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.