The Progressive Era

Dissent means to publicly disagree with an official opinion, decision, or set of beliefs. Dissenting opinions play a role in our constitutional democracy, offering different viewpoints from the majority. Dissent is also key to the First Amendment, as it protects unpopular opinions and perspectives. 

Plessy v. Ferguson & Brown v. Board

An example of a case that had a dissenting opinion is Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896. This case created the "separate but equal" doctrine. This decision effectively legalized segregation for over half a century. Justice John Marshall Harlan had a dissenting opinion and argued against the majority's decision. 

Justice John Marshall believed that the Constitution was color-blind and the United States had no class system. He argued that all citizens, regardless of race, should be treated equally under the law. Justice John Marshall's dissent in this case became an argument in later civil rights movements. Plessy v. Ferguson was overturned by Brown v. Board in 1954. 

The U.S. government is waging war all around the globe. After exploring ANTIWAR.COM and The American Conservative, I noticed the strong anti-war voices that were being used, but I had never heard or read anti-war pieces on mainstream media. 

One possibility that we are not being exposed to anti-war voices is that the government is censoring what is shared on mainstream media. The media does not have an interest in promoting anti-war. Journalists get some of their news information from the government, so if they criticize military actions too strongly, that could affect their relationship. 

News and media that involve conflict and war also tend to be more desirable for viewers. This is because people want to know what conflicts are going on in the world. Mainstream media is driven by profits, so they aren't going to share anti-war voices that may not bring in the same profit. Wars bring alot of profit and are surrounded by the idea of money so promoting anti-war voices would put the U.S. in jeopardy of the profit that wars bring.  

Overall discovering ANTIWAR.COM and The American Conservation was insightful. I was able to see how anti-war voices are being used but just not being shown on mass media. 

EOTO: Disinformation, Misinformation, and Malinformation

Disinformation, Misinformation, and Malinformation are prevalent in our society, so it is important to know the differences and be educated on the topic. Foreign actors use misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation campaigns to cause chaos, confusion, and division. These actors are seeking to interfere with and undermine our democratic institution and national cohesiveness. 

The spread of Disinformation, Misinformation, and Malinformation has affected our ability to improve public health, address climate change, and maintain a stable democracy. Overall, the unchecked spread of false or harmful information threatens social stability, governance, and collective well-being. 

Disinformation:

Disinformation is deliberately created to mislead, harm, or manipulate a person, social group, organization, or country. 

Disinformation is not a new problem, but it has become more prominent with the speed and reach of social media platforms. Disinformation can be spread through word of mouth, memes, speeches, group text messages, news and opinion programming, and nearly any other form of material can be used to spread disinformation. For example, deepfake technology uses AI to create convincing fake images and videos. This technology will bring up challenges in determining the origin and truthfulness of videos which shows how growing technology is making it easier for disinformation to appear as legitimate. 

Misinformation:

Misinformation is false but not created or shared to cause harm. Someone can spread misinformation innocently by saying or writing things that are untrue while believing them to be true. For example, a person shares a news report on social media that turns out to be an unreliable news source, and the information is incorrect. This person who shared it believed the information to be true. This is a perfect example, the person thought the information was true and shared it, but turns out it is false. The information was not shared with the intent to cause harm. 

Malinformation:

Malinformation is based on fact but used out of context to mislead, harm, or manipulate. It is often private information spread from corporate or personal interest, such as when someone posts intimate photos of an ex-partner online. Another example is selectively sharing true but incomplete information about a political candidate to distort their image and mislead voters. While based on fact, malinformation is weaponized to harm individuals, groups, or institutions, causing reputational, emotional, or social damage.

With the amount of news and information shared daily, we need to be continually asking ourselves, "Why am I believing this? and Does this make sense?" Having various sources where you receive local, state, and national news is another way to be sure the information you are receiving is all true. Disinformation, Misinformation, and Malinformation can affect our society as a whole because we are sometimes given information that we believe to be true, but it was twisted in a way to make it untrue, harmful, or misleading. The spread of inaccurate or manipulated information can lead people to believe falsehoods, which in turn harms public trust, divides communities, and weakens the democratic processes.

The spread of disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation will have varied impacts across different areas of society. Combating these issues requires a collective effort, including education and better tools for being able to figure out what is true and what is false. We need the cooperation of governments and tech platforms to uphold the integrity of information and ensure platforms contain true information. I hope next time you are reading a news source or hear of information you take a second and ask yourself "Why am I believing this? and Does this make sense?" 

Diffusion of Innovations

The Diffusion of Innovations is a theory that seeks to explain how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread. This theory was made popular by Everett Rogers. He wrote a book called Diffusion of Innovations that was published in 1962. Rogers believes that diffusion is the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among participants in a social system. 

The diffusion of innovations according to Rogers 

Now that you have a basic understanding and visual of the theory I am going to apply the diffusion of innovations theory to the creation of email. The first email was sent in 1971. Email was invented by Raymond Tomlinson. He developed a system that allowed people to send simple messages to each other over the ARPANET network. 

The pioneers of the first email include the creator of email Raymond Tomlinson and his coworkers at Raytheon BBN Technologies. Tomlinson invented it and therefore his coworkers were definitely a part of the pioneer stage. 

The early adopters included the government and large corporations. Email allowed for quick communication, so places of work and businesses would be some of the first to adopt this new technology. It allows for communication to be almost instant and for companies to be more efficient. 

The early Majority would include people who had personal computers at home. These were the first people who could send emails from a personal setting. Personal computers became popular and more widespread in the 1980s. 

The late Majority are people who heard about the buzz of email and then had the resources to use email whether that be at home for personal use or adapt it into the daily practice of life. 

Laggards include people who don't care to be up to date on the latest and greatest technology. But eventually, they become forced into using the technology. For example, it is nearly impossible to avoid getting an email account. You will need an account for work, to make purchases online, and to communicate with others. 

Overall, the spread of email was naturally going to happen. It was an invention that changed our world and the way we communicate. I don't see any downsides with the creation of email because it is such an efficient way to communicate. Email is different from a social media account, you aren't posting to a feed for all your followers to see. Email is more specific and each email you send has an intentional purpose. It is an invention that changed our world for the better!

Living in the age of AI

Watching In the Age of AI, really opened my eyes to the impacts and helped me learn more about how AI is affecting our world. 

Supermarket Robots

The world is being reimagined with AI. The future of AI can be scary to think about! Robots are not in supermarkets being guided by AI. The robots can pack everything from soup containers to fruit for online consumers. These machines can pick up groceries, read reports, learn routines, and comprehend are now reaching factories, stores, and offices. 

It is really scary to think about how AI robots are taking over! A person who used to fulfill grocery orders in a supermarket is now replaced by an AI robot. This is also taking jobs away from people, which can cause a huge loss of income for people. 

Molly Kinder shared an interesting fact that stood out to me. She said that being a cashier is the number one occupation for the greater region of DC, and it is many people's first job while in High School. Now, with the use of AI, these jobs are gonna be taken over by machines. Molly also shared that being in the workforce will start to require different skills, and gaining them will depend on who can afford them. The issue is people can't afford to take time off work to take a course to develop their skill sets further. 

New machines that utilize AI will affect every industry. From insurance companies to human resources, law firms, and the trading floors of Wall Street. But at the same time, the use of AI is allowing for more efficiency and companies to compete more with fewer workers. 

Google and AI

AI also relates to the digital traces of our behavior that we leave behind after making a Google search. Google was in trouble as a company and realized how valuable this data left behind from searches could be by applying machine learning algorithms to predict users' interests. 

Google would use what the machine algorithm found to find out what ad a user would most likely click on. Revenue then started to pile up at Google and they realized they had to keep this idea secret. It is scary because users had no idea this data from their searches was just put out there and being used to predict their future. Google's business model migrated to other companies, such as Facebook. 

This documentary went into great detail about AI and really helped me learn how it applies to my life beyond robots in a factory. I never knew the concept behind Google and its use of AI to utilize information about users. I really enjoyed this documentary!

 

EOTO Technology Presentations

The History of Internet Search

During the EOTO presentations, I learned more about internet search and the creation of Google. Internet Search started very basic and many search engines were created before Google. First was Archie in 1990, then Yahoo! in 1994, BackRub in 1996, and then Google in 1998. Larry Page and Sergey Brin developed the search algorithm first in 1996, it was known as "BackRub." Larry and Sergey were students at Samford University in California. "BackRub" was later called Google in 1998. 

Google is worth 1.84 trillion dollars today and is the world's fifth most valuable company. Google attracted a huge loyal following through its simple design. Internet search engines are used worldwide by people of all ages. Internet searches have impacted our society in education, businesses, and daily life. Google allows people to type in a topic and have information in seconds. 

Netflix 

We have all heard of Netflix, but it was intersting to hear more of the backstory and evolution of the company. Netflix was founded by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph. Netflix was launched in 1997 as a DVD rental service through the mail. The company was started after Hastings received a late fee for a movie rental from Blockbuster. In 2007 Netflix introduced streaming services where subscribers could access the streaming service through the internet. 

In May 2011 Netflix became the largest internet streaming service. DVD rental services completely diminished with the creation of streaming services. The movie theater industry declined greatly due to Netflix. This was because people could now stream movies in the comfort of their own homes and save money. Netflix competes with other streaming services such as Hulu and Apple TV. Netflix is constantly evolving and adapting to stay ahead of the curve and remain dominant in the industry. 

I really enjoyed the EOTO presentations and learning more about the way technology has evolved! It was also fun to learn more about the history of Netflix since it is my most used streaming service. 

TED Talks - Privacy, Online, & Off

After watching multiple TED Talks about privacy and my prior knowledge these issues do affect me. My every move is being watched and tracked. From personal phone conversations to knowing my location. For example, if I am having a conversation about something personal I would not want the government to hear everything I am saying. The government knowing our location is a scary reality. If I am going to church or to a doctor's appointment, the government knows! 

Juan Enriquez's TED Talk was very intersting. I like the analogy he used "Your online life is as permanent as a tattoo." I have never thought about online life like this but I think it is very clever. A tattoo lasts forever and so does everything you do or post online. Also, what you put out online will live far longer than your body. Juan's TED Talk definitely brought up valid points and we all should be very aware of what we put online because it is not going anywhere. 

Catherine Crump's TED Talk brought up so many great points. The police and government track our every move even if we've done nothing wrong. She gave the example of automatic license plate readers and how the local police forces keep records of every plate and where you have been. They can see where you are going and who you are with. You may have done nothing wrong but they still hold onto all the records. How scary!! You could be driving to personal places such as a counseling office, church, or a doctor's appointment. The police and government do not need this personal information especially if you have done nothing wrong and have no police record. 

Watching these TED Talks really opened my eyes and reaffirmed how much the government is watching and tracking our every move. It is scary to think about how much power technology has and the access that the government has. I am glad to be educated on this topic and know some steps to take to not be tracked 24/7, such as powering off my phone. It is vital to be educated on this topic and understand the dangers that come with social media and how nothing you post online is ever private. This issue affects me, you, and everyone around us. 

EOTO: The First Email

History:

The first email was sent in 1971 by Raymond Tomlinson, a computer engineer at Bolt Beranek and Newman (BBN), a company now known as Raytheon BBN Technologies. At the time, Tomlinson was working on ARPANET, a forerunner to the modern internet, which connected different computers across distances. 

Tomlinson's goal was to enable communication between users on different computers through ARPANET. He developed a system that allowed people to send simple messages to each other over the network. The person-to-person network email was then born and the @ sign became the standard for email addresses and it remains today. The first email was sent in 1971, the same year it was invented. Tomlinson chose the @ sign so that people could send messages to specific usernames or domains. 

Tomlinson sent the first email to himself as a test, he claims his first email said something like "QWERTYUIOP," which is the first line of letters on the keyboard. Early emails were very basic compared to what we use today. They did not include features like attachments, formatting options, or subject lines. They were plain text messages sent from one user to another.

The Significance:

Tomlinson's email creation brought a revolution in the way people communicate. This includes businesses and how people keep in touch with family and friends no matter the distance. The creation of email played a crucial role in globalization, allowing quick communication no matter the time zone or distance. It allowed for people to communicate almost instantly! For businesses, email allows them to market their products and be in contact with clients. His invention changed the world forever and paved the way for modern communication tools like texting and video calls. He was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame in 2012. Raymond is referred to as "the father of email." 

Interesting Facts: 

The first spam email was sent in 1978. Gary Thuerk was working for a computer company and sent an email advertising a new computer model the company had created. He became known as the father of spam and made the company 13 million dollars in sales for his spam email sent to about 400 users. 

Twenty years after the invention of email the first email was sent from space in 1991. It was sent from the NASA space shuttle, Atlantis. 

The first U.S. president to have a public email was Bill Clinton in 1933. He wasn't known to use it often, it is said that he only sent two emails his entire presidency. One was to Senator John Glenn when he was in outer space on a NASA mission. 

My thoughts:

It’s interesting to reflect on how essential email has become in our daily lives, especially when we consider that not too long ago, the concept didn’t even exist. Email has revolutionized the way we communicate, making it nearly impossible to imagine a world without it. I feel that I would be lost without email in my daily life! Whether for work, staying in touch with loved ones, or even shopping online, email is second nature in our daily lives. I really enjoyed learning more about Raymond Tomlinson and how email was created. It was specifically interesting because I use email everyday to communicate.