Blog Post #9: EOTO 2 Reaction; Online Influencers

With social media taking over the internet, online content creators and influencers have created strong and widespread platforms. I have watched and followed many social media influencers throughout the years on Instagram, Youtube, and TikTok. Recently, within the last 3 years, TikTok has become the easiest site to grow on. With over 1.5 billion users on the app, the range of content varies. However, there have been celebrities created from this one single app alone. One of the most notable and watched online influencers is Alix Earle. Earle began on TikTok in 2019, posting videos yet only receiving a thousand or so views. She began to go viral in 2021, reaching millions of people with her videos about fashion, college, and lifestyle content. Now, Earle continues to reach fame with over 7 million TikTok followers. 

As someone with an interest in social media, I enjoy watching other online influencers. However, viewers tend to believe everything they see and hear from these well known users. Unfortunately, oftentimes online influencers speak and post without double checking the accuracy of information, which can lead to a mass spread of misinformation. Additionally, another issue that can arise in this position of online power is difficulty being transparent. Many brands want to sponsor and work with these large creators, oftentimes in exchange for money and free products. This results in false reviews, and influencers promoting things that they do not truly like and enjoy. 

As social media continues to grow, more and more people are able to make money off of these platforms. In the year 2023, Earle reportedly made nearly $5 million dollars through her position as an online influencer. Social media is providing people with full time jobs, accompanied by excellent payments. By building personal brands and gaining large followings, these influencers have a large sway in public opinion and spread of information. 

Blog Post #8: The Illusory Truth Effect

    Carrots drastically improve your eyesight, and per year, you swallow 8 spiders while you are asleep. If you have ever heard any of these common sayings, you are a victim of the illusory truth effect. This theory states that the more frequently you hear a piece of information, the more likely you are to believe that it is true. The reasoning behind this is that repetition increases familiarity, tricking your brain into believing the validity and accuracy of the familiar claim.

    The illusory truth effect was first established in the early 1970s through a series of psychological studies. Lynn Hasher, David Goldstein, and Thomas Toppino are credited with the initial research on this theory. They tested their subjects to see if repeating a statement would increase the likelihood that others would believe it. Participants were shown a series of claims by the researchers, some of which were true and some of which weren't. Researchers discovered that people were more likely to trust things that had been presented more frequently, whether or not they were accurate, after hearing some of these comments repeated several times.

Researchers observed that, under controlled conditions on a series of tests several weeks apart, each time an incorrect statement was repeated, participants' confidence in the validity of the statement rose; judgments of the validity of assertions presented uniquely on each test never changed. This theory applies to both information that is true and false, however, the false information that is recognized to be true aids in the spread of misinformation and swaying of public opinion. 

Recently, the world was exposed to the illusory truth effect throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, the claim that this pandemic was created as a deliberate biological weapon was rapidly shared and gained traction as true, despite a lack of credible evidence. While information and medical statistics were rapidly shared on line, the accuracy of the information was not often confirmed by reputable sources. Due to an overload of posts regarding the health crisis, it was reported that over a quarter of the posts shared on Twitter regarding the COVID-19 pandemic were false information, yet it was globally perceived to be accurate. 

While the illusory truth effect can benefit the spread of correct information and aid in educating the public, it can be far more harmful to the spread of false and potentially harmful information. Younger generations who utilize various online and social media platforms are at a higher risk of intaking false information, yet processing it as true through repetition on multiple sites. However, older generations may escape the negative effects of this theory if they rely on receiving their news and information for reputable sources. 

The illusory truth effect is pervasive, and appears in our daily lives without our acknowledgement. While this theory can help to process and retain important and correct information, it can be just as damaging with the reverse and incorrect information. No one is excluded from this theory, as every person has been exposed to this memory and recognition game.

Blog Post #7: The Age of AI

 "It is the future of this, not the past that scares me. We are in the early decades of a multi-decade adjustment". The world will never operate as it once did. Where hundreds of workers were needed for one job, they have all been replaced by one, large machine generated by AI. These new machines will soon run the economy. 

In this day and age, Artificial Intelligence, or AI, has made its presence stronger than ever before. However, this new advancement is only it its beginning stages. Over the next few years, AI will continue to grow, taking over human jobs and turning the world to a place ran on solely technology. While these advancements are impressive and truly unbelievable, there are negatives that come along with it. 

As AI will overtake offices, grocery stores, data analytics and everything in between, ethical problems are sure to follow. Job displacement is a leading concern, with the country turning to a place ran on machines, rather than humans. While the machines are being crafted to be far more efficient than any human ever could be, this leaves humans in a place of helplessness and low to no income. This is changing the common idea that 'America is the land of opportunity'.  

Additionally, privacy is among one of the top concerns that come with this AI development. Companies that we use daily such as Facebook and Instagram, study us and our information. The world and internet will adapt to us without us even knowing it. 

"We came into this world thinking that we were users of social media, however, social media was using us". This powerful quote from the Frontline documentary is eye opening and sets off a certain sense of alarm in my head. Though we believe that we have control over our online information and what the internet knows about us, it is genuinely the opposite. The internet is an endless data bank, filled with information about us that we are not even aware of.

Though the developments that society is making is astonishing and new, these advancements need to be approached with a certain level of fear. From exploiting personal information to affecting our livelihoods and incomes, technology is truly at the heart of it all. 

Blog Post #6: EOTO 1 Reflection

 

    How many times a day do you send a quick text message and end it with a cute smiley face or other quirky emoji? These fun little graphics are pervasive in society today and help us to communicate emotions and reactions. However, where did the idea of an emoticon originate from? Back in 1979, computer scientist Scott E. Falhman created the first widely used emoji which was created with a colon, dash mark, and a parenthesis, the direction depending on if you wanted the emotion to portray happiness or sadness. Later in 1988, Japan released the first full keyboard set of over 100 emojis, beginning the worldwide emoji spread. Since the launch of this emoji set, they have continued to grow and evolve, with new emojis continuing to be released every year. As of September, 2024, there are over 3,700 available emojis.

    Emojis are most commonly used to express emotions, which can be helpful when interpreting text messages which has become a more popular mode of communication than phone calls. Additionally, emojis have been found to help build emotional intelligence, which in turn can result in increased self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, social skills, and improved mental health. 

    Lastly, emojis are inclusive, allowing everyone to participate in this universal language. What originated in Japan is now utilized daily around the world, allowing for people of every background to understand and interpret these graphics in the same universal manner. The large variety of emojis allows for self-expression and customization of text messages, enhancing this form of communication. 

    The next time that you use an emoji, I challenge you to stop, pause, and reflect on why you chose that particular emoji. What message are you hoping to send? Why does this emoji fit better in the message as opposed to one of the other 3,000? This presentation opened my eyes to the daily communication form that I have taken for granted, and helped me to better understand the origin and intention behind these small emoticons. 

Blog Post #5: Privacy Online & Off

 

    Taking photographs and posting them online for friends and family to see is a pervasive practice in this day and age of social media; however, who all is really seeing these posts? Where we think that we are being safe online and utilizing private accounts so that not everyone in the public is able to view our content, the wide reach of the internet is always one step ahead of us. 

After watching an incredibly eye opening Ted Talk video, presented by Juan Enriquez, he shared frightening insight on how our personal photos and images are being utilized in a data cloud larger than we could ever imagine. Enriquez shares a company with us called 'Face.com'. Have you ever heard of it? Probably not, but, your face is probably on it! This website was sold to Facebook in 2018 with other 18 billion photo images of peoples faces from around the world. Where we are getting impressed by facial scanning and recognition in our personal photo apps on our phones, those images and information is being shared across the internet without our knowledge.

    If Enriquez's insight did not frighten you enough, let me share with you one more astonishing piece of information. When we think about the police, the average person considers them to be a safe haven, helping to protect us and our information. However, what is your reaction when I share that every day, police are capturing images of peoples cars, faces, and whereabout through small license plate reading cameras on their police cars? Mike Katz-Lacabe was intrigued about the alleged storing and tracking of information by police cars, and went into the station to see if his local police department had any information on his vehicle. The findings were more shocking that he could have ever imagined. The police department had dozens of instances where Lacabe's car was caught on camera, including the date, time, and location of where he was. One of the examples showed him in the driveway at his own home, with him and his 2 daughters faces clearly captured in the image. This example of data tracking and storing is overwhelming to comprehend, and impossible to avoid.

    Although we all think to limit and censor what information we voluntarily put onto the internet, it is vital to consider what personal information hits the internet without us sharing it or knowing about it. The rise of technology is incredibly useful, however, at what point has technology and the internet gone too far?

Blog Post #4: EOTO: The Carrier Pigeon

 

“Look up in the sky! It’s a bird……it's a plane……it’s……Superman!” Well, as much as I would love to educate the public about Superman, this topic is almost just as unbelievable. Dating back to 2000 BC, Carrier Pigeons, also known as Homing Pigeons, were the main form of long distance communication. The ancient Mesopotamians and Egyptians first discovered this impressive mode of long distance communication, then extended this remarkable communication system over to Greece and Rome. The Greeks recognized the internal compass of this bird, and relied on these creatures to fly and deliver important news, such as the winners of the Olympic games. Rome began utilizing this form of communication shortly thereafter, and relied on the birds to deliver messages to soldiers, as well as share the news and outcomes of battles. As we see in these examples, these birds were trusted and tasked with the most impressive duty. The birds' accuracy and consistency gained them popularity, as carrier pigeons became the main form of long distance and high speed communication for decades to come. Due to their impressive internal compass, they earned the name “homing pigeon”, due to their ability to always find their way back home to where they began their journey. These pigeons are originally raised in a home cage, learning this to be their safe spot, home, and starting destination. When they are sent out on their message delivering journeys, they are trained to return back to this originating point.

Carrier pigeons made their overall lasting impact with their leadership in warfare. For years, these birds were used to send and deliver messages relating to enemy movements, tactical plans, and general wins or losses. Messages were sent back and forth between European military units, dating into both World War I and World War II. In order to deliver a message, the note was placed into a very small capsule, then tied to the bird's foot. These amazing animals were more reliable than a human messenger, due to the fact that they could navigate through any terrain, dangerous battlegrounds, unfamiliar territory, or cross over enemy fire. Most impressively, they always knew how to return to where they started. 

While the birds were mainly used for communication, they were also extremely valuable to scientists, as they studied these creatures to understand more about migration and navigation. They discovered through these multitude of tests that these birds have an impressively sharp memory, aiding with their ability to seamlessly find their way back home. Additionally, scientists discovered that these animals could fly over 60 mph, covering hundreds of miles in a single trip. Their internal magnetic sense helps them to innately detect the earth's magnetic fields, along with using landmarks and other visual aids, allow them to have one of the most impressive navigation and location awareness. 

While the homing pigeon was a turning point in communication, this form of communication has been overthrown by modern technology. The telegram was the next technological development that threatened the use of the carrier pigeon when it was created in the early 19th century. Though we look at these inventions today and question the practicality, the helpfulness of these tools back in the day were viewed in the same manner that we view our smartphones today.