Blog Post 12: Final Post

 Final Blog Post

Today, I will be sharing with you all my relationship with technology and how the media has a role in my life. Additionally, I will share information about my digital footprint as well as my online presence.

Relationship Status: Complicated

My relationship with technology and media in itself is very complicated. I love it and hate it at the same time. I find so many positives with it, yet with those positives, I still find a good amount of negatives. 

Here are some of the positives I found with technology:

- Reality Made Easier:

Everyone now has access to knowledge of everything at the tips of their fingers. Our phones provide us with information and technology we could only dream of 40 years ago. We no longer have to open up a dictionary or a book. Just type in what you are looking for into Google and it will find the answers for you. 

- Medical Advancements:

Technology that helps with organ transplants, bionic limbs, gene editing, and 3D-printed organs and tissues are just to name a few amazing advancements. Years and years ago, we would have struggled to find solutions for amputees. Now, we can provide them with bionic arms that help them get back to their normal lives before they were impacted by their amputation.

- Impossible Made Possible:

We now have access to jobs through computers, and even our phones. Our world has self-driving cars and augmented realities. These are just some of the advancements we have made that no one thought could be remotely possible 20 years ago. Technology makes the impossible possible. Without technology, we would likely struggle to function in our everyday lives just because technology makes it so much easier.

Yet...we did function before technology. So, why do we need it so badly now? Have we just become reliant on it? Are we addicted to the ease that technology brings to us in our everyday lives?

Here are the negatives of technology that I found to be true:

- Social Media:

Social media has been a very controversial topic throughout the years since it was introduced. The idea of liking peoples content and commenting seems like a cute idea, no? However, the idea of getting likes and positive comments was something people were beginning to strive for; crave. When people's accounts do not reach a certain following or they do not get a certain amount of likes on their posts, that is when mental health is put in jeopardy. Because overall social standards have been raised to almost an unreachable bar, it is no wonder so many people on social media develop anxiety, depression, FOMO, and body image issues. 

- Technology Takeover:

Technology as we know it is almost implemented in everything, especially when it comes to everyday lives. Microwave? Technology. Refrigerator? Technology. Washer and dryer? Technology. You want to ask a question? Resort to technology. Humans today rely so much on technology that there is no way anyone can imagine living without it. That is what our world has come to. We cannot function without our phones nearby us or in our hand or pocket. We have begun an overreliance on technology. We rely too heavily on calculators, spellcheck, GPS, and so many more things that were more than possible before the time of technology. People would use mental math and write out equations; people used dictionaries to check their spelling; people used paper or laminated maps to find where they were going. Our lives were doable then and they are doable now. However, the issue still remains where we rely so heavily on technology that we have begun not thinking for ourselves.

- Educational Concerns:

With our reliance on technology comes education and cognitive concerns. Between the years of 2000 and 2015, the average attention span of a teenager has gone from 28-42 minutes all the way down to just 8 seconds by 2024. That is alarming. It has decreased so severely due to constant notifications and multitasking, reducing the ability to focus deeply. With my phone around me while doing tasks or homework, I struggle to stay attentive in my work for more than 10 minutes without getting distracted by a notification. 

Technology today is terrifying. It is everywhere, and is implemented in almost everything we know. What would we do without technology?  

Relating to the Short Videos

In the final blog post prompt I have been following, I found that the dark side of technology video appealed the most to me. I see the dark side more than the light. I have never felt more left out and lonely when it comes to social media. Seeing posts about how perfect someone's life looks is very detrimental to my health and I have attempted at telling myself that I should never assume what someone is going through. While it may look perfect on the outside, who knows what is happening on the inside. I prefer to tell myself that there is a vulnerable side to everyone and everyone has their own conflicts like myself. That tends to help me feel less of the effects of FOMO because I can reflect on my own life. 

For the videos I had discussed in other blog posts regarding privacy and online censorship, those are not nearly as thought-provoking for me as the dark side of social media and its effect on mental health. However, I do believe that technology allows the impossible to be possible, and that may not necessarily always be good. Technology may allow governments to surveil its citizens in a non-ethical way, like listening in on private conversations or spying on the actions of citizens, which is very concerning. 

Conclusion

Overall, my relationship with technology is complicated. I struggle to find more good in it than bad, yet I use it every day. I am writing on a computer right now. That is both amazing and horrible at the same time. This just reasserts my opinion that we rely too heavily on technology for all our needs and wants. What happened to writing on paper? 

Thank you so much for following along with me as I explored multiple different topics across all my blog posts concerning laws and media and both combined. I hope you enjoyed reading these as much as I enjoyed typing and compiling them!  

Blog Post 10: Living in the Age of AI

 Living in the Age of AI

Today in this blog post, I will be discussing the video I watched labeled "In the Age of AI," which discussed the positives and the negatives of AI in today's society. Additionally, I will be reflecting on the video and sharing my thoughts on AI.

"In the Age of AI" Video

From watching the video, what I learned that I did not know already was how many jobs are being taken over by AI. At the beginning of the second hour of the video, it shows what looks like a factory, but is labeled as a 'supermarket.' Personally, I cannot imagine why we need machines to do work that someone else could be getting paid to do. It really highlights the significance of how people are becoming less relevant and technology is becoming the new "thang." It is quite terrifying to me that in 20 years, or maybe even less than that, all jobs that humans have will be taken over by technology and AI. They are already exploring using robots in the military and in the medical fields, where robots will perform surgeries and perform other tasks that humans could easily do, but possibly better.

I struggle to understand why we as a society need AI to do tasks anyone could easily do with just a little sweat and tears. Is it because we have become lazy as a society and no longer feel the need to work for what we want? 

Further into the video, it is mentioned that there are "millions of people who work in cashier positions" and in the next few years, it is likely that those jobs will be taken over by AI and technology. A perfect example of this already happening is in the Amazon Fresh grocery stores. I have one in my hometown and it is actually quite terrifying. You walk in, grab a cart, and everything you put into your cart is scanned and added to your virtual Amazon cart. Once you are done shopping, your Amazon account is charged for your groceries and you leave the store. There are no cashiers involved. Now that, to me, is very weird. Why is it that we do not feel the need to provide jobs to those who need them and instead of giving open jobs to people we choose robots? Or none at all, like at the Amazon Fresh store? 

I understand the want for perfection and the want for everything to be easier and more, but isn't taking people out of the equation when it comes to jobs mean less human interaction and more reliance on technology?

Later in the video, it is mentioned that many businesses look at implementing technology and AI into their business due to the want for more efficiency. These businesses are looking for a way to use less workers and promote more productivity and efficiency, yet they are eliminating jobs that could be offered to those that need the money and networking.

One of the lines that stuck the most with me in the video was "And I do think that when we look at some of the studies about opportunity in this country, the likelihood that you won't be able to advance from where your parents were, I think that's...is very serious and gets to the heart of the way we like to think of America as the land of opportunity." While there is a very serious issue with inequality when it comes to the job field, how is technology going to make that any more fair? How will people be able to make a living if technology is doing everything for them.

One other issue I want to address is how we are so reliable on technology and we are no longer going to be able to function at a healthy, productive way. Our next generation needs to be sufficient in taking care of themselves and using their motor skills in order to keep our world functioning. Relying completely on technology to perform simple tasks like packing groceries into a bag or needing AI to write you an essay--when you should be able to do that on your own--will mean that we will never be able to function without technology and there is the possibility that an actual AI apocalypse could occur. God forbid AI becomes conscious and realizes humans are useless and are not needed. 

Conclusion

Overall, my thoughts on AI vary. I love the idea of being able to do things that were once labeled impossible with the help of technology, but I hate the idea that humans will be pushed out of their jobs that keeps them active, attentive, challenges their critical thinking and problem solving skills, communication skills, and productivity, just for technology to take over for them. It does not make sense to employ AI into doing jobs that humans are perfectly capable of. In my opinion, it shows that we want to choose the easy way out.

Next week, I will be reflecting on information shared in the EOTO Presentations by my fellow peers! 'Til next time!