Blog #8: Privacy, Online and Off

 Almost everyday our privacy is being violated form the technology we use. Whether you are simply adding your information into a new app or using google maps to navigate yourself somewhere, our phones are tracking us and sending out our personal information. For many people simple things like this on our phone is second nature. Putting your birthday into your Snapchat account so all your friends will be notified the day of is something so casual for us. 

What most people don't know is how their technology and their favorite apps are violating their privacy everyday. In a TedTalk by Juan Enriquez he talks about something called a electronic tattoo. Enriquez says that an electric tattoo is created from all the different technology and apps we use and that these electronic tattoos reveal more about you than a real tattoo ever would. 

Facial recognition is something that our iPhones have recently developed in the last few years. This started out as a way to unlock you phone faster but it is now a way to identify anyone and all their records in seconds if they have added their face to their iPhone. 

While researching this topic online I began to think abut my own privacy and the privacy of my family. All of my family has an iPhone and all of us are on social media. This means that our private information like addresses.

In another TedTalk by Christopher Soghoian he talks about surveillance and privacy through our cell phones. Soghoian says that while making a casual phone call anyone can break into the surgery and listen to your call. These haters could be part of our own government or foreign governments. The idea of wire tapping has recently come public, this means companies can wire tap their programs to ensure that no one can listen to your calls our read you're texts. 

Our government should be protecting us from this innovation of privacy. Everyone should have the right to use their personal technology without the risk of their information being leaked. Social media and technology is going to continue to grow and companies first priority should be protecting their customers. 

After doing this research
in the future I plan to be more cautious of my information. It has proved not to be safe to just enter information like our names, emails and birthdays into apps. With the advances being made in technology everyday that means the hackers have more ability to see our information. With this knowledge I plan to be more cautious of the apps and technology I use. 

Blog #7

Diffusion of Innovations "is a theory that seeks to explain how, why and at what rate new ideas and technology spread. In 1962 Everette Rogers created this theory and further popularized it. In his theory Rogers proposed there are 5 main elements that influence the spread of this idea; the innovation itself, adopters, communications channels, time and a social system. Within the processes of diffusion of innovations there are adapters these consist of early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards. 

There are constantly new innovations coming out and being created. Some of these innovations are more widely adapted than others but it ultimately comes down to how fast people adopt the innovation in order for it to succeed. 

 An innovation that stood out to me in my life time was the creation of Tik Tok. While Tik Tok was one of the most recent social media platforms to come out it took its way to the top quickly. Many social media users would say Tik Tok is their most used platform as well as their most recent downloaded platform. 

Many people across the world wonder how Tik Tok became so popular because platforms like Instagram, Facebook and snapchat were already created and had a similar experience for users. 

The timing of the launch of Tik Tok contributed to its popularity because it become popular in the United States close to the start of the pandemic. This was important for the company because while the world was in lock down with nothing to do many turned to the app for entertainment and a way to interact with others virtually. 

 In relation to the Diffusion Theory Tik Tok is a perfect example of an innovation to use Rogers guidelines for the success of this platform. The app had all forms of adaptors ranging from early adopters to late adopters. The group of early adopters consisted of late teenagers and people in their early 20s. This group of early adopters were what brought the app to its popularity. The younger generations started by downloading the app and getting used to this platform by watching the short funny videos posted by others. As they became more comfortable with the app users were able to begin sharing videos both to other social media platforms and friends who may not have been on the app originally. 

 Once a non user had watched one video whether that be on something like Facebook or just one shared with them it becomes addicting to want to continue scrolling and watching. All of those who spent time during the pandemic using Tik Tok could be credited for the Sucsess of the app. 

 As the app grew popularity the late adopters began to see the uproar caused by users. Late adopters were older generations, business owners and many parents to children already on the app. Without the usage of the late adopters Tik Tok may not be what it is today. For business owners Tik Tok became a place for them to promote their products and gain customers. 

While many users simply use the app for entertainment there is a large percentage of users who use the app for personal gain. Within years of the apps release they created something called the "creator fund" which is a way for Tik Tok to pay creators who have a large following and bring more traffic to the app. 

 

The app has presented to be a controversial topic in the past due to some of the negative effects it has on users. Some users have reported struggles getting off the app because the videos can be 'addicting" to watch. The never ending "for you page" filled with interesting videos puts users into a cycle that that is hard to get out of. This has posed some negativity around the app in the past that almost led to a ban of the app in the United States. Many people have forced themselves to get off the app and just live a Tik Tok free lifestyle. 

Since the app was not baned it has continued to grow. The positive effects and benefits of this app surely out weigh the negatives. It is important for users to have self control when using the app so they can benefit from all the information and products the app can provide. 

Blog Post #9: Alternative Media

In our world today there are multiple different ways to obtain our news. All different ages and generations are able to get their news in a way that works best for them. Whether ur news is coming from a television, radio, newspaper or social media we have access to all different types of news sources. 

News outlets are divided into two main categories; mainstream news and alternative news. Until the 20th centry main stream news was the only way for people to get their information. However, with more people speaking out and more problems coming to life main stream news is not enough for some people. 

The news we hear from mainstream news sources like Fox or CNBC are cooperation owned outlets which means the people working for them are being told what to say and being paid to say it. Many citizens do not agree with what is being said on mainstream news because it often can be bias as well as having a lot of censorship content. 

Due to the limited opinions on main stream news many have turned over to using alternative news. Alternative media can be defined as "small scale politically radical media, using a wide spectrum of communication technologies and formats." In that definition it uses the phrase "politically radical" while a lot of alternative media can contain information about politics not all of it does. Politics is a big concept in alternative media because the writers can talk about whatever point of view they want to without worrying someone will be mad. 

In main stream media journalists must follow the political views of the corporation they work for, unlike alternative media these platforms are often single owned or private owned. 

An article written comparing mainstream vs. alternative media raised a point that truly showed the difference between the two. Main stream media supports the status quo, always promoting societal norms. Alternative media activity tries to change these norms with their content. 

Alternative media can be found in many different ways. The decision of where the content is posted is up to the publisher because they are not answering to or following a corporation. Websites, e-books, e-magazines, steamed audio and video are all platforms in which we can find alternative
media. 

During my research I was interested to see how many people were using alternative media. I read that 6% of adults in the U.S say they regularly check one of the seven main alternative news websites. A lot of what I read about alternative media had connection to social media. Many of these alternative media cites use social media to publish their content because it is free and and they know many will be able to see it. 

In a survey it said that about three quarters of users who get news from alternative cites use social media for this. If users choose to use social media they have to be able to decipher weather it is credible or not as well as if it actually alternative news or just someone personal opinion. There are many questions recommended to ask to decide if news sources are alternative news. Is it cooperate owned? Is it news that has been repressed or mis reported by MSM? Is it intended to generate profit?

All of these questions are ways to determine if you are reading alternative news. While alternative news is relatively a newer concept it has quickly become many main source of news. Through alternative news you are able to get honest and non-biased opinions. I believe that opinions grow stronger and more social issues become relevant the voices of alternative news will become more popular. 

Blog #6: The Progressive Era

    Dissent means to voice your opinion, a powerful source for developing effective public reasoning. There are many different forms of dissent; in law, government and war. 

    In regards to the role of dissent and war it relates a lot to loyalty and the enemy of war. When nations enter war they need to have support behind them from the citizens of their nation. The American Bar Association  says " Public disagreement about war strengthens the enemy's resolve and deepens its will to fight. If it is disloyal to strengthen he enemy's mettle, then dissent fits the bill."

    In all aspects of our society dissent is powerful to develop public reasoning and opinion. However, when it comes to the role of dissent in war it can make us look weak to the enemy when there is different opinions on the war and strategies. 

In terms of war the enemy must believe that the oponinet is strong and unite. If there is dissent and anti war voices it shows that a nation is not unite and there are possibilities of weakness. When looking at the anti-war websites there were a lot of conservative opinions on topics like internecine conflicts in our region. This specific website was asking readers why it is important to double down on these conflicts. The next website I looked at titled its self as "Your best source for antiwar news, viewpoints, and activities." On this second website there were links and headings to topics like Ukraine, money spent on Polland, and counter acts against China. 

Both of these websites shared similar topics around their overarching goal to promote their antiwar opinions. During my research on antiwar and the role of dissent I wanted to find another source of information however I struggled to find another website. These antiwar websites are difficult to find and it requires a lot of searching to come across one of them. The difficulty in finding these websites related back to the role of dissent in war. A nation should limit the amount of dissent during war to ensure they stand as a unified army that has people behind them. 

When looking at these websites I noticed they were small and not owned by mainstream companies. There are multiple reasons in which main stream news stations and websites are not able to publish antiwar news. Some of these reasons relating to government influence or fundings, bias and economical purposes. Many main stream news sources are funded by the government and if they begin to practice their role of dissent and publish antiwar content they could loose their fundings. 

In terms of the Government relationship to these news sources many of them are influenced by the government. With the influence of the government there can be a lot of censorship and limited coverage based on what the government approves that they publish. With ownership whether that be cooperate ownership or government influence that means full control of what is published. 

 Many reasons play a factor in why antiwar websites are difficult to find. The main one being that they are small websites that are not mainstream. My research helped me learn about the many different reasons as to why large news sources do not post antiwar content. From economic reasons to ownership reasons antiwar content is hard to come across on main stream news. The people who support anti war opinions are able to use their power of dissent to speak their mind on smaller private owned websites. 

    

Blog #5: Presentations Reflections

     Through the in class presentations I was able to learn about the history and origin of many different technological advances. 

 The presentation on instant messaging stood out to me especially because it is something I have used my whole life and truly have never thought about what communication was like before. For many in my generation when we got our first phone instant messaging was already established and downloaded on the phone.

    During the presentation information about the origins of instant messaging and some of the first messages were talked about. I learned the first text message was sent in 1992 and it read "Merry Christmas" This message was sent before cell phones were around so it was received on an Orbital.

    I found it interesting to learn that instant messaging was invited before cell phones were popular. The machine this instant message was sent on was a land line phone that was mainly met for phone calls. Later on the invention of instant messaging became more advanced. First came phones being made with SMS messaging which is what we mainly use today. Later in 1999 people began to message each other when they were using different networks. 

    The invention of instant messaging grew fast and gained a lot of popularity. For people who were experiencing the growth first hand it must have been ground breaking. For so long you could only use phone calls to communicate virtually but there would be all new opportunities with instant messaging. 

As I was learning about the history of instant messaging it made me reflect on my experience with it. I took a second to think about how instant messaging has effected my phone usage. On my cell phone I find myself texting people more than I ever pick up my phone to make a phone call. I mainly only call people such as my parents or grandparents to have longer conversations. During my reflection I decided to look at the amount of unread messages I had on my phone which counted to be a little over 80 unread messages. 

    All of my unread messages made me realize that sometimes instant messaging can be a failed way of communication because I will forget to answer a text or look at a text. However if those people had called me I would have been more likely to answer my phone. 

Instant messaging was created to be real time way of messaging. This invention allows us to communicate with someone while we are doing everyday tasks. For example, "I am walking over now" or "Just finished dinner". Texting is often meant to be short messages that provide an update or a quick catch up with someone. Instant messaging is so relevant in my life not only do I have it set up on my iPhone but also my computer so I can see and receive messages even if my phone is not on. 

    Instant messaging was created as a way of faster communication. From a simple message of Merry Christmas on a landline phone it has now amounted into many main form of virtual communication. The future of Instant messaging has endless possibilities. 

    As companies like Apple and Samsung continue to make advances to their cell phones there are possibilities to make advances to instant messaging. That will continue to revolutionize the product just like it did when it first came out. 

Blog #4: History of the Google Search Engine

     Google is a company both known and used worldwide by millions of people everyday. The company was first brought to life in 1995 when two Stanford students began working on a search engine they originally called "BackRub." They created this name because the algorithm they were using ranked and calculated how many "back-links" a web page used. 

    When formulating BackRub they used a data collection system. This system used the number of pages and the relevancy of the pages to rank different websites in relation to the original search. This self-funded technology lead to the creation of what we now know and use as Google. 

    As the company gained popularity they released their first official mission statement: "To organize the worlds information and make it universally accessible and useful."

    With the growth of the company over the next few years the original creators Larry Page and Sergey Bryn began hiring employees like engineers, computer scientist, marketing staff and sales professionals. Due to their growth Page and Bryn began to get a lot of offers from buyers who were interested in buying their company. In 2003 Yahoo made Page and Brin an offer to buy the company. Yahoo offered them 3 billion dollars. When the partnership began to get these offers they realized the power and importance of what they have started. 

    As the company gained more popularity they decided to further their inventions. Through the years of 2005-2012 google came out with things like google maps, google calendar and google chrome. During the year of 2004 the company leased a new headquarters for their newly hired 800 employees, this space is now known as Googleplex today. 

    Google has permanently changed the modern day internet throughout the years. It is now second nature for students, workers and teachers to turn to Google for help. Due to the advances made by Google we are able to plug in a few words to the search bar and have millions of results in seconds. These results are provided to us so quickly because of something Google calls Spiders the spiders use an algorithm that allows them to search the web in seconds. While searching the web the spiders are matching words in your search to websites titles, texts and pages so they can learn about the website. After finding the best results Google is able to match you with accurate data in your search all in less than a few seconds. 

    Throughout years to come Google will continue to create more Google platforms and advance the way their search engine works. All within the past few years Google as already created an algorithm that works faster and better than many cites. The Google company has no plans of slowing down but they will continue to advance their spot on the internet. 

 

    

Blog #3: 8 Values of Free Expression

     Under the rights stated by the first amendment we as Americans have to right to freedom of speech. The first amendment states not only do we have freedom of speech but as well freedom of religion, press assembly and right to petition the government. These rights give us freedom to stand up and vocalize our beliefs which most countries do not have the right to do. 

    Protect Dissent can be defined as an encouragement of debate and deliberation in our society that inspire positive change. Some may say it is our duty as Americans to criticize the government and the choices of the government to ensure they do not have a supreme control over the country without debate. 

    The idea of protect dissent and freedom of speech go hand and hand as they both allow for discussion on the way our country runs. The Boston

Tea Party is an early example of protect dissent or a protest. During the Boston Tea Party colonist were protesting for their rights against the British government, these actions led to our constitution giving us the right to continue to speak up and protest. A more modern day example of protect dissent is the Black Lives Matter movement or the Pro Life/Pro Choice debates. 

These modern day examples of protests are people actively practicing their first amendment rights by using freedom of speech, assembly and the right to petition the government. 

     While we have to right to speak up and protest there are cases in which the protests become unlawful or not respected if protesters aren't following the guidelines. There are 6 principals to dissent: legality, precaution, necessity, proportionality, accountability and non-discrimination. 

    With the guidelines of these 6 principals in place it provides structure that protests and disagreements should be reasonable and safe. Our right of freedom of speech does not permit citizens to speak non truthful statements that will serve the public with misinformation. The principals also state that protests must be lawful and safe for all. A protest can be shut down when it becomes a danger to the general public. Not only are people able to assemble in person but there have been online assemblies where people use the power of social media to assemble together and practice their rights. 

    The first amendment ensures democracy. Through the power of the first amendment we as citizens can take part in making sure our country has laws and rules that we agree with. When our founding fathers were building our country they knew that without the first amendment there would be issues repeated in the future that they had already experienced. 

    As our society advances more problems and disagreements arise. With these modern problems such as gender equality, environmental issues, and ethnic oppression it is important that younger generations proactively use their rights and to make certain they will be living in a country they are proud of. 

    The first amendment gives us a privilege of freedom of speech. This privilege is not available in most countries which makes it even more important that we as Americans debate and challenge opinions to keep our democracy functioning properly. 

    

Blog #2: Supreme Court

     The Supreme Court holds some of the highest and most important power in the United States government. Made up of nine justices the Supreme Court hold the power to check the actions of the legislative and executive branch of our government.     

In 1789 our founding fathers established the Supreme Court and gave it its power through Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. Through the words of the Constitution it was decided that Congress would have the primary say in the organization of the Supreme Court. 

    Through the early meetings of the Supreme Court they focused on the organization and creating procurers that would form the court into what it is today. 

    During my research I learned about the first case of the Supreme Court. West Vs. Barns was a case where the court was debating an overturn on a Rhode Island state statue. This case reached the supreme court in its second year. During this case there was a 5-0 decision made in favor of Barnes. The case resulted in West loosing his farm. Before doing my research I was unsure of what the early cases of the Supreme Court were but I found it interesting to learn about the first few cases that founded and developed our system today. 

       The processes of being elected for the Supreme Court first require a nomination by the President then then an approval or a denial by the U.S Senate. The chief justice is the highest judicial officer in the nation. The countries current Chief Justice is John G. Roberts and he is serving as the 17th Chief Justice. This fact was surprising to me that since the start of the Supreme Court there has only been 17 Chief Justices. 

    Under the Chief Justices there are other seats in the Supreme Court. Through my research I learned that the first court was comprised of six justices. Later however Congress changed the number of seats to make it have a low of 5 to a high of 10. 

    Before watching the video on the Supreme Court it changed my knowledge on the power the Supreme Court held. My prior knowledge I knew the Supreme Court had a lot of power in the government system but I was surprised to learn about their power regarding the Impeachment of Presidents. 

    While learning about the power the Supreme Court held I read into a past Chief Justice named John Marshall. Marshall was considered to be one of the most influential justices the Supreme Court has seen. Marshall is best known for defining the relationship between the judicial branch of the government and the rest of the government. The case Marbury V. Maddison came up in this research because during this he established the power of the Supreme Court to review whether federal laws were constitutional. Marshall served as Chief Justice for more than 34 years making it the longest term of any Chief Justice. 

    I wanted to do some research to further my knowledge about how and why cases are brought to the Supreme Court. I read that cases typically start in lower level court systems like state courts. If the case appears to need more serious attention or there is a constitutional issue it has the ability to be brought to the Supreme Court. However before being accepted into the Supreme Court four out of the nine justices must vote and accept the case. 

    The Supreme Court may deny the case if they agree with the decision made by the lower court. They are also able to deny a case if there doesn't appear to be no national significance. If the case does not make it to the Supreme Court the decision of the lower court stands. 

    To conclude my research I was able to learn about multiple specifics regarding the Supreme Court. Prior to my research I knew basic facts however I wanted to spend more time learning about influential cases, chief justices and facts regarding the origin of the court and how it came to be what it is today.  

    

Blog #1: Top 5 Sources of News and Information

     News and information can come from a variety of different sources in todays world. You can get your news online, television or a paper copy depending on what you want to learn and which form of news is most convenient. For me personally I like to get my news online whether that be from social media platforms or written articles online. 

 The New Yorker: This is a news cite I often find myself reading if there is a big story going on in the country. This is a source I do not check everyday but for bigger cases in which I want to be educated on. This source is available to me both online but also a tangible copy if I want to. A recent story from them I saw was about AI taking over college campuses. This was a story relevant to me that I could interesting so I sat down and read the article written. These articles are easy to read and understand which makes them a source I find myself going back too often. 

Cosmopolitan: As a female college student studying fashion and social media communications Cosmopolitan is a news site I find myself looking at almost everyday. The news posted on this website is light hearted and simple. They post news about celebrities, style, beauty, lifestyle and shopping. In my future I want to do work similar to those who work for Cosmopolitan therefore reading their content not only informs me on topics I am interested in but also gives me a first hand look of work I want to do in the future.  

Social media: In todays age it has become more common to turn to social media for news. Personally I find myself using social media most for news sources because I know it often comes out fastest and there will be several different accounts that touch on the subjects. When getting news from social media I mainly turn to Instagram and Tik Tok because those are the platforms I use most on a daily basis. When a big news story goes public specifically on Tik Tok it seems the whole app is taken over by it so finding information is easy however making sure the information you are seeing is accurate is where it becomes difficult. Instagram I use to fund the story and find which news sources have created content about it.

 Enews: Enews is what I like to consider my "guilty pleasure" news source. Some of the information posted on here is rumors or gossip about celebrities and their personal lives. I use Enews as more of an entertainment news source rather than a reliable source for information. On the website there is a section titled "Trending Now" this is where I do most of my reading because it's about celebrities drama that is entertaining to read. Stories like "Who did Taylor Swift write her new song about?" and "All the couples who broke up summer of 2023." are examples of the news stories I find myself reading on Enews. 

The Washington Post: The Washington Post is the source I find myself using the least but also the source I find myself reading the most important information on. When a story comes about that I know is serious or important to learn about I turn to the Washington Post because I am confident they will give reliable and logical information to their readers. I use the Washington post mainly through their social media specifically their Twitter account which post live updates about news stories that are short to read but bring forth reliable information.