Final Blog Post

 My Relationship with Technology and Its  Relationship with Me

Technology has been such a blessing in the advancement and growth of civilization. But with every good thing, some adverse effects can come about. Because of various technologies, so many people enjoy a better quality of life and experience the world in such a different light. In this blog post, I endeavor to dive into the ins and out of technology and how it has affected me and society.

 

My relationship with technology is complicated; some days are good, and some are bad. Since I grew up in the age of technology, I was always familiar with and constantly surrounded by the technology used to make things faster, more accessible, and more efficient. From the Hello Kitty alarm clock on my nightstand that I dreaded waking up to as a child to the ring doorbell detecting every movement on our porch and driveway, technology was all around me and still is. But along with good uses of technology, there were not-as-good uses as well. But overall, I like technology and enjoy how it has enhanced my life. For the most part, my relationship with technology is healthy, and I endeavor to keep it that way!

This healthy relationship can partly be attributed to my parents and how they regulated my use of technology and social media. They ensured that I enjoyed the beauty of my childhood and did not grow up with my face on a screen. I was a late bloomer with technology compared to others in my age group. My parents bought me a phone when I was going to high school, and they only did it because there was a sale for a family bundle by our carrier. My peers had phones in elementary and middle school. Regarding social media, I made Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat accounts during my senior year in high school. I always was so busy and consumed with school and extracurricular activities that there was no need for social media. But I was also fortunate that my parents showed me that I didn't necessarily need social media and did not have to depend on it. They taught me that technology is supplementary and is good when you allow it to enhance your life instead of allowing it to consume your life.

But sadly, most parents allow their children to use technology frivolously and do not hold them accountable for their use. These parents also need to discuss how much of a role technology should take in their lives. Therefore, far too many children grew up with a distorted view of the realities of the technological world and the power that technology has to change and alter many aspects of one's life mentally, spiritually, physically, and psychologically, both positively and negatively. This distorted reality has inclined them to be more likely to misuse, overuse, and weaponize technology. These incidents of abuse are why we have seen so many negative effects of social media and the harmful applications of technology in society. 

In many ways, technology has helped aid society and propel it forward. But in many ways, technology has been poorly used to hurt people and negatively affect their lives. These negative technological uses include cyberbullying, mass tech surveillance, and hacking. And history has proven that poor and excessive use of technology, especially social media, is directly correlated to increased suicide rates, technological addiction, unrealistic expectations, unhealthy sleep patterns, and even a lowered attention span and focus. 

                                  

Technology has also done good. Technological advancement is propelled forward in the name of convenience and efficiency. But is it necessary to sacrifice the positives that exist intrinsically in society for technological convenience? For example, with the advancement and popularity of texting and messaging, a decrease in face-to-face interaction and personability have become more present in society. A lack of these valuable skills is a bad deal, so we must consciously keep utilizing those skills while also utilizing the technologies of our day. Maturity reflects one's ability to responsibly use technology and never let it change their quality of life. 

Also, maturity is knowing the balance between what to post and what not to post. Responsible users also discern when the timing is right to post things. They evaluate their inward motives for posting and sharing things online and determine how much information they are willing to share with the world. When I come across something on Instagram that I want to share, I ask myself questions to ensure I am portraying the best image and reputation to the world. I ensure I am at peace with what I put on the internet. I want whatever I put out to inform, challenge, inspire, and positively influence those who see it. I do not want my online footprint to consist of poorly thought-out posts and comments based on emotion. I want my online footprint to be moderate and accurately reflect who I am.  

Our digital footprint is how the world sees us in society. What we choose to share on various platforms and websites tells a story. The narrative that is projected is up to us. As a society, we must be more selective and tasteful concerning our online presence. We must suppress the feeling of making poor technological choices just to be famous, be trending, be liked, be highly followed, and go viral. Our online presence and digital footprint will remain positive when our choices are inspired by pure, sound judgment instead of frivolous and superficial desires. 

Overall, technology and its advancements throughout time have been such a blessing to society and individuals based on their personal needs. From the medical to the entertainment industry, technology has been a game-changer, vital aid, and critical factor of top performance in numerous areas across the vocational spectrum. Technology has a good, bad, and ugly side, like almost everything in life. But it is our responsibility to embrace the good, minimize the bad, address the ugliness and restore technology's intrinsic beauty.

                

Living in the Age of A.I.

According to Oxford Languages, a subdivision of the Oxford English Dictionary, artificial intelligence is defined as "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." This definition mentions some areas that AI has the capability to perform in, but with the rapid advancement of technology, humanity's growing dependency on it, and our ability to sacrifice practicality for convenience, AI can do more and be used for more and more things in our lives. And this reality can be frightening especially because of the development of forthcoming AI-inspired technologies that have the potential to blur the lines of personal privacy, national security, autonomy, ethicality, and morality.   

In Frontline PBS' documentary, In the Age of AI, experts discuss the various uses for AI, both positive and negative, in commerce, healthcare, finance, transportation, and even government. This documentary was very thorough in its examination of these past AI phenomena and their trends that can shape the future. It was very educational for me and encouraged me to critically think about how we as the human race need to evaluate the choices we make in the name of technological and AI-powered advancement and the costs of those choices. I learned in greater detail the extent of China's mass use and abuse of  AI. I also learned some of the things that America is planning and endeavoring to implement to try to compete with Chinese AI practices and execution. Along with America's plans to compete with China, I was able to understand more clearly how AI affects American jobs and commercial business.  

Along with all the things that I have learned. I was frightened to see how AI has been weaponized and used to violate personal privacy and surveil people excessively. I knew that China wants a total surveillance state because of its communist nature and makeup, but seeing these happenings made me realize how extensive, daunting, and unacceptable mass surveillance is. I was able to see how the Chinese government and government officials overextend their reach and watch their citizens. 

They are constantly watching them and making sure everyone complies with mandates given for how the government would want them to live. Especially during the peak of Covid-19, this surveillance was taken to alarming proportions. Chinese citizens were being and are still being watched like a hawk to make sure that they are six feet apart, always wearing a mask, and are staying locked in their homes. People who disobeyed were tracked, beaten and mugged in public, and eventually imprisoned. These examples and many more shown in the documentary demonstrate the dangerous reality of what AI looks like in the wrong hands and when it is motivated by malicious intent. 

Watching this documentary caused me to truly think about how AI influences and has significantly changed how we look at privacy. This documentary also prompted the thought of the balance of national security and the sacrifice of personal rights and autonomy. While this documentary heavily focuses on China's role in the use of AI, the United States is a big part of this new age of AI. The United States claims that it has used mechanisms like algorithms and cookies for the bettering of personalized intenet and app experiences. While this sounds all well and good, mechanisms like these can be so dangerous being that your phone and computer knows so much about, including your likes, dislikes, and even subconscious behaviors and trends that you perform.

Also under the AI umbrella, surveillance capitalism is a rapidly growing industry. With users allowing cookies and agreeing to those terms and agreements, that are so long that no one rarely ever reads, they are granting various companies permission to sell their personal information imputted in the apps and websites. And because they are selling this information, they are receiving profit in return. Some would say "How can they do this; isn't this a breach of personal privacy?" Ethically, yes, but legally, no because by logging on to those sites and downloading those apps we relinguish those things to them.

Practices like this always cause many to inquire about who gets to dictate what speech and actions potentially pose a threat to national security and who gets to use AI to surveil these people. These questions makeup the notion of security vs. privacy. And as I have seen in my life and in the documentary, national security vs. privacy can be dicey and subjectively based on what you believe and where you stand on various issues. Some believe that we should sacrifice our privacy rights for national security, but some do not believe that we should because it is indeed a slipery slope and can be easily abused. I believe that there should not be a total and complete sacrifice of privacy, but because of incidents in history that had proven an increased need for security measures, we should be open to seeing what things need to be implemented that require the use of AI and technology and judging accordingly by situation. 

Artificial intelligence can be positive for humanity. We can use these innovations and newfound technological advancements to help better the quality of people's lives, as they see fit. "As they sit fit" is they key phrase because how many groups in world have said they are using their innovations and ideas were for other people's benefit but in fact were harming rather than helping. AI can really be used as positive tools and not negative weapons to harm, bully, mandate, overreach, and domaneer. Advancement in AI is very intriguing and can spark personal ideas on what the future of this world could look like with the assistacne of this great aid.

Privacy: Online and Offline

 

Privacy: Online and Offline

God Isn't the Only One Watching You

Privacy, or should I say the lack thereof, is a huge issue that should be talked about more because of its pervasiveness and its impact on literally everyone. This issue is one of those things where you are more and more shocked the deeper you dive and research. And it is a shame that the individuals perpetuating this intrusive behavior say that this technology is only for enhanced experiences on websites and apps, security, and other reasons that sound good on the surface. But, we all know that when people's intentions are initially good, there is always a perversion of those intentions that become dangerous to those on the other side of the equation. And this perversion of intent is and has become weaponizable toward opposing parties. 

The Ted Talks posted by Professor Smith addressed many aspects of this issue. One addressed the digital footprint and how it acts as a "digital tattoo," while another gave insight into the mass surveillance by the government, specifically the local government, with the backing of federal government-affiliated agencies. Another talk discussed surveillance by way of cellular phones with government participation of the United States. This phone tapping of U.S. citizens is not exclusive to the U.S. government. Other countries like the UK and Canada, by way of alliances like "Five Eyes," can listen in and surveil all the calls we make and receive from our family, friends, and coworkers." And in the last Ted Talk, the speaker talks about her personal experience with the dangers of revenge porn and what she likes to call "digital domestic violence."

       

Although I have not had a close encounter with surveillance personally, I know that it is being done and that it needs to come to an end. These realities affect me because of my belief system because history has proven that this behavior has been done toward Christians and politically and morally conservative individuals. This also affects my family because we are in the same boat regarding viewpoint and moral conviction. The United States government has had a tendency to spy on and mistreat those who are bold about their differing personal opinions and worldviews. And the mass volume of information that they have access to and have retrieved is very alarming. But what is really alarming is what they will do with the information when they feel as if they are provoked and threatened. 

The United States government should IMMEDIATELY desist from this intrusive activity. THAT is what they should do. Since they are the ones participating in these acts, there should be people who work for these agencies and companies holding the higher-ups and the greater whole accountable. Although it is a risky move, hopefully with the backing of citizens some change will come about. Also, the government should stop colluding with other private companies like Facebook to engage in this activity. The government needs to have a paradigm shift because the root is that they think they are so high that they can see, control, and have a mass say so in the lives of the citizens. They think it is okay and it is ABSOLUTELY NOT. They should put a harness on the technology so that it can be used positively to enhance the lives of the citizens as they see fit. 

   

We can protect ourselves from invasions of our privacy by first educating ourselves so we know what is happening and whether it is illegal or unconstitutional. So many people get messed over and taken advantage of because of a lack of knowledge. Secondly, we can be mindful and conscious about what we chose to post, display, and say on the internet and social media. We should not give up private and intimate information that can be used as a part of our digital dossier. We can also delete our history frequently and not be as willing to give our location and private information to websites, apps, and even third-party consumers. Although we are not quite sure how to totally prevent this activity, we can take some other preventative measures so that this issue doesn't affect us more strongly than it has to.  

  

 EOTO Concept/Term That I Learned from Someone Else

I really enjoyed this round of EOTO presentations. The topics were very interesting because I could see their very complex nature in modern society. From the increase in alternative media to the mouths of public figures dripping with propaganda, we can see how these concepts and theories have shaped America's culture.

The concept that really stuck out to me was confirmation bias. Confirmation bias is when one seeks out news and conversation that confirms and supports how one believes and thinks. This is a natural tendency for everyone because we tend to seek and go after commonality in the many aspects of life. We tend to befriend those who have the same values as us. In court, we call witnesses who will aid and confirm our claims. This bias is everywhere.

I really enjoyed learning about this concept because I have found myself using confirmation bias more than I would like to. In some instances, I use it as a defense mechanism. I recognize where my worldview lies on the social acceptance spectrum and many people and news outlets try to vilify my beliefs through lies. So, I am very cautious and hesitant to go to those news sources that have an obvious bias against my worldview.

But when I do research papers, I realize that in order to create a well-balanced and credible essay, I must research and utilize the many varying opinions on an issue. The utilization of diverse opinions requires me to go to all different types of news outlets and hear and read the opinions of people in different places on the social opinions spectrum.

But I have realized that in my quest to receive a baseline of truth only from news outlets that I trust, I am neglecting the ability to be knowledgeable about other points of view. I want to be a scholar not just of the things that I believe and hold dear, but also of the things that I do not fundamentally agree with. Confirmation bias is a two-sided coin, with a positive and a negative side. But, my task is to find the balance of that coin, when and how often to use confirmation bias. I need to also be aware of how I view the world in which I live, especially from where I am standing.

 EOTO Terms & Concepts: Spiral of Silence

The spiral of silence is a technique most often used in the realms of communications and political science. Originally proposed by Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann, a well-known political scientist, this theory demonstrates the positive and negative correlation between public opinion and personally-held convictions and opinions. This model is such a great model for what’s going on in today’s world like censorship and how it can/has affected people, especially certain demographics.

There are 4 major steps in the spiral of silence. Here they are:

1. One has an intense desire to fit in and be socially accepted. This desire fuels one’s inclination to speak up, speak out and share their opinion.

2. When people are in a setting of a “marketplace of ideas” and everyone is sharing opinions, thoughts, beliefs, and core convictions, there is an innate ability to read the room and see what ideas are being more accepted than others. Individuals who believe their ideas are floating to the top are inclined to speak out more. Conversely, one who feels like their point of view is sinking, unpopular, and unaccepted, begins to hold back and not say as much.

3. Popular opinions become more prevalent while the less popular ones dissipate. And this dynamic creates a sometimes false illusion that popular means “true” and “strong” and unpopular means “false” and weak.

4. Because of the previously stated dynamic, the spiral begins to occur. This spiral causes people to follow the central point of view and push unpopular points of view to the “back burner.” The degree of the spiral is evident in the number of people who are fearful and apprehensive about publicly sharing their stance on issues.

          

The spiral of silence has so many implications but here are the two that are very evident to me and that I personally have a frame of reference for. This spiral implies that individuals with minority-categorized views eventually self-censor themselves out of fear that their views will be censored and not socially accepted. According to The New York Post, of a polled 1,500 people, 66% of people said that they either censor themselves all the time or sometimes. And according to the CATO Institute, 62% of Americans say that they are fretful in sharing the political beliefs they hold.

This spiral also implies that the “marketplace of ideas” isn’t as strong or isn’t as evident. One can deduct that if there was a strong marketplace of ideas, one would not have fear sharing his/her views because the environment would be conducive to the varying viewpoints. This spiral lowers and limits the efficacy of the marketplace of ideas by undermining its ability to allow competing ideas to battle and rise or fall on their own.

This spiral of silence affects people individually as well as society as a whole. This spiral negatively affects society being that America was founded on the principle of free speech and embraces the concept of diversity of opinion and belief. This spiral inevitably creates single stories, being that only one side is heard: the loudest and the most popular. Therefore making society one-sided and single-faceted. 

This spiral also negatively impacts me because of how frowned-upon views are treated. Being a Black Christian conservative is not a popular worldview and way of life. So, the majority voice tried to silence me and suppress my voice. I have seen in my personal life how the majority is seen as “truth” and it has disregarded everything else, which happens to be the category I fall under. I have been censored on social media, seen as less than, and even disregarded by people of my same ethnicity just because my “voice” didn’t sound like theirs. I had a seat at the table when they looked at the color of my skin, but when I opened my mouth, they no longer wanted me to sit with them. Funny how that works, right?

As a nation we must realize that in more ways than one we are in this spiral. That is not good news. We must get back to creating spaces for everyone's opinions and belief systems to be heard and acknowledged. We need America to sound a like a symphony of various voices instead of the resounding shout of one singular voice. It is our responsibility to fix and correct the current issues from this spiral and prohibit any more spirals of silence that may try to manifest in our lives and communities. It may be difficult and divert from the current climate of society, but it is the right thing to do! America will be better for it!

 Diffusions of Innovations and Ideas

Everett Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations (and Ideas) Theory has been used to justify and explain the progression and rate of acceptance of theories, ideas, innovations, technologies, and so much more. This theory gives a visual representation of how certain demographics and people embrace the introduction of new concepts and the practice of those concepts. 

Within this theory, there are five categories of people: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards. Innovators are the ones who innovate, cultivate, and introduce ideas. Early adopters are those who jump on the bandwagon immediately, embracing the idea very quickly. The early majority deals with the first major wave of people who accept the idea. This group's acceptance tends to take a longer time than the innovators and early adopters.

The late majority refers to the wave of people that adopts the idea at a later time than the average person and embraces the new idea with slight skepticism and hesitation. And laggards are those who are the very last to accept the idea or innovation and do so with such reluctance because they do not necessarily like change and are comfortable in current tradition. Laggards can even be the small minority who refuse to accept new ideas and innovative advances (the non-conformers).

With this model, I endeavor to explain the gradual rate of acceptance of an idea instead of innovation, the idea being the abolition of Black slaves in America. The mass acceptance of this "idea" was a long and winding road and this "road" can be demonstrated in the following model I graphed. 

So, the pioneers of the abolition movement for African Americans were abolitionists such as Benjamin Lay, Olaudah Equiano, Anthony Benezet, Elizabeth Freeman, Benjamin Rush, and Moses Brown. These individuals were probably the earliest American abolitionists. Many do not know about these individuals because in many cases, those who make something popular are remembered and acknowledged more than those who were the "true pioneers." 

             

The early adopters were Black slaves, free Blacks in the North, and abolitionists like Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Tubman. These individuals helped spark the fire of the abolition movement. These individuals believed that slavery was wrong and had no doubt in their minds about their support for this movement, although it was frowned upon at the time. They were early adopters of abolition because of their knowledge and realization of the immoral nature of slavery and its violation of the inherent nature of America's concept of freedom and liberty. 

           

The early majority consisted of Christians, religious folks, and poor and middle-class white citizens of the South and North who didn't have enough money to own slaves. Although some Christians used the Bible to justify slavery, many Christians accepted the abolitionist movement because they knew  and lived by principles of love and treating one another with kindness and respect explicitly stated in the Bible. The lower and middle-class citizens were part of the early majority because there was no connection, correlation, or benefit from slavery on their part. 

The late majority is comprised of Northerners who had a stake in and profited from slavery, Blacks who owned slaves because of monetary and economic status, and individuals who viewed slavery as a "necessary evil." These individuals were reluctant to accept the ideas and progression of the anti-slavery movement. These people were guided by their pockets and deemed what they gained from this exploitation more important than the freedom of individuals. They also were hesitant because they were used to customs and long-standing traditions of slaveholding and slave labor.

The laggards were those adamant, wealthy slaveowners, slavemasters, and  plantation owners of the South who saw nothing wrong with slavery and "fought til the death" to keep it in the colonies. These were the ones who tried to succeed the union because of their desire for slavery, thus sparking the American Civil War of 1861. These laggards were the "pissed off angry white people" that Professor Smith talks about. When slavery was eventually abolished by the 13th Amendment, I could imagine that these people were so mad that they could no longer own slaves and profit off of their intense labor. The 13th Amendment sort of forced them to adopt and accept the realities of abolition and how it would change America forever, versus them becoming laggards naturally of their own free will.

This progression in abolition led to other movements for the equal treatment and recognition of Blacks in America. This development was positive overall. But if I had to be critical, I could say that a negative effect of this long developmental process of the abolition of slavery is that many have created a false sense of duty to correct the injustices of the past. Unbeknownst to them, they are creating injustices in the present by overcorrecting. People are holding on to the past and have not truly learned from it. They need to move on and implement the lessons learned from the pioneers, adopters, the majority, and even the laggards. Because as my high school teacher always says, "It's best not to bring up old mess. Focus on the future." But all in all, the initial good of this movement outweighs the current negative effects carried out through society.