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