Our Relationship with Technology

    Attempting to look at technology objectively feels difficult for me to do because of the relationship I’ve built with it over the last ten years. It was so beneficial and made every portion of life both easier and wildly different from how it used to be. The most difficult part of technology to understand is how it makes it feel like my life has two separate stages, separated by the times I never had technology in my everyday life, and the modern era where I rely on it for almost every task I need to complete. Every time I look back on my childhood, I see a life where I was able to complete tasks and fill my time through less technological means, like reading and going outside to play with my brothers. This doesn’t mean I don’t do similar things nowadays, but it was never a decision to go outside and do things without technology, it was the normal. 

    My life now is definitely structured around tech and the benefits it gives, but there are always ways to get away from it when necessary. It’s impossible to look at technology and not bring up the ways it’s made everyone’s lives easier. Take this blog post for example, we are now able to write down our thoughts and feelings electronically and share them with anyone that will read them. That’s something people 40 years ago never would have conceived. Technology has made schooling easier and more accessible for everyone. Like during quarantine when schools needed to be all online, apps like Zoom and Webex were able to allow people to still connect without being in person.

  There will always be tradeoffs with technology, however, like the impact it’s had on the mental and physical health of younger generations. Mental health has become one of the most talked about issues because of technology because of the way everyone, including young children, are constantly comparing themselves to others on social media. I’ve been told my whole life from my parents that comparison is the thief of joy and seeing how everyone lives the “ideal lifestyle” online makes it hard to enjoy one’s own life. It’s becoming more and more common to hear about teenagers that are starving and hurting themselves because they don’t feel they are enough compared to those they see on social media. This is reflected in the Mad World Remix we watched in class. People are constantly faking it online and attempting to only show the parts of their lives they think are worth sharing. Or these people will fabricate portions of their lives so they can look even better on social media. 

    Since the internet allows for people to share their thoughts and opinions whenever and wherever, people are having more discussions with others than ever before. One of these discussions is about how we are treating the planet while attempting to produce more goods than ever. We see a representation of this in the “Man” video we looked at in class. We believe we are in the final moments of being able to reverse the damage that has been done to Earth and if we don’t do something now, nothing will be able to be stopped. Being critical of the issues of humanity is not uncommon when looking at discussions being had on the internet. 

In the Age of AI

     Over the last 10 years artificial intelligence has made significant strides in the quality and quantity of information able to be generated in milliseconds. This has allowed for great strides to be made in the world of production and technology thanks to the streamlining provided by the direct solutions and lack of filler information often found in human intelligence. While the practical applications are plentiful and can improve the quality of goods and services in the short-term, there are lots of ramifications unseen by the developers caused by the applications of AI until recently. The most relevant of which being the loss of jobs and the potential for life with zero privacy in a complete surveillance state. 

    Since AI is able to process more information than the human brain at a much faster speed the ability to compile large amounts of data and analyze it with pinpoint accuracy is something that on the surface

sounds useful, but in reality can and has been used for negative applications. A key example of this being the complete surveillance state in China and how the police uses AI to monitor people's whereabouts and potential criminal activities. An article in The New York Times mentions how the police in China are buying different technologies to best monitor people all over the country to prevent any criminal wrongdoing and keep tabs on people seen as threats to the state. With these pieces of technology, the police are then able to use AI to assess any threat and how people behave no matter where they go in the country.  This can track a "social score" that knows whether or not people do more good deeds than bad and if that number gets too low it will flag them and notify the police. 

    All around the world, however, AI is affecting lives through the automation and streamlining of certain processes. The main problem is people are losing jobs because companies know they can save money by using AI and robotics to do the jobs of workers for no pay at all, reducing the cost of labor and increasing profits. According to Pew Research Center, the people at highest risk for losing their jobs to AI are women, Asian and white workers, and higher-wage employees. If protections aren't put in place to make sure essential employees' jobs are protected to prevent any large-scale backlash towards AI. 

Total Information Awareness

            The United States were forever changed after 9/11 which was the catalyst even for the conflict in the Middle East. While there was a war occurring on the other side of the globe, there was another, silent war happening back home, the war against terrorism. According to the government, the best way to stop terrorism was to stop it before it can even happen. This led to the creation of Total Information Awareness, the first reactionary program proposed after 9/11 in 2002. The program was later renamed to Terrorism Information Awareness.    

        The main goal of the Total Information Awareness program was to collect data and information about each person currently residing or staying in the US and use the data to gauge their probability of committing a terrorist attack. The program was run by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and was headed by John Poindexter, a national security advisor in the Reagan Administration. According to the American Civil Liberties Union,the data collected by the program would include but was not limited to: medical/financial records, political beliefs, travel history, prescriptions, buying habits, phone calls/web history, school records and personal family associations. Using these pieces of information, certain analysts would look at classified sections of data and make the decision on the risk of each person.

Initially the program was thought to be similar to another system already in place called CAPS II, a program which gathered information on Americans flying all over the world. This program was seen as less controversial due to its higher appeal to citizens. The goal of CAPS II was also to stop any potential terrorism. 

Though the program is no longer active, there are still influences being felt by citizens today. Many people have raised concerns about unconstitutional governmental oversight in our lives, and this one was thought to be too much of an overstep. However, it had the benefit of being proposed during a time of severe paranoia of terrorism. There has been a lot of debate over the ethicality of the program and whether or not it would violate the people’s rights to privacy. The National Academy has an article about TIA and how it was designed to keep privacy a priority. There were systems set in place to make sure the analysts looking at the data would never know information about the person to include any bias in the assessment. This was a time before automation was commonplace and the plan was for government employees to be the ones to make all decisions with potential terrorists.

At the time of proposal, it was clear there could be dangerous precedent set and the TIA program could have been used for motivations outside stopping terrorism. Which is why the proposal to Senate included a point about the usages of the program, “the Total Information Awareness program should not be used to develop technologies for use in conducting intelligence activities or law enforcement activities against United States persons without appropriate consultation with Congress or without clear adherence to principles to protect civil liberties and privacy” S. Amdt 59, 2003. This was to make sure the program was only used what it was intended for due to the high amount of sensitive information. 

Online Privacy

    We live in an era with more technological necessity than ever before and it has led to a drastic decrease in the day-to-day privacy of average people. Everyone deserves to have time to themselves or moments of brevity in our cluttered, busy lives, but digitally there is no moment to relax. Now more than ever everybody is being monitored and observed silently by major corporations and even governments. Every search, every post, and every moment people are online is being saved and stored for later use and is often sold to third-party companies in an attempt to tailor the online experience perfectly to each person. 

    Nobody is safe from being monitored and tracked by the devices they use and the websites they commonly visit. It is said best by Juan Enriquez in his Ted Talk, our online data is similar to a virtual tattoo since it is permanent and paints a picture into the kind person everyone is. It is easier than ever to lose sight of the larger picture in regards to where our information is kept and what it is being used for. people unknowingly sign away their right to privacy when skipping through terms and conditions like they are trained to do.  

    Now is the time for people to understand the steps they can take to protect their internet privacy and keep their data from being shared. Many pieces of technology do not have built in security systems, as mentioned by Christopher Soghoian. These security measures are ways to prevent the government from tracking people's private messages and calls, something historically open to wiretapping. Glenn Greenwald also makes a point in how people are willing to say they have nothing to hide when asked about privacy, but are never willing to actually share their private information when asked to. We naturally have an urge to keep secrets for various reasons, and we should be able to know when those secrets are being shared or sold. 

Antiwar

  

  The current state of current events reporting in the media can be boiled down to the control the media outlets have over what people see which always depends on money. Lots of companies only put information on their sites that both align with their political views and are likely to get clicks. This leads to the majority of news articles on major sites to have similar tones and views, depending on the political affiliation of the news outlet. This means that people who have views differing from the ideals held by major sources are forced to either not read their opinions or find creative ways to express their views on the internet. This leads to unknown websites to be the only outlet for people who want to express their opinions despite the unpopularity. 

   

    One of the opinions people have that isn't expressed in major outlets is the call for ceasefires and overall anti war opinions. Logical thinking may suggest that people would see articles on news sites covering all views and arguments since that would allow for people to read all sides and come to their own conclusions. This method, however, would cause news sites to potentially lose funding/money from sponsors/ads if they wouldn't want to advertise on pages with opposing arguments. In our capitalist society, money has become the driving force and motivator for every action taken by corporations. This results in people having to rely on hidden sites to share opinions they know won't be shared or even allowed online in major sites. 

    It's no coincidence lots of opinions not shared on media sites it anti war opinions since they are ones directly opposing the United States government. The united States has a long history of propagating war and profiting from it. There is a long history in the country to silence people who verbally oppose these directives. 

EOTO Reaction

    

    There were many new things I learned about communication technologies during the presentations, many of which were things I possibly knew at one point or forgot or I had never learned before. Many of the new pieces of information are ones I could bring into my work since they paint in important history of the field I so desperately want to work in. Some are even topics I want to learn more about and conduct my own research. One of the topics that most fascinated me was about how Bluetooth was created and how it makes our lives incredibly different. 

    

    The first thing that shocked me about Bluetooth was the name and logo. It wouldn't make logical sense that a wireless connection system would be named after an ancient Viking and the logo would be Norse letters put together. I find it really interesting that Bluetooth is something relatively new in the technological space, but had created a relationship with technology unlike any other through its ability to make almost any device wireless. It has most changed our relationship with both hones and headphones since they are the devices most commonly used by the everyday person that has Bluetooth built in. 

    Another piece of information that caught my attention during the presentation was how quickly the technology behind Bluetooth has evolved so quickly, making it reach further, respond faster, all with the ability to be put into almost any piece of technology capable of power it, which has also become easier with time. The idea of a certain technology getting more advanced while also being made to use less power than ever and still work flawlessly is something not to be taken for granted. Our phones having Bluetooth capability has made our lives almost infinitely easier in many ways, like how we can connect to other phones and share data faster than ever, and connect wirelessly to both speaker and headphones. This lead to changes in other technology, phones no longer having an aux port for example. 

History of Motion Pictures

Movies have changed over the years to reflect the technology of the time and the people they are made for. The evolution of motion pictures has become exponential up until the creation of modern movie-watching experiences, like 3D and surround sound. Motion pictures, theatrically, have found a point of equilibrium with theaters today still using film projectors, despite the increased technological complexity.   

Early development: The beginning of motion pictures starts with the creation of the first moving picture. The first moving picture was created by Eadward Muybridge in 1877. Known as “Man on Horse”, the project came from Muybridge’s work for avid horse racer Leland Stanford. Stanford wanted to prove that horses have all four hooves off the ground at the peak of their gallop. Muybridge was able to create the moving picture through a series of 12 cameras that were set up on a track, each one being triggered by a step of the horse. By placing all the final photos on a spinning wheel and creating the illusion of the horse running. 

Kinetoscope: In 1891, the kinetoscope was invented by Thomas Edison and William Dickson. The kinetoscope was a machine that allowed for a singular person to view a motion picture. Edison then opened what he called a kinetograph studio. This was a place that had multiple kinetoscopes available for people to watch for a fee. 

Adding sound: The Jazz Singer was the first film to add sound in 1927. Vitaphone was the main method of adding sound, which required multiple physical discs that needed to be swapped out halfway through the film. This was known as “sound-on-disc”. The Vitaphone was rendered obsolete in 1931 with the new “sound-on-film” technology. This was done by converting sound waves into light waves that were inscribed onto the film aligned with the footage. With sound being included in every new film released people began referring to films with sound as “talkies” and preferring those with sound over those without. 

Adding color: Color was originally added in post-production by spinning wheel of red and green color film in front of the projector, leaving a crude and incomplete final product. The first process of adding color, named kinemacolor was first used in 1909, used primarily for documentaries, not movies. The next process introduced to film, technicolor, was scarcely used until 1932 with the release of Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of Oz in 1939. 

After color and sound were added to films, it became difficult for audiences to stay away from the theater, leading to what are known as the “Golden Years” of the film industry. These took place between the 1930s and the 1960s. This was a time where audiences skyrocketed and films kept reaching new heights. 

These beginnings of film led to the time we see in cinema now. With the early success of film and the technological advances brought on through it, we are able to enjoy the motion pictures we see today. Since the methods and practices were perfected, the only improvements to be made were in graphical quality and improving the experience. 

Speech Theories

Stable Change

    Of the 8 speech theories, one of the most important ones in my opinion is stable change of government. The transition of power is one of the most vulnerable moments our government has to go through on a regular basis. With the longest a president can stay in power is 8 years, the constant change is prone to having people disagree with the current person in power. Since anyone is allowed to speak their mind, including the criticism of the government, there will always be people wanting to express their opposing opinions. Knowing this, it is incredibly smart for the government to want people to get these frustrations out in a way that keeps people safe, especially the President. The Secretary of State has a strategy to allow people who feel their citizenship in the country is unsafe can reasonably express their feelings. The idea behind the strategy is people will vent their feelings either verbally or through the internet and it will keep them from doing anything potentially more harmful to others physically. 

Promoting Innovation

    Alongside stable change, another important speech theory in the United States in promoting innovation. A society that wants its citizens to be innovative and creative is one that thrives economically. The United States doesn’t produce many of its own products, leaving that job to other countries, while still being the one responsible for the ideas. There is a written policy in governmental records, about how the United States is a hub of innovation and creation of new technologies for the entire world. This promotion of innovation stems mostly from a desire to continuously boost the United States economy, mainly boasting property rights and increasing competition. The Strategy for American Innovation explains the goals and motivations of wanting creativity to thrive throughout the country. 

Individual Self-fulfillment

    The last of the most important speech theories is individual self-fulfillment. Freedom of expression is a term commonly used to describe the culture in America and how everyone is entitled to represent themselves however they choose. Allowing for self fulfillment supports the ideas stated in the first amendment and the values students are taught in schools when learning about the rights given to American citizens. The United States being considered a melting pot of different cultures and identities supports self-fulfillment and allows for people of all different backgrounds and interests to find the people they mesh with. The government allowing for everyone to feel like a true individual and not part of a collective in which they can’t stand out means a great deal to many people. This can apply greater to people who aren’t originally from the United States or their families recently immigrated. Everyone deserves to find the people and communities that make them feel safe and at home, and without the ideas of individual self-fulfillment that wouldn’t feel possible. 

    Even though these three speech theories mean more to me than the others, it doesn’t mean the rest of them don’t have their own importance. The others matter on smaller scales in my opinion they all fall into the larger shadow cast by the three major ones. 

The Supreme Court

   
When learning about the United States government in school we always learned the least about the Supreme Court compared to the other branches of government. One thing I always wondered however, was how the Supreme Court met to come to their conclusions. It was surprising to see in part one of the video that they meet in way less complex than it seems. I was unaware they would all go over the details of a case separately and meet with each other later on to discuss their thoughts and make their arguments. I knew it was a difficult job, but it gives me more context into how much work they each have to put into the cases individually so they can have an unbiased outcome. To me, it seems more efficient to go over the details together so everyone could potentially be on the same page and nobody would overlook certain details. 

    Another detail I never knew about the Supreme Court was how the public perception for it was terrible until John Marshall was appointed as Chief Justice. The video didn't talk about for long, but it was interesting how he set the standard for the Supreme Court to use the constitution as a guidebook for their decision in cases. Like the quote mentioned with the statue of him, "Never forget it is a constitution we are expounding." I decided to look into how the Supreme Court operated prior to Marshall's nomination. In a book about the history of the Supreme Court, there was a time where Justices would be appointed, but never serve on the Supreme Court, alongside other malpractices being perpetuated by a loose string of rules. 

 

   There is very little context given in schools to how many cases are given to the court either, and how many of them are turned away from further adjudication. I like that in the video, one of the justices made it clear that just because the Supreme Court didn't take on a particular case, it didn't mean they thought the case correctly ruled. 

My 5 sources

 

NBC News

I prefer to use NBC News because while they are a more left-leaning news organization, they are more centered than most news outlets while still being trustworthy. I have been using them more recently due for their reports on the genocide in Gaza and I believe their coverage to be more neutral. I typically come here to learn more about a topic I heard about elsewhere since I do not typically check news sites in my own time. I also used to watched the NBC News with Lester Holt when I still lived at home and my father would normally use NBC as well which is where I developed the habit. However, prefer to use other outlets when looking at news regarding democratic issues since they are prone to using rose-tinted glasses when covering stories about the left. 

Tiktok

My relationship with receiving news from TikTok is different from other places because I have earned that majority of news I see can be altered or completely false entirely, which is why I only use it as a news source to find out about stories and then research them on other sites. TikTok curates the videos you see to fit your views and this makes it difficult to receive truly unbiased news on the app. This is how I developed my habits of only using it as a way to find potentially true pieces of news and then look in other places to confirm or deny the validity of said news. This is especially useful during events currently happening since people are incredibly prone to posting about events quickly. This is a method I highly suggest to others.

Washington Post

The Washington Post is extremely similar to NBC News with political affiliation, leaning slightly left. this is why I prefer to use for articles regarding topics unrelated to politics and more towards the tech news section. Of the news sources listed, the Washington Post has the best articles about the tech industry in my opinion. This is due to their more extensive reach compared to other places like NBC News for example. I also think they have a better home page for finding important news article compared to the other sources. They also cover sports in better detail than NBC and Fox News, but not as much as the Associated Press. 

Fox News

I like to use Fox News alongside the other sources because I was raised to value the opinions of both sides of the political spectrum. Since I tend to lean left, I want to find sources that lean right so I can try to use the opposing viewpoints. I suggest other people do the some so they are also able to critique people of their own party as well. Since they tend to be more harsh towards democrats, like Joe Biden for example, People also tend to confuse their on air news show and the actual site itself, which in my opinion, cover news in two very different ways. There is significantly less emotion involved in the text article than on the live broadcast. I don't recommend Fox News for election and presidential-adjacent topics due to their conflicted and ongoing history with the topic. 

Associated Press

I believe the Associated Press is a great source because of the fact check section on the site. It's the only source I have seen with a dedicated section on fact checking and debunking article that are false. This is great due to the rise in fake news being spread around social media. There have numerous times this section has helped me separate real event from fabricated ones. Alongside this fact check section, AP also includes more options for article topics compared to the other sources on the list. I think this is one of the best options for news sources.