my phone alone is way to high and my dependence on technology is higher. Dependence on technology had a negative effect that is accepted by society. No is fighting to have a less convenient way to communicate, share, and receive information. This dependence is stirring up how we function in society. It is affecting job opportunities, lowers the amount of privacy we have, and how we communicate.

 

I also think a shift is social rules will be coming. Once the majority of people alive have had technology since they were children the way we function in the world will change. For example older generations are more likely to call on the phone then text. A lot of how people communicated with each other in person or through technology will be different in the coming decades because of all the advancements. Based on some poll information younger generations communicate more through technology than face to face. And older generations communicate more face to face. But this is primarily gen x and boomers. This means that there are more generations alive right now who use technology to communicate then not and that will only grow as more people are born. 

We can already see some social changes in technology after Covid, zoom meetings and remote working is becoming more normal then it was before. People don’t feel the need to have every interaction, even in business, face to face. I think this was a big shift in technology and the workplace. In my family in particular my step dad and step mom never went back to in person work after Covid and many others did not as well. Even me, I currently have a remote web design job. Technology is going to create a shift in so many different aspects of life and we are just seeing the beginning of these changes.

privacy online

Limited Privacy

"Electronic tattoos" otherwise known as an online view of who you are. Apart from tracking across nearly every application or website we use, but face recognition is also on the rise. There is little space to move in private in such an online world. Especially when so many online resources we use, sell our information and in turn our privacy. These electronic tattoos can also be seen as our digital footprint. Everything we search, post, or view is tracked and saved so we should be careful navigating the internet.  

Government tracking of our every move. They can know where we are at all times, who we are interacting with, and who we interact with on a regular basis. They can also keep a record

of this. Treating everyone as if they have done something wrong when no crime has been committed. This form of tracking can and is being easily abused by not only the government but also everyday law enforcement. This is actually very scary because this can cause more discrimination of minorities and minority neighborhoods. Also the fact that it is done without a majority of people’s knowledge is wrong and should not be allowed. 

Surveillance through calls and messages can be read and accessed through wire taps. These wiretaps can then be hacked by anyone with the knowledge to do so. Meaning it can be used by people to cause harm to others. Tech companies can work against this, like Apple, by encrypting phone calls. Though they could be useful to catch terrorist and other criminals. They are also being used to monitor people who have not committed a crime and are not planning to commit a crime. These taps can also be used by enemy states to monitor us. I think it is more dangerous to have no encryption than to have it. Yes the government will have it harder trying to look into people of interest but the rest of us will be safer. 

It has been clear for a while now that we have little privacy online. It is only now that it is becoming aware that we also lack privacy offline. Our devices listen in even when we aren't using them. We can be tracked just by driving our car or by having a phone in our pocket. Ways we can protect ourselves can include; using phones that have encryption, and using web browsers that block tracking, cookies, and ads. When it comes to privacy offline I'm not sure there is much we can do besides try and get laws passed preventing these types of tracking. 

 

Age of ai

The Ai Transformation

 One of the main take away was how fast we are changing into automation. The video showed that the automation movement goes further than just factory jobs, it is affecting the cashier job as well. Many stores have self checkout and use that as the primary checkout section instead of a person behind a counter. Now even some fast food restaurants are doing this as well. Once fully automated that is millions of jobs, many held by women and younger people. 

As the video said women are the most at risk to loose there jobs due to automation. It also puts people who don't have access to information and higher education at risk. It will increase the inequality between people. When jobs go from working in a factory, behind a counter, or simply working in a store turns to Ai , the jobs will become people working on these AI machines. This requires higher education, which requires money and opportunity which is not universal.

The other takeaway is how Ai is being used to watch us. As shown in the video parts of the would use Ai to track every single movement people make. This can be highly dangerous depending on how its used. If used to keep people safe there is little issues but when used to control and scare individuals is when issues begin to rise. China is implementing this in a way to control and scare the citizens. What is happening in china right now is called surveillance state.

This ai watching goes further than just cameras on the streets. It can also be in you house through you r phone microphones, Alexa, or any other device that can listen and respond to you. Which can be used for advertisers. They hear what you talk about, what your interests are, and they can even detect what mood you are in. From there they can advertise things to you it thinks you what. This is known as surveillance capital.

EOTO #2

 Illusory truth effect 

The illusory truth effect it when someone perceives a claim as truer if they gave been exposed to them before. It is one of the main reasons why advertisements and propaganda worm and why people fall victim to misinformation and fake news. This effect can also work when the person had previous knowledge of it being false. It is most evident on subject matter that people perceive themselves experts of. 

The premise of the illusory truth effect is repetition. Repetition affects what we perceive to be true. studies that have been conducted don't typically go over 3 repetitions, while as in the real world repetition happens at a much higher rate. This is why there are current research taken place to examine exposure to high repetition rates and their affect on judgement. 

Two parallel experiments have been conducted. The first had a group of people come in and were shown trivia statements. The repetition rate for them was 1,3,5,7, or 9. The other experimental group brought in a group of people and showed them trivia statement. There repetition rate was 1, 9, 18, or 27 times. A week later both groups were brought in and showed the same trivia statements again. Those who encountered more repetition were more likely to perceive the statements as true. 

There are many theories as to why this effect works as well as it does. The most commonly referenced reason is the Processing fluency account. The processing fluency account refers to the metacognitive experience of ease or difficulty that accompanies an account.  information that is repeated is processed more fluently and in turn is perceive as true. This occurs because they have discovered that fluency is predictive of fluency.

This is all supported by the study that concluded that illusions of truth can happen without repetition. For example people tend to trust and perceive information as true when it is presented in an easy to read format or easy to understand speech. Speech that is presented in a less perceptually fluent format are less likely to perceive as false. 

There are a number of concerns about the consequences of the usage of this effect. The danger of fake news, misinformation, and conspiracy theories and how fast these things spread can be detrimental. This is only heightened because they have seen that despite being clearly disproven belief in misinformation can persists. This is due to people being exposed to fake news repeatedly so they perceive this information as true. 

This is why it is hard to get people to believe something that is hard to think about.  Using complicated words and explaining complicated topics have a bad outcome in terms of believability. They also found there can be a maximum to repetition. This is why a lot of advertisement that use this theory use subtle variations in adds or "subliminal messages". This is done because familiarity can make people believe, agree, or like what they hear or see but to much repetition can cause contempt.

Diffusion of Innovation 

The diffusion of innovation theory explains why, how, and how fast a technology spreads. Created by a professor named Everett Rodgers made this theory popular through his book Diffusions of Innovations originally published in 1962.  he bases it off of 5 factors;  the innovation itself, adopters, communication channels, time, and social social system.

Streaming was one of the biggest innovations in the way we watch media. The original major streaming service was Netflix, it has now expanded to a multitude of companies such as Hulu, Hbo Max, Disney+,  Peacock and many more. But the original innovators of this trend that started in all are  the creators of Netflix. Netflix is what popularized the idea of streaming.

 

It was people who were the early adaptors in this sense. We changed the way we got media. There has been a steady incline of consumers streaming and downloading's content from there home. From there there was a increase in dropping cable for streaming sites. Since 2012 cable companies have lost 25 million subscriber s moving to streaming services such as Hulu. It was people searching for a cheaper yet convenient way to view media that changed how we got media. 

it was cable channels turning into streamers that were the late adopters. They came to the game about a decade after streaming first started. Major media outlets tried to hold onto to traditional fall out for a while, some allowed for streaming of shows but you had to have cable to watch it. Now there are sites like Hbo max or Peacock that allows you to watch a cable channels show through streaming services instead of owning cable. Even having deals where its 24 dollars for a whole year. those who stuck with cable or switched late had access to less media and less options. there are numerous amount of shows that are steaming exclusives and those that aren't are rarely have reruns because they can be found on a streaming service. 

communication channels such as the internet have also made it so streaming gets more and more popular. Today you could watch a 4k movie in your house from a streaming platform as appose to years ago the best quality was found in a movie theater and even then 4k is much better then that. the fast internet and increase of internet usage has a lot to do with the spread of its popularity. As time goes on the internet will just gain uses and even more viewing capabilities. In addition to this interactive tv is also an option found
on streaming services. 

Social systems have had two different impacts of streaming. one being everyone isn't watching the same stuff anymore so there is less communitive talks about that one popular sitcom because there is no longer one popular sitcom. on the h=other hand this means a lot of people will promote there streaming show and service to there friends and in turn spread the use of streaming sites as a whole 

Antiwar voices

Realities of War 

I think, as said in class, War is important to American political figures. They want war because it allows them to make changes in the law with less questions. wartime allows for big and sometimes corrupt changes such as when it was allowed to jail anti war voices. I also think America kind of appointed themselves as the world police using war to accomplish there own desires. To many public war voices might turn the view of America to show how it truly operates. it also might lead to the decrease in military budget which is incredibly high. 

I think propaganda has a lot to do with it as well. Soldiers are made out to be hero's and they want you to join and be a hero to. Even now with military ads they want to appeal with peoples want to do something important and be someone important so they must portray it as such. They build up soldiers so much and if it weren't for there lack of support for veterans I might even believe them. they build a kind of fog over the realities of war so that majority of people don't see how made it really is. like the before and after photographs of Libya, I didn't even know about that until this class. there are so many instances like this that the negative effects America did are not reported on because it would make America look bad. 

War is also a big profit for America. America goes to war and will then  use that places resources for themselves. Oil is the reason for a to of wars. and since America puts so much money into there around forces they have enough resources to go out and start these wars for resources. 

The terrible reality of it all is America has been comiting war crimes or borderline war crimes for decades and they don't want that to be known ore common thought. so they do what they can and silence voices when they get to loud. Unfortunately a lot of places we get out news from benefit on being on the governments good side so they suppress these anti war voices. which is probably why its so hard to find anti war sites. 

EOTO repsponse

Carrier pigeons  

After listening to all the different types of technologies and there evolutions. the one that stood out the most and was the most memorable was the carrier Pidgeon. it is a technology that doesn't often come to mind when thinking about different technologies because it is such an old form of communications that sound more like something from a story then a part of communication history. 

Before the presentation I was under the impression that carrier pigeons were not really used and if they were used it was for common communication between people. I learned in the presentation that they were used as communicators during war. carrying vital information back and forth that were vital to the battles at hand. One  highly memorable part of the presentation was learning about the bird that was shot and still continued her flight and a couple more after. despite being gravely injured. 

The carrier pigeons were not only used but depended on during the war because they could go were soldiers couldn't more safely. some, like the Pidgeon mentioned earlier, were rewarded for there work. which was kind surprising to me because when you think about dependent war communication a bird isn't what comes to mind and yet they were. Frequently used as well, it wasn't just a couple of instances there were hundreds of designated pigeons that communicated throughout the war. 

Although it sounds like a medical form of communication it had modern use that allowed for communications even between naval ships and land during the war. which back then was so important and difficult to do. Carrier pigeons are obviously no loner used to old vital information, or any information really, but there history is so interesting and rich. There are even sites that have pictures of some of these pigeons and what there post and job was which is very interesting to see.

EOTO Netflix

The Effects of Netflix

 In California of 1997 two men, Marc Rudolf and Reed Hasting, founded one of the most successful streaming service to date before streaming was even invented. Netflix, originally a online mail order for DVD's,  had an online catalog of movies and shows that could get sent straight to your house. This catalog have over 10,000 options to choose from, making them a big competitor in DVD rentals.  

It was 10 years later in 2007 when they first began to let there customers view movies directly in there home using the internet. Although they only had select titles to chose from it was still a drastic change in the way people can view movies and tv shows. 

Three years later in 2010 they announced they would start their streaming only plan. They also began to expand to Canada and by the end of 2012 they were in Latin America, the Caribbean, the UK, and Scandinavia. By 2016 they were in over 190 countries and territories. 

So within 10 years they went from a DVD rental service that allowed a few movies and shows to be streamed at home to have tens of thousands of online streaming options around all parts of the globe.

In 2013 they kicked of there own produced and exclusively streamed content with house of cards. now they have over 2000 original titles including some highly awarded and notable shows such as Stranger Things, The Crown, Bridgeton, and Squid Games

Streaming become a easy and convenient way for people to consume media. The consequence for this fell onto movie theaters. Lets people go to movie theaters because Netflix has such a large selection of

movies to watch as well as there own original content that is easily available. The original content Netflix provides is cuttings into the independent film industry. People would rather watch a Netflix original or an indie movie available on Netflix then pay for theater tickets and leave there home to watch it. Netflix allows for a more personalized viewing with movies catered to your taste provided directly to you home. 

Then comes the DVD industry. Before streaming Netflix mail order DVD were digging in to the profits of physical DVD stores. After streaming they made the idea  of DVDs seem like an inconvenience.  they also changed television. you no longer had to watch whatever was on tv or what DVD's and VHS's was available to you. Netflix allowed for the easy viewing of a thousands and thousand s of tv shows and movies without commercials. this caused  in increase in people dropping cable. In 2018 there was a 33% increase of people who dropped cable.

there was now a way to watch media from across the globe easily and in you r own home. it was another way of sharing and experiencing other cultures and ideas. It allowed for a broader option of entertainment then what people were used to. 

Netflix and there streaming model also stirred up how movies and shows were made in Hollywood As the actor Mat Damon explain in an episode of hot ones. DVDs were a major part of revenue for films. once streaming made DVDs absolute that took out a huge chunk of profits. this resulted in less personalized movies. Movies were no longer being made for specific groups of people because the risk of loosing money was to great. a lot of 2000's style chick flick movies like clueless or white chicks are no longer being made. 

Subscription style entertainment went on the rise because of Netflix and the streaming services that followed. Because of this movie theaters also made some adjustments to how they function. many theaters such as Regal and Amc have monthly and annual subscription plans. Regal has what they call Regal Unlimited which allows unlimited tickets to movies for 80- 24 dollars a month. Amc has Amc stubs entertainment was found extremely profitable and adopted by many companies. This includes some network channels such s NBC with there streaming service Peacock and HBO having Hbo max. 

With the here amount of shows Netflix has and there originals shows dropping every episode at once. the binge watching method was creating. this method of watching changed how tv shows were release and the amount of episodes. Netflix encourages binge watching and because of this there seasons tend to be around 10 episodes. The old average of episodes per season used to be around 22 now even network television is lessen the amount of episodes they release. Netflix created a norm for smaller episode seasons. 

Since there has been evidence on how detrimental this can be to the viewers. When watching tv for an extended period time it can increase the risks of heart dieses, and cause lower cognitive functioning. it also has a tendency to act as a "social surrogate" and provide a sense of belonging. binge watchers have also been found to be associated with loneliness and need for belonginess. 

Supreme court reflection

 

The Power of the Court

The supreme court is the highest court anyone can take there case to. They are the most powerful court in the country and on the globe. They have the ability to uphold the constitution which is one of the most important jobs in the U.S government. Nine judges appointed by a president with no term limit, some staying until they die. They take cases from low courts all the way up to the top. The decisions they make impact everyone in the country because they are making decisions based on the rights we all have.

The first video mentions the amount of cases they receive a year. I didn't realize the extent to the kinds of cases they took in. I figured those cases they received pertained to government bills and laws or extreme cases. They take cases that pertain to the rights of Americans regardless on how big or small. Since they at least view the cases sent in the number of the cases can be over 7000 a year. They don't pick them all to bring into court but that is still a lot of cases to look through. many of these cases are petitions asking for a retrial from a smaller court because they don't think the decision was correct. Out of the thousands of petitions sent only 100 are chosen which is a significantly small number in comparison to the ones not chosen.

what changed my perception of the Supreme Court was the way they view and consider every case that comes to them. They get thousands of cases varying in severity but regardless of who sent them in and for what reasons it gets a chance to be viewed and taken to court.

I was also surprised at the level of thinking put into the physical conference between the justices. They mentioned the thought put in before for there personal decisions but also the process of getting every thought said and considered. They put a lot of effort in making sure everything is thought through and everyone says there piece. Not only do they consider the case but also how they present there thoughts an ideas to each other to best come to a decision. 

The part of the video where they said the court can't just walk in and make decisions they cases must be brought to them and the issues they take in are often issues that have been rising in the country. I think a lot of the media portray them as a bunch of people who make decisions based on there own personal agenda which goes agaisnt what is said in the video.

The biggest take away is when they said that a rhetorical case can make a difference because it can be applied to real life. Bringing in a case and arguing about it and applying to multiple situations makes all the difference because you see how impactful the decision will be. That it doesn't just effect the one case but many other situations in the country.

Freedom of speech: Protect Dissent

The smallest voices matter

 I think the most important value of free expression is protect dissent. The theory means that an individual has the Right to the opinion no matter how little other people agree with them and how small there voice is. They have the right to think it, say it, and tell whoever they want regardless of who it is. This means that people can have opinions of the government even when what they are saying goes against the government. It is welcomed and seen as duty we must do. This can be seen everyday on news channels and social media, maybe even a conversation amongst friends. People discuss politics and criticize it daily. If you turned on Fox news there is a good chance that they will criticize the Biden administration the same way CNN would criticize the Trump administration. You will often find news outlets giving people a voice to say there opinion even when it is very outlandish and not very popular. Social media is also a place full of political discussion for and against government ideas. Some opinions have big followings others don't but both are protected under free speech. Political discussion and criticism based on personal views are a integral part of America. No matter how small the opinion is it will be shared and directed straight to the source.

For example there are many petitions that went around during the BLM movements as well as during the roe v wade decisions criticizing the government and demanding for changes. They were large protests that were protected and allowed to go on. In fact protesting against the government has been apart of American culture for decades with the Women's suffrage movement and lgbt movements. It is important for Americans to critique and express there opinions to the government when things aren't going the way they like. Although those are big movements with big voices if you go to cites where those petitions were made you'll find hundreds and thousands of petitions some with huge followings some without. Petitions against the government and protest against the government can come from small voices, but they are targeting the government nonetheless and don't feel in danger when they do so. There are so many of these petitions against the government for pretty much every law and opinion a government official has ever made because Americans have there voices protected no matter how loud it is. 

Since we have so many freedoms and rights, that aren't seen in other countries. It's important to not how many places it is not only not allowed but could be deadly to speak agaisnt their government. Like in Iran right now women and men
are being killed over the protest regarding modesty laws for women. It is being documented in real time, so while Americans can walk the streets in crowds of hundreds and thousands to protest the government and demand changes the women in Iran are being shot down for it. Many places do not allow for any anti government speech. some countries may crack down only when voices get loud but there are some that will crack down on the smallest of voices. Any move against the government even if its a simple as speaking agaisnt it won't go unpunished. 

If this was how America reacted when change was demanded the country we know today would not exist. Our government, rights, and laws change with the views of the citizens. Even when a minority voices there opinion they have a right and are protected by said rights. From there it can grow or not. Many movements start small with a singular voice and grow from there. So it's very important that no voice is in fear to speak up.

This form of freedom protects the small voices and the minority opinion. Without fear of punishment when using our voices Americans have an advantage to never hold back there thoughts. Any individual has the freedom to speak out against issues they see in there country and potentially get a following to make the changes they want to see. It is because of the protection that Americans have that allow big movements such as Black Lives Matter to demand change and make noise globally.  A group can potentially protect themselves from harms way but an individual cannot protect themselves from the government. Especially if they are going against them loudly and alone. The protection of there speech is a Crucial part of American democracy.

News from media

 News Outlets: The top 5 sources of News

By: Aliya Feggins

In todays digital era, getting news from online media is more likely then getting it from a newspaper delivered at your door. Though news papers are not dead it is just so easy to get news on our phones and tablets. With so many outlets you can get to with the touch of a finger. Whether it is a online news service or a form of social media, news can be spread shared on an endless amount of platforms. Personally I tend to get my news from more social media sites then the actual source. 

1. Twitter

 Twitter  allows for millions of people to share ideas, thoughts and opinions. it also allows for new to be shared. The news shared can range from simple tabloid drama about the hottest new celebrity to articles about politics or the current state of the world. It allows for all forms of news to be shared by anyone to everyone. It also allows for discussion of the news presented to us. So it allows for people to not only hear about the current news but also see what other people think about it. 

Although there are some clickbait titles and millions of people who won't look farther into the news then the title it still provides a source for information. From acclaimed news providers like the New York Times to tabloids like the Daily Mail to someone's personal blog news can be found for free and from hundreds of sources with many different viewpoints.  

I also think it is convenient. It is so easy to just got to twitter and go to the news page and see the headlines of current events. From there I can decide if I want to read them but I at least have some type of clue about what is going on. not only that but you also see news that isn't being covered. Things that effect large groups of people but aren't getting covered can often be found on the trending page and I think that's news even though big outlets aren't covering it. 

2. TikTok

 TikTok is not the most formal place to get your news from but it can show insight from people experiencing big news events in real time. News found on TikTok normally is brief run through and since TikTok's algorithm is so exact the news on someone's feed tends to be directed to there interest and moral and political alignments.  On the users "For you page" they will flip through an endless cycle of videos they find interesting this includes any news that the algorithm thinks they will be interested in. A lot of times it brings a first hand view of current events. For example there are hundreds of videos on TikTok covering the Ukaraine war like many Ukrainian's posted TikTok's about the war and the impacts on there neighborhood's and lives. I think it allows for a more personal view of current events around the world from the people experiencing it not just news outlets. 

3. CNN

   Whether I'm reading an article or watching it on tv CNN is my go to official news site. I tend to use it after I have seen a headline of another app or heard about something and want to know more about it. it is a trustable news source and though it has a couple bases they are in line with mine so it tends to be news and opinions I agree with. I also like to watch CNN clips which I tend to see though other social media applications such as twitter. 

4. Snapchat

NBC and sky news are to places I look through on snapchat to get a overall idea of what's currently going on. it is in no way a go to but it is a quick and easy way to flip through the news. If a story happens to catch your eye you get a couple minute run through of the event getting the general basis of it all. it is Quick, easy and convenient. especially if you don't want to sit down and read any type of formal news story.

                          5. Good Morning America

I know Good Morning America isn't all strictly news but they do talk about current events on the show. I just like it because you get a full view of what's happening around the world politically as well as news in pop culture and other things. having it on while making breakfast or just relaxing in the morning is a very pleasant experience and I've been watching them since  was a kid so I'm used to the dynamics and structure of the show itself. I know its a talk show and not a super news source compared to the view and other shows like it I think it presents current news the best and has better discussions about said news.