FINAL POST: Our Relationship with Technology

 My relationship with technology cannot be defined as either healthy or unhealthy, as I wonder if anyone’s relationship with it can be defined as such. The reality of the positives of the internet, social media, iPhones, computers, and all other new innovations cannot be hidden. Due to recent technology, I have made progress in my education, continued relationships with friends, family, and significant others, and have been able to access an innumerable amount of resources previously impossible. 

Contrary to those who grew up years before us, this new generation has been raised surrounded by technology. Since we have been around it all our lives, imagining a world before these inventions seems foreign. All our lives, every answer lies at the click of a button. But, this bank of endless knowledge comes with a price.

Due to these technologies’ presence in my life as a child, my dreams for my life blossomed into what they are today. As a kid, I loved to write, tell stories, and watch movies. That passion for storytelling and film led me to studying media production in college. Without these media technologies, my path of storytelling would be widely different. 

Personally, I recognize an extreme dependence towards the technology I use on a daily basis. I struggle to stay off of my phone for extended periods of time; I fall back on social media when I have an available slot in my daily schedule; I look towards the internet for answers before attempting to solve things myself. These inclinations pose a threat to me because I have allowed new technologies to vest themselves into who I am. The University of the People writes about the dependence of people on technology here.

Now, as I have grown into an adult and have the ability to take charge of most areas of my life, I try to limit myself in my dependence on technology. As I have recognized the threat they can serve, I actively try to work against that. I want to ensure that I use my brain to the capacity it is built to serve, and so any time I can push myself to learn something in a rigorous way, the more I feel it will click. But, being able to use technology can also push me further along than I would get without it. So, balancing that dichotomy is something I must do per situation. 

Technology is, again, a positive and negative in the scope of social connection. Social media allows for staying in touch with people through any distance. Immediate texts and calls allow for communication no matter where someone might be. I have been able to stay in touch with my long-distance girlfriend through phone calls, FaceTimes, and texting. This is a new form of interpersonal connection that could not be done in prior years. These positives come with their negatives, where it is easy to become lost in the technology and lose sight of real-world connections. Many people, while capable of connecting with larger social circles, remain feeling isolated. The National Library of Medicine writes about this, and can be read about here.

Today, the world struggles to balance the power of technology as over-consumption becomes a slippery slope. It is easy to waste time on social media, or give the internet access to your whole life, or waste no energy in thinking when you can look up the answer. Hopefully, the pendulum will swing in the direction of control, as technology will only continue to develop, it is up to us to decide how dependent we will be upon it. 

This surge of new technology is also an opportunity for more ways to convey important messages. Before, people were limited to their surroundings when telling important information. Now, there is an influx of information at every moment in every medium. This gives possibility to anyone to say what they feel called to say. 

Technology has its pros and cons, its highs and lows, as does everything. To try to judge it one way or the other would be a disservice to reality. The important judgement is how it will affect oneself, and to keep it under control in whatever way it might serve one’s life.

EOTO 2: Echo Chambers

    In today’s age, information is everywhere, where there is more information on the internet than possible to consume in a lifetime. And with the advancements of technology, select information is designed to be exposed to those that are likely to want it. An abundance of information supplemented with intricate algorithms equals a hard loop to leave. 

    For many, it becomes merely impossible to hear a differing opinion, whether it be online or in communities, due to echo chambers. Echo chambers are environments that consist of only a select belief or opinion, and members inside reinforce that opinion due to their shared perspective. 

    Echo chambers are pervasive in many ways for all types of people. Due to the limited amount of information they consist of, growth and change on a personal and societal level will be stunted. Online, the customization of algorithms keeps those in the community away from other information. This same principle applies to in-person communities, where conversations can be limited and only cycle the same ideas. 

    The effect of echo chambers on society can be drastic.  To only hear one side of an argument and pretend to know the whole issue is the same as running blind. The destination will not be where one thinks it is. Because of echo chambers, members of society can be isolated to only those that think like them. This isolation is the opposite of what societies need, as it takes connections and new ideas to grow. Furthermore, this isolation would turn hostile. It is known, according to numerous articles, that division is largely negative. 

    According to Vail Valley Partnership’s article on ‘How do we Overcome Division in Society’, it says “division erodes the sense of unity and social cohesion within a society and impacts our ability to function together. When people are divided along lines of race, religion, ethnicity, or other factors, it becomes challenging to foster a strong sense of community.” You can read the article here. 

    This parallels the division we see today and the toll it has taken on everyone as a whole. With this disunity, it is apparent that differing groups pit themselves against each other. Instead of embracing our differences, we despise them. This hostile division and judgement of the opposing side can lead to terrible outcomes, whether it be violence, verbal accusations, or simply heart-harbored hate. The premise of varying affinity groups becomes a match between the two. Two groups change from “and” to “versus” due to the misinformed opinions they hold. 

    A differing opinion towards echo chambers may be that those in an echo chamber become extremely rooted in their community, which can be healthy. However, regardless of your involvement in a community, the value of truth must prevail, and that should be within the scope of any existing community. For an echo chamber, only part of the story is told, thus the truth is not represented. 

    The questions that may provide an answer are: if you are in charge of what you consume, should you make intentional choices to diversify that content? Then, should it be up to anyone else besides yourself to implement a wide variety of information into your perspective? By answering these questions, one can make an opinion of their own regarding the topic of echo chambers and how they may affect society.

Diffusion Theory on AI

 Applying the diffusion theory to the new invention of artificial intelligence chatbots reshapes the perspective towards the daunting change it might elicit from our society. In the past few years, AI has exploded in popularity, with a range of opinions regarding its benefit. 

The diffusion theory is a means to explain the rate of adoption for new inventions, as there are many different components involved in the spread. Looking through this lens, there is no surprise of why AI has become as popular as it is. It can be read more upon its wikipedia page here.

AI, like all inventions, had a set of early adopters. However, for this invention, the type of early adopter ranged across several cultures. Due to AI’s ability to help in several facets of our society, there were all types of people that found use in it immediately. Early adopters looked like communication and technology companies, writers, planners, and various other communities that needed quick access to information. 

This large net of early adopters allowed for the technology to flourish, gaining traction immediately. However, opposing these early adopters, many people looked at AI with scrutiny. For some, AI seems to encroach on the workforce of many industries, human creativity, and human intellect. It is also fair to assume that there have been faults in the technology that continue to be fixed. You can read more about this here. These reasons have led many to adopt AI later than its initial release or continue to have strong opinions against it. 

Personally, I struggle with AI. I value human creativity beyond the assistance of artificial intelligence as it comes to storytelling. To completely pass off the plot development process to AI is half-hearted and lazy. However, the use of grammar assistance is helpful. So, I can recognize the use for AI, but do believe that it can be overused. 

The danger of AI is over-dependence on it. For someone to completely rely on AI in any circumstance would threaten the fundamental need for humans to learn. AI is a slippery slope: it may provide a helpful hand, but can just as easily pull the rug right out from under whatever it is involved in. AI, as it is so new, should be observed closely, used carefully, and understood, for it will undoubtedly change the future, one way or another.

The Reality of War: Anti-War Blog

 The luxury of a life oblivious to war is one that many Americans take for granted. Waking up to the sound of birds rather than bombs is something that can be counted as a blessing, but because it is normalized, it is rarely recognized. 

Hearing about war, the voices that cry out one way or the other, is easy to drown out in the vast pool that seeks our attention. Of course, it is easy to avoid something like war when we do not face it. 

But, when one chooses to pay attention to the atrocities that exist beyond our oasis, especially the ones conducted by our leaders, the curtain comes undone. The beauty of our life almost becomes saddening, knowing that so many others are in harm's way at our hands. 

Yet for most people, this fact can be ignorantly missed due to where they go to hear about the world around them. The article “Trump Says He Will Continue Bombing Yemen for a ‘Long Time’” from antiwar.com is an example of the evil deeds that are happening at this very moment. Yemen is undergoing an ongoing airstrike, which is leading to attempted retaliation against the US. Regardless of the reasoning, the brutality of war seems to always prevail. The death of innocent lives sobers the animosity towards others, as we realize that we are largely the same. 

However, you will rarely hear educated and peaceful voices speak out against war. But, they exist nonetheless. Sites like antiwar.com and theamericanconservative.com are examples of educated perspectives against war. 

The most plausible truth is that those voices are silenced, drowned out from the mainstream, because the government needs war. War brings them money, resources, and control. To them, war is a necessary evil for the gain that may occur.  Nevertheless, the horror ensues. So the question that is begged: why is there not more talk about anti-war movements? Why are they drowned out so quickly? One can believe that the answer is because war is in the interest of those that have the power to wage it.

EOTO #2: Reaction to Confirmation Bias

 The death of true knowledge begins by seeking answers without a holistic approach. This attempt to gather one-sided information is the danger of confirmation bias, which is a problem in society today. Listening to my classmate inform us about confirmation bias reminded me of the importance of keeping all avenues open when seeking answers or opinions. ‘Confirmation bias’ by definition is searching for information that validates a pre-existing opinion. Confirmation bias is a threat to the education of our society as it does not lead to deep research or openness to other perspectives. 

I found the confirmation bias presentation interesting because it touched on many of the same characteristics of echo chambers, which was the topic I presented on. Immediately, this gripped me because the tendency to look for information that supports your opinion leads to only surrounding yourself with people like-minded. So, confirmation bias leads to echo chambers.

    The presentation delved into several reasons as to why people commit confirmation bias. One explanation given was our natural tendency to be competitive in an argument. So, if we take a side regarding an issue, we seek justification for our initial opinion so that we feel like winners. This is fascinating to me because I am competitive and love to win in arguments or competitions. However, my desire for the truth outweighs my competitive-nature, as I believe the truth should always win regardless of my initial opinion towards it. This psychological approach of human competitiveness was intriguing to me because I see how someone might think this way.

Another psychological explanation for the prevailing thought process of confirmation bias was heuristics. Heuristics are a way for the human brain to draw conclusions quickly. This correlates with confirmation bias, as people are trying to make quick conclusions without in-depth analysis. The interesting relationship between heuristics and decision-making can be further understood through this article. 

This presentation did a great job taking a holistic approach towards the issue of confirmation bias. I enjoyed the parallels seen with confirmation bias and echo chambers. The psychological explanation for confirmation bias breaks down the barrier it may have, making it easier to bypass this issue when conducting research.