Final Blog

 Final Blog

When looking at how technology is entangled in my life, I find that there is no aspect without it. Growing up, I have never lived in a setting where technology did not surround me. In some senses, no one has. The difference between technology in the past including the printing press, typewriter, and countless others, technology now has shifted from being an asset to our days to the central focus.

Throughout the course of this semester, I have done a lot of self-reflection on how much technology rules my life. The Mad World Remix of Moby Video (Are You Lost In The World Like Me) represents society today in a dark and frightening light. Society today is constantly glued to screens causing them to miss what is truly important in life. There are clips in the video that show how people record and idolize the wrong things while missing others. It is contradictory to think about since we are so busy looking at other people's lives through our phones, but at the same time trying to capture everything around us through the camera lens.

When I think about our relationship with technology, it feels extremely codependent. We as humans rely on having a phone glued to us at all times for all information. At one point, technology was dependent on us too. For updates, information, and more. But now we are in a time where we are so consumed by technology that it has taken the power. Shoshana Zuboff said it best in The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: "We thought we were searching Google, but Google was searching us.”. The digital footprints being left behind without knowledge is something that is not only frightening, but unethical. Throughout this semester fellow students, including myself, have said many times how while we do not think that what is happening regarding privacy and surveillance is right, it is just ‘how things are now’. This had been a belief of mine up until this year.

After learning about what is really going on and the potential consequences, I know that I am responsible for taking control of my privacy. The video MAN showed us precisely the risk that comes with being so consumed with oneself. This is a dramatized example but gives light to what is really happening in the world.

Overall, I do believe that technology is a positive part of my life and those around me. We are able to access any information we could ever dream of. We are able to connect with people all across the world in seconds. What we have to remember is that technology is not everything. We were humans before technology took over and functioned perfectly fine. There is power in knowing that we do not need technology to survive and that technology needs us on the contrary to continue. The challenge is, will we harness this power, or allow technology to continue to take over?

Blog Post #10

 EOTO Terms and Concepts Presentations

The presentations done by my classmates were all very interesting and insightful. While listening, the two that stuck out the most to me were the illusory truth effect and the spiral of silence.

The illusory truth effect is the tendency for people to believe false information after it is repeated multiple times. What was especially interesting to me about this effect is how the presenter was able to pull in the connection to human nature. Since repetition and consistency both hugely impact human thought, and we as humans are naturally predisposed to question new information, it makes perfect sense why this happens. This experiment conducted by Science Direct explains the dangers of the illusory truth effect spreading misinformation.

This experiment, along with the presentation led me to thinking about real-world examples of this. What is also dangerous about the illusory truth effect is that the loudest person in the room will most likely be listened to more than someone with substantive information. This can can an issue because by having social media algorithms giving media consumers posts that sell the most, those in politics who could have good ideas are flushed out by those who are the loudest. This can then lead to people believing whatever these people are saying since they are seeing it over and over again.

In addition to the illusory truth effect, the spiral of silence was a theory that sparked my interest the most. The story told was that there was an emperor who said he was wearing clothes that only smart people could see. In reality, he was wearing nothing but no one dared say otherwise out of fear of being judged and feeling less than. The spiral of silence theory states that people will remain silent when they believe their views go against the majority out of fear of isolation. This also relates to the human nature of the need to be accepted. Additionally, this article by Thomas Petersen explained how the fear of isolation is usually unconscious and yet causes people to constantly monitor what they are saying.

By having a society that is hesitant to speak up about opposing beliefs, we are living in a dangerous time. While this is not a new concept as shown by the emperor's story, cancel culture has escalated these effects exponentially. The spiral of silence will enable the majority opinion to become stronger and stronger and leave the minority opinion weaker and result in difficulty to be heard in the future.

Both of these topics also gave me an opportunity to reflect on the impact they have had on myself. I have had time to look back and consider times that I stayed quiet or altered what I thought in order to make others comfortable around me rather than speaking my mind. Also, I wonder what I consider ‘fact’ that instead has just been told to me enough times that now I believe it to be true. It is important for everyone to take time and reflect on how they have been impacted by these effects and learn how to mitigate the impacts moving forward.

Blog Post #9

 Living in the Age of AI

Artificial intelligence is something that while we are all aware of, need to be informed of. Being a college student, I knew that artificial intelligence was around, but not nearly to the extent it is. While there are many positive aspects artificial intelligence brings us such as automation, decreasing monotonous tasks, minimized errors, and more as explained in this article by Western Governors University. These are only a few of the amazing attributes artificial intelligence consists of. As attractive as the endless possibilities may seem, we as humans need to take a giant step back in order to see the big picture and how artificial intelligence could impact us negatively. 

        

The Frontline documentary In the Age of AI has opened my eyes tremendously to not only the impact artificial intelligence can have, but already has. One aspect that I did not realize was that lots of people have already lost their jobs as a result and the standard of living has been lowered 10-15%. Many people rely on monotonous, repetitive tasked jobs and now that they are being replaced, they are not able to bring in a steady income. On top of this, the documentary explained that Americans do not have a money cushion they can rely on in order to go back to school to learn a new craft. Due to this, they are left pining for any jobs they can find or are left out of work. This mirrors the quote from the documentary that “AI is a driver for increased inequality”. Unfortunately with AI’s power in the rich’s hands, it will become a question of ethics for if AI will slow down and be used for good, or if it will continue to grow until we can not control it anymore.

In terms of privacy with artificial intelligence, everyone should be worried. Data mining is happening all around us without even realizing. The most eye-opening quote from the whole documentary was

“We thought that we were using social media, not that social media was using us.”

This is not only true, but frightening. Additionally described in the documentary is that we as people thought we could trust technology because it had always improved lives in the past. Being a communications major, I have learned all about predictive marketing and thought that it was a great tool for companies to use. I had never considered that these same tools could be used to influence real-world behavior prior to this documentary where it explained an experiment that influenced how many people went to vote for an election solely based on what showed up on their social media feed.

The bottom line after learning this information and the real possible risks involved with using artificial intelligence is that we have to take a stand to use it for good. Just as easily as good people can use it for good and improve lives, evil people can make AI a tool used for bad and ruin peoples lives. 

Blog Post #8

 EOTO Terms & Concepts

An echo chamber in simple terms is when someone is only surrounded by information that mirrors what they already believe, resulting in a self-reinforcing loop. This is not something that exists primarily online. For example, echo chambers are also created when people surround themselves only with like-minded individuals. While this is also an important area to study, the echo chambers created on the digital media are the most prevalent, and in my opinion the most dangerous of all. 

There are few, but notable pros to echo chambers. Echo chambers can create a more enjoyable for the viewers. In doing so, viewers' online experiences can be enhanced and they leave feeling fulfilled. Even with taking these considerations into account, echo chambers cons heavily outweigh the pros. By creating an environment where people are in a constant state of comfort, they are not able to learn how to grow. The most noteworthy negative implications echo chambers have are increasing political polarization and difficulty in understanding opposing viewpoints. It is also important to be aware of echo chambers because they are not only fueled by confirmation bias, but also create misinformation.

Echo chambers have always been around, but social media has increased the impact exponentially. This study done by Harvard examines how social media feeds act as echo chambers. With a society that is more and more reliant on social media, this is not only worrisome but dangerous. Additionally, with an increasing amount of sources using algorithms to ‘enhance viewership’, echo chambers are becoming easier to come by since your social media feed is now automatically personalized to you.

So how do echo chambers affect society as a whole? Primarily in spreading misinformation and increasing political polarization. The article What is a Social Media Echo Chamber? by the University of Texas at Austin explains its impact on everyday people in everyday context by asking “do you ever hear a friend or family member speak on a topic with the belief that “everyone” thinks the same way?”. This is a conversation I am sure everyone has in some shape or form been a part of. This exact question shows the implications that echo chambers have on society. By having people thinking that everything they see is fact and not seeing any other viewpoint to combat it, their willingness to engage in uncomfortable conversations decreases.

When taking a look at how different people are affected by echo chambers in different ways, it is quite interesting. A study by Sage Journals took a deeper look at just this. In this study, they concluded that more highly educated people are less susceptible to the impacts echo chambers can have because they tend to be more receptive of new information and are more aware that there are more viewpoints out there. This is also shown with more highly educated people being more open to critical thinking and expanding their knowledge through different perspectives. Another subset of people that this study looked at was elders. They found that as aging increases, so does the unwillingness to change one's beliefs. With this knowledge, we know that echo chambers are especially harmful to older people because they already have this barrier and by being in an echo chamber, they will only reinforce what they do not know.

Echo chambers become increasingly dangerous when thinking about the impact they can have on minorities and the LGBTQ+ community. It has been shown that due to echo chambers, reaching people outside of your established audience is much more difficult. Because of this, stigmatization increases along with discriminatory behaviors. The article How Do Social Media Algorithms Impact LGBTQ People? , it describes how while discrimination is not new, echo chambers are adding to the mix and creating another avenue. This article also explained that the social media algorithms have been shown to be uniquely harmful for people of color, disadvantaged groups, and the LGBTQ community. 

So what does all of this mean for you? If you do not think that you yourself are not impacted by echo chambers, you are wrong. Digital media echo chambers are changing the way we communicate with one another, how we understand new things, and how open we are to new information. It is important to realize that people may be hearing their own facts and that you must find a different approach to explaining differing viewpoints to them. By being aware of the array of information people are getting as well as that people think that the information they are getting is more truthful than others, we can learn how to more effectively communicate with one another and become less polarized.

Blog Post #7

 Privacy, Online & Off

Growing up in this day and age, technology has never not been a part of my life. While I have always been cognizant of the harmful effects technology can have on people, it was not until now that I considered how I could be targeted as well. When I say this, I do not mean that I could be currently targeted because I am more important than before, rather that I have learned that all people are being surveilled.

The Ted Talk “Your online life, permanent as a tattoo” by Juan Enriquez was one that resonated highly
with me. The most interesting point he made was that big data, tattoos, immortality, and the Greeks were all in the same category because of their permanence. This concept alone had the most impact on me because again, while I knew that technology could have negative effects, I never wrapped my head around just how permanent my data footprint was.

Additionally, Catherine Crump’s Ted Talk “The small and surprisingly dangerous detail the police track about you”, en her description of just how much we are being surveilled was incredibly eye opening to me. 

I have always been someone who did not have much care for my data being collected. I always thought
that since I am not doing anything wrong, nothing will happen to me. I can confidently say now that I no longer feel this way. Catherine Crump describes the story of an elderly man who was tracked because he went to lawful political protests to draw. If he was surveilled when doing nothing wrong, what is stopping the same outcome from happening to me and my loved ones?

After learning this information, I question how the government does not feel inclined to help. This article by The New York Times explained the current state of the privacy laws in our country. As you can see from the map provided, there are so many different rules and regulations it makes it nearly impossible for anyone to keep track. This article also did a nice job of explaining how many states do not require companies to notify you when gathering and selling your personal information, including your health. 

The biggest thing that we can do to protect ourselves from the ever growing world of surveillance is accumulate knowledge. By informing ourselves of what is happening, we can be more cautious with the data footprint we leave behind. Continuing to spread knowledge and awareness is the only way to combat these issues. 

Blog Post #6

 The Progressive Era

After being posed with this question, I was left contemplating why I think the media is in the current state that it is in today. Honestly, I am not exactly sure how we got here. As someone who does not consume as much news as they probably should, my thoughts are limited but connect to other issues in our society. 

The first thought that comes to my mind for why you have to seek out obscure websites in order to hear strong antiwar voices is because of money. Unfortunately, we see in the media world today that the power houses are the most divided. For example, CNN and FOX are widely known and have very opposing views. So why can they cover the same events in such different ways? I think that is because of their audience. By having more like-minded viewers, the advertisements these news sources are able to show are much more successful. This allows the organization to be paid more money while simultaneously pulling their viewers further away from the other side, solidifying them as their own consumer. 

In today's day in age, consuming media is done much quicker than ever before. In the Washington Post article, “Americans read headlines. And not much else.” explains how 41% people consume their news from the headlines alone. This leads me into the bigger societal issue with social media algorithms. A person's social media feed is filled with pieces based on what they have interacted with before. So while in the past, everyone was getting the same news information, today, people can hear the same story in different ways and not realize that other people are receiving different “facts”. Thinking about this reminded me of the quote:

“People have always had different opinions. Now they have different facts.” 

by Anne Applebaum. 

While this is a hard pill to swallow, it is the reality we live in now. Another article that stuck out to me was “How Reliable is Your News Source? Understanding Media Bias 2022” and drive this point further. This article shows the difference in coverage from three points-of-view of the same current event. 

So why specifically do I think that it is hard to find strong anti-war voices? I am not quite sure. Reflecting back on the points I have made above, I would say that I think it is because consumers of media did not interact enough which led to less coverage and therefore, news being broadcasted focusing on other subjects that will make them more money. 

Blog Post #5

 EOTO Presentations Reflection

The presentations given by my fellow classmates were very impressive. While each technology explained was interesting in their own way, none were as fascinating to me as the carrier pigeon.

Prior to this presentation, I personally had little to no knowledge on the history of carrier pigeons and especially not how they worked. The first thing I learned was that these were birds that were specifically bred and trained for this. These pigeons have an internal magnetic compass that connects them with the earth giving them a sort of built in GPS. Additionally, these pigeons have a natural homing instinct and strong senses of sight and smell.

After learning that these birds were specifically made for delivering messages, I only became more intrigued. One of the most surprising facts is that carrier pigeons delivered messages only 40% slower than today's mail.

The story that touched my heart the most was that there was a carrier pigeon that was delivering a message during the war that was blinded and shot injuring one wing. This same carrier pigeon fought to make sure it returned back to base to deliver its message. After hearing this, I was inclined to learn if there were any other similar stories.

The article "Meet the hero carrier pigeon that saved US troops during a WWI battle 100 years ago" explains the story of President Wilson, the carrier pigeon, who is now showcased inside the Pentagon in the World War I exhibit. President Wilson is honored for his ability to deliver life-saving messages most notably so after being shot at and hit by German soldiers. President Wilson is pictured here to the left. 

Another article I found that highlighted the impacts of carrier pigeons during the war was "The Unsung Heroes of World War I: The Carrier Pigeons". This article also highlighted the success of President Wilson as well as explained how carrier pigeons were especially useful on the front lines. 

The presentation given by my classmate in addition to the articles I read have made me aware not only of how carrier pigeons work, but also just how important they were in history and the impact they played specifically in the war.