Blog Post #10

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Artificial intelligence is one of the current threats to society as it is a new form of technology with unimaginable power with very little oversight. Technology is a very important part of society as it makes life easier, but with artificial intelligence comes other issues that society has yet to face. 

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In class today, we watched a Frontlines documentary about AI. The documentary started by talking about the 2016 game in South Korea where the champion of the Chinese go game played Google AI. Everyone in China was watching because they thought they had it in the bag. The AI was referred to as Alpha Go and used deep learningto study the game, learn the rules, and come up with moved humans have yet to think of. In face the computer pulled a move and everyone was shocked. The computer won four games and the champion won one. This was the start of artificial intelligence vs human intelligence. 

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Artificial intelligence is also referred to as automation and it is taking people's jobs and ultimately harming society as these robots do not pay taxes and contribute to society like humans do. Over the years, productivity has been going up while pay has been going down. Unlike the common misconception, offshoring is not causing jobs to decrease, but rather automatic which is going to lead to the death of the middle class. 

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For example, Washington D.C.'s number one job is a cashier, but cashiers are being replaced by automation (self-checkout) taking jobs away from people who contribute to society. In fact, automation is disproportionally taking jobs from women. There is now a requirement for people to have new skills, but people who have already graduated college and who did not study technology while in school, do not have the financial ability to go back to school and learn these new skills that are required to oversee automation. Inequality is commonly talked about in society, but not the fact that AI is driving this inequality.

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AI is the ultimate tool for wealth accumulation. For example, Google was failing as a small company, but they realized they could track how people interact with the computer and use it to predict their actions. They kept this a secret from users until 2004 when they revealed from 2000 to 2004 they had a 3,590% increase in revenue because of this. Behavioral prediction is getting rid of uncertainty and allowing organizations such as Google and Facebook to influence real-world behavior. In the 2010 election,
Facebook influenced 3,040 people to vote and as elections have been getting closer each year, these tech companies can sway an election by encouraging people to vote and encouraging them to vote a certain way. 

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Governments are already taking advantage of AI. In China, they have cameras at every street corner where they are identifying their citizens to keep track of jaywalking, but ultimately to show that the government is always watching resembling 1984 a little too much. In one territory in China where there was an uprising years ago, they are using AI to identify people who look like terrorists and reeducate them again touching a little bit too close to Big Brother in 1984. 

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There have been some consequences for the disruption of privacy such as a privacy policy enacted in California that granted people the right to know, the right to say no, and offer a third-party opt-out to users, so not as much of their personal information is online, but this is only a bandaid on this much bigger privacy problem. Facebook has been fined billions of dollars and Mark Zuckerberg has apologized in front of Congress multiple times, yet there still has yet to be any real change. People who started these tech companies or worked at these organizations at the beginning are leaving because they are concerned about the power these companies have. Documentaries such as The Social Dilemma are bringing awareness to the privacy issues that are at stake with AI, but there is still much work to be done. 

Blog Post #9

 

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The term whistleblower, first used in the 1950s, refers to "an individual who, without authorization, reveals private or classified information about an organization, usually related to wrongdoing or misconduct."  The term represents a referee or policeman blowing a whistle to symbolize an illegal act. Whistleblowers have the public interest at heart in order to bring awareness to an issue when nothing else is being done. 

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One of the most historic whistleblowers is Daniel Ellsberg, the famous Pentagon Papers whistleblower. In 1971, Ellsberg "leaked portions of a classified 7,000-page report that detailed the history of U.S. intervention in Indochina from World War II until 1968." Ultimately, these reports were known as the Pentagon Papers. Ellsberg made copies of the reports and leaked them to the New York Times which published them revealing that the government was lying about the war's success in Vietnam. Another famous whistleblower who decided to break confidentiality for the overall interest of the public was Edward Snowden (a National Security Agency employee). In 2013, Snowden worked with The Guardian to reveal information outing the government (specifically the National Security Act) for spying on its citizens. 

 

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Whistleblowers justify whistleblowing by saying the public interest outweighs the government interest at play. In both the cases above, the public interest outweighed the government interest as the government was hiding information from the people or overstepping. In order to whistleblow one should have tried other ways to bring about change, have evidence and good reasoning, and accomplish some form of public good by whistleblowing. While it is thought to be morally obligatory to speak up when you see something wrong, "it is only in rare instances that the law required an individual to act to prevent harm."

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When someone decides to whistleblow, they have to be okay with the punishment that may follow it. There have been various whistleblower protection acts put into place (some set up such as the witness protection program), but they have proved unsuccessful. Snowden knew he was going to get in trouble and while he originally was anonymous, three days after the story was released regarding wiretapping, he came out as the whistleblower but said he did not want the story to be about him but rather the issue at hand. It is a fine line for journalists to reveal information that the public should know without affecting national security. It is important for citizens to know what is happening in a society, but knowing too much could cause fear, hence the fine line. There's a reason why the government chooses to keep some things from its citizens. 

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Overall, "the ability of a democratic citizenry to access the working of its government is equally essential
and constitutive of its functioning." If the American government was not somewhat transparent then we would not have a functioning democracy as the people are an essential part of a democracy as it is a government for the people and by the people. 

Sources:

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Pentagon Papers". Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Oct. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pentagon-Papers. Accessed 27 November 2023.

Harwood, William H. "Secrecy, transparency and government whistleblowing." Philosophy & Social Criticism 43.2 (2017): 164-186.

Kleinig, John. "whistleblower". Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Nov. 2023,               https://www.britannica.com/topic/whistleblower. Accessed 27 November 2023.

Schiemann, Robert, et al. “Wikileaks and Whistleblowing.” Wikileaks and Whistleblowing, Stanford,cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs201/projects/2010-11/WikiLeaks/index-2.html. Accessed 27 Nov. 2023.

Blog Post #7

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One new invention that has increased in popularity in my lifetime is the Apple AirPods. Innovations can be viewed through the lens of the diffusion theory which "seeks to explain how and why new ideas and practices are adopted, including why the adoption of new ideas can spread out over long periods." As shown in the image, the diffusion theory has five stages: the pioneers, the early adaptors, the early majority, the late majority, and the laggers. 

Viewing the invention of the Airpods through the lens of the Diffusion Theory: 

• The pioneer of the Airpods was the company Beats. 
  

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  Beats sold wireless earbuds and headphones starting in 2012, but not many people used them besides runners, gym goers, or anyone else the wireless earbuds and headphones would benefit, so they did not have to deal with a pesky cord. 
• In 2014, Apple bought Beats.

• The early adaptors were those who first bought the Apple Airpods when they were released in December 2016. 

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  In September 2016, Apple released the iPhone 7 without a headphone jack and to use regular wire earbuds or headphones, customers had to use an adaptor and could not charge their phone and listen to music at the same time unless they invested in a special dual adapter. 
• In December 2016, Apple released the Airpods, and those who did not want to deal with an adapter and wanted to try new technology, especially those who were technology and Apple product enthusiasts, purchased the new Apple Airpods. They were also released during Christmas time, and I specifically remember a fair amount of my peers asking for them for Christmas. 

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• The early majority began when more and more people began replacing their old iPhones and purchasing new ones that did not have the headphone jack. 
  
• As people started seeing how easy it was to use AirPods and not have to deal with a tangled cord that could easily break or get lost, more people started to purchase AirPods.

• The late majority joined following 2019.

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  In 2019, Apple released the new AirPod Pros featuring new unique features. 
  
• In 2020, Apple stopped giving away earbuds and the adaptor for the headphone jack with the purchase of an iPhone. Apple also released the Airpod Max which is a wireless headphone. 

• We are currently in the laggard stage. 

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  As the price of AirPods went down, popularity increased, dupes were released, and concerns with Bluetooth decreased, the acceptance of this new technology increased. 
  
• Some people today even make fun of those who have headphones with cords or "fake AirPods" so getting in on the trend is very important to younger generations. 

One downside when it comes to this new invention is that people are expected to have the latest form of technology, but this is not feasible for everyone. Apple makes money by slowing phones and other technology devices down after two or more years in an attempt to get people to upgrade as Apple is an organization and their goal is to make money. 

Also, many older generations are not purchasing AirPods as there is no reason for them to as they do not use technology the same way that younger generations do (to make phone calls, listen to music, utilize noise cancellation when studying, working out, etc). Older generations stick to listening to the radio or CDs rather than their phone. Finally, another concern with AirPods is the question of whether Bluetooth causes cancer or other health issues.

Overall, for younger generations (if there are no health risks) the benefits outweigh the negatives, as AirPods make our lives easier, which is ultimately the purpose behind new forms of technology. 

Blog Post #5

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It is not a surprise that America loves to be involved in other countries' drama. America is seen as a beacon of hope which can help any and all other countries, but this is not always the case. 

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Protected under the 1st Amendment, citizens can voice their opposition to war, but sometimes these voices tend to be silenced. In the past, censorship was much easier as there was no social media, images, or pictures to share what was actually happening in the world and citizens were only truly seeing the pro-war propaganda to support the United States. Then the Pentagon Paper Scandal occurred when the New York Times published leaked papers from the Pentagon regarding the Vietnam War. Those who leaked the papers believed that citizens should know what was truly happening in Vietnam and that officials were lying to citizens about it to maintain war support. 

Ever since this scandal, the trust in America's government has gone down. Another example of suppression during wartime was during the Desert Storm (in the Middle East) where news organizations were allowed to send reporters overseas. These reporters filmed what various soldiers were doing and what was happening during the Desert Storm. Since these soldiers were ultimately protecting the lives of these reporters, the reporters provided positive, pro-war content back to America because why would you speak bad about someone protecting you (don't bite the finger that feeds you). This was all a strategic move.

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Today, it is harder to censor anti-war propaganda, but I have yet to hear about anti-war.com or about the American Conservatives. I believe that mainstream media chooses to not air these strong antiwar voices because they would be targeting a specific audience and ultimately lose viewers. The mainstream media is all about viewers and money. Also, they would be deemed as extreme and most likely canceled by some government officials and citizens as government officials today try to have the media as a support dog rather than a watchdog. 

War is such a political hot-button topic and when you say you do not support a war cause then people either think you are anti-American or inhumane because you are not thinking about how we can help others. Ultimately, Americans have their own issues to worry about other than foreign affairs that we are not directly involved in and anti-war voices should not be suppressed. 

Blog Post 4

Blog Post #4: History and Impact of the Newspaper 

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The Newspaper is one of the oldest forms of printed communication which has played such a vital role in history, yet those who played a part in making the newspaper what it is today did not set out to make such an impactful form of communication. 

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In 1621, the first "form" of a newspaper was the Coranto meaning "currents of news" (Britannica). The Coranto originated in the Netherlands but then spread to London and the rest of Europe (Britannica). In the 1640s, is when this "first form of a newspaper" actually became a newspaper as the title page was dropped (Britannica). 

Similar to how the government in Europe tried to regulate religion, governments tried to censor newspapers. Some countries, such as Sweden, recognize the freedom of the press and the importance it plays in society, but this was not a right guaranteed to every citizen.   

During this period, everything political happened behind closed doors and only those in the room knew what happened and why it happened just as depicted in the musical Hamilton. Reporters, being the curious people they are, found ways to "get in the room where it happens" to get information and share it with the public (Park). Politicians realizing their process was now public, changed the way they worked placing the press as the "government watchdog" that we know the press as today (Park). As Thomas Jefferson said, "I would rather live in a country with newspapers and without a government than in a country with a government and without newspapers" (Park).

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The first paper in the United States was the Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick, which ultimately "was suppressed by the colonial governor after one issue" (Britannica). Then in 1704, the postmaster started weekly publishing the Boston Newsletter (Britannica). 

Papers in the United States were facing the same issues regarding censorship, but in 1791, the First Amendment secured freedom of the press (Britannica). Following the beginning of the 19th century, newspaper circulation increased due to "increased literacy and technological advances" (Britannica). 

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With circulation being increased, competition thrived, especially in America's capitalist system. Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, two vital men in newspaper history, changed the way people view news. Competing with each other, they created yellow journalism, which refers to "making literature out of news" (Park). Then in the 1920s and 1930s, papers added other entertaining aspects to make their paper unique and more popular such as crosswords, images, gossip columns, cartoons, etc. (Britannica). Then in the second half of the 20th century alternative press started to pick up in popularity including papers such as the Village Voice (Britannica).

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Today, paper newspapers are dying because technology has made getting news and entertainment so much easier. People do not have the attention span they once did and can barely sit through a 15-second TikTok video without skipping it. While technology has ultimately made it easier for people to get information, technology is causing other issues such as a lack of attention, lower knowledge, fake news, and addictiveness ultimately causing paper news to die in younger generations. Those who currently read the newspaper tend to be well-educated, older, well-off, citizens who participate in politics. 

Newspapers have played such a vital role in history, but the newspaper's time is coming to an end that other forms of technology, specifically social media, have taken over.

Sources

    Park, Robert E. "The natural history of the newspaper." American Journal of Sociology 29.3 (1923): 273-289. 

    Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "newspaper". Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Aug. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/newspaper. Accessed 3 November 2023.