Blog Post 11: Final Post

Final Post: Is Technology Healthy?

Technology is a big part of our lives and has changed the way we live. As a college student, I use technology every day, and it’s something we’ve all learned to adapt to. There is a controversial question about whether technology is healthy for us or not. Some people think it’s improving the world, while others believe it’s having negative effects. After researching both sides, I think technology is having a positive and negative impact on our lives. On one hand, it keeps us connected to the world by providing real time updates and news, but it can also be misleading. Now, I will go into the different sides, and how it impacts society as a whole.

 

Screen Time

Before I checked my screen time usage, I thought my relationship with technology was healthy. But after seeing how much time I spend on my devices, I’m rethinking my habits. Technology has always been a part of my life; it’s what my generation grew up with. Unlike my parents, who witnessed the evolution of technology from no devices to the latest technology innovations, I’ve only known a world with constant access to technology. When it comes to defining a healthy relationship with technology, it’s less about the amount of time we spend on it and more about how we use it. As Britt Frank points out, “Implementing screen time boundaries helps us harness the power of technology without mindlessly scrolling.” Setting boundaries and being aware of how we are using technology can help us regain control over our digital lives. Personally, I feel that technology is taking up too much of my time. I spend a lot of it on social media, but often, I do so without thinking. I find myself opening apps out of habit, not purpose. 

Is technology reliable? 

Technology is both informative and misleading. Technology is efficient and helps us get information fast. Without it, we would be dependent on slower forms of information, like newspapers, which are far less convenient. However, technology can also be misleading. The internet is surrounded with fake news, biased reporting, and misinformation. According to University of Derby magazine they state,  “When sharing news, people often don’t stop and think about whether the article could be fake and, in an age of instant internet access and social media platforms, news is shared to millions at the touch of a button.” The content we see online shapes our perspectives, especially when it comes to topics like politics. Online, we see how politics are often shaped. Propaganda and fake news are everywhere, and technology helps spread them. 

Society

Technology is just an accepted part of society that we live in. Sometimes, I find myself wondering, Where would we be if technology had never been invented? How would my life be different if technology took a completely different form? What if AI had never been created? As I think about how AI is developing, I wonder what the future will look like as it continues to evolve. According to Brittanica, Ai is “the ability of a digital computer or computer-controlled robot to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings.” AI is quickly becoming a big part of society, and many worry it could take away jobs and change how we live. But as the years go on, everything is evolving. That’s the nature of technology, it’s constantly changing. As it improves, we adapt to it. As an 18 year old, I’ve grown up with fast paced change in technology, so it feels normal to me. But for those who lived without technology, the adjustment is much more challenging, as they now see the world from a completely different perspective.

Friends and Family

My friends and family are both positively and negatively affected by technology. For example, my mom is very focused on technology and social media, while my dad doesn't use any social media at all. On the other hand, I see how my friends are always utilizing technology. Some can’t go even 20 minutes without checking it. Social media has a significant impact on mental health, and it can have severe consequences. It sets unrealistic expectations, especially for young people, and particularly for young girls. These unrealistic standards can lead to mental health struggles and, in some cases, even suicide. As Elias Balt states, “Research from the US suggests that an increase in suicidal behaviors among adolescents may be partly attributed to an increase in new media screen time.” The effects of technology on young people’s lives have a significant impact. For girls, what they see online can deeply influence their self image, leading them to want to change their appearance. When they can’t meet these expectations, it takes a toll on their mental health. Social media changes how we see reality, setting unrealistic standards for how we look and behave.

Online Footprint

Our online footprints follow us throughout our lives. Once something is posted, it’s out there forever. Online footprints can be collected without us even knowing. According to Kaspersky, they state, "Once you allow an organization to access your information, they could sell or share your data with third parties." We create online footprints with every click we do on the internet. What we put on social media creates an online footprint that will always be in the internet. Personally, I keep all my social media accounts private to maintain control over who sees what I share. I aim to keep a positive online presence. When I Google myself, the only result is my volleyball athletic profile, nothing else comes up, which helps create a positive image. My athletic profile showcases my skills and achievements, which could be useful for potential employers. I don’t think I need to edit anything about my online presence since I keep it professional and positive. I avoid sharing personal views online because they can be judged or misunderstood, especially if others don’t share the same opinions. In today’s world, what we say online can shape how people perceive us, so I prefer to keep my personal views private.

Blog Post 10: Antiwar

 Antiwar

Exploring the two websites, Antiwar.com and The American Conservative, I saw media that I have never seen before. I think this is because they have such strong voices and the media tends to keep things more neutral because of how sensitive society has gotten. I feel that in order to get reliable information, in depth research is needed to be able to get the full story. These websites show the depth of current issues that we are facing today. 

I want to focus on one article from The American Conservative. In the article, “Whither the Department of Education?” by Peter Van Buren, he talks about the future of the Department of Education (DOE). He discusses people like Trump, Elon Musk, and Vivek Ramaswamy wanting to get rid of it. The article explains that the DOE doesn’t directly choose textbooks or hire teachers, but it helps fund schools and enforces policies, like making sure schools follow Title IX rules. The article states, “the Secretary of the Treasury would make allocations to states to support elementary and secondary education, including career and technical education, based on the number of kids enrolled in public, private, and home schools.” 

This means the Secretary of the Treasury would give money to states for education based on how many students are enrolled in public, private, and homeschooling. The money would help pay for regular school programs as well as career and technical education. From this, I believe the money for education would be shared fairly based on how many students there are, no matter what kind of school they go to. This could make sure all students get the support they need.

According to Buren, “Project 2025 also gets into more “philosophical” areas, redefining sex in strictly biological terms for Title IX purposes, eliminating any benefits based on race, and establishing a Parental Bill of Rights for Education.” Some people believe the DOE has grown too big and want to move its responsibilities to other government departments. Trump and Project 2025 want to give parents more control over their kids' education with "Education Savings Accounts" and reduce the government’s role in schools. I can see how this might make things simpler, but I’m also concerned it could hurt education, especially for the students that come from lower income families. What I am wondering is whether getting rid of the Department of Education would help or hurt schools. 

After reading the articles, I think I have to find obscure websites to hear strong antiwar voices because mainstream media usually supports the government’s decisions. The government has a lot of control over the media, so I think the news promotes pro war views. Antiwar voices that challenge this don’t get as much attention, which is why websites like Antiwar.com are harder to find. They offer different opinions that mainstream media doesn’t usually share.

I believe that there needs to be more attention on these websites because they are very informative. I enjoyed exploring these websites because they gave insights and point of views on things that I have never seen before. These websites gave facts and harsh truths, while also not sugar coating any of the information they were giving. There needs to be more of these resources.

Blog 9: EOTO2 Reaction

 EOTO 2 Reaction

Confirmation Bias

Similar to my EOTO, confirmation bias goes hand in hand with echo chambers. I was intrigued by this presentation because it reminded me a lot of my own. Camden discusses how confirmation bias is our underlying tendency to notice, focus on, and give greater credence to evidence that fits with our existing beliefs. Confirmation bias can be helpful, but it can also be harmful. It makes people feel more sure of their beliefs when they find information that agrees with them. This avoids the discomfort, called cognitive dissonance, that happens when new information doesn't fit with what we already believe. 

Confirmation bias makes us feel more confident in our beliefs when we see information that agrees with them. This can strengthen our connection with people who share the same views and push us away from those who don't. It can create social divides between groups with different beliefs. The difference between my presentation and hers is that confirmation bias is when we naturally favor information that supports our beliefs, while echo chambers are places where we only hear ideas that reinforce those beliefs like social media. I loved this presentation because it was very informative and gave a lot of real world examples.

Five Eyes Alliance

This presentation drew my attention because Jake presented it in such an intriguing way. He started off his presentation by saying “What if I told you that the governments of 5 countries have the ability to monitor almost every digital footprint you leave behind, right now?” which was an eye opening sentence to me. The Five Eyes Alliance is a group of countries: the U.S., the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand that share intelligence. It was created during World War II and has become a powerful tool for tracking threats like terrorism and cyberattacks. However, it has also raised concerns about privacy, ethics, and accountability. This is a scary thing and reminds me of the Privacy blog post we did because I never realized how many eyes can be monitoring my screen. 

The Five Eyes Alliance is a symbol of global cooperation but also raises concerns about privacy and ethics. It started during wartime to take care of global threats, but now its role in surveillance needs to be more transparent. This presentation showed that the challenge is to balance safety with freedom while making sure intelligence sharing respects democratic values. Understanding the Five Eyes helps us deal with today's security issues. Jake emphasises the challenge is to keep us safe while protecting our freedoms and ensuring intelligence sharing follows democratic values. After watching this presentation I learned that understanding the Five Eyes helps us handle today’s security concerns.

Blog 8: EOTO2 Post

 Echo Chambers

In today's media, there are a variety of sources that reflect all different beliefs, but what if you only surround yourself with media that only reflects your own? This could cause you to be in an echo chamber. An echo chamber is when you only hear ideas or opinions that match your own, over and over again. Instead of hearing a variety of viewpoints, you just hear things that confirm what you already think. While this can feel comforting and you agree with everything being said, it also limits your understanding of the world.

How do Echo Chambers affect our thinking

Echo chambers can prevent people from seeing the full story. When you're constantly exposed to biased or misleading information, it’s easy to believe things that aren't true. According to GCF Global, they state, “Echo chambers can create misinformation and distort a person’s perspective so they have difficulty considering opposing viewpoints and discussing complicated topics.” For example, sometimes I watch news that supports one side of an issue, because of this, I am not seeing both sides, which impacts how I view certain issues. Echo chambers can affect how people think critically. When people hear the same ideas over and over, they stop questioning them. It becomes easy to just accept things without really thinking about them. Without different perspectives, we can miss important details or misunderstand issues. 

Social Media

Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can easily create echo chambers. These platforms show us content based on what we like, share, or comment on. If you engage with posts that match your beliefs, you’ll keep seeing similar posts. According to Matteo Cinelli, he states, “Social media may limit the exposure to diverse perspectives and favor the formation of groups of like-minded users framing and reinforcing a shared narrative, that is, echo chambers.” Over time, people will only see content that agrees with them, and they stop encountering new or different ideas. I feel that the views people have can also come from the environment they were surrounded by growing up. If people are constantly hearing things in their household as a child, they might believe it as they start to grow up. This leads me to the question can households and that environment be an echo chamber?

Politics

In politics, echo chambers can have a big impact. Some news outlets or websites are designed to appeal to specific political views. A conservative outlet might focus on stories that support conservative ideas, while a liberal outlet might do the same for liberal views. I've experienced situations where my friends are so set in their views that they're not open to considering other perspectives. According to Morgan Kelly, she states, "The researchers found that when people preferentially connect to people with similar opinions, they create an echo chamber that increasingly polarizes the views of everyone in the network." This is especially common in politics, where it often feels like people believe their way is the only right way, and there's no room for other opinions. During elections, this can be dangerous because people may only hear one side of the story and miss important facts. It makes it harder for people to understand each other and find common ground.

Echo chambers limit our understanding of the world. Whether it’s on social media, in politics, or online sources, echo chambers prevent us from hearing new ideas and can make us believe things that aren't true. When we only surround ourselves with content that confirms our beliefs, we stop thinking critically about important issues. Personally, I have fallen into an echo chamber before. It wasn’t until recently where I started to see from a global perspective rather than having tunnel vision for one point of view. To avoid falling into an echo chamber, society needs to make an effort to look for different viewpoints, talk to people who think differently, and be open. By doing this, society can better understand the world and have an open mind.

Blog 7: EOTO1 Reaction

 EOTO1 Reaction

Ballpoint pen

 

One of the presentations I found the most intriguing was the invention of the ballpoint pen. I use these pens every week, so it was interesting to see the information behind it and where it came from. Who would have ever thought that a pen could be a changing point in history! Students found it more efficient when doing school and work. The pen was created by John Loud, who was a Harvard Law alumni. He worked with leather. Because he worked with leather, he was constantly using pens to mark things, but he found that it wasn't efficient. This is why he created the ballpoint pen! Although John Loud created his design in 1888, the ballpoint pen didn’t become popular until years later, when Laszlo Biro improved upon it in the 1930s. The ballpoint pen is now a common tool in offices, schools, and homes, changing how we write and communicate. It is interesting to me how such a little tool can impact so much.

World Wide Web

I was very interested in the presentation about the world wide web. It was founded by Tim Berns Lee. In the presentation, Jake explained the launch of the World Wide Web changed the Internet from a small network to a global platform that affects every part of our lives. It has brought many benefits, like easy access to information and better connections, but it also means we need to use it responsibly. He emphasized that as we move forward, we must make sure the Web remains a force for good. When I first started using the world wide web, I noticed how there were some things that should probably be censored to keep young audiences safe. Like Jake said, we need to make sure that the Web stays a positive force. 

Facebook and Instagram

Facebook and Instagram was one of the presentations that grasped my interest. I loved this presentation because it related to the websites that I use everyday. Facebook made it easy for people to instantly share messages and pictures with others around the world. It also gave businesses a new way to promote themselves using Facebook’s algorithms. Personally, I don’t use facebook as much as I use other social media platforms. Instagram is one of my most request used. Tatum discussed that Instagram makes it easy to take a photo, add a filter, and share it with friends and family. It created a new way to communicate, focusing on images instead of just text or business.

Blog 6: EOTO1 Post

VCR and Video 

The creator of the VCR and video was Charles Paulson Ginsburg, however, the first easy and affordable VCR was introduced by the Sony Corporation in 1969. The VCR was created to solve the problem of not being able to choose when to watch TV shows and movies. Before VCRs, people had to watch programs at specific times, which wasn't always convenient. With a VCR, they could record shows and watch them later, which made it easier and more efficient. According to Britannica, a VCR is an "electromechanical device that records, stores, and plays back television programs on a television set by means of a cassette of magnetic tape." The creation of VCRs made the technology better because it made people have more control. 

There was a case in 1984 called the “Betamax case" which Universal City Studios sued Sony corporation, claiming that Betamax VCRs encouraged people to illegally copy movies and TV shows. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Sony, saying that recording shows for personal use was fair use. This made sure that people could record TV shows without breaking copyright laws, which helped make VCRs and similar devices popular in homes. 

VCR's made watching shows more efficient. According to Britannica, "Most VCRs have fast-forward and reverse controls and a timer that enables television programs to be recorded automatically, and they can record a program on one television channel while a viewer watches a program on another channel of the same television set." This feature made it so people can control what they are watching. According to EverPresent they state, "What truly stood out about the VCR wasn’t just that you could watch your favorite movies on demand, but you could even record live television. VCR recording allowed you to take any channel’s broadcast and put it on your own blank VHS tape." This was a huge benefit of having a VCR because it allowed for people to choose what they wanted to put on their VHS tape. According to Marshall Brain, "The VCR was one of the most important events in the history of TV because, for the first time, it gave people control of what they could watch on their TV sets." The VCR does two things. It manages the tape, which is thin and fragile. It also reads the information on the tapes and turns it into signals for the TV to display.

A negative effect of the VCR is that it is a complicated device. According to Alexander Katlan, he states, "The video cassette recorder may be a complex piece of electronics, but it is, after all, a non-scientific household appliance. The ease of use makes it applicable for many purposes where traditional photographic methods are too time-consuming or too difficult." Although the VCR is an efficient device, it can still be difficult to use. 

Overall, VCRs changed history. They changed how people watched movies and TV shows, giving viewers more control and helping to shape the entertainment industry for the future. Before the VCR, people had to wait to watch specific shows are certain times. It also helped the entertainment industry grow. As more people bought VCRs, there was a higher demand for VHS tapes, which helped other businesses grow. The VCR was a turning point in history, and was the starting point to more efficient technology.

Blog 5: Age of AI

 Age of AI

Artificial Intelligence is taking over the world. Now, AI is changing society. In the documentary, "In the Age of AI" by FRONTLINE, it gave an eye opening look at what AI really is. 

There are a variety of positive aspects to AI. In the documentary, it mentions how AI is making other industries like medicine and education better. It talks about how AI has the potential to improve these fields. Improving efficiency is one of the ways that AI will make the world better. AI in healthcare has allowed for quicker diagnosis with the way AI speeds up that process, which has allowed for better treatment. AI can adapt to the needs of people and alter the way it gives information. AI does not just help people, it can also help the environment. The documentary states that AI can be helpful in cutting energy use in cities and improving management. 

There is a lot of privacy concern when it comes to AI. The documentary stated how every online interaction we have, our data is getting analyzed and collected. The documentary states, "AI is the ultimate tool of wealth creation." It brings awareness to have views think about how much data that online sources like Facebook has. The data the is being collected can lead to identity theft and other security concerns. These sources are gathering information about you that is being shared and once these sources have it, privacy is being taken away. According to Kai-Fu Lee, "Ai is a set of tools that helps you maximize an objective function and that objective function initially will simply be make more money."  Although AI is a resource that can be used in wealth and companies, it is slowly taking over peoples jobs. 

The documentary also discusses how AI affects national security. The government is trying to use AI to protect people and prevent crimes from happening, but this could lead to a more controlling government. AI can improve national security by responding to threats and emergencies more quickly, however, AI can be used to target other companies and servers as well. According to the documentary, it states, "Democracy is threatened by the progress of these tools unless we improve our social norms and we increase the collective wisdom at the planet level to deal with that increased power." As AI advances, it can become a threat to democracy, which is why we need to be responsible when using tools this powerful.