Diffusion of Innovation

 The concept of diffusion theory is so interesting. This theory is so important to what we learn in communications and especially important to figure out where you fall within the groups of diffusion of innovation. The different groups are based on how fast you respond to innovation and new ideas. The Diffusion of Innovations is a theory that looks to explain how, why, and the rate technology spreads. 

(wikipedia graph) that shows how groups react to technology.

In my EOTO project, I did it on the kindle. this piece of technology demonstrates the shift from a physical book to copies of books and materials online. Until I reached college most of my teachers forced us to get physical books instead of online ones. However, in 2012, I got my first kindle and enjoyed reading on that because it was so easy to keep scrolling and bookmarking a page online than an actual bookmark. this shows the receptiveness of both parties young and old. Younger people are more typically to be early adopters and hop on the trend and new innovations that surround us, whereas an older crowd is more likely to be hesitant and jump on the wave later since they are used to the technology that was previous.

This is how the five stages of the adoption process were for me when discovering The KINDLE: 

Knowledge/Awareness: This is when I was first In middle school when I first owned my kindle. MY PARENTS BOUGHT ME THIS AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE IPHONE/IPOD TOUCH. I used this tablet to read, play games, and do homework on it in middle school.

Persuasion: I really liked the idea as a kid to be using a tablet to read books, I persuaded my parents to buy me one and set up an amazon account (to this day it is under my name!) because I liked I could use a touch screen device to do whatever I want. for this, I was an early adopter convincing my parents who were late to this technology to let me have this. 

Decision: I finally got the tablet for Christmas and I quickly set everything up and was super excited to read online.

Implementation: I began using the tablet for not only reading but playing games, and doing homework every night. I revolted against my teachers and not only downloaded the books I had to read for class, but bring the tablet in as well to read, which was seen as distracting to other students. 

Confirmation/Continuation: Even after new tablets came out I stayed dependent to online reading, and now as a college student I aim to have online textbooks because I can read, save my location of where I am reading, as well as annotate without writing on paper because I owned a kindle.

The shift from books to online reading through kindle shows how much we depend online, as well as the company amazon. The development of the kindle went from a simple book reader to a full tablet that can support all other Amazon devices and Amazon storefronts. You can clearly see that the adoption of the kindle marked the shift from physical books to moving everything online including classes, especially during covid.

Age of AI

 Along the lines of my last post about privacy, AI (artificial intelligence) is the technology of that we can thank that knows all of our information. AI is probably the most amazing feat of technology and it's scary just how much it can replicate human nature and understand us. AI puts an algorithm on natural Human processes that you would never think to have an algorithm, it can guess your thoughts, actions, and correctly predict what you are thinking about. AI can beat you in chess, as well as predict what ads you would shop at.

(google images: AI Chess tournament)

As much as AI can benefit us, for example, AI is put into self-driving cars to avoid fatal accidents. AI is incredibly terrifying. In my senior year of high school, I saw the movie AI, after seeing that movie, I truly rethought everything about technology. In the movie there is a Bot named David, that was raised as a child. While he is not a human he begins to love and feel like a normal human would, similar to the movie Pinnochio. However, in this movie, showcases all the risks AI can bring, with artificial things feeling emotions like humans. In real life this is happening right now, and there are robots that can now reproduce, called xenobots. Its only a matter of time before these robots develop feelings, and become a threat to humans.

Privacy

Throughout our nation's history, privacy has always been one of our main concerns, whether it was from quartering soldiers in the revolution, to Mccarthyism, to now in the present day privacy has been getting out of hand with how accessible our personal information is found and Displayed on the internet. Both the government and tech companies are constantly surveilling us, and keep a track of the actions that we do on an everyday basis. Invading our privacy is one of the ways companies market to us, and the government makes sure we stay in line.

Personally, I felt that myself along with my friends and family have been invaded of our privacy, especially through marketing, and the "cookies." Our information is constantly sold to brands and companies to market to us, and it's very unsettling. You can search up kitchen items you may need and they will pop up in your feed in the near future. Not only do they know simple information, but these companies know when to place an ad in your feed, and how long you will engage with these posts. It's even scarier knowing how they mainly target us.

(screenshot of my google shopping feature, where it tracks what you search for and shows similar products based off of searches and other websites you have clicked)

It's even crazier feeling like there is nothing you can do to stop the invasion of your digital footprint when everything is tracked. It's also even crazier that with all this information they know, in cases like the San Bernadino shooting they cannot access the information they already have witnessed. whats even better with Apple denying the FBI help them log into the phone, the FBI paid millions of dollars to hack into the phone without Apple's consent. It was only until a situation like this where people realized the government will do whatever to get the information (good or bad) and Apple for knowing the information and withholding it to seem ethical. As time goes on I hope that more people realize we need legislation to keep our privacy in check, from both the government as well as private companies.

Final Blog Post

My Relationship With Technology

Being from New York, I pass the fairgrounds of the 1964 worlds fair all the time, now what looks like what is run down and aged from the rest of the city. I used to always ask my parents what the observation decks were. Now that I know they were the remnants of the 1964 worlds fair, I often think about the hope they had the technology of the worlds fair promised. The world's fair aimed to create a new society that would have no problems and created the idea new technology would save us. within the last century, the idea of what technology could bring us has rapidly changed, especially in the world of social media. Our relationship between social media and ourselves, makes the question did technology show our true colors as humans?

Google Images

When I was first introduced to the technology social media, I was in middle school and I had no idea the true risks of social media. I was the last of my friends to create a social media account and had no idea what this new way of communication would be. There was quick change from meaningful conversations in person to only communicating online. the quote "tone is not read through text" is something I live by and I strive to relay what I am really trying to communicate over text. Without being able to read tone through social media posts, texting, and online communication can arise in cyberbullying. in which cyberbullying is one of the main issues of social media. Before social media there were strong movements and programs to end bullying, that I believe worked for the most part because it taught education, and how to assess a bullying situation in person. Whereas online there are resources and ways to report cyberbullying, however there are ways around it and little to no monitoring of content online that is harmful. 

Google images

People believe they can say whatever they want behind a screen because there is no punishment for it. If there was better regulations of social media, ESPECIALLY amongst children using social media. this leads us into pressuring social media platforms to be responsible for allowing users online to abuse and not follow the social media guidelines. It took until now (10 years of social media use for me) for the government to finally get involved thanks to the Facebook Whistleblower. Frances Haugen, the lady who released the information about facebook specifically said how harmful Facebook and the other platforms they own is for children, especially young girls who are warped by the perceptions of social media. Before summer 2021, where I had 2 jobs and summer courses, I had the time to go on social media, and I was often comparing myself to other users around me and comparing what they do with their life. It is so easy to be caught up in social media when everyone's lives are painted as so much out of the ordinary and "not casual" like these social media platforms claim to be.

I try not to use social media anymore, it is extremely difficult to avoid using these platforms. I am always on my phone. I am a strategic communications major, social media chair for our High Point University Cheerleading team as well. Social Media allows us to communicate with someone at our finger tips, and can insert ourselves into the action through simple threads, posts and conversations that are current and constantly put onto the internet. It is hard to take a break from social media when most groups, jobs, and hobbies I am involved in utilize social media as the main branch of communication. reflecting back on the Worlds Fair, when they did not have access to this technology how they communicated, or even tried to communicate as easily to the degree we communicate today.

While I worry for the future, with the present issues at hand, I believe the risks with social media and the pressures from social media users, the government, will fix the problems like cyberbullying and social media addiction. There will be a solution where kids can be safe and have proper regulation posts. It will not be perfect, yet it will be a safer space to continue to easily communicate with our network. We can adapt to our own human nature, and create an online environment that provides a virtual safe space where all positive ideas are welcome, that do not tear other users down. I also hope we remember our roots and original ideas of technology like at the 1964 worlds fair, that technology's power is in our hands. But until there is a solution on a 100% safe social media platform, it is important to stay vigilant and mindful about what we post and what we consume on social media.