Final Post

 

    Realistically, I have a large online footprint through numerous social media sites I have been using for around 8-10 years. The first social media I used was Facebook, as I was in middle school and would post pictures and videos of funny nonsense. Since I was young, I had no thoughts of personal identity privacy, as it was just a fun site I could use to talk to friends. Currently, I am a user of Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and Facebook. The information that these sites have on me is scary to think about, since they have access to my address, phone number, interests, and search history. Obviously, purchasing items online is another huge idea that is intimidating, since these sites appear to be trusted but have access to credit card and bank information. While discussing the topic of search history and cookies in class, I believed that this is a direct breach to my privacy. Websites are able to track what I look up in my free time and can put certain ads and links as to what interests me, which is alarming. Social Media has affected my generation in a negative way, in my opinion. We wake up every morning and the first thing our eyes lay on is the phone. When we go to sleep, we do not allow our minds rest, but stare at the screen up until the minute we actually decide to sleep. These phones and the platforms on them have turned into more of an addiction, but users are convinced it is a necessity in life, which is alarming. I’m not sure the exact science behind this, but I have a good idea that it isn’t beneficial to our brains staring at a screen for 7 hours a day, before we go to bed and right when we wake up. When developers created these sites, they wanted the user to eventually feel dependent on them, which is exactly what happened. People receive dopamine in their brain every time the ding noise goes off and there is an Instagram or Twitter notification on their home screen. This course has opened my eyes on the way I look at technology, and I am appreciative for that. Professor Smith discussing the awful problems with major media outlets and platforms have shown that there is no privacy on the web. Be careful with what you post, as anyone can have access to this information for the rest of eternity. I have know began to attempt weekly cleanses from my social medias, as I will delete one of the major ones I use for one week to see how it affects me. I look forward to seeing how I can change my habits for the use of my phone. 

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/01/facebook-users-still-dont-know-how-facebook-works/580546/

Used blog prompts to spark ideas for this post! 

Privacy

This class has opened my eyes on a topic I should think more often about, which is privacy. Since I have such a large internet presence, my personal information can be easily accessed, and my privacy is no longer there. Every time I search something on Google or check my social media, the internet collects more information about myself and search tendencies. Cookies from these sites are built to track your every move, which is why people receive a targeted advertisement on their screens. 

I have become a firm believer in not posting political or social ideas on the internet, as it is not worth the consequences. Having less posts about yourself on social media sites is better, since people cannot find a tweet from 5 years ago that could offend individuals. This isn’t taught to younger people, which it should be. Everything you post is permanent and will not go away because you want it too. People that use the internet need to understand that websites track there every move and their privacy is basically nonexistent. Be careful in what you post as it can come back to affect you in the future. Make sure you understand what sites like Google and Facebook use their platforms for, which is to track your information and use the user for advertisement purposes. Stay safe on the web!

https://www.ted.com/talks/juan_enriquez_your_online_life_permanent_as_a_tattoo

Notes/discussion from lecture!

EOTO 2

 For the second technological EOTO post, I will be discussing the effects of Vertical Integration. By definition, vertical integration is when a company takes control over multiple parts of the production process involved with their service or product. The parts of the production process include the suppliers, distributors, and retailers. Simply put, it is basically the brand inside the brand of a company. Walmart has their great value products, which is their own brand the sell at their stores. They are able to distribute and produce their products at their own production plants, not having to deal with distribution problems. This business technique benefits the companies that use vertical integration by allowing them to control their own processes and lower the costs of their products. Another benefit is that there is an avoidance of supply distribution. Since a spot of the supply chain has been outsourced due to the company bringing in a part of production into their own hands, it allows the company to control the suppliers and the processes beneath it. An example of vertical integration is Netflix. Netflix was originally started as a DVD rental business. Today, this site is the most recognizable streaming service for binge worthy TV shows and movies. Netflix founders and executive soon realized that they could make their own original content, and decided to act on that. Now, Netflix has hundreds of original series and movies which means Netflix owns the rights to these and helped produce these movies. This integration allowed a surge of revenue increase and exposure for the site, which is why it is the most popular streaming service in the world. 

While presenting this in class, I discussed with the class and professor the numerous other great example of vertical integration in American businesses and technology. Netflix, Walmart, Target, and Amazon are some of the largest retailers and corporation in the world. All of these businesses have used vertical integration to get where they are now. As of recent, it was just announced that Amazon will be opening their own pharmacies and creating their own brand of medicine. This is huge news that will impact plenty of citizens and small businesses across the United States. When Amazon announces this, the local pharmacies in towns are now going to be at risk since Amazon can create an almost monopoly like business. Having their own medicine will be detrimental to smaller drug companies and pharmacies, since it is hard to compete with a corporation like Amazon. Overall, vertical integration allows companies to have more freedom in the production process and avoids supply distribution problems. 

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/v/verticalintegration.asp

https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-vertical-integration-3305807

Diffusion of Innovations

 

The diffusion theory is a very useful tool that allows users to figure out how inventions were created from a timeline viewpoint and how they became use in society. Breaking down significant key points in the process is a great way that this theory illustrates the effects of technology. This theory helps humans understand why items come into norm and are used daily by people, and if they are for real or not. 

My technology is the long distance calling, which is what I chose for my first EOTO. The first long distance wired phone call occurred in February of 1877. Alexander Graham Bell, a famous inventor and scientist, was the first person to complete a call from outside a defined area, as Bell broke boundaries that were unimaginable. Bell completed this call from Salem, MA to Boston, MA, where his sidekick Thomas Watson was receiving the words of Bell on the other side. The tools they invented are described as a ten by eight inch wooden box with hole on the side. The caller would have to listen and speak from the same hole on the front of the box. Thomas Watson played a huge role in discovering this new technology, as he created a thumper mechanic to allow the receiver that a call was coming through. The two would exchange simple greetings to one another and were impressed their technology worked so well. 

The phone became an instant hit and proved to stay in society. Nowadays, everyone uses a cell phone to communicate with people across the globe. I believe when relating to this theory means that Bell and Watson were ahead of their time with this impressive invention. They didn't realize that their invention would be as used as it is today. Everyday use, business transactions, and so many more things similar are used with the use of calling. 

Early users initially used this invention for simple discussions for family members that were on the other side of the country. Today, people use calling for the same reasons, just on a different scale. The speeds that phones process information nowadays is exponentially times faster that when the first long distance call happened in 1877. The downsides of this for late adopters (today) is the excess of use on our phones. We use phone calling so frequently it downplays the significance of each call like Watson had originally planned for. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_transcontinental_telephone_call

EOTO 1 Learned From

 

    While listening to my classmates EOTO presentation, I decided to discuss another groups information on the VCR invention. Created in 1956, Ampex created the first videotape recorder. In the location of Colorado, this invention was intended for television media outlets to record their broadcasts of audio and video, at the same time. At the time of this breakthrough, these costed around 50K which had a spinning head that captured video and audio with a tape to convert the data to the television. This was obviously a very expensive product, and had some problems to deal with. First, it was clunky and a slow process to work with. If it had malfunctions, the cost of fixing this was so much for the user. The VHS allows for a family to record any broadcast and watch it at your own leisure. Global communication was impacted since breaking news could be recorded from anywhere on the globe. TV and Media culture increases heavy due to channels with sports, entertainment, and music for the users to watch and get hooked on. However, this invention has had some negative sides including families clearly being glued to their televisions, which is less physical activity. Copyright and infringment issues occurred with users able to copy media and burn footage on their own tapes, which is illegal. Companies like Disney and Sony had plenty of copyright issues that affected their businesses. Overall, this was a great invention that allowed media outlets to record audio and video simultaneously which transitioned into families using them in their homes for personal uses with television. 

SeeThru: How The VHS Tape Transformed Society. (2019, October 21). Retrieved October 03, 2020,

https://www.seethru.co.uk/2019/10/21/how-the-vhs-tape-transformed-society/

EOTO 1

 

    For my first technology EOTO, I chose long distance calling as my technology to teach to the class. Phone calling is a very interesting technology to choose, since everyday we use our phones to interact and communicate with others regardless of their location. Long distance calling allows a call to be made to a location outside a defined local calling area. The first long distance wired phone call occurred in February of 1877. Alexander Graham Bell, a famous inventor and scientist, was the first person to complete a call from outside a defined area, as Bell broke boundaries that were unimaginable. Bell completed this call from Salem, MA to Boston, MA, where his sidekick Thomas Watson was receiving the words of Bell on the other side. The tools they invented are described as a ten by eight inch wooden box with hole on the side. The caller would have to listen and speak from the same hole on the front of the box. Thomas Watson played a huge role in discovering this new technology, as he created a thumper mechanic to allow the receiver that a call was coming through. The two would exchange simple greetings to one another and were impressed their technology worked so well. These two inventors would later create the first effective transcontential call across the United States. This is when a call in within the same country, but in a different state. Thomas Watson started this call from New York City. Alexander Bell was receiving the call on the other side of the country, in San Fransisco which means this call traveled around 3,400 miles. President Woodrow Wilson and the two mayors were also involved in the call observing this milestone in technological history. Both of these calls allowed a change in the way people communicate, since users can have conversations without being right beside someone. The phone is credited as Bell’s greatest invention, and rightfully so. 

Long distance calling is categorized into two types, national and international calling. National calls connect calls that are within the same country. International calls are farther ranged calls that connect callers between 2 different countries. Costs of these phone calls vary by country, as international calling tends to be more expensive. I have traveled out of the country before, and it has always sparked my interest why international calls are so expensive and using cell service in another country. While a call is made, gateways and ‘legs’ of the calls are charged by numerous third parties. If you have Verizon, they have to cover each of the costs and have to charge these in order to make profit on your call. Basically, these calls have to go through multiple gateways and foreign networks to be user effective. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_transcontinental_telephone_call

https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2015/today-in-media-history-in-1877-alexander-graham-bell-made-the-first-long-distance-phone-call-to-the-boston-globe/

https://guides.loc.gov/chronicling-america-telephone-invention

8 Values of Expression

                While reading and discussing the eight values of expression, one for sure stood out to me personally. The self-actualization aspect is the most significant out of the values. As we discussed in lecture, free speech allows an individual to express themselves and create their own identity. Robert Maslow, an American psychologist, created his famous Maslow Hierarchy of Needs that puts human needs on different levels in a hierarchal model. Self-actualization is the highest psychological development where an individual realizes their own self potential and talents. Maslow said that human motivation is based on people seeking fulfillment and change through personal growth. Self-actualized individuals are personally fulfilled and don’t need the approval of others to live their life. Maslow uses ‘peak experiences’ as a way to scale out self-actualization. He believes that when a person experiences the world for what it is, with feelings of joy and euphoria, is how they can realize their full potential. 

        To me, self-actualization is a very important concept since it is an acceptance of who you are. I would say I am self-actualized, since I accept myself for who I am and am comfortable in my own personality. A part of this value includes people being able to enjoy themselves for who they are and living life guilt free. Another major characteristic in self-actualization is the realistic view one takes. They use a sense of realism, which means the individual is not fearful of things unknown and view the world in a logical and rational sense without emotions getting the best of them. Individuals that have a strong sense of personal ethics will apply their problem-solving skills and always are determined to find the solution or answer to a problem. The most important concept within this value is being autonomous. Self-actualized people are autonomous, meaning they can think independently and don’t conform to other people’s ideas of contentment. I tend to think of myself as a somewhat social person and don’t mind conversation, but I enjoy spending time with myself. Spending time by yourself has a negative meaning in societal terms since people think a person who is alone is depressed, weird, or antisocial. Going to get food by yourself or study in a coffee shop by yourself is totally normal and allows people to contain their thoughts to themselves and reflect on who they are. I believe being alone is a great exercise for the human mind as you can be fully independent and figure out what you are as a person. Getting comfortable in your own skin can be difficult, but the more time you spend with yourself will lead to you figuring out more ideas about yourself as an individual.

https://www.verywellmind.com/characteristics-of-self-actualized-people-2795963

https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html#self