Final Blog Post

    For someone my age, I believe I have a very healthy relationship with technology. Ever since I was young, I have been taught by my parents to view technology as a tool. That is to say, technology isn't inherently good or bad; it's what you make of it. In my opinion, I use technology for an appropriate amount of time every day. My daily average screen time on my phone is 3 hours and 50 minutes. According to the data, my technology usage is much lower than average. This article by the Santa Clara states that "college students spend a severe average of eight to ten hours per day using a smartphone or other form of technology." While 10 hours a day sounds absurd, it isn't completely unreasonable. Between using our laptops, watching TV, and scrolling on social media, we spend lots of time with technology every day. 

    The internet is an amazing tool. It is comprised of all the knowledge collected in human history. The best part: this information is accessible to anyone at the press of a few buttons. On the surface, one would think that this contribution to society would make everyone more knowledgable. It has had the opposite effect in some regards, however. Social media especially is a playground for the spread of misinformation. The way I see it though, there is one most concerning issue that my generation is currently dealing with. That issue is the widespread use of AI chatbots such as OpenAI's ChatGPT. Don't get me wrong, I am no stranger to using this website. Despite this, I can't deny that it will have an unprecedented impact on education and the future workforce. This is highly concerning when you consider the prospect of your future doctor who graduated medical school with AI's knowledge, not his own. 

    In today's increasingly technological world, one's digital footprint is one of the most important things to safeguard. A digital footprint is all of the information about you that can be found online. This includes social media posts, comments, and even personal information. That's why it's very important to never share sensitive information online and never post anything that could cause a future employer to turn you down. After going on google and trying to find as much about myself as I could, I think it's safe to say I'm in the clear. Searching my name, "Josiah Turner" yields images of a retired NBA player. The only thing I could find was by searching my instagram username which just pulled up my account. While I could improve my online presence to cater to employers, my current account simply showcases my life; nothing bad. I suppose the moral of the story is to be careful and intentional with everything you share on social media. 

Blog Post #10

     In the video "In the Age of AI," I learned about more about the modern uses of Artificial Intelligence and the potential repercussions that could have both today and in the future. When we think of AI, we might think of its everyday uses such as asking questions to ChatGPT or asking Siri what the weather is like that day. In the background however, our government is involved in a technological arms race. 

    Due to increased tensions between the US and China, these technological advancements are being treated as national security assets instead of something to collaborate on. This is in light of ongoing trade wars between the two nations. This has led to mistrust and thus, both sides want to remain self-reliant instead of building on the advancements of foreign nations. This is a frightening prospect for the future of the globe. Increased animosity and decreased cooperation could lead to be the kindlings in a flame of war. 

    The progression of AI isn't all bad though. Softwares like facial recognition may prove useful in combating crime. It is essential that this is done with an air of extreme caution, however. One main concern raised in the documentary was the misuse of AI for control by governments; particularly China. The Chinese government uses things like facial recognition and surveillance software to suppress dissent its people. 

    As far as privacy goes, I can really only thing of negatives when we look at the advancement of AI. We must place restrictions on the data that AI can access or risk true privacy vanishing forever. While national security remains a top priority for all nations, I believe that increased collaboration would be a net positive for all nations involved. Online privacy must be also treated with the utmost care in the modern day. Sharing your personal information online or to non-trusted AI engines may lead to some unfortunate consequences. 

    All things considered, the Chinese government's use of Ai sets a dangerous precedent for the world. If this technology can be used in one country, it can make its way to another. AI must be handled with care or else it may lead to spread misinformation and cause harm to democracy. Like all things however, AI is tool. Whether its effects are good or bad is up to us.

    

Blog Post #7

After listening to the history recitation and exploring both antiwar.com and the American conservative, I have a few thoughts as to why anti-war voices are silenced in the mainstream media. The biggest reason is the fact that the government earns billions of dollars a year with the military-industrial complex. Therefore, it is in the government's best interest to silence any individuals that pose a threat to the system they hold so dear. 

What is the military-industrial complex? Britannica defines it as a "network of individuals and institutions involved in the production of weapons and military technologies." These individuals and institutions include the military, private defense contractors, and the government. Because the continue mass-manufacturing of weapons is in these people's best interests, they are more likely to be in favor of war. Due to their massive power and influence, they not only discourage anti-war sentiment but they also go as far as to censor it. Mainstream media never truly takes a critical stance of the government. Lockheed Martin, the biggest defense contractor in the United States is owned by Blackrock. Blackrock also owns many of the mainstream media sources such as CNN, Fox, and CBS. Now it all makes sense.

In conclusion, there are very wealthy conglomerates who have it in their best interest to send the US to war. This is at the detriment of the American people. Billions of dollars a year circulate through the defense industry that they line their pockets with. To make sure this never ends, they do everything in their power to keep your attention elsewhere. This is why you will never see this topic discussed on the mainstream media. They wouldn't broadcast this information themselves. 

Blog Post #8

 The technology that I want to highlight today is the iPhone and the innovations that have stemmed from its creation. The most impactful of those being, in my opinion, social media; specifically TikTok. Let's start at the beginning though. The iPhone gained its popularity due to its design being unlike any other smartphone in the world at the time. Not everyone was an early adopter though. Some people wanted to stick to features they were used to such as physical keyboards while others embraced the new changes. Nowadays, some people prefer phones from other brands such as Samsung for its user customization. 

Diffusion, as described in its Wikipedia page, is "a theory that seeks to explain how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread." This idea can certainly be attributed to the rapid spread of TikTok. I witnessed this first hand. Being part of a younger generation, I heard about this platform in elementary school under the name "musically." Years later the app was rebranded and gained much more popularity. While the news began to cover it and adults started downloading, my peers and I had been in the know for quite some time. 

As I mentioned earlier, TikTok is the one social media with the most notoriety in the modern day. Despite that, I personally do not use it. I never used this app because I already spend enough time on my phone as it is. Adding another social media app that takes up my time and attention would not benefit me in any way. I realize that I would receive some benefits had I chose to use this app. The main one is that I would be up to date with recent trends that my peers are all aware of. Instead, I find myself unable to understand references they make in day to day conversation. All in all though, I don't believe that the positives outweigh the negatives. As I mentioned before, spending hours a day scrolling would be an overall detriment to my life. I believe that the cost-benefit analysis can only be done personally. Each individual decides what they spend their time doing. 

Blog Post #9

     Propaganda. When we think of this word we may think about the regime of Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany. This, however, is far from the entire picture. Propaganda is everywhere. It's on the TV you watch, it's in the books you read, and worst of all: you walk around with it in your pocket 24/7. So what is this mysterious term? How does effect us in our everyday lives? According to the Oxford dictionary, propaganda is "information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view." Despite its connotation, propaganda isn't inherently political by definition. Let's look at one example where it wasn't. 

    It was the turn of the 20th century. A young Edward Bernays and his family moved to be closer to Edward's uncle, Sigmund Freud and capitalize on new opportunities. Bernays was a visionary of sorts. According to Britannica, he was the "first to develop the idea of the professional public relations counselor—i.e., one who draws on the social sciences in order to motivate and shape the response of a general or particular audience." This was big deal, and he certainly didn't let his chance go to waste. Shortly after the first world war, Bernays and his wife opened their own Public Relations office. Some of their clients included the US War Dept. and the Lithuanian government. Among other things, Bernays is also known for his promotion of the electric industry, Ivory Soap, and Big Tobacco. Out of all of his campaigns however, I believe the most impactful was his creation of the modern American breakfast. Yes, that's right! You've been told your entire life that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. What if I told you that wasn't the entire truth? This was a marketing scheme devised by Bernays and John Harvey Kellog to sell more breakfast foods. Think about that next time you have eggs, bacon, or cereal.

    Let's pivot and examine propaganda in the more traditional sense. As I mentioned before, propaganda isn't only found in totalitarian regimes. It can also be seen in democracies... even the one that we live in today. One glaring example of this happening in the USA is our invasion of Iraq. In the early 1990's, President George H.W. Bush conducted a military invasion of Iraq. He claimed that the reason for this action was that Iraq was in possession of weapons of mass destruction. After the conflict had fully ended over a decade later, these weapons were never found.

    Another striking example of propaganda in our nation is that of the Gulf of Tonkin. The US Naval Institute states "On 2 August 1964, North Vietnamese patrol torpedo boats attacked the USS Maddox while the destroyer was in international waters in the Gulf of Tonkin." Later on, "The United States government falsely claimed that a second incident occurred on 4 August, between North Vietnamese and United States ships in the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin." The first incident was the response of the Vietnamese to US covert operations in the area. The second however, was falsified and a large reason why the US got involved in the vietnam war. 

If there's one thing you should take away from this is that propaganda is everywhere, even the places you don't expect. It's in the food we eat, the things we watch, and the people who lead us. Is that such a bad thing though? Some forms of propaganda are certainly harmful such as warmongering. Other's though, may not be such an issue. Modern day public relations and advertising are forms of propaganda and they benefit society. In the end, as long as you're doing it in an honest way and without harmful intentions, propaganda isn't all bad.

Blog Post #6

 The wired telegraph is among one of the most import inventions in the history of human communication. The reason it was so revolutionary was because this was the first technology that allowed humans to send messages over a long distance. It transformed communication in a profound way. This device was perfected and popularized by Samuel Morse in 1832. The first message sent using the telegraph was "What hath God wrought." 

    Shortly after it was revealed to the public, work began on this technology's infrastructure. In 1843, Samuel Morse build a telegraph wire from Washington D.C. to Baltimore. It was later extended to New York. By 1864, there were over 44k miles of wires. By 1866, there were 100k+. This building laid the groundwork for the brand new technology that would soon sweep the nation. 

For the first stretch of its existence, the use of the wired telegraph was very limited. This would change many years after its invention. The Communications Act of 1934 established the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and consolidated federal regulation of radio, telegraph, and telephone. The act's goals included making communication services available to all Americans at reasonable rates. This meant that the use of the telegraphy became much more readily accessible to the general public. Starting in 1934, the use of the telegraph saw unprecedented rate.

The telegraph had many consequences that were unpredictable, some positive and some negative. Some major impacts of the telegraph included: faster messaging, improved news, contributed to world peace, made news papers obsolete, and helped encourage the idea of instant messaging. This was a stark contrast to the previous world of sending letters that could take weeks, if not months, to be delivered to their intended recipients. We can't forget about the negative impacts of the telegraph though, some of these included the spread of potential misinformation, miscommunication through morse code, and the disruption of the environment from telegraph line construction. Many of these issues we still see in some form today. 

The wired telegraph was a groundbreaking invention that forever changed the way humans communicate. By enabling near-instantaneous messaging over long distances, it laid the foundation for the rapid exchange of information that we now take for granted. While its influence eventually faded with the rise of more advanced technologies, its impact can still be felt in modern communication systems. The telegraph not only revolutionized news, business, and global relations but also introduced challenges that echo in today’s digital age. Though it may no longer be in widespread use, its legacy lives on in the instant nature of our world today.

 

Blog Post #4

    The prospect of using a pigeon to deliver our messages seems comical and absurd through our modern lens. At one point, however, this method was one of the most viable strategies in its day. The exact date of the first use of the carrier pigeon is unknown, the first instances were likely in ancient Egypt. According to the Royal Pigeon Racing Association, "Racing pigeons are descended from the Rock Dove, and the earliest recorded reference to the use of messenger pigeons comes from Ramses III (c1200 BC) when they were used to convey news between cities regarding the flood state of the Nile." This technology was revolutionary at its time because, it was the fastest way to convey a message over a large distance. 

    Moving along further in history, we get to the Roman empire. The carrier pigeon continued to be very useful. The typical way of getting a message to someone at the time was sending someone to hand-deliver it. The use of these pigeons meant that letters didn't have to be transported this way anymore. This advancement allowed for faster and more efficient communication, especially for military and governmental purposes. Roman leaders and generals used pigeons to relay important messages across their vast empire, allowing quick coordination of troops. This method was especially valuable in times of war, as it provided a reliable way to send urgent information without relying on slow-moving messengers on foot or horseback. The use of carrier pigeons in Rome laid the foundation for their continued importance in communication throughout history.

    So where did these pigeons go from there? These birds were very popular in the middle east. This is how the RPRA puts it: "Carrier pigeons were held in very high esteem in the Arab world, and were called "The Kings Angels." Clearly, the Arab people had a certain fondness for these feathered beings. Around this time, these pigeons were being used not only to deliver messages, but also to deliver goods, help with war efforts, and in religious ceremonies.  

    In a more modern world, we turn our attention toward western Europe (more specifically Britain and France). With the invention of the postal system, messages sent by pigeon became much more rare. Instead of being used to send messages, pigeons were made to race. There was an exception to the rule though: both world wars. According to our article, "The British royal family began to keep pigeons in the late nineteenth century, and pigeon racing became a sport of the masses in the early 1900’s. Pigeons were used extensively as message carriers by armies on both sides during World War 1  and World War 2." .These birds played a vital role in military communication, often delivering critical messages when other forms of communication failed. Their ability to fly long distances, navigate accurately, and avoid enemy interception made them invaluable assets on the battlefield. 

  While the days of relying on pigeons for communication are long behind us, their historical significance cannot be overlooked. These remarkable birds played a crucial role in shaping how messages were delivered across vast distances, from ancient Egypt to the battlefields of the world wars. Though they have since been replaced by modern technology, their legacy lives on in racing and historical accounts.