My Online Footprint

 Until this class I never really considered the amount of information I hand out to companies, and what my online presence really means. Now that I've taken the time to consider it though, there's a lot to be concerned about.

In terms of social media, Facebook, at least, is something I don't have to worry about. I only recently made an account, and I only use it for the photography class I'm currently taking. Once the spring semester starts, I will be happily deleting the account. Other websites are trickier. I have multiple Instagram accounts on my phone, since I run the social media for the Dungeons and Dragons club here on campus, and I have several emails accounts through Google that I use for various things, though only one has my real name since the others are connected to my gaming accounts, which are also under a pseudonym. 

My most active social media is probably my Snapchat, since I use it every day to keep in touch with my friends, especially those that have moved away or are in quarantine, but that, like my other accounts, is under a different name. Even before college I tended to be paranoid about things like this, so a lot of the social media I use casually is under my middle names, unlike my professional accounts. I'm not sure how much that counts for, but it's better than having all of my accounts linked to the one name at least.

The thing I'm most concerned about, I think, is that even though I considered the risks of using my real name and took steps to avoid that, I never took steps to keep my other information safe. I let Google log me into other accounts and remember passwords so I don't have to, I seldom wipe the history on my browser because it's more convenient when it remembers what websites I visit, I let my apps have access to my photos and microphone so that I can use them without getting constantly pestered by notifications. I've started considering exactly how much of my life is online, and now, how many accounts I need to delete just because they aren't necessary.

EOTO - It Gets Loud in the Echo Chamber

The Echo Chamber is a concept that explains the phenomenon where people only pay attention to media, facts, or explanations that already fit their current world view or opinions. This can mean in regards to many things, but usually refers to politics. 

One of the most common and modern examples of this metaphor is the idea that vaccines can cause Autism. This entire movement originated from a single discredited study, but many people who read it latched onto this belief and refuse to change their stance on the subject no matter how many alternate explanations or pieces or evidence they are offered. Anything they are shown that contradicts their current outlook is rejected as false, while anything that supports their beliefs is embraced. This information might be disproven or blatantly false, but it will still be defended and wholly embraced. 

We, as people, want to believe that we can change our opinions based on evidence, that we can be rational and objective about the things we believe, but the Echo Chamber is a very common phenomena, and sometimes it can be hard to tell when you've trapped yourself in one.

Sources: https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/digital-media-literacy/what-is-an-echo-chamber/1/

EOTO - Awareness and Propaganda

 

Propaganda is a basic tool of the society we live in. It's everywhere, the signs on our lawns during elections years, the people we watch on TV, the shows we listen to on the radio. While the term "Propaganda" its self has connotations of wartime posters and campaigns like the one pictures above, it is, at its core, a marketing tool designed to distribute information. This information can be, and usually is, biased, intentionally misleading, or only a half truth. Using these tactics the parties controlling the release and distribution of this propaganda are able to promote political and financial agendas, products and people, as well as exercise a degree of control over the opinions and beliefs of their consumers.

When we think of propaganda, typically we think of things like the campaign above, which was circulated during World War II in a effort to encourage citizens to carpool in order to reserve resources like fuel for the war effort. Posters like this one were designed to rally the American people against our common enemy, bolstering their sense of patriotism and national pride in order to increase support for the war effort. Many of these campaigns permanently affected the fabric of out country, and some even entered the common vernacular. The phrase "Loose Lips Sink Ships" first made an appearance during the second world war, warning the public of the danger of spies in their midst, encouraging them to keep any potentially delicate information to themselves to minimize the risk that it would fall into enemy hands and endanger our troops. Today, it has a similar meaning, and is often used to prevent people from sharing information that may jeopardize a mission, whether that mission is a highly classified operation or just a surprise birthday party. 

Propaganda, especially when produced during war time, often makes use of a very particular set of marketing techniques, one of the most prominent being fear mongering. It is very common for propaganda to place a heavy emphasis on the idea of an "Us" vs "Them" dynamic, and the vast differences between the two parties. Most propaganda campaigns show these differences to the consumers with implied messages like "You don't want to be like Them, do you?" or "If you don't do this, you're no better than Them." This alienation of the enemy is often accompanied by a certain amount of racism, usually in the form of demeaning stereotypes. These stereotypes are usually mocked either through the particular phrasing of the propaganda, or through the art that accompanies it, often in the form of exaggerated caricatures designed to alienate the races and cultures currently designated as The Enemy.

Propaganda doesn't only thrive during outright war times though. It is often used during times of tension, such as the Cold War. The Cold War birthed many different campaigns, ranging from posters that instructed families to have a plan in place in case of nuclear fallout to encouragement to turn in neighbors or acquaintances suspected of collusion with the ever present Enemy, in this case, Russia.

While propaganda certainly has its uses, namely rallying support and a sense of pride from the masses, it also has several drawbacks, which include the tendency of propaganda to encourage people to point fingers and shift blame, especially towards those that they consider to be "Other". It can stick around for generations, altering our speech and insinuating itself into or culture. It is, simply put, a tool, and its nature depends largely on the acts, and intentions, of the individual or government who wields it. 

Sources: https://www.historians.org/about-aha-and-membership/aha-history-and-archives/gi-roundtable-series/pamphlets/em-2-what-is-propaganda-(1944)/the-story-of-propaganda

Privacy and the Modern World

Before this class, I was aware that the search engines I use and the websites I visit monitor what I use them for. Of course they do, how else would Instagram know to put an add for boots on my home screen only ten minutes after I do a web search for sales near me? But watching these videos and seeing the sheer amount of information about me that's being recorded and and stored is horrifying. 

I never really considered just how much you're able to learn about someone, just by skimming the bare minimum of their search history. Another thing I never considered is just how much of that information I'm giving away. I don't just use my Google account on my laptop after all, my phone is also logged into that account. In fact, I have several accounts that I use, many of which are active of both of these devices. Not only do I use my personal account, but I also have the email that's linked to my online store, as well as the social media I run for a club on campus, both of which are constantly logged in and in use, presumably gathering data happily in the background and shipping it off to where ever it goes. 

These videos were certainly eye opening, and I am, as I type this, making the move to Firefox.

Sources: https://www.ted.com/talks/juan_enriquez_your_online_life_permanent_as_a_tattoo

Diffusion of the Typewriter: From the First Word Processor to Hipster Novelty

Roger's Diffusion of Information Theory is designed to track the use of technology from its introduction to its inevitable decline. This theory can be applied to the use of the type writer. The type writer was introduced in 1868 by Christopher Sholes, the pioneer of this technology. The early adopters of became notable in 1872 with the introduction of the electric typewriter by Edison, as his alterations to the initial design made it easier to use and harder to jam. Then in 1874 the original patent was sold to Remington and Sons, and it became possible to mass produce the typewriter, though it didn't truly enter the early majority section of the curve until 1917, when the first truly portable machine was debuted. These years marked the height of the typewriter's popularity, especially with the release of the electromagnetic typewriter in 1933.

The tipping point for the typewriter happened around 1964, when the magnetic tape typewriter, as this is when computers and word processors began to become available, and gradually became more convenient that typewriters, but they were still used by the late adopters and people who didn't care for computers and how clunky they could be compared to the, but now, reasonably streamlined typewriter.

Now in 2020, we face the laggards of the typewriter era: hipsters, poets, and other holdouts who like the feeling of using a typewriter, or who find them aesthetically pleasing or fun to use. While there are plenty of these people still out there, actively using typewriters everyday, the numbers of people using them will never return to how they were at their peak.