The Progressive Era: AntiWar

    

After reviewing the two websites provided, Antiwar.com and The American Conservative, it is very apparent why these websites are extremely difficult to find. The media is notorious for censoring right-winged media. These are also ran by individual people and small corporations with no bigger news sources giving them boundaries to hold back. With the examples provided, it is very apparent why these websites can be so difficult to find and are shunned. The mainstream news also tends to skip over big controversial topics happening around the globe. For example, with the recent airstrikes sent by Israel into Syria, the mainstream media may cover this topic, but purposefully not go too far in depth. They won’t reveal outstanding evidence or clues that could sway the viewer in a certain direction. However, antiwar went fully in depth and covered everything to the best of its abilities with photographic proof. They also revealed the insider knowledge straight from Al Jazeera, and other notable figures. Deeper and more in depth citations with exact wording can be found on this website as well that wouldn’t be normally stated on a big corporation like CNN or FOX news. An example of this can be, ‘“Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem acknowledged on Sunday that the Lebanese group lost its supply lines in Syria due to the regime change. “Yes, Hezbollah has lost the military supply route through Syria at this stage, but this loss is a detail in the resistance’s work,’ he said.” 

    The American Conservative more so dives into republican news tailored to what conservatives would want to see. News about Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, and others make notable appearances in these sites. The media is known to put right-winged people in a negative light, however, The American Conservative, along with other right-winged websites put these people into a positive light and give valuable information about the goods that come from them and how they can have a positive impact on the world. A good example I found of this was an article they wrote on Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy with their new DOGE system that will allegedly cut government inefficiency. 

EOTO 2 - Reflection

 

    From the second set of presentations, one of the most prominent presentations that stood out to me was citizen journalism presented by Maggie Halvorsen. Citizen journalism is when citizens who aren’t published journalists go out and collect information themselves and publish their own news based on what they see for themselves. It is the collection, dissemination, and analysis of news and information by the general public, especially by means of the internet. Citizen journalism also provides instant coverage. It also bypasses censorship since there isn’t a large organization overshadowing them telling them what they can and can’t say. This is also provides a form of democratic news, with the people being able to share their opinions in the form of online news. This also gives access to specialized coverage to the local area for civilians, and it can tap into deeper markets not provided by mainstream media. It also has a significantly lower cost. When the video was shown of hurricane Helene damage in western North Carolina, I was surprised on how well it was made for such a small news source. I was also surprised to learn the video of the John F. Kennedy assassination was a form of citizen journalism, since the video was used as evidence to track down where the bullet was shot from. However, while citizen journalism can be incredible, it can be harmful because of echo chambers, which can promote misinformation. This is also harmful because peoples opinions and emotions can sway into the mix leading to inaccuracy and unreliability from these sources. This is also harmful because it can give biased opinions. 

    Adding onto echo chambers, Jonathan Reeves presentation on echo chambers provided a perfect example of what can happen through citizen journalism and the small amount of people that regularly follow them. Echo chambers are a small group of people that reflect shared opinions and beliefs from a small minority. The example shown from this reflected this perfectly, when a TikToker allegedly died and everyone in this small echo chamber of followers believed it based on the little information was given out. 

EOTO1 - Reflection

   

    The first presentation that caught my attention was the Dawn of the Google Search Engine. From this I learned the first search engine was invited in 1990. Ten years later, Google invented its own form of the search engine. This was the PageRank Algorithm in 2000. This put google searches in a rank best on relevancy to what was searched. Google wound up updating this in 2010. Finally, Google recently updated this in 2023, implementing AI into the search engine and sticking it at the top of the PageRank for more diverse answers across numerous sources to save time reading and scrolling websites. Search engines matter because people can use it to retrieve information easily rather than finding a book. It also connected users globally, and it could discover diverse options. 

    The next presentation that caught my attention was the Newspaper presented by Jillian Getlik. From this, I learned the first newspapers came from Ancient Rome and were etched into sand stones. The pros were that it improved awareness and communication, it had valid credibility and analysis, and it spread literacy and education to enhance reading skills to those who read it. This is also helped keep citizens informed with what was happening in the world around them by providing local and global news. Of course, the newspaper also advertised new jobs and opportunities for the citizens who read it. With the newspaper also came some cons. For example, depending on the company or the person who wrote it, bias and manipulation can sprout from newspapers. Newspaper also requires the use of paper, and a lot of it too. This leads to an environmental impact that requires more trees to be cut down to be turned into newspaper. Making and manufacturing newspaper is also expensive, and takes a lot of time to write for journalists. This also leads to a digital age decline, with some people preferring to read a newspaper rather than looking online. But at the same time, newspaper is being overthrown by news online. With the impact of the digital age, people are more likely to look things up and watch the news online. Using news sources online is more practical for people. 

My Relationship With Technology - Final Post

     Growing up in a progressive era of technological advances has significant benefits but has also created detrimental everlasting effects. I find my relationship with technology to be bittersweet. While it has helped me with numerous different things, it has led to everlonging procrastination with a hint of addiction. It should have been evident to my parents and me that I would inevitably fall into the video game trap when I would constantly ask my mom if I could play Angry Birds on her phone. The beginning of my relationship with technology began with the mobile game Angry Birds. I remember asking my mom or dad if I could play games on their phone when I was bored out in public. I played on the Nintendo Wii, which I had no idea we had until my older sister said I could. I remember continuously walking past my Thomas the Train sets to go play on the Wii; it was a signal that I was evolving. 

     I remember vividly why my parents decided to get me a phone. I received my first phone in fourth grade only for communication purposes. My father was driving me to baseball practice. Upon arrival, it seemed as if we were the first ones there. My father dropped me off and drove off, only if he realized he dropped me off at the wrong field. I was waiting for someone to show up to where I was for thirty minutes. I was abandoned with no source of communication. I had to find a random lady walking around and ask if I could use her phone to call my dad. After this fiasco, my parents decided to get me a phone to avoid mishaps like that from happening again. I wound up missing practice, by the way. 

    My relationship with technology has grown with the introduction of my personal phone. I was introduced to more gaming consoles like the WiiU and the PS4 as time passed. I received my first computer in December of 2019. This is when I truly started to leave my digital mark online, and I decided to become the most prominent YouTuber the world has ever seen at the age of 14. Throughout high school, I was dedicated to my YouTube channel, uploading the highest quality of gaming videos my teenage mind could produce. It would take a mastermind to track down my YouTube channel to who I am as an actual person, as I never revealed my name, face, or any part of my identity. Even though millions of people have seen my content and thousands of people still follow me, my identity remains concealed. 

    Recently, my relationship with technology has been bittersweet. While it is perfect for learning information and keeping up to date with the world, it also has downsides. For example, TikTok is the worst thing that has happened to society in recent years. It only feeds us useless information in such a short amount of time that we will forget in the next ten minutes. The people making these videos must use flashing lights, vibrant colors, and an overstimulating amount of sound effects and on-screen animations to keep the consumers' attention. Even then, speaking from experience, this still isn't enough for a vast majority of viewers. TikTok is singlehandedly ruining an entire generation's attention span. 

    Even more so, TikTok is rotting our brains. Recent terms kids and teenagers use have sprouted from these quick gig scrolling apps like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. These brain rot terms include skibidi toilet, hawk tuah, sigma, rizz, and many more. Professor Smith may have yet to learn what these terms mean, although the rest of the class will know what these terms are because of TikTok and the brain rot that comes with it. Little kids are probably saying “hawk tuah, spit on that thang” to their parents without realizing the true, disgusting, and sexual meaning to it. I have purposely avoided TikTok and other quick-scrolling social media platforms to prevent it from polluting my brain and giving me more time throughout the day rather than mindlessly scrolling. Even though I try to avoid it, I still find myself opening TikTok, only to realize what I did, and I get pissed off at myself for the stupid clutter I've begun to fill my mind with. I find myself getting genuinely annoyed with things I see online recently. 

EOTO Post 2

    Deepfakes in Artificial Intelligence

    The term "deepfake" originated on Reddit in late 2017. A user that went by the name of "deepfakes" started sharing videos where celebrities' faces were swapped onto other people's bodies. Deepfakes, a type of artificial media created using AI techniques, have been a recent craving sparked by the introduction of artificial intelligence. These deepfakes can generate highly realistic but fake images, videos, or audio by manipulating content to mimic real people. They can be so high-quality and lifelike that they're difficult to distinguish from genuine material. These open AI websites allow anyone to create deepfakes, meaning if they fall into the wrong hands, it can cause immense drama. 

    Returning to Reddit, the "deepfake" user shared something more obscene rather than typical face-swapped celebrities. These were primarily pornographic content aimed at putting celebrities in a bad light, purposely causing drama and controversy. They used technology called generative adversarial networks, a machine-learning technique that allows for creating highly realistic synthetic images. The user would take the faces of celebrities and digitally insert them into sexually explicit content material without their consent. Why was this done? There is no honest answer for this besides people wanting to start drama and hate the world. 

    There is no real reason behind wanting to post a fake pornographic video or photo of someone and post it on the internet for the world to see. Not only does this create controversy for the person it's done on, but it also has numerous detrimental effects on the viewer and platforms. These include violating the person's consent or privacy boundaries. This also creates emotional and psychological harm to the person in the form of depression and anxiety. This also damages the person's reputation both online and in person. Recently, numerous states have created laws surrounding the use of deepfakes, so depending on the state in which deepfakes are made, there could be serious legal and ethical issues. An example of one of these laws can be taken from Louisiana's Act 457, which" criminalizes deepfakes involving minors engaging in sexual conduct." Laws have also been created to deal with deepfakes in this recent election between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. For example, Texas SB 751 "makes it a criminal offense to fabricate a deceptive video with intent to injure a candidate or influence the outcome of an election." Seeing a deepfake online, especially false information related to elections, creates an erosion of trust in the media for the viewer. 

    Even recently, deepfakes of celebrities have been made. In January 2024, deepfake images of Taylor Swift circulated around X. There was no rhyme or reason why it was done besides the fact that haters were pursuing to destroy her career and reputation. Thankfully, due to her massive number of followers and the public being more informed on AI and deepfakes, the posts were taken down without Taylor Swift herself having to step in and do anything. However, these fakes are still susceptible to older, non-informed people. For example, my mother recently got a video of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins on her Facebook feed explaining how much he "fucking hates the Chiefs and the referees." Since my mom was uninformed, she thought it was real and sent it to me and my father in absolute disgust. I also get many of these videos, including Joe Burrow's very real post-game interview after a loss shootout against the Ravens. These videos are in good taste. They are only made to create humor, having NFL players say blasphemous things that they should never say, but that doesn't automatically mean that everyone understands the joke or knows what is genuinely AI. 

The Age of AI

    The recent evolution and revolution of artificial intelligence have been unexpectedly rapid. In the past, the idea of AI robots handling tasks for us seemed far off. However, the reality is much closer than we initially thought. While AI offers numerous benefits, these advantages can lead to significant downsides, especially if put into the wrong hands.

    The ongoing technology competition between the United States and China is crucial to follow. China has long been more advanced than the United States in terms of cutting-edge technology aimed at enhancing people's safety and convenience. However, with the rise of AI, the United States is undergoing its own technological revolution. This growing AI technology, combined with China's existing advancements, poses a real threat to jobs.

    A video presented in Professor Smith's class, which dates back to 2015, highlights the ongoing impact of AI technology on the job market. AI is increasingly threatening numerous jobs across various sectors. A clear example of this is the company Embark, which aims to revolutionize the trucking industry by replacing human drivers with AI. If Embark continues on its current path without any significant obstacles, it may ultimately take over the trucking industry, eliminating the need for human truck drivers. It's still being determined what the future holds; AI may soon handle the operation of cargo ships, planes, taxis, and more.

    I was particularly fascinated with AI learning the entirety of the game "Go." AI studied thousands of games of Go and figured out the best moves to win, as it ultimately won against the supposed best player of Go in Japan. 

    In the end, AI will ultimately lead to a human downfall. Only a few kids and teenagers will be able to know what they're learning since AI is at their disposal to do all the work for them rather than them learning the material the usual way. Ultimately, it may not matter, as AI is revolutionizing the work face by doing tasks effectively and efficiently with the snap of a finger rather than humans spending hours on an assignment. Even recently, my father used AI for things such as captions, web design, layout, pricing, and more for his company website rather than hiring someone online to do it for him. 

Privacy, Online & Off

     My online information is something I have always felt I could keep conceited. I keep my accounts private, browse incognito, and am very careful where I put my public information. However, after searching for my full name, first, middle, and last, I learned I wasn't as safe as I initially thought. In fact, no one in my family was safe, even remote family I had never met before. Our information, names, phone numbers, and addresses were public on a simple website. After watching the first TED talk presented by Professor Smith, I was reminded that all information we put on the internet is set in stone. Even if we delete it, it can still be tracked down and traced someway or somehow. In short, as he put it, “Your online life is as permanent as a tattoo.” 

    Another thing that shocked me was how unaware we are of how easily the government can track us outside of the internet. There are surveillance cameras almost everywhere, yet they are so hidden and difficult to track. Everywhere you drive in a car and any building you enter can be tracked by security cameras and license plate readers, meaning anyone with access to these cameras has access to your personal life without the need to dig into your social media online. Local police departments can determine the type of person you are based on this information alone, and that is unfathomable. I was blown away when a man simply asked the police department of records they had on his license plate to find out that they had multiple dates and times with pictures of his vehicle. It tracked where he was going, who he was with; they even had a picture of him and his two daughters exiting the car in their own driveway. 

    After reviewing the information presented, I am not entirely sure how to feel safer. Everything is public whether you like it or not. The government can’t exactly do anything to stop this because they’re the ones making everything public to begin with. We can still take steps do protect yourself from an invasion of privacy. These things can include staying safe online: avoid dropping public and personal information about yourself or your peers. When in public, continue to be a good citizen.