Final Presentation

 

• How did the World Wide Web in general change the world of mass communication?

It allowed us to more or less have instant communication with anyone, anywhere, at any time. Movies and other media have predicted it. But to see it come true for those who are old enough must have been surreal. 

• How did the personal blogging platform — and then Facebook and Twitter — change the world of mass communication?

It allowed anyone to post their thoughts online for people to see. No longer was recorded history only for the famous. It could be used for the average citizen in almost any country. It got the peoples maybe needed opinions out there for the world to deal with.

• In what ways does blogging and social media challenge the hegemony of the so-called Mainstream Media? (First of all, what is hegemony?)

Hegemony is defined as leadership or dominance, especially by one country or social group over others. With that in mind, we can understand that people's blogs challenge the media hegemony by allowing ordinary people to create media and post it. Or reporting the news themselves.

• In what ways did blogging and social media platforms act as so-called “disruptive technologies?” Disrupt what? How?

It disrupted the media empires that had ruled the world for decades. It was because it was no longer under their influence that only messages and content made by the masses got out there. 

• In what ways did blogging and social media act as tools for empowerment? Empower whom? To what ends?

It was a way for people to let their thoughts and voices be heard. The average person compared to the company.

• In what ways do blogging and social media advance First Amendment imperatives and what we have dubbed Values of Free Expression? How so?

The message you spread on the internet is protected. It has become a digital marketplace of ideas.

• What do you think Martin Luther King would have done if blogging and social media had been around in the 1960s?

I think he would have used it to spread his message across the world, not just the United States. He also would probably have seen the very depths of human morality. Anonymity is one of the biggest reasons people become so mean on the internet.

• How do blogging and social media hold potential to advance social movements and political mobilizations like the Civil Rights Movement?

We already see that with BLM and people pushing for equal rights in the LGBT community. People organize online for demonstrations on the streets.

• On a more personal level, what were the things you found hardest about keeping up a blog this semester?

I despise writing and I wish I did not have to do it as often as I’ve had to. I at least have the fortune of being a good writer according to my professors. It has always been difficult to keep up the motivation to write these blog posts. But I can say a last second boost of motivation can do a lot to make someone work. And plenty of good music.

• What were the things you found enjoyable about keeping up a blog this semester?

I enjoyed exploring my thoughts on this. I feel I got to know myself better in a way.

• What are some things you would recommend to future students about keeping up a blog throughout the semester?

Just keep up with it. And ask questions.

Blog #12: The Final Post

 Do you think your relationship with technology is healthy? Why or why not? 

I think my relationship with technology is healthy right now. When I was younger, I had 0 restraint when it came to technology. I had to be online all the time. YouTube was my biggest go to. 

Do you think that you are giving technology the appropriate amount of time in your life, or do you think that technology is taking up too much time in your life?

 I think technology has taken an appropriate amount of my time only because I spend all my time working on games as I am a game major. If I wasn't, I would say it takes up too much of my time and should probably get outside more. I of course would deny that statement only because I don't want to hear it from me or my family. Funny how that works.

Do you think technology is informing you and making you smarter, or do you think that technology might be misleading you and giving you unreliable information? 

Technology is how I get my ideas to the masses. It's how I am able to convey to my family, who are very out of touch with the modern world for some reason on some topics, the things they should know about the world. I also always check my sources as I have been burned for not doing that before. 

Do you ever worry about these things, or do you think it's just an accepted part of the society we live in?

I don't worry about it because it is just a part of society. I do worry about the possibility of collapse. This is because what had been so ingrained into society would suddenly disappear. All that knowledge gone from convenience. I'm sure we'll adapt back to pre-internet, but it would still be a sad loss.

Blog #4: EOTO Com Tech Timeline

What is a petroglyph? Well, it is not something that was invented. Moreover, it was a form of communication that we humans have had for hundreds of thousands of years. They were of their times mosaic paintings, road signs, and photography. They are images carved into stone. They date back to 20,000 years ago and may possibly go back even further to 40,000 years ago. No singular person could have invented the petroglyph. Not like you can ask someone who was the first one to make a petroglyph. Humans were spreading out across the globe so it is more likely that the act of making petroglyphs was a convergent event. From there the practice was passed down to the next generation. It was passed down for generations until the advent of written language. The circumstances for this to arise had to be because there was no written language for the people to use. There may have been an oral language. Each petroglyph was placed with purpose. They are not just some rock art. They had a significant cultural impact to the person and people that put them down onto the rock. Taking note of surrounding images to provide the context needed for them. They were also used as signage and markers for clan boundaries or where the best hunting grounds were at. This is probably in an effort to keep clans from fighting over resources. It was a way of communicating for early humans without written language. 

The impact of petroglyphs is that it was one our earliest forms of communication. Without it, it would have been a lot harder for us to communicate certain things to individuals. Art and pictures are some of the best ways we as a species learn and process information. It solved the issue of no communication among people at the time. It also provided people with a creative outlet and became a cultural symbol for the people that carved them. They changed how we communicate. With petroglyphs there’s a case that the animals turned into symbols like hieroglyphs. Perhaps it was the natural progression of language to start with the petroglyph. There are some inherent negative effects to petroglyphs. It is not a perfect form of communication. Unless you were the one who made it or were present when it was being carved into the stone, you may be lost as to what the meaning is. It is one of the bigger problems when trying to understand them in the modern day. The only one we could possibly ask is dead so we have to rely on their ancestors for not so clear answers. Because it was not that clear a form of communication, there probably were a few fights that broke out because of not understanding what they meant. 

With all that said, petroglyphs were an interesting topic to cover. To think human communication goes back so far and can still be complicated is something that usually goes over some peoples heads.

Blog #11: Living in the Age of AI

 I find it funny that people complain about China and their DeFacto surveillance state yet ignore what's going on in the United States. Ignorance is bliss, I guess. There is or soon will be a camera on every street corner. You won't be able to take a dump without getting your biometrics scanned when you least expect it. Really, they fact that everything is listening to you, knows if you've shown the slightest interest in something then will have a targeted ad for you is just frightening.

Blog #10: EOTO, Presentations

 The Smith-Mundt Act of 1948 was very interesting to me. It was the United States on domestic propaganda policy. State regulated information only for the American public. Not until 2012, 64 years later, was it modernized to the point that it was basically repealed. Some people didn't like that, but it was for the better.

Blog #9: Diffusion of Innovations

Personal computers caught on because being able to do what you do at work at home was just so much more convenient and practical. You could also use it for leisure purposes which was also appealing. People picked them up because it was nice to do things at home. Some people preferred to still use the typewriter at the time. Some even still today preferred to write with pencil and paper. One downside of computers is that there can be a thing about being permanently online. You just fell as though if your online, you aren't really that happy.

Blog #7: Privacy, Online & Off

 

• How do these issues affect you? You friends and family?

Actually, one of my friends was a victim of revenge porn. It was very ugly the fall out of it all. All parties involved were kicked out the country. I lived in Saudi Arabia at the time. It was the best way to spare all involved from government punishment.

• What should the government be doing about these issues?

Obviously, the government should be respecting our privacy. They should also make it so companies can't violate our privacy as well. Unfortunately, we live in a world where the government and companies' kind of just work together on this

• What can we do to protect ourselves from invasions of our privacy?

Do the best we can to limit the companies from gaining access to our information. Turning off location data can help as well.