Final Blog Post: Society's Relationship with Technology

For the better and for the worse, technology has taken over the world. It is everywhere we look and essential to our every day lives. This includes people using it during their jobs, getting an education, communicating, and for entertainment. Today's society has an undeniably strong and inseparable bond with technology.

Many modern advancements only exist because of technology. For instance, Artificial Intelligence is booming in today's day, but it would not exist if computers and the internet were not invented. Similarly, we might be able to use AI to create even newer technology for the future. Technology will continue to advance off of previous developments. I believe this can be seen as both positive and negative.

On the positive side, technology continuing to progress can make lives easier and more efficient. For example, instant communication through text messages and phone calls improved how quickly news was spread. At any point in time, technology has the potential to continue developing with more life-changing innovations. Hopefully, this new technology will be focused on solving large issues in society, such as climate change and poverty.

On the negative side, however, society might be too reliant on technology. Its continued progression towards even more efficient living might be robbing people of integrity and hard-working qualities. Also, technology can become dangerous and be used against others. If the wrong people get access to that technology, such as weapons or tools for online scamming, consequences can be fatal for innocent people.

My Relationship with Technology

I would describe my relationship with technology as a love-hate relationship. I love using technology to take pictures, shop online, play games, text friends, and play music. However, I tend to struggle with stepping away from my phone when I am bored and want entertainment, as it isn't healthy to sacrifice exercise and everyday needs.

Social media addiction is fairly new but already extremely common across the world. It is estimated that 210 million people worldwide suffer from it. In my personal experience, social media's purposefully addictive algorithm hinders my productivity, happiness, and life experience.

I often feel regret after getting stuck on social media, as it sinks in that I have wasted time that I could have put towards something more useful, such as exercise, school work, or even sleep.

While social media is a negative part of my relationship with technology, I love other aspects of my phone, like the camera. As a Media Production major, everything I am interested in is built on technology. It is a fun way to communicate news, entertain, and artistically express oneself.

With these two activities in mind, I spend a lot of my time with technology. While it is mostly healthy, I aspire to use social media less often and spend my time more wisely.

Society's Relationship with Technology

I think my experience and feelings towards technology, specifically social media, are extremely common. I have had conversations about the prevalence of social media with my friends and family members, and they typically have a similar experience.

On the positive side, I think society benefits from the advancement of technology. For example, GPS systems are extremely useful for easy navigation while driving.

Additionally, navigation apps like Waze allow users to communicate road hazards, traffic, and police sightings to other drivers on the road. This is one way technology brings together society.

On the negative side, I think social media is causing a loss of individuality among youth who are still finding their identities. Fashion trends and styles of humor circulate the internet and eventually the world. This is because many kids have low self-esteem from comparing themselves to strangers on social media and just want to fit in.

On the same note, cyberbullying can occur on social media and it is devastating for kid's mental health. Researchers from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia did a study and found that "participants who experienced cyberbullying were more than 4 times as likely to report thoughts of suicide and attempts as those who didn’t" (Reynolds).

In conclusion, technology has advanced very far in a short amount of time. It will continue to evolve into unimaginable forms for the better or for worse. Social media has taken the world by storm and most likely will not be stopping in the near future.

Antiwar

The antiwar website represents Libertarian individuals who believe in non-interventionism and are opposed to imperialism and, most importantly, war. The mission statement explains that the nature of the State "includes an ever increasing threat to individual liberty and the centralization of political power." 

The founders of the website value transparency with their viewers and want to reach through to their audience past the media filters and censorship. This media censorship makes it difficult for people on the internet to come across information that spreads a certain message.

The government can control these online filters, especially on social media, therefore controlling what information citizens are taking in. This is dangerous because it opens the door to government manipulation and scheming.

Antiwar.com is aware that its website may get filtered because of its exposure of government agendas, but nonetheless, it is passionate to "reveal the truth about America's foreign policy". The website aims to keep it's audience, everyone around the world, informed about the overseas plans of the American government.

This is exactly why antiwar websites are not in mainstream news. They reveal the government's actions and intentions that they prefer to keep under wraps. This article, "Whose Views Made the News? Media Coverage and the March to War in Iraq" mentions how the government manipulated public opinion before the 2003 war in Iraq by not offering a diverse set of perspectives on military action in Iraq through news outlets. 

As a result, the public was fed a higher rate of pro-war information and couldn't properly evaluate the situation from a neutral perspective. This helped the Bush administration go through with the war with less opposition from the American people.

Overall, antiwar websites and outlets are tougher to come across in the media because the message opposes the government's agenda. It is important for citizens to intake news from a variety of sources and perspectives to fairly weigh out different arguments. However, media censorship makes this highly difficult.

In The Age Of AI

After watching the Age of AI video, it is worrisome to me that so many jobs have great potential to be overtaken by AI. Unemployment would become a large issue if basic jobs, such as being a cashier, no longer require humans.

For example, fast food restaurants including Panera already use an electronic self-ordering system for customers instead of speaking to a cashier. Although this may be convenient, efficient, and save the restaurant money, it can lead to fewer people being able to find a job to support themselves.

Many people in the United States do not have economic stability, and more advanced jobs typically require education or experience that some do not have access to. Therefore, they are not able to afford to buy a course to advance their skill sets for a higher-paying job or can't afford to spend their time stepping away from their jobs to learn new things. This is an upsetting predicament and is realistic to become a widespread issue.

A.I. Surveillance

This video taught me a lot about the surveillance of AI, not only in America, but also in China. It was kind of frightening to learn about. Particularly, China having cameras on every major street to watch and identify the citizens feels very invasive.

In addition, there are camps for educating people more about politics, and they have reported deaths. This system is inhumane and hopefully will not make it's way to any other countries. 

I agree that AI could be used to advertise things to people who may be interested, but it's not acceptable to use surveillance to give certain people specific messages to sway their political vote. Manipulating citizens to vote a certain way is unjust and immoral.

While AI can be useful, I think it is important for laws to be made that restrict the government's power on surveilling the public. People deserve privacy in their everyday life and should not be invaded by new technology.

EOTO #2: Reactions

I learned an abundance of information from my class' Each One Teach One: Terms and Concepts presentations. 

Total Information Awareness

One particular topic that I found intriguing was Ananda's presentation on Total Information Awareness. She defined it as a concept involving the collection and analysis of vast amounts of data to predict behaviors or identify potential threats. It was used as part of the United States' counterterrorism initiative after the 9/11 tragedy.

Data integration is used to build profiles of individuals and groups to identify potential threats. Communications, travel, social interactions, and more are constantly surveilled with technology, such as facial recognition. It also involves predictive analytics, which is used to predict crime and fraud before it happens.

The benefits of Total Information Awareness involve increased security and prevention, as well as efficiency and convenience. The downsides of this concept include a loss of privacy and potential government overreach. It can result in a cultural shift in society, where people self-censor and adjust their actions due to constant government surveillance.

I think Total Information Awareness is a useful tool for preventing terrorism, but it definitely feels invasive of privacy. Many people probably feel uncomfortable continuing on with their everyday tasks and activities while knowing they are being watched. 

How secure is access to the surveillance and facial recognition data against online hackers? Will issues arise if other countries gain access to the United States' information? Overall, Total Information Awareness can be beneficial, but comes with many concerns that the citizens who are being surveilled might not be comfortable with. 

EOTO #2: Confirmation Bias

Confirmation bias is when someone uses information to confirm their pre-existing views or beliefs. It is a subconcious natural instinct to aid in proving ourselves right. Confirmation bias can have several negative impacts on individuals and society as a whole. It is most commonly involved with beliefs relating to politics and news. Therefore, it is crucial to be aware of it and know the techniques to avoid it as much as possible.

History

The concept of confirmation bias has been around for ages. The ancient Greeks were familiar with this theory, but it was not until the 1960s that a cognitive psychologist, Peter Wason, named it. Wason dedicated his studies to this concept and ran several experiments. One of these involved presenting participants with four cards colored red or brown. They were told, for example, that the other side of the red cards had an odd number on it. The objective was to figure out if this statement was true. 

Using their confirmation bias, participants were most likely to flip over the red card to see if there will be an odd number on the opposite side. While this technique is helpful, the participant would also need to flip over the brown card to verify that the number is even. This test by Wason demonstrated how people tend to only look for the information that will confirm their biases.

Confirmation bias affects how we collect, interpret, and remember information. For instance, when people collect information, they only seek out details that reinforce their biases. Furthermore, people find a way to interpret the information they find to support their beliefs in a positive manner. Finally, after gathering information, confirmation bias causes people to have a selective memory only towards the supporting details, often dismissing opposing information.

Why?

Confirmation bias occurs because it is a mental shortcut that saves people time and energy when interpreting information. Truthfully, seeking evidence with a completely neutral lens and considering information equally from all perspectives requires more time. When people are looking for a quick answer, it is more efficient to believe the first thing that supports their ideas and selectively gather information.

Some scientists believe that confirmation bias occurs as a natural instinct. It is thought that our ancestors developed and passed down the mental shortcut during their time hunting when they had to make quick decisions for their survival.

In modern days, confirmation bias is most common with news, politics, and current events. For example, supporters of a specific political candidate tend to believe narratives that portray the person positively and dismiss opposing critiques.

How It Affects Individuals

Confirmation bias affects individuals daily. For instance, it can lead to the development of poor decision making skills. It is important to equally consider evidence from all perspectives, and confirmation bias encourages individuals to overlook potentially crucial information, leading to poor decisions.

Also, confirmation bias affects interpersonal relationships. This is because once a person develops a first impression of someone new, they will continuously seek evidence that confirms this bias during later interactions. As a result, a negative first impression can make a person appear to be closed-minded.

How It Affects Society

Confirmation bias can create and reinforce major social divides among the population, particularly involving political matters and influencing stereotypes among different groups of people. Furthermore, the political influence extends to media outlets and journalists whom also have their own confirmation biases. The way they pick their sources and how to display the news has a strong influence on the viewers' beliefs and even voting patterns. 

How To Avoid It

Evidently, confirmation bias is a powerful and influential force that exists with consequences. The first step to lessening the impact is to be aware of it. Next, it is crucial to find multiple neutral and unbiased outlets of information. Lastly, discussing and debating with peers is an effective strategy to learn about new information that you might have unintentionally avoided previously. 

Blog #6: EOTO Reaction

I enjoyed the Each One Teach One technology presentations, as I got to learn about new technologies and learn more about some that I use every day. My favorite topic that I learned about was Josiah's presentation about carrier pigeons.

Carrier Pigeons

During Josiah's EOTO presentation, I learned about how pigeons were used to deliver messages across distances.

The pigeons, referred to as Carrier Pigeons, would deliver mail during the Roman Empire. They were also popular in the Middle East. The most common method of mail delivery was by horse, but the wealthy could use carrier pigeons because they did a faster job. The pigeons were also useful for sending messages during WW1 and WW2.

The British Royal Family has been collecting pigeons for racing for a long time, which Josiah believes gave the species a purpose and is the reason for their large population.

I thought it was an interesting point for him to bring up the large pigeon population and connect it to their work. I agree with Josiah that the British collection of pigeons could relate to their liveliness. I did not know the British enjoyed collecting them and setting them up in races! 

That is really interesting to me because when I think of a pigeon, I think of a bird walking around near restaurants in New York that people are shooing away. Meanwhile, a British person might take it for their entertainment.

My Thoughts

One question I have about carrier pigeons is how does the bird know where it's going? I am guessing they are bribed by food and treats by whoever is receiving the mail.

I also wonder how much weight the pigeons could hold and comfortably take flight with. I imagine that however the mail attached to them, it was uncomfortable and potentially disrupted their flying abilities.

Finally, I am curious about whether carrier pigeons could only fly in nice weather conditions. If you need to ship mail on a rainy day, can you do it or do you have to wait for clear conditions?

Blog #5: Privacy, Online and Off

The modern world's technology can be an amazing tool and resource in our day-to-day lives. However, it can also be invasive and dangerous. My eye has been opened to the dangers of the internet and our identities on it after watching several Ted Talks. One video in particular stood out to me.

Electronic Tattoos

The Ted Talk was given by Juan Enriquez. He began with an analogy about how people are stuck with their tattoos forever, and how we are also stuck forever with our electronic tattoos: our data on the internet.

This was a useful way to help people grasp that whatever they put out onto the internet stays there forever. It is a common thing that people regret sometimes years later, similar to regretting their tattoos.

These electronic tattoos include information such as your activity on Facebook, Twitter, Google, LinkedIn, Yelp, GPS, cell phones, Travel Advisor, Wikipedia, credit cards, credit scores, and more.

Enriquez discussed that this information is being surveilled by people and that it is difficult to hide from your electronic tattoos for this reason.

Facial Recognition

Facial recognition is another large aspect of being linked to your digital actions. There are machines that can identify a person from their face and reveal their shopping habits for sales associates to take advantage of.

Enriquez speaks about how people used to have to try really hard to get famous and be known, but now we all risk unknowingly being known because our data is easy to access and being watched.

He also says we are threatened with immortality due to our identities being plastered on the internet, which will live forever.

Personally, I was aware of the idea of electronic tattoos before because I think it is similar to the term "digital footprint", which I am familiar with. I believe this is a crucial topic that should be taught to young kids before they put anything on the internet that they will regret.

Protection Moving Forward

The only solution I can think of to protect ourselves from our electronic tattoos being used against us is to be careful and conscious of the tattoos we create moving forward. I say this because we know we can't change the impact we have already had, hence why they are electronic "tattoos".