Blog Post #12 - Final Presentation Prompt

 My Relationship with Technology

My relationship with technology started when I was in elementary school. We had enhancement classes to go to and once a week would be computer lab days. I absolutely hated computer lab days because for some reason I always had the computer monitor that didn't work. It was the one monitor that wouldn't turn on or was the slowest in the class. The teacher would always get frustrated with me because I was the only student in the class who wasn't able to complete the task we were working on. 

Then in the 7th grade, my school provided MacBooks to every single student. And of course, the one I was given was the only one that didn't work. I spent more time in IT than I did in class. I saw technology as more of an inconvenience than a luxury. My relationship with technology improved when I received my first iPhone. I understood how to use it better because I didn't feel pressured in a classroom setting and my friends were learning how to use them as well. Fortunately, I never ran into any problems with my iPhone. Once I started college, I received my own personal computer. Currently, I enjoy technology since I rarely experience technological issues or go to IT for assistance. 

The Role of Media in my Life

Media is a very prominent feature in my life since I use it to keep up with all of my information. I receive daily updates from Apple News to keep up with current events since I don't read the paper. I also receive job updates and professional connections from LinkedIn and social updates from Instagram and Snapchat. 

My Digital Footprint 

My digital footprint can be found on Instagram and LinkedIn. These are the only two platforms where I have a profile set up online with my full name and contact information. Both profiles portray the same image of myself but the content is different. Both profiles give insight to different parts of my life. For example, LinkedIn will tell you what I'm involved with in school and any job updates. Instagram has updates of my social life, such as my family life. 

I have googled myself many times and all you will find connected to my name is a picture of my LinkedIn profile and a magazine that I was featured in while I was in high school. Other than that, a bunch of mugshots of Hispanic women will take over your browser. I always ensure that my digital footprint is clean and professional. 

Artificial Intelligence, Online Censorship, and Privacy

As I stated in my last blog post, artificial intelligence really does scare me and I'm very worried about our future. I think there is very much a possibility that technology will take over the world and they will outsmart us. I also believe that online censorship is a huge problem in our society. We are built on a nation of freedom and equality, but apparently it's only to an extent. I believe that everyone should be able to state their political beliefs online and in real life. 

Blog Post #11 - Living in the Age of AI

 Artificial Intelligence 

Artificial intelligence is a concept that really frightens me. In the video, one aspect that really stood out to me is when a technician was being interviewed and he stated that he was worried for the future of our society. His statement made me realize how much I am personally afraid for the future.

I am a young adult who is preparing to graduate college and enter the working field. I am very worried that artificial intelligence will cause a dramatic decrease in the number of available job opportunities in the world. One of my very first jobs was being a hostess at a local restaurant. I worry about the future of my kids and what their first jobs will be. Most 16-year-old kids find jobs within restaurants as their first working experience.

My Experience with Technology

Growing up, I was always scared of computers. In school, I always had the computer monitor that was slow or wasn't working very well. Everyone else seemed to really enjoy computers while I was still trying to understand how they worked. I remember when we were given laptops in school and how nervous I was about using them. 

Personally, I'm scared of computers because I don't trust them. I don't like how computers know when we are trying to say before we type it. I don't like how computers tell the government everything we are googling. I don't ever think I was trust computers. Computers cause our privacy to simply not exist anymore. Everything we do is monitored, even phone calls. 

Enough with the Cons, what about the Pros?

Despite my fear and distrust with technology, there are still many positive aspects. Technology allows for us to live simpler and more efficient lives. My mom was born in the late 1960's, and I grew up hearing stories about what school was like for my mom. She told me how there wasn't a way to google anything. She had to go to the library, check out a book, and read through it hoping to find her answer. My mom also grew up typing her school papers on typewriters, not a personal computer. 

My Feelings Towards Technology

I am very fortunate for growing up in the technological age that I'm in, but sometimes I worry that my kids won't grow up the same way I did. I didn't receive a phone or computer until I was 14 years old. I spent my childhood playing outside with my friends. I believe that technology hinders creativity and decreases imagination. I feel that sometimes people my age often forget that there is a world outside of their smartphone. 

Blog Post #10 - EOTO Presentations

What is Gatekeeping?

In my class, the first group to present informed the class about a collection of theories that affect the media. Among these theories was Illusory Truth Effect, Confirmation Bias, Agenda Setting, Overton Window, Spiral of Silence. However, the theory that most resonated with me was the theory of gatekeeping. 

Gatekeeping is just like it sounds. Gatekeeping is the process of the media selecting specific information and presenting them to the public. I found gatekeeping to be so interesting because of the amount of control and power it has over the media. It controls exactly what information each individual person is seeing. I found it so scary that the internet is controlling the way we think and what we think about. In a way, the media can form our opinions for us. 

The Effects of Gatekeeping

Gatekeeping is one of the main driving forces that is causing our society to have divisions. The concept is actually something that is continuing to divide our society further apart. Because of gatekeeping, we listen to sources that validate our views. Half the country thinks the other side is racist, and half thinks the other side are communists. 

No one is unbiased when it comes to gatekeeping. Gatekeeping causes us to only look at information that agrees with the way we think. We need to look at BOTH sides of argument in order to ensure that we are aware of all facts and information. 

Why is Gatekeeping Used?

Gatekeeping is used for a very simple reason. The media can't keep up with the millions of events that occur each day, causing journalists to have to pick and chose exactly what people are seeing in order to cater towards their viewpoints. In other words, if someone tends to view more articles that cater towards a republican viewpoint, the media will continue to present them with articles of that same viewpoint. The individual will have limited exposure to any articles that cater towards a democratic viewpoint. 

Conclusion

In my opinion, I don't find the theory of gatekeeping to be completely evil. It allows for us to not be constantly bombarded by information that doesn't cater towards our interests. I personally enjoy having my news filtered so that I am not wasting time reading about a topic that doesn't interest me.  

Blog Post #9 - Diffusion Theory on Instagram Innovation

 The Innovation of Instagram

Instagram first came into the world 2010 as a social media platform for users to share photos and videos. The platform instantly became popular for its fast and easy "sharing" and "liking" features. Millions of people became early adopters of Instagram as the app began to spread. Within only 2 years, Instagram grew to over 27 million users. Users became obsessed with the app's ability to share and create. With Instagram, it seems as if the possibilities are endless. 

Becoming a Multipurpose App

As Instagram continued to grow in popularity, its features began to grow as well. Instagram was no longer a simple photo and video sharing app. It became a universal platform of inspiration, creativity, job opportunities, advertising, travel, and entrepreneurship. 

Since Instagram was launched, the platform has become home to thousands of companies. Many users utilize Instagram as a free way to advertise their company and market their products. In fact, many online companies are solely Instagram-based. This means that the company started through Instagram and continues to reside in the app as a business platform. 

Companies that rose to fame on Instagram have adapted an aspect known as an influencer. Influencers are typically independent accounts of users that have over 10,000 followers. Companies pay influencers to post about their products on their accounts to appeal to their large following. Instagram has helped change so many lives and the world of advertising as we know it. 

The Late Adopters

Despite Instagram's popularity and fast spread, there are still plenty of people who do not use the app or have an account. This is mainly due to Instagram's target audiences and demographics. For starters, Instagram is suited for younger audiences, typically between the ages of 14 and 30. Since Instagram was released after Facebook, many older generations did not see a need to download Instagram. Facebook has users that are typically people within the age of 40 and 70. Essentially, if you are simply looking to share pictures about your kids and grandkids, Instagram is not for you.  

Positives and Negatives 

When looking into the positives and negatives of downloading Instagram, there isn't really a huge difference. Instagram does offer many positive aspects, such as job opportunities and social aspects. However, the social media platform does not offer any hinderances to people who do not have the app downloaded. You can still access ads, job opportunities, share photos and videos, and socialize with people in other places online. 

Yes, Instagram is wonderful, but there are many other platforms that have the same aspects as Instagram. Without Instagram, you might actually find yourself obsessing less over other people's lives and focusing more on your own. Too many, Instagram is a negative distraction and takes up too much time. What do you think?

Blog Post #8 - Each One, Teach One: Disinformation

What is Disinformation?

What comes to mind when you hear the word "disinformation"? If you think fake, false, or misleading, you would be correct. Disinformation is information that is deliberately spread with the intention of misleading, typically for power purposes. In other words, false information that is spread by people who know it isn't true. Disinformation is also referred to as "black propaganda" for its ability to deceive people. The deception is so powerful that it can go as far as changing public opinion and obscuring the truth. Disinformation hurts the world, it hurts community, and it hurts trust. 

Good or Bad People?

When discussing disinformation, it is important to remember that people who spread it are trying to mislead you. People spread disinformation knowing that the information is false and want to convince others that the information is true. Typically, this is often done by victims of disinformation who believe it to be true and continue to spread it. 

Disinformation is rarely ever considered plain gossip. Disinformation is meant to have a large effect and lasting impact on society. This is done through campaigns and well constructed plans to target a large audience. However, victims of disinformation do not continue to spread disinformation. They spread misinformation. But what's the difference? 

Disinformation vs. Misinformation 

There is a fine line between disinformation and misinformation. To break it down, misinformation is the innocent form of disinformation. While disinformation involves people knowing what they're spreading is false, misinformation has completely different intentions. People do not know that misinformation is fake and believe it themselves to be true. As I mentioned earlier, people who spread misinformation are often victims of disinformation. 

Misinformation is looked at as another form of human error. As humans, it is understandable to mishear information and small details about the news. Reminds you or the game telephone, right? Misinformation has completely harmless intentions and is spread by people who believe it to be true. They are not trying to confuse, manipulate, or change the minds of anyone. 

The Real World

A very common example of misinformation is celebrity gossip. Celebrities are always having their business blasted over social media about rumors. As a result, people read the information and think it's true and continue to tell their friends and family without knowing its disinformation. 

Above is a real world example of an internet act of disinformation uploaded in 2013. The news was placed on a website called fakeawish.com that is known for people creating fake celebrity gossip. In this example, a person went online and posted that famous actor Tom Cruise had died in a car crash. This post created the spread of disinformation and caused a lot of people to believe that the actor had in fact, died. 

What can we do?

We will never be able to stop fake news, but we can learn to not think and act so impulsively. Just because you hear or see something on the internet doesn't mean its true. Always look into the news before you take part in spreading it. Brush up on some details, learn the facts, support your argument. 

 

Blog Post #7 - Privacy, Online & Off

 Technology in our Daily Lives

Ah, technology. It's such a beautiful aspect of our daily lives! We take our phones everywhere we go. We drive our cars, use our computers, and so much more. It's so amazing how much technology helps us...and watches us. Yes, that's right. Technology might just be your worst enemy.  

License Plate Readers

Ever seen one of these before? If you haven't, you might want to pay close attention. These are license plate readers. They are little devices used by the police department to snap a picture of your license plate as you go about your day. They are able to track everywhere you've been by your car, not just your phone. Most people know that the government already tracks us through our phone. But what most people don't know is that they track you through so much more. In a TedTalk, Catherine Crump discussed how the government is always watching us and even has pictures of people going about their every day lives. The police department keeps and stores this information in case they need it some day. Talk about a serious invasion of privacy!

Does this mean we are never safe? Are private moments really private? Turns out the answer is most likely no, nothing we do is ever private. The government has way too much information about our personal identities to potentially use against us in the future. According to a TedTalk by Christopher Soghoian, the government is mad that they have had difficulty invading our privacy through companies embedding encryptions that block personal information from being accessed. However, government officials believe that all texts, phone calls, emails, etc, should be available to the government at all time. Will we ever have privacy?

Fortunately, I haven't been contacted by the government due to them invading my privacy. However, this impacts me, my friends, and my family by making us all feel uncomfortable. After learning this information, I feel very uneasy about the government watching my every move. It makes me wonder, am I really living? 

What Should the Government do? What can We do?

In my opinion, I don't think the government should have access to invading our privacy to this extent. Nobody should be monitoring people like this unless there is an impending reason. But now I'm wondering if there is really anything we can do to put a s
top to this.  The government can always lie to us and say they aren't tracking us when they actually are. The only thing I can think of doing is putting up fire walls and encryptions. Who knows, maybe one day the world will change. 

Blog Post #6 - EOTO Technology Presentations

 The Evolution of Technology 

In class, I had the privilege of hearing several creative presentations about the evolution and impact of technology. Today, my generation is very fortunate to have such advanced technology to accomplish tasks and make our lives easier. However, the technology we use today had to evolve from somewhere. While listening to my classmates presentations, there were three inventions that I found especially interesting and did not know a lot about. These inventions are the printing press, film, and instagram. 

The Printing Press

The printing press is an exceptional invention that has revolutionized that way we communicate and spread information quickly. I learned that the printing press dates back all the way to to year 1440. This shocked me because I had no idea that the world had been "printing" words that long ago. In my mind, I didn't think the printing press was invented until much later. I also learned that the first printing press ever made was able to print up to 3,600 pages a DAY. I find that absolutely amazing considering the time period and level of advancement correlation. 

Overall, the printing press has made a huge impact on our society, including causing literacy levels to rise. It was discovered that people had a much easier time reading printed words rather than handwritten words. Of course, the printing press evolved to a much more efficient piece of machinery that we have today: the electronic printer. 

Film 

Learning about the first film had to be the most interesting invention I heard about in class. This is mainly because I lack a lot of knowledge about this topic and I have no idea how film began or became what it is today. To begin, I learned that the first photo taken was in 1826! That is so crazy to me. I find it very hard to wrap my head around the fact that we weren't able to document historical evens before 1826, unless it was an oil paining of course. I take pictures every single day, as well as film and watch videos, and I can't imagine my life any different. 

I also learned that film was first used to tell a story through taking rapid photos to show movement. This concept was accomplished by taking rapid pictures of a horse, as shown above. Let's just say I'm very thankful I didn't live back during this time period!

Instagram 

Ah, Instagram. Everyone loves it, right? Instagram was created in 2010 for the sole purpose of allowing people to share their lives and experiences through photos. However, I didn't know that Instagram became revolutionary for social communication! Despite the primary purpose of Instagram, many people began to develop connection with other users within the app through their instant message feature. In fact, a lot of relationships have even formed due to meeting on the app! 

I find it crazy that the app allows for people to become best friends with people they have never met before and people that live on the other side of the world. I also learned that Instagram is one of the ultimate news platforms for media coverage! What was a simple photo sharing app is now a combination of pictures, videos, advertisements, jobs, and more! Instagram has evolved into one of the most popular social media platforms today. 

Conclusion

I couldn't be more thankful for the technology I have today. After learning about the first models of evolved technology, I have a grater appreciation for the efficiency I walk around with! Most inventions in the beginning were operated mechanically before electricity was discovered. Now, almost all machines are operated by electricity!