Final Post

Technology and the internet is one of the greatest advancements the world has yet to have. I do not believe that the intention behind creating it was with malice. There are a lot of bad things that have come from the internet, without warning and definitely without it knowingly being a risk. The internet especially is a bit chaotic. There is unlimited access to anything you want. For example, I can go back and watch my favorite SNL skit from years ago just by searching the name. I can find information on how to cook certain things or find recipes. There is so much information at our fingertips that is able to be accessed. For me personally, I do not think that my relationship with technology is healthy. After the quarantine due to COVID19 a few years ago, I have developed a deeper reliance on technology than ever before. I also nowadays use it for everything, I cannot imagine my life without or without the internet. I would not say that I am necessarily addicted to my iPhone and Macbook, because I can put them down and not pay attention to them for a few hours. However, I cannot imagine not having them or the internet in my life.

Personally, I have a lot of friends and family that are overseas or live in different places of the country. One of my good friends lives in Hong Kong, without technology I wouldn’t be able to talk to her on a daily basis and keep in touch. Due to the distance, our friendship is based most on communicating through the phone, and it’s the only way to speak consistently. I definitely rely on technology when it comes to communication, and I think that that is somewhat normal for most posts. It is easier than writing a letter back and forth and waiting days to weeks for a reply. Furthermore, when it comes to accessing information on the internet I feel as if I definitely rely on it as well. Years ago people could only get information through books and learning, but now you can get any information within seconds on the internet. While I appreciate the efficiency, and how accessible information on certain subjects are, there are some downfalls. For starters, when we are overfed all this information it can kind of create attachments to it and it can become an information overload. For me personally, sometimes when I search things about health or topics that are on the more serious side that I can relate to, too much information can make my head spin and make me more anxious about a situation than I was before. Secondly, finding accurate information can be harder. The internet is a place with a lot of information and a lot of opinions that can sometimes be displayed as a fact. To find factual information nowadays, you really have to dive into the sources behind it and know where the information is coming from to determine whether it's true or not. Commonly, I don’t think a lot of people do this though- it requires more effort and that's how a lot gets lost in translation nowadays. It is even difficult with mainstream media. Although they are supposed to give factual information, they don’t always, and it gets confusing to the common person watching. This can be very misleading to people and can cause a lot of confusion, taking away from the facts and truths of the story. Unfortunately, I think it is just an accepted part of society. I don’t agree with it and I think that more people should look into where their information is coming from. It is very worrisome to me because this can cause a lot of problems. If the facts of the situation are no longer what the common person knows about, how can anyone form opinions that make sense?

There are a lot of instances nowadays where technology and the internet can really hurt people. Cyberbullying, revenge porn, doxxing, ghosting, etc are all harmful things that can have a lasting effect on people. These definitely were not thought of prior to the creation of technology, it’s just that when people misused the internet and had bad intentions, bad things happened. Youth suicide rates are at an all time high and it’s because of the internet, and how people misuse it to the point where it’s become malicious. People on the internet believe that they can hide, they can hide behind their screen and say nasty, harmful things that they definitely would not say to someone’s face. It is so easy for them to do, much easier to type than to actually face someone and say these horrible things. Little do they know that everything they say and do creates a digital footprint. When it comes to my personal digital footprint, when I google search myself the only things that come up are my Linkedin profile, as well as news articles about my mother who spoke about me in them, and old scores from when I did competitive dance. If someone really deep dived, they would be able to find my Instagram and Tik Tok account most likely. I would say that there is not really an image of anything about me when I am searched up. 

Anti-War Voices Blog #6

In multiple different areas of the world right now, there is lots of war and death. The United States government has been aiding and funding these wars, which directly involves them now. With this comes lots of pro war stances, and a lot of anti war stances within the country. However, we do not really hear about it within the mainstream media. This is because mainstream media really only covers factual information, or they're supposed to anyways. It is not easy to get to opinions within the mainstream media, there are sometimes outsider perspectives labeled as debated or interviews, but the real strong opinionated voices are not really heard. It takes going to isolated websites that are not really developed or as professional as mainstream media outlets, which deters people from going to them. Nowadays, people's rights are very protected and citizens of the United States are allowed to have and spread their opinions, whether they are morally right or not. The progressive era was filled with opinionated voices, except times were very different. As World War I was brewing, there were a ton of opinionated stances about anti war and how they did not want the United States to get involved in the war. Only then, people were thrown into jail and penalized for their stances. Although it is not the same today, strong opinionated voices in my opinion, shouldn’t be broadcasted on mainstream media platforms. I believe that sometimes when something is so opinionated and personal, it can lack facts, which can create too much noise and take away from the facts of the situation. However, their voices shouldn’t be hidden either. People should have an easier time accessing these types of voices, as it can truly widen someone’s perspective or change their stance on issues.  

EOTO2 React

Overall, I thought that everyone’s presentations were very interesting. I definitely learned a lot from each group and it definitely widened my knowledge on the subject matter. A presentation that I found really interesting was the one done about online influencers. I thought it was really cool and interesting to see how die hard some ‘fans’ can be. If an influencer swears by a product, everyone is going to go buy it. The interesting point is, what if they are being paid to say these things? Same logic with what if an influencer hates a product, do their sales plummet? It was also really interesting to kind of see that any person, literally any gender, race, ethnicity, social status, etc can be an influencer. Influencers have all different kinds of backgrounds and share different stories with their viewers. The strain that it can cause on the influencer themselves, but also the people who follow this person- it can cause such a dependency to the technology and on the influencer themselves. Another presentation that I found to be very good was the one done on propaganda. It was very interesting to see how misleading and biased information can really impact people's opinions and it can also really change a narrative. It is crazy to me how common propaganda is today, as it takes away from the facts of the situation that people deserve to know. 

Blog Post #9 - Age of AI

It is really interesting to me how much AI has evolved over the years. Since this documentary was made, AI has definitely grown even more since then. It is so complex to even understand how it works and that is what is really interesting to me. I’m originally from Scottsdale, Arizona, so I spend a lot of time there. Since I was born, the area has definitely started to grow and boom with lots of headquarters for companies. The Tempe, Phoenix, and Scottsdale areas have really become very important major cities, around that part of the country. Due to this, I have seen a lot of AI take over a lot of things. Around the ASU campus, they have a robot that delivers food- fully driven by AI. The bot knows where to pick up and drop off the food, when to cross the road, when cars are coming, and if you bump into it, it says it’s really sorry! Another cool thing that just recently has started is Waymo self-driving cars. There is nobody actually in the front seat driving, and these cars are everywhere. Before you get in, it makes sure to verify who you are and it also speaks to you and makes sure you are comfortable during the ride. It’s really fun too, you can play music as loud as you want and adjust the temperature, etc. It really fascinates me how both of these things work and how advanced the technology behind them are. As much as it is truly fascinating and costs less for companies that will not have to pay workers, it can also be a downfall. AI can take over any kind of job, in the sense that it’s intelligence is way smarter and faster than the average human being. I also find it very scary that women are most at risk for having jobs taken by AI, as women do more clerical work which can easily be taken. It frightens me knowing that can happen, especially after how hard it was for women to be able to get into the working force and be respected. I also think that the privacy invasion part is also a major risk. AI can learn and generate its own thoughts and create an entire portfolio on who you are based on some of the smallest things you may say or do around it/with it. It can be good in the sense that it allows a more personalized experience for people regarding products AI is involved in. However, if national security is threatened that creates an even bigger problem. In my opinion, if there is any threat as big as that then artificial intelligence needs to be restricted in some ways, but how would one go about that is the difficult part. Same goes for identity theft and online security, if it causes such a risk to individuals then is it really worth it? 

EOTO2 Keypost #8

Mainstream Media is a traditional way of establishing media broadcasting. It is also known as legacy media, traditional media, or corporate media. Mainstream media includes platforms like Fox News, CNN, NY Times, Washington Post, etc. Mainstream media platforms are more known by most people. It is the most reliable form of media, and usually acts as a line of translating information for the government. There are many good things about mainstream media. Mainstream media platforms have a very wide reach and can reach a ton of different kinds of people at once. There is also a very wide range of topics that can be covered within mainstream media. It can cater to any demographic or interest around the world. Radio, television news networks, newspapers, and cable news, etc, are generally considered mainstream media outlets.

The journalists are very professional and are hired to always give a very specific factual take. They must produce complete accuracy and a balanced viewpoint when distributing media. Journalists must report verified and factual information, they are not allowed to really give any forms of opinion. Many Journalists often leave the mainstream media community because they are very restricted with what they can write. They aren’t allowed to write how they feel or express themselves freely, which often leads them to leave. Mainstream media companies are extremely influential. As most people listen to them and their content, this gives them a ton of power.

Mainstream media has the ability to shape public opinion and influence people to the masses on important issues. Society as a whole is very impacted by mainstream media because specific platforms have the ability to sway large numbers of people as a whole on specific issues, and control certain narratives. It really defines sides and viewpoints of issues and events that take place, especially when it refers to something political. Although mainstream media is known for giving reliable and factual information, it limits its journalists very heavily. It does not offer different kinds of perspective to issues. It overlooks or does not represent marginalized voices and perspectives, which leads to a lack of diversity in coverage. Some media organizations are very driven by profits and outside investors and dealings, and this can sway media that is distributed to a specific demographic. Some media companies can prioritize their ratings, the amount of viewers, the entertainment factor, and especially the amount of profit they are making, over delivering and distributing factual content. This creates bias as well, which is not good for receiving factual information, as some media outlets can be driven by political or corporate interests and funding. Mainstream media can really affect any type of person, any race, gender, ethnicity, social status, majority or minority, etc. People of wealth can afford lots of different media, like newspapers, magazines, upgraded TV channels and streaming services. Whereas other people might not have that access which can limit them to a certain news source. There is also a difference between older generations and younger generations. Older generations might be accustomed to just having a daily newspaper delivered and that is how they get their news. Versus, younger generations are more technologically involved and can access any news source they want to, which can give a more broad and educated opinion on events and issues. For me personally, mainstream media is what I personally listen to most of the time. I enjoy getting more factual information, I only really care about people’s opinions to an extent. While I believe having different viewpoints is good, I believe too much just makes it too noisy and chaotic and takes away from the actual facts. 

Blog Post #7 - Diffusion

 The typewriter was created by Christopher Latham Sholes, Carlos Glidden, and Samuel W. Soule in 1867. They were the pioneers of the invention, and their goal was to get media and news distributed faster to many people at once. At the time, it was a great way to do just that. Christopher Latham Sholes was a newspaper editor and a printer, and he had a large desire for a faster distribution process. An early adopter of the typewriter was Mark Twain. Using the original Remington typewriter, Twain was the first author to write an entire book by only utilizing the typewriter. He wrote one of his iconic novels, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" using the typewriter’s technology. Barely anyone really noticed at first that the typewriter made its debut. Small businesses and government agencies were somewhat quick to move to using the typewriter as it only benefitted them efficiency wise. Laggards to the typewriter were people who were older, who were very accustomed to penmanship and regular writing. They felt like they didn’t need to learn an entire new technology. They also did not want to lose their jobs, as some jobs required specific penmanship, and with the typewriter that was no longer needed. Excitement is what made people start jumping to use the typewriter, in that time period it was a very interesting and exciting new technology that would make a lot of things easier for people. People saw opportunities for less errors, faster distribution, and to make writing more legible. Many were excited to be able to have an easier time launching businesses and getting information relayed to the masses. The long term effects of the pros definitely outweigh the cons in the case of the typewriter. The typewriter helped a lot of people and businesses, as well as the government. It definitely transformed the world of office work, and helped women especially enter and have a job. Like anything else though, the world eventually moved on from the typewriter. People today now use computers or laptops, using a typewriter is not a common or regular practice. However, for its time period, the typewriter was very revolutionary and aided a lot of people, businesses, and government systems. 

EOTO React

One project I found really interesting was the one done on video games. It was very interesting to see how life changing they truly are and the effects of them as well. The first video game dates back to 1958, and that is so mind blowing to me how they date back that far. The concept is very old but it truly shows how people had the desire for entertainment within controlled narratives, which differ from movies and tv shows. The physical strain that they cause to the spine, shoulders, and neck to users, as well as the mental strain and effects that they have on people. Both were interesting and are good to know about and be aware of. It was also great to hear about how video games can be more than just games for people, they can be a way to connect to a story or character. Players can form deep emotional connections and attachments to the game and it's storyline. Interactive gameplay can be a great form of entertainment and a way for players to connect to the game as a whole as well. It is also great for people to connect with other players in the game, and meet people from all over the world.  Learning about this form of communication technology was overall great to know and very interesting to learn about.