EOTO 2: Misinformation & Disinformation

For my group's second EOTO presentation, we researched various types of false information. I specifically covered misinformation and disinformation. Both of these types of false information are present in every type of media that we consume, and it can often be very challenging to distinguish between the two. Misinformation is false information that is not published with the intent to mislead or harm an audience, whereas disinformation is false information published intentionally to spread false messages or ideas in a way to influence public opinion. 

Because misinformation is often simply getting the facts wrong, it can usually stem from unverifiable rumors and continuous sharing online. Social media can often amplify this circulation of misinformation and sharing. It can be difficult to monitor and correct, so often these rumors can spiral out of control. The picture below is an example of misinformation. It is not published with the intention of misleading or spreading false messages, but the information is incorrect nevertheless. This is largely because the numbers are graphics are not proportional. This would lead to the viewer misinterpreting the data. There is also no source listed for the reader to fact check the source that it is coming from. 

The second type of false information that I covered, disinformation, has a much more malicious intent. It is intentionally deceiving information to spread false messages in order to obscure the truth. There are many things that contribute to the cycle to disinformation. Some of these include: hackers, trolls, artificial intelligence, and engagement metrics. 

There are many ways that a reader can try to spot disinformation in the content that they are reading. Some helpful ways might include: checking and comparing other reliable news sources, looking at the source of the article you are reading, check the credibility of the author, read beyond the headline, developing a critical mindset, be on the lookout for sponsored content, run articles and other media through a fact checking site. These methods can help you filter out false information to give you a piece of mind that you are reading accurate information. 

In the picture below, you can see an example of disinformation. This advertisement uses statistics that have already been filtered through other sources, and it compares two separate sets of statistics that have absolutely nothing to do with each other. The two categories are so unrelated that comparing them comes across as manipulative. The advertisement also uses intense imagery like skulls to incite feelings of fear to further the message of propaganda. 

It is important as a reader to think critically when consuming information, especially when looking at media that could be considered controversial. This could be anything from foreign affairs, to local news, to politics. As always, it is best to draw your information from many reliable sources and to fact check before believing anything you read online. While there is no way to completely eliminate false information, taking the correct precautions can help prevent you from being easily persuaded by the heavy presence of misinformation and disinformation in today's online media. 

Age of AI

After watching this film, I honestly thought that it was very concerning to see just the severity of privacy invasion that exists in our world today due to the evolution of technology in our ever-changing world. This documentation clearly pointed out that there are pros and cons to living in a work with artificial intelligence.

Even though artificial intelligence has been evolving for decades, the recent developments have gained the public’s attention and gotten people thinking, “What are dangers of this technology, and how can I protect myself from it?”

Some of the biggest risks involving artificial intelligence have to go with consumer privacy, biased programming, danger to humans, and unclear legal regulation. Because this is an ever-changing field, the future of this technology is truly unknown. 

AI is an extreme threat to privacy because depending on the function, it requires an extreme amount of personal data to do its job. The biggest concern with AI having people’s data is the threat of identity theft and security breeches. 

Another big concern with the evolution of AI is that is it is making many jobs absolute. Many lower level jobs are now being able to be completed by robots or artificial intelligence. This job loss can create economic disruption 

Personally, I am very overwhelmed by the evolution of this high-tech artificial intelligence, and it makes me very uncomfortable just thinking about it. I do understand how it can be used for well intended purposes, but as we witnessed in the documentary, it is often used maliciously. I also do not like that as a consumer you are subjected to the privacy invasion whether you like it or not. I find the whole thing very uncomfortable and really wish it would be scaled back, but I unfortunately see the opposite happening in the future.  

Diffusion of Innovation

Throughout history, The Diffusion of Innovation Theory has been prevalent during the rise and evolution of almost every major invention, methodology, and idea. The theory breaks down the process by which a product is introduced to society, and which members or sectors of society adopt the product/method as common practice and at what pace. It is interesting to look at the history of various technologies and to apply Rogers' Diffusion of Innovation to it in order to understand the rate in which it became widely accepted amongst citizens. 

For my blog post, I am going to look at the history and evolution of the ice auger.  Now widely available in ranging high tech models for steep price tags, the ice auger was once only available as a simple, metal, handheld model. This worked for one purpose: to help ice fishermen drill a hole in the ice faster and easier. Originally patented in 1840, this revolutionized northern communities for decades. Even today, the manual auger is portable, inexpensive, and its lightweight makes it very easy to transport. 

In 1948, Jiffy unveiled the first gas powered auger. The first people to buy this product would have been considered the innovators. These would be the people likely drawn to the ease of the product compared to the manual labor, however, the cost deterred many consumers. These products
were also very heavy and required upkeep that the handheld auger did not. As the product continued to the develop, the early adopters began to acquire this product, making it more accessible to the mass marketing, thus fueling innovation and improvements within the industry. By now, the product is mainstream and the early and late majority are regular users of the gas auger (and the early adopters are moving onto electric ones, but that is another topic). 

Although technology has drastically improved since the handheld auger first rolled out in 1840, there are many people that still believe that models similar to the original ones are the "best". Some people refer to these individuals as traditionalists, but the Diffusion of Innovation Theory would refer to fishermen using a manual auger as "laggards". There will always be a percentage of the population that are unwilling to adopt a new product/methodology/idea. 

Anti-War

I consider myself fairly engaged with the news, more than the average American. I tend to have a decent idea of what is going on in this country in terms of domestic and foreign policy events. This is mostly because I find it both interesting and important. I know that there are many American citizens, many of them falling into my demographic or similar that similar disregard the news altogether unless a major, life-altering event occurs. I think this is because, although informational, news media is still a source of entertainment and the industry is hungry for viewership.  

The anti-war news are not as action-packed and fear invoking as the mainstream media, therefore they would not gain the viewership that mainstream media would. They also are silenced by the media because they do not fall in line with the narrative that they are trying to push: that they citizens need to be scared. Any headline that creates fear, panic or drama will dominate the covers of any newspaper. You see this over and over again with Ukraine, Covid-19, China, and many other circumstances. 

Although I enjoy staying informed about what is going on in the world, mostly through podcasts and other news outlets (see my first post for more detail on my preferred media outlets), I do not actively seek out anti-war sources. I believe that I am not in the minority when it comes to that statement. It is so easy to be engulfed in the steady impact of mainstream media that we are faced with from all directions and sources. When it comes time to look at news stories, there is no reason to seek out additional sources because the mainstream ones are so conveniently accessible on your laptop and mobile devices, often with very eye-catching headlines. Notions promoting peace will never make the headlines because they will not gain the viewership needed to fund the media companies. 

EOTO 1 Reaction (What I learned)

Throughout many of the EOTO Presentations, I learned new things about technologies that I use everyday that I take for granted. One key takeaway that I took away from the entirety of the presentations is how vast the world of technology is. When I think of technology, items such as computers and smartphones immediately come to mind. Others, however, I failed to recognize as "technology" before these presentations, such as the printing press, the telegraph, and carrier pigeons.  In hindsight, this is because I was failing to distinguish the differences between technology and electronics. 

I learned the most from the presentation about carrier pigeons because it was the technology that I knew the least about. I was shocked that it was used as early as 10,000 BC. I had also never understood the methodology of how. the birds found where they where they were going, so I was fascinated to learn more about that process, and how they are really only trained to go to one location. They are taken away from the epicenter and they always find the way back to that pinpoint. I also thought that it was very interesting that they were used in more recent wars in order to avoid modern war technology and tracking. It shows that sometimes, older technology can still be useful even when other inventions evolve and surpass it. 

I also thought that the presentation on the telegraph was very interesting for the same reason as the carrier pigeon, I did not know a lot about it. I was surprised to find out how expensive it was to get started and I did not know that it was considered a luxury at first. Even though it was patented in 1837, the first message was not sent until 1844.

Postal Service: History and Impact

Originating as early as 2,000 B.C., the very first traces of mail was found to be traced back to Ancient Egypt. From there, the practice of postal services significantly contributed to the expansions of some of the largest empires in the history of the world. This includes the Greeks, Persians, Egyptians and Chinese. The Romans however, truly changed the trajectory of postal operations. It was the most highly developed postal service in the world at the time. They had the ability to cover more than 170 miles in a day and night. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the technology and organization were adopted by other empires and civilizations. 

During the 15th century, Gutenburg's printing press helped with the expansion of education and literacy rates, specifically across Europe. The more people that were literate, the more people wanted to communicate outside of their neighborhoods and villages, thus turning to the postal service. This demand made letter carrying a very profitable business. It created private undertakings, some of the most famous being in Switzerland, Austria and Milan. By the 16th century, postal service covered most of Europe. More than 20,000 couriers incorporated into a relay system to maximize efficiency and profitability. Then, no nation had a comprehensive government postal system. France and Britain were the first to introduce a comprehensive government system. 

In 1874, the Treaty of Bern unified the international postal system. This helped to tear down barriers that
were preventing free flow of growth of international mail. In 1911, the first air mail was delivered, and in 1929 the first small packet mail was delivered. By 1948, the Universal Postal Union became a specialized agency of the United Nations. 

The United States Postal Service has specifically played a key role in transforming and expanding the nation. Ben Franklin used his experience from overseeing Britain's mail service to create an efficiently operational communicative system between the thirteen colonies. This greatly aided the United States to thrive independently from Great Britain.  In 1775, the first postmaster general was appointed by Ben Franklin, and the Post Office was official created with the passage of the Postal Service Act in 1792. Mail was delivered by cars, trains, horseback, sleds, and steamships in order to connect states and territories, even rural ones. 

During the Civil War, confederacy mail operations were suspended, and money was instead used to upgrade the Union's mail system. This led to the expansion of the Railway Mail Service, connecting even more Americans than ever. It began delivering the first money orders and began deliveries to urban residences. The United States Postal Service was the first major institution to employ large numbers of women and African American individuals. At a time of incredible division, this effort empowered marginalized groups. In 1911, the postal savings system was introduced; allowing many people without access to banks to keep their money securely with a federal institution. World War II challenged the postal service's strength by doubling the demand over a few short years. 

Focusing on the United States Postal Service, there have been many advantages that have boosted our country's success. There have also been a few cons of this form of communication. Mail had large contributions to increasing literacy rates and met the growing communication needs of a rapidly expanding nation. It influenced newspaper marketing, cheap print, and rise of consumer advertising; all of which led to long lasting global impacts. 

The Postal Service has faced a steep decline in demand in the recent decades. This is largely due to the rise in technology that makes communication much easier. People are much more likely to turn to email, phone, and instant messaging because it is more convenient and much faster. People want instant gratification and communication, which causes them to turn to other platforms. While letter post is rapidly declining, package mail helps to strengthen the necessity of the United States Postal Service. That being said, the institution has lost billions of dollars in revenue since 2006.