Post 12: How Modern Media Impacts Us All

Every social media outlet we use from Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Pinterest, etc. has shaped our society into what it is today. There are up and downsides to this instantaneous overflow of information. Such as, it is wonderful someone can chat with someone from the USA to the Philippines. However, private information can be leaked easily and hackers use this to their advantage. Though there are potential threats to the security of your private information, I believe the good outweighs the bad. The impact you have for people locally and internationally is an amazing benefit that could not have been dreamt of even 20 years ago! 

As far as my use of social media, I go to Instagram, Snapchat, and Pinterest the most. On Instagram, I have a little over 630 followers, which I do not think is bad for a local NC girl. Snapchat, I have quite a list of friends from my hometown and college. My "snap score" is over 200,000. Makes sense considering I have had this app for 3 years. Lastly, Pinterest. I have a personal and business account. For the sake of numbers, I will list my business stats. I have 4 followers, but 26k impressions, 336 engagements, 293 for audience engagement, and lastly, a total audience of 24.1k. I am using Pinterest as a way to pay for my own car. 

As to content, for Instagram and Snapchat it is a way to display my personal life on a daily basis with events like seeing my boyfriend or holidays or even spontaneous photoshoots with my timer function on my camera. Pinterest, however, I have 4 boards: Travel, Money, Lifestyle, and Health. 

For a first time viewer of my digital social life, one would see that I am active in my interests of politics, golf, sailing, and singing along with being a southern gal from NC who is an only child. 

Voluntarily giving out information is what we do on these social sites whether we realize this or not. Two big pieces of info are email and phone. I usually use an email address I am not as active on, and my phone number is a rare detail I add. Email is the only one I am ok with giving up to these sites in case I forget my password, or have any other account issues and need to reset my account for any reason. 

The emotional impact of social media apps and sites have been a huge topic as it regards to mental health. Personally, I did feel lonely and depressed in my mid-teen years, but now that I am in my 20's I do not let other people's happiness give me a sense of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). I am happy for their joy and post and brag about mine when I have the chance and good enough lighting. 

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This is my last post for this blog and semester. Hope the various topics were intriguing and fun to read! Happy Holidays! *Be Happy Y'all!*

Post 11: Propaganda

According to Merriam Webster, propaganda is the "information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc." 

The most common examples of propaganda are the various War posters from the 20th century. 

One, if not the most iconic that has been in the background of some beloved movies, is the Uncle Sam poster. 

I want you! 

This first appeared on July 6, 1917, as we entered World World I on the cover of Leslie's Weekly. In the title of this cover was the statement, "What Are You Doing for Preparedness." The composition of this graphic was effective due to Uncle Sam pointing to the viewer as a way to compel action. 

Another famous propaganda poster that circulated throughout the United States was Rosie the Riviter. or was it? This was created by J. Howard Miller in 1943. This is often mistaken for Rosie the Riviter, but the true title belongs to the next example created at the same time.   

 

We Can Do It!

The goal was to encourage women already working for the Westhouse Electric company to keep working. The original intention was not as recruitment for women to be in the workforce as a whole, but this ended up being an added benefit during World War II. 

The true Rosie the Riviter. Created by Normand Rockwell in 1943. 

Rosie the Riviter

This poster's desire was to represent the women of America who worked in munitions and war supply factories. It served as a call to arms for women to be strong and capable to support the war efforts and recognition of their work. 

The last poster I will mention is also from the World War II era. Composed with the target audience being mostly the Navy men but applicable to anyone serving in any branch of our military. 

Someone Talked!

The purpose was to disuade anyone in service to talk about classified or important information that could unintentionally give the enemy the upperhand. Especially with the concern of a spy inflitrating any sensitive information or strategies. The poster potrays a man sinking in the water after what is implied a navy man has been casted into the water after the vessel he was on sunk. It shows the consequences of being too trusting or big mouthed. 

 

In many ways, propaganda can be effective and make a person think about their daily life habits and/or the country they reside in. As the definition states, it does not necessarily have to hinder anyone, but can help if phrased and drawn with the right intent and it being interpreted the way it should be. 

Resources: 

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/propaganda

https://www.canva.com/learn/examples-of-propaganda/

Post 10: Citizen Journalism

This blog article you are reading right now is a type of Citizen Journalism. This form of journalism means the collection and reporting of information via social media, public platforms, and traditional news outlets, either by non-traditional sources or the public. Basically, this means you do not have to be on the formal occupation of the press in order to have your opinion and words to be shared in the world. 

Immediately after seeing this specific definition, I wanted to know the origin of Citizen Journalism. Surprisingly, it started in this century. In South Korea, in 2000, the online entrepreneur Oh Yeon-ho declared "every citizen is a reporter" and made Citizen Journalism a more popular term to use. This philosophy of his concerning news sharing also came about due to not liking how his country's major news outlets were converting the topics of the day. When he launched his news site with this mindset in 2000, he only had 757 contributors, which is a decent amount. However, this pales in comparison to 2007 when he gained 50,000 contributors thanks to reporters from different countries adding up to around 100 different locations.  This to me shows people like to hear from the everyday man as much as the local anchor on ABC 11. 

To gain a better idea of this concept, here are some examples. 

As is well known, in November 1963 Dallas Texas was host to a tragedy on a national level. Former President John F. Kenedy was assassinated while on his motorcade route. The footage was recorded by Abraham Zapunder with his home movie camera following Kennedy as the unforeseen horror unfolded. Eventually, this was seen around the major national news outlets of the time.

Twitter is a major venue of Citizen Journalism. In February of 2012, Whitney Houston's death was reported on this platform an hour before any mainstream press outlet discussed this event.

April 2013 yet another travesty, the Boston Marathon Bombing. Citizens reported through various means: videos, photos, tweets, skype calls, blogs, etc. As a result, news channels relied heavily on these updates from their citizens. 

All these examples show we, as citizens, can not only be more effective in getting news out quicker, but news outlets can use and rely upon the opinions we put out into the world. Zapunder's footage was heavily used in news cycles. Twitter jumped on the chance to announce the passing of a beloved singer before the news could first. The citizens of Boston were filming front row footage of updates through many mediums the news referenced due to their abundance and live updates.  

After researching this term and realizing its existence, I have come to realize how much power and influence I have. I have shown unknowingly by typing out these blogs weekly how my research can better someone's understanding. I am grateful to now know I am apart of this area of news in this specific niche. I hope this encourages you to become more prominent with your voice but to also do your research first--thoroughly-- before posting. As discussed last week, what you say on the internet is stored on servers and saved. When you make a tweet, you are technically an author that is logged into a server. I have seen one in Raleigh, North Carolina a few years ago when I was a Page. This is stated to prevent thinking before you speak (or in this case type) and better the world with your thoughts and experiences.  

Resources:

Study.com

https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-citizen-journalism-definition-examples.html

Brandwatch.com

https://www.brandwatch.com/blog/what-is-citizen-journalism-and-how-does-it-influence-news/

 Britannica.com

 https://www.britannica.com/topic/citizen-journalism

Post 9: Present Privacy Problems

Technology is a useful tool. We can connect with people from around the world and send a message instantaneously. With anything in life, there is a downside. In today's age, it can be clearly seen some of those behind the beloved tools used in technology have a bad streak in them. Web browsing cookies, site tracking for better ad recommendations, your social media posting data stored in servers, surveillance, license plate tracking, cell tower dumps--cell phone tracking, wiretapping (100 years in the making),  personal pictures posted without permission. Sadly, I could elaborate on this list. 

It seems there is better awareness of this fact today, ad recommendations have data sent to their algorithms to provide prevalent ads depending on what you search and post. Just because there is awareness, does not mean anyone is changing this truth. When I ventured on Google Analytics one day to see the hype of this function, I was able to see data that was surprising yet not at the same time. Demographics ranging from age, gender, interests, location...etc!

Everything--everything we post, like, share is tracked. This is not the only thing limited to being tracked--our license plates are as well. There is a guy named Mark who was able to gain access to how his car was being tracked via license plate. Not only was his license plate number recorded in text, but a picture of his plate and where the care was seen. One picture was of him and his family getting out of the car at their own home. If this does not insight questions and protest of this kind of action of innocent people, I do not know what would. 

It gets "better". Phones can be manipulated in multiple ways to penetrate your privacy. Location, tapping, tower dumps. These examples and more are being done every day. We knowingly or unknowingly allow this to happen. Some through agreements signed we never read, or by simply having no idea our phones have the potential to be tapped into while talking to a family member. Apps that parents have on their phones such as "Find my iPhone" or "Find my Friends" to see where their children are through their phones, the government has their own version of phone location. Tower dumps are one way on a broad scale to accomplish this. 

Now, none of these facts are written to provoke panic or paranoia, but awareness and acknowledgment of what is happening in our world today some may not know to be true.  I am thankful to find out about this whether some were old or new to me. Hope you, reader, feel the same. 

Resources: 

Week 11: Privacy On & Off: 4 TEDTalks

Post 8: Diffusion of Innovations and the Compass

According to a simple definition from Wikipedia, Diffusion of innovations is a theory that seeks to explain how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread. Basically, why certain innovations do well with both use and production. 

The proposer of this theory, Rodgers has reasons to believe why this is effective. Rogers proposes that four main elements influence the spread of a new idea: the innovation itself, communication, communication channels, time, and a social system. This process relies heavily on human capital. 

Below is a table to further explain this concept: 

Element	Definition
Innovation	Innovation is a broad category, relative to the current knowledge of the analyzed unit. Any idea, practice, or object that is perceived as new by an individual or other unit of adoption could be considered an innovation available for study.[14]
Adopters	Adopters are the minimal unit of analysis. In most studies, adopters are individuals, but can also be organizations (businesses, schools, hospitals, etc.), clusters within social networks, or countries.[15]
Communication channels	Diffusion, by definition, takes place among people or organizations. Communication channels allow the transfer of information from one unit to the other.[16] Communication patterns or capabilities must be established between parties as a minimum for diffusion to occur.[17]
Time	The passage of time is necessary for innovations to be adopted; they are rarely adopted instantaneously. In fact, in the Ryan and Gross (1943) study on hybrid corn adoption, adoption occurred over more than ten years, and most farmers only dedicated a fraction on their fields to the new corn in the first years after adoption.[5][18]
Social system	The social system is the combination of external influences (mass media, surfactants, organizational or governmental mandates) and internal influences (strong and weak social relationships, distance from opinion leaders).[19] There are many roles in a social system, and their combination represents the total influences on a potential adopter.

 Since this is all now defined. I am going to apply this theory to an influential innovation that has changed the way we see the world today. 

The Compass

I am going to discuss how the compass was and is a very useful tool-- a necessary innovation. As a sailor, I know how important compasses are. Though today, they have a much more modern, electronic look. According to the History Channel website, "Originally invented in China, by the 14th-century compasses had widely replaced astronomical means as the primary navigational instrument for mariners. The compass provided explorers with a reliable method for traversing the world’s oceans, a breakthrough that ignited the Age of Discovery and won Europe the wealth and power that later fueled the Industrial Revolution. Most importantly, the compass allowed for interaction—both peaceful and otherwise—between previously isolated world cultures." They also state compasses are seen as obsolete due to satellites and GPS. Despite this fact, it is still a useful skill--even outside of a scouting program.  

As mentioned, the compass was essential for aid in navigation for oceanic travel, but what was unmentioned, is how it is useful for land also. I know personally from camping, how useful a compass
is to have in your hand! 

As good as all of this sounds, how does this apply to the Diffusion of Innovations theory? 

1. It is an innovation, first of all

2. It is adaptable--now mostly electronic

3. It communicates direction 

4. It is reliable and very little interference can deter its accuracy 

5. Though it does not need much promotion through the media, because most of its publicity is word of mouth, it has a social system nonetheless. 

Most importantly, how and why of the spread of this technology occurred. 

How -- other countries saw how effective it was and this innovation was eventually a worldwide phenomenon

Why -- it's usefulness for oceanic navigation

Also, here is a bell curve for the history of the Compass. 

Sources: 

Diffusion of Innovations

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusion_of_innovations

11 Innovations That Changed History

https://www.history.com/news/11-innovations-that-changed-history

Post 7: YouTube over the Years

 The idea of sharing videos of long and short duration was a revolutionary idea that became a reality in April of 2005. This is when the first Youtube video was uploaded to this social media browser. The name of this video was called "Me at the Zoo" which was an 18-second clip of one of the co-founders, Karim, talking about elephant trunks at the San Diego Zoo. In May of 2005, the first beta version was launched for public use. 

 As of this year, it has been 15 years since the birth of this life-changing and influential media outlet. This platform has over 2 billion subscribers, me being one of them. It also helped launch the careers of individuals like "PewDiePie" and the sketch comedy channel "Smosh". 

In October of 2005, the first viral video to hit 1 million views belongs to a commercial promoting Nike soccer (or in Brazil would be called football) shoes. Later in December, the website is officially out of beta and the public can use this freely. 

Jumping the timeline to August of 2015, Youtube Gaming was introduced to video gaming streaming channels in order to placate to a live and interactive audience. 

 2016, in January Adele's "Hello,  was the first video to hit over 1 billion views which was previously held by PSY's Gangnam Style in 2012. 

And now, in February of 2020, for the first time since YouTube was acquired by Google 14 years ago, the Google breaks out the video platform's ad revenue to generate $14 billion in 2019. 

Sources: 

PowerPoint presentation in class on October 15, 2020. 

Business Insider-History of YouTube

https://www.businessinsider.com/history-of-youtube-in-photos-2015-10#february-2020-for-the-first-time-since-youtube-was-acquired-14-years-ago-google-breaks-out-the-video-platforms-ad-revenue-youtube-generated-14-billion-in-2019-9-of-parent-company-alphabets-total-ad-revenue-54

Post 6: The Making of Movies

Going to the movies has been a timeless tradition. Even though nowadays viewing movies look different, the nostalgia and history of movies have shaped our world. When the discussion of the when movies first came out is brought up, most people think of Charlie Chaplin's black and white silent films or the game-changing Wizard of Oz with color. What does not usually come to mind are the inventors of motion pictures or movies.



 Much credit is given to the Lumiere brothers from France with their invention of cinematograph the which debuted at the science conference of 1895. Even though they gained more recognition when this invention was seen in France that December, the impact was clearly seen. The cinematograph gave a recreation to illusionary movement According to these brothers, their goal was to deceive the eyes of their audience. As mentioned, much credit was given to the Lumiere brothers, but there was much debate as to who truly invented movies first. In September of 1896, an article was written asking if the Lumiere brothers or America's Thomas Edison invented movies. Thomas Edison worked on the invention of the Kinetoscope and turned it into a projection device. This was the main contention that still to this day is up for debate.



Other contributors were  Max Skladanowsky from Germany and William Frises Greene from Britain. This ignited moire debate for others who were overlooked by claiming they were the "true" contributors to this amazing invention C Francis Jenkins, Thomas Armat, and the Latham family (America), Etienne-Jules Marey (France), Oskar Messter (Germany), and Robert William Paul (Britain). No matter who the true inventor turns out to be, movies have influenced society in ways that may not have been without them.



Sound is an important aspect of movies today, and a revolutionary idea to add to a movie in 1927. Alan Crosland premiered his black and white film The Jazz Singer. He wanted to change the silent film aspect as displayed by the hilarious actions of Charles Chalpin to one where sounds accompanied the images projected. 



As briefly mentioned, the Wizard of Oz was a huge deal because it was one of the first widely featured American movies with color. Despite Wizard of Oz debut in 1939, color was invented in 1916 thanks to the Technicolor company. This was made possible by the introduction of the photographic chemical process that introduces color in movie frames. This discovery was first tested out with the Kinemacolo system by only using two colors (red and teal). This made it more difficult to register the desired color on the screen used. The development of the three-color camera (Technicolor three-strip) contributed to the unstoppable growth of using colors in movies from 1935 and so forth.




When color was starting to become more popular, according to an LA Times article, "Numerous film actresses balked at doing a Technicolor movie. 'Claudette Colbert didn't like her appearance in 'Drums Along the Mohawk' and didn't make another color film for about 20 years.'" (according to Peter Jones) "These actresses, Jones explains, were used to being photographed by the likes of George Hurrell, 'who did beautiful black-and-white photographs with shadow and light. And then suddenly, they were on the set where they were shooting color and the lights were unbelievable."















With any invention that shapes history, there are advantages and disadvantages. Some advantages is a way of communicating a story to an audience in an artistic and intriguing way, giving an audience a pleasant form of entertainment within the typical span of a 1 hour and 30 minutes -3 hours. Providing jobs to creative-minded people from actors, to directors, to producers, etc. A disadvantage is actors have the potential to let the fame of their success become their downfall by having it go to their head, the makers of the movie being into a film project just for the money and not the story, etc. I believe, the benefits outweigh any negative aspects because I usually walk away from a movie with a better appreciation for life through the story told. This could be a different perspective I have not considered, a lesson to be learned, etc.












References:

https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/technology/innovation/7-advances-in-technology-that-have-revolutionized-the-film-industry/

https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=WVVX4NHS8TwC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=invention+of+movies&ots=xGdKtA4TlA&sig=VgE-iofhempM6MhQVAwiMeQITYY#v=onepage&q=invention%20of%20movies&f=false

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-dec-04-ca-50659-story.html