Blog Post 3: Speech Theories

 Brett Smoler

Professor Smith

Media, Law & Literacy (COM-1450-04)

Thursday, November 7th, 2021

SPEECH THEORIES

I believe that individual self-fulfillment or self-actualization is the most important of the eight speech theories. This because of what individual self-fulfillment represents the ability to express oneself and by extension “create their own identity.” This value is the very essence of what makes up the first amendment or freedom of speech as well as even bigger one's own pursuit of happiness.

Blog Post #9: Diffusion Theory

Diffusion of innovations is a theory that seeks to explain how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread. Everett Rogers, a professor of communication studies, popularized the theory in his book Diffusion of Innovations; the book was first published in 1962, and is now in its fifth edition (2003).[1] Rogers argues that diffusion is the process by which an innovation is communicated over time among the participants in a social system. The origins of the diffusion of innovations theory are varied and span multiple disciplines.

Blog Post #11/Final Post

Our digital footprint makes a huge presence; whether it's on Facebook, Instagram, or other websites. All our personal information can be stored on these places, therefore leaving behind a digital footprint. Google and any other search engine also stores your information and sells it whether you like it or not. 

Facial recognition technology in China is used to identify and fine jaywalking offenders instantly and in real time. It is a potential for an invasion of privacy. China also uses facial recognition to monitor the economic behavior of its citizens and come up with a number that determines if a citizen is trustworthy, responsible, or not. 

Less dangerous uses of AI facial recognition in china is smiling at a screen to make a purchase at KFC or grocery stores.

China is building a surveillance state to monitor and control its citizens. The Chinese government is not restricted by the same laws that protect civil rights and liberties that the U.S. has. However, the U.S. could become a surveillance of citizens in the U.S.

Deep learning algorithms used by AI can also be used to monitor and predict consumers' behaviors. All online behavior can be collected to build a profile of every individual.

Blog Post 2: SCOTUS History

Brett Smoler

Professor Smith

Media, Law & Literacy (COM-1450-04)

Tuesday, November 2nd, 2021

SCOTUS HISTORY

    The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest federal court in the country and the head of the judicial branch of government. SCOTUS was established by the U.S. Constitution and it has the "ultimate jurisdiction" over all laws within the United States and is responsible for evaluating the constitutionality of those laws. 
    There are many things from the article Supreme Court, that I learned that I hadn't already known about the U.S. Supreme Court. I learned that the U.S. Supreme Court's first meeting was at the Merchant's Exchange building in New York, but instead of being held on February 1st, 1790; it was held on the 2nd due to some transportation issues with some of the justices. The article states, "The Supreme Court was set to first assemble on February 1, 1790 at the Merchants Exchange Building in New York City. But due to some justices' transportation issues, the meeting had to be postponed until the next day" (History.com para. 4).

    In the supreme court the justices work to keep the legal system moving. They pick a case to take from the thousands of cases that are sent in to them. Then have a meeting to decide how the constitution is related to this case and how are rights protected and/or not protected under the US constitution. Once they reach a decision the justices then write arguments to tell how they either agree with the decision reached or how they don't agree. This whole process takes weeks to do. So when people say the Supreme Court doesn't do anything just know they are the most hardworking branch in the government.  

Blog Post #6: EOTO 1

        The history of YouTube is an interesting one, and its influence has effected us all the way up to this day. At first, YouTube was thought of by  Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim, three former employees of the American company known as PayPal. They thought the site would be a good way to share "home videos" that families made as a social media platform. YouTube first started with capital funding of 11.5 million dollars, and in April 2005 the first video ever uploaded to YouTube was made called "Me at the Zoo." After a short beta testing period the site launched in December of 2005 and the first video to get 1 million views was made shortly after, which was a Nike commercial. After a quick boom the next year Google quickly acquired the company for around 1.65 billion dollars in stock. In June of 2007 YouTube was launched in the UK as well as 6 other countries. 

        After YouTube grew a little more, HD videos were introduced in December of the same year, and a lot more people were finding new uses of the rapidly growing site. In 2009 multiple things occurred, YouTube was now able to reach 1080p, the website was reaching 1 billion views per day, and had a partnership with channel 4 meaning they had to catch up with TV for the first time. This was also around the time gaming and vloging videos became of interest to the viewers of YouTube.  In 2010, the site views grew to 3 billion views per day, and people could start making their living off of posting things on YouTube. Since 2012 YouTube has grown to a multi-million dollar company and it is still going to grow stronger in the future. 

Blog Post #10: EOTO 2

 I learned a lot during the second EOTO presentations, but the one I found to be the most interesting was the Spiral of Silence. What I learned is that you don't want to make an argument about something that the majority of people believe is to be right. We usually don't want to stand alone, so we go with what the majority of the others have to say. 

Blog Post #5: Antiwar

I think that the reason we never hear about these antiwar websites; such as Antiwar.com and the American Conservative because they go against the American parsimony as a whole. The reason that we never hear of these websites is because the government wants to quiet the voices that are trying to speak against acts of war. You have to search high and low for these websites because the government wants them to not be heard by the public. This is why antiwar voices aren't seen in the media today.