EOTC#2 | Blog Post 9 | Reflection

Owen spoke about the three different ways of spreading fake information in depth. Most people just think of fake news as fake news however there are more specific ways to explain the spread of fake information. To begin, let's first define the three different types of fake news. 

Malinformation is the first term to define as in my opinion, it is the most common type of fake news. Malinformation is the spreading of correct information however given out of context to lead viewers down a different path. We use this in mass media sources nowadays where they give a minor fact but then change the wording slightly to lead viewers to make their own conclusions that usually end up being incorrect or misleading. 

The second term Owen defined was Misinformation. Misinformation is news that people don't know is real or not. This is typically received by word of mouth and continuously spread to others, like a rumor in high school.

The last term Owen defined was Disinformation. Disinformation is news that the writer had known is not true but chose to spread it in order to create chaos or draw attention. This is by far the most absurd way to spread information however it still remains popular among media sources.

All three terms have their own problems however none of them can really get themselves in trouble due to our First Amendment right of Freedom of Speech. This right protects media sources to make their own claims whether it's true or not because it isn't really against the law beyond just being morally wrong.

Knowing that this would upset us, Owen went on to give us ways in which we could prevent ourselves from falling to the spread of fake news. The main solution Owen spoke about was stepping up and doing our own research. Yes, a media source may go on to discuss false information but that doesn't mean we have to believe it. It is on us, the listeners, to go out and do our own research to stop the global pandemic of false news being spread and ensure that we truly understand the topics we discuss.

In sum, the spread of fake information is a problem in everyday society. By doing your own research, you can prevent yourself from falling to the spread of Malinformation, misinformation, or Disinformation.

Blog Post 5| Privacy Videos

For years it has always been something that has been in my head. How private is private nowadays? With everything being online and access being easier than ever I find it hard to believe that all of my data would really just be deleted or saved for just me to see and these videos completely backed the fact that it is most definitely, not private.

Not only does this make me feel uncomfortable but it also makes me question how it will affect me. 

When it comes to job searches in the future or overall background checks I find it incredibly sad that it will most likely be something that people get affected by. 

Unlike our parents in the past, almost everything we have done is kept somewhere online and can come back to haunt us or be used against us in some way in the future. What this means is that even when we are older and have kids a video of someone doing something crazy could easily surface again and those "stories" your parents told you as a kid are now videos for your kids to see.

The government should be getting on this in the way that they should be protecting the privacy of the people they are meant to care for. Everything involved with people's personal digital footprint should be private to just them however the only exception should be if criminal activity was involved.

Along with just the government needed to protect our privacy, we as people can also do things to help it as well. Something people do nowadays is use VPNs which hide their online IP address from the country allowing them to search sites privately without anyone trying to hack or watch over what they are doing. VPNs are legal and something that has really grown in popularity within the past couple of years. 

In sum, with the growth in technology, privacy is becoming something that needs to be protected and focused on more to ensure that people's privacy is protected. 

Blog Post 4

Image of Sergey Brin

My project was on the history and impacts of one of the out influential of Google. Google was created by two men by the names of Larry Page and Sergey Brin. 

The goal of Google was to make researching and finding information easier than ever. Before Google, the main way to research was through books or libraries where it would be time-consuming to try and find the necessary information you needed.

Therefore, Page and Brin began to create perhaps the most influential pieces of technology in human history. They started the process in 1995 but first released it in September of 1998. It's crazy to think it only took them 3 years to do this however it just goes to show how smart these two men were.

Not only did Google make researching easier, it also opened the marketing world with the development of websites and domains. Almost every business in the world nowadays has some assortment of an identity online and this makes finding their business easier than ever.

Image of Larry Page

Along with this, it made revolutionary changes to the world of communication. Social media would arise and allow new versions of instant communication to connect and keep in touch with friends or family. These changes are something that today's world thrives on. It didn't stop at just social media.

The rise of independent journalism was another huge impact stemming from the creation of Google. Prior to Google people primarily relied on major news channels for their information and news. This allowed complete control to be put into the hands of the media on what people know and believe. Independent journalism changed all of that as now average people who just wanted to put their thoughts into the world were able to spread their beliefs or news in different ways. Not only did it give the people more of a voice but it also inspired new media teams to arise.

History of the different Google logos

Although Google inspired many great things to come about it also opened the world to certain negative problems that would not be here without it.

One specific problem we can discuss relates to what I just talked about and that is the spread of fake news in journalism. Because it is now so easy to spread information, it is also very easy to spread fake information allowing those who don't know how to confirm this information to go down slippery slopes and believe or spread things that aren't true.

Another major problem that stems from Google is privacy. If you even downloaded Google Chrome you probably know about the notification you get that asks you whether you will let Google track your data for more personalized ads. Some people are fine with this and actually like it as they are heavy shoppers and want to see recommended things, however oftentimes people get weirded out by this question as it feels like you are almost getting stalked by the higher-ups. Not to mention no one really knows where this information is going.

The final problem I wanted to discuss relates to the rise in AI. Studies have shown that doing research through the web does not install it into the brain compared to reading a book or textbook on a specific topic. What this means is that not only does the web not keep necessary information in students' heads like it could, but it also influences laziness and the interest in AI continues to grow. With AI, students are beginning to not even attempt to do their work which isn't a big deal for smaller majors or minors however students who are studying to achieve a well-credited degree such as lawyers, doctors, or accountants are also using AI which is scary to think about. Imagine you go to the doctor and the only thing he can do is ChatGPT your symptoms or assign you the wrong prescription because he didn't pay attention in college. This could be devastating to the world.

As you can see Google has been one of the most revolutionary pieces of technology and has changed the world not only for the better but has also allowed some negative impacts as well.

EOTC Terms and Concepts | Blog Post 7 | Third Person Effect

Image of W. Phillips
Davidson
studying at Princeton
University in 1939.

Over forty years ago in 1983, a theory begun by W. Phillips Davidson came to life called the "Third Person Effect". The theory spoke about the idea that one person believes mass media is impacting someone's political views but isn't impacting their own opinion on it. In other words, it's like saying that your friend's republican point of view is originating from biased information from Fox News. Meanwhile, they watch only CNN and believe that it's not affecting their own views at all. 

Before we get more into the current-day problems that relate to the Third-Person Effect we first need to understand the history behind how W. Phillips Davidson came up with this theory. After World War II Davidson was a historian who graduated at Princeton University and was working on research in 1949. While researching, he came across documents from World War II which had ended just four years before the beginning of his investigation.

The document spoke about a historic event where a service unit consisting of black troops was stationed on the island of Iwo Jima being led by white officers in the Pacific.  Japan had received word of the location of this unit and sent planes to the location where they stressed to the troops it was a white man's war and colored people had no involvement in it. The Japanese told them to un-involve themselves or withdraw and the next day the unit had been withdrawn. This struck curiosity towards Davidson and he began to interview those who may be involved. Through a series of interviews with German Press Davidson found that the journalists believed mass media did not have an effect on people like themselves however would most likely sway those of little intelligence. This made Davidson question why they believed they were so special and led him to come up with the idea of the "Third Person Effect".

So how does this affect people nowadays?

If you look at today's current state of the country and how it was building up to the election, it is clear to see how strong people's political opinions have become. In the early 2000s, it felt as if the country
respected each other's opinions and beliefs, however, in the last 2010 politics has become the most controversial and emotional topic to be discussed. Part of this problem can be credited to the Mass Media in the country and the way they word things to swing people to one side or the other. however, the other half of the problem is on us.

It is on us as the people of the country to make sure we are not downgrading another political view for the news sources they have been choosing to watch but rather educate each other in a manner of using facts and statistics over just opinion-based headlines found on media.

Propaganda and media bias will always be mass-produced by the big media sources in the country but it is important to keep a humble and open mind to everyone's opinions and sources to ensure you avoid falling to the third-person effect and continue to grow the intelligence within the country.

EOTO- Reaction- Blog Post 6

The World Wide Web was researched by Jake Guttman and presented to the class. The World Wide Web (www) was created by Tim Berner Lee, who aimed to make the Internet more accessible to everyone. He used HTML and HTTP in 1992 to connect the world through different coding techniques. As an effect, he came up with the name the World Wide Web. Along with connecting people, it also allowed people to gain knowledge and information very easily. Before this most of the population was forced to use old-school tactics like going to a library and researching through books or public computers. What the World Wide Web did was now make this easier and more affordable for not just America but everyone around the world. 

This topic reminded me of my own topic of research as the World Wide Web and Google go hand and hand. Both had tremendous impacts on the world making research easier than ever however they also both had negative effects on the country.  

One major negative that Jake began to discuss was the problem of misinformation. With it being easier to find information also made it easier to publish it. This is something that not only affected people back then but continues to affect us in today's world. The common topic of fake news and biased news is a constant problem and has affected both sides of the political world. This problem really began to rise when the World Wide Web came to be as journalists and media teams can post things to the public easier than ever. Newspapers and books began to fall behind as people didn't need to wait for their news and information it was simply clicks away from being read. What comes with this is the fact that you don't need to actually be a journalist to write any news. Wikipedia is a perfect example of this. Wikipedia allows anyone to write about a topic which leads to incorrect information being thrown out there. 

We saw misinformation really play an effect in the 2024 election with CNN and Fox giving different news and headlines trying to sway people to one way or another.

Overall, Jake did a terrific job of informing the class about the World Wide Web and made me believe that this was one of the most revolutionary pieces of technology in modern-day history.

Eight Values of Free Expression

Out of all the speech theories listed the one that stands out to me is number five which summarizes “Check on Governmental Power”. This is by far the most important of all when it comes to freedom of speech and we trace this all the way back to the beginning of America. 

The American people need the right to be able to stand up for themselves and challenge the government when they feel is necessary. This is a literal Founding Father's belief and the primary reason for leaving Great Britain during the American Revolution. America was created because those working in the 13 colonies were sick of the taxes and mistreatment from Britain, resulting in anger and emotions, causing the revolution. There was no way to speak back to the King because when they tried it was instantly shut down and people were punished, which led to the American Revolution. 

To prevent this from happening again, when America was created our founding fathers were sure that Freedom of Speech was the most important amendment to the constitution. We can see this as it is the 1st Amendment listed in the Bill of Rights. I see this as so important because not only has it had its impact in the past and has helped lead us to the free country we are today but it also has impacts in current events today. 

If you look at today's election, many different opinions and emotions are going on in the political world. Whether you're Republican or Democratic the anger for each other has no doubt risen. Although I think it's sad that there is anger towards each other, you cannot deny that it should be a right to vocalize your opinion of how the government should run and it would not be possible if it weren't for the first amendment. 

Along with this, the idea of Democracy's Watchdog has come to be. With the rise in Media beginning to sway public opinion one way or another, Democracy's Watchdogs are those journalists who are here to ensure that no matter what the government's power is exposed and furthermore keep the power in the hands of the people. 

In other words, if we weren't able to check on government power this country would be at risk of going against everything it was started for. The ideals of having the power in the hands of the people would be thrown out the window and the problems that would arise could be devastating. 

It is important not only for the journalists to continue their duty of voicing opinions but it is also for the people of America to do so as well. It is our right, and it is what helps to keep the government in check preventing past events from occurring again in our nation. 

This is why I believe that out of all the listed values of expression, the most important is the ability to  “Check on Governmental Power” using our First Amendment right of Freedom of Speech. 

The Supreme Court

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

In the two parts of The Founding Era & the Idea of America, I learned a lot about the Supreme Court and how it runs. Before watching this video I had very little knowledge about the Supreme Court. The only thing I knew was that it was the highest court of justice and it consisted of nine judges who could serve for the rest of their lives. 

After watching these videos I now understand that there is a lot more to the Supreme Court than I thought. To begin, the duty of these justices is far beyond committing then almost every job in the nation as every justice on the court can serve for the rest of their lives. Although this is an option, most only end up serving for an average of 16 years as the justices usually step down at that point. You can't blame them as they have to serve for a very long time before joining to even being recommended to be a part of the Supreme Court. Along with this, I learned about the roles of the court and the different positions that are held. On the Supreme Court, there is always one Chief Justice, and the rest are known as associate justices. The job of the chief justice is to oversee the court and be the one to determine whether certain cases are worth the Supreme Court level or need to be sent back down to gather more information. 

Along with learning many new things, I found one big takeaway that in my opinion is the most important out of everything. That is the fact that not all cases, in fact, most cases, are NOT worth the Supreme Court time. The Supreme Court is the highest of the high and its job isn't to handle trafficking tickets or even murders, it is to uphold what the Constitution states and only accept cases that earn the way to that level. For instance, if a case is deserving to go to the Supreme Court. It will never just automatically go right to them. It will start at the lower-level courts and slowly work its way up to them.

Overall, this video changed the way I looked at the Supreme Court entirely. Before watching this video when I would think about the Supreme Court, I would think about Checks and Balances and how they decide whether something is constitutional or unconstitutional. As bad as that sounds, it is what most Americans believe nowadays when they hear it. We all know the Supreme Court is important, but not many truly understand why. This video taught me just how important they are and that without them we wouldn't have many of the rights we have today. I suggest that every American takes some time to watch these videos as it is more important than ever to have a clear understanding of how our government and judicial systems work in America.