Corona vs. Social Media Presence

          Social Media is a gray area for the first amendment because you can speak your mind, but companies also have the right to take down your post if they feel it is inappropriate for their platform. However, with the outbreak of the coronavirus, people have noticed some changed on social media. 

            Things that began to change in early March was the online engagement on sites such as Facebook and Instagram. However, for some reason twitter did not seem to take as much of a hit. People are still using twitter to stay informed, but it seems the other sites aren’t doing as well in that aspect. 

            The sites didn’t take a hit for long. They may have been down, but now they are the highest they have been all year. People still aren’t posting as much as they have in the past, but they are present on social media a lot more now, than they were when the outbreak began. 

            Social media presence may be down, but the amount of people paying attention to the news now is higher than ever. News websites are through the roof because people just want to be informed of every new thing that is happening, even if all their sources may not have true information. 

https://www.rivaliq.com/blog/coronavirus-on-social-media-engagement-for-brands/

Final Blog

Is Social Media Good Or Bad?

         Our relationship with technology has come to define our generation. We are said to have an obsession with social media and amount of attention we get on it. Our relationship with technology has not been all negative though, even though the negative aspects are the part most talked about. Growing up in the age of technology has given us the ability to improve it and be damaged by it. 

            I would like to first address the positives that social media has provided people because they are talked about less than the negative. Older generations are the ones who know it all because ‘back in the old days’ they did it all. However, sometimes it feels good to be able to teach them something they don’t know. Adam Earnheardt said, “Teens/tweens feel self-worth by teaching new technology to those much older and wiser, while the older group feels better connected not only to their grandchildren but to people they may not have communicated with in decades” (Smart). I completely agree with this statement because there is not a lot a can teach my parents or grandparents but using technology is definitely one of them. Since technology is so big now, your social footprint can be tracked. In the workplace, employers tend to like to see what their possible employee does online. Building a “positive digital footprint using social media is a great way for students to shine online” (Smart), and it gives you the chance to show what you are interested in and your personality. The internet is essentially a digital resume. Before the world wide web, people could communicate but not as broadly as they can now. I can communicate with someone on my phone who lives on the other side of the world. Or I could follow someone on Instagram, or Facebook, etc., that lives in a different country. There are no limits to how far social media platforms can extend, and that leaves the door for communication, with people all over the world, wide open. Another good thing that social media has done for us is giving us more opportunities to have access to study groups online and to have more opportunities to learn new information. Online tutors and study groups can be very helpful, especially in a time like this. The last point I want to make that is positive is how social media lets you connect with your friends. Unfortunately, people move sometimes, but that shouldn’t mean you can’t still communicate, and social media gives a perfect platform to still see what they are up to and talk to them. 

            The more commonly addressed side of social media is the negative impacts it has on people, and a big topic of that is their mental health. A big reason that social media has caused problems for people’s mental health is because of the comparisons people make. People look at what others have and “We fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to others as we scroll through our feeds and make judgements about how we measure up” (Walton). When you look at someone’s life on Instagram, they only show you the perfect parts, and the viewer starts to think that their life does not equal the other persons. This makes them feel sad and isolated, making looking at things on social media toxic for some people. “It’s no secret that the comparison factor in social media leads to jealousy” (Walton) because this is how online bullying began. People feel inferior and get jealous and this leads to mean comments being made about other people. However, they just want the other person to feel bad because they are jealous of the way they look, or how they get to live their life. A dangerous thing about social media is that it makes people lonely or feel isolated because of things they see people post. Also, people think that because someone has a lot of friends on a social media site that they have lots of friends in real life, and that is very rarely the case.  People use social media to make themselves feel better by getting likes or comments on a post, but in reality, it can make them feel worse when they compare themselves to someone else’s post. 

            In general, no one can really say if social media is a bad thing or if it is a good thing, because everyone uses it differently and views things they see differently. Do we get false information from the internet? All the time. Do people photoshop their pictures to make people think they are living a better life than they are? All the time. However, it depends on the person if they let those things get to them. I definitely believe there are times when social media has taken up too much of my life, but since I am aware of that I try to limit the amount of time I spend looking at peoples posts or worrying about what someone else is doing. Our parents definitely worry about our use of technology, but for us it is just a way of life that we have come to accept and known for a long time. Is it toxic at times? Of course, but the biggest thing is knowing that the person on the other side of that picture on Instagram is probably feeling the same way about something they saw, and the chain continues on. 

Smart Social. “10 Examples on the Positive Impact of Social Media.” Smart Social, 1 May 2019, smartsocial.com/positive-impact-of-social-media/.

Walton, Alice G. “6 Ways Social Media Affects Our Mental Health.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 3 Oct. 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/06/30/a-run-down-of-social-medias-effects-on-our-mental-health/#163b5d822e5a.

Media vs COVID

            The idea of corona, and catching it, has taken over the mindsets of people all over the world for the past month or so. It wasn’t a big deal, until all of a sudden it was. Initially people were pushing it off like “it’s just another flu,” but then when people started to take it seriously the world shut down, and social media had a part to play in that. 

            People are easily persuaded or convinced by things they read on the internet, regardless of how much fact the writer has to back up their point. Then you have the fact that different websites say different things which get the readers all confused. People are also starting to come up with their own theories without any knowledge of the real information and causing havoc. 

            However, I would be lying if I left out the good social media has done during this time of attempted isolation. I say attempted because not everyone is following the recommended guidelines. But, for those who are this time can feel very lonely. So, through social media people are able to feel connected to one another and still communicate on a daily basis. People can feel less alone because they can facetime with a group and workout or cook, or anything to make them forget they are alone. 

            As many downsides as social media has proven to have, there are sides of it that make it worth it because if people couldn’t connect right now, this would be a whole lot harder. 

https://time.com/5802802/social-media-coronavirus/

EOTO: Propoganda

           

Propaganda has been used for centuries as a way of persuasion. Propaganda is “a mode of communication used to manipulate or influence the groups to support a particular cause or belief.” Propaganda can take any form as long as it is captivating enough to encourage people to thing a certain way. There are plenty of events in history that would have not occurred if people hadn’t been manipulated into thinking it was right.

            There are good and bad sides to everything, it just depends on the person that is developing the propaganda which way they are taking it. Are they using it to convince people to think the Jewish holocaust was correct? Or are they using it with a heavy emphasis on the benefits that can be provided from believing a certain way? Usually there is at least a little lie in both sides, but one is more personal and the other is anti-someone else. 

            Most of the articles I read did not have good things to say about the motives behind propaganda. One article says that it “helps to pull people apart by forcing them into the role of combatants rather than citizens.” It is trying to make all of society see one specific way and be their only source of information. This way, they will have no reason but to believe what the propaganda has to say. However, this is not how society works in the US. So, if they began to try and implement it here it would be harder, and people would fight it more. Social media will play a big role in our government’s ability to have successful propaganda because people are so easily manipulated by what they read online.

            I think the idea of propaganda could be scary to anyone who doesn’t fit a mold, which is honestly most people nowadays. There is already a weak acceptance of gays, and mixed marriages. People also have mixed feelings about people who are homeless or people who are really old. If you are not in the prime of your life or helpful to the economy, then some people may see them as useless. That is where propaganda can step in and convince people of all sorts of horrible ideas. Humans have already proven that they can be easily manipulated to hurt other humans, so what is to stop it from happening again? 

            Propaganda could impact my friends and I because we are at the age were, we would get drafted for something, or our tolerance of other people could be affected. We have grown up in a time were tolerance has been promoted, but if for some reason that changed, we are still at an age were changing out opinions is not incredibly hard to do. It could change the whole dynamic of the society my friends and I have grown up in. 

            Propaganda is a sensitive topic because it has led to some of the worst events in history, but it is good to know about it so that you can catch the signs ahead of time and not be manipulated. Eventually, you will realize you didn’t believe what they made you think you did. 

https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-propaganda-definition-techniques-types-examples.html

https://jods.mitpress.mit.edu/pub/jyzg7j6x/release/2

Lack of privacy on and offline.

For as long as we have had social media, we have been told to be careful what we post because it “never really goes away.” After watching the ted talk about your posts being tattoos because they are permanent, I went and read an article about the same concept. 

The idea behind both is that when you post something on the internet, it is no longer private to you, there is no such thing as private when it comes to posting online. Your employers will be able to see everything when they are looking to hire you, the government can see everything you do, and people can steal your thoughts and act like you. 

People sometimes naively believe that because it is their account, it is their personal information, and that is false. The government has access to everything you do. Also, the police can track you through the posts you make or the websites you view. It is scary when you think about how little privacy we have nowadays. If you talk about something a few times, odds are you will start to see ads on your social media for that product. They are “not listening” but they are. 

https://www.inc.com/meredith-fineman/what-we-post-online-is-forever-and-we-need-a-reminder.html

My Online Footprint

          As part of the Gen Z generation, social media has been a big part of our lives. Since we got smartphones, we have had access to it. I feel that personally I have a large online footprint, while I do not have a personal website, I do have Instagram, snapchat, facebook, pinterest, tiktok and others.  On these social media platforms, I usually post pictures and videos, either of trips I have been on or events I have been too. The only link I have attached to any of my accounts is my vsco, which is another form of social media.

            From just looking at my profile online, someone would easily be able to tell a few things about me. They would be able to tell where I go to school, who my best friends are, and that I am currently on my colleges cheerleading team. They could tell these things because of my bio, my locations tagged on my photos, and the people who make up the majority of the pictures on my feeds. 

            On my personal accounts, I do not give away a lot of private information. However, to make an account for most sites, you have to provide an email or a phone number that can be used if you forget your password or someone hacks your account. I usually use an email that I only use for social media accounts that is not connected to anything else incase an account were to get hacked. 

            I think social media definitely has the ability to cause people to feel all sorts of ways based off what they see. There has been a lot of controversy about social media making people depressed because they see the way that other people look or the other way that people are living their lives and they feel inferior. It can also make people feel lonely if they see people together and they are alone, or they see their friends together and they were not invited. It is all based off the perception you have when you view it. 

            

https://www.digitalgrads.com/social-media-footprint/

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-a-steady-diet-of-social-media-unhealthy-2018122115600

Snapchat Success

            Snapchat is a form of social media that my generation has become very accustomed to. As long as we have had smart phones we have had snapchat as well. The idea behind the app is to be able to send a picture, or video, and write, or draw, something on it as well. Snapchat is a more fun way to communicate with people and is mostly used by a younger crowd. 

            Snapchat blew up in late 2011, early 2012. Timing was very important for the launch and success of this app because this was the time when teenagers were getting front facing cameras and snapchat seemed like a fun app at the time. This app was growing like wildfire all throughout high schools and colleges. The original intent for the app was college students, but it spread through high school students faster.

It was not hard for the app to take off because people talk and asking your friends to download it was the key to spreading the app. However, the app can be good because you can communicate with people all over the world easily and in a more fun and entertaining way. There are also downfalls to this app though. You can say things in private, and people can screenshot whatever you send them. Thankfully, the app  does tell you when your snap has been screenshotted, but there isn’t anything you can really do about it. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2018/02/16/how-snapchat-gained-success-by-going-viral-at-high-schools-across-los-angeles/#5bb8d2183b36

The Eight Values of Free Expression: Promoting Tolerance

Of the Eight Values of Free Expression, I would like to focus on the idea of “promoting tolerance.” I thought this one was an important value to focus on because of the lack of tolerance in our society today. It says that people have used the idea of freedom of speech to practice hate, as opposed to tolerance. This is why I think that this value is the most overlooked, and underrated. 

            I found in an article, that hate speech towards the government is punishable by law. However, the same does not apply for hate speech directed towards other people. People feel they can say whatever they want under the “first amendment,” and other people can’t attack them back for it. They can be punished as crimes in domestic law if they are extreme enough, but these circumstances are not taken seriously on most occasions. 

            Tolerance is very important because of how mixed our society is today, “people from different nations, cultures, religions, and lifestyles are working together and living in the same neighborhoods” (Waraich, 2018). He says that the world is so much smaller now that people of different ethnicities and cultures are living so closed together, the world is less divided. This also leads to more hate, and less tolerance, because different types of people have to deal with each other on a day to day basis. However, it should lead to less hate, and more tolerance because people of different races are not an unusual sight in day to day life. 

            Growing up in a society that has been racially integrated since we were born, my generation tends to look at race a little different. However, we are not the majority of people in the workplaces, in the government, and in the world. So, the generations before us are still treating people of different races differently, and it is trickling down to us. This is a problem in my eyes because if we ever want to overcome the lack of tolerance, then people have to become more accepting, rather than learn from their elders a lack of tolerance. 

            This free expression needs to be promoted and enforced by all companies, all governments, and all people worldwide if we want to make a positive change. There will always be people that look down or take advantage of their first amendment rights to cause harm to others. There are also so many things that overlap the expressions. Freedom of innovation could be a huge one, and people of all different races could contribute, but without tolerance they will never successfully work together. 

https://www.refworld.org/docid/45cb12332.html

https://www.alhakam.org/tolerance-its-importance-in-social-life/

Current Event in Tech 

       The coronavirus is having a major impact on the schools and workplace. Universities are worried that parents won’t send their kids back after the break, and the workplaces are switching to video conferences. People are trying to keep their interaction with others as minimal as possible during this time. The technology we now have is the one thing making day to day life still possible from home. You can still get your work done and talk to people without having to see them in person. “The coronavirus seems to be having an effect on all aspects of the tech industry, from social media policies around health misinformation to the way the big companies do business.” Major companies such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Microsoft have started using the mandatory video chats, keeping over 75,000 people from going to work. They are not only doing this in the US, Apple and Amazon have done this in their china businesses as well. Also, big companies have asked their employees to cancel all trips they had to China. Some companies, like uber and lyft, are benefiting from this because people don’t want to take public transportation. Also, companies like Airbnb, have given refunds for rentals that normally would not have been refunded. Although this coronavirus is new, it is just like the regular flu, but something we haven’t seen before. So, I understand peoples fear, I just believe it is slightly over the top. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/06/technology/coronavirus-tech-businesses.html

Netflix

Netflix 

        In class, we watched presentations on different evolutions of media. Netflix was one everyone was similar with and also a very interesting topic to actually learn new information about, instead of just watching it. Especially, since one of the founders speaks at High Point University often. 

        Netflix was launched in 1997, which was earlier than I realized before hearing this presentation in class. Soon after, in 1998, they released their first DVD rental. Over the years Netflix has introduced many new benefits. In 2007 they introduced streaming, in 2012 they started making their own series', in 2016 it became available in 130 countries, and on top of all that Netflix has won 5 academy awards for its original material. Although having Netflix has been a positive in general, and started a new society revolving around streaming, it has had some negative effects on society as well. 

          Movie theaters, and movie sales, have felt some backlash since the introduction of Netflix. People don't want to go to the theater, or buy the DVD for the movie, when they can just wait for it to come on the website they pay for monthly. Movie theaters are losing sales in tickets, and customers in general. A company that Netflix put out of business completely was Blockbuster. The Blockbuster was a way to rent movies for a few days, but now there is a way to watch them without having to leave your house to pick it up and return it. Netflix has also had a negative impact on family relationships. People used to spend more time with their families, but today research shows that people spend, on a daily average, about 36 minutes with their family, and about 1.5 hours watching Netflix. Being able to binge watch, encourages people to spend more time watching a show or movies. 

https://media.netflix.com/en/about-netflix

The Typewriter

The Typewriter 

The typewriter was attempted all throughout the 19^th century, but a guy named Christopher Latham Sholes was successful in 1867. He was inspired by an article he read in the Scientific American journal that talked about a similar British invention. There were others invented, by Sholes’ was the first practical one. In 1868, Sholes got a patent for his second model, and it wrote at a speed that far exceeded the speed of the first. Over time the typewriter developed even farther; in 1909 the noiseless typewriter came out, and then in 1920 the electrical typewriter came out. The electrical typewriter was said to “basically be a mechanical typewriter with the typing stroke powered by an electric-motor drive.” Even though portable typewriters came out in 1909, they weren’t common until 1950. This form was more similar to the laptops, but still less convenient. 

In general, the typewriter only has good reviews. The typewriter allowed for any document produced with it to automatically appear more presentable. The typewriter became ideal fast because no matter what type of document you were writing, it followed the same format. This made all documents appear clear and organized. Inevitably the introduction of the typewriter took the meaning of professionalism to new heights. This quick way of typing up documents meant that people and businesses had more time for other activities and work in their daily lives. One of the best effects that the typewriter had was inventing jobs for women at the time. Most companies would only hire women to do their typewriting, which created many new jobs for them. The article said that “It was from the typewriter that vital communication changes still in existence today were born.” 

Nothing bad really came from the typewriter, but some “cons” that led to new advancements were connectivity, cost, size, and noise. Connectivity is looked at a con, however when the typewriter was invented, there was no WIFI. So, it makes sense that it lacks connectivity, but it gave way for improvements to be made and progress throughout history. The cost was a concern because the paper and ink could get expensive, and there was not an “undo” button. This made mistakes expensive, and many people switched to computers as soon as they could for the reason of price. Compared to today’s laptops, typewriters were very large and not ideal to carry around. Even though they had portable versions, they do not compare to the portability of the laptops. The last complaint that was given against typewriters was the sound. Typewriters are known to be very loud and, in an office,  it could get hard to concentrate. Some people type loud on their laptops, it is quieter than typing gentle on a typewriter. None of these cons are really against the typewriter, they are more pro the new inventions that came after. Without realizing these little things, advancements never would have been made to get us where we are today. 

https://www.britannica.com/technology/typewriter

https://blogs.ubc.ca/etec540sept12/2012/10/28/the-typewriter-a-remarkable-impact-on-communication/

https://chattr.com.au/2016/11/18/pros-cons-using-typewriter/

Progressive Era

Progressive

             The Progressive Era was very eventful, and we discussed the events between 1907 and 1929. There were three timelines we looked into: US history, the 14^th amendment, and the 15^th amendment. The first amendment inspired the Patterson vs Cole case which was when the journalist sued for being thrown in jail because the first amendment didn’t reach state and local levels. The mutual film came next, this was a case that revolved around a movie that was made saying that whites were being repressed. This later led to the Speech Action Dichotomy, meaning that since speech was protected, speech and action could be protected. Therefore, meaning that the movies can say and do as they please. In 1918, the sedition act was passed, which led to much controversy. The sedition act made it a crime to criticize the government. Which is why in 1919 four guys sued saying that it violated the first amendment. The government left them in jail for it, disagreeing with their claim, because they spoke out against the government. All four of them were communists or socialists and spoke out against war. Clear and Present danger test was too broad that the government could always win, so the Abrams Holmes case gave way for future cases. Holmes’ marketplace idea was not letting the “government squish ideas, each person can decide for themselves.” Then William Taft became the most important chief justice because he changed the court ideas and passed the judiciary act, which led to Certiorian. Certiorian meant that the supreme court could choose what cases they wanted. This led to increased power and prestige for the courts.  Although there have been advances is the court systems and courts have become fairer, there are still issues. To this day, the government still uses the espionage act to throw whistle blowers in jail and threaten journalists.


Source: Notes via Professor Smith 

The U.S. vs. Google

The U.S. vs Google

        According to the article, there has been some suspicious accusations against google, which led to 48 states (including DC and Puerto Rico) launched an investigation into Google. The allegations were that google was/is violating antitrust laws. Antitrust laws are laws developed by the government to protect consumers from predatory business practices. They ensure that fair competition exists in an open-market economy. The point of this is to keep businesses from lowering the price on their products to ruin the business of competition, while saving consumers money and keeps businesses from taking away benefits. There are three anti-trust laws: The Sherman Antitrust Act, The Clayton Act, and The Federal Trade Commission Act.  The articles says that the investigation will focus on determining whether Google is overly dominant online, mostly in the advertising market and when searches are made on the internet. This is not the first time that Google has been questioned. In 2007, google was fined 1.7 billion dollars under the claim of unfairly inserted exclusivity clauses into contracts with companies that advertised through Google. This was a violation because it was a clear disadvantage for the companies that can’t afford it. The outcome that the article gives is to force Google to spin off search as a separate company. The idea is to limit their control so that they stop violating the antitrust laws. Currently Google controls 31% of global digital ad dollars, which is why they have to power to add the unfair charges. That is also why, some of the control needs to be taken away, so that it is more fair and consumers are protected. 

https://www.justice.gov/atr/antitrust-laws-and-you

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/google-antitrust-probe-48-u-s-states-launch-antitrust-investigation-of-google-dominance-in-search-ads-and-data/

The Founding Era

                        The Founding Era 
       In class, we talked about the Founding Era that ranged from 1619 to 1808. In 1619 there were two important things to know about; Jamestown and slave trade. The pilgrims arrived in 1920, and soon after treaties and documents would begin to pile up. In 1776, the Declaration of Independence was introduced, proceeding the revolutionary war and including state constitutions. The Declaration of Independence was important because it gave us our freedom, but also included the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights include the things we believe we deserve as citizen, and gives answers to the complaints, but are relatively broad statements. The Constitution is similar to the bill of rights, it just contains the "nuts and bolts."  The separation of power was important to keeping American Democracy in check, that way no one branch got too much power. Federal government, State government, and individuals all have vertical checks and balances, but the federal and state governments also have federalism. However, any power that doesn’t go to the government, automatically goes to the individual. The first amendment was important to give the right and obligation to criticize the government. In 1787, 3 comprises were introduces: 3/5 compromise, 20-year rule, and the fugitive slave clause. In the following years, there were court cases that led to new laws. An important case was Marbury vs. Madison which led to Judicial Review: which is the power of the court to review actions of all departments and deem them constitutional or unconstitutional. This was in the interest of the citizens, because if the ruling seemed unfair, it could be challenged. Many things happened in the Founding Era, but at the end something very important happened. In 1808, the slave trade ended. This gave way for the civil war era to begin. 

Sources: Class Notes via Professor Smith 

Social Media vs The First Amendment

Social media is rising in its reach of communicating with people all over the world. On private social media the owners have more control over what people can post because the first amendment is not as present. When the company is owned privately, they have the right to censor things they want on their website. In this article, they believe that the first amendment should be stretch over those private companies, meaning that people should be able to post whatever they want, without the company being able to remove it. I personally disagree with this. When you sign onto a private social media platform, the rules are stated clearly at the beginning. If you agree to those terms, you should not be surprised if your post gets taken down for breaking the terms and agreements. 

However, I understand why people want the first amendment to cover privately owned companies such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (etc.). They want this because they are used to being able to speak their minds, regardless of the impact it has on others. Since the first amendment applies to government, on public sights, people can say whatever they want. However, people think that agreeing to the terms, does not apply to them. They think that since it is their account, they should be free to speak as they please. 

This is where I disagree, since people say hurtful and untrue things on the internet on a regular basis. The terms are what keep people from going too far, and I disagree with the article. The terms and agreements are there for a reason, and therefore the first amendment should not stretch over privately-owned companies on the internet. They should have the right to censor as they please. 

https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/the-ongoing-challenge-to-define-free-speech/in-the-age-of-socia-media-first-amendment/