Blog Post 12: Final Blog Post, My Final Takeaways

 Technology is a dominant part of life in today's society. Almost all data is available on the internet; whereas this innovation has made many things easier to do, it has also surfaced fresh challenges. One of the most significant shifts that comes to mind is the impact on the formative experiences of younger generations of people. Today's children are being exposed to the internet at historically earlier ages than ever before, and exposure is bound to shape their perception and interaction with the world in some way. The terminology of "iPad Kid" is often used to classify kids who spend time on devices before mastering verbal communication skills. Therefore, this shift has caused me to decide not to give my own kids electronic devices before they turn 3-4 years old.

As far as my own use of technology is concerned, I can see both sides of the argument to some extent. Similar to my peers, I recognize my significant dependency on my mobile phone. But at the same time, I am also painfully conscious of the large chunk of time it takes up. There have been so many times when I catch myself thinking, “Only five minutes,” only to subsequently realize that I used sixty minutes on TikTok. This is very infuriating regarding my important commitments, such as my studies, which require my focus. Due to the large block of time I spend on online platforms in the first place, refocusing later becomes very difficult. My mind constantly prompts me to check my alerts, and hence creates a cycle of distractions and prevents me from being focused. In response to this fact, I realized the importance of having a semblance of balance.

There are also some things about social media that I believe to be of great use. First and foremost is its capability of keeping in touch with the people whom I care about most. I have family members in Mexico and the Dominican Republic, and friends who live in other states. We can be in constant contact with applications like Snapchat or Instagram. This helps us stay close to each other despite physical distance.

Having said that, I am also aware of the downfalls that come with it. According to the American Academy of Child and Psychiatry, teenagers spend more than nine hours a day staring at a screen, which is over one-third of the day alone. In addition to that, information can be misinterpreted too easily, with the tone of the sender being unreadable and creating undue conflict. On a larger scale, there is the problem of misinformation that spreads throughout the internet. News travels at a phenomenal speed, and sometimes too soon, with people believing lies and inaccuracies before facts can be established. Over time, I've grown more selective about what sources I decide to trust.

One thing I've come to realize is the internet footprint that people accumulate. Stuff that is put up on the internet is notoriously hard to remove completely, even with attempts to do so. This is always something that is on my mind, especially with age and thinking about the future and my own career direction. Employers actually do look at candidates' internet profiles. Happily enough, most of what's linked to me is not bad; nonetheless, not everyone is so lucky.

Ultimately, technology plays a significant role in my life. It has supported me in following my passion, helped me establish my long-term goals, and made me more at ease when interacting with others. But I've also seen how easily, if I'm not careful, technology can take over my life. As a result, I've been trying to use social media more sensibly by establishing time limits and making sure that I complete my tasks before starting to "rot." Social media and technology have undoubtedly transformed many aspects of our lives and personal development. I believe, though, that we can learn to use these tools productively and healthily if we put in enough thought and work. As I reflect on the semester, I see how important this Media Law and Literacy class has been to my learning about how the media affects our daily lives. From social media to more conventional sources like television and newspapers, the media is present everywhere. Understanding how media affects our identities, worldviews, and even political realities goes beyond simply consuming media. I've come to value critical thinking more and more as my knowledge of media literacy has expanded. Although people typically consume media passively, media literacy promotes a unique mindset that challenges us to think critically about a variety of topics. Why is the story being told? Why and by whom is the story being told? Who gains anything from this message? We can identify biases, presumptions, and covert agendas in the media we consume by considering this type of analysis.

Blog Post 11: Learning Something New

I learned about several subjects that influence society. The presentations include confirmation bias, influencer culture, whistleblowers, propaganda, deepfakes from artificial intelligence, gatekeeping and agenda setting, and social credit scores. The technology being used in social media platforms causes confirmation bias by creating a pattern of content presented to users that supports what already exists in their minds. 

These topics were interesting because they showed how technology influences our lives and choices. With this, it starts to create perceptions and hinder our critical thinking in many areas. Social media, including Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, has the technology in its ability to change public opinion and control buying behavior, its capacity to drive trends and strengthen a brand is remarkable. The presentation also underlined its negative consequences, including the dissemination of unrealistic expectations and rising mental illness among its supporters, highlighting the modernization of technology in our society.

History.com claims that whistleblowers provide material about a company or government to media outlets, distributing it to the general public. Whistleblowing helps people to be protected and guarantees that major issues are exposed. The presentation did, however, also draw attention to the inherent dangers whistleblowers run and the need for robust controls and efficient protective actions inside security protocols. Mass and electronic media help people to be mobilized toward a shared belief or goal. The presentation was important since it explained how propaganda changes public opinion as well as, hence, society's attitudes and behavior. It underlined the need for media literacy skills and the fact that unrestrained technological power can be dangerous, which increases our awareness of the ability of the media to shape our mindsets. 

Deepfakes using artificial intelligence and social credit scores ultimately represent developing technologies of great relevance. Although artificial intelligence deepfakes use programs to create realistic but synthetic images, audio, and video, ethical and security questions surface. The talk was interesting since it covered many cases of fraud as well as the use of deepfakes. Social credit scores similarly track and evaluate behavior to build trust and control social activity. These numbers have a great influence on socioeconomic activities, so they affect individual liberties and societal standards, even if they raise questions of privacy, monitoring, and use. These technologies show the developing technological problems as well as the optimism for the future. 

Blog Post 10: The Age of AI

Our society is becoming more advanced day by day. With the introduction of artificial intelligence, we are seeing so many positive impacts, but serious security issues make you question things. "In the Age of AI," an experience that made me think about the many outcomes that come with artificial intelligence. The documentary gave a thorough depiction of the different ways in which AI impacts society. The video highlights that measures need to be taken to prevent artificial intelligence from going against us.

Firstly, one of the takeaways was the capability and adaptability of artificial intelligence. From the advancements in medicine, including the ability to diagnose disease before symptoms arise. To even add to that, the revolutionary potential of AI software in transforming education through the tailoring of learning experiences. AI allows us to tackle issues at scales and velocities previously thought impossible for mankind. It's inspiring to think about the ways in which artificial intelligence will further enhance the human experience, fuel innovation, and push the boundaries of human understanding. Soon in the future, AI may be seen in our homes if it is not already with our electronic devices and our cellphones that we have with us at all times! So many things have AI, and we do not even realize it yet. 

Secondly, the film shows many challenges with AI. Privacy is a key issue. While convenience and personalization come from artificial intelligence, they often come at the price of our personal data. Artificial intelligence-based surveillance systems have amazing abilities; however, the ability of these to be abused by repressive governments and business entities raises discomforting questions. The balance between security and human freedoms remains poised on the brink.

 

Thirdly, cybersecurity and identity theft are serious issues in today's society. With artificial intelligence constantly developing and becoming more advanced, its technology can be utilized to create convincing deepfake videos and enable dangerous activities. Allowing it to be difficult to distinguish reality from deception. For instance, the YouTube video "It's Getting Harder to Spot a Deepfake Video," which I had watched to learn more about deepfakes, is shocking. The video shows former President Barack Obama speaking, and it was AI of him saying how deepfakes are a national concern. To go back to the The Age of AI YouTube video as well, both highlight the need for more regulations and ethical guidelines to ensure artificial intelligence is used responsibly.

Lastly, while AI holds promise for the future, it also has potential risks. The documentary left me both inspired and cautious. I am hopeful for its potential to address global challenges but mindful of the ethical and security issues ai holds.

Blog Post 9: Whistleblowers and their Power

 The whistleblower is someone who exposes wrongdoing, most often from within an institution or government, by making it public, often through the media. The definition is simple enough, but the implications of whistleblowing involve considerably more than simply revealing the truth. In blowing the whistle, people risk their careers, their physical safety, and even their liberty in order to inform the public. The consequences of their acts can bring about justice and reform, but at the same time may initiate controversy and different reactions. 

Whistleblowing has the potential to bring benefits. Its greatest strength is that it can promote transparency and accountability. Especially in situations where powerful institutions—like governments, corporations, or police forces start to do illegal or immoral behavior. By whistleblowers showing that reality to society, it causes investigations and starts policy changes. In 1971, for example, the NY Times explains how Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers about Vietnam, which revealed that the United States administration had misled both the public and Congress about Vietnam. His actions had a lasting impact on public attitudes and protected press liberty in a historic Supreme Court ruling.

Another example is that of the Guardian, and they state how Edward Snowden, who in 2013 leaked classified material related to mass surveillance operations by the National Security Agency. Snowden revealed evidence that showed that the United States administration was obtaining telephone and online records belonging to millions of people without their knowledge. The resulting discussion regarding privacy and personal rights led to international policy debates, which in turn led to legal adjustments related to data collection.

Whistleblowers often face consequences, such as loss of job, legal persecution, public consequences, and even threats to personal lives. For example, Snowden was accused of violating acts through the Espionage Act and is now living in asylum in Russia to avoid arrest, and before that, Hong Kong. In some cases, whistleblowing ends up causing harm to other people, especially in cases relating to matters of national security or confidential data. Such risks, like the one Snowden took, suggest that even though whistleblowing is an agent of justice, it requires cautious handling, and regardless of whether you are right or not, your fate is still always unpredictable. 

Whistleblowing can have serious cultural and political implications as well. It creates an enhanced societal concern for integrity, ethics, and accountability. Eventually, people start to see the corruption and scandal that might foster mass disillusionment with institutions. People also might begin to see all systems as imperfect or tainted, causing disengagement and distrust. Such disillusion might have adverse results if it deters people from actively being part of political or social movements that seek to bring about change. The impacts of whistleblowing are not experienced equally in all sections of society. Different groups are affected in different ways. Those who have financial means or institutional connections often have means by which to shield themselves legally or to sway public opinion. Those who lack economic resources may face more risks if whistleblowing leads to dismissal from their job or loss of financial security. Secondly, young people might feel more confident to challenge authority in order to support whistleblowers, but older generations might feel that whistleblowers act as agents for upsetting security or custom. Lastly, for instance, LGBTQ+ individuals and minorities might face added personal threats and less protection when speaking out. By them reaching out to the public, they may at the same time expose discrimination and oppression in systems that often silence marginalized voices.

On a personal level, I can see whistleblowing is something powerful. If I had a person in my inner circle who were to become a whistleblower, this situation might bring about both pride and adversity. This action might make them a hero in society's eyes; however, it might also result in their loss of employment, legal consequences, or emotional tension within my family. I would have my family or friends consider the consequences and think, is it worth it or not? 

Whistleblowing is especially relevant to Generation Z. This generation is coming of age in a world filled with information, activism, and digital media that enable wrongdoing. Generation Z tends to value transparency, social justice, and truth highly. It has been seen numerous times with George Floyd, Roe v. Wade, and so many other controversial issues. Nevertheless, they also face the psychological toll of being constantly exposed to disturbing information. In short, media whistleblowing plays an indispensable role in influencing society. At the same time, it involves risks, controversy, and complicated consequences for individuals and communities. Daniel Ellsberg and Edward Snowden are living proof of courage and determination in finding truth. It is important we look up to figures like Ellsberg and Snowden to realize there is a lot of corruption in this country, and we need to stand our ground and show our generation will not tolerate these issues.