Final Blog Post

 

Technology is an integral and ever-changing part of society, evolving in function and growing in popularity daily. For those of us born into a world with these technologies at our fingertips, living in a world without them is entirely unfathomable. Almost none of us would give up our technologies, as we feel like we need them to get by.

Technology and its rise does have a lot of good, practical uses. For example, the increase in working online from home opens the door for many disabled people to pick up careers that otherwise would have been impossible. As long as there's a computer in the house, a person could easily do writing work, editing, technical support, and several other professions that otherwise would have been impossible for these individuals to do. 

The technology of today also allows people to stay connected over long distances. Once, when you came home from university for the summer, you would rarely see your friends or even speak to them if you lived far apart, or if your romantic partner had to travel for school or work, you'd seldom hear from them. These days, phones and computers facilitate those relationships, as you can always message or speak to those you care about. 

However, that's not to say that technology has its downsides and dangers. Social media and many video games work on instant gratification: causing you to receive immediate pleasant feelings and satisfaction upon playing a level or posting an image. Instant gratification can reduce a person's capacity for paying attention for long periods of time and even lead to addiction.

Social media addiction is a real thing, and it can ruin lives and create just as many issues as more well-known addictions like drugs or alcohol. It can consume people's lives, taking up all of their time to the point that they neglect their health and relationships to keep their social media profiles pristine. These people also lose their attention spans and end up restless and anxious without access to the internet, thinking of nothing but being able to post to browse again.

Social media can also have a horrible effect on young people's body image. Photos can be easily edited and set the standard for attractiveness to an impossible height. They can cause young women to starve themselves in an attempt to look like the girls they see online and push young men into destructive gym cycles, trying to build muscle to look like the guys they see in photos. 

The popularization of the 24-hour news cycle with immediate reports available online has had its effect on the world as well, both positive and negative. On the one hand, we can see what's happening at any point without delay, keeping us up to date and informed about the state of the world. On the other hand, the 24-hour news cycle prioritizes speed over accuracy, so the immediate information may be incomplete, biased, or unintentionally false.

That quick turnaround on the news can also create a doomsday mentality in the viewers, leading to a perception that the world is collapsing and negatively impacting one's mental health, leading to issues with depression and anxiety. Tragic or otherwise negative or polarizing stories get priority on the news, so looking at the front page of a news website can be overwhelming. All you'll see is death, crime, war, and pain, making it seem like good things never happen. If you want to see good news, you have to specifically seek it out, as it will rarely hit mainstream reporting.

However, as stated before, technology isn't all bad. While bad news and negative effects have a substantial impact on our society, the connections we can make with others due to technology are fantastic. We can keep in touch with the people we love over long distances and can get information on anything we can think of with a simple Google search. 

Technology has had its effects on the world and our society, both good and bad. There are healthy and unhealthy ways to engage with it, but that can apply to just about anything. As long as you remain aware of the effects technology can and will have on you and your life, social media, reading the news, and interacting with the internet can be done safely. Used right, it can enhance your life, being more of a positive influence than a negative one.

Blog Post 8: EOTO 2

We'd all like to think that we have all the facts and that the information we get from trusted news sources is entirely accurate. Still, disinformation has become increasingly prevalent in our society. People can say just about anything, and someone will believe them, and some people who know of this will use our inherently trusting natures to convince us of false information that they want others to think. 

Why would people spread this type of false information? Most of the time, the purpose of disinformation is to push someone's agenda and cause others to believe it in order to alter the course of society, politics, and acceptance. 

One example is the unfortunate belief that LGBTQ+ people are inherently pedophiles. This horrible rumor and stereotype has been perpetuated to spread fear, hate, and discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals. The community as a whole vehemently rejects any association with pedophilia and is just as disgusted by those horrible acts as anyone else. 

But why would people want to spread lies in this manner, ones that only encourage hatred and anger? The biggest reasons are control and power. If you can convince people that you're telling the truth and turn them against a perceived enemy, anything the other side says gets dismissed as false even if it isn't. The person giving out actual disinformation then keeps power and control over the people who believe them and can push those who trust them towards the beliefs they want their followers to hold.

Disinformation affects everyone, as everyone can fall victim to it. For those who identify as LGBT+, the example mentioned causes them to fear being affectionate with their romantic partners in public, mentioning their sexuality for fear of violence and discrimination, or even losing their jobs for being themselves. Because of the misinformation that people have been given, some people that believe it will act out in verbal or physical ways against LGBT+ individuals in a perceived act of justice when it's just an act of hate.

Disinformation splits our society into parts, engaging us in a bitter social war against each other. People with different beliefs are told that the other side is full of liars and traitors, and they believe it so thoroughly that they'll never open their minds to listen to others. The disinformation creates so much anger that there's little chance for reconciliation or civil discussions; only anger and distrust remain. 

The current generation has grown up with more technology available at their fingertips than any other generation. While sometimes the openness of technology is a great thing, at other times, it can create a trap, causing people to fall down disinformation rabbit holes and developing extremist or exclusionary views. 

To protect yourself from falling victim to disinformation, always double-check the accuracy of things you hear on the internet. Check other sources to see if they agree with the claim or if they disagree, and check to see if there's any overlap between stories. If the same story is told by two different sites with different views, the overlap is what's most likely to be accurate. No one is immune to falling for disinformation, but if you check multiple sides of the story and listen to others, even if they disagree with you, you can keep yourself from falling for lies.

Blog Post 9: AI

 Artificial intelligence, or AI, has been a staple of science fiction for many years. The idea that some jobs can be done by computer programs is not a new one, but it has just recently become a real possibility to see AI doing some jobs that were previously done by humans. Already we have seen AI that can beat even the most talented players at some games such as Go, and some self-driven cargo trucks are seeing use in California to haul freight. 

The rise of AI also brings up concerns surrounding privacy and safety. For example, China uses AI to enforce social credit programs that can instantly give you a fine via face ID for jaywalking or could prevent you from taking out loans or buying homes if your social credit is low. This program makes it much harder for people to have privacy since every move they make is watched and tracked, with the AI knowing precisely who's doing what, even in a large crowd. 

Other people argue that having AI can help improve national security due to its ability to identify people who have become threats. With AI's ability to recognize patterns, it could even catch people who were the most likely to be planning a mass shooting or a murder, preventing lots of death and devastation. It could also identify those who have committed crimes in public if the cameras were everywhere, creating fewer false accusations and reducing crime rates.

While the stated benefits are great, are they worth the loss of privacy? It depends on who you ask. Most Americans are horrified at AI surveillance's effects on privacy and would rather deal with the dangers of not having that protection than the loss of privacy. At the same time, those from other countries are more comfortable with it since it's the norm where they live.

Post 7: Privacy

 

The importance of personal privacy is one of the few things all people can agree on. No one wants to have their private lives interfered with or scrutinized, but the truth is that almost everything a person does is tracked and identified. 

For example, your GPS data can track exactly where you go and where you are, so if your phone company sells your data, whoever purchased it will know exactly where you go and what your habits are. While, unfortunately, this is standard practice, it's uncomfortable to know and makes you feel tracked and watched.

I don't like knowing that some phone companies can read your texts and hear your calls. I think that's invasive and uncomfortable. I also dislike the fact that very little of what you do online can be considered anonymous, even if you try to keep your real name and face unattached. 

If you're trying to remain anonymous, use pseudonyms and don't put in your real information. Don't connect accounts that have your personal info on them with any other accounts without your actual data to keep the others truly anonymous, and make sure your phone carrier is one that cannot listen to your calls or read your texts.

Blog Post 6: Anti-War

 

If you pick any random person off the street and ask whether they support wars, almost anyone you ask will say no. However, this doesn't mean they don't support veterans or respect active duty military, just that they don't support the act of war itself. Even with this being true, a lot of media makes it seem that anti-war is a minority stance.

Why is this the case, and why do you have to go out of your way to find anti-war news? Unfortunately, many outlets such as CNN or FOX don't cover anti-war stances. Governments can be very aggressive towards those who disagree with their actions in other countries and spin the narrative toward those who don't support war as though they don't support the government or the country as a whole. 

The damage that wars do is felt in the death toll and the economy of all countries involved. This is why so many people protest the wars, as they don't want their loved ones to die or to deal with the economic consequences. However, many people in government would prefer to fight these wars for the possible diplomatic opportunities or political control that they may get in the future if they've weakened an enemy.

Blog Post 5: Diffusion of Innovation

Social Media blew up in popularity in the mid-2000s with the release of Facebook. Since then, several social media sites have been released that have overtaken Facebook in the younger generations, such as Instagram and Snapchat. These platforms have become an essential part of communication for younger people.

Social media caught on because younger people wanted an easier way to keep in touch with friends and acquaintances and show off exciting or interesting things that had happened in their lives. The early adopters of social media were younger adults and teenagers. Still, some late adopters, the older generations, ended up becoming more numerous on Facebook while younger people moved on to other platforms. 

As social media became more normalized by the youth, older people grew interested and started making accounts to help keep up with their family and friends. As more and more platforms cropped up, early adopters of each would hop over to a new one and start building popularity and some noticeable age groups that used each one. For example, TikTok and Snapchat are generally used by children and young teens, Instagram is mainly used by older teens and young adults, and Facebook is used by most people older than Instagram users.

Social media has many good effects, such as people maintaining friendships more easily over distances and time, connecting with people they would never have met otherwise, and exposing people to varied opinions outside of their immediate circle. However, there are plenty of negative effects as well. Social media can become addictive; some platforms are prone to creating rabbit holes into extremism, and some people crave validation from posting on social media. 

Blog Post 4: History Of Communication Technologies

 Bluetooth is an increasingly important technology, allowing people to communicate and engage with media hands-free. At this point in time, most modern cellphones no longer have a headphone jack, requiring a set of Bluetooth headphones or earbuds if the owner wishes to listen to something privately. Bluetooth is a common feature in most modern cars as well, with the connection allowing people to make and take calls while driving, listen to text messages which reduce the risk of texting and driving or put on music or a podcast to listen to during the drive. 

With the commonality of Bluetooth in the Modern Era, one may wonder how it got its start. A Swedish inventor named Nils Rydbeck created what was then known as "Short-Link Radio Technology" in 1989, hoping to make wireless headsets for the company he worked for, Ericsson Mobile. The intention was for the technology to allow a wide range of devices to work together without using too much battery life, allowing for a more straightforward battery or costing too much money. 

While the initial idea and concept were created in 1989, the actual development of the technology started in 1994, with a real, workable solution and prototype appearing in 1997. Rydbeck worked with IBM head Adalio Sanchez to use his short-link radio technology to connect an IBM Thinkpad notebook to a mobile phone since connecting the two otherwise was a significant drain on both devices' battery life. The first-ever Bluetooth phone was released a few years later in 2000, the Ericsson T36.

The Ericsson company released a set of Bluetooth headphones alongside this phone, showing off its unique capability to connect to other devices wirelessly. After this phone was released, Bluetooth technology became increasingly widespread, included in technology such as IBM's Thinkpad A30 in 2001. As the years passed, Bluetooth technology improved into what we know today. 

Bluetooth has a wide range of uses, and is incredibly common in the modern day. With the lack of headphone jacks, the demand for Bluetooth earbuds and headphones has risen drastically in recent years, and included the capability in cars is in increasingly high demand. People want to listen to their own choice in media and music, so radio stations are becoming increasingly overshadowed by Bluetooth.

This technology is excellent, reducing the wires and cables we have to use to have more than one device connected. Bluetooth is now considered essential for everyday life and a standard feature in most modern cars and all modern phones. Almost everyone uses Bluetooth daily, and the world would be quite different without it. 

However, this doesn't mean that Bluetooth doesn't have its risks. You'd think that voice commands in cars would reduce the risk that comes from texting and driving, but studies show that using the hands-free technology in cars can be just as distracting if not more so than traditional texting while driving. Bluetooth capability can also drive up the cost of technology, so it becoming more common causes the cost  of technology to steadily increase.

Post #3: Eight Values of Free Expression

Freedom of speech: The first amendment and one of the most meaningful freedoms the citizens of the USA have. The first amendment protects our right to express ourselves and our opinions without fear of repercussion, allowing us to have more meaningful conversations about the things that are important to us. The right to disagree with the government without fear of repercussions and violence will enable us to build a country that truly represents the people, not just one that works for the people who run it. 

The first amendment protects the freedom of several aspects of speech, from freedom of religion and freedom of innovation to the right to dissent. The importance of each cannot be understated, as they allow us to truly be individuals and express ourselves, our feelings, and our beliefs. While all are incredibly important, in the current day, I believe the most visible one is the right to protest, covered under Stable Change, AKA the safety valve.

On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court made the incredibly controversial decision to overturn the 50-year-old case Roe Vs. Wade that guaranteed the people of this nation access to safe abortions and contraception. This decision has sparked anger, despair, and fear among many minority groups in the country. Overturning Roe may set a precedent for overturning similar cases, with some Court justices expressing a desire to reconsider and possibly remove Obergefell vs. Hodges, the decision that legalized same-sex marriage across the USA.

Stable Change protects the people who have gathered to protest the decision and protects them from being punished for their outrage. This also plays into our ability to self-govern since we're hoping to make a difference in how our country works by making our voices heard. These people who are protesting, screaming, and trying to fight for their rights to be restored or to remain need to be able to make themselves heard, as it both gets the point across and prevents violence from breaking out.

If people cannot be heard and cannot make themselves known by words alone, they're more likely to start taking action to force themselves to be heard. These actions commonly involve violence and physically fighting, creating an uproar to force their words to be heard.  The violent protests cause injury and death, so allowing people to yell and express their anger lowers the chance of those violent protests from breaking out, which is why this value is also called the "Safety Valve."

The right to dissent is one of the most visible of the eight values of free expression. We've seen this right excercised over the past several years as events in the country cause anger and fear, moving people to try and make a change via protest and action. I believe keeping this right intact and protected is the most important thing this country can do to keep our country truly free. If the citizens of a country are not free to speak their mind, then they are not actually free at all.

Blog Post 2: SCOTUS

 Going into this assignment, I already knew a decent amount about the Supreme Court. I know that the Court can pick and review cases and decide what they really mean and whether or not they're consitiutional. However, I thought that the justices were simply chosen by the president, and I learned that the Senate is able to reject the president's decisicions if they feel that it's neccesary. I think that's really interesting as it's a direct example of checks and balances, since the president, in theory, wouldn't be able to just pack the court full of his own supporters and effectively keep control after his term in office. 

Through reading this article from the History Channel, I also learned that the amount of seats on the court has changed a lot throughout the years, with a lot of changes going anywhere from 5 to 10 seats up until 1869. I had no idea it had changed so often and had such a wide range of seat numbers, so I found this information interesting.

I think this article has given me a lot of interesing information about the supreme court. Having this new information will be helpful in discussions and give me some better background for why the supreme court is run the way it is.