Final Blog Post- Our Relationship With Technology

Our Relationship With Technology 

For me, I find it easier to walk down the street texting on my phone than if I were just looking forward at the road ahead of me. This is true for most of my generation. We grew up in the world of technology, where if you didn’t have the most recent iPhone, you did not fit in. We grew up in a society where the generation of iPod you had determined your social status. Looking back at it now, it is ridiculous. But, it is life. We all allow ourselves to base our self-worth on what piece of metal sits in our pockets during the day.

I got my first iPod when I was thirteen. My parents' rule was that there was no technology until you were a teenager, and suddenly I was hooked. I downloaded every app possible. My friends and I would Snapchat from the moment we woke up until the second our heads hit the pillow, and nothing has changed since. Social media has changed the way the world works. Just looking at TikTok, for example, young girls have started to look older and older over the years because they see these girls online and idolize them. I think about the first time I saw a beauty blogger on YouTube at 13, it was Bethany Mota.

She was talking about how she could never leave the house without makeup on, and all of a sudden - neither could I. I let her influence me into doing the same thing. This movement has influenced the way that brands influence us as well; influencer advertising has been in uproar since YouTube and TikTok hit the market. This idea that people on the internet could sway you one way or another based on their opinions has taken control of our society.

Technology Before Today

I remember the first time my grandmother got an iPhone for Christmas. My siblings and I were so excited for her to open it - we thought she understood. We thought that my sixty-five-year-old grandmother understood how which Apple product you had determined your social status. My grandma didn’t even know how to turn it on. When watching the 64-65 NY World's Fair FUTURAMA Ride Video, I can see why. Back then, they pictured the colonization of the desert, whereas now we have fourteen-year-olds learning different TikTok dances and online challenges that have people ending up in the hospital. Technology has changed how our world functions.

Although technology has changed our world in many positive ways, it has also been detrimental in many ways as well. People look to technology to solve every problem. From students using ChatGPT to sending robots to the moon - there is technology everywhere. As we can see in the Mad World Remix of Moby Video (Are You Lost In The World Like Me), the future depicts a certain amount of reliance on technology. The people in the video cannot even walk down the street without their eyes glued to their phones, and neither can I. After watching this video, the class depicted it as an unnecessarily pessimistic view of the future, but was it?

Technology Today

I thought that this video was a perfect depiction of the world we are headed toward. A world where we depend on our phones, where we cannot even be at an event without recording every second of it. I can see where this video seems pessimistic and extreme, but is it that far off? Today, according to Pew Research Center, 95% of teens have access to a digital device. People nowadays cannot even make a decision on what to wear without asking their friends via a text message or Snapchat. We have become reliant on the opinions of others and our use of social media.

The suicide rates in teenagers and young adults have been rising every year because people in that age rely heavily on the approval of others; and in this day and age, it is just as easy to deny approval as it is to grant it. According to CBS, from 2007 through 2021- suicide rates for Americans between the ages of 10 to 24 rose by 62 percent. I believe this is a direct result of social media. It has opened the doors to cyberbullying and simply showing people what they are missing out on. Social media has made it easy for people to paint this idea of a perfect life, in which there are absolutely no problems. Our generation has looked to these influencers for guidance, to show us what life is like in a perfect world. But, it is so easy to not post the negative, and we viewers do not see that side of things.

Even just in my time writing this blog post, it was about one thousand words of my own thoughts, nothing else. It barely took any time researching or transferring tabs on my laptop, but yet I went on my phone twelve times. Not because I had notifications or needed to text someone, but simply because my attention span is that short. I am no different than any student in my generation. I am a good student, I do well in classes and I study for tests, yet I am still unable to write a blog post that entirely consists of my own thoughts without looking at my phone twelve times. If that does not show you what technology has done to our generation, I do not know what will.

Sometimes I think about our world outside of technology. I think about how the rates of anxiety and depression among teens would be affected. I know it sounds silly, but as a teenager seeing people online living lives that appear more fun or having fewer struggles than you - it takes a toll on your mental health. Or even the idea of people posting embarrassing pictures or videos of you online. These harmless posts may seem like nothing, but they mean something to someone.

In the 1960s, the dream was to have an underwater society or even have humans step foot on Mars, but in 2023, our biggest goal is to have a trending TikTok video. What do you think that says about how our society has evolved with technology?

Blog #11 EOTO-2 Reaction

Gatekeeping Theory

Like many other slang words, the term “gatekeeping” has been lost in translation for our generation. To us, gatekeeping is a term when celebrities have a product or item that they refuse to release the brand or name. This way, it wont sell off the shelves and they can keep this miracle item to themselves. It has also been adapted into every day life when your friends have information that they will not tell you, like the latest campus drama. 

Ani's Presentation

Ani Markin focussed her presentation on the idea of gatekeeping, but not the kind my generation talks about. This was particularly interesting to me as I genuinely didn’t know there was another way of using this word- embarrassing, I know. It is very interesting to see where a world that we have adopted into every day life came from. 

Communication Theory.org defines gatekeeping as “ a person who decides what information should move to a group or individual and what information should not…  The gatekeeper is having its own influence like social, cultural, ethical and political.” according to Ani’s presentation. This word is one that my friends and I make jokes with on a daily basis, so seeing it in this formal connotation is, with lack of a better word, funny to me. 

My Take

Gatekeeping has been around for ages, I did a little research of my own and also found that Social psychologist Kurt Lewin first instituted the Gatekeeping theory in 1943. This was a political strategy in a way. The idea of it was to streamline information, who should know what. This concept seems very problematic, to me. Instating this concept back in 1943 has created a societal acceptance of withholding information for personal gain. It may seem harmless from the outside but it gives people the power to marginalize groups of people based on knowledge and information. 

When looking into how my friends and I see gatekeeping, it is similar to the actual theory. But, on a much smaller scale. In many cases it can be used on social media platforms for people to become more liked by the audiences. Alix Earl (pictured on the right) gained a lot of popularity for being "real". She always says "guys I won't gatekeep my products! I am using..." in her videos and people respond very well to this. Although, it is certainly not as detrimental for TikTok vloggers to withhold their favorite mascara as it is for politicians or people in power to withhold valuable information from the public. Gatekeeping has two different meanings in our society, one that seems important and one that actually is important.

I wonder how much information we are missing out on, do you?

Blog #10 Age of AI

The Age of Artificial Intelligence

It may seem scary to think of a world with artificial intelligence, but to us it may be even scared to know a world without it. Artificial intelligence, AI, has been around longer than we think. Just think about the Amazon Alexayou have in your living room that responds to your every command- how is it doing that? AI uses data and algorithms to act and respond just as a human would; maybe even more effectively. The video we watched highlighted the specific uses of AI where we do not even see it. For example, every search into Google givens Google more information about us. The company uses artificial intelligence to cater their search engine to our needs. Have you ever seen an ad that just happened to be similar to something you had just texted your best friends about? That is AI.

The Pros of Artificial Intelligence

There are many upsides to artificial intelligence. The use of AI has increased the safety, security, and efficiency of our country more than we realize. AI has made the internet a safer place from hackers, keeping our personal information, passwords, etc. more safe- from hackers. There are also ways for AI to be used in dangerous situations where people can not be. Think about the rovers on the moon, the scientists utilize AI to program them with maps and information that they need to be more successful. AI is also very useful in connecting people from around the world. AI translation allows for people to communicate with one another without even having to speak the same language. In terms of efficiency, AI has streamlined the customer service industry. Think about every time you get an automated response when trying to return something online, those chatbots that many major corporations are adapting into their websites. Thats AI!

The Cons of Artificial Intelligence

There are also many cons to artificial intelligence. The main one is the affect AI has on the job market. According to Pew Research Center, about one fifth of workers are at high risk to having their job either replaced or reduced due to AI. Like we talked about before with efficiency, people look for that immediate response that AI can provide and, in most cases, that beats human performance. It seems my Grandma may have had a point when she said “Never use those self checkout things at the market- it is just the robots coming in to take over”; Grammy was right. It also has has a huge effect on work ethic among societies youth. The introduction of Chat GPT into our world has given students an out from producing their own work, they can just ask the AI to generate a response for them and it will. Many schools are coming to see this issue and enacting AI clauses into their code of student conduct. The Nido Qubein School of Communication at High Point University did, check it out here.

If you’re thinking about privacy with AI- I would just stop now. There is no sense of privacy from AI. Cellphones, computers, cameras, home devices, and so many more appliances are always collecting data. From knowing the songs you usually skip to just being able to respond to “Hey Siri!” these devices are always paying attention.

Are you scared of AI, even though its integration into society is inevitable?

Blog #8 Online Privacy

Online Privacy

I have my iPhone by my side at all times; me and about 1.5 billion other people. I hate when my Siri accidentally turns on, like when I am in a silent classroom and all of a sudden you hear “I’m sorry I didn’t get that”. It is simply embarrassing! But, after watching some videos about privacy online with artificial intelligence, it may be a little more than just an embarrassing moment in class. These applications are listening to us. What did Siri hear when she decided to start listening, is this data being recorded, did anyone else also hear it? These are all questions that are running through my head now when I hear that Siri voice.

It was an eyeopening experience after watching these TedTalks. It showed how little we think about our own privacy with technology. As I talked about in my post about the Diffusion Theory, when we put out this information on social media, it is out there for whoever wants to find it. When you search something, it is recorded that you searched it. The government can flag searches and keep tabs on anything you do. This is both terrifying and comforting in the same way, though. Knowing that there are people out there searching things with mal-intentions, it can be recorded and flagged.

Digital Tattoo

When watching the TedTalk “Your Online Life, Permanent as a Tattoo” Juan Enriquez tells the audience a story about taking a photo of a random person in a bar, he talks about how your phone could recognize that person even if you do not; he states “​​everybody turns out to be absolutely plastered by electronic tattoos”. This stuck with me. In school, we always learned about our “digital footprint”, the idea that everything we do online leaves a trail behind it and can that trail can be traces back. But, we never talked about how social media creates a permanent documentary of our lives throughout the years. The comparison of your digital footprint to a tattoo solidifies how important it is. This TedTalk was worth the watch, check it out.

There is a lot we could do to protect our privacy within social media and the internet. For example, limiting what we post online. Making sure that what you post doesn’t give away too much information about your personal life. Limiting who you give out your email, phone number, or other personal information to. There are a lot of ways to protect your privacy online but it is mainly just about being conscious of what your posting and where you're putting your information. 

  

How will you begin to protect your digital tattoo?

Blog #9 Propaganda

The History of Propaganda

Propaganda is everywhere. It is the the spreading of information such as facts, arguments, rumors, half-truths, or lies to influence public opinion. This information is often conveyed through mass media. It may sound like a modern day issue, but this concept actually dates back to the Rise of Athens in BCE. It wasn’t called propaganda back then but it was still the same idea. There wasn’t commercials or posters hanging around Greece at the time, but the citizens would spread the word of their conflicting ideas through games, theater, the assembly, the law courts, and even festivals. It was a way to spread their conflicting political or religious views in ways that would get to all their people. For example the theater. There has been documentation of plays in Ancient Greece where they would slander the names of their rulers during heightened political tension- the same way a political propaganda poster would during World War II in the United States. Moving forward a couple hundred years to the Spanish Armada in 1588, we see more propaganda that resembles what we would see today. There was documents where the King of Britain stated his soldiers received pamphlets and letters spreading false rumors and slandering the name of the crown. Still, it was not referred to as propaganda until 1622 when the term was actually established. This is when The College of Propaganda began, a college that trained Priests on how to go to “heathen lands” and regulate church affairs when a commission of cardinals were charged with the idea of spreading the faith and their own ideas to these lands. It was a long history for the establishing of propaganda, there is a clear path that we can see the diffusion of this idea throughout history for it becoming what we see today.

Fast forward to 1914, World War I. This is when propaganda become apparent in the United States. There was conflicting ideas about the war and people took to the streets to express their feelings. By plastering posters, handing out pamphlets, and even putting these images in the local newspapers. Looking to World War II, Japan actually adapted this idea of propaganda as a form of warfare. It was a mental play against the soldiers who were abroad, according to the Museum of Veterans, propaganda was used as an “effective battlefield propaganda can use stereotypes, rumors, and half-truths to play upon the hopes and worries of soldiers”. This became true for many countries throughout the war, utilizing propaganda as a mental warfare against both soldiers and citizens. It became more than just a poster on the street, it changed the course of history. 

Propaganda Today

Even today, we still see propaganda everyday. It has shaped our society in more ways than any of us could have imagined. It heightens the stress of societal debates as well. Every time you see a billboard regarding pro-life or pro-choice, that is propaganda. It is a way of spreading one side of a debate to masses of people. It is a first amendment right, to share your opinions but it can be seen as detrimental to society as a increases bias and the divide between people. Propaganda is very prominent to minority groups as well, whether it be positive or negative to their groups its prevalent in their culture to be featured. Going back to times of segregation and Jim Crow laws, propaganda was a huge part of the segregation that existed in the United States as it emphasized the extremes of the political views- most of which were negative. 

Propaganda is more than just what we learned about in AP U.S. history back in high school, it is relevant today and everyday. You see it everywhere, wether you noticed or not. 

What has propaganda influenced you to do?

Blog #7 The Diffusion Theory

What is the Diffusion Theory? 

The diffusion theory covers the idea of how social factors influence the spread of innovations and ideas. According to Wikipedia, Everett Rogers states that there are “The five main elements that influence the speak of a main idea are the innovation itself, adopters, communication channels, time, and a social system” thus creating the diffusion theory. This idea that ideas can spread quicker and diffuse into society faster than they could in the past due to the evolution of communication technologies. 

Diffusion Theory Today

Looking at an innovation like Facebook, we can see the change in how it affected our world. It opened the doors for new social media and a way to spread ideas quicker and more efficiently. We rely on social media channels everyday to receive news and social trends. Like social media platforms, all communication technologies play a huge role in the modern day diffusion of innovation theory. Things like message pigeons back in the 1800’s helped spread new ideas and technologies the same way the e-mail does today. When looking at history, there are many parallels within innovation- just constantly evolving. 

With this constant flow of innovation, you start to see early adapters and later adapters. There are people who jump on a trend right away, ready to be ahead of the trends. But, there are also those people who are late adapters and even laggards. These are the people that wait for the trend to completely mature before jumping in, these people are more hesitant and it could be for a number of reasons, but from what I have seen it is usually due to skepticism of the innovation or idea. 

Why Not Have an Account?

As of April 2023, there were 2.989 billion facebook users monthly- so why wouldn’t Professor Smith have an account. Well, he is skeptical of the practicality. I think it goes deeper than just not wanting to see Susan from his high school senior class’s third kid just got a  participation trophy in his second grade soccer tournament. The information that people put onto these social media sites gives insight to their entire life. Many people don’t see the severity of the information they are giving out, and those who do are the people seen as laggards to the innovation. For example, I posted on instagram at my high school graduation. From that one photo someone now knows, the town I grew up in, my approximate age, the college I planned on attending, what I look like, and so much more. The people who want to know this information, now have it. This can be seen as a positive for those who do not have these social media accounts that their information is not as accessible. That is a huge con to these innovations and the diffusion of technology. 

Does the positive of having a world where information is at your fingertips out weigh the cons that your information is at anyones fingertips? 

Blog #6 Anti-war

Anti-war in the Media

If someone were to ask you what your “go to” news source is, what would you say? Most people would say CNN, FoxNews, or a local news station. These news stations all have the tendency to produce bias information, but hey- thats just how it is. There is no controlling how bias journalists and reporters, even if they are suppose to be independent from opinions when reporting to the public. 

Most people haven’t even heard of anti-war publications, news sites, or even just seen this perspective on any mainstream media site. You may find yourself wondering, “why haven’t I heard of these or even seen them?” Well, normally you wouldn’t find these publications unless you are looking for them. Websites like ANTIWAR.com and The American Conservative have writers with extreme point of views of anti-war. But, you don’t hear about them very often. In my opinion, this is most likely because they're voicing opinions that are not favored by our government in the United States. 

It is no secret that we do have freedom of speech but sometimes things get lost in the algorithm on social media. I think that is exactly what happens with these types of opinions, they just do not gain enough popularity because they're pushed down from the start. Although this anti-war doesn’t go directly against the government, it does express and extreme point of view that could cause an uproar. Views like this insight the idea of change, and that is something that the government has never been on board with. According to Micheal Kazin at the Dissent Magazine,

“a nationally advertised Spring Rising Anti-War Intervention drew only a few hundred demonstrators to the capital city and no coverage at all in either the mainstream media or the leftist press”. This further proves the idea that there is no coverage of the movements, online or in person. In order to find even just this information, I had to input a very specific google search and then continue to scroll until I found something that worked for me. It wasn't even a magazine I would normally find myself looking to either. I was looking for this information, and still struggled to find something that matched what I was looking for. This information is not just out there for the public to see, and that has become more obvious to me through my research. I challenge you to go to Google and try to find a mainstream media site talking about an anti-war point of view. Was it easy? Does it even exist?

There is no distinct reason that this media is not put out there, only speculation as to why. I could simply be that the websites don’t have enough traction and people do not put in the time to read them. Or maybe their viewpoints are so niche that people can not relate.

There, are a million possibilities- so what do you think the reason is?