Final Blog Post

Our Relationship with Technology

I have always thought that I lived a relatively healthier life than most people. Growing up on a ranch in the mountains of Colorado, technology was not as big part of my life as the average American today. It was more important that I woke up and did my part around the house and barn than it was to sit around and watch TV or spend time on social media. 

That being said, I only convince myself of this but is it really true?

Now technology is not bad and neither are phones. I use my phone for communication, small forms of research, and different sources to keep me up to date on my interests. As Professor Smith has said many times, we have a fully functioning computer in our hands and pockets. I think I use technology healthily for my studies and communication with others.

Now, I do think there are certain aspects of my everyday life that are unhealthily spent with technology. I think I spend too much time watching shows or movies at late hours. I think that I have an addictive personality towards just sitting and watching or spending too much time watching at late hours. 

As for the human race and specifically Americans, there are many things that are positive about technology today but with that, there are many reasons for concern. It seems that with every technological advancement, there is an unexpected consequence that follows.

Social media for example was created with good intentions to be connected in new ways and communicate with friends and people from all parts of the globe. But what has it caused?

The social media craze has woven itself into the culture of the lives of our younger generations. This has caused unhealthy consequences like mental health issues, cancel culture, and a want to compare themselves to others who have something that they themselves do not have. I would argue that social media has caused a culture that is too comparative. America used to celebrate differences, not criticize them. And where has it left us?

Kids are now more susceptible to mental problems and put too much value on how they are perceived by others. Never has the profession of mental therapy been so needed. 

Social media is talked about as a tool sometimes to be used to build your own personal brand. Social media like LinkedIn are great examples that I think need more attention as a template to create a healthy social media culture and use. But people misuse and abuse their usage of these different apps. Instagram and Facebook are guilty of the competitive culture.

Wait, hold on, we haven’t even talked about the vulnerable aspect of these apps.

You can get hacked or be a source for cyber predators to attack. Too many times people are victims of revenge or greed. People can make face accounts to get back at people, posting harmful pictures or saying harmful things on social media or hacking into your account to do these things. Their motive does not matter because it still happens. 

Now, human’s relationship with technology is only being explored right now. The use of AI and the more that technology continues to advance, we still do not know the full extent we will have for the consequences it is bringing. 

For one, the use of AI like ChatGPT in schools are helping students learn how to cheat and get by instead of learning for real what the world has to offer. Is this a sign that humanity is headed for disaster?

On the other side of AI, the term privacy seems like a funny joke but not a laughable one. Companies like Facebook and Google have been tracking and storing user information and started to build profiles on their users. Now they have begun to sell them to other companies so that they can target more specifically the people who are more interested in them and their product and who are more likely to click on their ads. People are so worried that AI and robots are going to rule the world one day but they should have been worried about how other people are controlling different aspects of their lives through AI.

So, How is society’s relationship with technology going?

I’d say technology is the controlling boyfriend to society as the girlfriend. The times are sweet when they work together, but when they do not, he needs to make sure everything is in line for his functions to work, not hers. She has put too much trust and hope into him.

Blog Post #7

Artificial Intelligence

After watching the documentary called In the Age of AI, I had a bit of an unsettled stomach. I had a little previous knowledge about the issue of privacy on social media and the use of cell phones but I did not know how much of an issue it really is today. 

Companies like Facebook and Google who take logins and have software that tracks what you search and look at. They take that information to create a profile about you for their use. Now what has been happening is that they know more about your interests and have started to sell advertisements to companies that know they are part of your interest. Basically selling the profile they created about you to other companies for their own use. 

On many levels, this crosses the line. Recording and storing personal information that is unknown by the user of the app or search engine is a huge privacy and moral issue. The scary part is this seems to be only the beginning of artificial intelligence

In China, they are experimenting with AI systems in place in society like setting up and having instant access to cameras that can identify individuals by their faces and give security access to that person’s history. 

One can understand that national security is a concern for every nation but, the protection of an individual's integrity and privacy should also be a priority for each nation. In the United States, the topic of privacy has been talked about recently with the topics of equal rights and gender identity. Even though I have my own beliefs, the idea that America is a melting pot means that everyone has the right to choose how they identify and that everyone deserves to have an equal say which includes the right to their own privacy and innocence. 

The data collected on users by these companies violates the right to privacy all Americans have. 

I know personally, I do not like the idea that someone has a file that has all my search history and personality traits shoved in a drawer or online file with easy access to that I do not have the knowledge of. 

EOTO #2

Awareness 

Propaganda

Propaganda is the more or less systematic effort to manipulate other people’s beliefs, attitudes, or actions by means of symbols (words, gestures, banners, monuments, music, clothing, insignia, hairstyles, designs on coins and postage stamps, and so forth).

The implications of propaganda can have influence over mass amounts of people given the right type of propaganda, the timing, and the presentation of the propaganda. This can lead to both positive and negative impacts given the purpose of the propaganda and the reception of the audience. 

Today's propaganda looks like commercials and memes. Yes memes are a form of modern propaganda that has a strong influence over the younger generations in this social media age. Propaganda has the power to influence opinions on politics, wars, etc. due to the digital aspect in today's modern society. Because people are all on phones and computers, there is a general assumption that what you see is true so when these memes and commercials pop up, they have a stronger grip on an individual than past propaganda types. 

The evolution of propaganda to today's form has proven that a society will always be influenced by the modern trends that propaganda takes advantage of. Because of the shift to electronics as our main source of information, the younger generations are more susceptible to the propagandas power along with their lack of experience and unformed opinions. My brothers and I are more likely to believe a misinformed meme or commercial or advertisement online or on social media than my parents are. This does not mean that my parents are immune to modern propaganda, just that they have more experience filtering where they get information and influence. 

Propaganda dates back to the ancient greeks when Plato and Aristotle where alive. The philosophers back then use propaganda to help gain an advantage over opponents and would use it to help spread their beliefs and teachings in public. They were some of the first true evidence of propaganda being used. 

But for a long time propaganda was not really truly perfected until the First World War when America capitalized on the opportunity and discovered the true power of propaganda. Probably the most famous period of propaganda came out of the first world war where the infamous Uncle Sam “I want you” poster came out. The US government figured out how to grab the public's attention and make more people enlist into the army. 

This came after the Industrial Revolution where more inventions and products began to be made and people wanted to buy them. The creation of new advertising and analysis of different types of consumers led to propaganda being easier to create and target more specific groups of people. 

Entering the 21st century, the world began its shift to an electronic driven lifestyle where propaganda also had to adapt. Due to the artificial intelligence technology that Facebook and Google and other companies have started to use, propaganda has taken on a more sophisticated look. Now that AI exists to gather information about users, propaganda now can be used to target individuals specifically on personal devices to increase the chances of an individual clicking on a link or supporting a cause. 

Propaganda has evolved over the years. In today’s world, it takes on many different subjects and topics that different people find interesting. It is in my opinion that propaganda is starting to come under the spotlight as the use of AI does. We may see a day where laws and regulations will be created for the use of propaganda and how it is displayed.

Blog Post #6

 Anti-War

In 1798, President John Adams passed the Alien and Sedition Acts which was the first example of a president using the power of the law to criminalize criticizing the government. Since these acts were passed, there has been a theme of US presidents using the law to make it a crime to criticize the government in order to maintain power and control the mainstream opinion of their term and presidency. 

It should come as no surprise that the government today has a strong filter on what American citizens see when it comes to topics surrounding criticism of the government like anti-war opinions, websites, and other forms of media. This is because the government and presidents are aware that they do not have full trust of every single citizen and some citizens have separate and contradictory opinions. 

It is because of these opinions and lack of trust that the government and presidents are on edge. In order to inspire others and control the media outlook on different policies and beliefs the government and presidents need to control the opinions on them so that it looks like people believe in the decisions they are making. 

What this really proves is that humans are governing humans and everyone has flaws. Of all the common flaws, every human does not like to be talked about negatively so it makes sense why someone in a government position would want to have regulations on criticism of their job. 

Nevertheless, there are still people who are outspoken critics of the government and they have to find creative ways to make themselves heard. Websites like ANTIWAR.COM and The American Conservative are one way these individuals can be heard but the government is going to have filters on the internet so that they do not pop up on the first couple pages when you research related topics. 

Critics can be outspoken over social media and use their first amendment rights to speak in public about their thoughts. They have to be careful if they want to stay out of prison because the power that the government has due to past actions by presidents like the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, the government has the power to silence them through different legal actions like the Douglass Mackey case.

Blog Post # 5

 Privacy

TedTalk Videos

Juan Enriquez - Your online life, permanent as a tattoo

Catherine Crump - The small and surprisingly dangerous detail the police track about you

Christopher Soghoian - How to avoid surveillance ... with the phone on your pocket

Darieth Chisolm -  How revenge porn turns lives upside down

The related topics discussed in the videos have strong relevance to the average person’s life, my family's lives, and my life. From the predators surfing the internet now to all the surveillance technology in use today, one may question the very idea of what privacy even means in today’s society. 

Personally, I did not think about the surveillance technology when I was driving until I went to Australia. In Australia, I learned that in many of the rural areas there was a shortage of law enforcement and as a consequence, the local and state governments around the areas in was in allowed for speed checks that took the license plate of the cars and if the car was tracked to be going over the speed limit, they would receive a speeding ticket in the mail. 

In returning to the United States, I paid closer attention to where surveillance cameras were and realized just how popular they were. Still, I was blind to the other forms of privacy invasion like on my phone which I did not realize could be so easily hacked. 

This has affected some of my personal life and has affected my family’s lives. From social media being hacked to my brother getting a ticket, my family and I have seen the consequences of surveillance technology. 

The American government today, there needs to be more action taken to prevent unethical attainment of personal information. Action needs to be taken to limit the usage of surveillance technology in public areas, residential areas, and private property that explains the details of who, where, and how people can use surveillance technology in the three different areas.

Action by Americans should be taken like Darieth Chisolm did by taking legal action. If more people take action that is relevant to the topic of privacy, the sooner and more likely there are to have laws passed to set regulations and standards for the use of surveillance technology and electronic privacy. 

Encrypted apps and technology are being explored and some are already usable. Apps like WhatsApp use encryption coding to protect users from being hacked or having companies see their personal messages to protect the privacy of their users. The next step should be how to use the same encryption ideas and implement them in social media so that the integrity and privacy of social media users are protected and users have more comfortability in their choice of how they want to express themselves.

Blog #4

 

Television

History

The idea of the television can be traced back to the creating of the telegraph and later the telephone when people started to think of ways they could send and transmit pictures between each other. Men as famous as Thomas Edison were troubled by this idea. 

It was not until 1927-1928 where the first televisions where being presented to scientists and patents were being filled and fought over for different innovative technology within the televisions. 

A Scottish engineer by the name of John Baird was the first to reveal his invention in front of 50 scientists in London which was the first example of a television like what we think about today. After this he created the Baird Television Development Company where they were the first to send a transmission from both New York and London to a ship at sea. His company is also famous for exhibiting the first color television and the first stereoscopic television. 

Meanwhile, engineer Vladimir Zworykin showed off his fully electronic television at a radio engineers convention were he impressed David Sarnoff, a representative of the RCA or Radio Corporation of America. Sarnoff became the president of the RCA and hired Zworykin to continue to work on and improve upon Zworykin’s invention. 

Also happening at the same time, a young man from Utah was developing his take on the television. His name was Philo Farnsworth. His work was done during high school developing his fully electronic “image dissecting” television when he found himself battling in a lengthy legal battle with the RCA. 

The RCA argued the the patent Zworykin filled should take priority while Farnsworth argued over his intellectual property largely backed up by a picture that one of his teachers kept of his idea. The court ruled in favor of Farnsworth, but, due to the length of the legal battle and the size of RCA, Farnsworth was unable to stay relevant in the television industry for much longer. 

Impact

The invention of the television solved the problem of sending images from on place to another. The impact from this has changed many things about communication and politics in the United States. 

First, the more popular the television got, the more representation minorities got. African Americans, hispanics, Native Americans, women and other races to the LBGTQ community are all examples of people who started to get more representation due to the television. With this however, it came at costs where the representation came from the perspective of white America. 

For example, originally the first representations of African Americans where in accurate portrayals by white men who had paint or make up on to look like his skin was black and proceeded to have racist portrayals by only acting to show the generalizations white people had about black people.

The television also changed the way politics campaign for offices and try to influence voters to vote for them. The TV allowed major companies to broadcast the primaries and debates. Commercials became a popular way to buy air time and get yourself in front of all television users. 

Commercials also became popular through the sales of advertisements. This impacted how larger companies could reach more consumers in order to get more people interested about their products and changed the way companies advertise their products. 

And Finally, the television changed what the average American family looks like. There is the classic picture of families in the 1950s gathered together around the television watching together. This was the classic picture the represented the era where television became a traditional appliance in every American house hold and grew in popularity. 

Because the television evolved with the time, so did the family that watched the change on the television. In the 60s, major women rights debate took place and so the changes in television casting and programing began to change. Similarly in the 70s, women’s rights continued to be talked about, the uprise in sitcom popularity continued to make small changes in the American people in the households of families. Eventually the once family TV time has evolved to individuality in todays society through the evolution of the television.  

Blog Post #3

 Speech Theories

Our Government is not always right or just in the eyes of individual citizens of the United States. They question the policies and criticize the government based on their personal beliefs. Essentially they just disagree with the action the government has taken on.

This is the idea behind the free expression idea called protect dissent. In political theory terms, dissent an unwillingness to cooperate with an established source of authority, which can be social, cultural, or governmental. This concept was expanded upon by Steve Shiffrin in his book Dissent, Injustice and the Meanings of America. 

This is the most important of free expression because it allows people to think freely. Being able to think freely is a promotion for self expression in which the First Amendment protects these rights for the individual. 

Protect Dissent also promotes critical thinking which gets citizens to pay attention to the government and form an opinion that could potentially lead to an idea or concept that will be better for the country at large. Through criticizing the government, opinions begin to flow and discussions happen which lead to decisions that people can potentially agree with.

To me, the most personal free expression is the freedom of individual self-fulfillment. Self-fulfillment in terms of individual rights can be defined as individual realization of character and potential as a human being means the right to form your own beliefs/opinions and the right to express those belief/opinions.

This connects back to the concept of free expression in the free expression of protect dissent. An individual has the right to think and express oneself freely and form their own identity. C. Edwin Baker discussed this concept in his book Human Liberty and Freedom of Speech, where he takes the idea of self-fulfillment and makes the connection that in the practice of self-fulfillment, freedom of speech will become part of an individual. 

This is the most personal to me because of this right or freedom, I am able to express myself how I see myself. I am also able to take the right to self discovery and learn more about myself through different ways that I see fit. And finally, I have the right to speak and debate on many topics that I am interested in and do not have to comment on topics I am not interested in. 

Of the eight different values of free expression the one that most applies to today’s world is the most popular of the free expressions: the marketplace of Ideas.

 

This is the most applicable today because of social media and the many different discussions happening around the country. The fact that everyone has a chance to be heard and to throw their ideas out in the world with social media and the internet is exactly what the marketplace of ideas is referring to.

Now this theory of the marketplace of ideas goes further than just having all of these ideas circulate. The idea behind this theory in context to free speech is that among all the different ideas, opinions, and sayings, the truth will always come out and be recognized because they are the light that shines in contrast to the other ideas that could be considered bad. 

This concept was first introduced by John Milton in his speech Areopagitica.