Blog #9: The Age of AI

The video we watched The Age of AI was very interesting and definitely relevant to the advancements of AI we see today. I find artificial intelligence to be a little frightening. I think this is mainly because we do not know that much about it still and it is advancing extremely fast. I think AI can be really great if used properly or really bad if not. 

One of the first things said was that women disproportionately hold the jobs that are at the highest risk of automation. I found this interesting because I have some experience with this. I was a cashier for a few years and when I first started it was always the typical cashier or customer service job. I am no longer a cashier, but it is not the same. At my current job, we rarely have actual registers open, everything is self-checkout. I never understood the argument of how it takes jobs from people but now I do. Since there are no cashier-operated registers anymore really, there is no need for multiple cashiers at once. In my experience, females are the ones mainly impacted by this as the video stated. 

Something else the video mentioned was that AI is a driver for increased inequality because it is a form of automation, which is a substitution for capital of labor. I thought this was interesting and I agree. With AI available for use in the workplace, there is less need for as many employees, in turn taking work away from people. I think it's scary that AI is becoming so advanced that it can take over HR, insurance, finance, and more careers. This is also a huge threat to people's financial stability which is already shaky for most. This is something that should be discussed and questioned more before continuing to move ahead with it. I don't think it's worth taking away people's livelihood. 

The video also talked about our data. Everything we do is tracked and computers are looking at it to better serve us. I agree that this can be really good but also scary when you think of what the companies are doing behind the scenes with all that data. Unfortunately with the extreme increase in technology also comes an increase in problems. Many people, myself included, don't realize how many things they agree to or how often their data is being shared. Technology can be scary when you don't know its full capabilities or what the creators of this technology are doing. The video talked about the Facebook incident where data from 87 million Facebook users was collected and harvested without their consent. This was a huge case because it was one of the first of its kind. I find it scary that everything we do is collected but what are we to do when almost everything is online now. As we navigate technology we must be smart with it and aware of what we are doing and putting out there. 

Blog #8

Cable television used to be the most popular way to watch TV and movies. In 2010, 90% of households in America were cable TV subscribers. This has drastically decreased since then because of the rise of streaming services. According to TechDirt, only 46% of households still use cable TV. This is very low from what I would’ve thought, but I also could not say when the last time I used cable TV was. Cord cutting is the action of cutting off cable TV to switch to streaming services via the Internet. Cord cutting has become very popular in recent years with the rise of streaming services like Netflix or Hulu, but also the increase in cost for cable TV. Cord cutting is changing the cable industry tremendously with millions of users deciding to cut the cord each year. Between 2019 and 2022, top cable competitors collectively lost 6 million subscribers each year. Most people do not find it to be worth it anymore, with prices being too high for the number of shows they would actually watch. Others are also switching because of the ad-free platform of many services. On most streaming services, you can pay extra to have no ads. Many people say they would rather pay than see the ads. 

A survey found that members of Gen Z and Millennials were more likely to be cord-cutters than members of Gen X (Statista, 2017). They also found that males are more likely to cancel cable than females. In the third quarter of 2023, three cable networks were averaging over one million prime-time viewers. These three networks are Fox News, MSNBC, and ESPN. A lot of people just do not watch cable TV anymore and it can be inconvenient and more expensive than subscribing to Netflix or Hulu. 

Cord-cutting also affects advertising. With many consumers switching over to streaming services and paying extra for no advertisements, the cable industry is losing large amounts of money. In a 2023 article by Forbes, the forecasted ad revenue for cable television is set to fall below $20 billion by 2027. The last time cable ad revenue was below $20 billion was in 2007. S&P Market Intelligence predicts cable ad revenue to be stronger in 2024 and 2026 due to the Olympics and political advertising. These are popular broadcasted events that are mainly watched on cable. However, I could see streaming services also showing it with the addition of live channels. 

There are benefits and negatives when it comes to cord-cutting. Some of the benefits are lower costs, no cable contract, pay for what you want, and streaming services that can be used on smartphones, tablets, or computers. Although you still pay fees, with streaming services there are no contracts allowing people to cancel and purchase as they please. Some of the negatives are not all streaming platforms are free, no streaming device that offers all services, and limits to how much you can stream. I only use streaming services, but my parents still have cable because some shows are still only cable. Although I can use our Spectrum cable, I don’t feel the need to. Everything I want to watch, I can almost always find on some streaming platform. 

One of the other main drawbacks is the internet power required. Streaming HD content on multiple devices also requires stronger internet. According to the Tampa Bay Times, most households find they need fiber and opt for higher data caps to accommodate cutting the cord. 

Cord-cutting is becoming more popular with most people switching to just streaming platforms. I think it just depends on preference. I can see the pros and cons of both. While streaming services have many options, usually only one platform has something or you need certain plans. Cable is also limited to what you can watch unless you pay for every channel. I think it depends on the person but I think we will continue to see decreases in cable TV subscribers. 

Blog #7

These TED talks were all very interesting and things that I did not know or did not consider. In the first Ted Talk given by Juan Enriquez, he compares someone's online presence to tattoos. He calls it an 'electronic tattoo'. He questions if online platforms that hold your information can tell as much about who you are as any tattoo could. I think this is a really interesting comparison and something that I had never thought about but agreed with. When growing up and learning about internet safety, different educators always heavily pushed me to be careful about my digital footprint. I was always told that once something is on the internet, it's out there forever. I have always been conscious about what I put online for this reason. 

In the second TED talk given by Catherine Crump, she discusses police license plate recognition. I've always known that we can be tracked, but I was not aware of automatic license plate readers. I also did not know that mass data on where Americans have gone is being collected and stored. I was shocked by the pictures of the man with his kids getting out of their car outside their home. I think that is overstepping, we should be able to walk outside our house without being watched. This one was not as concerning to me as the other videos. 

This TED talk given by Christopher Soghoian highlights surveillance through our cell phones. This is something I have always thought about and figured was happening. I did feel better about the fact that text messages and video calls on iPhones are not easily wiretapped. Even though there is nothing concerning my phone, it's just a privacy thing, no one wants people reading their personal messages. One of the other things that was discussed was how can governments still watch for criminals without compromising the data of secure citizens. I think in this case, all we can do is be careful with what we do on our phones and agree to. I never thought much about all the things that I agreed to online before this class. Since discussing the online cookies I have tried to be better about automatically hitting agree to all. 

The last TED talk was Darieth Chisolm, which discusses revenge porn. I think this is one of the most disgusting things in society today. Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence. This should not be something women, or anyone should have to worry about or deal with, and is a vile breach of privacy. The only thing I think you can do is try to protect yourself as much as possible. In this specific story, she was sleeping, there was no way for her to know what was going on and what would happen. It's horrific that anyone would do that. Laws should be stricter against revenge porn, as it is the ultimate breach of privacy. 

Blog #6

I think anti-war voices are not typically heard in mainstream media for a few reasons. The first reason is because those are not the voices the Government wants us to hear.  Something I strongly believe in is that the media is strictly controlled and what gets put out is not always the most important or correct information. 

Another reason is that media platforms often have political affiliations that can influence what information they put out. This also goes along with biases. A lot of media sources are biased these days and do not always publicize the most accurate information. Lastly, I would imagine our Government does not want anti-war voices out because it could hinder American support for war if it were to happen. War can also be a way for the Government to make money so they want to maintain American support. 

I have never heard of The American Conservative or AntiWar.com. When looking at AntiWar.com, most of the headlines are not topics that would appear in typical media. I do not find it shocking that these sites and voices are not common in mainstream media. These are often subjects that popular media platforms do not want to talk about or cannot.  

I think if you are interested in this information, you most likely have to do your own research. There are a lot of important events that are often not spoken about in mainstream media. I do think it is a way for the Government to control what we see to fit their agenda. I think there is a lot of information we don't know as average citizens. 

This just adds to the fact that everyone should do their own research. As citizens, we are responsible for staying updated on our Government and global issues. This is especially important right now with very heated conflicts in multiple places and American involvement. 

Blog #5

During this week's presentations, I was able to learn a lot of new information about technology. It was fascinating to find out where things came from and how they evolved over time. It was also really interesting to see how some things started off as more simple designs and turned into complex inventions that we use in our everyday lives. 

One of the things I learned was about the Origin of Instagram. I had no idea that it was originally called 'Burbn' after the creator's love of whiskey and bourbon. I also did not know that the name Instagram comes from the words instant camera and telegram. It was also interesting to hear how fast they grew. I remember when it first came out, I wanted to join so badly but was not allowed to. Instagram was considered the new Facebook for younger people. It's astonishing to see how much it has grown since then. 

I also found the creation of the Television to be really interesting. I think most of us have grown up with TVs in our homes and bedrooms. I thought it was really cool to learn about the mechanical Televisions that then transformed into electronic ones. I also enjoyed seeing the pictures of different versions of TVs. I can remember the big box TVs and it's amazing to see how they've changed since the 1920s into flat screens. 

The last one I found interesting was Carrier Pigeons. I've always heard about them but I never understood how that could possibly work. I still cannot really grasp it, but it is fascinating that pigeons can send messages to humans. The pigeons would be raised at a house and would then associate it as home. Pigeons have an instinct for returning home. If you wanted someone to send you a message you would send them one of your pigeons, then they would attach the message and the pigeon would return home. I would have thought it was a way more complex training ordeal. I also learned that they were most used during war times and that they could be used to transport drugs. They were caught most recently in 2023 flying drugs into a prison.  

I was curious about carrier pigeons so I looked up different stories and found many pigeons doing great work delivering messages during war times. One that I found was about a pigeon named Winkie. The aircraft she was on crashed into the sea. She was able to get out of her cage and fly 120 miles home. She was eventually given the Dickin Medal. This medal was to represent the bravery of the animals used during the war times. I thought this was really sweet and interesting to learn.