Final Blog Post: Our Relationship With Technology.

    It is no secret that people in our modern society have a strong relationship with technology. Anybody who is reading this has a relationship with technology. Technology is one of the greatest things available to us today. More specifically, the internet is easily one of the most impactful inventions the world has ever seen. According to statista.com, an estimated 5.19 billion people have access to the internet. That is roughly 64.6% of the entire global population. All of these people have access to essentially every piece of information they could ever need about any topic, in their pocket. If you had to tell that fact to a person living one hundred years ago, they would've looked at you like you have three heads. 

The benefits of the internet are almost innumerable. It allows people to communicate to people anywhere on the planet. People rely on it for work and their income. Most importantly, it allows to rapid advances in medicinal technology to help save lives all across the world. Overall, it can be used for nearly every task imaginable. Personally, I use the internet mainly for social media communication. I always have my phone open to communicate plans for the day with my friends, family, and even professors. I also use it to make money, as many people do. The internet allows me to connect with my clients from anywhere, helping me run my small business as efficiently as I can. I also really like the internet for entertainment. Like many people nowadays, I'm guilty of mindlessly swiping on TikTok and Instagram for large portions of the day. 

This brings me into the negatives of the internet. Cyberbullying did not exist before the implementation of cell phones and computers. Many people experience some sort of hate or bullying while online, and it results in depression, suicides, or anxiety. People tend to bully more online rather than in-person because they can hide behind a computer screen. They receive minimal to no consequences for their actions. When online, people can also choose to be anonymous, which aids to the frequency of cyberbullying. One topic usually forgotten when discussing the internet is your digital footprint. Everything you have ever posted or commented on is being kept as data somewhere. When you are online, it is important to remember that nothing on the internet actually disappears forever. My personal biggest fear is my future employer denying me a job position because of a picture that was taken of me years ago. This is why I have been super careful to not post anything that I wouldn't want my close family seeing. It is crucial that your appearance online is the absolute best version of yourself. Another negative of technology is that it isn't super cheap for how necessary it is. It costs thousands of dollars for new technology nowadays, which it ridiculous when you're live would be extremely difficult without it. For example, if I couldn't afford a phone, I would not be able to email my professors, check my grades, or turn in assignments. I personally don't like the fact that having a smartphone in this world in now a necessity. I have been trying to use my phone less and less so that I can enjoy my life more, but society keeps dragging me back in. This leads us into the question, "When does it ever stop?" Truthfully, I don't think it will. Technology will continue to evolve and build on top of itself. For the sake of future generations, I hope it can be managed in such a way that the positives continue to significantly outweigh the negatives. 

Post 10: The Age of AI

The documentary video explained how Artificial Intelligence and machines are becoming increasingly more present in our daily lives. I learned about how AI can now do human-like tasks, better than any human could ever do. For example, the documentary showed how researchers developed a specific AI to learn to master a very difficult board game. The AI was able to beat the best player in the world multiple times, proving its competence. This also shows how powerful AI can be when it is properly made. The scary part is what could happen when it is not given any restrictions. 

Another important takeaway is that AI and machines are taking over many peoples jobs. The video covers a small industrial town, where the economy is based almost entirely on manufacturing. Many people who live in this town work at factories in production and assembly lines. Machines are quickly replacing all off the manual labor in the city, leaving many people without jobs. The reason the companies are doing this is because they don't have to worry about paying the machines are hourly wage. Machines also don't need to take sick days, vacation days, and they can work 24/7. The workers who live in this town have gone on strike, showing that they don't want machines to take all of their jobs. 

Artificial Intelligence is not entirely a negative thing. It can allow people to learn and study in an entirely new way. For example, chat GPT can help somebody by explaining a very specific and complicated topic in a manner that is easy to understand. You can even ask it to explain the topic to you like to are a five year old. When utilizing AI in the correct way, it can be incredibly useful to have a general understanding of a topic in a short period of time. Of course, it is completely wrong to use AI to cheat in school, however, it can be used to help you study. AI can easily explain certain topics to you that you are struggling with, helping you study better. When used in a proper manner, it can be a very helpful tool. For example, I could ask an AI to give me a brief summary of a historical figures life. This way, when I get to class, I could understand what the professor is talking about so that I won't fall behind in class. It is important to adapt to the future or else you won't ever become successful. This is the foundation to the "work smarter, not harder" motto. 

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Post 11: Alternative Media

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 To give it a definition, alternative media is any type of media that is not under control of a business opportunity or government agency. For example, alternative media consists of personal websites, e-books, e-magazines, and streamed audio. This is different than traditional media, which includes mainstream newspapers, radio stations, and television channels and shows. Alternative media includes many smaller forms of media that the average person wouldn't really use. The main function of alternative media is to provide non-bias and different perspectives of media than what is main streamed. To elaborate, social media posts and comments on those posts will usually have a different perspective on a situation than the news channel. The opinions of the general public are more relatable rather than the opinions of the news company. Also, a benefit of alternative media is that it can be less biased, as people can more easily express their opinions. Mainstream news outlets are able to filter out certain parts of the news that they do to wish to share and popularize. The government also has a big say in what larger news outlets are allowed to talk about. On the contrary, the government absolutely cannot block out what the general public has to say, especially in the form of alternative media. Alternative media is becoming more and more prominent as time goes on. With the presence of social media, people can share their opinions much more easily than in the past few decades. Especially in todays climate, people are not as afraid to express their opinions to others and the government. This is a relatively good thing, as it is always important that people try to keep others in check. With this, it is also important the general public continues to criticize the government. This way, corruption and censorship can be avoided. Like stated, social media plays a big part in alternative media. Live streams on Instagram of live action news stories are a good example of how social media can get involved in alternative media. Tweets also provide brief information and updates that also include the users personal opinions. Social media as a form of alternative media has a big presence among younger generations. Young teens have access to social media, and hundreds of forms of alternative media. 

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