Wednesday, February 21, 2024
Blog Post #10
Sunday, February 18, 2024
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.
Friday, February 16, 2024
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
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.
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.
Wednesday, February 7, 2024
Blog Post #6
The Progressive Era
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.
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.
Saturday, February 3, 2024
Blog Post #5
EOTO Presentations Reflection
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 liv...
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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 liv...
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EOTO Terms and Concepts Presentations The presentations done by my classmates were all very interesting and insightful. While listening, t...
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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 i...