My Relationship w/ Technology FINAL POST

 

Technology and Me: A Love Hate Relationship

I am, per my biography, a 19-year-old college student in 2021. I currently own an iPhone, a MacBook, a tablet, an Apple Watch and have recently ordered a google home device... so I suppose you could say I live a life that is extremely centered around technology.

My relationship with technology has its ups and downs and I often question whether or not it is a healthy or unhealthy relationship.

I'd like to say that my relationship with technology is healthy because I know when I've had too much time staring at a screen. Technology is also extremely beneficial to me. My laptop helps me get all of my school work done on all of the digital platforms we use now due to the pandemic and I can use it to search for new things or resources for projects online which informs me about new topics and gives me the latest facts about what's going on in the world around me. My phone keeps me in touch with friends, family and other loved ones and I can take my tablet with me on the go as an easy way to take notes without all of the extra paper. But to say that this is all there is to my relationship with technology would not be true. Trying to figure out if my relationship with technology is healthy or not, is NOT as simple as it seems.

though I've already listed several things that make my relationship with technology seem pretty standard, there are several things that make that relationship seem much more damaging. I can sense technology beginning to take over many aspects of my life. When my friends and I are "hanging out" it usually consists of all of us sitting in a room, on our phones, with the only dialogue happening when one of us has a funny picture or video to show the other. this issue has also migrated into my life in terms of my health. Sometime I realize that I've been staring at a screen for so long that the blue light has cause me to develop a headache. now everything I'm on my phone for more that about an hour I expect a headache. (This has also gotten me to invest in a pair of blue light glasses which work wonders.). This is something that I never realized could be somewhat of an addiction until my senior year of high school when I began to receive more technology as gifts in preparation for college.

In short, if I had to decide whether my relationship with technology overall was healthy or unhealthy, I'd have to say it is fairly unhealthy and I may even go as far as saying that I am a technology addict whose phone never leaves their hand. As much as I try to deny it, and as much as technology benefits me in many aspects of my life, it is holding me back from so much. having a phone in my face all the time has made me forget how to truly appreciate the things and the people around me. Not every moment needs a selfie or a video to post to instagram or snapchat. sometimes memories are simply the things you remember and I hope that I can learn to keep technology out of the picture when it come to my important moment such as time spent with friends I don't see that often or at dinner with my family. Technology can only take over ones life if they allow it to and I refuse to let technology take me away from anymore of the amazing things going on in the real world rather that the small one I've created on my devices.

Addictions to technology have become a normalized phenomenon in today's society. This is unfortunate and it deeply concerns me because I feel as though life would be just as, if not more, enjoyable without it. There would also be many benefits to everyone decreasing their careless use of technology. Here are the Top 3

#1 The Online FootPrint

Fun Fact, everything we tweet, snap, or post to our online profiles is there forever, even if we delete it. When you apply for a job, that random late night post about how you called out sick from work to sleep in will be one of the things your then not-so-potential employer will see. Not going to technology for every little moment could significantly decrease and negativity you could possibly be leaving online.

Luckily, I don't post to my social medias much. When I do it's typically a picture of my dogs, my family or a random quote I feel inspires by so, not much to judge there. But if I were to post a long rant about an extremely controversial topic on Facebook tomorrow and then delete it after many people have seen it or possibly even screens hotted it, that would live on the internet forever and my future employers would not be please, especially in the journalism industry. This is why it's important to keeps track of what you're putting on the internet.

#2 Privacy Concerns

while social media is a very easy and convenient way to keep up with friends and share posts from time to time, it requires you to give up a lot of privacy. think about it, just signing up requires your phone number and your email. Taking a break from social media would make the companies which track your likes, posts and other interests to make you "for you page" or instagram feeds cater to you specifically, stop paying so much attention for a while and let you take some of your privacy back.

I realized that when I stopped using social media even for a week, I stopped getting spa many random emails and pop-ups on my internets browsers from things I looked up on instagram. It was quite the relief.

#3 Reconnect With REALITY

taking a step back from technology give you an opportunity to reconnect with your surroundings. whether it be nature, friends, family or pets, taking a break from your screen can uplift you and make your overall mood much better. You can relearn how to connect with others face-to-face, rather than through a screen. It give you an opportunity to live in the moment, in your own moment rather than scrolling through a feed looking at everyone else's or feeling the need to share yours. A social media/ technology "detox" is extremely beneficial and can help you take your mind and your life back from your devices.

This is something I plan on working on to improve my relationship with technology and I encourage other people, especially college students to do the same before technology begins to completely control your life.

MLK Blog

 I HAVE A DREAM: MLK BLOG

 I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal.

 I HAVE A DREAM (FULL SPEECH)

Know Your RIGHTS!

Linked below is the Bill of Rights, we must make ourselves recognized as human beings!

Bill Of Rights

(https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/bill-of-rights-transcript)

Need A Lawyer? Call the NAACP!

NAACP Legal Team

(https://naacp.org/naacp-legal-team/)

What We Are MARCHING For

EQUALITY

VOTING RIGHTS

AN END TO POLICE BRUTALITY

A BETTER FUTURE FOR OUR CHILDREN 

REMEMBER TO ACT IN LOVE!

WE MAY BE MET WITH ACTS OF HATRED AND IGNORANCE BUT WE MUST ALWAYS REMAIN PEACEFUL AND NONVIOLENT IN ORDER TO PROTECT OURSELVES AND THOSE AROUND US. PEACE WILL SET US FREE.

My Writings

News In Civil Rights

Artificial Intelligence

 

What is Artificial Intelligence and What does it do?

Artificial intelligence is the ability of technology to mimic the abilities of the human mind, this includes recognizing objects and languages, making decisions and solving complex problems

How Does AI Impact Our Privacy?

AI can identify, track and monitor individuals across multiple devices, no matter where they are. However your personal data is anonymous once it becomes a part of a large data set, but then an AI can de-anonymize this data based on inferences from other devices. So AI technology can significantly impact privacy in bth negative and positive ways but one does not out weigh the other as there are risks with everything that pertain to technology and privacy in general.

Can It Risk National Security?

In short, yes artificial intelligence COULD be a risk to national security if it were to get to a point where we are leaving technology in charge of major tasks such as securing military codes or even doing work on a government level without proper control by humans.

Where Is It Going From Here?

In the past few years, AI has evolved into a  tool that enables machines to think and act just like humans. It has also gotten the attention and focus from many tech companies around the world and is considered to be the next big technological shift after the evolution in mobile and cloud platforms.

Blog post: Supreme Court

  The Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is the judicial branch of the government and the highest court in the country. It has jurisdiction over state and local governments. The supreme court's main job is to interpret the law and defend the constitution. the do this by often hearing cases from smaller courts and ensuring cases follow the rules and laws laid out in the constitution.

Supreme Court Case of 1952: Brown V. Board of Education

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, was a decision in which the Court ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segregated schools are otherwise equal in quality. The Court's unanimous decision stated that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal", and violate the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The Browns and twelve other black families similarly filed a lawsuit in U.S. federal court against the Topeka Board of Education, claiming that its segregation policy was unconstitutional. The U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas held a verdict against the Browns, using the precedent of the Supreme Court's decision in Plessy v. Ferguson, where the Court had ruled that racial segregation was not a violation of the Equal Protection Clause. The Browns, who were represented by Thurgood Marshall, appealed to the Supreme Court . The Court's decision overruled Plessy v. Ferguson by declaring that the "separate but equal" doctrine was unconstitutional for American public schools and educational facilities

the Supreme Court has so much power because it is necessary to give a body of people the ability to discuss issues that could impact many people and allow them to throughly study the constitution and ensure that even the smallest of cases brought to them are being done properly.

The nine current Supreme Court justices are: Sonia Sotomayor, Samuel Alito, Elena Kagan, Clarence Thomas, John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Stephen Breyer, Amy Barrett

For more information about the United States Supreme Court, visit its website : https://www.supremecourt.gov  

Blog Post #4

 

First Amendment: Freedom of the Press

The constitution when defining the first amendment states the following: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." This means that when it comes to issues of religion, speech, peaceful assembly, petitioning the government or the press, the government cannot interfere in such a way that would violate said rights. and while many would think that it would be easy for the government to avoid interfering with the rights of citizens we tend to see it more than we should. especially when it comes to the freedom of the press.

This issue of government interference with the freedom of the press was seen recently during the presidency of the 45th president, Donald J. Trump. According to an article written by Sally Gimson entitled US media freedom fraying at the edges, there was a lot of attention drawn to the issue because of Trumps frequent and public bouts with members of the press during his conferences and his "slanderous" comments about certain news outlets that did not cover him as well as he wanted which he often dubbed as "fake news". A New York Times article (

Trump Renews Pledge to ‘Take a Strong Look’ at Libel Laws) discusses how Former President Trump wanted to make it easier for people to sue organizations for cases of "defamation" the former leader also proceeded to call the country's libel laws a "sham" and during this same period of time, his own lawyer filed a lawsuit against major news outlet, Buzzfeed. This obsession with the nation's libel laws began after Trumps team caught wind of the White House's negative looks in a book that was set to be published and released by Michael Wolfe. The ACLU slammed Trump's claims and confirmed that what he was trying to do was not only not credible but unconstitutional.

If the first amendment in our bill of rights is said to "guarantees freedom of expression by prohibiting Congress from restricting the press or the rights of individuals to speak freely." then that is exactly what it should do and we should had our govenement officials accountable for upholding that right.

The Eight Values Of Free Expression

 My Favorites of the

8 Values Of Free Expression

#1: Discovery of Truth  

This is one of my favorite Values of Expression because I believe that honesty will always prevail. Honesty in general, but especially when it comes to government, is extremely important. Milton developed this value to suggest that when the truth and deception or dishonesty are given the opportunity to clash or are presented together, the truth will always prevail. For example, if someone who is clearly right were to argue with someone who is just as obviously wrong, the person who is wrong would lose, therefore making the other person's truth even stronger.  Honesty and trust are important parts of what makes the relationship between people or citizens and their government strong and durable. If everyone was always dishonest with one another, nobody would have really, fulfilling relationship and nobody would trust each other. This value is most important in government or when writing about political topic because if your want the public to trust your writing in the professional world then It is important to be honest. Honest speech is hard to find in today's society and also much easier to uncover lies.  That is why now, more than ever, it is extremely important to be open and honest before someone else uncovers the deceit instead.

#2: Participation in Self-Government

Participation in self government is another one of my favorite values of free expression because I agree with the belief "that citizens won't make informed choices in elections if the candidates and advocates of certain policies are not given the full in ability to communicate their positions." without proper knowledge about eh candidates hat are voting for, potential voters will either not vote or vote with no reasoning behind their choice because there is no information available to them that is why the internet is a great advancement because now we can do the research and connect with out candidates and their teams.  all citizens must be informed about public issues so they can participate effectively, whether by voting or by running office. other ways that citizens can participate include: signing petitions, writing letters to representatives, serving as a juror, or even serving in the military. we, as citizens have the full and undeniable right to participate in governing our nation and if we want to make our country the better place to live we all need to do our part and increase citizen participation.

The Progressive Era (1896–1916)

 

The Progressive Era

(1896-1916)

Background:

• The progressive era was initiated as a response to political and corporate business abuses.

• An active belief that the government should solve the people's problems prevailed.

• the people who supported the reforms, "progressives", came from all walks of life and supported and rallied against a variety of causes which include but are not limited to:

Corrupt Political Machines

a political machine is a political group in which a leader or small group command the support of supporters and businesses, who receive money as reward for their efforts. The machine's power is based on the ability of the  group to get out the vote for their candidates on election day.

• Progressives had 4 Main Goals
1. Protect Social Welfare
2. Promote Moral Improvement
3. Create Economic Reform
4. Foster Efficiency

❗KEY TERMS ALERT❗

Muckraker: Group of Journalists who discover the nation's problems and write about them

Secret Ballot:Votes that are cast in secret

Direct Primary:Allows voters to directly select candidates rather than having them being selected by party leaders

Recall:Process by which voters could remove the elected official from office before the end of his term

Referendum:Process that allows citizens to reject or accept laws passed by legislature

Trustbusting: Breaking up large monopolies into smaller competing businesses

• Sherman antitrust act
•  Clayton antitrust act 

In short the progressive era was a time of change and reform, the movement responded to the economic political and social challenges caused by the changing society of the late American 1800s.