Blog Post #12: Final Post

Technology plays a huge role in today's society, it is known to be the greatest achievement in all of humanity with all the knowledge you need is available to us at the touch of a button or screen. Technology has provided us with the tools to get tasks done faster, such as communicating with loved ones, online shopping, and internet browsing. However, every new technology has a downside to it. We all have a relationship with technology, it is up to us to question whether it is healthy or unhealthy. 

Personally, my relationship with technology could be improved. While I try not to be on my phone while I'm spending time with friends and family, or when I'm walking to class. I spend a lot of my free time on my phone when I could be doing other things, such as reading a book or going on a walk. The more time I spend scrolling through social media, the more drained and unproductive I feel. 

Recently, I've been making an effort to implement healthy habits and strategies to improve my relationship with technology. Such as taking a break from certain apps that have been distracting me and taking up too much time in my life, turning off notifications, and setting time limits for apps on my phone. 

Back home, my family has implemented the habit by not going on our phones during meals together. Every time I'm at a restaurant or a coffee shop and I see couples or friends sitting across from each other on their phones, I can't help but think how technology has ruined human relationships. We are so glued to our phones that we have lost sight of what has been placed in front of us. 

A study by market-research group Nielson claims that American adults spend more than 11 hours per day watching, reading, listening to or simply interacting with media. This is extremely concerning considering that technology is incredibly addictive. As a society, it's time we pay more attention to the damage that technology can bring into our lives. An article published by No Side Bar introduces strategies that help us redefine our relationship with technology. These strategies include breaking the cycle by considering your motivations before buying the newest technology, setting limits, cultivating hobbies that fulfill you, and doing your research.

While many of us use technology for school, work, and keeping up with our loved ones. However, it should not be used as a replacement for face-to-face connection. Cultivating hobbies that bring purpose into our lives such as joining a club and spending time with friends helps us realize that we have lives that exist outside of our screens. 

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/people-are-spending-most-of-their-waking-hours-staring-at-screens-2018-08-01

https://nosidebar.com/relationship-with-technology/

Blog Post #10: Living in the Age of AI

AI (Artificial Intelligence) has become more popular and commonly used over the past few years. It has taken over our world and completely changed how we use technology today. As I was watching the documentary, I found it intriguing that the scientists mentioned that AI teaches us how to predict an outcome. The first time I heard about AI was a year ago when I saw a post on TikTok about people using AI software to write their academic essays for them. While some college professors are more lenient when it comes to their students' AI, it can also be harmful because are using as much creativity and they are simply relying on a robot to do their work for them. Additionally, the documentary mentioned that the increase of the use of AI and robotics has caused a decrease in jobs; more specifically, factory workers. The standard of living has dropped 15 percent. Children now have a higher chance of dropping out of school. The town of Saginaw, Michigan has experienced economic decline over the past few years. Companies now rely on robots in their factories to build machinery as well as packaging goods. An article published on Brittanica claims that the shortage of skilled staffing in automation technologies raises the need for vocational and technical training to develop the required workforce skills. 

AI can also contribute to the issue of privacy. The documentary made a good point when it mentioned that a lot of times we think that we are simply using social media, but in fact, social media is using us. This is because whenever we search or browse on our devices, we are leaving digital traces. For example, when I have Google searched a brand or a product, I begin to receive digital ads on social media apps about that same brand or product. 

According to the documentary, Google says that the purpose of this is to improve the user experience. It can be intimidating or frustrating when a simple search turns into your social media pages being bombarded with repeated ads of that product. This is because companies make money off of ads, and they don't want us to know how much money they are making. 

https://www.britannica.com/technology/automation/Consumer-products

Blog Post #9: EOTO 2

In today's day and age, we are constantly being exposed to new information every day. It can be easy for us to look at a social media post or news article published by our favorite news source or account and instantly believe everything written down. However, not every article or post contains true and reliable information. Readers can be quickly deceived by an eye-catching title and a well-looking professional blog or news article. False information can spread quickly, which is why we need to be mindful of the media we consume and do further research to make sure we are getting our information from reliable news sources. According to an article published by the American Psychology Association, the spread of false information has affected our ability to spread awareness about current topics and issues. Additionally, it has caused chaos, confusion, and division in our society because we aren't taking additional steps to ensure that we are getting our news from reliable sources.

The CISA reveals three terms that describe the different types of false information. Disinformation, Misinformation, and Malinformation. Disinformation is false information deliberately intended to mislead, completely misstating the facts. Misinformation is false, but not intended to mislead or cause harm. Malinformation is based on fact but used out of context to mislead, harm, or manipulate. MIT Libraries confirms that any type of false or manipulated content can be used by individuals, companies, media outlets, and even government agencies. 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, millions of people including political leaders clashed over issues surrounding public policy and the interpretation of medicine. An article published by the National Library of Medicine claims that medical providers were overwhelmed by the pressure from the media and community to navigate the unknown with precision. Questions were raised regarding the potential use of disinfectants provided internally to patients with COVID-19. The CDC conducted a survey of 502 adults in the United States and they found that 39% of responders engaged in dangerous practices such as washing food products with bleach, applying household cleaners directly onto the skin, and intentionally inhaling or ingesting disinfectants with the goal of preventing the COVID-19 infection. Researchers from Stanford University claim that the elderly, youths, those active on social media, and those with fewer years of formal education are more likely to believe and spread misinformation. This proves that the spread of false information can further complicate and aggravate an already intense global issue. 

Therefore, we as a society should take the initiative by stopping and thinking after we read an article or post, and then doing additional research to fact-check our sources to help prevent the spread of false information. 

https://www.apa.org/topics/journalism facts/misinformation-disinformation

https://www.cisa.gov/topics/election-security/foreign-influence-operations-and-disinformation#:~:text=Misinformation%20is%20false%2C%20but%20not,mislead%2C%20harm%2C%20or%20manipulate.

https://libguides.mit.edu/disinfo

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7721433/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7315790/

https://engineering.stanford.edu/magazine/article/how-fake-news-spreads-real-virus