Blog Post #5

PRIVACY

Have you ever felt that your life is not completely private? I am sure you have because not everything in this world can be kept private, I mean unless you are on a deserted island living alone with no contact with the world, which many of us are not. After watching the videos on privacy, I felt like I learned more about how there is an invasion of privacy in our daily lives due to the government and new technology. I feel that we have a right to privacy, but due to surveillance technologies, face recognition cameras, license plate trackers, and the government having access to all of these allow people to lack their own privacy. Ask yourself, is this ethically okay? to answer this in my own perspective I think not. In a class I took last semester, I learned the ethical issues facing privacy. I wrote an essay on COVID- passports before they became well known and found that the government wants to track every move you make with these passports. On one side I think to myself, yes, this is good due to us being through a worldwide pandemic. However, on the other hand, I think to myself, this is a total invasion of privacy. It goes both ways in the matter because there are positive and negative restraints on the government withholding the information that invades our privacy.

Have you ever spoken about something with your friends, whether it's something you want or desire, something you are interested in, a hobby or so forth? Then, a short time after it comes upon an ad on Instagram or a website on a page. Well, this happens to me a lot. It frightens me because I feel like I'm being heard on another end from whatever I'm saying. Yes, this is great for marketing, but it just gives me such an uncomfortable feeling. I feel like I almost have to watch what I say, or even say things clearer so that an ad will come up for me. if this all makes sense. In one of the ted talk videos, it spoke on this a woman said "Thanks to modern technology, the government knows everything that happens behind closed doors". It was very interesting watching these videos, and being able to relate to myself. 

The question we may all ask ourselves is "what should the government be doing about this?". This has been the question for so long, why because the government is the one, invading our privacy. What they should do is lay back, I say this not in a way to protect our lives, but in a way that people will feel less invaded, if you understand what I mean. Truly, I don't know exactly what the government should do, I am not in the position to make those decisions, I can only have my opinion. On the other hand, we ourselves can do things to protect against the invasion of privacy. We can be careful about what we do, whether it's posting on social media or doing things in public that is not good. Social media is a place where if you want to be private, it is almost impossible. I am not saying to show your best self, however, I am saying say good things, speak good things, show good things. just how we would want our lives to look like when applying for jobs, show that as well. There is not much we can do, but we CAN do the right things. 

 

Blog post #4

 In class, we learned so much about technology which was so much about the evolution of technology, the history, and the good and bad. It was so interesting to learn about the technologies others put in their EOTO presentations as well. Professor Smith asked us to choose a technology to research and present to the class. Everyone in the class was choosing modern-day technology, however, I was more interested in researching something from our history. Therefore, I chose to research the Typewriter. 

When you hear the word "technology" what comes to mind? For me, it's apple products. Every day I use a Mac laptop and iPhone, all I know is these products because it is what I have grown up with. Besides a Nintendo DS or a Wii. But if you dive deeper into history, it's interesting to learn about some of the first technologies. People today still use Typewriters, because of the way it makes someone more careful writing or they may just like the idea of it. Let's take a look into the history of the Typewriter:

The first practical typewriter was completed in September 1867, invented by Christopher Lathem Sholes. The first commercial model wasn't manufactured until 6 years later in 1873, where it was on a stand that was controlled with your feet. "The carriage was returned to the left margin by a foot pedal similar to a sewing machine treadle. this machine was a blind writer and wrote in only one case: that is, it did not have both capitals and small letters but wrote only in capitals" (More information).

It wasn't until Sholes invited  Thomas Edison to Milwaukee to see his new invention that Edison realized the Typrewritter should be operated by electricity. Therefore, Edison ended up building his own model of the typewriter that was operated electrically. How did he do this? the way it was operated was by a series of magnets.  Have you ever heard of Marl Twain? Well, he was the first to purchases Edison's model of the Typewriter. Mark Twain was a lot the first one to publish a typewritten manuscript. There is many positives and negtatives of the typewriter. For starters, there is no backspace button, which leaves no room for errors. But there is always a positive in the negatives. An unexpected positive for this negative is that it means you will have to think harder about what you write before you write it. This will actually cause you to improve the quality of your writing. Another positive is there is no need for a printer because it comes out on paper as you write.The invention of the Typewriter definitely impacted the world. The typewriter brought about and helped to accelerate social change. It helped open jobs for women, changed businesses and the workplace. It reduced the time and expenses involved in creating documents. It also showed the start to invention of such technologies and started a reaction. Lastly the typewriter changed the ways of manufacturing, which also aloted jobs for people during this time. The typewriter showed a change in the world especially through the use of technology and started a new era.                               

                                                

Blog Post #3

    The simple definition behind The First Amendment is: congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances (More Information).

    It is safe to say that the First Amendment has evolved over time. But as well all know the First Amendment included freedom of speech and expression. In this blog post I will be reflecting on the Eight Values of Free Expression, and personally relate these ideas to myself. The Eight Values include; Marketplace of Ideas, Participation in Self Government, Stable Change, Individual Self-Fulfilment, Check on Government Power, Promote Tolerance, Promote Innovation and Protect Dissent.

The Value that I feel most resonates with me is Individual Self Fulfilment (aka Self-actualization). This is where free speech enables individuals to express themselves and thereby create their own identity- and, in this process perhaps, find kindred spirits. Freedom of speech thus becomes an aspect of human dignity agency and autonomy. After reading Human Liberty and Freedom of Speech by C. Edwin Baker. I read his feelings On Self-Fulfillment. He states, "Self-Fulfillment is glossed as autonomy or self-realization; participation in change- a strikingly individualistic right-" (Baker ) then he goes on to say he is in favor of self-realization but doesn't go into depth about what a realized self looks like. I feel this one reasonates most with me because I am a person who expresses themself as the true individual I am. I say this because I am not one to be fake. if you know me, you pretty much know all of me. I express myself through my family, friends, style, and so forth. I am my own individual, and if I didn't have the right to be the individual I am today, then I wouldn't be myself. I am the person who is careful what they say around others because I'm cautious of their feelings, but when the matter is something I truly believe in, I am proud to state what that matter is. I am confident and have good dignity. 

    To go off of this, I feel that Promoting Tolerance is also an important matter as well. The summary Professor Smith provided us with is "It has been argued that freedom of speech especially through our practice of extending protection to speech that we find hateful or personally upsetting, teaches us to become more tolerant in other aspects of life- and that a more tolerant society is a better society". I found this to be important because although we have freedom of speech, we also have to be careful with what we say around others. This semester I am taking Cultural Anthropology and I have learned about the uses of certain words, symbols, and gestures that can vary between cultures. Therefore we have to be respectful of others because you never know where they are from. Yes, everyone has the right to their Freedom of Speech, but there also has to be a matter of respect. This Value teaches us that matter and that's why I find it so important. 

    Today, Social Media is where most people speak their truth. With social media comes many, many, many people's opinions on real-world issues, politics, opinions on people, the government, and the world. But social media can also be a place for hatred. We have all heard of Cyber-Bullying, this has been a huge problem for years because people thinking being hidden behind a computer gives them the ability to do whatever they want, even if it hurts someone else. I bring this up because it relates to the Value of promoting tolerance. I feel that people need to respect one another on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Youtube, and more. I am not saying that you shouldn't but what you want on these platforms, I am saying be respectful of those on the platforms as well. we all have feelings and if someone is hurting someone else with their own freedoms, is that actually right? I say no. 

 

Blog Post #2

 

 This blog post has everything to do with the Supreme Court. I could say I know what the Supreme Court is after all the Law and Order SVU shows I have watched. But today is a day I dug deeper into what the Supreme court is. Yes, the Supreme Court is the highest court you can go to, and for that, it is a very important case. The definition I found is " The Supreme Court of the United States (or SCOTUS) is the highest federal court in the country and the head of the judicial branch"(Supreme Court History). To go more on this I learned that the SC has the ultimate jurisdiction of all the laws, and has the responsibility for evaluating the constitution of these laws. Another piece of information that I learned is the SC is made up of 9 justices and also has the power to check the actions of the other 2 branches of the government. YEP... the Supreme Court had ALOT of power. The Supreme Court has been here for a long time. Established in 1789, it started with the congress deciding the organization of the supreme court with the legislative branch first exercising this power. Instead of 9 justices, the court was only made up of 6 to start.

Something I found intriguing is the Highest Judicial officer in the nation is the chief justice who is responsible for residing over the SC. This was probably the most surprising thing I took away from this article cause it shows how the world has changed so much, especially when it comes to the constitution. It also shows how much the supreme court has power over the US.

     Personally, I think the most important takeaway is that the Supreme court has ALOT of power. they have the ability to make constitutional laws that have been around for centuries, and if you find yourself in a bad position with the supreme court, you are definitely in a lot of trouble. The Supreme Court Justices are nominated by the big guy... The President of the US, therefore these guys are also the big guys. I learned that what I have seen in Law and order has not really have anything to do with what I learned from this article. 

My Five Top Sources of Information

                                       

1) Cosmopolitan: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/ 

Cosmopolitan is a monthly magazine for women. The magazine can also be found online through an online subscription. The reason I love this magazine is that it allows me the read the news I want to read. I am not a person to be very interested in politics and whatnot. I am more interested in reading about fashion, celebrity relationships, the new and cool trends, and so forth. "The advertisement-heavy magazine features short fiction and advice oriented articles on relationships, sex, fashion, entertainment and careers" (Britannica.com). The type of news in Cosmopolitan is exactly what I'm interested in reading!

2) Snapchat:

Snapchat used to be the app for sending photos back and forth between friends and so forth. As time went on Snapchat became so much more than that. It is used as a platform for people to post short clips of their lives, for advertisements, and to find out news that millennials are more interested in hearing. As I previously said, I am one to be more interested in news about celebrities and or fashion. I am not one to read the news about politics. Snapchat gives me the ability to watch shirt chips of famous people advertising the new best makeup or what the new trend is. In a more serious matter, it gives me news about real-world issues and so forth. The best part is, subscribing to these news channels is absolutely free. Snapchat includes The Daily Mail, Buzzfeed, Food Network, NFL, ESPN, Cosmopolitan and so much more. 

                                                                                                            

3)TikTok:

TikTok is a video-sharing-focused social networking platform. Tiktok is definitely a new platform that has become one of the most popular platforms for Gen Z to use. "In a 2020 survey from Ypulse, a youth brand research firm, 51% of Gen Z respondents reported getting their news on TikTok"(Washington post). At first, Tiktok wasn't something I looked at, but once it got more popular I saw myself being on it often. I am not one to post many videos on it, but I find myself to be interested in the content it includes. Tiktok allows people to share 15 second- 3-minute videos sharing content with one another. Since I am on the app often, I find that I learn a lot about the world. For example, during Covid, I have learned a lot about vaccines and the effects they have on people all around the world. In a more recent instance, I found out about the military plan that left Afghanistan from a video shared on this app. Many politicians and newscast networks have a TikTok platform where they share small clips of newsworthy stories on their page. 

4) The New York Times:

The New York Times is definitely not something you would imagine for me to put as one of my top 5 sources due to the previous 3 sources I have stated. But there is something about The New York Times that I love to read. First things first, and this may sound corny, but as a person who lives in New York, I am more inclined to read something with New York in the title. Ever since I have attended college, I feel that I often use The Times as one of my main article sources. Why? Because it literally has anything you want to read about, whether it's real-world issues, natural news, politics, and so forth.  The New York Times is an American daily newspaper, based in New York City with a worldwide readership.

5) Youtube:
Last but certainly not least, YouTube. I absolutely love Youtube. YouTube is an American online video soial media platform owned by google. It is easy with a simple search and free subscription. Users make videos about almost everything. If you need to find certain news, just look it up in the text bar and and search exactly what you are looking for, and im sure you will be able to find it. Ad someone who loves to watch something rather then read it, I find Youtibe to be an amazing plaform for thoose needs. Also as previously stated i love watching videos of new trends, c;eebrtity drama, and real world issues and this platform is great for finding all these.