Technology Worldwide

    The world is filled with technology no matter where we look. We all have some type of relationship with technology whether that be our phones, computers, cars, television, medical devices, cameras, smart home devices, and so much more. As our world evolves, the technology is becoming more complex, with more power to harm or be helpful. No matter what, it is clear that technology has a huge impact on how we live and how we connect with the world. 

    

    For me, using technology has both healthy and unhealthy aspects. On the positive side, it allows me to stay informed about what’s happening in the world, which helps me feel connected and aware. It is also a great tool for building my photography and videography business. My professional website gives me the ability to create a portfolio online and attract potential clients. Beyond that, it helps me stay connected with people that live far away from me. For example, my parents and brother live in Ohio, one sister lives in New York City while the other lives in Tennessee, and my oldest brother lives in Virginia. It is important to us to maintain our relationships even though we are all far apart. Yes, these are all healthy and important things that matter to me but also, the negatives can not be ignored. I often find myself spending too much time on my phone, which can take away from real-life experiences and productivity. Globally, a majority of Gen Z and Millennials (65%) communicate with each other more often digitally than in person. Yes communication online is useful, but face to face connections are needed. There is also the social comparison that social media feeds. I have a tendency to compare myself to others, which can lead to feelings of jealousy and self-doubt, and social media magnifies this for me. Also, social media can be filled with rumors, controversial opinions, and conversation that divides us as a society.

    As our online presence evolves and we mature, we realize the importance of maintaining a positive social media presence. When I reflect on my online presence, I become more mindful of what I share. I carefully think about what I post on platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, TikTok, and others. Out of curiosity, I decided to Google my name to see what pops up. My photography account on Instagram and the website I created show up prominently in my search. This reassures me about what future employers might find when they do a background check on me in the future. I’m proud that my creative side and digital portfolio are showcased for the world to see.

    As part of a generation that has matured as technology has exploded, I am convinced that technology is having a deep impact on us, shaping the way we think and interact, and we worry about what that means. It has contributed to anxiety, depression, and other negative emotions.  Adults are also feeling the impact of technology. According to an article in Medical News Today — “48 percent of Millennials, 37 percent of Gen Xers, 22 percent of Boomers and 15 percent of Matures” — are worried about the detrimental effect of technology on health.  Society is recognizing that technology is advancing at a fast pace and is becoming increasingly powerful in our lives, yet it is hard to disconnect from the powerful force it represents. Technology has become so intertwined with daily life that it is nearly impossible to disconnect. This dependence on technology makes it challenging to create boundaries, even when we know it is necessary for our mental and emotional well-being.

EOTO #2 Reax: Confirmation Bias

    Confirmation bias is when people tend to focus on information that supports what they already believe while ignoring information that doesn’t. Often, this happens without realizing it. For example, someone might reject opinions that contradict their beliefs or only look for facts that confirm their own viewpoint.
    Confirmation bias occurs when it can save time and effort and when it needs to protect someone's self esteem. With so much information out in the world, it is easier to focus on things that fit our own self beliefs instead of carefully looking at everything that comes our way. It could be a shortcut for making decisions quickly. Admitting our beliefs could be wrong might feel uncomfortable, especially those beliefs have been with us for a while. 
    There are ways to overcome confirmation bias. You could approach someone who you know that sees things differently and then ask them why and how they are seeing it differently. Seeing different perspectives and being open to their ideas is incredibly important. You could surround yourself with people that have diverse backgrounds to understand why they think the way they think. And when there is information that feels unsettling, take a moment, breathe, and recognize the different perspectives. 

    The positives of confirmation bias is that it helps you stay focused and true to what you believe without others effecting you. Sticking to your owns beliefs and not straying away shows strength. Having those secure beliefs makes you feel more confident. 
    The negatives of conformation bias can lead to bad decisions because not all information is considered. There could be missed opportunities to learn and grow. It causes stubbornness and so much more. 

Anti War Voices

 

    The term war means " a conflict carried on by force of arms, as between nations or between parties within a nation; warfare, as by land, sea, and air." Everyone has heard of this word before. From the American Revolution, where the 13 colonies wanted independence from Great Britain, to Russo-Ukrainian War where Russia wanted to gain control over Ukraine for many different reasons. See, the word "war" is seen all over the world today, but do people talk about the term, "anti-war"? 

    Anti-war is when there is an opposition to war. The reason that anti-war is not being talked about is  other current issues like climate change, economic instability, politics, and much more are taking over and overthrowing the talk of anti-war. Governments often frame war as a necessity for security and protection which makes them see it was a justified answer to any type of problem. 

    Anti-war is a word that I never hear on the regular. The news and other forms of media present war as ongoing events. They present it as a way to protect America and the freedom we have, add security, and much more. Just recently I found out about two websites: Antiwar.com and The American Conservative. Each of these websites have strong writers who discuss the importance of going against military interventions or anything related to war. A lot of media these days want to stay on a certain side of a story or they don't want to cause heavy debates. Anti-war is just another discussion and argument that the news, blogs, and media don't want to have to deal with because war is happening all the time. It is hard for these types of websites to get attention because people don't talk about it. War is going to happen and it is current news, so why would they have to give arguments about anti-war?

    Well, I think it is extremely important to see both sides. Often people just look at one main stream of media and don't consider smaller sites and opposite opinions. These websites offer a place for people to find different opinions, but their small sources compared to major news sources suggests that antiwar views are either purposely or accidentally left out of mainstream media. That is why as people we need to gain as much information as we can to compare and contrast our ideas as well as get the main view points.

Spiral of Silence

 

  The Spiral of Silence explains how a person (or group) is less likely to voice an opinion when the majority thinks something else. People tend to keep silent when they feel left out, they feel as though their opinions aren't recognized, the fear of laughter or judgement, and when people can't take criticism. All everyone wants is to feel accepted into society and different groups. When someone from the majority speaks out their ideas confidently, the minority wants to back away and becomes silent/distant. But, the closer the ideas are to the majority, the closer the minority speaks out their opinions.

    The idea of spiral of silence was developed by German communication researcher Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann in the 1960's-1970's. Her experiences during the WWII and post-war era led to her to observe the power of the public opinion and the danger of not listening to all voices.

    Some negative effects are that social groups exclude members because of their views and opinions which then gain fear of isolation. Some positive effects could be the discouraging of extreme or unpopular opinions and viewpoints that might otherwise disrupt harmony within a group. It could encourage individuals to think about all the viewpoints and think critically. They could reconsider their stance if it is way off what the majority thinks.

    The spiral of silence has an effect as a whole on society. Lack of discussion can cause more divides and eventually lead to social polarization (division into two sharply contrasting groups or sets of opinions). Governments, institutions, and companies may base their opinions on the majority views, potentially looking over important perspectives that weren't openly expressed. The needs of the minority need to be addressed.

    Some examples of spiral of silence could include climate change, The Civil Rights movement, The Great Depression, young/old, and female/male. 

    Climate change in some communities people who believe in the science of climate change remain silent in the public due to the overall climate skepticism within certain social or political groups.

     The Great Depression had many individuals face severe economic hardships and were reluctant to voice dissatisfaction with the government policies or banks. They feared losing any type of social stranding or jobs. 

    The Civil Rights movement had many individuals support racial equality that were hesitant to speak out against segregation laws and practices due to fear of violence or social exclusion. 

    Young people feel the pressure to conform to society and fit in. If their opinions are different, then they feel left out. This could lead to bullying, isolation, and social rejection. The younger generation on social media might get certain videos, photos, or viewpoints on their feed causing them to think a certain way.  Older people get disconnected from the world and younger generation because society is constantly changing and growing. This viewpoints are outdated, and the older generation stays silent. 

    Females in the past and even now have felt the pressure to conform to society and become a specific person that society makes out females to be. This could cause the spiral of silence where women hold back their opinions. If women are in a man mainly dominated workplace they could keep their views away from the workplace. Women don’t want certain labels on themselves. Males might feel the pressure to always feel confident and assertive which can prevent them from being vulnerable and expressive of  their opinions because of how society labels males. Males might go into a spiral of silence because they don’t want the repetition to be on the line.

    Other common issues today that use the spiral of silence include abortion, vaccines, social movements, and political views.

    Understanding this dynamic is crucial for caring for the environments where many different viewpoints can coexist without fear of isolation, conflict, and judgement.

Diffusion of Innovations: Cassette Tapes

 

    The Diffusion of Innovation Theory explains how new ideas, products, or innovations spread through a population over time. It suggests that people gain these innovations in different stages: starting with early adopters, moving to majority, and then finally to the late adopters. The cassette tapes spread because of the ability to have portable audio and music on the go. People realized that they could be creative and make all kinds of playlists, especially their own mixtapes.

    People became early adopters because they wanted something smaller and easier to carry. If they wanted to go out and about they could use it. In the car radio, boomboxes, telephone answering machines, and just to put on headphones for a walk outside. Many people want to listen to music, AM/FM radio, and so much more on something that is portable and easy access. The early adopters included people like music enthusiast who wanted to make music better and the tech-savvy people. These are the people that were trying out new technologies and saw the potential the cassette tape could bring to the public. The cassette tape blew up and became popular. It became a trend.

    The late adopters were unsure about the technology and didn't trust the durability of the cassette tape. They thought that their old technologies worked much better than a new updated version. A lot of people don't like change and the way the world is quickly advancing.

    Some people were not adopters at all because they were used to what was before and don't want to advance to a new technology. A lot of people were used to record players or vinyls or they couldn't afford the new cassette tape. 

    The cassette tape had downsides like the sound quality, durability was questionable, smaller storages, and much more, but overall the cassette tape advanced music and the way people listen to it.

The Age of AI

    AI has gradually become more advanced as time goes on. In class, we watched a documentary called "In the Age of AI" where many different topics including AI in businesses, privacy, surveillance, ethical concerns, competition, medicine, and so much more were discussed. 

    One of the most intriguing and important things I learned was how AI was used to help treat cancer and detect it. AI can go through large amounts of data and know peoples personal health records. AI can come together and gather information that doctors or other scans may not see with the cancer. It helps doctors analyze the cancer and even detect it before huge signs occur. AI has the ability to assist during surges of patients with cancer because AI could point out mistakes humans are making or not seeing. 

    What is frightening about AI is that has become smarter than humans, taking on roles that humans first had. AI is taking over jobs and employment, making human employment not easy. AI is smarter, so why have humans? The question is very scary to think about. For example AI is taking over jobs like customer service representative, car and truck driver, computer programmer, research analyst, graphic designer, and so much more.

    AI has its pro and cons. Some pros I noticed were data security and capabilities, fraud protection, but some cons include mass surveillance, lack of consent, data vulnerability and so much more. I think that overall the AI documentary showed how it can bring great benefits to this generation and to come, but also we have to keep an eye out with AI and the challenges that come our way.

    

EOTO Presentations: Bluetooth

 

 

    In recent class presentations, I learned a lot about the involvement of technology, especially Bluetooth. I use Bluetooth every day, whether that be connecting to my headphones, car, speaker, or using Airdrop. I never gave much thought to how Bluetooth works and why it is called Bluetooth. The presentation was very insightful and informative. 

    

    The name "Bluetooth" dates back to the viking king "King Harald". He was known for uniting Denmark and Norway. King Harald got the nickname Bluetooth because he had a rotting dark blue tooth. During a meeting, three industrial leaders Intel, Ericsson, and Nokia were discussing how they wanted to invent a short range, connection technology that could connect different products. In the meeting, Jim Kardach suggested the story of King Harald because he liked the story as well and they both wanted to unite something. Bluetooth was supposed to be a temporary name. The inventors had other names like RadioWave or PAN, but those weren't as popular as Bluetooth. The name spread throughout the world. 

    Bluetooth is used by communicating through 79 different frequencies through low-powered radio waves on a frequency band around 2.4GHZ. This means that when two devices are paired through Bluetooth, they randomly pick up one of the 79 different frequency waves to make some sort of connection. Once the devices are connected, they bounce to different frequencies at a fast pace. When the devices are too far apart, the connection gets disconnected which is the only downside. The benefits of having Bluetooth are photos, videos, data, and other things can be easily transferred with devices without having to send via message or email. Larger files can be moved, it is wireless, consumes little energy, and has less interference. 

    

    Overall the presentation was presented well. I learned so much about the technology I use every day. It is important to understand what we are using in our daily lives.