The Evolution of Technology

   
The technological revolution has been noted as one of the most influential movements in the world's history. Without technology, we would not have the survival tactics we have developed in the modern world. We have based our entire way of communicating around the technological advancements that shaped our every day lives. We often take for granted that ease that technology brings us every day. I was lucky enough to have grown up in the age of technology and the peak of its  newer connotation. Social media rules the lives of many young men and women and that really started to take place once the Instagram app emerged.

    I still remember the day I downloaded Instagram. I was about twelve years old. I had to beg my parents to let me make an account. I remember thinking that Instagram was more of a gaming app. I was confused that it was not anything like Facebook where you could play games with your friend. It was only a photo sharing site. So, my little twelve year old brain took advantage of that and found those Instagram challenge trends and nailed them every time, or so I thought I did. Now, people my age use Instagram to brand themselves. People actually get paid to post on Instagram and generate revenue from their posts for brands that choose to sponsor them, it is crazy to think of how the app evolved from its start in 2011. Many kids today don't know a world without sharing their lives online.  The influence of technology is one that is very notable and documented as an event that revolutionized the way that people live their lives. 

Reference: In-class presentation 

The First Humans on Camera

            We all know and love portrait photography. Whether you're an actor needing a headshot, a couple announcing there engagement, or a businessperson seeking a job though LinkedIn, portrait photography has been a major part of how we communicate who we are and how we present ourselves to people. I fully expected the first photograph of a person to be a purposeful portrait of someone who had wealth somewhere in Europe. However, it is quite the opposite.
           The photograph pictured above is the first ever photograph to document a human being. Upon close examination, you can see that there is a man on the street corner getting his shoes shined. At first, I thought that was it. The only two people were the customer and the shiner. I was wrong! When you look closer you can see a child's face in the window of one of the buildings. You can even see that there are people on the corner across the street.
       This happy accident of a photo seems to have shaped how we use photographs to communicate now. There are seldom people you meet that say they have never been photographed. Now, we take pictures of every milestone. These people were not planning on making history. It is certainly interesting to see how far the subjects of photography of this photo taken in 1838 in Paris have come. I am happy that this discovery was made. Without it, we could not have the world that we live in now.

Reference: https://mashable.com/2014/11/05/first-photograph-of-a-human/

Would Past Presidents Use Social Media?

   Social media has become so mainstream that it is no longer a shock when our president uses Twitter to announce events pertaining to our country. President Obama became the first president to use Twitter to openly respond to a question. The question remains of how does the age of social media change our perception of governmental leaders. It is quite amusing to think about how distant past presidents would have used social media, especially Twitter.
   We can imagine that Thomas Jefferson would be live tweeting the Louisiana Purchase or that FDR may use Twitter as American propaganda. It is also interesting to think about how social media creates a platform in which things often get dismissed. Would JFK's "Ask not" sentiment have the same effect on our nation if it was delivered through social media? What about Ronald Raegan's tear down the wall speech? These are monumental moments in our country's history, but when they are boiled down to the 144 characters that Twitter allows.
   Not all of the news spread by presidents through social media would have been positive. If we started the social media age in a time when presidents were more responsible, there would be more respect centered around their use of websites like Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. However, there is no telling how they would have utilized social media if it existed when they were in office. It is funny to imagine that single-term presidents would have been MySpace kinds of people, or that certain presidents may post a Snapchat story of them in a conference or just their everyday work.


Reference: https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2020/02/17/how-past-presidents-might-have-used-social-media/#2cdb59571368

Vaccinations and the Media

    A topic I have always found interesting is the argument against vaccinations. There is so much evidence to back up why it is so important to vaccinate your children and keep yourself up to date on your own vaccinations. So I wonder: why is it that people are deciding to go against the grain and not vaccinate themselves and their children? The answer is clear: the media misinforms people about the necessity of vaccinations.
    A survey done concludes that out of 2500 American adults, twenty percent of them were influenced by the media to create opinions about vaccinations. This is a very small sample size when you scale it to the general world population, even in the scale of the population of the United States. This is somewhat alarming, especially since vaccinations are necessary to contain epidemics and build immunity. Here are some shocking statistics of this study that researchers found worrisome:

• Eighteen percent of people responded that they believe vaccinations are linked to causing autism. 
• Fifteen percent believe that vaccines are full of harmful toxins. 
• Twenty percent believe that the schedule of vaccinations do not matter. Therefore, parents are at liberty to spread out the timing of when their child receives their shots instead of relying on the CDC's (Centers for Disease Control) official vaccination schedule.
• Nineteen percent answered that it is better to build immunity to the disease by actually acquiring the disease rather than taking preventative action. 

   This is all influenced by the media. Media plays such a big part in everyone's life. We are so quick to believe everything we hear, especially because we live in such a fear driven world. If we hear something alarming, we are more likely to believe it than if it did not scare us. Think about how quickly alarming situations pertaining to politics get blown out of proportion. It happens all of the time. It is crucial to rely on news outlets that are credible. Especially today when we observe how the coronavirus is spreading throughout the world. 

   However, these statistics are not set in stone. Many researchers believe that individual's feelings towards vaccinations will change as it pertains to their personal interest. This leaves some hope for a better future of our world. 

Reference: https://eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-02/appc-vma021420.php 

A Closer Look Into President Trump's Acquittal

          The recent trial for President Trump's impeachment was one of the closest turnouts in history. I watched it live and I was very unsure as to how it would turn out. The vote ended up being 52 to 48 not guilty on the first article and 53 to 47 not guilty on the second. One thing that stood out to me was that each senator tended to vote along their party line. Now, was I shocked about this? Absolutely not. However, I was a bit confused as to why some Republican senators publicly took a stance against President Trump yet they still voted in his favor at the trial. I began to wonder why they would turn back on their own ideology. The simple answer is fear.
        Based on my own assumption immediately after watching the trial, I presumed that they voted in the interest of their party as to eliminate any reason to not be reelected into another term in office. After reading the New York Times article "In Private, Republicans Admit They Acquitted Trump Out of Fear", it began to make a lot more sense as to why these senators turned against their personal beliefs. When it comes to human attributes which drive us to behave a certain way, fear is the top contender who has no opponent. In private, Republican senators were warned that if they had voted against President Trump, they would have a target on their back. However, the motives are still unclear. If President Trump was indeed removed from office, Vice President Mike Pence would offer them the same rewards as being the leader of their party and the nation. The answer? The media. The fear that the media would publicly target them for voting against the party means they would be blacklisted in the government. There was also the fear of what would happen after the president was acquitted. How could they ensure that Mike Pence would be a better leader than Donald Trump. They couldn't. Therefore, they decided that keeping Donald Trump in office would be a lesser of two evils.
          What do you think? Personally, I do not believe that President Trump is a fit leader for our country. I do not discriminate against those who support him, we are a country that thrives on a two-party system and we are all entitled to our political beliefs. However, I think keeping him in office is the lesser if two evils. Vice President Pence is a known homophobe and is very discriminant against anyone who has a more progressive view on politics. Another reason I am okay with him staying in office for the remainder of this term is because now he is limited to the two-term policy. If he did not complete the full four year term, he could presumably run for another term, wiping his slate clean and staying for another two terms. As far as I know, there is no Constitutional law against it, so he would be in office for twelve years, not eight. I am curious to know your opinion on the situation! Sound off below if you have any insight as to what you believe should have happened.

Reference https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/05/opinion/trump-senate-acquittal-impeachment.html