Blog #12: Final Blog Post - The Impact of Technology

The Impact of Technology

If I were to think about my digital footprint, I would have to say that it wouldn’t be a very big one because as the years have gone on and the older I have gotten, I have found myself drifting away from social media. If I were applying for a job today, there would be very little that my prospective employer would find because I believe that I am a very private person. Since I was old enough to have a phone and start using social media, my mom has always told me to watch what I put on the internet because it was following me forever, and that has stuck to this day.  

When I googled my name, the only thing that popped up was my portfolium and linked-in accounts made to be public, and my max preps account from high school because I played basketball, and it was used so that I could be scouted. I find it very shocking that I don’t have a bigger online presence when searching my name because I have multiple different social media accounts, but I am very limited in how much I post on them.

However, I think that my lack of presence on the internet has been a positive thing for me because, if I were to have a prospective employer trying to find me, the image that I perceive is that I am about my business and I am professional. There is nothing that I would edit out of my online presence because there is nothing that could ruin my image or chances of getting a job, and I approve of everything that can be seen.

 With all of that being said, I believe that my relationship with technology is in the middle, it is most definitely not completely unhealthy, and it is not completely healthy either. The negative part of my relationship with technology is that sometimes I can spend too much time on it, just scrolling threw it and looking to see what other people are doing. The second thing is that sometimes I set higher expectations for myself or think that I am not where I need to be because of what other people post. I see some people who are my age but aren't in school, and they have their own businesses or got their own house/ apartment. I often have had to tell myself that I am still very young, I am a college student, and I need to be proud of what I have accomplished thus far.

The positive side of my relationship with technology is that I am able to use it for school work whenever I need it. I especially think that it became positive when we were sent home due to COVID, virtual meetings and classes became the new norm for everyone, and it kept us safe during a tough time. I can also say that technology has played a huge role for me in

 being able to Face-time my family members when I miss them and want to see their faces, and also for friends and me, especially since Apple has created group FaceTime. I can honestly say that I am grateful that we are able to have the technology today because it can help us in more ways than we even realize. Over time the world of technology has grown tremendously before our eyes, continuing to grow. Here is an article that explains more about how covid has transformed technology in such a short time.

I think that technology has become more informative and very misleading over time. This was most definitely seen at the beginning of covid. We got so much misinformation about the virus that we couldn't determine what was real and fake. Here is another article that discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic spread misinformation on social media and other digital platforms. On the other hand, we were given honest information from reliable sources. We were able to use the internet to research that information and earn more about the virus to protect ourselves better.

                                

 There are multiple reasons why I worry about the misleading information, especially because there are so many younger children who are on social media/the internet. When we go into stores and see toddlers, they have tablets in their hands or a parent's cell phone, and it is actually kind of funny because they really know how to use these products. We see how much more tech-savvy and intelligent this new generation is, and it is crazy because, at that age, I wasn’t using any of those types of things. We could all agree that it has made kids smarter, but we also don’t realize that kids are prone to pick up on things very easily and remember anything they see. I was very interested in finding out the pros and cons of children using technology at such a young age, and I found this article that explains the benefits and drawbacks of children using technology. 

We can’t control what other people put on the internet, so when a child is able to navigate the internet, they are susceptible to pick up and learn things such as violence, guns, bad language, x-rated things, etc. With that being said, I believe that these types of things are just an accepted part of the society we live in. I think that part of this dealt with covid because using technology to stay connected with the world or keep us busy just became the new norm because it kept us safe at the time.

As a society, we will get better, but I’d be crazy to think that because technology will continue to evolve, it will depend on how we choose to use it.

If you are interested and want to learn more about the future evolution of technology, here is the link to a website exploring digital innovation predictions by 2030. It also explores new habits and media,media and society, and politics and media.

Blog#11: In the Age of AI

THE AGE OF AI

Technology has grown tremendously today, and the things we use them for can sometimes be unbelievable, but they can also have pros and cons. One of the first things I thought about watching the video “In the age of AI" is home security and monitoring. Home security has most definitely advanced since it was created. I think about the security system in my house, and it is very tech-savvy. We have cameras all around the house; we can access the front door and the garage from our phones and even control the thermostat from one little app.

Don't get me wrong, these are all very good ways to make sure you keep your house safe but have cons. One thing that I have always thought about that is really scary is what happens if someone is able to gain access to our house by hacking into the app. How do we prevent something like this from happening, and what enforcements and protocols are put in place if it happens?

What really shocked me from this video that I was unaware of is that when we thought we were searching Google, Google was really searching us. That is really scary to think about because we all use the internet so often, and still, we never really know if someone is watching us, and I think what makes it even scarier is that this is just the beginning. Technology is going to continue to enhance.

We are watched all the time, and we don’t even realize it, from street cameras, license plate readers, and the internet. It’s weird to know that someone has this type of access to us, and we have to make sure we are keeping our guard up to keep ourselves safe.

Blog #10: EOTO 2 Reflection - Echo Chamber

 What is the Echo Chamber?

During EOTO presentations, one term that I found to be very interesting was the Echo chamber. An Echo chamber is defined as “ an environment where a person only encounters information or opinions that reflect their own”. This is also why they are prone to create misinformation and has the ability to challenge or distort an individual's perspective, so they have “difficulty considering opposing viewpoints and discussing complicated topics”.

The psychology behind the echo chamber is fueled mostly by confirmation bias. Whether we realize it or not, echo chambers can happen around us anywhere or anytime information is exchanged. This can happen in person or online but is more prone on the internet because of the different perspectives and sources.

There is one certain type of echo chamber that is known as the filter bubble. These filter bubbles are created by algorithms that can keep track of what we click on, and once you click on one specific thing, you will begin to see similar things that you were interested in, which prevents you from being able to find new things.

You may not even realize that you are in an echo chamber because they are hard to recognize. A few questions that you can ask yourself if you use a website that could possibly be an echo chamber are;

Do they tend to only give one perspective on an issue?

Is that viewpoint mainly supported by rumor or incomplete evidence?

Are facts ignored whenever they go against that viewpoint?

I found that to be very interesting because this information is new to me, and it makes me wonder what websites or social media groups I use could be an echo chamber. It is very intriguing to know that the viewpoints/ perspectives that we have created about different things could have been formed by an echo chamber, and we do not even know. We like to tell ourselves that we have our own viewpoints on things, but do we really? or did we watch, read, or listen to something else that helped spark our thoughts.

Once we begin to hear things consistently, we start to believe them because of the repeated exposure, and this is known as the Illusory Truth Effect. The worst thing about this phenomenon is that it can happen even when we know the information we are given is false.

A couple of ways that we can avoid echo chambers are; 

Check multiple news sources to ensure you are getting the correct information

Interact with individuals who have different perspectives

You have to remember that just because you want something to be true doesn’t make it true.

I think that much of society has been caught in an Echo Chamber, especially now with everything going on in the world. I wonder how long it will take us to realize that your viewpoint may very well not be your own.

Blog #9: Diffusion of Innovations

Diffusion of Innovation

Roger’s “Diffusion of Innovation is a theory that seeks to explain how, why, and what rate new ideas and technology spread.” The idea that I will be discussing in this blog will be how much social media has changed from the late 90s and early 2000s till now and how these apps have changed society.

Now, to explain this a little better. Roger’s theory uses a bell curve that uses time which is broken into different elements which are Pioneers, Early Adopters, Early Majority, Late Adopters, and Laggards. These elements are measured by dates and the time periods in which they were developed. These elements are how I will break down and explain the evolution of social media.

The photo above is known as the first recognizable social media site. It was called six degrees and it was created in 1997. With this site users were able to upload a profile and become friends with other users. This was very interesting to me because I had never heard of this site until I did my research, but also because it sounds very similar to Myspace and Facebook. Six degrees would be in the Pioneers stage of the bell curve because it was the first 

However, now we apps like Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram. With these apps, you can stay up to date with where your friends are or what they’re doing by posting pictures or just by making a quick little post. There is also TikTok which is used to post videos or watch what someone else is posting, your usually able to find whatever types of videos that you need whether it's cooking, dancing, comedy, makeup, etc.

In fact, in 2020 during the beginning of covid 19, the amount of time spent on social media increased by a significant amount. 20.5% used social media 30 minutes to 1 hour, 29.7% used it for 1-2 hours, 20% for 2-3 hours, and 17.9% for 3 or more hours.

 

TikTok is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms. The picture above is a diagram of the percentages of U.S. TikTok users by age at the beginning of the had the highest annual user growth rate at 85.3%. While Facebook remained low at 8.7%. With the pandemic, people were forced to stay inside and quarantine to keep from contracting the virus and TikTok became an outlet for many young individuals especially, middle, high school, and college students making us the early adopters. 

The older generations would be considered the Laggards of social media because they are the ones who use Facebook. Although they are still hip to using social media Facebook has become one that has been watered down over time. I don’t really get on Facebook much myself

only to see what my family is doing or to update my family on how my life is going. And I think it is even crazier because my mom who is still young doesn’t really get on Facebook as much as she uses to, and my stepdad deleted his completely. However, my grandparents are up there a significant amount and are very active at posting or with what has been posted. I think it’s a little funny to see the shift in users on this one app but it’s also good so that they have something for themselves.

I think that for the most part that social media has been beneficial especially during the pandemic because it gave us peace of mind while we were basically fearing for our health and safety, and it has continued to give us that peace of mind.

Blog #8: FVEY (EOTO)

 Five Eyes Alliance

“At the end of World War II, the United States and the United Kingdom continued their intelligence sharing-sharing efforts by signing the British-U.S. Communication agreement, which was later renamed to the UKUSA”. 

This agreement was created as a way that the United States and the United Kingdom could split their intelligence sharing streamline in order to better handle global threats. At the time of the agreement, their number one priority to focus on was the Soviet Union.

In 1948 Canada joined the alliance and in 1956, Australia and New Zealand also joined, which led to a globalized intelligence sharing entity that could gather intelligence outside of the United States reach, and also led to the name The Five Eyes (FVEY) Alliance. The UKUSA agreement between the countries has only strengthened over time and has extended its surveillance to online activity. However, there was a downside to this extension. Extending their surveillance online meant that they would be able to find out any information about any person, including those who weren’t terrorists or criminals which was an invasion of privacy. No one knew about this agreement or this invasion of privacy until the Edward Snowden leak in 2013. 

Edward Snowden is an American computer professional, who worked for the CIA as well as the National Security Agency (NSA). While working for the NSA Snowden copied and leaked classified information that exposed the government surveillance of citizens' online activity, which also contained evidence that the FVEY intelligence-sharing network was broader than they thought.

This leak created distrust between the citizens and the government, which it totally should have because what they were doing was not right. The intention that the FVEY Alliance had in the beginning before extending online was understandable especially if our lives could be in danger. But invading hundreds of thousands of citizens' privacy was crossing a line. But we see the government trying to cross lines all the time because they try to take advantage of the power that they have. 

After learning about this matter in class, I most definitely want to become more private with my life and my information. And I think that we all should do this because if you have nothing to hide and then there should be no reason, they have access to our lives like that. One way that we could protect ourselves is by using a VPN and being “aware of the online laws and regulations of the country you reside in.” If you want to learn how to protect yourself online here is a video and a blog that I found called Cybersecurity 101 that can help you protect your privacy.

Sources:

  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01495933.2019.1633186

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Eyeshttps://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/06/is-the-five-eyes-alliance-conspiring-to-spy-on-you/277190/

Blog #7: Privacy, Online & Off

Privacy, Online & Off 

After watching the TED Talk by Catherine Crump about being tracked by street cameras, or by the automatic license plate readers that police officers have on their cars was honestly very shocking to me. But I have always wondered how anyone could be driving and following the law, but still get pulled over because they may have a warrant out for their arrest, or their license have been suspended. I find it very uncomfortable that street cameras can just scan anyone’s license plates and be able to keep the information and watch our every move. 

But, at the same time, I’m not surprised. I can understand that sometimes they may need this data for AMBER Alerts, or to find someone after committing a crime, but it should be used just for those purposes. Any use other than just stated is a serious invasion of privacy. Why should they be worried about what an average person does every day, like going to pick up their kids, going out with friends, or even going to get some food. I would think that keeping all this unnecessary information would cause an overload and shut it down.

I don’t think it’s fair to try and create an image of someone based on information that was received by the breach of someone’s privacy. I mean how can you really create an image from someone based on that. This could be a huge factor in why so many innocent individuals are found guilty, but it is unfair to try and make someone look like a criminal when you only have one tiny piece of a puzzle that is incomplete. It’s scary to know that there could be photos of yourself somewhere in the police database of you just doing your normal everyday things, and it’s even scarier that these images could be turned and used against you

Blog #6: The Evolution of the Little Blue Bird (Twitter)

The Evolution of The Little Blue Bird

Over the last few years twitters, users have grown exponentially! For years I knew so many people that had a Twitter and I never knew exactly what it was, so I thought hey! If I don’t know what it is and what it is used for then I don’t need it. But weirdly after all my friends were using it and I started to use more social media I decided to finally make a Twitter and ever since I guess you could call me a Twitter addict!! Twitter was founded in 2006 by 4 individuals named, Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone, Evan Williams, and Noah Glass. Being able to learn about the history of Twitter in class was just so fascinating to me. For starters, I had no idea that it was called Twtter before it was called Twitter and I thought that was the most interesting fact. I think it’s cool that one little bird could be so popular and could attract so many people to one little app. Additionally, the first tweet ever made on Twitter was by the co-founder Jack Dorsey stating, “Just Setting up my Twitter”. Since that one little post, Twitter has evolved into one of the most popular social media apps. There have been 1.3 billion Twitter accounts created and there are 145 million daily users, and I am most definitely one of them.

 Whether it’s to just scroll down my feed and see funny videos, find posts that can relate to how feeling at that moment, or even to get the latest news on the hottest topics. But one of the things that I love the most about Twitter is that you find people who can relate to you every day. There could be something that you are going through and you might think it’s the worst thing in the world and that no one else is going through, but then you go on Twitter and you see that someone has been through the same thing and gives advice on the situation or someone is going through the same thing in that exact moment and it can just make you feel 10x better and for that reason, Twitter has been my #1 go-to app since I was a sophomore in high school. I know that Twitter has helped me in some ways so I’m interested in knowing how it may have helped others as well.