Blog #9 EOTO 2: Reaction

A concept I had never heard of before this second round of presentations was The Five Eyes Alliance. I have linked the same article as the presenter originally included because I went back to read more about this topic, and found it very helpful in understanding the who, what, where, when, and how of this specialized group. Essentially, five countries, the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand formed an agreement, or alliance, in response to the events of World War II that has continuously monitored issues of terrorism, cyber attacks, and other threats to international security since. ___________________________________________________

Originally, it began as an agreement between just the UK and the USA that was signed in 1946 with the purpose of tracking military operations of the Axis Powers in the second World War. Later on, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand would join the party as well. Once all 5 countries were in, they built a network and system of intelligence-sharing that allowed them to monitor potential security threats across the globe. 

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However, even though this group is majorly concerned with matters of international security, we as citizens, of course have the right to be concerned about the risks of this level of government surveillance to our right to privacy. One of the videos assigned in another blog prompt mentioned that the phones used by law-abiding citizens are the same phones used by terrorists; the technology is the same and the surveillance capabilities are the same as well. This means that anything the government wants to know about you, even if you're not the bad guy they are after, they can and will use their ability to do so. 

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This presentation highlighted the importance of balancing security with privacy and made me contemplate bigger questions like how much access to data the government should have as our relationship with technology as a society grows. The government should have limits to how much information they can gather, but on the other hand we want them to be able to protect us from cyberattacks that are becoming an increasingly common problem. 

Blog #8 EOTO 2: Citizen Journalism

Hello everyone, for my presentation today I will be discussing citizen journalism, which has become such an important part of our culture with the advancements of modern day technology and social media. It sounds fairly self-explanatory, but basically citizen journalism is just news captured and shared by those that are not paid professionals in journalism- just everyday folks like you and me.

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Nowadays, everybody has a cell phone in their hands pretty much at all times. Imagine that later today, I am sitting in the cafe enjoying the highly anticipated Friendsgiving meal when all of a sudden a fight breaks out because there’s no more mashed potatoes. Almost certainly, multiple phones would start recording and then it would go to barstoolHPU and we all know how that story ends. That is a prime example of citizen journalism. 

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Apart from that silly example, a real historical occurrence of citizen journalism took place on the day that Former President JFK was assassinated. Of course, technology was not as advanced as it is today, but Abraham Zapruder was able to capture, with an amateur film camera, key moments of this tragic incident that would later aid in the secret service investigation. Had it not been for his ability to record the events of that day, crucial information would have gone unseen, and parts of history would perhaps still be missing. 

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As I mentioned earlier, by definition citizen journalism is "journalism that is conducted by people who are not professional journalists, but who disseminate information using websites, blogs, and social media." I want to emphasize the element of social media and the reach that is possible for citizen journalism now with how accessible those platforms are to us today. You no longer have to turn on the TV and flip to the news channel, or read about an event in the paper the next day. Chances are when a newsworthy event occurs, and regular people are on the scene witnessing it, there is at least one smartphone recording and shortly after a video will be posted for all to view and share with their network(s). Citizen journalists are an even better source of journalism that professionalism because they aren't operating with a hidden agenda or thinking about a paycheck, they are simply acting as vessels of information. 

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Of course, now that everyone has a recording device on them at all times, risks to privacy are at an all time high. No one wants to be recorded without their consent, but it happens all the time. We also have digital footprints to consider, as everything we post can be connected to our name and identity almost instantly and content can follow us. Additionally, it is easier than ever for misinformation to spread, for something to be clipped or taken out of its original context, and shared with meaning other than was originally intended. 

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It's important as consumers of citizen journalism, and as potential citizen journalists, that we consider the risks associated with this type if information sharing, and keep in mind the responsibility it requires. With that said, as a society we are connected more than ever before, and that’s certainly better than being uninformed- thank you!

Blog #7 EOTO 1: Reaction

Emojis. We all use them, and they have quickly become an integral part of texting culture. Without them, how could we convey sarcasm, or humor, or let someone know that we aren't being serious in the message we just sent? It is so easy for misunderstandings to occur in our world of online communication, and the invention of emoticons has made a significant impact in translating emotions and meaning to the messages we send each and every day. 

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Blog #6 EOTO 1: First Newspaper

The first time the world ever saw something that resembled a newspaper was in 59BC, at the request of Julius Caesar, in order to inform citizens about important events, politics, and military affairs. However, the actual invention of the newspaper is more commonly attributed to Johann Carolus, a German author and publisher, who pioneered this form of weekly news media in 1605 with the help of Gutenburg's printing press. Carolus' work was titled, "Relations: Aller Furnemmen."

 

Another prominent figure in publishing at this time was Lucas Schulte, and his work was titles, "Aviso Relations over Zeitung." Both Carolus (pictured right) and Schulte (not pictured) demonstrated extreme bravery with their participation in publishing during a time of intense government persecution. Censorship was the norm, and freedom of the press was simply not a thing. (Side note: Censorship became an interesting topic to me in high school while reading Fahrenheit 451 *highly recommend*, and this article outlines how censorship has existed over the centuries- extra little reading if you are interested!)
These publications operated under very tight regulations put in place by the government and could only publish information that was deemed acceptable by the ones in power.

Due to the presence of censorship, these papers mostly discussed foreign affairs, like matters of war, but they could not report on local news and events. This changed in response to a paper written in 1641 that focused on more “domestic news” and sparked discussions that would eventually lead John Milton to author his famous work, Aeropagitica, that majorly contributed to the establishment of freedom of the press.In this new wave of freedom, publications were able to operate on bi-weekly, weekly and even daily schedules, making information more accessible than ever before. They were also allowed to publish more relevant info than what had been allowed in the past.

This expanded into other fields such as business, investing, and advertising. While this was absolutely considered a step in the right direction, the negative aspect of this was that these occupations became more and more dependent on publications to get the word out for them, and if there was any shift in publication their livelihoods were affected. Over time this has developed into the craziness that we know journalism to be today, which is a highly competitive race to be the next big story. We also know that bias comes into play and forms of censorship that we may not even be aware of at times.


Freedom of the press is absolutely essential to the world of newspaper publishing, but as the world moves away from print media and expands more into digital media, freedom of the press and speech overall will be more crucial to maintain than ever before. We have the opportunity to be the most informed generation, but of course with that comes the risks of misinformation and internet trolling, so we have the added responsibility of investigating what we are reading and caring whether or not we are being fed propaganda or accurate information. 

Sources: 

https://open.lib.umn.edu/mediaandculture/chapter/4-2-history-of-newspapers/   

https://www.britannica.com/topic/publishing/The-first-newspapers

 

Blog #5 Age of AI

Not too long ago, when someone said "AI" in a sentence, my mind would immediately create an image of a robot apocalyptic takeover. However, AI is such a casual term we use practically everyday now with its features on popular search engines, Snapchat, ChatGPT etc. It very quickly went from an advanced term to part of our everyday slang. 

The corresponding documentary for this post, which can be found here, highlights some growing concerns with the integration of artificial intelligence into our world. 

As a college student, hoping to graduate and find a job in the near future, AI in the workplace is absolutely a relevant topic for me, and one the video discusses as well. There is already economic instability, caused by "disruptive technology" and AI is increasingly becoming a part of the problem. In search of more efficiency, and with the prioritization of "capital over labor,"companies are relying on AI and machines to reduce the number of workers needed to operate. It's a major moral consideration to prioritize "employing" machines over real people with families to provide for. 

Additionally, inequalities already exist and will only be made worse by AI interference. The wealthy will become wealthier, and the poor will become poorer. This isn't caused by AI, but it is certainly perpetuated by it and will lead to a nightmare of a problem if we aren't able to make adjustments soon to its level of impact on existing inequality. 

Artificial intelligence is changing our world without us even realizing it. The algorithms are getting smarter and smarter, gradually adapting the world to us- which sounds great in theory, but is so quickly and easily turning into a powerful tool of manipulation for companies. Surveillance tactics can pick up on the fact that you like to wear black dresses, and suddenly every other ad you see is of a black dress. No coincidences there. 

A phrase that I noted from the documentary that I found especially impactful was, "We thought we were using social media, but it was using us...we thought we were searching google, but google was searching us." It really flips the narrative and makes you think about the issues of data collection and AI use and just how dangerous the two can become when combined. 

AI is an exciting topic to think about, and it most certainly does have potential to provide a new wave of efficiency to our lives, but as someone who feels so uninformed still about the extent to which it is capable of changing the world around me, it is just as frightening, if not more so, than it is exciting. 

 

Blog #4 Privacy

"Sorry, I didn't catch that. Try again."

Surely, we've all heard this above phrase come from our iPhone a time or two by mistake. If Siri was already listening enough to think you were trying to talk to her, it makes you wonder how often and how closely she is listening into your everyday conversations. 

In our modern society, technology has creeped its way into virtually every aspect of life, from smart phones, smart refrigerators, and Alexa systems that can lock doors and turn off lights. While these features are certainly convenient and provide a new level of efficiency to our daily lives, it does not come without risks to our privacy and a heightened concern for digital surveillance. 

In the corresponding TED Talk videos, which can be accessed here, under Week 3: Day 2, several speakers give insight into various topics that are a growing concern for those of us living in the digital age. 

Juan Enriquez uses the visual of tattoos on our bodies as storytelling elements similar to that of social media. Everything we choose to publish about ourselves adds to this story and image of who we are, and it's out there forever, for anyone to see. We have created "electronic tattoos," and now there is a record of our online presence that can be accessed by someone to form an opinion about us before they've ever spoken a word to us. He also mentions the idea of "immortality" in that this presence and image will live on far past our physical body.

Catherine Crump highlights police surveillance, and how it is not limited to those guilty of wrongdoing, but massive amounts of data are being collected on everyone at all times. By knowing the location of our car and having an image of our license plate, these watchful eyes are able to know if we go to church, which grocery store is our favorite, and other information that may not seem all that risky to know but adds to the bigger picture of just how much information is collected on us- even the small trivial things. 

Other TED talk speakers discussed how phones were intentionally designed to be surveillance tools, and not for the more commonly thought use: basic communication. We all use the same devices, and if one phone can be monitored to take down a hacker, the same phone can be monitored in the same way even though it's in the hands of a law-abiding citizen using it for average purposes. Everyone is vulnerable to this level of surveillance. 

All of these topics are concerning to me because I have a phone, I drive a car, and I am a user of social media. There is plenty of information that I willingly share with the internet, but knowing that even the information I would like to stay private may find its way out there anyway is of course bothersome. The government and online platforms should be candid about the data they are collecting, especially sites that are selling this information, so that users understand what is at risk for them. As consumers though, we should be conscious of what we're clicking, what cookies we're accepting, and doing what we can to educate ourselves on protecting our own privacy.

Blog #3 Reflecting on Speech Theories

In learning about the importance of the first amendment, we must also consider the Eight Values of Free Expression, and how they might apply to issues of free expression today. 

The first theory outlined is "Marketplace of Ideas." Originally proposed by John Milton, this is essentially the idea that "when truth and falsehood are allowed to freely grapple", truth will win, and that truth will be made stronger. I see this as being true just from my own experience of having to defend a certain idea. If I am able to do it well, then someone will be convinced that what I am saying is factual, and therefore I also become more sure in what I think to be true because I have meaningful support, whereas a false claim will not have strong support. 

The second concept is "Participation in Self-Government." It has always been important that we as citizens have a role to play in electing members of our governing body. We have a right to participate in these procedures so that those elected represent the values and goals of the public that is doing the electing. This theory suggests that officials should be allowed to freely communicate with the public and help them be sufficiently informed. 

The third theory outlined is "Stable Change." I really like this theory because it suggests that venting, or "ranting" as we might call it more frequently nowadays, is actually good and healthy for maintaining the peace. The public should be allowed to express their complaints to feel heard and more "stable", and in turn, the government is able to monitor such groups that speak out and address them as it becomes necessary. I think this is especially prevalent in the world of technology, since we can express our dislike for things instantly and constantly. If threats are made against a figure, like the President, on social media, the government and authorities can address that in a timely manner and prevent a possibly harmful situation. It is also worth noting the regulations that exist for public and private social media platforms, and how they might impact the possible "venting" that can take place on these networks. 

The fourth idea is "Individual Self-Fulfillment." This aspect of free expression allows us to create an identity for ourselves, and gives us a sense of autonomy separate from those that govern us. It's important that citizens feel they have control over their lives, even in the presence of rules and regulations, so that they don't perceive the government as tyrannical or abusive. 

The fifth concept is "Check on Governmental Power." Our system of checks and balances is crucial when it comes to the branches of government. No one branch should have more power than another, or abuse its power. Checks and balances ensure that fairness is maintained and justice remains a priority. Checks and Balances were established as part of the court case, US v. Alvarez. 

The sixth idea is "Promote Tolerance." This theory suggests that the protection of hate speech under the first amendment is valuable in establishing norms of acceptable behavior in that we deem this speech "wrong" in our society, though it remains legal. Additionally, it helps us build a tolerance of others in other aspects of life. 

The seventh concept is "Promote Innovation." Free speech is essential in effective collaboration and meshing of ideas. We should absolutely be allowed to freely express our ideas, interests, and passions which will make us a more engaged and diverse society. I think this also ties into the idea of censorship in that if innovative technology, like AI, began to pose a threat to the government and its power, there could be efforts made to prevent such collaboration of knowledge, and therefore they would be actively infringing on this right. 

The eighth, and final, theory is "Protect Dissent." We have a right to criticize the government- and we should! We can disagree, and make our opinions known. This is especially important in protecting minority views, and those that are unpopular. I think an obvious example of this would be in protesting for change. Even smaller, niche topics, any group holding signs and yelling things will draw attention, and sometimes the attention is enough to spark really change and make an impact.