Post #10: In the Age of AI

After watching the videos regarding AI, it raised some interesting points such as jobs being threatened by AI through automation, social media and Google collecting our data, and Google home and Alexa listening in on our daily conversations. Besides these points, it made me reflect on other notable questions as well.

Complex AI and machine learning offers benefits in jobs like increased productivity, improved decision-making, and customized customer experiences, but also drive innovation. Technologies like these can automate repetitive tasks and allow us to focus on higher-value work while reducing the cost in many industries. 

Privacy with AI technology comes with both pros and cons. 

Looking at it through a positive lens, it can potentially enhance privacy by lowering the need for human access to raw data, minimizing the risk of breaches, and enables personalized and privacy consent devices. 

On the negative side, AI introduces privacy risks such as data breaches, unauthorized access to personal information, and the possibility of algorithmic bias and discrimination. 

AI can also be a tool and a threat for national security. 

AI can analyze vast amounts of data to identify patterns and threats that could be missed by human beings, ultimately strengthening national security. It can also be used to detect and prevent cyberattacks and boost the security of military systems. 

Through a threat perspective, AI technology is used to develop new weapons that raise ethical concerns. It can also be used for surveillance and mass monitoring that cause privacy issues. 

Lastly, AI can be used for identify theft through algorithms used to create realistic but fake pictures and videos which enable people to impersonate others. This also allows people to generate fake profiles on social media platforms for scams. 

It is very important to learn how to protect yourself from AI threats. The most crucial things to do is to use strong passwords for all accounts, secure your devices, report any suspicious activity, avoid clicking on links from unknown senders, and limit personal information put into AI tools. If you suspect you are a part of an AI scam, reach out to your family and friends and inform them to be careful too. 

Post #12: Final Post (Society's Relationship with Technology)

Bill Gates once said, "We're changing the world with technology." But is this change good or bad?

To answer this question, there are key factors to consider. While reflecting on my own technology usage, I found that I spend on average eight hours a day on my phone according to the screen time feature in settings. This number is shocking to me considering this is an excessive amount made up of time spent on Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and even Messages. This leads me to wonder: is technology taking up too much time in my life and many other individuals without even realizing it?

We see in both Gen Z and Gen Alpha, mainly Gen Alpha, that technology and social media has begun to consume their lives. Statistics show that 43% of Gen Alpha has a tablet before the age of six and 58% has a phone before the age of ten (The Annie E. Casey Foundation). Having grown up into a world full of technology, there is no doubt that Gen Z and Gen Alpha will suffer immense negative effects on their mental health. In most cases, some kids and teens are even to the point of being addicted and dependent on their electronics at all times. 

Gen Alpha is predicted to be the highest generation who relies completely on social media for news. 

The article says, "Kids born dur­ing or around the COVID-19 pan­dem­ic are already show­ing delays in social and emo­tion­al devel­op­ment." Since everyone had to quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic, kids and teens were left to rely on technology in order to communicate with their friends and family.

Coming out of quarantine, adolescents became so used to talking via texting or calling that their in-person communication abilities are drastically weakened. Many choose to hide behind their phones now instead of socializing with others because they don't know how to interact with people due to the increase of isolation and depression during COVID-19. 

As far as behavioral development goes, technology has ruined the way Gen Alpha treats fellow classmates, friends, and even family. My boyfriend, who works at a daycare and is surrounded by kids everyday, recalls an instance where he had to confiscate a tablet from two kids because they were fighting over it, resulting in both of them getting angry. 

A common term said in today's society is "brain rot" and is derived from TikTok. The slang term refers to, "the supposed negative psychological or cognitive effects caused by consuming low quality or excessive amounts of online content" (Wikipedia). A few of the most popular examples include, "gyatt," (buttocks) "rizz," (having strong charisma) and "big back" (someone overweight). 

Most kids will constantly repeat these words to others without knowing the meaning behind them and how some of them could be offensive. The idea of "brain rot" is a never ending cycle as one person sees a video of an influencer saying it and immediately think that it is an acceptable term to say in everyday talk. This begins the spread of negative conversation between kids without even truly knowing they are saying hurtful things. 

It is clear that technology has put a strain on Gen Alpha's relationships and behavior, but what about Gen Z?

Technology has become so advanced that it has made it to where Gen Z can earn a college degree completely virtual. Just thinking about this statement is crazy given that Gen X didn't have anywhere near the complex technology as we have today and had to do everything in-person, making it way easier for young adults today to get college credits online without having to work as hard. 

Moving to the darker side of technology, social media apps in young adults, specifically Snapchat and dating platforms, can be dangerous. In June 2024, a man named Evan Blankenship used the shared Snapchat location settings to track down a victim, attempting to kidnap her. Ensuring the location settings are turned off on all apps is extremely important as shown in this case and allows for a more safer experience on social media. 

Going along with the decline of human interaction mentioned earlier, technology is changing our love lives. According to Walden University, "Now, 33% of couples have met online, and thats expected to rise by 70% by 2040" (Walden University). The famous dating app, Tinder, is the modern version of how blind dates used to be in older generations, except blind dates are set up by already existing connections. Tinder or any other form of meeting strangers online can be very unsafe as many use it as a kind of "catfishing" by creating fake profiles to get your money and information. 

Circling back to the question asked in the very beginning, technology may enhance our communication, allow us to have access to resources, and stay in touch with friends, but it definitely comes with its negative effects too. In the end, there is no right or wrong answer because like anything else, technology comes with the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

After viewing my screen time, it has made me realize the huge amount of time I spend on my phone each day and to remind myself to find a balance in my use of technology. 

Post #11: EOTO #2 Reaction

In the second group's presentation, it discussed the general subject of the media sphere. 

When breaking this topic down, the counterparts that stuck out to me are mainstream media, whistleblowing, and online influencers.

Mainstream Media

To begin, mainstream media are forms of media, especially traditional forms, that influences larger audiences and are likely to represent accepted opinions/beliefs. The presentation gave the example of the "Big Boys" in the US which consists of CNN, Fox, ABC, New York Times, CBS, NBC, and more. Legacy media relates to more older forms of media that dominated prior to the internet like print, film studios, music studios, and radio broadcasting. This includes companies such as Disney, Warner Media, and ViacomCBS. The impact of mainstream media is being able to share public opinion, political influence, agenda setting, and global awareness.

Whistleblowers

A whistleblower is, "someone who reports waste, fraud, abuse, corruption, or dangers to public health and safety to someone who is in a position to rectify the wrongdoing." In other words, "they promote transparency by promoting wrongdoing."  

An example of a case of whistleblowing was in 2013 when Edward Snowden created the hugest intelligence leak in the National Security Agency's history. Snowden ended up uncovering various worldwide surveillance strategies. Another instance of whistleblowing was when an emergency room physician in the state of Washington, Dr. Ming Lin, posted on social media how hospitals around the world were lacking in resources and how dangerous COVID-19 was in the emergency room.

Although whistleblowing is thought to be a bad thing, it can be good because it helps expose wrongdoing, protect people, and promote fairness and accountability, especially in cases of fraud, abuse, or safety violations.

Online Influencers

Online influencers are people that are popular on social media, have a numerous amount of followers, and can influence people through what they post online. They can have an impact on politics because they connect with younger voters, share political messages or posts and make conversation about the issues. Online influencers literally "influence" how people view political candidates and encourage them to get involved in the elections. 

Even though they can shape public opinion, mainly with younger voters, it can lead to misinformation because online influencers want more followers to make a lot of money through their views and content. 

Post #8: Diffusion of Innovations

Diffusion of innovations is, "a theory that seeks to explain how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread." The theory first became known by Everett Rogers in his book, Diffusion of Innovations in 1962. He says that, "diffusion is the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the participants in a social system."

In order to understand the theory, it can be applied to new, present innovations such as autonomous vehicles. Also known as self-driving cars, autonomous vehicles are capable of navigating and operating with minimal or no human input. The invention became more popular because of factors such as technological advancements, potential safety benefits, and the increase in convenience and efficiency. The use of AI in self-driving cars have allowed for more complex and reliable systems.

On the contrary, some people may be late adopters or not adopters at all because of the safety and reliability concerns, high cost, and the continuous development of the technology. Another reason as to why not everyone uses self-driving cars is because people may prefer having complete control over their car and the experience of driving for themselves, while others worry about the impact on the economy and jobs if they become widespread. 

Along the same lines, there are several downsides to the technology. First, the range on self-driving cars, such Teslas, is less than that of a regular, gas car. Second, it can take awhile, anywhere from fifteen minutes to several hours, to charge a Tesla whereas it only takes a few minutes to get gas. Also, if you don't have a home charger and charge at a charging station, it ends up being a higher cost than gas. 

The positives of owning a Tesla, such as its performance and cost-effectiveness can outweigh the negatives like higher initial purchase price and the limited charging. Not only this, but Teslas are extremely environmental friendly. Since they are electric, they produce no tailpipe emissions which contributes to cleaner air and reduced carbon footprints. 

Post #7: The Progressive Era

The start of anti-war movements date all the way back to America's birth. Almost every war that has ever occurred in the United States has brought with it some type of anti-war movement. 

The Anti-Vietnam War Movement at the University of Michigan, 1965-1972. 

Probably one of the most well-known and significant anti-war movements was the Revolutionary War, when a small minority of American colonists were in favor of the British crown. Approximately 500,000 colonists were Loyalists and 19,000 made up the arms against the patriots. A numerous amount of Loyalists took off to Canada and other parts of the British empire after the revolution. Quakers wanted no part in the war even though they were at risk for persecution by the patriots and the Loyalists. 

Along with this, they even refused to pay taxes or use paper money that was issued by the Second Continental Congress. Later on, there would be movements for the War of 1812, Mexican-American War, Civil War, Spanish-American War, WWI, WWII, and more. 

Nowadays, unfamiliar websites like Antiwar.com and The American Conservative are used by people who have strong anti-war voices and are not usually heard in the mainstream news. This is potentially due to economy not being as stimulated now like it was during WWII. During WWII, the economy went through a "boom," meaning there was an expansion in industrial productions, job creations, and a rise in consumer spending. 

I think we have to seek out obscure websites in order to hear strong anti-war voices because it is a dissenting view point to the mainstream. Neither the Democrats nor Republicans are anti-war, but instead they are both eager to boost military spending and deepen American commitments abroad. 

This chart shows the decline in the anti-war movement with the Democratic Party because of Partisanship.

Anti-war movements are very important in our world as they challenge the authority of governments to wage war and even promote alternative solutions to conflict resolutions. To add to this, they raise awareness about the human cost of war, trauma, and even loss of life. They then can lead to policy changes like the removal of troops from a conflicted war zone. 

Post #9: EOTO #2 (Confirmation Bias)

 What is it?

Confirmation bias is a form of cognitive bias. It is described as "the tendency to process information by looking for or interpreting information that aligns with our existing beliefs."

This bias is something that we as humans we are unaware of as it is a natural response when watching or reading news. When we are watching or reading the news, we are much more likely to agree with information that matches we want to be true and less likely to agree with information that confirms our beliefs. This starts the trend of “fake news” in the world today. We may begin to spread misinformation to our friends and family of news topics that we really want to believe are true but aren’t.

Signs

There are many signs of ways in which confirmation bias can come into play according to VeryWellMind:

1. Not seeking our objective facts

2. Interpreting information to support existing beliefs

3. Only remembering details that uphold your beliefs

4. Ignoring information that doesn't challenge your beliefs

Types

To break down confirmation bias, there are three different types of categories: biased attention, biased interpretation, and biased memory. Biased attention is when we selectively center our attention on information that confirms our views while dismissing data that doesn’t. Biased interpretation is when we consciously interpret information in a certain way that confirms our beliefs. Biased memory is when we selectively remember information that supports our views while ignoring information that doesn’t.

Most people who go through confirmation bias are close minded as they only want to look for information that doesn’t challenge their opinions and beliefs. The first step to do when coming to terms with your confirmation bias is to tackle it head on and openly realize you have it. The next thing is to guard yourself against confirmation bias and try to be more open minded to credible sources with information on topics that will help you be able to get the full picture of an issue instead of only seeing one side. Seek out different perspectives from those who hold opposing views than yours and consider all of the evidence available. 

In order to fully understand the concept of confirmation bias, let's cover several examples of how confirmation bias comes to play in several aspects of our everyday lives.

For example, if we support a certain political candidate, then we are most likely to believe news stories that shed a positive light on them but ignore the stories that are critical and may show them in a more negative light. Confirmation bias is even present in our relationships. For instance, we may befriend someone who shares the same beliefs and values as us and not be open to befriending someone who doesn’t. As a result, this can lead to an echo chamber effect, a concept the previous group mentioned, because we only are able to hear information that confirms our views and never have our opinions altered. In addition, confirmation bias can oftentimes lead to bad decision making. The source, VeryWellMind gives the example of if you are set on getting a job at a particular company, then you may not consider the other opportunities that are awaiting you and may be better fit.

All things considered, confirmation bias has a great impact in our everyday lives and being able to avoid it isn’t possible. While it is mostly viewed as bad, it gives us a source of confidence and certainty to be firm in our beliefs.

Post #6: EOTO #1 Reaction

After listening to all of the presentations for EOTO #1, the group that stuck out to me the most was the one which discussed the history of cassette tapes, carrier pigeons, printing press, and social media. 

Casette Tapes

Cassette tapes were first invented by Lou Ottens for Philips Company in Belgium in 1962. It was used for analog media and diction, but later was converted for music coverage. Cassette tapes became popular due to the convenience and portability of them along with the help of Sony Walkmans and Boomboxes. They were arguably the first technology that allowed people to share music, recordings on a larger scale. 

The first cassette tape created by deceased, Lou Ottens.

Later on, piracy started to become a big issue because of how easy it was to get access to them, resulting in sale drops of vinyl records. Along with vinyl records, cassettes became to common back then that they were killing the vinyl sales. To end this, music companies came out with exclusive music on vinyls and cassettes. 

However, the introduction of CD's started to hurt both cassettes and vinyl sales because of the similar benefits of a cassette and better audio quality. 

Carrier Pigeons or "Messengers"

Carrier pigeons were first used in ancient times in Egypt by the Greeks and Romans, being the first source of communication. They then spread to journalists in the 1860's for reporting news from far cities during both World Wars. 

The most well-known pigeons include: Cher Ami who was awarded for bravery on the battlefield in the Croix De Guerre, GI Joe who was awarded the Dickin Medal, and Commando who was also awarded the Dickin Medal. 

Printing Press

The oldest printed book was around 868 AD and block printing was around 600-900 AD. By the 1000's, a moveable type of printing was invented. Johannes Gutenberg designed the very first printing press in the mid 1400's, but was replaced by the rotary press in the 1800's. 

The printing press impacted the news industry, making it more accessible to the public. Information then began to spread and reached the scientific community. By famous works being printed, it strengthened the renaissance.

Social Media

Facebook was founded in 2004 by Zuckerberg, Saverin, Moskovitz, and Hughes. The original version called Facemash in 2003 let Harvard students rate female attractiveness, but soon got shut down and turned into what we now know as Facebook. It then expanded to Yale, Stanford, and similar universities. By June 2004, more than 250,000 students from 34 schools had joined.

In addition, Instagram launched in 2010 by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. It was created to share photos and experiences more easily. The "influencers trend" began on Instagram and from there influencers built large followings and promoted products/services. 

Although it has its perks, social media definitely has its downsides. Facebook brought privacy concerns, cyberbullying, and misinformation. Instagram brought harmful effects on teens mental health such as depression and anxiety by promoting unrealistic body images. 

Perhaps I found these topics interesting because they have shaped the world of communication into what we know today. They have all played a role in different ways in society whether it be scrolling on social media and keeping in touch with friends or allowing us to get our news more quickly because of the printing press. 

Post #4: Privacy = Violated

Technology as a whole is an excellent source of communication to stay in touch with friends and family. Without it, we wouldn't be able to receive updates about the latest information and news occurring in the world on a day-to-day basis. 

But like anything else, there is no doubt that technology definitely comes with its flaws, the biggest being an invasion of privacy. 

How do these issues affect you? Your friends and family?

The invasion of privacy issues raised in these videos affect not only me, but my friends and family too in ways that are very scary. The fact that the in-person conversations that I have with others are always listened in on by the government through my phone or other source of technology is honestly frightening. It leaves me scared whenever I mention wanting to buy, for example, a new pair of shoes and then suddenly an ad for the same pair of shoes appear on Facebook. 

I feel uncomfortable that my privacy is continuously violated everyday, whether it be the government constantly listening or hackers making their way into my social media accounts and pretending to be me to my followers in order to get their information too. 

I also found it interesting that in the video with Juan Enriquez he brings up the idea of digital tattoos. Digital tattoos shape your reputation depending on the digital footprint you leave online. Enriquez compares physical, body tattoos to that of digital tattoos and argues that they provide as much information for a person as body tattoos ever could. A common way of contributing to your digital footprint is through allowing a website to install cookies on your device. 

A protest back in 2014 to fight back against government surveillance.
 

What should the government be doing about these issues?

To help in improving privacy issues, the government should implement more regulations on companies like Google Home and Amazon Alexa that are other sources of technology that are always listening to people's conversations. Such regulations should be laws that protect individual data privacy, require companies to only collect data for their own purposes, and most importantly spread awareness to educate the public about the dangers of privacy invasion. 

What can we do to protect ourselves from invasions of our privacy?

Although the problem of invasion of privacy will probably never be fully resolved, we can ensure we are protected as citizens by making our social media accounts private instead of public and installing software like two-factor authentication and other authenticator apps so people can't hack our personal accounts.

 

These apps make it to where you need extra stuff to log into your accounts, making it almost impossible for people to be able to hack your accounts even if they have your password. 

As a society, we must demand for more laws and regulations regarding technological privacy as it is a right that everyone deserves to have as human beings. 

Post #5: EOTO #1 (The Invention of Magazines)

 The Earliest Known Magazines

Magazines were said to have started in the early 17th century once the printing press became used in Europe. The earliest known magazine was the German magazine, translated to Edifying Monthly Discussions. It was invented by Johann Rist, a poet in Hamburg, Germany in the 1600's. This inspired other publications of journals in Europe such as Denis de Sallo’s Journal des Scavans, The Royal Society Philosophical Transactions, and Francesco Nazarri’s Giomale de letterati. In 1672, a Frenchman named Jean Donneau de Vize published Le Mercure Galant that included news, short stories, and poetry. After this, more publications like this became very popular and increased enthusiasm for education.

The 18th century came and brought many women who enjoyed literacy and caused the record of reading numbers to go up. As a result, numerous women were then inspired to write their own work of literature for female readers. It also helped magazines to thrive because of the high number of female readers who used the magazines as a source of knowledge and entertainment, leading to the publication of the Athenian Mercury, a magazine especially written for women in 1693. 

Magazines in Britain

During the early 18th century in Great Britain, there were three major influential magazines that were published in the time period and were read regularly: Robinson Crusoe, Review,  Tatler, and Spectator. Publications such as these were published either daily or several times a week. They were supplied just as fast as newspapers but the content itself was similar to that of a magazine. The Review was written about domestic and foreign affairs and contained opinion-based political articles. The Tatler and Spectator, to quote, “emphasized living and culture and frequently used humor to promote virtuous behavior.” In 1709, the creation of the Female Tatler and the Female Spectator in 1744 became popular because of the amount of female readers that the Tatler and Spectator got.

 

Magazines in America

The year 1741 was the launch of American magazines from American Magazine by Andrew Bradford and General Magazine by Benjamin Franklin. The magazines quickly became rivals since they debuted a few days a part from each other. Unfortunately, the two magazines' fame lasted only a few months as the cost to read them was very high. 

By the 1830s, publishers started making cheaper magazines from a decrease in the cost of printing and mailing publications in hopes of attracting a wider audience. Magazines began to transform into amusement based rather than reason. They also shifted from being targeted to the elite class, but instead sent out family magazines, children magazines, and women magazines since the magazine business had grown. One of the earliest women magazines was Godey’s Lady’s Book, printed in Philadelphia between 1830 and 1898. The magazine sought out female readers and employed over 150 women.

The first and most successful magazine in the United States was The Saturday Evening Post. It was distributed weekly and started printing in 1821 and remained until 1969. The magazine got renowned in 1971 and went through alterations to center more around health and medical breakthroughs. Because of this change, it then began to produce 90,000 copies per year. The hit magazine was the first to ever put artwork on the cover. It utilized famous artists work such as Norman Rockwell and famous authors work like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Sinclair Lewis, and Ring Lardner which made the public want to read it more.

Another popular magazine in the U.S. during this time from 1827 to 1929 was Youth’s Companion which was targeted towards younger readers and inspired them to act righteous by advertising religious content. It expanded itself from younger readers to an adult audience by including tame entertainment pieces. 

Most publications back then costed around twenty-five or thirty-five cents per issue which left only a small category of people being able to buy them. In 1893, Samuel Sidney McClure started selling for fifteen cents McClure’s Magazine, a literary and political magazine. Many magazines began to use this affordable tactic. Cosmopolitan sold at around thirteen cents an issue and Munsey Magazine at ten cents. These magazines ultimately increased the number of people buying from 250,000 to 750,000. This cost decrease of magazines eventually led to more successful buying rates. By the 20th century, advertising in magazines became more prominent. Magazines would raise their advertising rates which increased the money they made. 

In 1923, Time became the first newsmagazine which focused on world news. The newsmagazine hit its peak in 1928 and the readership grew from there. Soon after, more newsmagazines began to appear. Business Week was founded in 1929 and was concentrated on the global market. Forbes began in 1917 as a biweekly and is focused on finances. It continues to be one of the most popular news magazines today.

A former Time editor founded Newsweek in 1933 and has over 4 million readers. The two magazines continue to compete for readership today. 

Along with newsmagazines, photojournalism was introduced in the 20th century. The most influential picture magazines by Henry Luce was Life between 1936 and 1972. It gained around 1 million readers in a short few weeks. The publication’s motto was, “to see life; to see the world; to witness great events; to watch the faces of the poor and the gestures of the proud; to see strange things.” Another similar magazine, Look printed between 1937 and 1971 and competed with Life for a bigger audience.

21st Century

Although magazines are continuing to be read and published, the use of technology has made it to where people can get their news and entertainment by the quick tap of a button and in most cases for free. 

Post #2: The History and Workings of the U.S. Supreme Court

"The Supreme Court of the United States remains the most powerful judicial body on earth."

From watching the two videos regarding the U.S. Supreme Court, I became more familiar with what their job specifically entails and the history of the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Summary

The U.S. Supreme Court began to form as a result of the Judiciary Act of 1789 and nine justices are appointed by the current president during the time period. The role of the Supreme Court includes: safeguarding liberty, preserving the union, and upholding the rule of law. The videos state that although they are trained in law, they handle human dilemmas. Many justices serve for sixteen years, or even longer, before switching out for new justices. 

In 1801, the government moved to Washington, D.C. and the Supreme Court was given temporary headquarters in the capitol that wasn't finished yet back then. Around the same time, a young lawyer named John Marshall was appointed as Chief Justice. Under his ruling, the court declared for the first time in history that overturning an act of Congress was unconstitutional. John Marshall left a lasting impact on the Constitution and led the new Supreme Court to be shown more respect to the public. Around approximately twenty years pass by and the Supreme Court ran into a massive slavery problem. Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney ruled that, "Congress had no power to ban slavery, and that blacks could never be citizens." The problem was fixed and the Constitution was altered to abolish slavery, define citizenship, and granted voting privileges. 

In today's world, the Supreme Court receives over 7,000 cases a year. A certiorari, an order in which the court reviews a decision of the lower court, are most of the cases that are sent in to the Supreme Court. The court then meets weekly to decide which cases they are going to accept and which they will not. 

The lawyers on the opposing sides in a case have a thirty minute time slot to make their arguments before the Supreme Court. After hearing both arguments, all nine of the justices meet in their conference area to vote on the case. Once they vote and decide, a justice on the majority side must write an opinion which states the legal reasons for their vote. 

Reflection

The U.S. Supreme Court was something very interesting to learn more about since I wasn't very familiar with it before watching the videos. The most important takeaway from these videos is how the nine justices can uphold laws they find constitutional and decline laws that they don't approve. After watching the videos, I view the Supreme Court in a more positive way as they ensure that our laws that we are supposed to follow are constitutionally correct. Without the U.S. Supreme Court, America wouldn't be as regulated if we didn't have our laws reviewed by the justices. 

Post #3: The Eight Values of Free Expression

The eight values of free expression, which ultimately formed as a result of the First Amendment, gives everyone the opportunity to convey their values and ideas in unique ways, also allowing us to have protected freedoms in our everyday lives. The eight values are:

1. Marketplace of Ideas

2. Participation in Self-Government 

3. Stable Change

4. Individual Self-Fulfillment 

5. Check on Governmental Power

6. Promote Tolerance 

7. Promote Innovation

8. Protect Dissent

Out of the eight values, the two that resonate with me the most are individual self-fulfillment and promote innovation.

Individual Self-Fulfillment

When the First Amendment was signed in 1791, it granted individuals the right to have their speech protected. As mentioned in the description of individual self-fulfillment, it allows everyone to express themselves and be able to form their own identity. It is solely about achieving a sense of purpose and focusing on goals that are meaningful to you in order to live a content life. 

Personally, I have experienced individual-self fulfillment through pursuing my passions and talents. Being an actor and singer, I love sharing my natural gift to the world through performing in plays and musicals and singing at my church. I also am involved in the Collision Worship band at High Point University which performs on the Wednesday and Sunday night chapel services. In addition, I am a Christian with a heart for Christ. By singing in church services, I have found a way to channel my values and beliefs through my passions by being a witness to others about God. 

I find this value to be very significant and crucial when being able to differentiate ourselves amongst other people. Everyone is their own person and to have the opportunity to voice your own opinions and ideas freely is incredible. From my point of view, individual self-fulfillment is also key to developing a sense of autonomy, which is the ability to make your own choices as a human without external control. All in all, without the presence of this notable value, we wouldn't be able to contribute to society which is essential for personal growth. 

Promote Innovation

The second value that stuck out to me the most was promoting innovation. To me, this value holds an equal level of importance as individual self-fulfillment. According to promoting innovation, it states to actively encourage and support the execution of new and improved ideas through free speech to advance society as a whole. 

A most obvious instance of promoting innovation in my life is  here at High Point University. For example, in the student-run newspaper organization called the View Point that I am a part of on campus, we have the freedom to choose what kind of stories are covered. This demonstrates free speech as we are able to report topics that we find interesting, creating a more energized environment where we are enthusiastic about our story topics. To go along with this, the organization fosters a diverse range of story articles written by students since everyone has different interests.  In general, college is a huge place to promote innovation within the students, faculty, and community. Whether an athlete, singer, actor, dancer, musician, cheerleader, and many more, each student has the chance to make a change within their particular area. 

Overall, promoting innovation gives everyone the option to voice their thoughts more creatively, efficiently, and constructively. Society will only continue to benefit with the assistance of the people who care deeply to improve it. Not only will society be positively impacted, but each individual will have a better quality of life and well being as a result of their ambition and hard work. 

With the use of these two values of free expression, let's work to not only make a change, but to be the change in the world. 

Post #1: My Top Five Sources of News and Information

Media and news are ways for people to stay informed about current information that is happening in the world today. For me, I get my news from five different sources ranging from social media platforms to news channels like Tik Tok, Instagram, WXII 12, the Today Show, and Entertainment Tonight.

 1. Tik Tok

In today's generation, Tik Tok has become one of the most popular social media apps in the world and one of my most used. This is not only because of the various trends and videos, but also because of the news produced on it through verified influencers. Tik Tok being a short video platform allows for high amount of information gain in a brief period of time, however the minute-long videos may leave out details and content but that can be remedied by further research after seeing a topic on Tik Tok. 

2. Instagram

Instagram, like Tik Tok, is a great source for me to keep with up with my friends and see what is occurring  in the world, especially via the explore page and reels. Both apps can be referred to as an "eco chamber", meaning that all of the values and ideas of a user are positively reinforced by algorithm. On the other hand, beliefs that a user doesn't agree with are hardly ever shown, thus furthering the concept of an eco chamber. For example, since I love to workout, I regularly watch Instagram reels of workout routines that I could follow in the future. Just from liking one video, a numerous amount of other workout content tend to pop up on my feed since the app knows I have previously viewed something similar before. I like this feature because it essentially customizes the app to make it filled with things you enjoy to watch and believe in rather than showing a post that are contrary to your opinions. 

3. WXII 12

Since I am from Winston Salem, I normally watch WXII 12, mainly when I am at home with my parents. I personally find it important to keep up with your local news to ensure you know what is going on in your hometown. It also helps you learn information about events taking place around your area, decisions about local politics, and issues that could be directly impacting your community.

4. Today Show

My parents have always watched the Today Show, but once I took a girls trip in 2017 to New York City and had the opportunity to go on the Today Show live is when I started to really submerse myself in it too. From the fun talk shows they have to the general news portion, it is so entertaining to watch each morning and also be able to stay informed. The Today Show gets approximately five million viewers each morning, making it one of the most successful morning talk shows in America. 

5.  Entertainment Tonight

Lastly, Entertainment Tonight is another notable channel to include in my top sources of information as it contains some of the latest gossip, celebrity interviews, and behind-the-scenes looks in Hollywood. Being a pop culture fan, ET is unique to that of a regular news station as it provides more film and celebrity coverage rather than stories about politics or economic issues.