Final Post - Disruptive Technologies

    For my final blog post, I have decided to follow a topic from the second section of our prompts. I feel that I have touched on the topic of my relationship with social media time and time again throughout my education, and I would like to branch out a bit further for my final post. I have decided to answer the question, “In what ways did blogging and social media platforms act as so-called “disruptive technologies?” I had never heard the term “disruptive technology” prior to today, but in brainstorming more about the topic, I realize that almost every piece of technology I use is disruptive to the kind of tech that older generations, like my parents, would have had access to. 

    Disruptive technology challenges the traditional platforms that used to be responsible for creating media and distributing it to viewers. Social media and blogging have been a top disruptive technology because they have decentralized the space that was once reserved for news sharing. The industry is no longer monopolized by mainstream news – it has been disrupted. 

    Technology is a medium for the spreading of information, but at the end of the day, humans are the ones narrating the happenings of the world. Once upon a time, one had to be a glammed out, suited-up anchor to give news to the public; however, today, any random person in their mom’s basement can hop online and talk to literally anyone across the world who is willing to listen. This truly disrupts the once centralized field of news, and it explains why blogging and engaging in social media news updates is ruining traditional media. Like never before, people feel empowered to spread their information, whether it be fact or fiction. We all have access to the medium that allows us to share our thoughts from our fingertips, and that is why social media has been dubbed “destructive technology.” 

    These new technologies that some call destructive do have huge positive factors though. One being speed and efficiency. People used to have to wait every morning for their once-daily fix of hot-off-the-press news. Or they had to wait all day until the nighttime news turned on. This could not be further from the truth of today. Nowadays, with every refresh of one’s news app, Instagram feed, or Facebook page, they will be met with another attention-catching story. Quick, efficient, and easy to navigate, social media has made finding news so much easier than it used to be. 

    Naturally, there are negatives attached to this quick-hitting loop of excitement. The constant bombardment of information has taken over people’s lives. People used to patiently go about their day and then be satisfied with their single daily fixing of current events, but now society is addicted to the rush. Disruptive technology is no longer just affecting news platforms; they’re now disrupting our lives, as many of us cannot go an hour without refreshing our content and engaging in absolutely anything put in front of us.  

    Sadly, this has led to humans becoming numb to the harsh realities of our world. When people are so bombarded with “breaking news,” they no longer take the time to appreciate the depths of the story they are viewing. In the blink of an eye, a social media user can scroll from a devastating school shooting to a surprising Grammy winner, to a terrorist attack, and then to a cute cat video. Which explains why society is so blind to the feelings of others – we simply don’t get the time to recognize the worth of a story. 

    Ultimately, destructive technology, especially surrounding social media, has completely overtaken the world we used to know. This tech has produced positives and negatives, but no matter if you enjoy the new way of engaging in the news, or the old traditional way, one must admit that there is no going back. 

Anti-War

    Prior to this assignment, I had never heard of AntiWar.com, or quite frankly, much of anything about the anti-war movement in general. I have grown up surrounded by mainstream media, and those voices were simply not part of the conversation. I can now see why, as the media we’re force-fed is filtered through politics and power. War, despite how horrific it is, brings countries leverage economically and politically. It’s wrapped up in this idea of patriotism, and that going to war is brave and honorable. It’s so deeply engrained, that completely avoiding conflict seems cowardly and uncharacteristic. Those who beg for no war are even seem as the radicals in this day and age.

    Reading through AntiWar.com has totally shifted my perspective. What stood out to me most was "the war at home” articles. This long list of articles highlighted the variety of horrors taking place here day to day. What’s refreshing and different about this site is that it’s not taking shots at other parties like most political discussion today. They’re calling out the flawed system as a whole. Which seems very honorable to me. I am not a citizen of this country, but I believe it’s that kind of critique that makes one a good citizen. Holding power accountable, no matter who’s in charge. 

    What also impressed me was the range of writers and how intriguingly chaotic the site is. New posts, blogs, and articles go up every day, showing how alive and relevant this movement is. It’s actually not a fringe idea; it’s a growing community.     The main issue is that voices like these are hard to find. They do exist, but popular platforms like Google, whether because of pressure or money, prioritize the voices that align with government agendas. Anti-war content isn’t all that good for business, so it gets filtered out. All in all, I've realized we can be leaders of change, but are handicapped by modern profiteers who must keep society silent.

 The Age of AI

We are living in an age of AI, and there is no turning back. People have a variety of opinions on it, with some finding it intimidating, and others being enthused by the big technological step. So, it is no secret that AI is quickly advancing industries by making work more automated and efficent. Apart from physical labor, AI is also benefitting company profits by supplying them with personal data on customers. By tracking consumer habits, websites can create individual user experiences to correspond with interests of buyers. There is no better example of this than when an ad pops up about something the day after you’ve been google searching about it. In general, when used responsibly, there are many pros attached to AI advancement.  

We often hear people talk about how AI robots are taking human jobs away, which I personally would agree with; yet, robotics companies claim that the jobs which are being taken by the robot, are actually being regurgitated in other areas. “There now might be the need for two more fork-truck drivers, or two more quality-inspection personnel” says a spokesperson for Fanuc Robotics. Americans like to use “offshoring” as a way to blame countries like China and Japan for our job loss, but it is proven that the increase of AI usage is more to blame for the decrease in jobs and worsening of communities. This trend is not just negative for economies but also for mental health and wellbeing of families; we learn in the video how those who lose their jobs are a lot more susceptible to depression and suicide. Undoubtedly, AI is dehumanizing the workforce and the country as a whole. 

AI use raises clear ethical concerns, especially surrounding national security and surveillance. First, because AI devices like the google home, can listen to anyone, turning one’s private conversations into a catch for those looking to take vulnerable information. The surveillance aspect is frighening, too. In Chinese KFC resturaunts, one can pay for their meal just by showing their face. This seems fun and harmless when buying chicken wings, but realizing how intense this technology has gotten, we see how invasive it can become. Like how the tech can find someone’s exact age, and even be used to publically shame and fine jaywalkers. There seems to be no end to the extent of artificial intelligence at home and abroad.  

 EOTO 2 Analysis - Propaganda

I thoroughly enjoyed the second batch of EOTO presentations. The topic and presentation I was most fascinated by was the one on Propaganda. The talk opened my eyes to how important it was in history and wartimes; yet, how prevalent propaganda still is today.   

Propaganda was important throughout history. Commonly, it could be found in the form of posters or speeches. In a world without smartphones, what one saw on the walls or heard on the radio could influence them in day-to-day life. This propaganda wasn’t always positive, but it was usually effective in creating narratives and expectations in society.  

Nowadays, propaganda is not as obvious and straight forward as a blaring “I WANT YOU FOR U.S. ARMY” poster. It is more often spread inadvertently through social media, peer pressure, news outlets, and so on. Even the advertisements we see pop up on our devices can be propaganda used to manipulate consumers and their choices. 

In history, propaganda was used profusely in political movements and wartime efforts. Through the vessel of art and creativity, governments demonized their opposers in order to rally their people against the common cause. Hitler, for example, used propaganda posters to display superiority of his people, while degrading looks and actions of his enemy. He was successful with this effort, as he influenced his people to despise those who didn’t fit the Aryan pinnacle of the human race. I believe this truly proves how effective propaganda was when displayed for unification purposes – but even more so for division purposes. 

We are all influenced by propaganda whether we like to admit it or not. Just on the morning walk to class at HPU, one will be exposed to the “God, Family, Country” tagline more than once. But it works! When asked what High Point University is based on, I recite that line without a second of thought. Which is all the proof I need that propaganda is alive and well in our present society. 

Generative AI - EOTO 2  

    For many, a life without AI seems impossible. These days, we need AI like we need oxygen, some brains can’t even function without it. Students are no longer able to generate ideas by themselves, and don’t know where to begin creating literature or art without AI. It is singlehandedly responsible for the dimishing originality and quality in school studies. With humans becoming more dependant on the tool, it has gained more power over society. This continual growth has put power into the hands of AI; letting it take over society and personal lives. 

    To be more concise, generative AI is the dilemma that is stripping students of their creativity and intellect. It’s a serious problem, especially in adacemics. So what is it? Generative AI is a technology that produces text, images, music and videos in a mass and efficent format. Generative AI follows fixed rules and patters to create a product that seems human. This is obviously impressive technology, but comes with glaring challenges at the same time.  

    Generative AI is a complex issue as it has substancial positives and negatives. On one side, we know that generative AI can be instructed to make deepfakes and spread misinformation, it is taking jobs from hardworking employees, it promotes quantity over quality, and instills lazy habits in users. Yet, in contrast, it boosts workflow and productivity by making quick work of daunting tasks, it is cheap for users as there are a variety of free AI sites that produce valid work, and it can even be personalized to perform exactly to one’s needs and prefrences in content. With this being said, it becomes clear that AI is more helpful to some than others. 

    When thinking of who benefits and who suffers from generative AI, my mind quickly goes to the less fortunate who are losing their jobs and wellbeings to AI machines. People who depend heavily on their employement are being traded for faceless robots. What’s even worse, is that AI is being used to diagnose diseases, decipher medical records, analyze and hire candidates, choose who is eligible for compensation and loans, etc. This may seem efficient, but robots being put in charge of life altering decisions is always a recipe for disaster.  

    Generative AI can make anyone vulnerable to ridcule with a few simple clicks. With the skill and realness of it’s creations, people can be put in terrible positions by absolutely anyone due to deepfakes. Celebrities are especially being targeted. Internet trolls can create images of well-known people engaging in criminal or innapropriate activity meant to tarnish their reputation. Due to how precise this technology can be, these fake images are sadly often believed by the public. Making them successful in demeaning and ruining careers of victims. 

    For my generation, specifically, AI is producing interesting opportunities for a more efficient future, but the negative implications of it make the invention a double-edged sword. No matter the negatives, though, AI is a snowball that keeps growing larger, with absolutely no end in sight. We must learn to grow, adapt, and take advantage of it, before it takes advantage of us.