Blog #11

 EOTO 2: What I Learned

Blog #11

For the second EOTO presentation, my group was labeled "media-sphere" so we focused on different forms of media including online influencers, alternative media, and mainstream media. The
topic that was most intriguing to me was the whistle blowers, presented by Hope.

We began to discuss whistle blowers during an earlier class when we watched the Assange video with the murders of Namir and Saeed. If you don't know what a whistle blower is, here's how I look at it; it's like a snitch but in a robin hood way. What I'm trying to say is these are people who hold very important and secret information that they then leak in order to get justice for whoever is involved. Assange was considered a whistleblower after releasing the WikiLeaks video and sharing. private American information. Examples of common whistle blowing tasks is employees who report corruption, discrimination, harassment, and fraud.  

Whistleblowers are probably some of the most hated but feared people. They are protected by a network of laws, but the level of protection depends on what they are leaking, this being said it is not always in the whistleblowers best interest to work with the press. If something is leaked that the government is working hard to hide, the repercussions can outweigh the rewards.

However despite having some type of protection, it is important for these whistleblowers to know their rights and how far the protection will go. Personally I think the most important thing a whistleblower needs to do is protect his/her anonymity. Remaining anonymous is a big part of the fairness of whistleblowing. These are people trying to fight for justice and do what is right so if they are exposed for whistleblowing, they can lose EVERYTHING. For example, Bradley Manning was. imprisoned for seven years for. whistleblowing, only to be pardoned by Barack Obama as he left office.

blog #12

 Class Discussion: The Corruption

Blog #12

Saeed Chmagh and Namir Noor-Eldeen were a father, a son, a loved one, but most importantly; they were both an innocent man. 

I have shared in previous blog posts my view on war and how I would prefer a world without it. What happened to these men, being murder in broad daylight for holding a camera, is just another reason why I believe what the things I believe. 

In the video on WikiLeaks showing the full incident, including the commentary of the American men doing it, is not something for the weak stomachs. It is a cruel, emotionless move that has impacted many. I understand that war is almost inevitable and there will be collateral damage, however in the video, the men are almost treating it like a game. A game where innocent lives are being taken, childhoods are. being ruined, and countries are being torn to shreds. 

Why?

At the beginning of the video it shows a quote by George Orwell that says, "Political language is designed to make lies sound. truthful and murder respectable, and to give the appearance of solidity to pure wind." This is exactly where I am coming from when I speak my mind about being on the anti-war side; Americans declaring war has become just another reason to kill rather than to solve problems. In reality, it is creating more problems than it is solving. You can clearly see in the video, Saeed and Namir posed no threat and almost seemed relaxed. If the roles were reversed and this happened to American citizens, it would surely be labeled as an act of terrorism. 

Where Do We Go From Here? 

In America, we are still having constant battles regarding gun regulation laws and how fire arms should be treated. If this debate were easy, it would not still be going on. That is why i believe war will never end, no matter who dies, no matter how long it takes, it will never cease to exist. However there is always a peaceful way to solve problems, which may sound naive coming from a female in college, but we've done it before and can do it again. 

I hope the families who have lost loved ones find clarity and light again, death is. never fair, but in this case these men never stood a chance. 

Blog #9

 Mediasphere: Online Influencers

Blog #9

I grew up with very little technology compared to other kids my age. My parents limited my television time and would push for me to play outside or do things with other friends. As I have aged, technology has grown with me and, like many others, is a big part of my life. Now, a junior in college, I see many people spending their free time watching youtube videos, spending hours on TikTok, even checking the popular users on social media apps. This is because these influencers are quite literally the biggest influences of society. 

An online influencer is anyone whoo uses their platform and following to do, push, or make certain things. Whether it be marketing for brand deals and advertising goods, or asking followers to use their voice to vote in elections, these influencers hold more power than one may think. 

The range of platforms that influencers use are endless; TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, even gaming sites like Twitch have users, typically 16-25 years old, voicing their opinions and ideas for the world to see. 

A Dangerous Job

Being a teenager is hard enough, now imagine the whole world being able to watch your every move and comment on just about everything you do. Highly followed users are experiencing constant bullying and harassment, especially due to the fact that most of these users are young, attractive people. For example, one of, is not the, most highly followed people on TikTok is Charli D'amelio experiences just about every type of hate one could imagine. I grew up in the same town as the D'amelio's, I had dance classes with these girls and family hangouts so I know first hand how much they have changed. In their most recent Hulu show, viewers watched the mental strain a 16 year old girl who just likes to dance has been experiencing. Between hateful comments about body image or anything they've done, to sexual predators trying to find sensitive information; online influencers experience potentially life-threatening things. 

Even a famous singer such as Lil Nas X has a high following on all platforms and experiences hate. As a homosexual person of color, everyone has something to say about his every move and decision. He fights the bullies and trolls with equally sarcastic remarks and tries to make light of even the darkest situations.

The Differences

There can be splits between users on social media. The gamers, the beauty gurus, the pranksters, while they all are working the same jobs, these users are treated quite differently. Women are more likely to be victims of body shaming or hyper sexualized, while men typically receive more backlash for coming out as any sexuality other than straight. Many people of color experience racism, especially with the recent election and black lives matter protests. Children are preyed on by creeps and predators. The censorship on the internet is very limited and it shows with how these people are treated.  

The Good

Now, don't get me wrong, there is a bright side to all these terrors I have mentioned. Online influencers are able to make a living for themselves doing something they love. Whether it be solely creating content, brand deals, branching off and creating their own companies, these people are building a name for themselves and allowing for many future opportunities. Many use their platform to discuss sensitive topics or to raise awareness for ongoing issues. 

In my opinion, these online influencers are very brave doing what they do. It is a very vulnerable thing putting your identity into the internet and allowing strangers to see into your lives. 

Blog #8

The American Voices: War Talk

Blog #8

Now before I begin talking about the sensitive subject that is war, I should probably warn you of the bias that comes with my words. I am a 19 year old female who grew up in a quiet town of

Connecticut, I am vegetarian, an animal lover, and many of my friends tend to call me a "granola girl", which is basically the 2021 way of saying hippy. 

With that being said, you can probably guess where I stand on the topic of war. I am not a fan, I appreciate the troops whoo risk their lives in order to protect the country, however it's not the troops who I am against, it's the concept. 

When I visited antiwar.com and other websites we were given, I saw even more war related content than I would ever like to see in my lifetime. These websites are not big and popular, and my best guess as to why is due. to the fact that war is almost looked at as "nationalistic". It is the government who decide when and who we go into battle with. Imagine being an author of these websites and terrified for your safety and freedom because you don't stand with the same opinion as the government. It is important for more websites like the ones I visited to continue posting and educating Americans about what the government is doing, not only with our citizens, but with our tax dollars and how other countries are being impacted. 

I write today telling you my opinion on the war, which I am aware is the less favored in America. It is not an easy topic to discuss, nor will it ever be, but it is a topic that MUST be discussed. My right to use dissent may not. matter to anyone, but it is with great hope that even if we hold different beliefs or values, people continue to educate themselves and be open minded to all options and ideas.

 

Blog #10: AI

The Age of Artificial Intelligence

Blog #10

The 21st century has been a turning point in terms of electronics and media. Between new video games and consoles, different phones being designed nearly monthly, software updates, the list is endless as to what inventions we've seen in the short amount of time. However, the most intriguing new invention, in my opinion, would definitely be artificial intelligence.

What Is AI?

Artificial Intelligence, also know as AI, is the use of computers and technology to almost replace what humans have been doing all this time. For example; self driving cars. You may think, why do I need a machine to drive my car for me? Well in this case it would be more beneficial for truck drivers and delivery people due to the long, tiring hours and it would also reduce crash numbers. AI is a system that is based on data, therefore the more data it has, the better it works. In the video we watched in class, we saw artificial intelligence being used for a certain game play, which they described as "one type of intelligence beating another." 

Pros & Cons

While self driving cars and voice activated technology may be exciting, there are also downsides to be considered when it comes to these advancements. The bottom line is, jobs are being taken away, and not just that but women's' jobs in particular. Women are at higher risk for losing their job to artificial intelligence because females are more often seen in jobs such as teachers, cashiers, and nurses. It is true that men make up more than 90% of truck drivers and manual laborers, they are still less at risk considering AI won't completely eliminate jobs but rather take away certain tasks.

 From a business stand point, artificial intelligence is going to be amazing because it will maximize the objective function therefore bringing in more money. If you are having a machine produce products at a faster rate, for less money, obviously you will need less employees resulting in the need to pay fewer salaries. When we get into the security aspect of AI, it becomes complicated. Machines are already tracking our media and technology use in order to do things like produce more appropriate ads and things oof that nature. Your digital exhaust, which is the traces left behind on the internet can be see by computer engineers and those in the technological profession, in order t adapt and grow the products used. What most people don't know is that is not the only thing being tracked. We are seeing a growth in facial tracking and recognition. Since the technology is ever-changing and continuously growing, we don't know how private our private lives will soon be. This could be both good and bad. For example, if there is a wanted murderer roaming the streets, we are going to want every single detail about their life, where they are, who they're with, what their buying, what they look like, etc.. On the other hand, I as a harmless college student don't need a hacker getting into my computer for private information and changing up my own personal data. It is both an exciting and terrifying thing to think about the possibilities that technology has, but my hope is that developers find a good medium and don't push the limits too far.

blog #4

 EOTO: TikTok

blog #4

When my EOTO group got together to choose which technology we would research, I was actually excited that I got the app TikTok. The history, business, and impact of this app is interesting, considering it basically took over the world. TikTok was invented by an Asian tech company called ByteDance. It was created in 2016 by combing two preexisting apps; Music.ly and Douyin. We've seen similar apps before, like a non discontinued Vine, but never in this format.

Part of the appeal of TikTok is the shortness of the videos. Users can record between fifteen and sixty second videos of whatever they please; lip-syncing, dancing, cooking, gaming, you name it! TikTok grew at aggressive rates; by September 2018 it surpassed Instagram, Snapchat, Youtube, and Facebook in monthly installs by more than one billion downloads. Not only is TikTok a great platform for entertainment, but it also is a method of networking. Many big creators have received brand deals with significant companies, some even go on to develop their own businesses or products. 

The Good Side

Many of the most highly followed TikTok users, such as the D'amelios and Lil Huddy have gone on to form music careers, accept invitations to prestigious events like the Met Gala or VMA's, and grow their following across all social media platforms. 

We live in a very technology based era, many children are seen with their noses in iPad screens before the age of 4. In the case of TikTok, however, this is a good thing. The app personalizes each users feed based of their likes, searches, following, etc. When the Corona Viru
s struck the United States and put citizens in lockdown, TikTok use almost skyrocketed. Between the crave for human interaction and hatred for boredom, users were creating and watching even more than typical. TikTok makes money through the ads it places, but users can also make money.

As I said before, many creators go on to expand their self brand but what most don't know is the opportunity to continue on the app while still making money. The creator fund is offered to users with a certain minimum number of followers. This means that the more views, likes and comments a post has, the more money the user will receive. 

The Bad Side

TikTok may seem like a harmless app, I mean how much damage can a bunch of 13 year olds doing dancing do? Well, you might be surprised to hear about the dark side that comes with it. TikTok has very little censorship, unless the user changes their personal settings. The cases of sexual predators and pedophiles have drastically grown as the app has earned more popularity. Users have the opportunity to adjust their privacy settings; make their accounts private, turn off comments or likes, and adjust the accounts to make them feel more comfortable. However, in all honesty, when I was 13 years old I was not thinking about scary creeps using my social media to find me. 

This danger stands true for any and all social media platforms, the same with bullies, racism, unrealistic standards, and just about anything toxic you can think of. TikTok does do a good job of attempting to pprotect their clients, however no one will ever be 100% on a social media app, especially one as popular and loved as TikTok.