Final Blog Post- Relationship with Technology

 Technology is something that was always garnished a lot of attention. Starting with the example that I watched which is the Futurama ride at the 1964 World's fair in New York. Here we see people of all ages enjoy technology as it was theorized for the future. I am sure not one person on that ride considered the ill-effects of technology. Well with the forest road in the futurama ride we have seen deforestation become a topic of negative effects. That is the same thing with technology, it can cause these negative effects on people and the world. Not only are there negative effects of technology there are also positive aspects that it was created for. Technology has become not only misleading and an issue in many different ways, but something that is a headache for everyone.

Let's start on the negative side of things with music video of the remix of Tears For Fears. Here we saw that technology has fully captured people's lives and there is a lack of the social connection that was once had in the world. Everyone has heard the stories from their parents when there were no cellphones, so you had to go play outside and make friends. There was a different social connection back then and many studies have looked into it. The AMA Journal of Ethics performed a study where they found the exact connection between the lack of social interactions and loneliness. Even though everyone may be texting each other and sending happy face emojis they could be in a dark place behind the screen. This was another thing that was highlighted in the music video with the dark colors and unhappy faces behind the screens. It is something that is a huge problem today. 

This loneliness is not something new with technology. The term spiral of silence which I learned in the EOTO presentation and wrote about in my last blog is something similar due to the isolation it creates. The spiral of silence is the self-censorship of oneself to not fit in. This leads to the person biting their tongue but over time they will become more and more isolated and lonely. Before technology, there was never an issue with the publication of information and holding back from what you had to say. For example in the election of 1828 we saw Andrew Jackson versus John Quincy Adams in a history defining election. Here, we saw mudslinging where they would say whatever they wanted about the other candidate with no remorse. The public also did the same thing about the opposing party. Here, there was no spiral of silence to stop people from saying something out of the fear of isolation. Technology brought forth the mass hysteria of people being exiled because their post or comment online was not a centered view went viral and now they struggle every day with public opinion. 
Another side of technology is the mass media aspects that is broadcasts or social media. Mass media brings the negative part of misleading information and fake news. A deadly misleading information trio is disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation. This was my topic for the second EOTO project and the blog post highlighted how the deadly trio led to another negative impact of fake news. These outlets for media spread and alter people's minds on false information. This is one of the most problematic issues with technology and it is everywhere. Mass media though does not have all negative effects. 

Not everything in the technological field is all negative. Coming off mass media I wanted to light a positive high. I am a Sports Media major and what I do in life and continue in life is broadcasting especially in sports. Without technology, I would never be able to accomplish a career like that. That is what technology was created for. To be a spot to open up jobs and to make the world a better place. The issue is in life nothing ever can be used fully correctly and appropriately. That is why technology has taken a turn for the worse in recent years. Technology will never be the same and the internet will never be a safe place again, but as people, we do not have to add to the harm it is doing. Over time if everyone just uses the internet for what it was intended for the world of technology will go back to what it was created for originally. 

EOTO Reaction Blog Post #11

 After the second EOTO presentation I felt even more equipped with knowledge that I can use going forward. The two topics that stood out the most to me were Whistleblowers and the Spiral of Silence. Starting with the more modern issue. The Spiral of Silence is the modern day self-censorship. This is a learned behavior that the human brain provides to try and protect your image. The term was coined Elizabeth Suhay . In the spiral of silence, a big part of the silence is holding an opposing view that you do not want to mention, so you stay quiet. Also, it's a generational issue with the fact that people are afraid to speak out, so they will become isolated from everything. Today people just want to fit in and go with mass media. All it takes is one person to go against the crowd and change can be made. That is exactly what our next topic consists of those people being whistleblowers. 

A whistleblower by definition is a member of a big organization that reports to the media about secret information or a shortcoming in the company or organization. Also, there is a societal impact of cultural shift and distrust. This is due to scandals like Watergate and Tea Pot Dome that made people lose faith in their government. Some of the famous whistleblowers are Daniel Ellsberg and Edward Snowden as outlined in the presentation. Starting with Daniel Ellsberg who exposed the Pentagon papers. The papers led to the public understanding they were misled during the Vietnam War. The papers detailed the U.S. Department of Defense's role during 1945 to 1967. Daniel Ellsberg pointed out something that the citizens of the United States needed and he was charged with the Espionage Act. The next whistleblower was Edward Snowden who is a more recent whistleblower who exposed mass surveillance. Snowden worked for the CIA and got special access, but was exiled out of the United States. In conclusion, the United States can become a better place with whistleblowers or worse if the silence of citizens continues. 

Living in the Age of AI Blog Post #10

In class the other day I had the pleasure to be immersed in a video that brought a new light to artificial intelligence. The video was called In the Age of AI and it was produced by Frontline who put together a pretty eye-opening production. The documentary starts with Google software Alpha Go in which in the game Go AI was able to beat the world champion Lee Sedol 4-1. We saw this complex use of artificial intelligence and it started the wave of AI trying to go further then it ever has before. 

Privacy is the main thing that is harmed by the growth of AI. With these major companies in the Silicon Valley, their main goal is to learn as much as they can about the consumer. This may be the Google home taking information that is heard and using that to make predictions. This is a positive that your life may become easier with items being suggested that we were just talking about in the living room. When I think about what the technology and AI did I become worried. Maybe too comfortable with technology that I let them listen and learn to everything. 

Not only is our privacy threatened, but the biggest point that piqued my interest was automation. Here we saw full factories and grocery stores that were being run and packages packed by all AI. This causes the  almost silent job loss, it is the silent killer of the jobs we have left in America. Between offshoring and automation there will be zero jobs left in America and the lower class will become more dependent on food shelters and social workers portrayed in the video. After all, I think it is up to human beings to step away from technology and AI to start learning how to do things again before AI takes over. The thought has already been out there with movies like i,Robot. As people let's not let it happen. 

Disinformation, Misinformation, and Malformation- EOTO #2 Blog #9

 Getting information is something that every human being strives to attain. If getting this information is through drama which human beings care about, or word of mouth, or even the media. The key is to take in information with a grain of salt. We have to listen very carefully so we do not become ill-informed or misinformed. That brings me to the topic of the day disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation. These three terms play into the bigger picture of topics like fake news and misleading information. 

Before we get too big with ideas, let's take a look at our terms. The term disinformation is false information that is deliberately and often covertly spread to influence public opinion. Disinformation has been used in the past by terrorists to spread propaganda as well. The next term is misinformation, and this is incorrect or misleading information. Similarly, disinformation hoaxes and ways to spread fear and suspicion among the population are in misinformations definition. Lastly, malinformation simply is information that is based on reality but is used to inflict harm on a person, organization, or country. Slandering and playing into fake news for negative effects are a big part of malinforamtion. These three terms now that we understand them play into a trio that is intended to harm the population.

Now, what is the effect on society? With all three of these, they are not only terms but threats democracy. A society as a whole needs to process information to gain credibility. People over the years have gotten very soft when viewing and reading information. This has allowed fake news and propaganda to spread wildly through the tools of disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation.  The effects of these tools skyrocket during elections and many other mainstream events. As a society, it is up to the people to keep a keen eye on what they are taking in.

If we analyze and take a closer look we can see how it has its ripples of effects through diffrent levels of society. With these ideas, the rich will feed into the false information flowing into the public if it helps them make more money. This is especially the case for elections. Every politician is trying to gain an advantage through whatever they can. This is through slandering or even just lying. Then it is up to the people who are taking the information in to digest it and fact-check it. This makes it so that there are no issues with the information. Another thing that the public has to do is internalize true information, so it can be compared to other troubling information they receive. 

Lastly, let's look at how this affects me personally. Every day when I open my phone there is a chance for disinformation. This all stems from the fact that every day when we open any type of social media we are met with ads. These ads are not always true especially as I mentioned in the times for election. So, it brings me to my last point. When reading information on the web it is important to sort out the credibility. If you as a reader do not look for credibility it may leave you looking like a fool trusting the wrong information. And in life, it is your job as a human to try and obtain the highest intellectual standard you can. 

Diffusion Theory- Blog Post #8

The radio is something you have in every vehicle today even if it is a brand new Tesla or Ferrari. When the radio became commercial in America in the Roaring Twenties it revolutionized the world. The world the radio created is the one we know and love today. Through the lens of Diffusion Theory starting with the pioneers. The big two in the radio industry is Guglielmo Marconi who started the first commercial radio station in 1901 where the first transcontinental broadcast was made. Second, is Reginald Fessenden who broadcasted the first voices and music in 1906. 

After the pioneers, some people started to discover the radio who were the early adopters and this was the military. Every military force in World War One was starting to use radio as their main form of communication. The radio was still changing, and still in the experimental phase. After this phase, the radio moved into the uptake phase where the early majority came into play. The early majority consisted of the big companies after the war and half of the urban families. . By the 1920's around half of the urban families had in their homes. 

This was the tipping point when the radio moved over half of the urban area out into the rural areas, and also in vehicles, it was everywhere. Even with the radio being everywhere there are always late adopters that do not enjoy the radio. These late adopters were the people out in rural areas who finally got access to the radio. This all happened during the Great Depression when the work programs forced the people to no longer neglect the rural areas. 

After the late adapters and the maturation phase came to a close the radio had a long tail with laggards not wanting to jump on the wagon. These were the people who preferred their news in newspapers and did not own a car that had a radio even. These were the people who were born without the radio in the greatest generation  who are still getting over the war. They would adopt the radio after a while, but just as our grandparents do today it takes elderly people just a little bit of time. 

The radio was able to catch on and spread through people like wildfire due to the ease of access. It was very easy to have a radio either big or small, expensive or cheap, and in your car or not. The radio brought forth the biggest positive in the modern age with people all being connected, but it also brought negatives. The biggest negative that came with the radio was the fact that everyone knew everyone's news and business immediately and 24-hour surveillance began. Ever since as people we have been watched and listened to. 

Are Warhawks Still Active Today Blog #7

 The United States of America started out as a country that was founded off war. To become an independent nation we had to fight for our seperation from British rule. This was in the Revolutionary War and it set the landmark precedent for the United States. Ever since then, the United States has to wage wars and military operations even when there is no direct attack to US soil. There are many opposed voices against our war heavy engagements, but why do we not hear these voices at all?

To begin, these voices anti-war are shared on two news sources ANTIWAR.COM and The American Conservative . Within both of these sources we see the true military operations and the true spending of Trump and all of Congress. The American Conservative pointed out that America has spent close to 1 billion dollars on the Yemen bombings, something that the mainstream media does not point out. Next, one of Antiwar's articles is the screening of the American people to see if Israel is favorable for America. And the truth was uncovered that the people do not have the abillity to see if they do not explore alterantive cites like these. 

This is where the rel questions come into play, why is this not in the mainstream news. First, when the Goverment wants to do something like bomb Yemen for example they are not going to make it an over publicated matter. The Goverment needs to keep the citizens happy and if the people saw that we are bombing other countries on there television every day the people would loose hope. Also, political parties are playing a game to stay good in the eyes of the people, so they have to hide some things behind the scenes. This is where scandals come into play like Watergate and Teapot Dome where the people ended up loosing hope in the Goverment after the scandals were found. Now, the Goverment goes behind the peoples back and bombs and destroys whole countries and the people would never know. Right now, as a citizen of the United State we have to think about how many scandals have been just covered up and not let into mainstream media. 

EOTO Reflection Blog Post #6

I have sat through many in-class presentations throughout my time in grade school and today I learned an important topic of the video. My classmates did an excellent job teaching their respective topics. To start with the history of video and what I have learned from it. 

Starting with video the first methods to view film were the zoetrope, kinetograph, and the kinescope. After these early film viewers, video moved into films. In 1888 the first film Roundhay Garden was created where a man and woman walked together outside of their house. To call it a film is an overstatement, to say the least. The next film was in 1902 with A Trip to the Moon. This was the first start of the film industry as we know. 

Also, video as a whole was not just used for film but shifted to communication as an outlet. In 1964 the picture phone was used and this was a literal screen and a phone to communicate. This was a new thing that I learned and it was a very interesting concept that would get adapted into Skype in 2003. After Skype,  Apple and iPhone started the next popular video type with FaceTime. Following FaceTime with the COVID-19 pandemic, the introduction of workplace video surfaces took off. There are apps like Zoom and Google Meet which are used for school systems and businesses around the world. This is something that I never considered video, but it is and without the presentation, I would have never considered it. 

The most interesting thing that I found out was that the Roundhay Garden Film is considered a film. After watching it, it was very hard for me to believe this was the very first because it was only three seconds. In my eyes, it should be considered a segment. Also, with Skype, I never knew that the program came out in 2003. I remember my cousin using it in 2010 even when FaceTime was around. Video in general is a very interesting topic and still today a growing industry.