Blog Post #10: Artifical Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is known as the ability of a computer program or a machine to think and learn. The term refers to the simulation of human intelligence by computers on machines. AI is used for many different things, including that it is used to perform human-like tasks by learning from experience. It includes many aspects such as machine learning, which allows machines to improve their performance on a specific task by collecting and learning from data, and natural language processing. This not only allows machines to understand the information but to also generate human language. Some common examples of AI include virtual personal assistants, such as Siri and Alexa, face id, marketing robots, and self-driving cars. However, as it becomes more advanced and improves our world, it also means that there are many negatives.

One of the biggest benefits of AI is that it has improved decision-making. AI and machine learning algorithms can process large amounts of data and identify trends and patterns that humans might not be able to detect. This is beneficial because it helps decision-makers make more informed decisions which lead to more successful outcomes. It has enhanced our customer experiences because it can be used to create personalized experiences for customers such as personalized product recommendations or quicker and easier customer service. This has a major impact on online shopping because customers are more likely to shop online since it's more convenient and they are more satisfied with their shopping experience. Therefore, it improves overall customer satisfaction and loyalty. 

Not only does it improve customer satisfaction, but AI also improves products and services. For example, AI-powered robots can assist with tasks that are dangerous or difficult for humans to accomplish such as performing delicate surgeries, exploring hazardous environments, etc. AI and machine learning are able to do things that we didn’t even know were possible such as developing new products and services that were not previously possible.

However, as many benefits and opportunities, it brings to our world, there are some negatives to having AI. One is that AI is known to be a huge security risk. As AI systems become more complex and integrated into critical infrastructure, there becomes more and more risk and invasion of our privacy. There causes a major concern with the risk that they could be more vulnerable to cyber-attacks. This causes many problems because it causes serious consequences such as disrupting vital services or causing physical harm. There is also an issue with ethical concerns. Many people are concerned that it has a potential impact on society and its ethical implications. For instance, with AI becomes more surveillance which is also an invasion of people’s privacy, as well as that it easily has the potential for AI to be used for malicious purposes such as creating fake news or creating cyberbullying attacks. Having AI is that it creates discrimination and bias in society. AI algorithms are trained on data, and if the data used to train the algorithms is biased, the algorithms themselves may be biased. This leads to unfair and discriminatory outcomes, such as biased loan approvals and biased hiring decisions. 

In conclusion, there are many pros and cons to artificial intelligence. It has had dramatic impacts on our world in ways we never knew was possible such as increased efficiency, improved decision making, and new and improced products and services. AI is as smart or smarter than the human brain. However, there are also many negatives such as the ethical concerns, securirty risks, job loss, and identitiy theft. While it is a scary thing and can have many dangers, it is important to know how it is used and developed. At some point we must consider the expense that AII becomes too much. 

Blog Post #8: Privacy Online and Off

After watching the Ted Talks on privacy, I learned a whole new perspective on privacy on and offline. I found these Ted Talks to be really beneficial because I think it’s something everyone needs to come to understand since we are all being impacted by the digital world. We must come to understand that nothing is private whether it's from photos we post, calls we make, texts we send, health information, or our personal finances, we are always being traced. In these videos, I was able to better understand and analyze what goes on behind these websites and social media platforms that almost every single one of us takes part in, but most importantly, I learned how to protect yourself better and how to get away from it. 

In the first Ted Talk video by Juan Enriquez, he discusses the idea of “online tattoos.” He used this as a metaphor to compare it to technology. The main point he was trying to make is that our online life and everything we do online stays forever, just like tattoos do. He alludes to the fact that we are always being traced and we probably don’t even know it. There are many applications online that can identify a person before they are actually tagged in the photo. This was a huge shock to me because I obviously knew that if you are tagged in something then it will stay with you, nevertheless, I didn’t know this was possible either. He also mentions in the video a website called Face.com that found 18 million different faces in the application itself. Then eventually Facebook bought this Website to then use it to help them tag their friends in their posts. This was scary to think about because I have realized in the past that when I tag people on Instagram, their exact profile shows up even if I have never tagged them in the photo, yet I didn’t think twice about it until now.

In the Ted Talk with Christopher Sohoian, he talks about avoiding surveillance that we have in our world. He talks about one of the biggest issues that affect us all which is having our phones in our pockets because our phones are constantly listening and collecting data on us. As technology is advancing they are finding easier and more ways to collect personal information about people. One example he mentions is phone calls. Telephone companies have found ways to construct them with wires built into them for surveillance. Not only do apps, websites, and other companies do the same thing, but there are also hackers that get into our personal information.

In conclusion, it is scary to think about the idea that we are always being listened to, and watched on our phones. However, it is equally important to understand the ways to help prevent it and the steps we can take to be more protective of ourselves online and off. We can start by doing simple things such as making our social media accounts private, not giving out personal information such as our emails, phone numbers, and bank account information, and reading through terms and conditions before signing up for things such as subscriptions. In the end, there is only so much that we can do, but it’s important to know before any online activity. 

Final Blog Post: My Relationship to Technology

Technology has changed our world both in positive and negative ways. Our world wouldn’t be the same without technology because of the impact it has made from its advancement. It has grown, advanced, and changed how we live our daily lives. Throughout this course, I have learned so much about technology that I didn’t know before. Not only have I learned about technology, but also learned more about how integrated technology impacts our society through the good and bad.

My relationship with technology began when I was in fourth grade and got my first iPod touch, and then my first iPhone in sixth grade. While this may seem like an extremely young age to be getting a phone, it became necessary so that I had a way to communicate with my parents. I then went to a private high school which was an all-iPad school. This meant that there were no textbooks, and all books were online. This had its benefits and negatives. A few of the benefits of using Ipads was that it helped me advance in the use of digital technology. It helped me with life skills such as typing, writing skills, and interactive skills. It also helped me with my learning disability because I had services on my iPad such as an e-reader for reading books, drawing tools for notes, and videos. However, it did have negatives because it made my attention span decline as I noticed I wasn’t able to focus during lectures for as long as I used to be able to, it led me to become more distracted, and my screen time increased dramatically. 

Overall, I would say my relationship with technology is neither healthy nor unhealthy. While I do spend lots of time on my phone, I have noticed that I often only use it to communicate with friends and family. My average screen time on my phone is about 6 hours a day. However, I am usually on my laptop way longer than I am on my phone since everything in college is on my Macbook. Of course, I could definitely be better and cut back on my screen time by limiting myself to certain apps, specifically social media such as Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok. However, for the average college student, I would definitely say I am not that bad with technology and have gotten much better than I used to be. For example, in high school, I went through a phase where I was addicted to being on my phone. I quickly realized the issue and so did others who were around me. While it may not have been easy to cut back on screen time, I knew I needed better habits. Now, I am much better about being in the moment when I am around people and putting my phone away. Since I have changed my habits, I have noticed a huge change in my overall happiness as well. The biggest thing I have noticed is that I feel more content and fulfilled with my life.

When thinking about your online footprint it can be scary knowing that anything and everything you post can be traced back to you. Not only can it be traced, but once it's posted it can’t be undone and you lose the right to take it back. Sure, you might be able to delete a photo, but once it’s posted it will belong to that platform from then on. Personally, I have always been told “be careful what you post.” However, knowing exactly what the online footprint is and how much it tracks your personal information, will make me think twice before I post things on social media. I have always posted things that I am proud of and wouldn’t be ashamed of. However, it is still scary because I have a pretty open online presence since all my social media accounts are public, and I post about what I am doing and where I am. 

In conclusion, this course really helped me to have a deeper understanding of what the online footprint consists of. It raised my awareness about the technological life and the digital world that goes beyond just my phone. I now understand the benefits and underlying issues with technology. With this knowledge, I will be more cautious and aware of my online presence.

Blog Post #7: Diffusion of Innovations

The Diffusion Theory is the concept that describes how technology gains momentum over time and across different populations. Researchers in diffusion theory have developed analytical models to explain and predict the dynamics of diffusion of innovation such as an idea, practice, or object perceived as new by an individual in a socio-technical system. After lots of reading and research about this, I found it fascinating because many of the examples were technological based such as phones, laptops, television, and radio. However, the innovation that I wanted to focus on the most was social media, specifically, TikTok. In this post, I will analyze the importance of the app and how the diffusion theory plays a vital role in the evolution of society.

To begin, TikTok is a social media platform that allows people to watch and create short clip videos. So many people, such as influencers became early adopters of this app due to the fact that they were getting more views and followers than other platforms such as Youtube. They were making quick and easy money from their minute-long videos and soon this app blew up. Today, Tik-Tok has over 750 million users which makes it now the third-largest worldwide social media network. Although it is one of the most highly used social media platforms, it also has a few negatives. There is a major negative connotation around TikTok and how the government may be following you and “spying” on you through your online behavior through the app. For instance, In 2019, TikTok was accused of secretly gathering user data and sending it to China. 

With this in mind, it’s equally as important that we have late adopters and not just early adopters. Late adopters are people who start using a new product, especially a new piece of technology, later than many other people. They are responsible for making sure that innovation does not fail before they adopt it. The late adopters of this app have evolved in many ways, and have created their own innovations to keep the app now so that it doesn’t repetitive. The early adopters are the ones that influenced the late adopters. Especially in the case of Tik-Tok because we see this in older generations who are not as used to the success of social media applications. For instance, TikTok caters to the younger generation, with 60% being Gen Z users. However, it also has become popular with older generations too. 

Many people ask the question of why they are on TikTok more than any other social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. For me personally, TikTok is one of the most highly used social media apps that I have. This is because I find it much more engaging than things such as scrolling through pictures on Instagram. It also doesn’t feel like you are on it for so long due to the shortness of the video clips. I would classify myself in the middle majority category since I didn’t download the app right when it became popular but eventually did download it after all my friends got it. In the end, the research that I found actually helped me to understand the diffusion model. I was able to apply this knowledge and think about it through the lens of TikTok and how I personally use the app. It made me realize how far the app has come through its success and failures, and how much it has grown versus when it first started. Although there are some negative aspects to the app, the positives definitely outweigh them because of how successful TikTok has become and how much of an influence it has on our world.

Blog Post #5: Anti-War Websites are Non-existent in Mainstream Media

After doing lots of reading and researching on the two websites ANTIWAR.COM and The American Conservative, I have gained knowledge on their perspectives and beliefs and why they are antiwar. One of the biggest takeaways I learned was why you never seem to hear about anti-war perspectives on mainstream news in the United States. This is due to the fact that the government is against anti-war. Anti-war is classified as someone who is opposed to war. Anti-war is opposed to American beliefs and is not a good representation of our country. This makes it hard to find websites like ANTIWAR.COM and The American Conservative because the government controls our media and news and sensors what we can see, as well as blocking certain content. The government is deliberately hiding the information on anti-war from us in order to protect the reputation of America. The government worries that if other countries knew that we were against the war then it would make us look weak and we would become more of a target.


The United States gives every citizen the right to the first amendment which gives us the freedom of speech and the right of the free exercise to have our own beliefs. Yet, one of the biggest questions is why it is so hard to find sources and websites about anti-war voices. One of the main reasons why it is so hard to find websites is because the United States is pro-war and pro-military. One of the biggest reasons that America has such strong beliefs about being pro-war and pro-military is that war is good for the economy and is what keeps our country running. For starters, the U.S. has over 1.4 million citizens that are a part of our military, and we are known for having the most powerful military in the world. Having this reputation scares the government that if people have information and facts on anti-war beliefs then it will change their perspective and will change the United States’ reputation. They worry that citizens would perceive our military or America in general in a negative way.

           

In the end, the government's overall goal is to persuade American citizens to be pro-war and pro-military. However, is important to understand and know both sides to the argument of anti-war versus pro-war. Yet, it is so hard to learn both sides when America keeps the anti-war websites hidden which is why these two websites are real sources to get news and statistics.

Blog Post #9: EOTO presentation #2

“Social credit score” is defined as a “national credit rating and blacklist being developed by the government of the People’s Republic of China. Essentially, this means that the system monitors a lot more than our financial savviness. It involves governmental and financial institutions that watch our everyday habits and rank our behavior. It monitors both online and through CCTV monitoring which has been named the “social credit score.” CCTV monitoring is referred to as Closed-circuit television. In short, it is video surveillance, which is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. However, with this comes along a few good and bad implications. A higher credit score signals that a borrower is at lower risk and more likely to make on-time payments, whereas having a lower credit score means that it is harder to borrow, trouble getting loans, whether it's a car loan, mortgage, or credit card account.

A few of the benefits of having a social credit score include that it helps eliminate problems such as food safety issues, intellectual property theft, violation of labor law, financial infidelity, and counterfeit goods. Rewards for positive social credit include less frequent inspections and audits for businesses, fast-tracked approvals for government services, discounts on things such as energy bills, better interest rates at banks, tax breaks, and simple things like being able to rent bikes and hotels without payment of a deposit. The three most important advantages of having a good credit score include that you have higher credit limits, potentially lower interest rates, and more purchasing and negotiation power.


Some of the disadvantages of having a social credit score is that having video surveillance and social media monitoring is invasive, individuals and companies have significantly less privacy, the system is open to mis-scoring and algorithmic mistakes, and there is a lack of knowledge regarding scoring which can promote corruption. Those who have low credit scores ultimately risk getting treated as second-class citizens. There are many consequences to having a low credit score. Some of the most common causes that lead to low credit scores include late payment of bills, bankruptcy filing, charge-offs, and defaulting on loans. Some other examples include things such as traffic offenses such as drunk driving or jaywalking, “illegally” protesting against the authorities, and not visiting aging parents regularly.

Overall, social credit scores can affect our society as a whole for many reasons. In a sense, some people argue that social credit systems encase humans because people can get easily “blacklisted” which has severe real-life consequences. When someone is “blacklisted” it means that they are out on a list, and there is no trial at court. Essentially, to get off of the list people and companies can appeal against being blacklisted or against receiving bad credit. It also impacts our entire world because we are always being stalked and tracked through every move we make, every purchase we make, and every place we visit. For example, the bank can calculate our financial credibility, interest rates, and companies such as AirBnB, and Uber can disable your account. For instance, if a homeowner or a driver reported you for ‘bad behavior’, without giving you any choice to appeal. Overall, it impacts our society because it defines people's lives by limiting their life choices and freedom, it leads to inequality, and influences people’s behavior and the way they live.

Not only does the social credit score affect our world, but specifically it has an impact on on the different segments such as the rich/poor, old/.young, male/female, gay/straight, and majority/minorty. Many people argue that it creates discrimination and that it is biased towards certain groups of people. Credit scores are based on past performances. According to Cnbc, “The further we go back in history, the deeper the structural racism in the United States was.” Cnbc posted a survey of 5,000 U.S adults and found that “more than half of Black Americans reported having a low or no credit score, 41% for Hispanics, 37% for whites, and 18% for Asian Americans.” Not only does it have an effect on race, but also gender. In the past, women faced many challenges in gaining credit and were required to have male cosigners and large down payments to get loans, until the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974 was made. This law prohibited several practices that restricted women’s access to credit and their ability to be financially self-reliant. Today, the average credit score of the two genders is almost identical and both carry essentially the same level of credit card debt.



Social credit scores typically begin when you start using credit, whether that’s opening your first line of credit such as a credit card or a student loan. This means that it has already affected me, and probably most of us in this class as most all of us have credit cards and are using loans for college. It affects us because our credit score is determined by the way we use that initial credit account and builds from there. It has a huge impact on our financial future and the decisions we make. For example, it affects our generation and our everyday life in many ways such as when you go to buy a house, get better interest rates on loans and credit cards, getting a job, renting an apartment, refinancing loans, buying a car, getting a cell phone, setting up utility accounts, paying for insurance, etc. Overall, Social credit scores are not only so important to know, but to also know the negatives and positives of having them, understand how to have a high credit score, and the effects that it has on our society and our everyday life.

Blog Post #6: EOTO Technology Presentations

Throughout these presentations, I learned things about technology that I never knew before. It was interesting to think about how many of these technology devices I use each day, yet knowing nothing about them. For instance, I learned about search engines and how they came to be. I learned that the first internet search engine was released in 1990 and was invented by a guy named Alan Emtage. He was a systems administrator in the information technology department at McGill University in Montreal. The first internet search engine was called Archie, and was developed for FTP sites before the creation of the world wide web, as we now know it today. It was built off previous existing platforms such as JumpStation, the World Wide Web Worm, and the Repository-Based software engineering spider, which used automatic programs, called robots or spiders to request web pages and then report what it would find to a database. Search engines made it possible to search through a site’s file directories. Although it was very painful to use at the time, it was a step in the right direction to advancing technology.

There are many differences to how the first search engine started compared to how it is today. Our search engines have become much more technological advanced than they used to be. One of the biggest differences is that we now have what is called Search Engine optimization which is known as “the process of maximizing the number of visitors to a particular website by ensuring that the site appears high on the list of results returned by a search engine.” For instance, we have what is called “cookies.” Cookies are “files created by websites you visit. They make your online experience easier by saving browsing information. With cookies, sites can keep you signed in, remember your site preferences, and give you locally relevant content.” We also have tools such as “backlines” instead of keywords, and we have things such as AdWords which is an “advertising system Google developed to help businesses reach online target markets through its search engine platform and partner sites.” Search engines have had a major impact on our society such as digital amnesia, which is also referred to as the Google effect, mobile searching, voice searching, school system change, and the revolutionized internet navigation. Overall, I learned a lot about technology and how it has advanced. Although the one that stuck out to me the most was the search engines and there were many things I learned that I didn’t know before.