Artificial Intelligence

After watching the movie, I learned that artificial intelligence is a form of computer science that is disturbed with creating machines that are able to do tasks that need intelligence from humans. I believe that there are many positive and negative aspects of this technology. To begin with, it is a quick way to get the information you need because computers do not usually make stupid, silly mistakes. If you need to find out information last minute, this technology is perfect for that. It can do so much in such a little amount of time. 

On the other hand, there are also negatives to everything. People do not think a lot about how much information this technology actually knows about one individual. From face recognition, to an "Alexa" in your kitchen, to looking up things on the internet, there is such little information the in genuinely private. I also believe that it is very expensive. For example, almost everyone uses technology nowadays for communication, social media, and news. This can get very expensive especially for people who cannot officially afford it, but still want the newest technology to keep up with everyone.

Smith Mundt Act

The Smith Mundt Act  was an amendment to the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948. It allowed certain materials produced by the State Department to be distributed outside the U.S. In 1945, this act was first introduced by Karl E. Mundt who was a congressman. Then, in 1948, it was finally signed into law by President Truman. The Smith Mundt Act enabled the State Department to communicate with other countries through book publication, broadcasting, magazines, and other media communication. The issue was whether or not the State Department could be counted on to create and distribute all of these products. There were also concerns that this act gave the State Department too much power to decide what information represented the United States to foreign countries. 

The Smith Mundt Act affects society in many ways because people considered it propaganda. For example, after World War II, many people in the United States had a lot of negative thoughts of government propaganda because of censorship and false, inaccurate information. Almost everyone also had a really bad feeling about propaganda in general because of anti-Jew and pro-Nazi information spreading throughout Germany during the 1930s. The Smith Mundt Act and the distribution of inaccurate information could also affect myself personally and my entire generation. This is because of how much time we spend all over the internet and how much social media influences us. It is so easy for teens, adults, and even children nowadays to be manipulated with information as lots of facts or rumors are easily spread. These rumors may help or hurt a cause, institution, or even a person. 

In 2012, the Smith Mundt Act was amended, making a new set of laws that addressed publicly-funded broadcasting. This revision allows materials produced by the State Department and the Broadcasting Board of Governors to be spread within the United States of America, while the original Act allowed this information to be shared within outside countries. This revision provides great transparency to the American people regarding publications by the United States Agency for Global media, and similar news organizations funded by the federal government. The new law also takes into account modern technology and context, such as social media, the internet, and satellite broadcasting. This transparency can ensure that the American people can have access to uncensored, accurate reports that are not biased. It also allows open debate and discussion, which is not always found in mainstream media. I think this is important because it helps to avoid the distribution of propaganda from the government. Under the new law, these government-funded news networks must present information that is accurate and objective, not biased, which will prevent misleading the public or the promotion of a specific political agenda. 

Final Presentation- My Relationship With Technology

Technology plays a big role in everyone's lives nowadays. Growing up in an age where almost everyone has an iPhone and social media, it is so popular and easy to get caught up in rumors and false information. For example, it is not difficult at all to post whatever you want on the internet including lies. People are one click away from posting a tweet on Twitter that is not even true or a false Instagram photo. Anything from fake news, to a fake birthday shoutout can occur on a daily basis. This shows that the internet does not prevent people from posting information, which means that anyone can do it. This is important for people to know because my iPhone is where I get most information needed. I use my phone to check the weather, the time, internet and even the news. On the social media apps I use the most, Instagram and Snapchat, there are also ads that pop up there. These ads range anywhere from a specific clothing website that I just ordered clothes from, to a snowstorm coming up, to news stories. This shows how much information is on one social media app at a time. For instance, many people think that Snapchat is only for sending pictures back and forth and chatting, but in reality, there is more to that, as news ads pop up and other important information on the internet. Most of all, in general, social media definitely affects a lot of girls who are my age. It is so easy to look fake and edit yourself in photos, but people looking at the photo do not process this and they just think that these women are "perfect", which makes them have super high beauty standards for themselves. Therefore, people become insecure after scrolling through photos of models on their feed. This is the main reason why depression and mental health issues are so high nowadays. I don't think people understand how much time they spend on their phones, and when I am on my phone, I am mostly on social media. This means that without realizing, I am constantly comparing myself to other girls I see on the internet, which is never good for mental health. I also notice that when I go on my phone, it is usually to distract myself, take a study break, or distress. Little do I know, it makes me more stressed if I am constantly comparing myself to others on the internet, which is really upsetting knowing that millions of other girls are doing the same thing. 

Although there are definitely lots of negatives with technology, I think technology is very helpful and useful for some things as well. I am thankful for technology because it makes it so much easier to communicate with others. Especially during the Corona Virus and quarantine when I could not see my grandparents and some other family members, I was able to FaceTime, text, and call them whenever I wanted to! Not only during COVID-19 has technology been helpful, but since my siblings live far from me, I am easily able to communicate with them quickly through our phones. For instance, my brother who is six years older than me was in college halfway across the country from me the entire time I was in high school. This meant I did not spend a lot of time with him since he was so busy and didn't come home often. Instead of calling him every single day, I was easily able to Snapchat him to keep in touch and updated with each other's lives. 

With this said, I strongly believe that social media has both negative and positive impacts on people's everyday lives. 

Diffusion of Innovations

Before smartphones, people had flip phones, tablets, and digital cameras. People at the time were using those three different devices, and it was happening at the same time the internet was growing around the world. Another invention was that the internet was more mobile and people could access the internet in remote locations using cellular towers. I believe that smartphones caught on and spread because this one device could perform all of these functions. The many people that became early adopters were people who had a high social status and the financial ability to purchase this expensive new technology. These people are also more interested in discovering and using the newest technology and are willing to risk money on it even though it may fail. On the other hand, some people are late adopters because they want to make sure the technology works and is worth the money before investing in new technology, such as a smartphone. For example, late adopters of the iPhone might have been skeptical that it could work just as well as a computer or their regular phone. 

Finally, some people actually have not purchased a smartphone yet although it has been fifteen years since it was invented. These people are probably so used to the phone they have been using for years, especially if they are older, and have no interest in figuring out how to use something new this late in their life. Therefore in general, the higher the cost of a new product, the greater it would benefit people. For example, each new generation of the iPhone is more expensive than the previous one, but it has more features, making it more convenient for the user. Features such as a better camera, thinner design, and a larger screen all make the communication easier for the consumer. I believe the reason why the smartphone has become so popular over the past fifteen years is because this innovation was communicated extremely well throughout society. Over the years, it seemed like everyone was trading in their flip phone for a smartphone, which adopted really fast. Smartphones also became popular along with the ride of social media. Everyone wanted to take selfies and post pictures of their food, vacation, and their friends. The popularity of Facebook and Instagram definitely helped smartphones become widely adopted. Smartphones are an example of how the Diffusion of Innovations successfully spread this new idea throughout the world. 

EOTO- The History of Television

After learning about so many different evolutions of technology over the years, the television caught my attention the most because it is so popular among children, teenagers, and adults. Believe it or not, flat screen TVs were not introduced until 2005. Philo Taylor Farnsworth invented the very first electronic television when he was only 21 years old. Before the electronic television, there was a mechanical TV, which just had short images as clips on the front of the screen. Philo Taylor Farnsworth turned the mechanical TV into the electronic TV! Then, the first wireless remote finally came out in 1955. CBS were the ones to bring colored films and programming to every single television in 1966. Almost everybody owns a TV nowadays, and even twenty-eight years ago 98% of Americans had a TV in their home. Through the years, there have definitely been lots of fun facts and important dates and years to remember that the television shared with the world. For instance, when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon on TV in 1969. Ten years later, ESPN debuted on cable in 1979, and then Ted Turner decided to launch CNN in 1980! One year later, the royal wedding was shown on TV. Finally, in 2012, the London Olympics was broadcasted. This just shows that the invention of the television gave everyone an opportunity to watch and keep up with important events without having to be there in person. From snow storms to world wide events people tend to get information quicker no matter what it is. This is a huge reason why everyone is a huge fan of the TV. On the other hand, if people spend too much time watching the television, it can lead to tons of negative impacts on their mental and physical health. 

Burying Anti-War Opinions

After reviewing the websites, I was surprised to read so many articles about anti war opinions, such as political unrest, rising tensions among countries, and rockets hitting Americans in Iraq. Obviously, these writings on obscure websites are protected by the first amendment and the liberties granted by freedom of speech. I also learned that publications however unpopular, can usually not be banned under prior restraint (The "Near Rule"). However, these opinions are not typically reported on the main stream news that people watch on television on a daily basis. One thought that I had about why this is happening was that news networks are being influenced by the federal government. The government would obviously not want the public questioning them if they become aware that there is so much unrest overseas. I also thought that maybe the networks do not want the government trying to censor their news reports that might be controversial, so they just do not even report on such topics. I also think that most news programs are liberal in their ideas, so they avoid reporting on more conservative opinions. I think this type of news reporting is doing a disservice to the American public, because they are not being made aware of things that are happening around the world that may lead to a war. In my opinion, these anti war thoughts should be reported during a special segment of the news so that American citizens are better informed about the many potentially dangerous worldwide events.

These images represent examples of international

events not reported by the news.

Drones- The History of Unmanned Flying Machines

      After researching drones, I learned a lot about the history, invention, legal and ethical implications, and some positive and negative effects. To begin with, the first drones were very simple balloons that barely got off the ground. These early drones were called UAV's (unmanned aerial vehicles). In 1782, drones were invented in France by the Montgolfier Brothers. Their names were Joseph Michel (1740-1810) and Jacques Etienne (1745-1799) and they were both French. They were preparing for human balloon flights, and they decided to test them without risking human life. Then, in 1862, the first flying machine was patented to hold bombs, and was operated by remote control. It was used in wars for the next 150 years to scatter propaganda, drop bombs, perform surveillance and combat missions. Cameras were finally added to drones in 1896. A fun fact is that they are named "drones" because their sound does not increase or decrease, it just "drones on". Clearly, drones have been very popular because of their many positive impacts that they have. Interestingly, drones can monitor climate and environmental changes, which reduces the need for military personnel in war zones, keeping them safe. Secondly, they are used for aerial footage by film studios and realtors, making it a much less expensive way for them to photograph and video tape from the sky. Drones even can deliver online orders to your doorsteps, including life-saving prescriptions. In cities, they help reduce crime and protect citizens by monitoring people from above. To continue, drones help track poachers in Africa who are hunting rhinos, elephants, and tigers legally. Lastly, undersea drones help the navy and environmentalists track information. Other than the positive impacts on drones, they are also popular because they are used for exploration, recreation, and drone racing. 2014 drones began to be used by consumers as toys, resembling small remote-control airplanes. The interest in drones is currently at an all-time high, as there are inexpensive options, can connect to smartphone devices, and are used for special effects at events and celebrations, such as Lady Gaga's 2017 Superbowl Show. 

    Although there are tons of positive impacts on drones, there are also some possible risks and negative impacts. For instance, they can fly too close to commercial aircrafts, they are expensive for the government to manufacture, and could make biological warfare too easy. To continue, some legal implications may that people are wondering who controls the aircraft? What laws can be passed to help protect citizens, and who enforces them? What happens if there are accidents? On the other hand, some ethical implications are that drones could be used to record people's movements and personal conversations. Their technology allows specific targeting to kill people, removing the human aspect. I often have been wondering: What will happen if every single person owns a drone and there are thousands, and thousands in the sky?

    Below is a picture of the very first unmanned balloon that was invented by the Montgolfier brothers. Below it, is a photograph of an American Flag with drone swarm and LED lights.