Media Law & Literacy

To some people, Julian Assange is the champion of truth, yet to others he is a cold hearted criminal. Assange has always been exceptional when it came down to computers, successfully hacking into NASA and Pentagon services only to be caught. Narrowly escaping jail time, in 2006 he started the website WikiLeaks. WikiLeaks was a wildly popular whistleblowing site that famously made headlines after the files of US Army Intelligence Agents were leaked. His organization was also able to leak and publish the Hillary Clinton email scandal in 2016. As of 2012, the WikiLeaks founder was in a self imposed exile in a London Embassy until British officials were able to have him evicted. After nearly 7 years of being tucked away, Assange is out and there is a volley of charges against him, the UK is mad that he skipped bail, the USA wants to hunt him down for computer intrusion in 2012, and Sweden is harboring a woman who had accused Assange of sexual assault and rape.  According to CNN’s artic...

 For this EOTO Blog we were tasked with defining and posting about a specific Term or Concept. I could have chosen something easy to talk about like propaganda but The Overton Window had caught my eye. The Overton Window is an unfamiliar term that I hear quite often on the news or in TV shows, notably Showtime’s Billions.  The Overton Window is defined as, the spectrum of ideas on public policy and social issues considered acceptable by the general public at a given time. But what does that even mean? Simply, it describes political Ideas and Ideology that is able to be accepted by the general public, while ideas that come off as politically radical are considered out of the Overton Window. A very common misperception of the Overton Window is that politicians  themselves actually shift the window. A shift in the Overton Window is caused by the public opinion, not by the political powers that be. However, a good politician knows how to use the Overton to their advantage. Le...

Technology is an ever changing space for us to find really whatever we need. Whether that be news, opinions, or keeping in touch with our friends and family. We can use this is a positive light for businesses or personal matters. When it comes to technology I use it quite often. Each morning my phone gives me an update on breaking news, my schedule, notifications I have missed and the weather for the day. By doing this I take one quick glance at my phone and know what the day is looking like. I spend a good amount of time on technology throughout the day because everything has been transferred over to technology. Even school work is now all technology based. I probably spend an average of 7 hours a day on technology. I wish I was able to spend a little less time but everything has been transferred. With a loss of technology I would not be able to do much that I have to get done. According to elite content marketer Americans spend an average amount of approximately 4 hours on mobile dev...

Artificial Intelligence is becoming widely popular today. Many brand new companies have been founded in the last few years for the sole purpose of advancing AI technology. Artificial intelligence is the simulation of human intelligence processes by a computer, in its simplest form it can be used to search the web or, depending on the complexity, it can be use for national cybersecurity purposes. As with all developments AI has its pros, like improved safety and accessibility, yet it still poses some privacy and security problems. Artificial Intelligence is great for simplifying our lives! People have the capability to use it for; navigating traffic jams, finding lost items, making grocery lists, and so much more. However with more and more people using AI everyday it is becoming wildly popular and everyday developers are making more complex AI. So complex in fact that many programs have the capability to use Facial Recognition Technology. This dangerous kind of AI facial recognition co...

I use various social media platforms on a daily basis; Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter and at least 3 more for both personal and business related uses. I have known for quite a long time that my information was being collected and most likely sold to the highest bidder. However what I have not gauged was the scale that this was being done at. It goes farther than social media, our federal and state government, other countries, irrelevant companies, hackers… who doesn’t have my data? One of the speakers in the videos introduced the idea of having digital tattoos. Now when I said that I was aware of data-mining, I figured that it was no big deal if Facebook new I like to buy clothes. But Juan Enriquez went into detail about how everything I ‘Like’, or post, or search is branded on me, and that soon enough all of that information will be available and completely visible to anyone as if they were using facial recognition.  You might think that this is outrageous, the government ...

 The Mainstream Media is killing America. There, I said it! From my own point of view I feel like the more that people follow the news and current events, the more they fall deeper into the trap that is set by major media companies. People tend to forget the first rule of running a business: Turn a Profit. With that said, CNN’s and Fox News’ main jobs are to make money and that only happens if you click on their links. These 2 media monsters are the heart and center of everything solely because they are massive and everyone I have ever met sources their news from either Fox or CNN. Clickbait is a key tactic in todays media sources. Authors title their articles with outrageous things just to grab the viewers attention. Most often these clickbait titles are quotes that were taken out of context or thumbnail pictures taken at the perfect time. This creates the situation that a lot of people find themselves in today. They’re only looking for the “loudest” headline, the one that grabbed...

  According to the blog posted by one of my fellow classmates I was able to learn about the app Snapchat, through the scope of Diffusion Theory. A few new things I learned include small details about the beginning of the company, as well as what it is used for, and why it could also present a problem for the users. The first bit of information given to us by the author details that Snapchat was born in 2011, only a short year away from the initial launch of Instagram. The Blogger goes on to explain that you need a smartphone-like mobile device with a camera to use Snapchat to keep in touch with both close, as well as distant friends. However like many social media apps and platforms people tend to post things that attract attention and envy from people which leads to very serious mental health issues in some people. At the end of the day I love Snapchat, I use it everyday just like the author, it is a simple yet very effective way to keep in touch with others in a fun way! -Nick Le...

 Something that came to mind when thinking about Diffusion Theory was the app Tik tok. Tik Tok is a new form of social media and has quickly become the most popular. In September 2016 Tik Tok was introduced. In the beginning, not many people had it. When it comes to social media apps at first people are usually just testing it out while some think it’s just going to be a quick fad and dont even download it. That is what happened with tin Tok for a few months- a year. The early adopters were mostly high school aged kids who loved the dances on Tik Tok. Thats all it was, just dances. The late adopters have joined  when Tik Tok has become so much more. For example, now News channels are on the app. Almost everyone you ask now between the ages of 14-60 has heard of the app and most even have an account. But the people that are not adopters probably do not have any social media because it has become one of the most popular with all age groups.  I do see negative consequ...

Many people over the centuries have tried to make the process of transferring information to paper easier and more efficient. Typically these were very large and cumbersome beasts that were highly over-engineered to the point that they were much slower than traditional writing.   In 1873, an American inventor by the name of Christopher Latham Sholes signed a contract with the Remington & Sons gunsmiths. This contract was the basis of operation to manufacture a machine that had the capability to type words at:  “speeds far exceeding a pen” The invention of the typewriter was monumental, it meant that people now could transfer ideas and information on to paper faster than ever! However, there were some downfalls to the original design. The first and major one was that it had only written in capital letters, and questions were raised about adding keys, but what was too many keys? Funny enough today we use the name: the “shift” button. Whereas when is was developed, the “shift...

The ability to express ourselves freely is one of the core American values. However, it’s not always the best one, too often we allow those that have little value to hold much power with their ‘Platforms’. Some people blindly abide by every word that someone says simply because of their social status.  In looking at the Eight Values of Free Expression, the very first resonates deeply with me; 1.  Marketplace of Ideas  (aka Discovery of Truth) — see  John Milton ,  Areopagitica      This value was first suggested by Milton, who first said that when truth and falsehood are allowed to freely grapple, truth will win out. And the grappling makes the truth even stronger. His argument against requiring a license to print/publish. It is this idea that the truth will take hold and prevail is what is mainly failing us today. With the implement of social media, nothing said or posted is sacred, nothing can be taken back and once the whole, wide world ha...

When it comes to the government I know little more than the 3 branches, and what their baseline purpose is. The Supreme Court has 9 life-appointed Justices that have the power to check and deny both the President and Congress, as well as being the “end-all, be-all” of the Justice System. That’s about it. In reading the Supreme Court Article , I learned a lot of small new things like the original number of justices was 6, to the first case being about a farmer owing money to a family. To many big points and cases that were seen by the SCOTUS  from, Mapp v. Ohio; illegally obtained evidence cannot be used in criminal cases, to many infringements on the 1st Amendment. I think that the most important thing I learned about the Supreme Court is that many laws in our country and rules in the justice system have come to be because someone, in the past had tried to do that action. Before reading this article I was not impressed, had previously thought that the 9 Justices only go to war with...

 Typically while I’m at home, the TV is usually on a News Channel. However while I’m away from home, at school, or elsewhere I rely heavily on mobile news apps, websites, podcasts, and unfortunately Social Media.  On the TV, My family and I choose to watch Fox news. But with that being said I couldn’t care less about the political environment displayed on many news channels today, I have my opinions and I try not to let a paid actor’s tone, or script for that matter, effect them.   https://www.foxnews.com/ Barstool Sports is probably one of my favorite websites to read the “news”. Now I completely understand that it is little more than a satire blog forum, but that is the best part! It keeps you updated on basic and major current events in an engaging way, updating you on what to look into and dive deeper to find.  https://www.barstoolsports.com/ The Hard Factor News Podcast is my daily driver! It was at one time a product of Barstool Sports, but has since broken off...