My Time Online - Final Blog Post

 Although I hate to admit it, my online presence is pretty widespread. It's not as large as others my age, but a laggard would look at all my accounts and be amused with my social media life. Because I've grown up in the digital age, social media and the internet have unfortunately become the backbone of my generation's society.  Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, and even Facebook, regulate our daily lives. 

Looking back on my time in Media Law and Literacy (which I wish was the whole semester, instead of just half of it), I've gained a deeper sense of the role that technology plays in our lives. Something as little as submitting your opinion to a poll can change the entire algorithm that applications use to influence you, explaining why the internet and social media are so influential from political and social standpoints. Is the Spotify advertisement about Dunkin' Donuts playing when you order in the drive-through a coincidence or not? Most likely the latter. 

As I've questioned the health of my relationship with technology, I've also researched the overall effects that technology has had on my generation, Generation Z. Not only has technology created new communication pathways, but it has also influenced the decreased connection to the real world. Voices of America states this revelation clearly saying, "Online and social media, for example, have opened up the world for Gen Zers, encouraging them to connect and collaborate with others around the world. But they also allow Gen Zers to shut out the outside world and live within online communities and echo chambers.". Unfortunately, many people from my generation don't know how to properly communicate because they've grown up nose-deep in technology. Yes, the world is ever-changing thanks to advanced technology, however, in order to get employed or create a strong reputation for yourself, you have to know how to communicate with others. For example, my 17 year old sister absolutely HATES talking to people - she won't even ask a server to refill her drink at a restaurant. Due to my parents' concerns, she is putting herself out there more and is willing to speak in more situations, however, she prefers to handle confrontations through her phone. It's hard for me to imagine how far she will get in life without have the confidence and skills necessary for proper communication. Thank goodness I love to talk to anyone about anything! 

Although I see technology in a scarier light now, I can't deny how useful it is. I truly don't know what I would do without my cell phone, and as much as I wish I could live without it, I don't think I could. Being able to call my Aunt and Uncle who live in Japan - all the way on the other side of the world, being able to track my family's location when going on long road trips, being able to attend ZOOM classes, internships, or interviews when the entire world shuts down due to a global pandemic? Without technology, none of these things would be possible. As Dr. Caroline Figueroa from UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare states "[Since] we [were] unable to engage in face-to-face contact, remote communication through our personal digital devices, such as our smartphones, [was] essential for staying connected with friends, family and co-workers.". Who knows what our world would've looked like without that escape from reality? Although mental health issues are a result of social media, depression from increased isolation would've been diagnosed at a much higher rate without access to FaceTime, texting, or other forms of digital communication.

Thinking about the future generations' lives is very scary. My generation, Generation Z, was truly the last to have normal, imaginative childhoods (before iPods became the 'traditional' toy). My sisters and I would play 'House', pretend like we were pop stars at a concert, or create our own carnival outside - no technology was involved. Now, kids are glued to iPads, TV screens, or laptops. There are more restrictions due to the dangers of cyberspace and children have to be monitored 24/7. Unfortunately, some parents rely on devices to babysit their children in public spaces, such as restaurants, malls, or get-togethers - no wonder children are becoming 'behavior problems' and parental-child relationships are steadily decreasing. 

As much as I'd like to say that I've been more cautious of my online presence ever since Media Law and Literacy, I'd rather not lie on my final blog - especially when this is based upon technology bias and dangers. Although I'm still highly active on my Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook accounts, I have actually deleted my Twitter app and I barely get sucked into the world of TikTok anymore. I know that's not a lot, but it's a start; stopping any "addiction" requires lots of baby steps! 

Sources

https://dlab.berkeley.edu/blog/surprising-role-digital-technology-during-covid-19-pandemic

https://www.voanews.com/student-union/gen-z-born-be-digital

Notes from COM 1450-01, Media Law and Literacy 

EOTO 2: What I Learned

 

Whistleblower: A referee or coach? Definitely not... more like a person who reveals government secrets in order to inform the public about government conspiracies and lies. Whistleblowers have been an issue for the government for decades and have played a large part in creating the mistrust between the government and its citizens, especially in the United States. 

There are many famous whistleblowers such as Perry Fellwock, who revealed secrets of the ECHELON project under the disguise Winslow Peck, under The Guardian, a British newspaper. However, the 2 most famous whistleblowers in today's news are Edward Snowden and Julian Assange. 

Julian Assange, the man pictured above, is currently being held captive in the highest security clad prison in Britain after living in refuge at the Ecuadoran Embassy in London for a number of years. Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, was declared a threat to US national security by President Barack Obama in 2010 and other politicians have even described him as a terrorist. This declaration was in response to Wikileaks leakage of almost half a million confidential US Army intelligence documents about tactics and plans surrounding US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. By the end of the year, Assange and his followers had leaked about 250,000 US diplomatic cables which proved US involvement to be immoral in some Middle Eastern countries. The only reason these revelations are seen as a 'threat to national security' is because they are also a 'threat to the power of the US government', so Julian Assange is being illegally tried and kept in hostage for his freedom of speech. 

The US government is violating Julian Assange's First Amendment rights, going against all the values our Founding Fathers established when our country was created!

Edward Snowden, the man pictured above, is another famous, American whistleblower. As a former employee of the CIA and the NSA intelligence agencies, he gained lots of knowledge surrounding the United States security and privacy laws. When he started working for the NSA in 2009, he had access to tons of secret surveillance programs - most of which he despised; so, in 2013, Snowden traveled on Hong Kong on a 'medical leave of absence' to interview with journalists/reporters from The Guardian about his theories on the US government privacy policies. This interview revealed multiple breaches of privacy on US citizens, completed by the US government itself, including a court order for Verizon to share metadata of its consumers with the government and the existence of PRISM, a data-mining program that gives the NSA, FBI, and Britain's NSA equivalent access to Internet giants - including the Big 5 technological companies, such as Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Facebook. On June 9th, Snowden came forward and revealed himself as the whistleblower, and on June 14th, the US government charged him with espionage (again, they legally cannot do this because that is violating Snowden's First Amendment, fundamental personal rights). Snowden fled to Moscow, Russia and is safely taken refuge there under 'temporary refuge status' thanks to Putin's not wanting to get involved in the US extradition process. Even in 2014 when his asylum contract ended, Putin awarded Snowden a three-year residence with the option to become an official Russian citizen. As of 2021, Edward Snowden is still hiding from the US government, who claim that he violated his disclosure agreement, under Russian refuge. 

Sources

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edward-Snowden

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Julian-Assange

Presentation in class by Madelyn Cooper - Group 2

Are You Sure You Want To Keep Your Facebook Account?

 In the COM 1450 class, Media Law and Literacy, the common theme is our protection of free speech as professional (and even as unprofessional) communicators. As technology continues to advance everyday, that right to free speech becomes necessary for word of mouth, in writing, and online - among much more. Well, as PBS details in its documentary "Facebook Dilemma", new media platforms are making it harder and harder for people to freely express their ideals in safe, private spaces. 

Mark Zuckerberg, the entrepreneurial Harvard student, founded Facebook on February 4, 2004. Starting off as just a website for connections between people, Facebook has become one of the Big Five technological companies in the United States. Along with this fame and popularity comes greed - and that's exactly what happened. Mark Zuckerberg wanted "to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected", and in doing that, he gained offers from several companies for money upon money. As of March 3, 2021 in the current stock market, Facebook is worth 257.32 billion dollars, and is still growing everyday. 

However, do you know how Facebook makes all that money - especially since there's no price tag for consumers to download the app?

Well, according to the graph pictured above and other research studies, we can conclude that the majority of Facebook's revenue comes from selling users personal data to other companies. Yes, that's right... Facebook sells all your data, even if they promise its "private". Out of the Facebook users surveyed, 85% of surveyors were concerned that their private information was being sold; however, none of those people are deleting their accounts or doing anything about this illegal activity because they are addicted to social media. The most common companies that Facebook shares personal data with, are Amazon, Apple, Spotify, and other popular platforms. Facebook continues to deny these claims even though there is clear data suggesting this fraud, however, the company has acknowledged its damage from giving third parties' access to users' data after claiming that they had canceled those privileges. 

Multiple board members on media companies and other technology industry officials have commented on their distrust with Facebook and its employees. 

Damian Collins MP, chair of the UK Parliament's Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee says, "We have to seriously challenge the claim by Facebook that they are no selling user data. They may not be letting people take it away by the bucket load, but they do reward companies with access to data that others are denied, if they place a high value on the business they do together. This is just another form of selling." Why do you think you always get advertisements for your favorite stores or restaurants on your feed? Where else does that information come from? If there are specific ads popping up in your social media platforms, then your personal data and browsing history has probably been sold to those companies from Facebook. Insane, right?!

It's terrifying that a 17 year old innovation, only a year or so younger than me, can have all the power that it has. If life was a movie, Facebook and its lack of privacy would definitely be the villain and his sidekick! For people of my generation, Generation X, we only use Facebook in order to keep older relatives up to date or for jobs and activity groups; so, how does this affect us? Facebook has grown so strong that it now owns Instagram, Snapchat, and other apps used daily by millennials, members of Generation X, and more generations coming in the future. Taking advantage of peoples' trust (or their stupidity from signing contracts by skimming) is completely unmoral from a ethics standpoint, and it also goes against the First Amendment by having the ability to censor users. 

So, the next time you unlock your phone and debate what to do with your time - I suggest playing a game instead of scanning through all your social media accounts. I know that's easier said than done, but it's scary to think that someone could be watching me type this blog right now. I'm definitely going to pay more attention to what I post or follow on social media now, and continue to NEVER ever post important information like my bank account or social security information. Nice try Zuckerberg, but we can see past your smart exterior and look directly at the greed inside.

            Sources

                   https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/facebook-dilemma/

How Many Eyes? Five Eyes!

 The Five Eyes: "Supra-national intelligence organization that does not answer to the known laws of its own countries" - Edward Snowden (2013 Whistleblower, former NSA Contractor)

The Five Eyes Law Enforcement Group, aka FVEY or Five Eyes, is an intelligence alliance between the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. These countries are parties to the UKUSA Agreement - the United Kingdom-United States Intelligence Communications Act. 

Five Eyes was created in 1946 as a result of the 1941 Atlantic Charter of WWII, a joint agreement between the United Kingdom and the United States establishing postwar goals. In more simpler terms, the major spy organizations of these five countries spy on the citizens of each others' countries - creating one large, illegal spy blob. 

 Instead of spying for safety measures, the Five Eyes illegally spy on citizens' private lives, communications, and accounts in order to exchange information and keep their authoritative power as "Big Brother". Because surveillance of citizens without probable cause is completely illegal under the Constitution, the United States uses the Five Eyes to find a loophole in its own security measures. If the United Kingdom is spying on US citizens (and exchanging that information with the United States), then the US government is technically not gaining information illegally according to its own laws. 

The first security program created under the Five Eyes was ECHELON which was used to intercept communication between the Soviet Union and its Eastern Bloc allies during the Cold War. This project was OFFICIALLY established in 1971 and was defined as "A global network of electronic spy stations that can eavesdrop on telephones, faxes and computers. It can even track bank accounts. This information is stored in Echelon computers, which can keep millions of records on individuals. Officially, however, Echelon doesn't exist " by The Guardian paper in Great Britain. After this paper, the first official ECHELON whistleblower was Perry Fellwock, under the code name Winslow Peck. This former NSA analyst revealed the real intention behind ECHELON to Ramparts magazine in 1972. By the end of the 20th century, ECHELON was used to monitor private conversations between each of the countries' citizens, not just for foreign government intel.

ECHELON - The NSA's Global Spying Network

After the 9/11 terrorist attack, Five Eyes expanded their surveillance to the entire World Wide Web on the Internet in response to the War on Terror. With this increase in illegal surveillance, the Five Eyes became the most comprehensive espionage alliance in history. In 2010, and continuing into today, the Five Eyes has access to the United States government's classified Internet sources - allowing for spying to occur through device, human, geospatial, and signal methods. Although this is obviously a breach in citizens' privacy and fundamental, personal rights, there are some actions being taken on the flip side which seem to point toward a more secure future - the International Court of Justice ordered Australia to stop spying on East Timor in March 2014, resulting in the first restriction to ever be placed on the Five Eyes Law Enforcement Group.

Sources

https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/suspicion-creeps-five-eyes

https://privacyinternational.org/learn/five-eyes

Hey Alexa...? Is Privacy really Private?

Technology has been an incredible tool for hundreds of years - from stone and wood to cables and wires. It has been on our side through wars, celebrations, elections, and much more. Who would have thought that something manmade would turn against man as fast and as strong as it did? In case you haven't realized yet - privacy is not private anymore.

One of the recent technological innovations that has taken over the world is Amazon Alexa. Released by Amazon in 2014, Alexa is an artificial intelligence virtual assistant that can provide answers to almost any question you could ask. This technology was first developed to be the voice in the Amazon Echo smart speaker but soon became knowledgable and technical enough to control home automated systems, complete scheduled 'skills', or search the Internet to provide more accurate answers to consumers' questions. Alexa can now be utilized at home, in businesses, at conferences, and basically anywhere else with the proper internet connection. Amazon Alexa has inspired other companies to create their own smart devices through artificial intelligence, such as LG, Jargon, and Apple. 

With this innovation, Amazon made many daily activities so much easier for consumers. It was definitely a hit in America as lazy Americans could lay on the couch and ask a question instead of getting up and researching on the Internet. Alexa can track grocery lists, plan schedules, announce the weather, answer questions, and play all kinds of music. All of these capabilities are amazing, but how does this artificially intelligent machine connect the dots between your interests? 

Amazon Alexa, just like other social media technologies such as Facebook or Instagram, uses an algorithm to find out which advertisements and brands would be best for each specific consumer. From a public relations perspective, that is an incredible marketing tool, however, from a consumer perspective, that is incredibly terrifying. Not only can Alexa track searches, but she also never stops listening. As long as the device Alexa is on is plugged in, it continues listening to all commotion and conversation going on in its proximity - even if you aren't directly speaking to it through alert words like "Alexa" or "Amazon". Private conversations in private households or private businesses are not private after all. Anytime it listens, Alexa completes a keyword search to pick out specific websites, brands, songs, and other data that would attract that specific consumer. So, the next time you talk to your brother or sister about where you want to have dinner and an advertisement for that restaurant comes on your Spotify, Pandora, or Apple Music, think about the last time you unplugged crazy Alexa!

As an owner of an Amazon Alexa, I can definitely attest to how useful this technology is, however, after watching the Ted talks on privacy, my fear of the artificial intelligence has doubled. My mom never wanted one in our house, but it has almost become a necessity due to to the ease of accessing music, asking questions while multitasking, or detecting what package has been delivered. Unfortunately, I don't think my family could live without it. We do unplug our Amazon Echo dot once in a while, but we've really tried to push our loss of privacy to the back of our minds. After learning about all the other ways the government can spy on its citizens, I honestly can't say I'm surprised about this recent innovation, and I'm going to focus a lot more on what thoughts I should be keeping private in my mind - not in the proximity of technology. 

Sources

https://www.britannica.com/technology/artificial-intelligence

https://developer.amazon.com/en-US/alexa

https://towardsdatascience.com/how-amazon-alexa-works-your-guide-to-natural-language-processing-ai-7506004709d3

Netflix: An Innovation

How do you watch television and movies? Are you old school and stick to cable, or do you even pay for cable anymore? With the new innovations for the entertainment industry, such as Netflix, it's very hard for people to not adopt these new versions of entertainment. 

Netflix, founded by Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings in 1997, is a subscription based streaming service for all the possible television shows, movies, or documentaries one could imagine. As of January 2021, 203.7 million people are subscribed to Netflix - 73 million of which are from the United States. First starting as a DVD rental business, the streaming services were created in 2007 leading to Netflix creating their own content in 2013 with the release of House of Cards, inspiring Netflix Original content. Thanks to market capitalization, Netflix became the largest entertainment/media company in July 2020. 

According to the Diffusion of Innovations Theory, there are 5 categories along the journey of innovation acceptance once it reaches popularity. The Netflix phenomenon caught on very quickly due to the ease of its platform; as everyone knows, Americans, especially of this day and age, love to look for shortcuts in everything they do. Instead of having to take out a DVD, put it in the disk player, mess with the buttons, and figure out the remote all to watch one 30 minute television show, Netflix allows people to just press a button - or even speak into a remote - to find all seasons of a television series. 

Netflix: The Perfect Answer to America's Pure Laziness

Netflix was obviously a hit with pioneers and innovators (the first 2.5%) because they kept working on advancing the technology to further spread its influence. They even created a "Netflix Prize" Contest to encourage other technological companies to find a way to increase the matching algorithm of "Top Picks for You" by 10%. BellKor Pragmatic Chaos won this contest, leading to streaming subscriptions in 2007. The early adopters (the next 13.5%) were the first subscribers to Netflix during its first phase of DVD rentals. The early majority (the first 34%) started subscribing in 2007 after subscriptions began being streamed through the Internet. The average time of adoption was most likely around 2010 when streaming-only plans (no DVDs) were released to the public as the Internet become more advanced. This type of service actually became the primary revenue generator for Netflix. Next, the late majority (the last 34%) started subscribing as Netflix Originals, series's of original content created by Netflix writers, directors, and producers, continued being released. Like the name states, Netflix Originals can ONLY be seen on Netflix, so many people started subscribing to Netflix just to watch shows, such as The Crown and Stranger Things among others. Lastly, the laggards (the last 16%) are still working on subscribing to this day. Most of the laggards are older generations, such as baby boomers, who aren't technologically savvy and are just starting to learn the "way of the times" from their children and grandchildren. 

There are so many positives thanks to the innovation of Netflix, however, there are some negatives as well. Netflix can be seen as a disadvantage in social settings because it distracts young children from learning how to properly communicate with others. Some parts of Netflix aren't censored, so kids can watch inappropriate shows that could influence violence or drugs, without parental permission. However, Netflix has changed the world of entertainment! No one will watch movies, television, or documentaries the same ever again - no commercials, no large crowds, no tickets to buy at the cinema. 

Sources

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Netflix-Inc

https://interestingengineering.com/the-fascinating-history-of-netflix

iPhone vs. Samsung - Extra Thoughts

Which cellular device do you like to use - the iPhone or the Samsung? Now, which one actually provides the better quality? Yes, there are other types of androids, such as the Google Pixel, however, the competition for the best cellular device has stayed between Apple and Samsung as their products continue gaining popularity. 

Apple, founded by Steve Jobs, and Samsung, founded by Chang-Gyu Hwang, have been in a "thermonuclear war" for almost the past 2 decades. This competition started when Samsung's NAND flash memory became the sole memory in Apple's iPods in 2005, motivating Samsung to release their own smartphone in 2009. Lawsuits and counter lawsuits about patent licenses or patent infringements started flying between the competitors, and brand power advertisements became a turning point in the game. As Samsung watched from behind the scenes as the new big iThing came out, they started developing their monumental commercial campaign, - "The Next Big Thing is Already Here" - bringing the competition to a tie for the first time. At the end of 2011, Samsung became the fastest growing global brand on Facebook and Twitter as their shipments increased to #1 in phone manufacturers. The war continues today as Samsung and Apple innovate more and more devices and options that are necessary for survival in the 21st century and beyond. 

In terms of privacy, it's hard to trust any type of technology nowadays - you never know who or what is behind the other side of the screen. Most of the time, it's a computer collecting data upon data for private companies who, in turn, sell that information to the government. Now, which company do you think is best for privacy - Apple or Samsung? According to security companies like Norton 360, Apple's iOS system is considered the most secure because they operate on a closed system, meaning outside app developers don't have access to source codes and consumers cannot modify their codes. Because of this, it's harder for hackers to break down barriers protecting the system from hacking. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Samsung's Android system - fueled by Google - operates on an open system meaning there are more possible vulnerabilities that attract hackers, in addition to the Android system already being a hacker 'goldmine' due to it's global identity. However, it's best for consumers of both Samsung and Apple to be aware of possible malware and to stay away from third party app stores. Yes, both companies have their flaws, however, I would recommend Apple's less flexibility compared to Samsung's higher consumer control because Apple is less of a target for cybercrime thanks to its stringent controls. 

Sources

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesdigitalcovers/2020/03/13/samsung-vs-apple-inside-the-brutal-war-for-smartphone-dominance/?sh=64768bfe4142

https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-mobile-android-vs-ios-which-is-more-secure.html