Blog Post #9 : EOTO #2

    For my second Each One Teach One project, my group was told to choose one from the Policy section. At first glance, I had never heard of any of these phrases and therefore had no previous knowledge. My group felt the same way so we randomly assigned each other a topic to research. I ended up being assign the topic of News Deserts.

    When I heard the name News Deserts, I could kind of already assume what it would be about. Deserts are usually empty and have nothing around them. People in deserts also always lack natural resources needed to survive like water. So, I presumed that News Deserts are places that lack the natural resource of news sources.

    I found that the definition of a News Desert is a community that has limited access to credible and comprehensive information and news. This community is usually in a rural or urban area. This place contains few to no news outlets. News deserts are created when a local newsroom shuts down. An example of a news desert today is Ellis County, Texas. Ellis County is known as the nation's largest cotton-producing county. They have an estimated population of 205,000. 

    The news industry was affected a lot after the Covid 19 Pandemic. It caused multiple newspaper sources to switch to online only or completely shut down. This then led to a ripple effect to occur. So many journalists lost their jobs and were then forced to find somewhere else to make money during this pandemic. This was obviously very difficult for them because there were very few jobs looking for new employees to hire. Covid 19 also caused a prolonged recession that could eventually lead to hundreds of newspapers to shut down. 

    News Deserts are a huge issue that the world is facing. News deserts cause a lack of community. A sense of community is created through local newspapers. Secondly, a lack of regional economic growth is presented. An important quality that newspaper advertising helps businesses with is communicating and reaching out to potential consumers. This helps businesses grow. So, without this important factors businesses will eventually fall out and lose everything they worked so hard to build. The third thing that news deserts cause is a lack of social cohesion. Newspaper are an important factor to helping put national problems into local context. An example of this is the health care industry. 

    The following picture is a representation of News Deserts in the United States.

Links

What is a News Desert?

News Deserts

News Deserts Explained

Blog #8 : Privacy, Online & Off

    I will admit, I am an active user of social media. I use it to communicate with my friends, post pictures and videos, and view stories/posts that other people are sharing to social media. Thinking of social media as an electronic tattoo makes me really put the things I do everyday into perspective. Nowadays, people are able to find so much information on a person before even going up to them and asking their name. This makes me wonder if this has ever happened to me.

    "These tattoos will live far longer than our bodies will." This was a statement that Juan Enriquez made during his Ted Talk presentation. Before posting something onto the internet, I do not fully take in what I am actually doing. I am posting for everyone to see and even if I delete it and think it is gone, the post is still out there somewhere.

    The government is able to gain an understanding of our everyday lives by tracking our movements through surveillance. They compare our information to other citizens. We never realize but everyday when we are driving our car we probably pass by a license plate detection camera. This camera detects every car that passes it by and ends up with information about where these people are going during their everyday lives. I had no idea this was happening around me. They do not make this information publicly known. I think the government needs to start being more honest about the actions they do behind closed doors. It is our information that they are secretly keeping. This should not be happening.

    Every time we take a "private phone call" on our cell phones, it is actually not private at all. There could be someone from the government listening in to this conversation. It could also be a hacker, criminal, or even a stalker. I do not like the idea of some random person snooping into my life. I especially would never want this to happen to my friends and family.

    I am glad I have more knowledge on what is actually happening behind the scenes. This is definitely going to make me more paranoid when dealing with technology. It is going to be hard because I use my computer everyday for school and my phone to keep in touch with my family in Miami. I am so scared now that I am being watched through my electronics. This world can be a scary place and I do not want anything bad to happen to me or the people that I love. 

Sources

Ted Talk videos posted on Class Blog website

Blog Post #7 : Diffusion of Innovations

    The innovation that I picked is the cell phone. Phones are a technology/innovation that has changed so much over time. It is widely used by people all over the world. Phones are constantly get renovated and enhanced. 

    There was a point in time where phones did not exist yet. These people had no idea what technological gadget would change the world as we know it. Now, people could not survive without their phone. A person's phone holds all their information, pictures, videos, text messages, etc. This however, is both a good and bad thing. It would be so bad if someone ends up stealing a person's phone. The stealer could either wipe the phone clean or sell all your private information.

    The first cell phone was created in 1973. At this time you were only able to make a phone call for a maximum of 30 minutes. Martin Cooper was the lucky person to be known as the very first call on the cell phone. Since the cell phone was so brand new, the price was obviously very expensive. Back then you were able to buy the cell phone for $3,995 at the time. Today this price would equal $10,000. That is way too expensive for my liking.

    Some people, to this day, do not own a cell phone. This statement shocks so many people. It is 2023. You would think that by now everyone would have a cell phone. Some people just do not feel the need to carry one around everywhere. Without a cell phone people are able to appreciate the world around us more. Looking down at a screen all day takes us away from the beautiful creations that are right in front of us. We could miss out on what life has to offer. 

    There are definitely so many positives from owning a cell phone. Communicating with people is so much easier and efficient now. From owning a cell phone I am able to send a text to my cousin in a different country! Cellphones allow for us to keep our relationship and are able to stay up to date in each other's lives. Cell phones are also a great way to stay safe. You are able to share your location with friends and family. This way your loved ones know exactly where you are at all times. Cell phones also allow for you to call 911 in an emergency situation. Cell phones are designed to keep us safe. They have made a great impact on so many people's life. It has definitely changed my life so much.

    Links

Major Reasons for Owning A Cell Phone

History of the Cell Phone

Why Do I Not Own A Cell Phone

Advantages And Disadvantages Of A Cellphone