Our Relationship with Technology

 My Relationship with Technology 

 

     Technology is an ever-evolving world, but the more the technology improves the more of our lives it takes up.  Technology is beautiful when it is used positively, but when used negatively technology can be ugly. Technology has many different forms and faces. The most predominant one however is Social Media. Without technology, we wouldn't have social media. Social Media is defined by Tuft University as,  "the means of interaction among people in which they create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks. "  According to data recorded by Investopedia, "More than 4.7 billion people use social media, equal to roughly 60% of the world’s population."

 

    Social media has been in my own life since I was in 4th grade or so. Vine, Tumblr, and KIK were the forms of social media I used then. I wasn't even really sharing anything because all I did was go to school and do gymnastics, plus I was 10. I wasn't doing that I could've shared with the internet. Now I have Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, VSCO, Pinterest, Spotify, Linkedin, Twitter, and Youtube. As a 20-year-old in college, I have a lot more to share online and I love being able to do so. My family and friends I don't see all the time can keep up with me through various different platforms, that is my favorite part of social media. It is fun at the end of a semester to see everyone's highlights, celebrities announcing tour dates, or shopping for a birthday present social media has something for everyone. There are also so many different platforms for all different purposes.

    

Facebook is where I post pictures and videos for my older family members to see. Snapchat I use to communicate with my friends by sending silly pictures or videos. TikTok is just fun to scroll through at night or make funny videos with your friends late at night. Instagram is where I post my "highlights". This just means I post the best pictures of myself and my friends. Instagram is more of a highlight reel because that's just how the app is used, but for me, I like to post for brands and I like those shots to look good. As I said, all of these platforms can be used differently so just because that is how I use them doesn't mean that is how everyone uses them. With all of the different apps and content to digest it also becomes quite addicting. Nowadays if you look at most dinner tables while out you see at least 2 tables where everyone is on their phone. It is crazy how consumed we are with social media and technology even while eating our meals. I am guilty of it too don't get me wrong, but it is still so sad to see. We as humans, especially since the pandemic, have become less and less face-to-face interactive and that was mostly due to the massive rise in social media and technology during the pandemic. According to a study done by Pew Research Center, 90% of people would say that technology is essential in their everyday life after the pandemic. That number is outrageous to me considering we didn't have half of the apps let alone the technology to occupy our time before. Think about that for a minute. How does that statistic make you feel? 
   

    As technology continues to develop, it learns more and more about us and ways to help us get through the day-to-day. As it begins to learn more it gets to be more and more dangerous place to be. It knows what we like, what we don't like, our location, and any information you give it. That is a part of our digital footprint. Our digital footprint is "one's unique set of traceable digital activities, actions, contributions and communications manifested on the Internet or digital devices." Digital footprints didn't exist 30 years ago, but now everyone has one with hundreds if not thousands of "footprints". In my opinion, that shows just how fast technology is growing. Technology is fantastic and if used properly can be beautiful. So try to use it for good and positivity above all.  

 

 

 

8 Values of Free Expression

 8 Values of Free Expression

    The 8 Values of Free Expression are as follows; national security, safety, public morality, privacy, reputation, dignity, and equality. According to Chemerinsky at UNC, "Freedom of expression—which includes verbal and nonverbal behaviors that express a person’s opinion, point of view, or identity—is considered a fundamental right within our political system." Obviously, free expression and all that means are extremely important, but I believe that privacy and equality are the two most important.

 

    Privacy is defined by Oxford Dictionary as "the state of being free from public attention." Who doesn't love having privacy? The privacy should be a natural right that everyone is given regardless. That is an example of equality which is the second most important value of free expression. Equality, as defined by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, "is about ensuring every individual has an equal opportunity to make the most of their lives and talents." I think these two are just basic human rights to me and I believe that is how it should be. Privacy is needed in all sorts of scenarios, but most importantly with our personal information. The 1st Amendment protects this value that should be a right.

 

    The Equality Act of 2010, "prohibits all employers, service providers and providers of education, from discriminating against, harassing or victimizing individuals with protected characteristics." Examples, given by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, of unlawful discrimination are; refusing to admit a child to a school as a pupil because of their race or discouraging a female student from undertaking a course in Engineering. We are all created equal, breathe the same air, and eat the same foods so why do we act as though we are all so different. Yes, we are all unique, but at the end of the day, we are all flesh and bones regardless. This is something that is a fact not an opinion. Whether it's voting, riding on a bus, wages, etc everyone should be given an equal chance.

 

    Through the 8 Values of Free Expression, we get a lot of basic, inalienable rights. These are rights we take for granted as a middle-class America. Although we have these values as a country doesn't mean everyone is in alignment with them. So next time you see a news article or something involving these values, sit back and reflect on whether they are truly being valued. 

Influencers

Influencers

           Social Media Influencers. They are one of the newest career paths and ways of marketing for brands.  Influencers are defined as a person with a large online presence. Typically these creators are paid for their work or at least otherwise compensated. Some influencers work for skincare or makeup brands and will be sent things to try on video or at least promote an item. An example of this would be if Benefit Cosmetics sent me a product to make a Tik Tok about and they gave me a percentage of those sales. This is real life! Isn't it crazy that it can be someone's full-time job!

    

        Some influencers are geared for different genres whether that be beauty, gaming, lifestyle, cooking, etc. There are also so many different platforms now and each one has a different form of content. Instagram is more short-form content; meaning it's a post that someone interacts with once and moves on, or refers back to once or twice. TikTok is a slightly longer form but would still be considered short-term because it is a 15-second to 3-minute video promoting or showing an item(s). Youtube is long-form content and is the oldest form of influencing. Youtube videos can be fully dedicated to a brand or there can be an ad portion of the video. 

 

 

The United States Supreme Court

 The Supreme Court

The United States Supreme Court "is the highest court in the Federal Judiciary. This means that they hold the greatest power. This is a position you maintain once you are appointed. There are 9 Justices. These 9 justices are in charge of making sure the people of the United States are ruled fairly under the law. 

 

    Through this video, you learn about the basics of the Supreme Court, such as the ins and outs of the courtroom. You also see parts of an interview with some of the current justices. I think this video really shows the importance of the Supreme Court by explaining how they are the final set of people who see/approve a law before it is passed. They also of course have to right to not pass the law or amendment as well. I think this video is very helpful in showing how valuable the supreme court is. 

    

 

    Something I found interesting that I didn't know before was that the Supreme Court takes cases as they are presented to them, the Supreme Court can't just decide it wants to work on something specific. Regardless of how relevant or pressing an issue might be they don't have control over what they review on any given day. I can't say that my view of the court is changed in terms of fairness or justness, but I do have a little more understanding for the timeline of some issues.  

Age of AI

MACHINE LEARNING:

 In simple terms machine learning is like what our brain does, it retains what we do on our computer or machines and uses that to improve the algorithm. 

"Arthur Samuel coined the term “machine learning”.  IBM.com states, “Through the use of statistical methods, algorithms are trained to make classifications or predictions, and to uncover key insights in data mining projects. These insights subsequently drive decision making within applications and businesses, ideally impacting key growth metrics.” Machine learning helps the algorithm learn what the user needs or wants in order to improve the use of the technology solution."

“Robert Nealey, the self-proclaimed checkers master, played the game on an IBM 7094 computer in 1962, and he lost to the computer. Compared to what can be done today, this feat seems trivial, but it’s considered a major milestone in the field of artificial intelligence.” 

Info on AI

Technology Timeline

     Technology is ever-changing. We discussed different forms of technology everywhere from carrier pigeons, telegraphs, the first iPod, and Netflix. Every form of technology has a main purpose but there are hundreds of forms. My personal favorite is text messaging or Snapchat. I use both all day, every day. It makes communicating with friends and family so easy. I can instantly get pictures of my friend who is 1,500 miles away because of the advancements in technology. One form of communication technology we discussed that I knew the least about was Facebook. I was unaware of how one of the biggest social media platforms got its start. Mark Zuckerburg started Facebook while he was in college after a previous platform failed. Who knew one of the biggest names in technology started off with a failure. This platform is now used by over 2 billion people daily.

        Another communication technology I was unaware of the background behind is the vast impact of the first radio. The first radio gave way to a new way to ingest media and more jobs. The Radio was invented in 1916. It was a way to communicate news quickly and a new form of entertainment as well. Today radio is still used but used less due to streaming services such as Spotify, Soundcloud, and Apple Music. 

Radio