Blog #12: Final Post

 Technology has been around since the nineteenth century... so a very long time! Everyday technology is improving and going through cycles of change. It has changed our culture in countless ways. So how has technology impacted me? Has it made a positive or negative effect on me? Below I will be discussing my relationship with technology: 

What does my relationship with technology look like? 

I would say my relationship with technology is not healthy. Growing up in Generation Z, I have always been surrounded by technology, whether I knew it at the time. I still remember when my parents allowed me to get my first phone in 6th grade. I think that's when I began to develop my unhealthy relationship. My whole life is on my phone, and I've truly become addicted to it. I'm constantly having to be on my phone, whether it's to answer texts or check social media. In fact, the first thing I do when I wake up is go straight to my phone, as well as before I fall asleep. It's hard for me sometimes to sit through class without taking a glance at my phone. I honestly hate the feeling that I'm always relying on technology and sometimes get overwhelmed, but like mentioned above, it's truly an addiction. I use technology mostly to communicate and for entertainment. Looking at my screen time from last week, I had a total screen time of 48 hours. As you can see, I spent most of my time on social media. I definitely feel like technology is taking up too much of my time. 

Pros of technology: 

There are some positive things technology has done for me. First being away from home during the school year, I sometimes get homesick. I usually text my family every day, whether it's to talk to them or send pictures, but on the days I wish I was with them, I Facetime them. Facetime allows me to see them and talk to them, and without technology, that wouldn't be possible. Social media has also allowed me to keep in touch with other family and friends who live far away. Technology has helped me do schoolwork so much easier when it comes to completing assignments. Usually, when I'm stressed or have anxiety, I open the Spotify app, which is an app for music streaming, and listening to music helps calm and relax me. With technology, I'm able to document memories, whether they're pictures or videos, and through that, I'm able to look back on my past years. 

Mad World video: 

I think the Mad World video we watched in class accurately describes technology in today's society. Our whole class was left speechless after it finished playing. It mostly shows everyone walking around on their phone, paying no attention, which portrays society well. Take a look at a college campus, and you will find we are all glued to our phones, paying no attention to our surroundings. I've lost count of the number of times I've seen people almost get hit by a car because they were not paying attention. There's a moment in the video where it shows a woman getting butt filler and implants. Body image is a major issue, and with the use of technology, it only worsens as social media is full of influencers who live the "perfect life" and look "perfect." This causes women to think they have to change the way they look in order to fit into society, and it's honestly heartbreaking to see even young girls think this way. 

Blog 11: Living in the Age of AI

 In class we watch the documentary, "Living the Age of AI" and it was shocking and interesting to see what is happening with the use of AI. Below are a few key points of what I learned: 

What is AI and how does it affect job loss? 

Artificial intelligence, commonly referred to as AI, is technology that enables computers and machines to simulate human intelligence and problem-solving capabilities. Over the past few years, we have seen an increase in the involvement of AI in society. In the documentary, I learned that AI can actually cause people to lose their jobs. Kai-Fu Lee states that he believes about 50% of jobs will be somewhat or extremely threatened by AI in the next 15 years.  He explains that white collar jobs such as those of an attorney, healthcare professionals, finance professionals, and more will be easier for AI to take over because they are a pure quantitative analytical process. It was also said that robots cause jobs to go away because an AI robot does all the work that one or three humans could be doing, so it essentially replaces human work. 

Face Recognition: 

The ability to use face recognition is because of AI. It is able to recognize you in 0.1 seconds. The documentary explains that AI is better than any human at identifying people in the database. AI is also able to describe you, such as what color your hair is and what you are wearing. That kind of seems creepy to me knowing it is able to detect so much. For me, I use face recognition to help unlock my phone and apps that allow me to use it. I will admit it is so much easier to use this feature as I don't have to think about what all my different passcodes are, but after watching the documentary, it has shown a lot more of what AI is capable of, and knowing it can detect a lot more on databases that use AI is kind of scary. With advancements happening so often, it makes me wonder what AI will look like in 10 years, because right now it seems AI is slowly starting to take over. 

Blog #10: EOTO Reaction 2

 We had another successful EOTO where we got to listen to our peers present information about awareness, mediasphere, theories, and policy. One presentation that caught my attention was News Deserts. Below is some of the information I learned: 

What is News Deserts? 

News deserts are communities, either rural or urban, with limited access to credible and comprehensive news and information. More than half of the U.S. counties have limited access to reliable local news and information, so there are no newspapers or technology. It was mentioned in class that some local TV stations in counties are trying to fill the void of having no newspapers, but some places lack the use of technology. Not only are people losing access to information happening in the country and world, they are also losing information on where they are from. I couldn't imagine living somewhere and not knowing what was happening around me. I understand that newspapers are becoming outdated because of the advancement of technology, but it is still important to have access to a newspaper, especially for those who are not "tech savvy" or don't have access to technology. 

Does North Carolina have news deserts? 

After being introduced to this topic, I decided to do some research on my own to see if North Carolina has any news deserts since this is my home state, and I'm curious to see if there are deserts and if digital filling the void. UNC has a website dedicated to news deserts and allows you to explore an interactive map of the United States to see what each state looks like in regards to news deserts. I found that North Carolina has six counties without a newspaper, which isn't bad. Where I live in Rowan County, we only have one newspaper outlet. Thankfully, my county does not lack in technology, and we are able to access news digitally. News deserts is a topic that needs more awareness, especially since I and many others have never heard of this problem.

Blog #9: The Progressive Era

 Antiwar is when you are against war or a particular war. So how come we never hear or see anything antiwar related? Below is some of my opinions and observations on why this is common in today's society: 

Antiwar voices have been around for quite a while. In 1964, opposition to the United States involvement in the Vietnam War began to spread. World War II was common to see as antiwar, as Americans did not want to see a repeat of the first world war. When looking at the timeline we built in class, 1917 and 1918, the Espionage Act and Sedition Act both punishe antiwar voices. This brings me back to my second EOTO topic, whistleblowers. Whistleblowers release hidden information by the government to the public. Whistleblowers just want the truth to be shown and not have secrets hidden from us, but the government considers this a violation of the Espionage Act. I think the reason the government tends to silence these voices is because it's all about power for them. By not knowing every piece of information that's happening around the world and only being shown what they want us to see or know gives the government the upper hand over citizens. The First Amendment gives us the right to freedom of speech and the right to petition the government, so why are we being silenced? 

Before this class, I had never heard of the two websites Antiwar.com and The American Conservative. I was stunned to know that there are websites like this out there, but yet no attention is paid to them. Looking at the Antiwar website, there are many news stories that are not being covered on regular news streams. For example, an article from April 24th is labeled, Students ridicule NYU "wall of shame" as nationwide Palestine protests reach Harvard. Instead, our main news streams are constantly giving us news on the Supreme Court and former President Donald Trump's trail. It's a shame that if we want to hear strong antiwar voices, we have to go down a rabbit hole when searching for this information. I feel like information like this should be easily accessible instead of only having access to limited information. 

Blog #8: EOTO 2

 Before doing research for my topic, I had no idea what whistleblowing was; in fact, I had never heard the term whistleblower before. So what exactly is it? Below is a brief lesson on whistleblowing:  

What is Whistleblowing & what do they do? 

The Federal Trade Commission defines whistleblowers as “Whistleblowers play a critical role in keeping our Government honest, efficient, and accountable. Recognizing whistleblowers’ important role, Federal law provides strong protections for them. The protections and remedies for these whistleblowers vary depending on whether the individual is a Federal employee or an employee of a Federal contractor, subcontractor, grantee, or subgrantee.” In simpler terms, it is when a current or former employee finds things such as secrets, lies, or dishonesty within an organization, and the person reports to authorities, and most importantly, they report to the public about information from the government. 

Whistleblowers are a big issue for the United States government and have created trust issues between  citizens and the government. The government wants to do anything possible to try and prevent this, as they obviously do not want their information brought out into the public, let alone information for the whole world to see now with the ability to gain anything from the web. Whistleblowers are essentially a major red flag for the government. 

What do they report? 

Whistleblowers will typically report things such as abuse of power, lawbreaking information, fraud, policy corruption, embezzlement, and many other things that are important for the public to know. 

Who is Edward Snowden? 

Edward Snowden is one of the most famous and recent cases of whistleblowing. Snowden worked as an IT systems expert and held a contract for the National Security Agency. In 2013, Snowden met up with three journalists and provided them with thousands of top secret documents about the US intelligence agencies surveillance of American citizens. 

He considers himself a whistleblower; however, the government considers him a traitor in violation of the Espionage Act. After his actions, he obviously wanted to avoid the United States because he was considered a “traitor,” so he fled to Russia. In Russia, he was detained for 40 days while negotiating asylum in various countries. Asylum is the protection granted by a nation to someone who has left their native country as a political refugee. He was denied by 27 nations. 

Edward Snowden remains in Russia today and has mentioned that he has no regrets about releasing the information. He has a goal of eventually coming back to the United States one day, but the government is waiting for the day he returns because they basically want to throw him in jail. So it will be interesting to see if he ever returns what will happen. 

Another famous whistleblower I quickly wanted to mention is Daniel Ellsberg. He was responsible for what was known as the Pentagon Papers, which revealed detailed information about the United States overall political and military involvement in Vietnam from the end of World War II and the Vietnam  War and Cold War. If you're interested in learning more about the Pentagon Papers, check out this video below! 

Pros & Cons of Whistleblowing: 

While researching, I found a few pros and cons to the effects of whistleblowing. Starting with the pros, you’re making the right choice when exposing dishonesty hidden by the government or organizations; you could possibly earn financial awards from winning lawsuits; and you help raise awareness among the public by providing the truth and showing what it's like to be a whistleblower. Negative effects, though, are having a negative impact on your career as a whistleblower. One of the most common things is that whistleblowers will almost always try to seek revenge. You could also get denied by other employers because of the known label of being a whistleblower. 

Blog 7: Diffusion of Innovations

Everett Rogers popularized the Diffusion of Innovation theory in 1962. He describes that diffusion is the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the participants in a social system. He categorizes the adopters into five components: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards.  Using the example of Apple's Apple Watch , below I will explain the Apple Watch through the Diffusion of Innovation theory:

Rogers's Diffusion of innovation Theory 

Innovators: 

The Apple Watch 

In early 2015, Apple introduced a new product called the Apple Watch. The Apple Watch allows you to receive and send messages, answer phone calls, check your heart rate, and so much more. It's essentially an iPhone on your wrist, just a tiny version. With the Apple Watch, you're able to pick one of the many colors of the device as well as change the color and design of the band that wraps around your sleeve. Apple is one of the largest technology firms in the world and is always introducing new inventions and improving their products. 

Early Adopters:  

The early adopters of the Apple Watch consisted of celebrities and influencers who began wearing the watch and started to popularize the Apple Watch among society. These people are usually highly respected and become advertisements for Apple. In this category, there are also people who have to have the newest product that Apple releases. 

Jennifer Aniston wearing the Apple Watch 

Early Majority: 

Increase in Apple Watches 

We usually see the younger generation in this category. For the Apple Watches, the younger generation rushed to get their hands on this new product as most already owned Apple products and are loyal to the company, and now they see their favorite celebrities and influencers having one of the newest top-selling products, which makes these people feel like they "have" to have this product or else they will not fit in with society. The younger generation is easily influenced. In 2015, this was the "coolest" product for the longest time and started out with 8.3 million sales. The chart to the right shows the increase in sales over the years. 

Late Majority: 

Individuals in this category are usually skeptical about the products, which hints why they are not part of the early majority in rushing to get this product. As one who owns an Apple Watch, I was in this category. One of the reasons I didn't rush into getting the product is because I wondered why someone would need this if it's almost the same as an iPhone. For example, I do almost everything I can do on my phone such as check my fitness activity, text, call, etc. I thought if I bought the watch, it would only be used a few times and be a waste of my money. After getting my watch, it's become a daily part of my routine to always have it on because it's great to check the time if my phone is not near me, to check my heart rate, and to send a quick message without having to pull out your phone. Also, some people tend to wait for the price to go down on a newer product before buying it. When the Apple Watch was first released, it cost $399, but now you can easily find it for less. 

Laggards: 

This category consists of people who are traditionalists and the very last to get an innovation. Usually, this category is made up of the older generation. Since Apple's main target is the younger generation, it makes sense why the older generation would be the last to buy the product or not buy at all because they did not grow up and were surrounded by technology constantly, so why would they care to buy the Apple Watch? Laggards bought the Apple Watch because they either needed it eventually or caved and bought it. 

Apple Logo 

Since 2015, Apple has released multiple series of the Apple Watch such as the Apple Watch SE, Series 9, and Ultra 2. The Apple Watch continues to increase in sales each year, which shows how successful this innovation was. 

Blog 6: Privacy

 As we tend to live our lives and go about our daily routines, we don't think much about privacy or the government. I mean, why would we? Aren't we able to be private in our own homes? Listening to the TED Talks provided in class, I quickly learned that there are times when our information isn't so private. Here are a few takeaways about privacy: 

Our emails are NOT private: 

If you thought your email was private, think again. Whatever email service you use (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo..) the software is storing thousands of records on who you're talking with, what you're talking about, and even where you've been. All of this data lasts forever and cannot be simply erased. Andy Yen explains how the government can access all this data. He explains that even by using encryption on your device, the email servers also hold on to the encryption keys, and at any time, any government can ask the server for the key to your data without you even realizing it.  Through a very complicated process, Andy Yen states that there is a way to ensure some type of privacy by encrypting a pair of keys on your computer and not your server. 

Small details the police can track about you: 

In one of the TED Talks, Catherine Crump explains some shocking details of how the government can gain a detailed portrait of how private citizens interact. Modern technology has caused people to lose their privacy, and now, with all the advancements our technology has made, almost anybody can access your information. Automatic License Plate Readers capture images of every car that passes, and these are usually used for traffic violations or stolen cars, but it has come to light that some police departments are keeping records of every license plate that passes them, which is then put into a mass collection of data about where American citizens have gone. She then explains that one person asked their local police department about the information they had on them from the license plate readers, and the results were shocking. The police department had essentially "tracked" them through photos by knowing where he was going and who he was with, as well as photos of the person's family getting out of the car at their house. Catherine Crump also talks about a device called StingRay, which is when law enforcement can send tracking signals inside your home and identify all the cell phones you have inside the house. They are doing this without our knowledge. The rest of the TED talk goes on to say how there are always cameras and surveillance watching us even when we think we are in "privacy," and this is an issue we aren't aware of. 

After viewing the TED Talk videos, it has opened up my eyes to what I need to keep a watch on, such as making sure I log out of the browser when I'm done on the web or taking extra precautions when accessing important information. The government invading our privacy has affected not only millions of Americans but others around the world. The lack of privacy is an issue that needs more awareness.