Blog Post #7 The Progressive Era

    Anti-War is where people who are against going to war and do not agree with the ideas behind them. Anti-War activists try to have peaceful protests against the government, president, and military because they believe that going to war is not a solution to the problems in front go them.

 In the 1960's these beliefs became violent as soon as large groups of activists joined together to protest. Today there is very little mention on Anti-War groups and websites like, Antiwar.com

, are not put out into the media. This is because the government does not want the American people to be exposed to these types of protests. The Government shelters us from these in order to protect their fundings and keep secrets. Anti-War groups devote their time trying to speak out about these wars. People who are actually interested in knowing where money goes for wars and what specific wars the United States are in might find themselves on an Anti-War website, but most people do not. 

CLICK HERE to see a description of what activists would do in the 1900's to try and prevent wars and what repercussions they would have to face.

Blog Post #9 Social Media the Diffusion of Innovation

 An innovation is a word we all think we know. When asked to define the 11 letter word you would get well over 11 different answers. Some of the best definitions are HERE. My personal favorite definition that resonates the most with how I inturpret the word is from Barak Obama. He states, "Innovation is the creation of something that improves the way we live our lives."

One of the most prominent innovations based off this definition is Social Media. Over the years Social Media has created a huge impact on the way we live our lives. Millions of users choice these Social Media platforms including, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter. It has revolutionized the way we interact with one another and gather information. There is a direct correlation to the development of Social Media and Roger's Theory of the Diffusion of Innovation.

This theory explains the timeline of how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technologies are formed. 

Social media is considered an innovation. The huge expansion of new media creates a growing chance to experience these new and exciting platforms. This makes people wonder more about Social Media. Because of this, individuals feel the need to use social media as a form of communication and will start to get knowledge about the online platforms. Within the knowledge stage, people evaluate different social media platforms. At the second step called persuasion, individuals become more psychologically involved with the social media platforms. Individuals make an evaluation about the benefits and disadvantages of the social media and prepare themselves to make a decision about using or not using such platforms. Next they will implement Social Media into their daily lives or not and confirm their opinion on it.

This creates the time when it will be diffused and go through the process. The Social Media platforms have grown users and hit a "climax" more and more people become aware of the technology and now use it. Not everyone continues using it but the process continues.

This is how all innovations process. It starts with only a few people, grown and grows and then hits a decrease.

For more information on the Diffusion of Innovation CLICK HERE

Blog Post #12 Citizen Journalism

 A term I found interesting was the term Citizen Journalism from Group 2's project based on the idea of Mediasphere.

Citizen Journalism is an opportunity for individuals to share their opinions and perspectives. This type of journalism is defined as "the collection, dissemination, and analysis of news and information by the general public, especially by means of internet.

Citizen Journalism was first conducted in South Korea, where the online entrepreneur, Oh Yeon-ho, stated in 2000 that “every citizen is a reporter.” Oh and three South Korean colleagues started an online daily newspaper in 2000 because they were dissatisfied with the traditional South Korean press.

 Citizen Journalism has intrigued me because I am currently studying to become a journalist. Citizen Journalism is news that is conducted by non qualified journalists. This is seen a lot more often now, because of Social Media. With the platforms in front of us today, there are more opportunities for individuals to share information with the world. Websites, blogs, and social media platforms are all ways for people to share their news with the world.

    There is a big debate on whether or not citizen journalism is a reliable source of information. We saw the most form of citizen journalism during the 2009 presidential election on Twitter. Users were spreading information rapidly without any type of qualification. There has been a rapid increase in fake news due to Citizen Journalism.

Blog Post #10 Gatekeeping

     The Gatekeeper allows only the most worthy to enter through the gate. They have the power to reject anything that tries to go through under their terms. On the other side of the gate is the world ready to absorb what was allowed through the gate. The gate is a symbol to represent an open and shut structure to allow in and keep out. 

    The EOTO Theory, Gatekeeping is the process through which information is filtered. It is a process used to sort out relevant information to be shared with an audience. Gatekeeping can help narrow our focus towards certain information.

    This Theory was first instituted by German social psychologist, Kurt Lewis in 1943. During his quest to understand human behavior and its important consideration of total life space he developed the concept of Gatekeeping. Originally it was meant to and was widely used by the field of psychology and social psychology. Later it developed as a form of communication and is now used in the field of mass communication.

    Gatekeeping occurs at all levels of the media structure. We see Gatekeeping on a daily basis without always realizing it. When a reporter chooses which sources to include in a story, editors deciding which stories are printed or even reported, or even individuals sharing certain posts on Social Media. These are all examples of Gatekeeping.

    A large part of Gatekeeping is understanding how personal preferences and biases can affect what we are exposed to. The same news item coming from CNN, NBC, or Fox News can be presented in different ways and trigger audiences to pay attention to different aspects of the news that is presented, based on their preference. Because of this people may not pay attention to a whole story because they are only looking at what others find to be important and are unable to make their own opinions on the topic.

    Gatekeeping has its benefits but also its negatives. Because of Gatekeeping we are able to know the key details of content. If there was no filter put into place information could become confusing. On the other side you may not be receiving all the information and things can get left out.

    It is important to always read more than one source because of Gatekeeping. This is the best way to make sure you are getting the most of a story and not just what is important to one Gatekeeper.

    Gatekeeping is a concept that is all around us but isn't talked about. I think it should be talked about more. It plays a huge role in the way we absorb news and media. Not only do we see it come from large companies we also participate as Gatekeepers in our personal lives.

To learn more about how Gatekeeping is present in Social Media CLICK HERE

To learn more about Gatekeeping CLICK HERE

How Would You Describe Your Relationship With Technology?

    Like most things in life, technology has its positives and negatives. It is hard to imagine a world today without it but it is important to remember when it was not the center of our universe. I have always heard stories from my parents about how they witnessed technology evolve. It can be shocking to see how much technology has evolved, even over the past 20 years. Something as common as the cell phone we all have today, once started as a large block connected to a wall. Being born in 2002 I was around eleven before receiving my first smart phone device and got to experience the effects technology has on us. Today, technology acts as a mode of entertainment, news, and education. This can be a valuable resource if treated the correct way. However, some take advantage of these benefits and it can become unhealthy. It is important to evaluate your personal relationship with technology and how you use it to benefit yourself.

    My relationship with technology is fairly healthy but I can also recognize my unhealthy tendencies with it. Although I depend on it heavily, over the years, I have worked on only using it when it is necessary. There are days I catch myself scrolling through Instagram for hours and feel disappointed in myself or I will be in a group of friends and reach for my phone when I should be engaging with the people in front of me. These urges were developed later than how it is today. Today, children are born into all different types of tablets, phones, and other types of electronics. When I was growing up I still had to use my creativity to entertain myself and used blocks and other non-battery operated products for education. I believe having these memories has helped me to stay reasonable with my use of technology. But, this is me personally and cannot be said about everyone born around the same time as me.

    I conducted my own research and asked my followers on instagram if they considered their relationship with technology healthy or unhealthy. This mimicked a study done by David Schramm, Utah State University assistant professor and Extension family life specialist.The study I conducted remained around 50/50 leaning more towards unhealthy. This is similar results to what Schramm conducted. He received feedback claiming, 53% of people say they spend too much time focusing on technology. I found it interesting to see how individuals self evaluate their relationship with technology and how universal the results are. 

    

Personally, technology has benefitted me more than not. Because of technology I am able to stay in constant communication with friends and family members I do not see often. Through text messages and Social Media I am able to stay up to date and connected with those people and maintain relationships. I also use technology to stay up to date on the news whether from a political standpoint or entertainment standpoint. These are all positive affects technology has on me. But these concepts can also be negative. We see a lot now more than ever people feeling left out and developing a type of "FOMO". 

    I do not feel I am one to judge the way others use technology and make a claim if they use it healthily or not. That is why it is important for everyone to take the time to self evaluate their personal relationship with it and to recognize when it becomes unhealthy and what that unhealthy is for them. However, I have been in circumstances that I have seen unhealthy behavior with technology. Going to restaurants we all know and see families who are out and their heads are glued to their screens. This doesn't just go for the younger generations but parents and grandparents do so as well. Yes, technology can help with communication it can also damage the times we communicate in person. We should use these times we have with people to build on those relationships and not the ones on our phones. There is a true time and place for everything.

Blog Post #8 Camera Phone

    The first Camera Phone originated in Korea in 1999 by Phillieppe Khan. He developed the idea while in the maternity ward. He wanted to be able to take photos of his daughter being born and share them with his friends and family. He took this idea to Japan and later to the United States. 

Phillieppe Khan's daughter

 By November of 2002 they were released in the United States by Samsung. The first camera phone was able to store up to 20 photos at a time with 350000- pixel resolution. Today, the number of photos depends on the number of gigabytes with about 12 megapixel resolution. The first camera phone was sold for around $400. Today they are in the thousands.

the Sanyo SCP-5300 (The first Sprint camera phone)

    In 2004 Sprint released a version of the camera phone that gave users the ability to wirelessly share the photos with others. The quality was also improved enough to have the ability to be printed with a decent quality. The next advancement in the camera phone was multi- shot cameras. Phones were able to take eight photos at a time and was priced around $180 after rebates.

    The Camera Phone was a huge technological advancement in the early 2000's. People were now able to take snapshots of moments right from their mobile device and share them with their contacts. This made taking photos more accessible. There was no longer a need to buy an additional camera to take photos.

More facts about the Camera Phone 21 years ago CLICK HERE.

Blog Post #6 Instagram

   On October 6th 2010, the number one sharing app in the world, Instagram was launched. At this time it was only available for IOS devices. Instagram is an app that lives today on almost everyones mobile devices. This is personally, my favorite form of social media as well as my most used and the first platform I made a profile on. 

 

   Instagram began as an idea from Kevin Systrom. Systrom graduated from Stanford University with no training or experience with computer sciences. He had a goal to create an app to connect with people through photos and began to learn coding during his free time while working at Nextstop, a travel recommendations startup.

The logo for Burbn

    That is when Burbn was created, the first prototype of Instagram. The name was inspired by Systrom's love of fine whiskeys and bourbons. After reassessing the app and changing some features to make it more unique, there was a name change, and Instagram was launched. Instagram is a combination of the words "instant" and "telegram". Instagram was designed to share photos taken right on mobile devices. During the time of the launch, Apple had just announced the iPhone 4, marketing it as having the best camera phone. I believe this was a big part of Instagrams initial success. By the end of the first day, Instagram had 25,000 users. The first week it reached 100,000 new users and the first month 1,000,000 users. Today, Instagram has over 1 billion users worldwide. 

 With this much success in the matter of a year, funding $7 million dollars after the first 5 months, I'm sure you can imagine the jealousy other device brand users felt. Everyone wanted the ability to download Instagram on their devices and share photos with everyone else.  By March of 2012 Instagram curated 27 million users. The funding for the app rose to $500 million. Facebook was interested in instagram and made an offer to purchase it for $1 billion. Under Mark Zuckerberg's control Instagram became available for Android users in April of 2012 and as expected there was a huge success, 1,000,000 new users joined on the first day. After that, the app was available for Amazon Fire devices in July of 2014 and Microsoft Windows in 2016. 

...to read Instagram's story in full... CLICK HERE

    Today, we see how Instagram has revolutionized our world. Instagram has created marketing opportunities. It is a great way to spread the word about businesses and products in a more "instant" way. 80% of US businesses have an account. 50% of users follow at least one business account. Instagram has also diversified beauty standards. 

... for more statistics about instagram... CLICK HERE

Because it is a public platform anyone can post what they want and anyone can see what others post. Seeing other's photos has changed the way we view beauty. Influencers expose their audience to different types of beauty and we see a more diverse array of photos rather than commercial beauty in magazines or television. NEWS! Instagram is a great way to spread news and information. Infographics and video sharing has spread awareness about what is going on in the world. Instagram has mobilized activism is great ways. Social Justice issues are being shared through the "story" feature and being sent to different phones all over keeping everyone aware in short amounts of time.

... for instagram advantages and disadvantages... CLICK HERE

Blog Post #4 The First Amendment in Media

    Social Media plays a huge role in today's society. It has taken over the country and almost everyone has the ability to post their thoughts online. But The First Amendment is not abided when it comes to what you can post. The First Amendment allows us the freedom of speech but when it comes to social media are we are not always granted that right.

    Companies like Twitter and Facebook are privately owned companies. Because they are private they hold the power to regulate what is posted on their platforms and are not restricted by the First Amendment. This is why Former President Trump had his Twitter suspended. In other countries lawmakers hold the power to regulate what is said on the media.

    A TikTok user posted a video asking their audience, "What is something that's normal in your country but weird for the rest of the world?" This TikTok got a lot of popularities and people started posting their global differences. This was a primer on the First Amendment.

    The Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, called the banning of the President at the time "problematic". Merkel stressed the idea that lawmakers should regulate what is posted to the media not CEOs of social media. 

    When social media is regulated I believe it is a violation of our First Amendment right. There are Eight Values to Free Expression and we hold the right to "Promote Innovation". This is not easily done when are posts are being restricted by non lawmakers. This also restricts other countries rights on expression causing it to become a global norm. 

Click here to see the news report

Blog Post #3 Thoughts on the Eight Values of Free Expression

Eight Values of Free Expression

• Marketplace of Ideas 

• Participation in Self- Government

• Stable Change

• Individual Self- Fulfillment

• Check on Governmental Power

• Promote Tolerance

• Promote Innovation

• Protect Dissent

 The Eight Values of Free Expression are ways in which we can practice our 1st Amendment right, freedom of speech, and how it benefits us as a society. The 6th value, Promote Tolerance, has resonated with me the most and I find it most evident in these current times. Lee Bollinger promotes The Freedom of Speech and Extremist Speech in America, in his book, The Tolerant Society. Bollinger believes there should be an important emphasis on allowing extreme speech because "It provides a shield for more mainstream political disclosure." He also claims allowing hate speech will cause a more tolerant society and stresses the idea to allow others to speak the way they want in order for us to understand each other more.

 In today's society, social media has taken over causing people to be more mindful of what they post to the world. We have seen countless public figures be ripped to shreds due to a post or comment shared that used language others do not approve. These people face endless consequences for practicing their First Amendment right. Cancel culture has become a prominent part in social media. We see celebrities, companies, and even friends being pushed off the internet and let go of jobs due to the words they have chosen to use. 

 Ethically, it is not okay to use words that can hurt others. On the other side, it is not okay to "cancel" individuals for using for speaking words that are not always agreed with. Promoting tolerance and listening to one another is not a bad thing. Disagreeing with others is how we grow in society. There are so many different opinions out there and we do not all have to share them. It can be difficult to listen to what others that we may find unjust; however, is it right to be mean and use threats and hurtful speech back? Hate speech is not a reason to throw someone in jail or completely tare apart someones life. We are not all the same, but we share the same rights.

 Promoting tolerance can save people their livelihood. Celebrity apology statements are becoming as common as cat videos once were. Chris Pratt, Avengers Star, was deemed canceled in early February of this year and deemed, "Worst Chris in Hollywood". He was "canceled" for posting tweets insinuating his support for Trump and being involved in an anti- LGBTQ church. The hashtag "#RIPCHRIS" started trending on twitter and users began to attack Pratt causing him to stop posting on social media. This silenced his voice. Other celebrities spoke on this including, Robert Downey Jr., and defended Pratt's character. Users were angry at a celebrity for not agreeing with their political beliefs. I do not think this is an offense that should cause others to try and ruin a successful mans career. With tolerance we should be able to appreciate that he has a differing opinion and use it to educate ourselves not silence each other.

 Chris Pratt is not the only celebrity within the past year to be "bullied" by the public for speaking about their views. Even after public apologies our society has not let that be enough for someone who uses hate speech to be forgiven. There does not need to be a federal punishment for hate speech because the public does this already.

 Here is a list of 13 celebrities who have been "canceled" due to practicing their First Amendment right.

 https://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanschocket2/celebs-cancelled-in-2020

Blog Post #2 The Supreme Court

     I didn't know much about the Supreme Court before reading, SCOTUS History from The History Channel and watching the videos on the Supreme Court. Before reading about the Supreme Court I only really knew the basics. How it functioned and that it was a major part of our government. I always knew it was a powerful judicial body; however, it is the most powerful judicial body in the world. The Supreme Court is made up of nine justices and is in charge of checking the other branches within the government, Legislative and Executive. The Supreme Court was established due to Article Three of the US Constitution in 1789. The Court was first assembles in 1790 during George Washington's presidency.

The Supreme Court did not hear any cases during its first term and they focused on the organization procedures. They did not even become truly functional until 1935. The Supreme Court has also altered the number of seats six times until 1896 when they set it to have 9 seats. There has been 115 different justices as of 2021. This goes to show how the Supreme Court has changed over time and will continue to change.

    Every year thousands of cases are brought to the Supreme Court; however, it is a very selective process and only 100 are chosen each year to be brought to trial. Some of the most notable cases include, Marbury v. Madison, Brown v. Board of Education, and Plessy v. Ferguson. “Their legitimacy is in the constitution but their power rests on public faith in their independence and impartiality." This was said by the narrator of the video and it is a great line to take away from how the Supreme Court functions.

Blog Post #1 Five Top Sources of News and Information

The Wall Street Journal

https://www.wsj.com

The Wall Street Journal is a news source that I would recommend for anyone to receive their news. The Wall Street Journal is well known and reliable. They pride themselves on being fair and objective. They have won many Pulitzer Prizes and the website is easily accessible. At the top of the site there are filters to help guide you to the news that you are looking for as well as a search bar. When I am looking for the most current news the website opens to the most relevant articles to make your search efficient. 

Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYfdidRxbB8Qhf0Nx7ioOYw

Youtube makes accessing news more entertaining. Instead of reading an article I go to Youtube to watch my news in order to get a better understanding of what is happening. Watching the news is more beneficial for me than reading the news for I am a visual learner. With Youtube News I am able to listen and watch. Youtube is great for current events, celebrity scandals and everything in between. It only takes a few key words in the search bar to find different videos about a topic to help entertain and educate.

 

The New York Times

 

https://www.nytimes.com

The New York Times is a daily news source that produces news worldwide. The New York Times is well respected. They produce news from all sides and are classified as a “Newspaper of Record”. The paper has a motto “All News that’s Fit to Print”. The paper makes sure to only give accurate reports of events that are happening each day. I recommend The New York Times as a news source that after reading will leave you well informed.

Google News

https://news.google.com/topstories?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en

“Google it.” is a phrase that is often used by people in today’s society looking for information. Google News is filtered to show you news that is catered towards you. There are a variety of publishers and you will always find an article for the topic you are interested in. I go to Google News when I’m curious. The website never fails to inform me about topics I wasn’t always looking for. The website showcases top stories of the day. There is a section for you, favorites, and search followed by different categories of news. Sports, US, Business… It is all there ready to be read.

The Atlantic

https://www.theatlantic.com

The Atlantic is for people who are “thought leaders”. People looking to expand their knowledge on what is happening in today’s world. One thing I admire about The Atlantic is, if there are different conclusions about an article it gives enough information to make an intelligent opinion from the data given. The Atlantic is easy to find non biased information and news. The Atlantic calls itself “America’s leading destination for brave thinking and bold ideas that matter.”