Blog 12: My Love-Hate Relationship with Technology

 My Love-Hate Relationship with Technology

Technology has a big impact on today's world whether it is Artificial Intelligence or social media posts. Technology has grown rapidly over the past decades because of all the news gadgets being created daily. There are very few people who don't have to check their phones at least once. It has come to a point where we feel lost if we don't have our phones near. Is this good or bad?

My relationship with technology:

I would say my relationship with technology is a love-hate relationship. I am the person who if I don't have on me at all times I feel lost. I am able to go hours without my phone but I care too much about what people are doing on Instagram or what my friends are putting on their stories on Snapchat. I am sad to say I am addicted to my phone but I know when to stop, put my phone down, and live in the moment. There are times that I know I need to unwind and get off my phone and go outside and enjoy the fresh air, take walks, or just spend quality time with my loved ones. While I am on my phone a lot, the app I use the most is YouTube. YouTube is the way I watch the podcasts I love which give me updates on current events. But, when I was younger I was always on Instagram or Snapchat worrying about what people are doing and why I am not there. Social media can be hard for young adults because people post behind a screen, ever since technology has gotten bigger it has caused a plethora of cyberbullying cases. I have now learned that what people say on social media behind the screen does not reflect or take away who I am as a person. It takes a lot to realize that but once I did it made my life easier!

My family's relationship with technology:

My parents have a better relationship with technology than I do but I think this comes with our different generations and the way we grew up. While my parents are on the phone it is different than how I am. My parents are always on the phone dealing with work or talking to my siblings. My mom occasionally scrolls on Instagram to catch up on those she has not seen in forever but she doesn't like to be on it longer than she has to because she feels like social media comes with drama no matter what! On the other hand, my dad is on the phone but he goes on Facebook maybe once every two weeks just to catch up like my mom does. My dad also uses Twitter sometimes to post clips from work and to keep those who he coaches up to date on information that is needed. My dad uses social media less than my mom but at random times of the day I hear my dad yell "Alexa!" to my Amazon Echo that is in the kitchen to ask a random question. Overall, my parents have a great relationship with technology and know when enough is enough. 

What is a digital footprint?

A digital footprint is the trail of information that a person leaves behind on social media and the internet. Not only does this include posts but also comments. No matter if you think something is private and never will be seen by anyone... IT IS NOT TRUE!

My digital footprint:

I pride myself on being careful about what I post on social media because it will come back to get you. It is essential to be aware of what you are doing at all times and watch what you put on social media. With one little Google search, so much information can pop up in seconds. My social media platforms reflect my bubbly personality but it is mature and conscious of what I post because of my future job interviews. I am grateful to say when I search for "Danielle Pellegrino" nothing comes up of me. If I put "Danielle Pellegrino High Point University" my Linkedin pops up. This is a great look for me that if future employers look me up the only thing that is found from a basic Google search is my digital resume! 

As we are finishing up with Media Law & Literacy I have realized that I need to shut off my phone more but as get older I become more and more out of touch with technology (in a good way) as I have already grown immensely!

Blog 11: EOTO Reaction #2

 EOTO: Reaction to Framing Theory

After watching all the presentations in class, I chose to pick framing theory because it is a term that I have never heard before and was interested in learning more about. 

What is framing theory?

Framing theory is the process by which people develop a particular conceptualization of an issue or their thinking of an issue. The main effect of framing theory is manipulation because it gives false perspectives on a situation.

Where does this happen most?

Framing theory happens an abundant amount on news channels. If something is said on a news source many people just run with it without fact-checking it with other news sources that have all different types of opinions. People hear it on a website or on television. News channels do this a lot when they share a story with the audience but don't give all the information and just tell one side of the story (kind of like when there is drama going on with friends and only one side of a story is being said and not the whole truth:)). As many people say there are three sides to the story. 

Ways to avoid framing theory:

The best way to avoid framing theory is not to believe everything you see. This is important in everyday life because fake news is such a big thing in today's day in age. People have to look past just one news source and realize that just because it is being aired on television or said on a website it doesn't always mean it's true!

This presentation on has made me realize that I can't believe everything I see online which is great to think about because I am always on social media and people just post information just for rumors or they don't know the full story. 

Blog 10: EOTO - False Flags

 There are all different kinds of False Information including Five Eyes, Propaganda, Disinformation, False Flags, etc.

I researched false flags. "False flags" is a political or military action carried out with the intention of blaming an opponent for it to justice an attack of invasion. Nations have done this by staging a real or simulated attack on their own side and saying their enemy had done it. 

The history of the term "false flags" was first used in the 16th century to describe how pirates flew the flag of a friendly nation to deceive merchant ships into allowing them to draw near. 

The best-known historical example of a real false flag operation was by Nazi Germany in 1939 as a justification for starting World War II. The Gestapo staged a Polish raid on a German broadcasting tower in Gleiwitz. The Nazis left behind a dead person as well as several other dead Germans who were really concentration camp prisoners killed and dressed as German guards.

In warfare, it is deemed acceptable under certain circumstances like enemies. It can be with land and air warfare. There has been multiple wars that have used false flags like World War II, Russo-Swedish War, Franco-Prussian War, Second Sino-Japanese War, and many more.

Operation Northwoods also was a form of a false flag It was a proposed false flag operation against American citizens that originated within the US Department of Defense. It was proposed that the CIA to stage and commit acts of violent terrorism against the American military and citizens blaming them on the Cuban government and using it to justify a war with Cuba. The document included the remote control of civilian aircraft which would be secretly repainted as United States Air Force planes, a fabricated 'shoot down" of a United States Air Force fighter aircraft off the coast of Cuba, the possible assassination of Cuban immigrants, sinking boats of Cuban refugees on the high seas, blowing up a U.S. ship, and orchestrating terrorism in U.S. cities. The document was rejected by John F. Kennedy. The operation wanted to create public support for a war against Cuba blaming it for terrorist acts that would actually be committed by the United States government.

Blog 9: Age of AI

 The Age of Artificial Intelligence 

While we don't see Artificial Intelligence they know our next move whether we know it or not. Artificial Intelligence also known as AI is a machine coming up with answers and responses to any question a person has acting like the computer is human. AI uses data and algorithms to come up with a problem-solving response. In the video shown in class, it even commented that even though you are searching up something you have no idea that Google or search engines are also searching about us as well. How scary!

Pros of AI:

There are many pros of Artificial Intelligence, these include safety, efficiency, and consistency. For safety, it makes sure that it is harder for hackers to get into different accounts and the AI systems can be used in hazardous environments to detect and prevent horrible things that can happen. For efficiency, AI is able to come up with answers within seconds of asking it something. It makes it easier, faster and comes up with intelligent answers that most humans would not even think of. Finally, since AI is a computer it leads to better quality answers with mostly no mistakes. If there is a mistake you can ask them to repeat the answer in a different way and it will come up with another intelligent answer. 

Cons of AI:

As there are many pros of AI there are also cons. AI has caused job loss and does not have the same qualities as talking to a human. AI has caused many people to lose their job or not have many jobs go on the market because it is free and has a great response within seconds. Many companies don't find the need to find people if they could just have a computer do the job for them. It also causes many people to not get hired because the older generation doesn’t know how to use it and companies want people who are able to interact with it. Another con AI has it that it lacks empathy since it is a computer and has no emotional connections between the person asking for help and itself. This can cause people to much rather ask another person a question than a computer because it will have an answer from the heart. 

Privacy:

The main concern with AI is the privacy aspect. There is NONE! Computers and phones are collecting data at all times whether it be what songs you like, what hobbies you are interested in, etc. Now that AI is such a big thing in today's world it will never go away. While it has many benefits it is rather concerning. 

Blog 8: Diffusion

Diffusion of Innovators - Instagram

History of Instagram: 

Kevin Systrom who was a graduate of Stanford University created the app Instagram in 2009. While he did not go to school for computer science he learned to code on his days off of working at Google. He first created an app called "Burbn" to share his love for whiskeys and bourbons so that people can post their plans and share some photos but it later turned into one of the biggest apps.... Instagram!

Now let's look into the Diffusion of Innovations Theory for Instagram!

Early Adopters and Common Users: 

The early adopters of Instagram were those who enjoyed the same drinks as Kevin Systrom (the founder of Instagram) since they would see all the different drinks he would post on the app. 2009 was also an earlier time for new apps to come out so the early adopters would be those who were not afraid to step out of their comfort zone and try new things. Lastly, early adopters were the tech-savy individuals who liked the app because of the unique features and because it was different than other apps like Facebook.

Commons users of Instagram are young adults who love to share all the fun things going on in their life. It is a great way to interact with other people and loved ones who you aren't able to see all the time. Common users also include influencers who post on Instagram because of ads and personal expressions to share to their followers. This is because on Instagram people are able to share pictures, videos, reels, and more of the hobbies they love to do.

Late Adopters and Laggards:

Late Adopters are those individuals who are hesitant to join Instagram because it was still new and had to have more experience before they can join in on the fun. Late adopters are those who had to wait for the app to hit the charts and get great reviews before they would do anything. 

The laggards would be people who are not on any type of social media and don't care to ever join. The laggard group is those who are hesitant to be on social media because of all the terms and conditions that first pop up when creating an account. Laggards for Instagram are usually in the older demographic that can't wrap their head around all different social media platforms.

Blog 7: Reaction to EOTO

 Reaction to the Invention of the Record Player

I never knew much about record players but after watching every presentation it stuck out to me the most. We now live in a world we record players are now used to decorating a space instead of using it for their purpose. This is because at any time of day, we can just tap a few buttons on our phones and play whatever song is on our minds. 

I learned how record players work and the impact they have!

How they work: 

Record players are able to play music because of the grooves in the disc. When the disc spins on the belt the needle crates vibration from all the groves engraved on the disc. The coil then takes the vibrations that are from the needle and groove and turns them into an electric signal which plays out of the speaker to make the sound of the music. 

Impact of the record player:

The record player was the start of people listening to music. This led to many more inventions for people to be able to listen to music easier. The impact it had on the older generation is the same way it has on the newer generation with Apple Music and Spotify It was a new source of entertainment that no one has seen before and gave the opportunity for those to be able to listen to music at the comfort of their own home!

Blog 6: Anti-War

There are all different news sources that people keep up with daily this includes CNN, Fox News, Apple News, etc. These news websites are popular among most people, whether people agree with their statements they are well-known platforms. These are well-known new sources because CNN and Fox News are on television and cater to two different political audiences. Apple News is also a big place for those to check because it pops up on many peoples phones on all different issues going around in the world. 

There are many different websites like Anti-War and The American Conservative that people don't give enough credit to because it is not a known nation wide and on television.

Anti-War has too much on their website, by seeing a bundle of words all over the place will scare people off the page. With the way that the website is formatted it is clashy and hard to read. It is hard to find what you are looking for when it is just a bunch of words thrown on the website. The American Conservative is the opposite of Anti-War. It is a subtle website that can be easily navigated without too much color. 

I believe the reason I have never seen these websites before is because the government does not agree with the statements being made on them. With that being said, I think the government has something to do with these websites not being popular among others. As well as it not being podcasted on television with channels that people grew up knowing. 

All in all, I like The American Conservative immensely more than Anti-War just because of the different formats and colors.