Age of AI

AI, also known as Artificial Intelligence, has completely changed the world. Not only has it improved our knowledge and technology, but it is now taking over jobs and completely changing the way things are done.  As a college student, AI has completely changed the way homework and assignments are done, and the biggest one has affected numerous honor code violations. “AI use was detected in about 1 out of 10 assignments, while only 3 out of every 100 assignments were generated mostly by AI.” Although there are so many benefits of AI, there have also been many downfalls in the knowledge and effort students/workers put into work. 

The start of AI was a game that Southwest Asia saw as a sports spectacle called Alpha Go, which is a game that essentially teaches itself. It was sought to be the deep learning intelligence, where the machine fed games and would study and learn these games, creating moves the human brain can't even fathom to comprehend or understand. Alpha Go is what opened up the people's perspective to how big AI could change our lives. 

China took this opportunity with Alpha Go and knew that this was the way they would change the world and, eventually, beat the US in e-commerce. “We will catch up to the US by 2025 and rule the world in 2030.” It's not even 2025 yet, and they have completely beaten the US with the technology AI has created for them. They are the start-up of phones, which has been extremely helpful to the start-up of AI. Almost all their currency is facial recognition, and so many amazing features the US has never come close to. 

So that's also the past, but what about the future we know AI is getting more and more prevalent and becoming bigger than anything anyone ever imagined, but how is this gonna affect the human population? AI can do certain jobs better than the smartest human in the world. It will completely disturb and destroy the labor force. There are certain jobs AI can’t do; it is said that AI will replace white-collar jobs faster than it will blue-collar jobs for multiple reasons. White-collar jobs can easily be replaced by software and can make the work environment go faster and smoother. At the same time, blue-collar jobs involve hard work, labor, strength, and hand-eye coordination. AI is way more designed to be a robot for reading, programming, or even organizing, not building, moving equipment, or construction. All of these factors are things I see every day, people losing jobs because why pay a person to do it when AI can do it 10 times faster and better? 

As a college student in a Marketing major, I do worry about the things AI can improve on and soon take over my job. AI is getting more advanced every single day, and yes, I love AI if I need a quick fact check or maybe I need an answer really quick. Counterjack that, I don’t believe it is making the human nation smarter, it is a way to cheat the system. If you need an email written, just type it into Chat GPT, if you need an essay or report due by the end of the night, easily write the prompt and send it in. AI has made the younger generation more lazy. 

EOTC #1 Reaction

Communication has evolved tremendously over the last 100 decades. As we know today technology is our main source of communication, which took a lot of adaption and change in each society. As a college student growing up with all this technology around us, it's hard to believe a world without it, but during the presentation, it was amazing to see how much technology has changed and adapted to our society’s needs.

The first presentation I thought was fascinating and funny was Carrier Pigeons. In the 5th century BC, carrier pigeons were established in Assyria and Persia by Cyrus the Great. At this time, they used pigeons to pass along messages to warn groups in Mesopotamia. Carrier Pigeons
was a change of the game back then when it came to long-distance communication. It was the fastest and most reliant way to send signals and messages, and also, when war broke out, it saved thousands of people in need. Some specific owners trained the pigeons to always fly back to the “home base.” This technique saved so many soldiers in WW1 that the pigeons would fly across enemy lines when other communication options were destroyed or too risky. Specifically, one pigeon named Cher Ami in English, meaning “dear friend,” saved nearly 200 soldiers by sending messages back and forth during the war. It is truly amazing to see how much society has adapted to new and more effective long-distance communications, i.e., email. 

   

The second presentation I found to be very interesting was Bluetooth. Jaap Haartsen invented Bluetooth in 1994 alongside with wifi and the internet, three very important parts of our everyday lives. At this time, mobile phones were growing fast, and they needed to be improved in some way. “Dr. Haarsten figured out a way to use frequency hopping techniques that required a little amount of energy while simultaneously blocking interfering signals.” I have never understood Bluetooth, and honestly, I still don’t think the knowledge and science behind it will forever confuse me, but I use it every day. For example, when I'm in my car, walking to class, or even airdroping a picture to my friend. All of these use Bluetooth and have completely changed the game of our lives. Growing up, everyone had plug-in headphones, which had upgrades and new plugs until, eventually, our society changed to fully Bluetooth headphones, which I believe completely changed how people listen to music and do their everyday lives. I see people in their cars by themselves with AirPods in; you would never see that in the 1900s. 

These are just two of many eye-opening presentations. Each person explained the impact of so many important types of technology/communication we use in just one day. Without these inventions and evolvement, our communications would be unrecognizable. We went from a pigeon flying and sending messages to a quick text that can go anywhere in the world. In my eyes, that is truly amazing, and the people who think of these things change the world completely. Communication is now so easy and a click of a button, which has led to so many issues but many amazing opportunities. Our communication is only evolving more with AI, and I can only imagine what that will bring to the world in the future.

Rogers Diffusion

 Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph started Netflix on August 29th, 1997. This was the first DVD movie rental introduced to the population. In 2007, they turned their DVD-mail movie rental into an online monthly subscription for $15.95 through a “Watch Now” service. Fly forward around 20 years, there are now $277.65 Million Netflix subscriptions worldwide. Now, let's review how they have gotten to this point and how Rogers's Diffusion of Innovation helps describe the audiences they targeted and maybe why some people don't have a subscription. 

Pioneers: 

As stated above, Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph are the founders of Netflix. They had both worked together at a Software Company called Pure Atria, their company was undergoing a merger, causing them to both lose their jobs. Marc and Reed would go to work together every morning and discuss the idea of starting their own business. The whole business plan was: Marc would run it, and Reed would fund it. Marc had later heard about the new hot DVD Japan had just created and knew that this was his ticket to success. That is when they came up with the idea of shipping DVDs for monthly rentals. In 1997, Reed and Marc knew they had to target a specific audience for this to work, leading into the Early Adaptors. 

Early Adaptors: Households with ages 17-60, but more specifically, families that had incomes of $30,000 and up. It was also clear that Netflix targeted their audience on psycho-graphics and not demographics. In these psycho-graphics, three fundamental groups were sectioned into, and Marc and Reed wanted to reach them. First was frequent movie renters, they wanted to make it so families, couples, and even single people had easy access to the movies they wanted to buy and did not have to go to the store and rent it and then go back to the store and return it, which leaves to the second group, people who were too busy to go out and buy/rent the movies, same reason as before, they wanted people to have easy access. Lastly, which I believe is the most important, an audience of people who value their money and want to get a “bang for their buck.” Netflix opened a subscription, and in that way, you weren't paying late fees or delivery fees, instead, you could watch as many movies as you wanted that month, and it would roll over to the next month. This idea became even more successful when they opened up their own online streaming website. 

Early Majority: 
In 2007 Netflix began streaming directly to TVs and computers through a “watch now” service, this lowered the cost of a physical DVD subscription to $5.99 a month and an online subscription to maintain the same at about $15. In 2013 Netflix started its own original shows, the first show was Lilyhammer followed by House Of Cards. Once Netflix started to expand and start its own shows, its audience took a shift. ‘Most of the audience are teenagers, college-goers, entrepreneurs, working professionals, etc." Netflix, alongside other social media, has a one-hit wonder, also known specifically as the “Netflix effect.” For example, in all reality TV shows, people go into these shows not being famous or only maybe a few thousand people knowing their name, to then millions of people knowing personal information and millions of followers. They also target young individuals as a marketing tactic for new trends or fashion ideas. Netflix One Night fame can completely change someone's life in a matter of seconds. 

Late Majority, Laggards, and Long Tail: 

I would categorize all these audiences together because virtually everyone is familiar with Netflix. If someone doesn't have a subscription, it’s likely not due to a lack of knowledge about the platform, but rather a lack of interest in movies or financial constraints. Many households share family subscriptions, allowing multiple profiles under one account, which makes it accessible for everyone. It’s also important to consider older generations. For example, my grandma knows what Netflix is, but she doesn’t feel the need to pay for a subscription just to watch a few movies. Many of the films on Netflix aren't tailored to her age group; her interests lean more toward news and significant live events. While she doesn't have her own account, she uses my parents' subscription when she wants to watch something. This is why I group these audiences together. I believe there aren't many people who would outright refuse to join a family Netflix account. Many older individuals may not seek out a subscription, but if given access, they would likely enjoy using it. 

Netflix has had a huge impact on how people/families now binging movies or TV series. They built from the ground up gaining the trust and loyalty of their subscribers. Netflix has also adapted to each generation and premiers the shows and movies they want their audience to be interested in. 

Privacy in Todays Digital Age

 As a young woman who has grown up with technology throughout my life, the idea of a “digital footprint” of myself on the internet is abundantly so clear. Right when I entered High School the number one thing people always said was “Watch what you put on the internet because it will always find a way to catch up.” Not that I have ever been in a situation where my past has led up to my future, but I have seen it happen to so many people around me. 

Everything and anything you post, say, repost, send a picture that’s saved to chat. Anything you do on your phone can be traced back to you. You can never just delete a post or retweet something because there was at least one person who had seen it before it was taken away. I used to have an Instagram when I was in middle school, and none of these photos are of bad things, but just because I can’t log into this account and haven’t been able to for years doesn’t mean it’s gone. So Sometimes my friends would go on it and make jokes about the little stupid things I posted. This is a harmless example, but people have experienced way worse.

In the Ted Talk "Your Online Life, Permanent as a Tattoo," Juan Enriquez discusses the comparison of digital footprint to your own tattoo. I have a tattoo that has a very personal meaning to my past, which can tell you a lot about myself. I also know that if you search my name on Google, my LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok will all show up. My tattoo on my body can tell you a story, but these three platforms tell you way more about my identity, such as my email, the town I live in, and my family members, all there just on the internet for anyone to access. These are three websites that, even if I delete something, will always be on the internet. This can be scary, especially as a college student looking for internships and job opportunities; I must be aware and smart about what I put online because anyone can find out anything about me with a quick search.

Catherine Crump goes on to talk about how the police departments are using license plates to track every vehicle and where they are going. Police officers are using these scanners to track where pedestrians are and their day-to-day lives. They have each car with multiple scans of their license plates, time stamps, and location. Their logic for holding onto all this private information is for the “future.” The small chance this person might be a criminal they keep tabs on everyone and have a file with numerous photos just to know your day-to-day life. I understand that you have to be able to track cars when it comes to stolen vehicles or criminals, but people are trying to live their lives in peace instead the government is monitoring everyone and every move they make, taking away every privacy right we have ever fought for. There should be rules in place, that make it so local police officers must delete that data once doing a background check. It is not fair to the citizens to have to be scared of police officers, those who are supposed to protect us, but now tracking us.

Technology has taken away all privacy rights, when we click the button “accept” to the terms and conditions we hand our identity away to these companies. Growing up with technology I never even thought about it, and the impact it can have if given to the wrong hands. We shouldn’t be scared to post an exciting moment online or to drive to a friend’s house. There is nothing we can now do without it being public knowledge. 

Netflix

Netflix was the start of online renting for movies. Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph founded Netflix in 1997. Renting movies in the 1900s was having to go to a record store and buying a movie to rent but you only had a certain amount of days with it and if you exceeded this, you were charged a late fee. Reed and Marc wanted to discover a way for people to rent movies for as long as needed without a late fee. They discovered DVDs were a new hot invention in Japan and knew that was their ticket into a successful business. 

History:
Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph worked together at Pure Atria a Software Company. Their company was doing a merge with another firm leading to them both losing their jobs. Marc and Reed would drive to work together discussing random business ideas, but Marc then remembered that DVDs had just arrived in Japan. In 1997 Marc and Reed went to Books & Reeds Record and bought a CDC, in which they shipped to Reed’s house. When it arrived unbroken they knew they had come up with the best business idea. 
August 29th, 1997 Netflix was up and registered using at least $1.9 Million from Reed. From 1997-1999 Netflix packed DVDs in envelopes and sent them to each customer, it was first a per-pay rental, which was .50 cents plus postage and late fee. In 1998 Netflix launched their first website, which allowed you to list the movies you wanted to rent, and each time you sent on back, you would receive your next movie. At this time Netflix rented out 900 titles, and within the first 15 minutes of the website launch, it crashed, leading them to run to the store and buy more services. By the end of the day, there were 137 orders.1999 Netflix opened their monthly subscription for around $15 monthly, for limited rentals with no late fees or other dues. Netflix gained 239,000 subscribers and expanded to 3,100 titles. In the early 2000s, there were complaints of DVDs taking too long to arrive which led to Netflix opening regional warehouses for overnight shipping. 
In 2007 Netflix began streaming directly to TVs and computers through a “watch now” service, this lowered the cost of a physical DVD subscription to $5.99 a month and an online subscription to maintain the same at about $15. In 2013 Netflix started its own original shows, the first show was Lilyhammer followed by House Of Cards. Netflix has only grown substantially in the last 20 years with more than 209 Million subscribers in over 190 countries. 

Impact: 
Netflix has completely changed the way people watch TV and movies, not just how we watch them but the inclusion of these shows/movies as well. There is not one person in this world that doesn’t know what Netflix is, subscribers increase around 10% each year. This is due to the reasonable pricing for a monthly subscription with no abs or other fees. Not only is it a reasonable price but you are also able to share the password with multiple people. Netflix wanted to change the way people viewed shows and movies, and how we could rent them out. They wanted people or families to have accessibility to movie night, and not make someone feel rushed to make sure the caseet tape, CDC, or even DVD is in on time. Not just fees but also where to watch
it, they expanded their site so it was easier for you to watch the things you were interested in, at your time and location. 
Not only did they change the way we watch shows and movies, but also the impact on how these movies may change our perspective on the world. “The Netflix Effect” is a phenomenon that Netflix series can influence our real life. Whether this is fashion, educational, or even a mindset on an idea. “The Netflix Effect”  also relates to the overnight fame of people just being on a show or a movie. For example, in all reality TV shows, people go into these shows not being famous or only maybe a few thousand people knowing their name, to then millions of people knowing personal information and millions of followers. Netflix fame is like no other and can completely change someone’s life. 

Netflix has had a huge impact on how people now binge movies or TV series. Although there are so many website look-alikes such as HULU, Disney +, and HBO Max, Netflix doesn’t have a popular name like them. They built from the ground up gaining the trust and loyalty of their subscribers. 

Eight Values of Free Expression

 Media, Literacy, and Law have given me a lot of insight into the significance of the First Amendment, especially through the lens of the Eight Values of Free Expression. The First Amendment was written by James Madison in 1791, which protects the people to say, write, and protest their beliefs. This is easily the most important Constitutional right we have because without this we would all have to believe and act on the same things. Each of the eight values holds an individual meaning to the First Amendment and the Freedom of Expression. 

Marketplace of Ideas

John Milton created this value, which suggested all ideas and opinions should be revealed, even the ones that are false because the truth will always win. More specifically, sharing both the truth and falsehood would always cause the 'truth will win'. I think this is really important, especially in this day of age because social media is the number one source of news. This leads to so many individuals famous or not posting many different things, whether it is celebrity drama or politics. Not only is there social media but also schools, I am surrounded by college students of all different ages and backgrounds, which means a lot of different opinions or views on things. Whether I believe it’s true or not on a specific topic, I still think it is really important for everyone to be able to discuss their opinions. This can also lead to opportunities to expand your knowledge and beliefs. The First Amendment obviously protects our right to freedom of speech, religion, and press, but John Milton's suggestions say the truth and falsehood need to be shared and expressed to further the truth. 

Individual Self-Fulfillment

C. Edwin Baker introduced the idea of Individual Self-Fulfillment, aka Self-Actualization which suggests that each person should be able to express themselves in their own creative ways. So not only do we have freedom of expressing our words and beliefs but ourselves. As stated above I am a college student, which means I am still figuring out who I am, and what I want to do with my future, this leads to so many different character develops and maturity on how I act and maybe even what I wear. I know that my aesthetic has changed so many times in just the past 5 years. Even looking back 2 decades fashion has changed tremendously and some has come back in the past years. Self-actualization goes as far back to Psychology and how our brain develops over time. Maslow's Hierarchy of needs, this is where we reach our full potential of who we can be and what we want to make ourselves.  Especially in America, we are such a diverse country that seeing different cultures dress can be very educational, and for me beautiful. You're not always expressing yourself but also your culture. I know now that nowadays a lot of people like to express their identity or personality through the way they dress, which can be very important to how someone feels.

    All Eight Values of Free Expression bring out small details in the First Amendment. These are only two out of the eight values, and it is really important to recognize how they all work together to allow this society to be as free as possible. Being able to have this much freedom with our words, beliefs, and actions
is truly a blessing. 

The Supreme Court

     Watching the Supreme Court videos gave me a lot of perspective on the true role the Supreme Court justices have in this country. I always knew the basis of what they did, from history classes, they get thousands of cases and have to decide which ones really impact the question of the U.S. Constitution or are worthy of making a nationwide law. Finishing the videos this insight widened, the number of cases they received weekly was jaw dropped, and how they had to come to a decision on which ones were worth taking is a lot of time and dedication. The Supreme Court is the highest federal court the United States has, which was built from the U.S. Constitution, furthering the importance of each justice’s role. When taking on a case they are putting the United States rights, laws, and future in their hands. 

  

  Furthermore, the most significant takeaway about the Supreme Court is how all the justices come to a decision on which cases they take and if they do take it the time and dedication they have to make that final verdict. Something that opened my eyes was the statement, “Whether it's filed by high-priced legal counsel or whether it's written by some prisoner sitting in jail someplace, in his own hand, gets the same individual consideration” The Supreme Court, gets roughly 100 cases to look over a month whereas they only take 100 cases a year. The Supreme Court doesn’t just look at the problem of the case, or see where it’s coming from and throw it to the side, but they take the time to look through every small or big case that ends up on their desks and see if it truly meets the needs of the Supreme Court. Not only do they take time to pick cases but the amount of time they spend on ruling the final verdict on a case. As said before the Supreme Court is the foundation for making decisions for the future of our nation, which holds a lot of trust and dedication to their decisions. 

    One of the most surprising things I learned from the videos was how many cases they really take in one year. Like stated above they receive about 100 cases a month, but only take about 100 cases a year. When they get a case, each lawyer has 30 minutes to plead this case, and the Supreme Court justices take this time to ask clarifying questions and get to the bottom of the case. This can get a little hectic because each Justice has a different opinion or even a different approach to what they want to ask. This time is given to the public, but then after 30 minutes, the justices go into a private room where no one is welcome except for the justices, and they come to a conclusion. This leads to one of the justices on the majority side having to write an opinion on why the decision was made. This part takes the longest, due to the fact it can lead to all other courts’ decisions on how to proceed with the case. I also found it surprising that a justice who wasn’t on the majority side of a case could also write his or her opinion on why he disagreed with the vote. The time it takes for a first draft of the opinion is about 4 weeks. How the Supreme Court takes the time to go through every case with efficiency and equality will always amaze me. 
 

   After watching these two videos, I have gained so much insight and respect for the Supreme Court, they truly don’t teach you the facts about what the Supreme Court does and how much time it takes to make sure the nation’s laws and future are in perfect condition. Each member goes through a remarkable process to get the title and honor of being a Supreme Court Justice, but I think it is equally important for the United States people to truly understand what they do and how they treat everyone with equality, even if you don’t like the outcome of the case. It is a true commitment and responsibility to work for the nation’s future.