The invention of technology is one that truly revolutionized the world's way of living as it has penetrated various fields such as communication, medicine, transportation, manufacturing, and so many more. Although technology has caused an immense amount of growth in these fields, there has also been a great deal of negative consequences. As I take the time to reflect upon technology as an entity and the relationship majority hold with technology, I see the relationship as one that is extremely unhealthy.
The video that sparked my train of thought regarding the matter of society's relationship with technology was Julian West's, Mad World Remix of Moby, that illustrates a society that is consumed by technology. From this video I was able to get a new perspective on how much time people are wasting on their technological devices. I believe individuals are wasting their lives online as humans are losing the ability to be present and mindful of what is occurring in the current moment. In contrast of experiencing moments as they occur, society seems to be infatuated with what others are doing, and are looking for the next thing to come. In order to learn more about the effects technology is having on our world today I began researching and looking at previous studies.
Aoife McLoughlin executed research and wrote an article on the concept of one's perception of time in relation to one's use of technology. In the article, "Time Flies: When You're Having phone", McLoughlin discovers that despite technology being a creation that is intended to make tasks more efficient, it creates a misconception of time amongst users. In this study, people were given a survey to gauge the amount of technology they use daily and then were given tasks to do, followed with the question of how much time they thought had passed while doing the tasks. The results showed that those who use a greater amount of technological devices had a greater overestimation of the time that had passed. The great lesson that came from this study was the manner technology has in encouraged fast paced living as one is able to do so much at the tip of their fingers. As a result, there is a dramatized sense of pressure for people to keep up with this fast pace of life in which they lose track of time.
Another aspect that technology has negatively effected is the ability for one to focus and pay attention. For example, the rise of ADHD has been reaching new highs and a huge driving factor of this has been technology. The area I was extremely interested in knowing more about was relationship between technology in places of learning.
Professors, Helen Hembrooke and Geri Gay at Cornell University and published the article, "The Laptop and the Lecture: The Effects of Multitasking in Learning Environments", in which they study this topic in great detail. The study consisted of two groups of students attending the exact same lecture then being tested on the content taught afterwards. One group was allowed to use their laptops during it where as the other group was not. The results proved that students who were utilizing their laptops were more likely to take part in multi-tasking, distracting them from the course content at hand resulting in lower grades.
Unlike other blog posts this one has not only forced me to become more informed on a certain matter but has additionally forced me to carry out introspection. I have never taken the time to deeply acknowledge the relationship I carry with technology however that has changed. To start off my self reflection I have taken the time to evaluate my digital foot print. Currently I am active on platforms TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Snapchat with majority of my accounts being public. If an employer were to look me up online I would feel at ease knowing I have been cognizant of everything I post.
Although I have been consistently mindful of what I post, I have not been attentive to my use of such apps. I specifically struggle with constantly using TikTok as I average an hour a day on the app. It is concerning to think that I spend an hour a day watching 15-30 second videos. Additionally, it is disappointing that I am spending this amount of time on an app that is contributing nothing to my intelligence. Now that I am aware of this I am going to limit my time on the app or hopefully delete it.
Technology is something unavoidable as it is continuing to be more and more relied upon, however it is up to the person who uses it to be mindful of it's possible effects. To whomever is reading this, put limits on your technology use and take the time to live life through your personal experiences rather than living through a screen.
One may believe they have a strong understanding regarding a certain topic which is exactly how I felt about the concept of a whistleblower, until I listened to my fellow classmate's EOTO presentation. Hay's Turner dissected the concept of a whistleblower in her presentation, and did so in a manner that was captivating and informative, causing me to have revelations about the topic.
A whistleblower refers to someone who makes confidential information public without permission, typically with the intent to expose unjust actions. The reasoning behind a whistle being symbolic of this act is because of the manner in which a whistle is used to captivate those around it, which is exactly what whistleblowers are attempting to do. The foundation of this concept is a means of prioritizing the interests of the people therefore, holding organizations and higher ups accountable for actions that may be wrong.
In order to encourage the class to conceptualize what a whistle blower truly is, Turner explained the situation regarding whistle blower, Edward Snowden. Snowden worked for the National Security Agency and exposed the U.S. government for surveilling American citizens. What really took me aback was the outcome of this situation, as the government was violating American's constitutional right to privacy yet there was no form of accountability for the government. Contrary to the U.S. government being punished, Snowden was punished, as he was charged for three different criminal charges as well as possibly 30 years in jail. Although these were the charges, Snowden did escape to Russia where he now resides in order to avoid these charges.
Through this instance, I was able to learn about the importance of having good reason and intent to bring about a positive impact when whistleblowing. For example, Snowden claims his intention was to expose the federal government for its constitutional violation. The most impactful takeaway for me regarding whistleblowing, is the conflict between government interest versus public interest as these matters often go head to head when a whistleblower steps forward.
Artificial intelligence is a term that has been around for quite some time and has been a concept that has been greatly anticipated, and today society is facing it's rapid rise. There is no area of life that is safe from the incorporation of AI as it is visibly becoming a global marvel infiltrating every industry.
In my previous knowledge of AI, I saw it as a very black and white matter, in which I thought of AI to only be a tool for individuals to use as a means of assistance, however the documentary, In the Age of AI has vastly changed my perception of AI. The manner in which every industry is finding ways to use AI and dispose of human roles in the work place is quite alarming, as the priority of the workplace has become efficiency with no regard to the role of humans. Computer scientist, Jerry Kaplan brought to light issues of AI being a driving force in inequality for Americans as opportunities are being taken by AI rather than citizens. This has posed a moral issue as to what is more important for individuals who are pushing for AI, is capital more important or society more important?
Another concept I found to be fascinating was Shoshana Zuboff's concept, surveillance capitalism ,which highlights the societal shift from industrial capitalism to a new form of capitalism. At the basis of understanding this concept, one must shift their previous perceptions of the relationship between social media and a person. Zuboff challenges the idea of individuals merely using social media as she offers the insight that these platforms are using their users as apps to collect endless data on each person.
Industrial capitalism highlights the component of labor and how it generates capital, however now there is the growing issue in which "private human experiences"(Zuboff), are being translated into free concepts. In addition to labor becoming free through AI, there are scandals that have risen consisting of the violation of privacy through AI as well as attempts to manipulate the public's views using AI, such as during the Cambridge Analytica scandal. During this scandal, Facebook compromised 87 million Facebook user's information in which the company, Cambridge Analytica would then delve into in order to establish ways to politically influence people.
Applying what we know about human experiences being monetized and dissected on top of scandals that have unfolded as a result of these actions has cause me to be opposed to the vast incorporation of AI. Not to say AI does not have its positives, however, I think it is crucial for the public to push for boundaries regarding AI before it takes over all roles in society.
