Our Relationship With Technology- Final Blog Post #12

When I was looking at the final prompt and what I should do. I decided to go with Option 1 and to discuss my relationship with technology. If anything has changed technology and the way that we see it, it's TikTok.  TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Their mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok emerged during a time where the world was in a pretty bad place. With the rising toll of Coronavirus cases and deaths, quarantine became inevitable. People stopped going out, stores closed, the days just consisted of watching the news to find out what was happening with the virus.

I know for me, I'll never forget 2020. I was supposed to graduate high school but in March of that year we were all sent home. I'll never forget hearing the freshman cheer and yell that school was letting out. I remember all of the seniors including myself saying, "We'll be back next week." only for us to never return. I never got to walk the stage or say goodbye to my classmates, it all just ended abruptly. However, right before the summer there was an app, TikTok. I was actually pretty skeptical of this app initially, I did not want to download it. Looking back it makes me think of Diffusion of Innovations and the success that it had. Diffusion of innovations justifies what causes cascades of video content to spread through entire clusters of nodes, or friend groups, because people with close links tend to start following and liking the same TikTok trends.

While TikTok has changed the way that we look at technology, it does not come with some clear negatives. How exposed are we when it comes to TikTok? How exposed is too exposed? What if I told you that the TikTok algorithm looks to read your mind. Looking back in class we discussed privacy as well as artificial intelligence and the way that social media apps are trying to guess what we are going to do now and in the future to predict our behavior. 

There are four main goals for TikTok’s algorithm: 用户价值, 用户价值 (长期), 作者价值, and 平台价值, which the company translates as “user value,” “long-term user value,” “creator value,” and “platform value.” TikTok takes into account what videos you like, the ones that you skip, if you watch a video all the way through. This is all fair game so that the app can continue to be one of the most successful apps in the world. It succeeded where other short videos apps failed in part because it makes creation so easy, giving users background music to dance to or memes to enact, rather than forcing them to fill dead air. There was actually a Wall Street Journal study that showed, TikTok actually pushes a lot of "sad" content and the impact that could have on younger generations is extremely alarming. This could lead young users down dark rabbit holes that expose them to self harm, addiction, or even suicide. 

It was even said in this document, To analysts who believe algorithmic recommendations pose a social threat, the TikTok document confirms their suspicions. The TikTok algorithm tries to get people addicted to the app. "Each video a kid watches, TikTok gains a piece of information on him. In a few hours, the algorithm can detect his musical tastes, his physical attraction, if he’s depressed, if he might be into drugs, and many other sensitive information. There’s a high risk that some of this information will be used against him. It could potentially be used to micro-target him or make him more addicted to the platform.”

TikTok is watching us. Concern about Chinese consumer technology is bipartisan in the United States. President Trump’s executive order attempting to ban the app in August 2020 warned that TikTok’s “data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information.” The Chinese government could “build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage,” Could TikTok be used as leverage over the United States? Some argue that it is more than just an app, it is an opportunity for a power grab. At the end of the day politics is run by power and who has the most of it. 

The Truth About TikTok

I watched a sixty minute documentary where it discussed the two versions of TikTok and the effect that has on children in the United States versus the effect it has on children in China. TikTok continues to revolutionize the way that we see technology but at what cost. Growing up we hear that children are sponges and absorb all that they can to learn the ways of the world and how they can fit in. It is alarming to know the truth about TikTok and the demographic that it caters to. I think we need to be extremely conscious of our privacy and the way that apps like TikTok play such a pivotal role in our lives. If an app has come out and said that they are watching you, what level are they not willing to reach to get as close to the everyday consumer as possible? 

EOTO Reaction- Blog Post #11

One of the presentations that caught my eye was the Overton Window. The Overton window is the theory that current news topics are being covered as they are acceptable, popular, and demanding toward the audiences. However, what makes it into the Overton Window and why? Sometimes you will see multiple mainstream news covering the same topic over and over again. However, sometimes they have different agendas, whether they are for or against the topic. The image to the right contains and image that I saw when the presenter went over the Overton Window. There are things that are considered to be popular, policy or sensible that get news coverage. 

News reporters and politicians must be very aware of issues that are impacting the public if they want their issues to be covered in the Overton Window. One could argue that it keeps people accountable to address real world issues that may be happening in our society. 

Something that really stuck with me was when the presenter talked about coronavirus and what that would have looked like in the Overton Window. For months all we heard about was this deadly disease that then turned into a pandemic, there were constant briefings and multiple stories that were coming out about Coronavirus. I remember that it got to a point where you could turn on any mainstream news coverage and in the bottom right there would be a number of those who had been infected, as well as though that had ultimately died from this disease. Prior to this mask wearing and social distancing would have simply been unheard before January 2020. This news would have never made it into the Overton Window.

Overall the presenter did a really nice job on how the Overton Window is constantly changing and adapting to keep up with our ever changing lives. Even though most people do not even know that the Overton Window exists, it would go on to influence our news for decades and even generations to comes. 

EOTO 2- Blog Post #10

What if I told you that Internet Service Providers could block the kinds of content that you see? Net neutrality is the concept that all data traffic on a network should be treated indiscriminately, and internet service providers (ISPs) would be restricted from blocking, slowing down or speeding up the delivery of online content at their discretion. In layman's terms, this stops Internet Service Providers like Comcast and Verizon from blocking your access to services like Netflix or Youtube TV, in order to encourage you to buy a different streaming service. 

Net Neutrality argues "Free Expression" as we have learned in this class through the First Amendment, "everyone has the freedom to hold opinions, receive and voice their ideas without interference by public authority."  If Broadband providers are able to pick favorites online, newer companies can never even get their feet off the ground. Tim Wu coined the term "net neutrality" to call out broadband providers and ask for anti-discrimination rules. Think of a highway. On this highway, there are multiple lanes, you have your traditional lanes that are free and then you have fast lanes. The fast lanes usually through Waze or Google Maps tell you that you will reach your destination earlier because the fast lanes are quicker. However, there is one stipulation to this, it requires money. Whether it be a toll you have to pay or you use your E-ZPass it is not free. This is exactly what Internet Service Providers do when they do not follow net neutrality. In fact Comcast landed in hot water when they banned a home internet user from accessing (VPNs) and the same thing happened with AT&T who banned some of its users from using their WIFI routers. 

What could the future of Net Neutrality look like? It could be a future full of uncertainty. In 2018 the Federal Communications Commission made the "Restoring Internet Freedom Order." This order meant that internet service providers had to disclose information about their network management, practices, and commercial terms of service. They argued that transparency was key when it comes to protecting the openness of the internet. However, just because they are more transparent, does that necessarily make it right? In fact this rule change places primary jurisdiction over Internet Service providers and not with the states. Which is why Attorney generals from more than twenty states, non profits and internet groups filed suit against the Federal Communications Commission. Sixteen states have introduced net neutrality legislation in the 2021 legislative session.

These packages to the right, is what the Internet would ultimately begin to look like if there was no net neutrality. This would benefit those who could afford it. However, the average family especially with inflation being so high would not be able to afford the higher ended packages. Due to the fact that the talk of net neutrality is constantly debated, packages like this in the next year are said to not occur. However, You can expect to see more of the practices that carriers already employ, like letting their own content bypass data limits. An example of this is AT&T currently lets you watch its DirecTV now video service without having it count against your data plan but watching something like Netflix will still chew through your limit.

"Living in the Age of AI"- Blog Post #9

Artificial intelligence seems pretty revolutionary. We used to watch movies that would try and predict what the twenty first century was going to be like, flying cars, robots that could help us out. All of this sounds cool right? Until you realize that Artificial Intelligence could become one of our worst nightmares we've ever invented. In 2016, in Souel, South Korea one of the first forms of AI was being put to the test. Google was behind a machine that would look to play against a human in a board game. This computer was able to teach itself through other board games and had the ability to create moves no human brain could even begin to fathom. 

Ultimately, the computer ended up outsmarting the human. However, this was just the beginning of what would come from this. Artificial Intelligence has the ability to be able to predict outcomes. In doing so it deepens inequality, challenges our Democracy and most importantly, changes the world. Hypothetically, if you were to give an application on your phone access to another application. The first party voluntarily gives all power to what the third party can do with your information. This is crazy to think about. When you sign up for applications like Twitter, you are agreeing whether you know or not to have some of your information used by third parties. The scary part to this is that you have no idea what these third party apps could be using your information for. 

The video also discussed the implications that Artificial intelligence could have on our democracy such as surveillance capitalism. A lot of experiences want to know what we are doing now, in the past, and in the future. Everything about your thoughts, desires, friends and family. Anything that can be used to predict potential future decisions. This could become a National Security concern, if we are a country that prides itself on the freedom of everyone. What would it look like if the world knew we were watching every little minute detail of every person we could?

For companies like Facebook and Google it is not what you post or what you post, it's about everything. From the shirt you where to if your hair is curly or straight. There are cookies within our phones and laptops collecting data on us. Micro based targeting to learn intimate details about users. This is then used as "Power", potentially by political parties to gain information specifically when it comes to voter behavior and patterns.Think of the cameras that watch you. The airport when you scan your passport can automatically detect your face just off of facial recognition. What are the bias' that come with Artificial Intelligence? There is so much to be discovered about this technology and that is the scary part.. 

Blog Post #8 "Privacy"

Privacy, something that we should all have but what if we discovered our lives were not as private as we thought. When watching the Ted Talk by Juan Enriquez, he asks the audience about tattoos. Sounds pretty random right? Well the thing about tattoos is that they are permanent, forever on you, following you wherever you go. However, as Enriquez highlights, we have electronic tattoos. These "tattoos provide enough information that could easily generate a story about you." When he talked about facial recognition on iPhones and how it can tell you if that is your face or not it became pretty creepy. 

At one point in the clip, you heard the audience gasp as he talked about a website known as, "face.com." This website contained hundred of millions of photos of peoples faces due to facial recognition. Well, in 2012 this website was sold to Facebook. As someone who has an iPhone and knows that there is a section in my photos where it will show me faces of other people and even try and match their names to the photos. It never dawned on me how creepy this truly was. 

When watching Catherine Crumps Ted Talk, I got an even creepier portrait of what it is like to not only be watched by big tech companies but the government. What if I told you that everything you did was under constant surveillance? Picked up by traffic cams, locations from your phone that ping your whereabouts. It is as if there is a constant narrator on you depicting every minuscule aspect of your life. 

This information used to be private but because of big tech companies it has been so widely exposed to absolutely any and everyone. However, one of the most compelling and job dropping Ted Talk videos was Christopher Soghoian. Who discussed that we are all being wire tapped by companies that can then go on to give this information to the government. Think of the TikTok app, have you ever said something that you did not look up but you said it near or around your phone and now you are getting personalized TikTok videos on that subject? What if you discovered that you were not going crazy but instead being listened to? 

This information is then used to learn more about that you, more than you may even know about yourself. It tries to predict future behaviors and patterns to learn every tiny bit about you. After watching these videos it makes me think about how often we are being watched. Due to the technological advancements we have in our society today, there is no way you can avoid your privacy being impeded unless you were to carry a burner phone, not have any social media, not get a licensed tag plate/passport. Anything that has ever identified you can help not only local law enforcement but the government keep tabs on you. I don't know about you, but I think that is pretty scary. 

Diffusion of Innovations- Blog Post #7

Diffusion of Innovations looks to explain how an innovation gains momentum overtime and whether or not that innovation will be successful or not.  According to Wiki, "Everett Rogers popularized the theory in his book Diffusion of Innovations. The innovation must be widely adopted in order to self-sustain. The categories of adopters are innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards.  When I look at my EOTO presentation it made me think about where pigeon carriers end up on the diffusion of innovation model. 

Due to the fact that carrier pigeons dates back to 5th century B.C, the original innovators would be credited to the Persians. However, the carrier pigeon started to pickup traction during World War 1, where they were used by Europe and the U.S. Navy. Although carrier pigeons were able to gain early adopters rather quickly their popularity would soon start to fizzle due to the fact that it was easy to kill them. Since carrier pigeons had the primary job of delivering messages, if they were not able to do that soldiers had to find other useful ways of getting and receiving messages. Unfortunately for the carrier pigeon this is where they stop on the diffusion of innovations model. The telegraph and the typewriter would eventually prove to be better forms of communication to receive and send messages. 

However, diffusion of innovations helps marketers in today's society be able to determine if their invention will be able to survive. Throughout time we have seen through technology that we must be able to adapt. Adaptability allows for new and updated versions of previous innovations. By understanding the trend in which people pickup innovations, it can help companies determine whether or not a product will not only be successful but have longevity.