Is it Our Relationship with Technology or Technology's Relationship with Us?

 

As a sports media major, technology has been a massive part of my life. Technology is a significant part of everyone's life. It is just the way that the world is. While there are many positives to it, there are also many negatives, and we do not even know all of the negatives. Since I know all the positives and know that there are negatives, I am cautious when it comes to technology, the amount of time that I use it, and what sites or apps I go on because there are so many apps that will draw you in and before you know it so much time has passed by. Not only does technology affect people's day to day, but it also affects them at night because many people have their phones near them when they sleep. Many will go on their phones before they fall asleep, causing them to stay up later and be tired the next day. I turn my phone on sleep, which is a do-not-disturb mode, so when I fall asleep, I won't feel the vibrations of notifications while I try to sleep. 

There are times when my relationship with technology is not healthy. I left my phone in my room recently, panicked, and ran back upstairs simply because I did not have it. Not having it felt like I was missing something important when, in reality, I knew I wasn't. Other times, though, I do not have my phone, and I don't care; I like the break from the screen. According to Forbes, 5.3 billion people use the Internet worldwide in 2024, and they predict that the number of users will reach 7.9 billion by 2029. People today have a mix of technology uses, whether a mobile device, a TV, or a laptop. People spend around four hours on mobile devices, around 2 hours on their TVs, and around a little over an hour on their laptops daily. Many people spend their days staring at a computer or device because they work in an office or are students, and then they go home and watch TV or go on their phone and look at social media or text their friends. The article split up ages and percentages of how many people have access to the internet, which is a leading cause of the number of people who use technology. The age group with the highest percentage of people with access to the internet in America is ages 30-49, with a percentage of 98%, although only slightly behind is 18-29, which has a percentage of 97%. Next is ages 50-64, which has a percentage of 96%, and finally, ages 65 and over have a percentage of 88%. I feel that technology is taking up too much of my time because I am just like others. I go to school and am on my computer for a long time, and then after, I am on my phone or watching TV as a form of relaxation, but really, I am just adding to the amount of time that I use technology, which is not good for my eyes or my head. 

One of the significant parts of technology is the concept of a digital footprint. In simple terms, a digital footprint is the unique set of digital activities, actions, and communications that leave a data trace on the internet or on a computer or another digital device, which can identify the particular user or device. Like technology, digital footprints have their pros and cons. For instance, your search engine makes finding things easier, mainly if you use the same sources for your news. However, it's crucial to understand the implications of our digital footprints, as they can be used to track our online activities and potentially compromise our privacy. This understanding empowers us to be more cautious and responsible in our online behavior. It is famous worldwide because of your digital footprint. Another way is if you tend to read about a specific topic, for example, say the Kansas City Chiefs, if there is news that is somehow related to the team when you are on your search engine and below the search bar, articles come up and are related to the team it is because your digital footprint. While the footprints make it easier to find what you are looking for, there also could be photos of you on the internet, which is a part of your digital footprint. For me, when I look up myself, there is a photo for my professional website that I created in a class, but there are also results from races that I competed in during high school, old dance competitions, and old photos from my high school for an achievement. These photos or links that have your name attached to them are all a part of your digital footprints. According to Morgan Stanley, there are ways to safeguard your digital footprint. The biggest thing anyone can do is change their passwords and look themselves up because they can edit what comes up when they search. Other things include being safe on social media, app restrictions, and removing accounts you do not need. 

Our mental health has also been hurt by technology. One of the biggest influences on mental health when it comes to technology is cyberbullying. Before technology, cyberbullying was not a thing. Mental health well-being mainly applies to teenagers and young adults but can apply to everyone. The mental health struggles started to occur in 2010 and have continued to rise. Vanessa Mendoza says that teenagers' depression has increased by 150%, anxiety has shot through the roof, as well as suicide rates. The reason is that teenagers need to be a certain way so that their peers approve of them and that they are being judged in real time. The Mad World Remix by Steve Cutts shows how the world works today. At one point in the video, it showed a female around her. It was all gray, and she was frowning. Then, when she was in the camera, she was happy, which shows how influencers today always act as if they are always happy, which makes impressionable teenagers feel that they cannot feel okay. The video also showed our world today because it showed many people ignoring each other and staring at their phones.

The Progressive Era

You never tend to hear such antiwar solid voices in the news because there are so many one-sided news sources that only write about the things that they agree with. Very few news sources mention both sides of war or current events, so people have had to make their own sources to discuss the truth and complete stories about war. Due to so many news sources only discussing one side of world events, people only believe what is said. Also, much of society tends to gravitate towards big new source names, contributing to this issue of people not knowing entire stories. Today, unless it is considered a reliable source, many people do not believe what they read from somewhere, even if it is accurate until it is put into a "reliable source." However, these "reliable sources" have to get their research from somewhere, so there is a chance that the research comes from a more minor source.

I am guilty of just looking at the popular news sources because they are what I know and are reliable. Even though I realize I am not getting the entire story of everything, I have been raised to refer to specific news sources. I have never really ventured out, but now I realize that I should because there have been so many times that I want both sides to understand everything before I form an opinion on the subject. I am confident I am not the only person who does this. I know many people who use the same few sources for their news. Almost everyone I know only uses one source majority and is shocked when they find out the other side days later when their source decides to report on it. Even in schools today, they tell students to only use specific sources, eliminating the possibility of hearing both sides.

Personally, I think you have to find obscure websites to hear strong voices against antiwar because big-name news sources are afraid of telling the entire truth if it does not follow what they stand for. If they do what they are against by telling the truth, they risk losing support from readers and watchers because they will be seeing what they do not want to see, so they will become angered, which will affect the entire company. For example, if all of a sudden, Fox News switches sides and starts the opposing side so that viewers will get the whole story, everyone will get mad, including the reporters, no matter if they are getting the entire story to so many people, that is not what is essential. People want to hear their opinions, so they never venture from what they know.

What are Online Influencers?

 

An online influencer must have a solid following and online presence where they can interact with fans, share opinions, and share products or brands as a whole, promoting them. There are online influencers in practically every topic, such as fashion, dancing, sports, and book reviews. Online influencers have become a form of entertainment for so many people because many make YouTube videos to answer questions or vlogs or post photos and videos on social media, giving ordinary people a form of new entertainment. Online influencers have a good impact on themselves and others. They positively impact themselves because they can make a decent amount of money through brand deals and promotions. For example, Charli D'Amelio is one of the most popular influencers, and she has been since 2020. She has been successful for a long time, bringing her family along. She has been successful because of brand deals, being on contest shows, and her family having their own show.
Online influencers are positive for everyday people because they can be role models for so many young people, especially with bullying showing young people that it is essential to show that what other people say does not matter. Influencers have started promoting positivity more, significantly influencing so many people because it is what they need to hear. Everyone needs more positivity; people tend to take it more seriously or feel it matters more because a public figure said it. While they have such a positive impact, they can also have a negative impact, especially on female influencers with young girls because many influencers look similar, making young girls feel like they have to look a certain way. After all, that is how people look online. 

For society, brand deals on social media promote materialism whether they realize it or not. Most likely, if someone sees an influencer promoting a particular brand and specific items from that brand, the viewer will want what they had, and chances are the more popular influencers are promoting more expensive brands. Ultimately, the viewer will most likely like the item because their favorite influencer has it, so they can be like them, potentially having them spend money on items they do not need. Viewers also see influencers do not have authenticity more often than not; it is rare that an influencer posts what they want because most have managers. Since most have managers, they are told what to post, who to promote, and what videos they need to do. Also, some influencers tend to follow trends in their posts on all platforms rather than coming up with something themselves. Almost everyone knows this, so viewers feel like they cannot post whatever they want, which makes others lose authenticity, too. Finally, influencers hurt themselves because they have to share their entire lives on social media, so they feel like they cannot be anything but fine every day, all the time. 

So many influencers make conscious efforts to include everyone on their platforms. The majority of them do not refer to specific groups of people. Many talk about and post on a wide variety of subjects so that everyone can relate to something that they talk about and can relate to. While many people now talk about various topics, that was only sometimes the case because people have taken time to learn. In past years, people have lost support from their followers because of how they have acted towards a particular group or talked about a specific situation. A growing online personality is Jenna Sinatra, who is in the above photo. Jenna is a perfect example of a personality that does not appeal to just a specific group of people. She talks about and promotes various topics that so many can relate to; she will talk about sports, fashion, school, working out, and shows. She has something for everyone, which attracts so many people to her. While discussing various topics, she is vulnerable on her social media accounts. She will talk when she is not ok; whether something happened or if her mental health is not bad, she will talk about it and promote that not being ok is normal and that she is not perfect and pleasing all the time. Something that stands out about her is that she gets so many mean comments about doing social media or that she lives at home, and she will respond to them. Most of the time, she says that if they do not like her or something about her, they do not need to follow her, which is so brave of her which many people enjoy. Online influencers do not necessarily affect me or my friends. There was a time when they affected me because I felt I needed to look like them, especially during the pandemic. After all, I was constantly watching them on YouTube or seeing what they posted. After a time, I realized that I do not need to look like them because I am not them, but I am not the only one who has compared myself to an influencer in the past; many of my friends and I have talked about how we used to compare or have wished that we were them, but then we remember the dark side of what they do and realize that we do not actually want to be them. Many people in Gen Z feel like they can be influencers or want to be influencers until they recognize the dark side of everything that they go through. At the end of the day, some influencers positively impact society and some hurt society. 

Diffusion of Innovations

The Diffusion of Innovations theory is a significant framework; it explains how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread. 1962, Everett Rodgers familiarized himself with the theory in his book Diffusion of Innovations. In the book, Rodgers argued that diffusion is the process by which a change is communicated through specific channels over time with participants in a social system. The start of the diffusion of innovations theory is varied and spans multiple disciplines. According to Rodgers, five main elements influence the spread of a new idea: the innovation itself, adopters, communication channels, time, and a social system. Also, one main thing must happen for the idea to be successful: the idea must be widely adopted. While there is a rise in adoption, there is a point where the idea reaches something called "critical mass."  Critical mass is a sufficient number of adoptions for a new idea in a social system, and the adoption rate becomes self-sustaining and forms more growth.  In 1989, consultants at Regis McKenna Inc. theorized that the point lies in the boundary between early adopters and the early majority. There are five categories of adopters: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards. Finally, there is a specific criterion for adopter categories: innovativeness, which means the degree to which a person adopts a new idea. 

Snapchat was launched on July 8th, 2011. The app was created by Evan Spiegel, Reggie Brown, and Bobby Murphy. Since that day, Snapchat's popularity has grown and has gained generations. Snapchat is so popular because it offers abilities other social media platforms do not. It is a form of communication for teens and young adults because you can text and call on it. You can do those things on Instagram, but communicating over Snapchat is more casual as if you were just texting someone. Snapchat caught on and spread because it was a way to communicate with people who have relationships with their friends, family, and romantic relationships. This app was also popular because everyone had the option to add silly filters, and while that is popular on other apps now, when the app first came out, it was not an option. Every few years, Snapchat adds new abilities. In 2013, the app added the ability to make a story by adding photos or videos you want your friends to see. Shortly after, they added another section where people could post videos for anyone to see, not just their friends. To this day, Snapchat continues to add abilities that are not options on other apps and has added premium additions. So many people became early adopters of Snapchat because once a group of people have it and have talked about it, more people will download the app, and downloads will continue to happen, hence why it became more popular as people heard about it. More recent generations were more late adopters mainly because statistics and reports showed when children should be allowed to use social media. Many social media platforms created a age requirement, which is the age of 13 for Snapchat.  Also, many users today simply do not want the app because they did not understand the point initially, and some today who would typically have it still do not because they feel it is pointless. Many people have not become Snapchat users because they do not want to put themselves out on social media at all, so they are not on any social media platforms. Some feel that social media is not worth it, and some worry about having photos of themselves, family, and friends on the platforms because anyone can find them or pretend to know them, so everyone needs to be careful when using the apps. 

While Snapchat, in the grand scheme of things, seems like a positive idea and platform, as do other social media, they all have negative aspects that no one really talks about. One of the most significant negatives to Snapchat and social media as a whole is cyberbullying, which has been such a terrible part of these platforms for so long and just continues to get worse. Cyberbullying not only affects the person mentally but also affects them physically. This brings up the next issue with social media and Snapchat, which is that more teen girls and teen boys compare themselves to others they see online, thinking that they have to be like them and be "perfect," which also affects them mentally and physically. Finally, a significant negative to Snapchat is that you get notifications for everything: when someone sends you a snap, when an influencer posts on their public story, and finally, when someone is typing in chat to you and when they send a chat to you, which becomes a major distraction for everyone. When I do homework, I turn on Do Not Disturb because Snapchat will blow up my phone, taking me away from what is essential. After researching Snapchat and social media, I found that the positive outcomes do not outweigh the negatives. There are far more negatives to Snapchat and social media than positives. There have been many times that not only me but many others have thought about deleting apps due to the negatives that are not needed in our everyday lives, but it is the thought of being left out that no one actually ends up deleting the app. Snapchat has its premium option, which costs $3.99 per month or $22.99 for the year. While it offers many benefits to me, it is not necessarily worth the money because it does not provide anything that I and many others feel is necessary to have added on. I have realized that more people do not have Snapchat than those who do. 

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2018/02/21/why-snapchat-is-so-successful-with-younger-users-and-what-facebook-and-instagram-can-learn/

https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/19/tech/snapchat-user-growth/index.html

EOTO Timeline

Today, Netflix is one of the most popular streaming services because it offers various movies, TV shows, and docuseries. In 2024, Netflix had around 270 million subscribers worldwide. The start of Netflix streaming has also spawned other streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video and Hulu. Netflix's and other streaming services' successes are causing a battle with internet companies.

Netflix was started in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph. When they first created the company, it was similar to Blockbuster because you could rent movies, but they would come in the mail. In 2000, they changed the service into an online subscription service with a fee, but you had unlimited rentals for however long you wanted them. Marc Randolph said he feared failing when they first started Netflix. The first time they sent a DVD out was to themselves to see if it would break. When they first started, people did not like what they had created. “People found it confusing. The site crashed. No one behaved the way he expected. No one rented from us.” To get to Netflix was a success; they had a lot of trial and error, and every time they failed, they found something that helped in the long run. Hastings and Randolph started this because of late payments from movie rentals, so they tried to create something where people wouldn't have those issues anymore.

The invention of Netflix changed our world because it eliminated having to play for each movie and worrying about late fees. Netflix also changed our world because film comes out on a streaming service like Netflix before it comes out on DVD. This invention also allowed people to get rid of their cable boxes because other services have come out with live streams, such as YouTube TV, which is the same as having a cable box. You can watch stuff on demand, live stream, or just watch regular TV, and you can save shows or movies to your DVR without having a box. None of this would have been possible without Netflix really starting it all. It changed communication because people stopped having to be in the same room or at the same TV to watch the same show. For example, during the pandemic, Netflix came out with an extension where you can watch something on Netflix with your friends on what was essentially a Facetime call. While there were many positive effects, there were also many adverse effects. The start of Netflix started many other platforms. Both Netflix and other platforms continue to add abilities and increase their prices, which means they are competing. A time when this happened was when Hulu had live streams, but Netflix didn’t do live streams. Suddenly, in 2024, Netflix added live streams of shows and games, copying Hulu, but these live streams are increasing the prices, decreasing the numbers since they can get the same thing somewhere else.

Our Privacy Online & Off

Everyone feels that privacy is something that they have in their day-to-day lives. But what if I told you that you don't have privacy in places where you think you have it? There are so many ways for everyone's privacy to be stolen, but everyday people don't need to worry about that. We tend to think that only people who are celebrities and are in the public eye need to worry. However, they could not be more wrong.

Juan Enriquez refers to sources threatening our privacy, such as electronic tattoos. He means that an electronic tattoo provides everyone with as much information about you as a regular tattoo would share. After hearing this and how many electronic tattoos there are, it makes me feel that my family and I do not have any privacy anywhere because even at home, I have social media, which is a form of an electronic tattoo. Also, in stores where I thought the cameras were genuinely for security, which they are, but I also felt safe being around them. Now I know that all it takes is for them to photograph me. If I glance at the camera, someone who has access to the camera can find everything about me. Facial recognition is one of the worst because it is getting more advanced and better, which is good, but it actually means it is easier for someone to access your records. 

After watching Catherine Crump's Ted-Talk, I feel that the government, while they are endorsing the police departments to have cameras that track everyone's plate numbers all the time they government can still pass laws making the police departments dispose of the plate numbers of people who do not need to be watched. These cameras are a massive violation of privacy that should not be allowed. Not only are they taking photos of people's license plates and then putting them through a machine that spits out the plate so the officers can read it, but also in a space that is supposed to be private. Many years ago, Mike Katz-Lacabe went to his local police station and asked about this camera and the ability to have all those photos of the car and license plate. Mike asked to see what they had of him and came to find that they followed him and could see where he was going and with who. Something that caught me off guard as a viewer was that when Mike saw the photos of his car, they had a photo of him and his two daughters getting out of the vehicle in their own driveway. While watching this video, I wondered why they kept the photos; the reason that they kept the photos is that as storage of the images increases in price, they keep the old photos just in case it is needed, which is how it was for Mike he had not done anything wrong. Yet, they kept all of those photos of him and his car.

So many people think that we are safe and that no one is listening in on our calls or seeing our texts when actually it depends on the service. According to Christopher Soghoian and Apple, if someone has an iPhone and sends a text or calls someone else who has an iPhone, their messages or calls can not be wiretapped. WhatsApp, created by Facebook, also has a security that their messages or calls can not be wiretapped. Not being able to wiretap someone's phone is called encryption. Soghoian said that cell phone companies built their network for surveillance first, which means that if we are on the phone, someone may be listening, including governments, foreign intelligence services, hackers, criminals, and stalkers, unless your network is a Silicon Valley company. A way to protect ourselves from invasions of privacy is for more networks to be like Silicon Valley companies, meaning that more companies should have encryption. While having more companies have encryption will make it harder for police to find criminals, it will be safer for us because it will make it harder for people to hack into our devices.

8 Values of Free Expression

 

The Supreme Court has clarified free expression as an artistic form of freedom of speech. However, free expression only protects so much. You cannot do or say anything you want, and it has consequences; it has to be within reason. The Supreme Court tends to lean on “content neutrality,” which is that the government is not allowed to censor or restrict a form of expression because some populations do not like the content. Free expression allows people to ask for shelter, food, drink, and clothes. It is more beneficial than just promoting ideas. It gets people the crucial items they need. 

1. Individual Self- Fulfillment

This value resonated with me the most because everyone is different in one way or another, which is essential because we need variety in the world. In many situations, people need to be a certain way, to act or look a certain way, but through this value, everyone is being told to have individuality. The value also helps with human dignity because some people feel they cannot be different and lose sight of who they are. Everyone is born to be who they are, which needs to be shared with the world because it will bring joy to others. After reading what this value was about, I realized that it is highly personal to me because ever since I decided that I wanted to study Sports Media and work for the Kansas City Chiefs, I faced a lot of questions and some judgment both with the fact that I wanted to work in sports which do not have a ton of females but also because I wanted to work for a male sports team. These questions and judgments did not matter because sports brought me joy and made me who I was. It made me different from others. Also, being the youngest of four until I got to High Point, I had always heard, “Oh, you’re Alissa or Bri or Matt's sister.” Hearing that at first never bothered me, but once I came into my own and found myself when I got older, it started bothering me because while I was their little sister, I did not want to be compared to them. After all, I was not them; I was me.

2. Marketplace of Ideas

A marketplace of ideas is the most important thing because when people are honest, it helps create safety in the world. Also, seeing another person being honest will cause others to decide to be honest. In many settings and situations, honesty will win most of the time because no matter who it is, everyone wants to hear the truth. When humans fight for the truth, it strengthens the truth more than what is false. A court case is a perfect time when the truth is more vital and means more to everyone. This value is a value that I see in action today because there have been so many cases or situations where a public figure gets into some form of trouble and comes out with the truth. Not long ago, there was an NFL player who caused a massive accident where people got so hurt at first. He ran from the situation, but he came forward and turned himself in, and now he is facing the consequences. Similarly, a PGA golfer ignored police orders but did not realize he was being told to stop. He thought the officer was telling him to show his credentials. The PGA player said he did not purposefully ignore the officer and thought he was doing what he was told to do. In both situations, the players could have acted like what happened did not happen or just moved on and instead faced the press about it.

3. Social Media 

Social media has existed since 1994 but became popular in the early 2000s as a way to connect with the people you went to school with or who you worked with. Many universities now create accounts for students to introduce themselves and get each other's Snapchats. The value of promoting innovation applies to social media use because people can be creative on social media. Some people have part-time or full-time jobs creating videos for social media for viewers, where they develop skits or videos based on their niche. Social media is also a way for people to share if they went on a vacation, saw something cool, or wanted to be a photographer or singer. A lot of times, people will make accounts just for that. 

 

The Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is the most powerful of all judicial courts. It serves as a global model for high courts, particularly those dealing with public courtrooms and debatable cases. Its justices are tasked with drawing boundaries of government power, effectively guiding the president, Congress, and states on what they can or cannot do. This court's primary function is to interpret the 200-year-old Constitution, a role that is crucial in safeguarding liberty, maintaining the union, and upholding the rule of law.  

The biggest thing I learned that I did not know before was that throughout American history, there have been slightly over 100 Supreme Court Justices. Each justice serves an average of 16 years; however, many have served twice that long. Many have served for decades after the president who appointed them is out of office. Many people only know about the bigger, more influential justices versus smaller ones. For example, everyone knows Ruth Bader Ginsburg because of how influential she was for the American government and for women everywhere. One of the most significant takeaway points about the Supreme Court is that while they debate the cases in front of everyone in a public courtroom, the final decisions are made privately with just the justices. No one other than the justices is allowed there, and there are no secretaries, police, or law clerks. To me, this was an important point because a lot happens when it is just the justices. First, they vote on who will write the decision, and then they vote on the actual decision, but the public only hears about the decision once it is official and moves onto the press. 

What I found most surprising was that the Supreme Court is mainly silent. Justice Oliver Wendall Holmes has said, "We are quiet." "But it is the quiet of a storm center." This was surprising because I never thought that it was mainly silent because I also did not know they get so many cases that they consistently work on. That final decision is very silent; unless it is a big case, many people never end up hearing about it. This video changed how I thought about the Supreme Court because I give them much more credit than before. After all, they have to go through so many cases throughout the term, which takes a lot of patience. Many of them have said the first few years are overwhelming and that it takes a while to get used to it. This video gave me a new perspective and credit to the Supreme Court. 

My Top Five News Sources

Growing up, the news was something I should have paid more attention to. However, as I got older, I started to pay more attention to what was going on in the world because I realized that this was going to be my world and the world I would have my future, so I wanted to pay attention to it so that it could become a better world. As I started to pay closer attention, I realized that not all sources I had looked at were as reliable as others, so I mainly read the following sources. 

1. ESPN 

As a Sports Media major, ESPN is a source that I often go to for game updates if I cannot watch the game, team or player statistics, or breaking news about a player. ESPN also offers predictions based on records for an upcoming game. While ESPN is one of the most extensive sports broadcasting networks, it has no bias in its articles, videos, or live broadcasts. ESPN will also save games or create series based on past athletes who have changed sports. 

2. Hartford Courant 

The Hartford Courant, which started in 1764, is a news source for breaking news, entertainment, politics, and business only for Connecticut. I prefer this source for my in-state news because while it is the most significant news source in Connecticut, it is more accurate. After all, they can go and see what is going on and do a report versus just hearing about what is happening or getting told and doing a report. 

3. NFL Website

The NFL Website is an excellent source for reading about just football and not getting any unrelated articles or videos, which will sometimes happen if on other sources that share more than just football. This source will also give you access to clips or articles only on the NFL website, which I prefer and is more interesting because it gives you more of an inside look at the teams. I also like this source because they do a series where they have a team each season, and they follow the team throughout the season during training camp, pre-season, regular season games and practices, and post-season. 

4. FOX News 

FOX News is my go-to source for world news because it has bureaus all over America. Like the Hartford Courant, it can go to the location where it is reporting, making it more accurate. Everyone at this source constantly talks and communicates to ensure they get the same information while conducting their research. FOX News also covers a wide variety of categories, not just politics. 

5. Google News 

Google News is a source where I get some of my news articles because when I go onto this source, it will show a list of articles related to what. I have looked at or based off of what I have read. Google News will also give me articles that might not be based on previous searches but are breaking news that is important to know in my state or elsewhere in the country. I also like this source because I can understand the entire story, not just bits and pieces. Some sources will cut out certain parts to make something seem better or worse than it actually is.