Final Blog Post: Relationship With Technology

Can you live without the internet?

There is no simple answer as to whether or not the internet is good or bad, or whether someone has a

healthy or unhealthy relationship with it. There are good parts about the internet and there are bad parts about it. Sometimes, a person will have a healthy relationship with it, and sometimes they will have an unhealthy relationship with it.

Is your relationship with technology
unhealthy?

I would describe an unhealthy relationship with technology/the internet as something similar to what we saw in the song remix video: being solely dependent on your phone/the internet/technology. This would look like a person who cannot function without these. Someone who needs constant validation from others/the internet, someone who feels the only way they can express themself is through the internet, and someone who gets their ideas about life, school, etc. from the internet/someone who can't create their own ideas.

Is your relationship with technology healthy?

I would describe a healthy relationship with technology/the internet as being able to continue life without having a meltdown or being confused as to how to continue if the internet vanished today. To me, this looks like, using your phone to search the internet when you're stuck, potentially having social media accounts, but not being dependent on them, and doing activities/having hobbies that don't rely on technology.

For me, and I would assume for most people, my relationship with technology/the internet is neither healthy nor unhealthy. During a typical day, I rely on my phone, my laptop, and many other technologies in order to live. My phone tells me when to take my medicines, my laptop has all my class notes on it, my car has a GPS. Without these things, I honestly don't think I'd be able to live.

However, I am not solely dependent on them. I have social media accounts; however, I rarely use them. Recently, my Instagram account got hacked. For a lot of people, this would be the end of the world, but because I don't use Instagram often, not having my account has not affected my life at all. 

When I'm bored, I tend to scroll through TikTok or watch a show on a streaming service. However, I don't need these things. Yes, I would like to have them, but they're not necessary. I enjoy reading, writing, and coloring, all of which can be done without the use of technology, so I would be ok.

Is technology good or bad?

The good/bad technology debate is something that has been going on since newer technologies have
been created, and I imagine it will continue well after we're gone. As stated in the Final Blog Post Prompt, there are unintended consequences to everything. No one created social media intending to also create cyberbullying. No one intended for youth suicide rates to skyrocket, but these are all things that

What will happen?

happened. There are plenty of inventions that were created by accident (Penicillin, the microwave, etc.), just as there are plenty of things that new technologies have created.

The list of unintended consequences can go on and on and on. Plenty of people have dedicated their lives to finding solutions to these issues. But the internet isn't all bad. Like I said before, I rely on my GPS to get me from place to place. Before GPS, people had to look at maps to find out where they were going and memorize or print out the steps to get there.

How is technology useful?

Professor Smith told us about when his car broke down and he didn't have a phone. He had to walk pretty far to find someone with a phone and call for help. Cell phones now allow people to call 911 at the click of a button. For iPhones, you simply click your power button five times, and emergency services are called.

What is your relationship with technology?

Similar to the unintended consequences, the list of positive effects of technologies can go on and on. Just like nearly everything else on this planet, technology and the internet have infinite positive and negative effects. So, as I stated before, there is no simple answer as to whether or not the internet is bad or good, or whether or not you have a healthy or unhealthy relationship with it. Like most things, it lands in the middle.

The Age of AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a technology that has only grown since it came out. It is hard for people to not use AI because it is almost everywhere now. When you search something into google, the first thing that pops up is what AI found based on your search. Plenty of students and teachers use AI to make their lives easier.

There are both positives and negatives to AI. One example the video gave was with the game Go. Before AI, people struggled trying to figure out what their next move should be once they got to a certain point in the game. Now, AI can tell you what your next move should be, which shocked people.

Though there are positives to AI, there are also some negative aspects to it. For one, AI takes a lot of jobs. We have known for many many years that with the growth of technology comes the loss of jobs. For example, the industrial revolution got rid of a lot of jobs. AI has done something similar simply because it is faster and more convenient for a computer to do the job.

According to the video we watched in class, AI also tries to figure out exactly who you are and understand you. This is both a negative and positive effect. Because AI does this, it is able to target certain ads and give you the best experience. On the other hand, AI knows a lot of information about you. If you say something to your Alexa, who else is listening in?

AI, however, can threaten national security. This is because privacy is very important to the American people. It is stated in the Constitution that Americans have a right to privacy. AI doesn't ask for permission to do this though. People should know what AI will do, but they're not expected to, and therefore, this violates our right to privacy. Thankfully, because of our judicial system, we are able to (and have) passed laws that protect our right to privacy.

Diffusion of Innovators

One of the technologies I learned about through our Each One Teach One presentations was streaming services. Before streaming services, everyone watched cable TV: DIRECTV, Comcast/Xfinity, Spectrum, etc. 

After learning about streaming services, I was taught was Netflix was created. It was created because Reed Hastings returned a movie late and had to pay late fees. He created Netflix so other people wouldn't have to pay late fees. He was a pioneer.

Other pioneers created streaming services for different reasons. When watching cable TV, if you miss a show or movie and forget to record it, you have to wait until it comes on again. With streaming services however, you can just log into your account and click on the movie or TV show you want to watch. 

Why doesn't everyone use streaming services (late adopters or laggards)? Well, there are a multitude of reasons for that. For one, price. Netflix only has certain movies and TV shows, and you can't watch live TV on there? How would you watch sports? This is why a lot of people own multiple streaming services. Unfortunately, this racks up a bill. Second, cable TV is easier to manage for some people. You don't see a lot of older people with

cell phones and laptops and things like that. That is simply because they didn't grow up with them. It's easier for them to stick with what they know. This is the same for cable TV and streaming services. They would have to learn how to use a completely different service, which can be difficult. Third, a lot of people don't want to get addicted. Plenty of people download TikTok or Hulu, then delete or cancel their subscription because they noticed they've been on it for too long.

Now, there are some unintended consequences of streaming services. One, a lot of people are paying for a bunch of streaming

services that they don't even use. They sign up for something because they wanted to watch a show and forget to cancel their subscription. This happens all the time. Another unintended consequence, which I mentioned earlier, is addiction. A lot of people start watching streaming services and the next thing they know they need it while eating, taking a shower, or to do work.

EOTO: Mainstream Media

What is Mainstream Media

You might hear mainstream media referred to as corporate media, legacy media, or establishment press. Mainstream media refers to mass modes of communication where information, opinion, advocacy, propaganda, artwork, and other forms of expression are conveyed to a large audience.

What Americans think 
mainstream media
includes.

According to Pew Research Center, most of Americans consider seven news networks a part of mainstream media. These include ABC, CNN, New York Times, MSNBC, Fox, Wall Street Journal, and New York Post. 

ABC: ABC stands for American Broadcasting Company. They are a broadcasting network based out of New York City. It was created in 1926 when the Radio Corporation of America (RCA Corporation) founded the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). 

CNN: CNN (Cable News Network) is a broadcasting network based out of Atlanta. It was created by Ted Turner, a maverick broadcasting executive. They first went on air on June 1st, 1980. CNN became well respected after their on-site coverage of the Challenger disaster.

*Fun fact: CNN was often referred to as "The Chicken Noodle Network" by its competitors.

New York Times: The New York Times is a daily morning newspaper published in New York City. It was created in 1851 as a penny paper. Adolph Simon Ochs bought the paper in 1896 and transformed it into an internationally respected daily. It gained more popularity after its coverage of the Titanic.

MSNBC: MSNBC is a liberal news network owned by the NBCUniversal. It was created in 1996 by Microsoft and NBC. It was no until Microsoft left in 2005 that MSNBC began to take a more left-leaning stance. They originally focused on liberal and conservative issues. 

Fox News: Fox news is a cable television and political commentary network. It was founded in 1996 by Rupert Murdoch. He attempted to purchase CNN, when that failed, he decided to create his own news channel. 

Wall Street Journal: The Wall Street Journal is a daily business and financial newspaper based out of New York City that is sold throughout the United States. It was founded by Charles H. Dow to cover business and financial news in 1889. As of 2024, it had 3.5 million digital subscribers.

New York Post: The New York Post is a conservative newspaper based in New York City that was founded in 1801 by Alexander Hamilton. It is the oldest news source, and it uses print, digital, video, social, audio, app, television, and commerce to get information to reach its audience.

Pros and Cons

Just like most other things in the world, there are both positive and negative effects of mainstream media.

Pros:

• Keeps people connected. Because of mainstream media, everyone is able to know what is going on in the world. This, however, can also be negative because there are certain things mainstream media can take way out of proportion.

• 
  Give voice to people. If you're not rich or "important" in this world, it is unlikely people will care about what you have to say. However, with mainstream media, if you have a problem, you want the world to hear, you can simply reach out to a news network and your story will be heard.

Cons:

• Can be used for disinformation. "Fake news" is a very common saying nowadays. This saying is not inaccurate. Many mainstream medias like to twist the truth to reach their target audience, but it's not necessarily true.

• 
  Take over personal connections. Because social media and technology are so big now, people are always on their phones. This takes away from face-to-face conversations as everyone now chooses to be on their phones rather than connecting with other people.

Effect on Me, My Family, Friends, and Generation

Personally, I grew up watching the news. Our daily routine was to wake up around 6 in the morning and do our chores while the news was on. We weren't allowed to watch anything else because my parents wanted us to know about what was going on the world.

Though watching the news is how I grew up, I rarely ever watch the news on TV anymore, which I believe is due to the increase in social media platforms and streaming services. Now, I tend to watch Netflix while doing my chores and getting ready in the morning. When I have downtime, I choose to watch TikTok rather than turn my TV on and watch the news. I believe this is very similar for other kids in my generation. A lot of us choose to watch Netflix, Hulu, Instagram reels, or TikToks rather than turn on the news, especially because we can get very similar information from there.

The Progressive Era

From the videos we just watched, it is clear that the government does not like to be criticized. I believe that this is the reason why we don't see these types of obscure websites. 

According to this video, in 1918, the Sedition Act made it illegal for anyone to speak badly about or

criticize the government. However, soon after, the government got rid of the sedition act. They did this because according to the first amendment, United States citizens have the right to freedom of speech and this act got rid of that.

Though technically it is no longer illegal to criticize the government, the government still doesn't like it. We talked about many examples of this in class. One being how the Biden administration censored a scientist for talking about scientific facts when it came to Covid. Another example is when we were discussing a man who was making memes of Hilary Clinton. A final example was from this video, and it talked about a person who made a book about President Trump that criticized him. 

Now, why don't we ever see any of the websites I mentioned early in the news, social media, or online? I believe that in addition to the government not wanting to be criticized, this has something to do with our social world. For most wars that the United States fights, its citizens agree. But what about the minority? Shouldn't their voices be heard too? The answer is yes, however, that's not how our social world works. Because the majority agrees, the minority will be ridiculed if they speak up. 

As I mentioned, the majority of United States citizens agrees with most wars the US fights, but not all. We should get to speak up about that as well, but as I said, the government doesn't like to be ridiculed.

Finally, I would like to mention that the only way for the government to meet the needs of the people is to be criticized. Back in high school, we all had to write papers. Our teachers would give us feedback, we'd rewrite the paper, and then get a great grade. This should be no different for our government. In order for the government to be successful, it needs input from the people it serves.

Technology Presentations

During class today, we had our EOTO presentations. I learned about the history of a multitude of different technologies including the pencil, the printing press, the carrier pigeon, and many more interesting technologies. The technology I will be discussing in this blog post will be streaming services.

Background

This is the photo that showed
up when I searched
"Blockbuster."

Where exactly did people go before streaming services were invented? Well, if you wanted to rent a video, movie, CD, etc., you would either need to go to stores like Blockbuster and Family Video, go to the library, a Redbox machine, or simply wait for the movie to come out on television. 

The first ever place you could rent a movie was Video Station. It was created in Los Angeles in 1977. Blockbuster was the largest rental store created in 1988 by David Cook. Unfortunately, Blockbuster went out of business in 2014.

What are Streaming Services

Nowadays, streaming services are used constantly. Whether you're binging a show on Netflix, watching a movie that recently came out, or watching live TV through a streaming service, nearly everyone uses streaming services.

Timeline

1997: Netflix DVD rental service

2005: YouTube

2007: Netflix moved online

2010: Hulu

2015: Amazon Video

2019: Disney +

2020: HBO Max

Creation of Netflix

In 1997, Reed Hastings rented a movie and returned it late. He was then forced to pay a lot of money in late fees. Because of this unfortunate event, Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph decided to create a company where you could rent DVDs online without late fees. This concept is what created Netflix. As stated in the timeline above, Netflix became an exclusive online company a few years later in 2007.

Impact of Streaming Services

In 2013 and 2015, Stanford conducted an experiment whose results concluded that streaming services

can cause health problems. Other studies have concluded that the use of streaming services can lead to a decreased ability to form relationships.

Further research has shown that 99% of homes own streaming services, while only 10% of users have reported that they cause health issues.