Final Blog Post: Relationship with Technology

    I think if blogging and social media were around when Martin Luther King was alive he would have posted a lot on his social media. He would have been able to type up his speeches and publish them for the world to see. If he were still giving speeches, he might have opted to go live on a social media platform and address his audience directly. While this could have been a great opportunity for Martin Luther King to reach a wider audience quickly, I think some people may not have taken him as seriously, and some people would not have listened. I believe that social media could have diminished his impact, as people could have easily dismissed him and created divisions instead of unity. 

    I think my relationship with technology is not as healthy as it could be. I think this because I have found myself so focused on what I am looking at that I am not paying attention to what is around me at times. We saw this in the 2nd video when no one is paying attention to the kid instead they are all looking at their phones. I also related to this video in the scenes of videotaping things going on around. I have found myself recording things that were happening in many circumstances instead of living in the moment and taking it in. It can be good to have those videos but sometimes just enjoying what's going on is important. 

    I believe I should reduce my reliance on technology. I have a lot of entertainment on my phone, which keeps me using it for long periods of time. This is not healthy, especially before going to bed. Research shows that looking at a device before sleeping can negatively affect our health. However, I find myself using my phone the most during this time. Moreover, if I don't use my phone much during the day, I feel like I need to catch up on everything I missed when in reality, I do not need to give technology that much attention.

    I believe that technology can be very informative if used correctly. Looking up news or important questions is a great way to learn. However, sometimes you may come across bad information which can mislead you. When learning from the internet, it is important to be smart and find trustworthy sources that provide accurate information.

    I sometimes worry that technology might take over our society. Although, I hope it doesn't happen, if I were to predict the future, I would say that technology is on the rise and might take over in some ways. Nowadays, we see younger generations using devices more often, especially more than my generation did at their age. For example, my 9-year-old cousin always has his iPad in his hands, playing games. It's hard to have a conversation with him because he is so invested in his device. This is why I think society may be negatively impacted by technology.

    As I mentioned earlier, social media and technology affect all. of us, but it harms different generations in different ways. My grandmothers do not use social media or have smartphones, they only use a flip phone to call us. My parents use social media and technology, but they are not as addicted as my generation. In comparison, my generation spends most of our time on our computers, phones, and iPads. Almost everyone in my generation uses some form of social media and we use it quite often. Tik Tok, can be an addicting app that can give us positive information but also hurts us by the time we spend on it. Lastly, I feel that my cousin's generation is the most affected. I fear they won't be able to interact and be social with anyone. This can have an impact on their brain development and overall life.

    The first thing someone would see when they look me up is the roster for the High Point University Women's soccer team. Despite my social media accounts being private, posts can always be found as they are stored in our systems even if they are deleted. We learned a lot about cyber privacy and the impact of online presence. Although I don't have much of an offline presence, I do have several social media accounts where I post and engage with content.

Blog #9 In the Age of AI

    The era of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is upon our society more than ever before. Technology has been utilized in ways that the general public has little knowledge of. Several experts  in the video expressed their concerns about the use of AI and warned against its increasing impact on society. The video focused on how AI is being used as a modern-day surveillance tool that continuously collects and stores data on our personal lives. 

    In recent years, people have become more aware of the applications and capabilities of AI. This has led to an increasing inclination towards supporting stricter privacy regulations and greater awareness of the data that businesses possess. The California Privacy Law, for instance. The "right to know" what information a business collects, how it is used and shared, the ability to opt out of sharing information, and the ability to have some of the gathered information deleted are all included in the Act.

    In the video, China was described as a "surveillance state," with cameras positioned everywhere to alert the public that they were being watched. Although China possesses some of the most cutting-edge technology, Amy Webb noted in the film that fifty-eight other nations are thinking about utilizing the same kind of software that China does. This is a concerning issue as there is an increasing prevalence of severe invasions of privacy. It raises questions about whether other developed nations will take similar action.

  AI is becoming more prevalent in our daily lives and it is affecting our privacy. Surveillance cameras, radios, and phones are constantly recording and learning from us. Our phones are specifically designed to listen to our conversations and display targeted ads. This invasion of privacy is concerning, but there are times when it can be useful. Nowadays, almost anything we need or want can be found online, and with the help of AI, we can be sure to only see relevant ads.

Blog #10 EOTO presentation

    I learned that disinformation is the spread of false information leading to a misunderstanding. We see this on social media as fake news, such as government motives, economic motives, and health motives. Can used for scams. I also learned from this group about false flags. False flags are beliefs that certain major world events happen to push a political or government thought. Such as 9/11, people labeled this as a false flag that George Bush knew would happen and did not do anything. People said "George Bush did 9/11". There are many events people may claim as false flags like the Sandy Hook shooting. 

An online influencer is a person who collaborates with brands to promote their products. These products gain more recognition when online influencers endorse them. The Spiral of Silence theory suggests that people tend to remain silent when they feel that their opinion is not in line with the majority. This is because they want to avoid the feeling of isolation or embarrassment.

Blog #7 Privacy Online & Off

    It is important for people to become more aware of digital privacy. Tracking and surveillance are part of our daily lives, and being just aware of this type of privacy may not even be enough. According to Juan Enriquenz society now ultimately does not have privacy. Wherever you go there can be data that is pilled up on you. He uses the idea of "tattoos" to show we are marked online like someone is marked with tattoos. This is through the updated facial recognition getting your data pulled up within seconds from just a picture. This can be seen as good in certain aspects like finding a criminal and using surveillance to identify them. However, every person is so easily tracked and identifiable.    While in Catherine Crump's Ted Talk She is discussing the use of license plate tracking in the policing system, which is utilized to collect data on our daily activities like going to church or shops. The government and other digital software companies have integrated other forms of surveillance into various aspects of our lives. For instance, cell phones have the capability of wiretapping, which involves intercepting and recording our personal texts and calls. Such data can also be hacked, thereby compromising our privacy. This issue is further elaborated in Christopher Soghoian's Ted Talk.    These issues affect me, my friends, and my family as we spend a lot of time online. It's concerning that everything we do online is always recorded and cannot be fully deleted. Whether it's for entertainment or communicating with my parents, I'm constantly on my phone, computer, or iPad. Even the information we research or read online requires us to accept "terms and conditions", which often gives the government access to our data and internet activity.    I think the government needs to take action to deal with the problem at hand. While it may help catch criminals, it's also violating the privacy of individuals. I'm not sure how the government can fix this, but I believe they could improve the situation somewhat. The only other way to protect our privacy would be to stay offline and never leave our homes, which isn't realistic.

Blog #8 EOTO Terms & Concepts Artificial Intelligence

    Artificial Intelligence (AI) has had several definitions over the past few years however, John McCarthy defined it as "It is the science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs. It is related to the similar task of using computers to understand human intelligence but AI does not have to confine itself to biologically observable methods". It combines computer science and robust datasets, to enable problem-solving. It also surrounds sub-fields of machine learning and deep learning. While AI has the potential to alter the way people work, communicate, and engage with technology, it also brings up issues related to job displacement, bias and discrimination, and possible misuse or abuse. However, it has been said that within the next 5 years, 7.1 million jobs will disappear due to the popularity of AI

    As more people use AI it may affect our society. A concern is that AI systems would reinforce prejudice and discrimination. This is because AI systems can only be as objective as the training data they utilize. The AI system will also be biased if the data is prejudiced. For instance, it has been demonstrated that face recognition software is less accurate for individuals with darker skin tones, underscoring the need for more diversity and inclusion in AI research. It can affect our society in good ways by stimulating economic growth, increasing productivity at lower costs, and stimulating job creation said Altman co-founder of OpenAI. John Hope Bryant, Operation HOPE Chairman, Founder, and CEO, also states, "The promise of an economic boost via machine learning is understandably seductive, but if we want to ensure AI technology has a positive impact, we must all be engaged early on. With proper policy oversight, I believe it can transform the future of the underserved". It's critical to keep in mind that AI is only as useful as its users. Although there are worries about the abuse or misuse of AI, it is our collective responsibility as a society to make sure that AI is created and applied in a way that is morally and responsibly appropriate. 

  AI has the potential to increase the racial economic divide in the US by $43 billion annually. There is a lot of evidence that shows that AI technologies may discriminate against underprivileged populations. This is because AI is created by people and used in systems and organizations that have a history of institutionalized prejudice, such as our financial systems, housing markets, and criminal justice systems. The data that AI is trained on is often biased or un

representative of women, people of color, or other disadvantaged groups, which can perpetuate prejudice. Studies have found that women are more concerned about the risks associated with using AI, due to fears about economic and personal security, as well as the potential for major changes. Money is concentrated in the development of AI, with investments in research and development being primarily made by large companies with economic strength. However, AI can still benefit poor communities by helping to develop learning tools and improving the efficiency of healthcare delivery.

   Finally, AI can have both positive and negative effects on the lives of people, depending on how it is utilized. It can be a great tool for generating new ideas and projects for me, my family, and friends. However, it is crucial that we use it correctly and responsibly to make the most of its benefits. Our generation can leverage this technology to our advantage if we use it in the right ways. 

Blog #6 The Progressive Era

    When I consider why voices like those found on Antiwar.com and The American Conservative are consistently hidden from the public, I believe it's because the information they provide can be alarming. Some citizens are unaware of what the government is doing behind the scenes, and these sources are the ones shedding light on the government's actions for them.

    The government wants to limit people's access to information. If the government's actions were made public, it could lead to public outrage and political disruption. One article calls out that US military advisors have been deployed to Taiwan. When the Pentagon was asked about this situation they could not comment. In this article, the public has learned the US has recently begun providing Taiwan with unprecedented military aid. This is something the government would have tried to hide because until last year they have always sold weapons but never financed the purchases or provided arms free to Taiwan. Another article talks about a drone that killed U.S troops in Jordan that went undetected. This story would have made Americans extremely mad if it was easily accessible because an Iranian-made drone killed three American soldiers last week at a remote base in Jordan. However, there was no air defense system on site capable of shooting it down. 

    I believe that it is hard to seek out obscure websites in order to hear strong anti-war voices. If the government were completely transparent with the public, it might be more difficult for them to profit from those who are unaware or do not take an interest in our country's politics and foreign affairs. Although news sources may sometimes reach a larger audience, some people will always support their political parties and refuse to see the harm they cause. They may even deny or protest the information presented to them.

  In conclusion, discovering reliable websites can be a challenging task, and one must research the news stories carefully. Unfortunately, many American citizens rely solely on the news outlets that they support, which may not present a complete and accurate picture of what is happening in the government. The government often withholds political decisions from the press to avoid public outrage. Therefore, if one seeks the truth, one must be willing to conduct extensive research and explore anti-war websites.

Post #5 Technology learned

     During these presentations, I learned a lot about technology. The most interesting thing I learned about was the carrier pigeons. They are birds that were trained to bring messages to people. They do this because they have an internal magnetic compass which helps them go to specific regions on earth. As well as having the natural instinct to go home. Some birds would have a bell system to allow their owner to know they are back with a message. People used carrier birds more commonly because using the method of traveling on foot or carriage there could be accidents or dishonesty. I found it extremely interesting to find out they used these for Olympic competitions to tell people around the world who won these events. As well as using them in the war. People were able to write coordinates of enemies or send locations where they were and the birds would bring the message to the base. 

    Another thing I learned was the first SMS message was sent in 1992 by an engineer named Neil Papworth. It was originally sent through a personal computer to bosses' mobile devices, and it introduced new abbreviations and slang. Billions of texts were sent per month in 2001 and generated 100 million in corporate profits. James Russel created the CD in 1979, and the distribution began in Japan in 1982 and cost nearly $1000. The telegraph was invented during the Industrial Revolution, and it helped with trade on railroads because it was a faster way of information or directions. The revolution of the tv has been extreme. They have not even been around for 100 years, and the first ones were extremely small and bulky they also only showed black and white. Motion pictures' first film was in 1903, and Thomas Edison designed the phonograph. The cassette was created by Lou Ottens, we see a great example of the "talkboy" in home alone. The Walkman came out in 1979 and this helped authors record their ideas as well as artists. 

The first radio was invented in the 1880s by Guglielmo Marconi. The newspaper was called "acta diurnal" and America wouldn't grant publication until 1791. The United States Postal Service was established in 1775, its purpose was to have news coming back from the news and government. It connected the 13 colonies and this is how the idea of the email sparked.  I learned a lot about the technologies that have shaped our modern world. Even though some of these technologies are no longer used, they have paved the way for our current advancements.