My Relationship with Technology

When I was a little kid, I remember sitting in the back of my dad's car, taking the hour long drive to our shore house on the coast of New Jersey. I would usually bring a book, or some dolls, but would often get bored of them about halfway through the trip. When this would happen, I would press my nose up against the window, and watch the trees. I would watch how quickly the trees seemed to go by as we sped down the highway, and imagine the different creatures living in the woods. I'm eighteen now, and have two younger sisters who are fifteen and nine years old. When we drive down to the shore now, my dad is in the drivers seat, listening to Spotify and glancing at the Waze GPS pulled up on his phone. My mom is in the passengers seat, hooked up to a hotspot, answering emails for work. My fifteen year old sister is on her phone with her AirPods in, watching Grey's Anatomy. All the while, my baby sister Lila is in the very backseat, bored with the movie playing on the car's built in TV, and is begging my mother for her phone so she can play Candy Crush. Life has changed so much in what seems like such a short amount of time due to the takeover of technology. 

Technology is now the center of our lives. Sometimes I'll invite a group of friends over, and look up and realized each one of us has our noses buried in our phones. Its not just the people around me who are guilty of being sucked in my technology. I am a culprit too. Sometimes, I'll catch myself glancing at my phone at completely inappropriate times, such as in class, when I'm out to dinner, or even while I'm trying to have a conversation. I'm so attached to it, checking my notification has become a habit. Last week alone, I spent five hours on Netflix, four on snapchat, four on til Tok, three on Instagram, one on messages, and one on Facebook. These are hours I could've spent with my friends, reading, doing work, or any other abundance of things more productive than staring at my phone for hours on end. 

However, technology isn't all bad. While it takes up too much of my time, I enjoy the simple things like creating an aesthetic instagram feed, creating Pinterest boards, and messaging my family from back home. Technology gives me a way to express my creative side through photo editing and social media posts. It also gives me a way to connect with my family at home while I'm at college. I call at least one family member almost every day thanks to my iPhone. I also use my laptop every day to do my school work and to write creatively, which is one of my many hobbies. Sometimes I'll even download books on my phone or laptop for me to read when I cant get a ride to the bookstore. 

My relationship with technology is best described as a love/hate relationship. There are many pros and cons to it. I love being able to express my creative side, connect with my family, and get my work done faster and more efficiently. However, I hate how much time it consumes and how dependent I am on it. Often, I yearn for the days before I was attached to technology, when I would sit in the back of my parents car, and watch the trees. 

The Diffusion of Innovations- The Smart Phone

 In the 20th century, people had technologies such as televisions, computers, and telephones. Then, in 1992, the very first smartphone was created. Now, the smartphone is a television, computer, and telephone all in one. The smartphone has access to the internet, it can let you communicate with others from miles away, it can take photos, and it can entertain you for hours. I believe the reason the smartphone became so popular so fast is because its able to do so many different things at once. Its a multifaceted tool thats also easy to transport. This is why the smartphone caught on so quickly. There are some negatives about smart phones, however. Smart phones can cause mental health issues including anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and insomnia. There are also many privacy concerns. Also, texting and driving is a huge issue that can even result in death. There are many pros and cons to smartphones. Different adopter groups weigh these pros and cons differently. 

The early adopters are the younger generation who are more open to new technologies. Younger people love the convenience of having a device that can complete multiple things at once. The younger generations are constantly looking for ways to make things faster and easier, which the smartphone does. They are also more open to change. The late adopters are the older generations, who are more distrustful of new technologies. The older generation is more likely to be set in their ways and less likely to purchase fancy new gadgets. Also, the older generation is more concerned with privacy, which is something the smartphone can take away.

Smart phones, regardless of your opinion on them, are becoming more and more popular. In America, most of the population owns som form of smart phone. In fact, employers have even started requiring them. Smart phones are the present and the future of technology, with different models and types being introduced every year. Smartphones are an example of how the diffusion of innovation theory works. 

Antiwar

War has always been a part of human existence, since the beginning of history. War existed in Biblical times, during the rule of the Romans, and all throughout Europe for centuries. America has long been involved in war, in fact its very founding was the result of the Revolutionary War. Now, war is a major part of what America is today. Our military has fought in dozens of countries for dozens of years. We often hear of the promotion of war- of how noble it is to fight overseas for your country. However, we rarely hear of the other side- the antiwar side. 

Antiwar, by definition, in the opposition to war in general or to the conduct of a specific war. The website antiwar.com is a website made to promote the antiwar movement. Although many people would probably consider themselves antiwar, you don't hear much about it now a days. The last protest happened in February 2003, when the U.S. went to war with Baghdad. Millions of people around the country protested this in several major cities. However, this was the last big protest since then. Why?

Many people believe that the antiwar movement changed after 2001 due to the attack on the twin towers. After 9/11, patriotism grew, and many wanted to see retribution for all the American lives lost that day. The war on terror prompted a halt to the antiwar movement's momentum. However, since then, the movement has failed to fully pick back up again. 

Despite the many negative aspects of war, people are letting it slide. In order to pick back up again, people need to be more informed about the negative aspects of war. These include thousands of lives being lost, poverty, hunger, and mass destruction on other countries that may not be as strong as America. In order to restart the antiwar movement, education and awareness must occur. 

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages. Essentially, artificial intelligence is a way for computers to act like humans without a human brain. The computer can adapt to new data automatically, without any help from humans. At first, the concept of AI sounds interesting, innovative, and even cool. While that may be true, this new technology may be scarier than you first think.

While this technology is convenient, there are many downsides to it. For one, it promotes less human contact, which is almost never a good thing for society. This can take strip people of feelings and human empathy, leaving them feeling emotionless. Also, the computer would be emotionless, which means that it would not be able to connect with human beings, just perform tasks. On top of this, this new technology could result in lots of job loss. With technology already taking jobs away, the only edge humans have is their own human intelligence. Now, a computer may be able to replicate that. Not to mention the enormous costs that would occur to create and install these machines. It would costs companies millions and millions of dollars. In addition to all of these cons, for me personally, I find it rather frightening that a computer would be able to have access to so much information. It could easily infringe on online security. Who knows what they could do?

Despite all of these things, there are some upsides. This technology would get rid of human error. It also doesn't have human emotion, so it can do things that humans would rather not do, such as deal with trash, or clean, or even go so far as to help the military. It also doesn't have human needs, so it wouldn't need to sleep or eat. AI could be accessible constantly, something humans cant do. AI could also help with National Security by doing things like scanning IDs at ports, going into foreign military bases, and even going into combat and dropping bombs. 

After going through all of the pros and cons, I've decided I'm not a fan of artificial intelligence. Despite its benefits, the fact that a computer could have that much access to information doesn't sit right with me. We need to let computers be just what they are- simple computers. And we need to let humans be humans.

EOTO: Propaganda

For decades, propaganda has been used to trick people into having a certain opinion. By definition, propaganda is information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view. Propaganda can be films, music, books, social media posts, and other things that are generally consumed by the public.

Above are three famous and historic examples of propaganda. The first, the iconic "I Want You" poster, appeared on the cover of a popular magazine. The poster was created to compel viewers to join the US military. The second poster, "We Can Do It!", was created by an electric company to boost morale of the women who already worked at the company. However, it was rediscovered years later, and became a symbol of feminism and female strength. The third poster, labeled "Liberators", was actually Nazi propaganda. This poster was designed to paint America in a poor light, and make Germans think less of them. 

Propaganda is used in different positive and negative ways. The pros of propaganda is it is very persuasive and effective. The cons are it is manipulative, it can contain misinformation, and the effectiveness lessens over time. In an article from Radio Free Europe, Lev Gudkov is quoted saying "Basically, propaganda destroys alternative understanding. It may not quite convince people, but it imposes on them the cynical view that everyone is a bastard, politics is a squabble between interest groups, and nobody should be believed." Of course, over the course of history, propaganda has been involved in almost all social changes and movements, having a big effect on society. Specific pieces of propaganda may affect some groups more than others, but generally almost every group has both benefited and suffered from the use of propaganda. Sometimes propaganda does harm, other time it does good, but make sure to keep an eye out for it so you don't get too sucked in.

EOTO: False Flag

False flag is a type of misinformation used in war. By definition, false flag is a political or military action that is made to appear to have been carried out by a group that is not actually responsible. The phrase was derived from the pirates, who would fly the flags of other countries to trick merchant ships into thinking they were safe and dealing with their own country. Now, false flag defines any action by one group thats pretending to be another. Usually, it is used to justify foreign military aggression. This means giving not only their own citizens, but the world an excuse to attack a country that most of the time doesn't actually deserve it.

A big example of this happened during World War II. The Nazis are widely believed to have been behind many false flag operations, such as storming the Gleiwitz tower in 1939 wearing Polish uniforms and leaving anti-German messages in Polish. The Nazis used this as part of the reason to justify their attack on Poland. Another famous false flag happened in 1933 called the Reichstag fire. This occurred when a communist named Marinus van de Lubbe was arrested for setting a German parliament building on fire. This gave Hitler an excuse to purge Germany of communists. However, many people think the Reichstag was burned not by communist, but by the Nazis, since it was the perfect excuse Hitler needed. 

However, Germany wasn't the only culprit when it comes to false flag. In the 60's, America committed an act of false flag. According to an article from History UK, "the destroyer USS Maddox was torpedoed and fired upon by three Vietnamese torpedo boats in the Gulf of Tonkin in the South China Sea". The US lead a second false flag attack two days later, which got the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution through Congress. This lead to the deployment of troops in what would later become the infamous Vietnam War. 

There are pros and cons to false flags. On one hand, it is an efficient way to get a war started. However, its dishonest, misleading, and leads to lots of confusion. False flag can affect society in negative ways because it could prompt unnecessary war. This can result in death, damage to the economy, hunger, and lots of damage to a county. War is almost never a positive thing for citizens of a county. Also, it fuels many conspiracy theorists as well. Now, conspiracy theorists can point to anything and claim it to be false flag. For example, many conspiracy theorists claim that the Sandy Hook shooting was false flag. They believe that 26 children and 6 staff members were murdered by the government for the sake of gun laws, even though there is no proof of this being true. In instances like this, false flag claims can be very dangerous and spread misinformation.

Now a days, people can find a way to twist anything into a conspiracy. Though there have been several documented cases of false flag throughout history, its important to use discernment and good judgement before chalking up every move to false flag. However, one thing is for certain- whether it be pirate ships, Nazis, or even the American government, false flags are dishonest and misleading, but efficient.

EOTO: Drones

 Drones are a device that have become very popular in the 21st century. When a person thinks of drones, they usually think of the small device that can float in the air, often controlled by a remote. These devices have become a technology used for new camera shots, racing, or just pure fun. They can even connect to smartphones. However, drones are more than we think. 

By definition, a drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle, or an aircraft without a human pilot on board. The name "drone" was created because its sound doesn't increase or decrease, it just drones on. The very first drones were just balloons that didn't get too much off the ground. According to dronesbuy.net, these drones were invented in 1792 by the Montgolfier brothers. This was the original drone. In 1862, the first flying machine was patented to hold bombs. The military started using drones in wars. Drones were used not only just to drop bombs, but to perform surveillance and combat missions as well. In the 1960s, jet propelled drones such as the lightning bug and Ryan Firebee were used as remote combat aircraft. These drones were used in the Vietnam war in more than 3500 combat incidents. 

It wasn't until 2014 that the drone started being used as general toys and for camera shots. In two short years, consumer drone popularity was at an all time high. Drones went from a simple balloon to something that could be used in wars, surveillance, cameras, and toys. 

Drones have gathered some controversy, however. They can fly too close to aircraft, and theres also come concern about privacy. There's a lot of legal debate about wh controls air traffic, and what laws can be put in place to protect citizens. 

Despite its controversy, drones have become very popular. They've done a lot of good- drones can help monitor climate & environmental changes. They're used for less expensive aerial footage, and can even deliver online orders. They also help track poachers in Africa who are hunting animals illegally.They're very interesting creations, and everyone should be excited to see what's done with these devices next.

EOTO: The History of Television

 In almost every American home, you can find the same things- refrigerators, beds, and in most homes, a television. Television has become a part of every day 21st century life in the US. Almost every family has one in their living room or bedroom. But how did this invention become so popular? And where did it come from? In order to dive into TV history, we have to start at the beginning, at its creation. 

The very first electronic television was created in 1927 by Philo Taylor Farnsworth, who was just 21. He took the mechanical television, which was just short image clips on a screen, and turned it into something entirely new. After tweaking and fixing for a few years American electronic television sets were produced and released commercially in 1938. Different than mechanical televisions, electronic televisions are what we use today. In an article by Be Businessed, they explain the inner workings of the TV. "To control the firing of electrons, CRTs use two 'steering coils'. Both steering coils use the power of magnets to push the electron beam to the desired location on the screen. One steering coil pushes the electrons up or down, while the other pushes them left or right." This is what differentiates the electronic television from the mechanical. 

After its release, electronic televisions started to take off. They became very popular. By 1955, the first wireless remote was released to turn the TV on and off or change the channel. Soon, colored television was introduced. Though CBS’s first colored TV program ran in 1951, it wasn’t until 1966 that CBS had taken the lead to bring colored films and programming to all television. By 1993, 98% of American households owned a TV. In 2005, flat screens were introduced, which leads us to 2021. In the current age, most Americans own a colored, flat screen electronic television with a functioning remote.

But what makes the TV so special? Why does everyone have one? For starters, People can now get information quicker. Through broadcast journalism, any current event you should know about is accessible on television. Also, entertainment is a lot more accessible. Any time someone's bored, all they have to do is switch on the TV and flip through channels. Its never been easier to waste time. This is why the television became so popular so fast.

America has been able to witness historical moments through the comfort of their own home due to television. For example, the moon landing was broadcasted in 1969. In 1981, the royal wedding was played, and in 2012, the London Olympics were broadcasted. People have been able to watch the most influential events from their couch all because of this invention. This is why a century after its creation, the television is still relevant and popular.

Censorship and the First Amendment

 In January of 2021, Twitter shocked the world by banning the current US President, Donald Trump, from its platform. This move was made shortly after the January Capitol riots, when hoards of people stormed the US Capitol in protest of Bidens election win. Many people believed this to be incited by Trump, which is why Twitter banned him. In an official statement, Twitter said they banned Trump “due to the risk of further incitement of violence” after going through his tweets. This incident has sparked even more controversy this year on a long debated topic- should there be more or less censorship in the media? As US citizens, do we have a right to voice our opinions on social media sites, no matter how controversial they may be?

In this debate on censorship, many bring up a specific clause listed in the First Amendment- freedom of speech. In an interview with Forbes, author Lon Safto states "Any form of censorship, any form, is unacceptable. Social platform such as Facebook, whose primary business is open communication between its over 2.7 billion members, have a moral and legal responsibility to allow those conversations to transpire, organically." However, do these social platforms have a legal duty to allow any type of speech on their platform? Or are they able to pick and choose what type of content users produce on their sites?

It is true that in the Constitution, your free speech is protected. However, free speech is protected from the government, not from privately owned companies. Twitter is a private company, which means the First Amendment rule does not apply here. This means that Twitter and other privately owned companies have no legal obligation to keep Trump on their platforms. In an article from the Washington Post, journalist Amber Phillips states "The First Amendment was designed to prevent Congress or the states from blocking people’s freedom to express themselves. In fact, you could argue that it protects the right of a company such as Twitter to decide for itself what content to allow." Phillips brings up the point that the First Amendment not only cannot be used against Twitter, it may actually be an aide to those trying to get Twitter shut down.

The First Amendment does not condone government intervention in free speech. However, no where in the Constitution does it state that a privately owned company is prohibited from determining what type of content is produced via their platform. Because of this, Twitter, and any other social media site, is in the clear when it comes to barring users from their platforms, regardless of who they are. 

Supreme Court History

The Supreme Court has long been a crucial part of the US government. Formed in 1789, its been around just about as long as the country has. After reading the Supreme Court article from the History Channel, I discovered that although the Supreme Court was founded in 1789, its first case wasn't decided until two years later in 1791. Something new I learned was that the first Chief Justice was John Jay, who was also a contributor to the Federalist Papers along with founding fathers James Madison and Alexander Hamilton. Something surprising I learned was that the Chief Justice presides over the impeachment trials. I didn't know they play such a major part in our country history.

The importance of the Supreme Court in our country was my biggest takeaway from this article. These handfuls of people throughout the years have made some of the biggest decisions in law making. They've decided very important cases, from Plessy v Ferguson, to US v Nixon, to Roe v Wade. They've decided on all issues such as race, abortion, gender, and sexuality. After learning more about the Supreme Court, I now look at them a little bit differently. I don't think I ever truly appreciated the weight of what they do. I won't take there work lightly from now on. 

The Values of Free Expression

There are eight values of free expression- marketplace of ideas, participation in self-government, stable change, individual self fulfillment, check on governmental power, promote tolerance, promote innovation, and protect dissent. All of these values have their own place, but I believe some hold more importance than others. For example, I think the value that holds the most importance at this time in our country's history is number five, the check on governmental power. This specific value is also referred to as the "watchdog role", because the people using this value are on the watch for abuse of power coming from the government. This freedom enables citizens to learn about wrongdoings in government through the power of the press. This specific value informs the citizens, who then can do what they want with the information, whether that be through protesting, voting, or otherwise. 

The main watchdogs in America are the press. Thought our country's history, the press have been movers and shakers in the government. The press can influence the course of our nations history by using their freedom of speech to call out the government when they see fit. We see this in instances like Watergate, with Nixon, and with Clintons impeachment, and the reveal of his affair with Monica Lewinsky. The press is what controls the narrative in America's history. Without the ability to freely call out the government, we would live in a very different country.

The freedom of the press to call out the governments misdeeds helps us keep the balance of power in check. In an article from usembassy.gov with Richard Lui, they state "freedom of the press is an essential right in the United States and a core principle of democracy. Protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, a free press helps maintain the balance of power in government." This value is an important backbone in our country because it helps us maintain our democracy. One of our founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, told John Jay in 1786 that “Our liberty cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press, nor that be limited without danger of losing it.” Even our founding fathers were aware of the importance of the check on governmental power, which is a value that is just as important today. 

In short, the "watchdog" role is essential to our government. It maintains balance, which is one of the key aspects of democracy. While the other seven values of free expression all have their own levels of importance, I feel this one is a bit different from the rest. Without this value, America wouldn't be the free country it is today. 

My Top Five Sources of News and Information

With modern technology, access to news and information is just about limitless. At the touch of a button, the average citizen can get hundreds of different sources, all reporting the same event. With the abundance of news and information outlets, its hard to find some to rely on. Most importantly, is it accurate? News today can be so biased, particularly when it comes to anything political. Its crucial to find sources without too much personal slant to it so you can form your own opinion on it. These are my five favorite sources to go to when looking for news and information I can trust. 

1. Snopes

One of my favorite websites to use is called snopes.com . In times of the fake news craze, this website fact checks news articles. It is very helpful because not only does it tell you what information is incorrect, but it also provides you with the correct information as well. I was recommended this source by a professor last semester, and it is now one of my go-to's. This is a good source to go to if you're in need of accurate, straightforward information. If I hear a story from a source that sounds to be a little biased, I'll usually go to Snopes to find the real version of what happened. 

2. Social Media

Social media can be a dangerous place to get information if you're not careful. However, its very accessible for most people. I mostly use social media initially as a way to inform myself about what is going on in the world. Most of the time, I find out about current events through sites like Instagram and Twitter. This is also where I find things that interest me, like Broadway updates or celebrity gossip. However, when the topic is more serious such as politics, I’ll usually follow up by confirming what I’ve heard through other news sources.

3. Forbes

I like to use Forbes to get news that isn't too slanted. I find that Forbes typically doesn't have too much of a bias in their reporting, and their information is usually quite accurate. I try to stay away from sources like CNN and Fox due to their political slants, and I feel like Forbes is a happy medium between the two. Its easy to use Forbes as a backup source after finding out news and information from places that are biased, such as CNN and Fox, or after getting information from places that might not be the most accurate, such as Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

4. New York Times

The New York Times is a widely respected and well known source of news and information. When looking for current events, I typically head other news sources. However, I've found the New York Times is a great source for finding researched based information that is both accurate and accessible. They're a wealth of information on all sorts of topics, which is convenient when researching for something school related. I'm also a big reader, so I often head to the New York Times Bestsellers List when Im out of good books to read.

5. Apple News

A news source that often grabs my attention is Apple News. Often times, I'll be mindlessly scrolling through my phone when I get a notification from Apple News at the top of my screen. Sometimes, when the headline is eye-catching, I cant help but click on it and read the story. Usually though, the articles I read on Apple News have less to do with serious events or politics, but are more opinion pieces or fluff pieces that are more lighthearted. If I were to read something important on Apple News, I'd follow up on the story with a more reputable source such as Forbes, but its nice to browse around the app from time to time.

For me, its important to use sources that you trust when looking for information about politics and serious topics, such as Snopes or Forbes. If you're getting crucial news from biased and slanted sources, how will you ever form your own opinion on it? However, when it comes to more lighthearted things, such as celebrity gossip, fluff stories, opinion pieces, and the like, I think its okay to get your information from places like Apple News and social media. Its all about finding the right balance.