Blog Post #12: Final Blog Post - How I can achieve Personal Balance with my daily Tech Usage

Over the course of the semester as I have taken this class, I recall how often I spend using technology and what I have been doing with my devices. Before taking this class, I knew that I had to exercise certain restraints when it comes to using technology, but now that I have been a legal adult for more than a year now, I know that it is important for me to be more responsible on my end to make sure I am careful with the amount of time I spend on a daily basis using my devices.

The 1964-65 NY World's Fair "Futurama" Exhibit

"Mad World" Music Video

The videos we watched in class spoke volumes to how much technology has become integrated in our lives, with each video highlighting the positives and the negatives. The World's Fair "Futurama" video did highlight many forms of technology that we discussed in class that exist today, despite some innovations mentioned in the video having been established in our modern lives. I was surprised to see how many advances we have created over the course of a few decades. However, "Mad World" highlighted the negative effects of technology, as we are engrossed in our devices to the point that negative images of how our bodies should look, who we should follow, and how we should present ourselves online, chip away at our self-esteem and mental health. Personally, I have faced times where I know I need to put my devices down and take a break, but there is such an ease of access to devices that makes it hard to put our phones down for even one minute. We have gotten used to having various devices in our homes that make it hard to cut them off, even for a shorter period of time. It takes a lot of willpower to shut off our devices and take a deep breath, and as we use our devices, we become oblivious to our outside environment.

I did not use a lot of technology in my life regularly until I got to middle school, in my early teenage years. The school provided laptops for students to take home and use to complete homework, and many students, myself included, would use our laptops to play games as well as using homework. Around this time, I developed my love for video games and familiarized myself with the characters I have grown to love as I became more versed in the different genres and intellectual properties (IPs) that companies were introducing. The first traditional video game console I grew up with was the Nintendo Wii, and that really sparked my love for gaming and my desire to go into the games industry. As I got older, I was granted more access to technology, having received my Chromebook when I was around 16 or 17 years old. I use my Chromebook mainly to complete assignments for class and for recreational time, such as watching YouTube videos or streaming services. I received my first phone, the one that I am still using until I decide to upgrade to a newer model, during COVID-19 as a primary way for our parents to keep in contact with us at home when they had to go back to work in person. After my parents got my siblings their own phones, they let me keep the old one that my siblings and I shared. Over time, I have noticed how my use of tech has grown and how much of a valuable asset my devices have been to me. That is not to say that I am not distracted by my phone from time to time.

Because I received my phone later into my life compared to some of my peers, I feel like I have not grown as attached to it, but at times, it has been a distraction. Sometimes, I know that I need to get to bed, but I want to watch one more video or read one more article. The more I keep doing this, the more it becomes a bad habit, an ensnaring cycle of the same problem. I need to think about how all of this screen staring will affect my eyes later on into my life. Because of my total tech usage on a daily basis, I feel like my eyes tend to be more irritated than others when it comes to using devices, which goes to show how much extended tech usage can harm the body. There are resources relating to eyestrain and habits to implement to reduce fatigue and irritation of the eye. In training myself to know when I am spending too much time on my phone, I can start making strategies to better balance my relationship with technology every day.

Blue Light Blocking Glasses for better device usage

Because of how I have used my technology recently, I want to do better to balance or limit the amount of time I spend on my devices daily. Of course, because of the world we live in, it is (almost) completely impossible to cut yourself off from technology, but there are some habits I can start to put into practice to make sure I am taking care of myself. There are plenty of articles online that discuss different solutions that I can start incorporating into my life to help give myself a break from devices even for a little while. For starters, I can limit how much I use my phone at night. If I absolutely need to check my phone, setting up a schedule to use "Night Mode" and "Blue Shade" will aid me in protecting my eyes during later hours of the night. Reading physical books from genres I enjoy will enable me to distance myself from a screen for longer periods of time. Taking frequent breaks to stretch my body and clear my head is a good way to refresh my mentality as I am completing my work, which is something I can incorporate even while sitting at my desk. Even something as simple as making origami models or frequent blinking when using screens gives me a few minutes to re-center myself mentally. The writers at Polygon published a special issue with some articles discussing the interesting ways to intersect video games and improved health as a whole. The articles discuss select topics from over-training to themed workouts, all to help "gamers" and "non-gamers" alike focus on improving their health. One article discusses how our desk setup - although specifically related to gaming, it can be applied to different scenarios - may not be the right fit for us and what we can do to change it.

As I reflect on what we learned in class, I know that the tech I use on a daily basis is a valuable resource, but can become a big distraction in my life if I let it. I need to be more willing to change my habits so I can live freely in tandem with how I use my devices. Some of the above solutions I mentioned are things I can start implementing right now. Looking forward, I want to be careful with how I use my devices as well as establishing a much more healthy relationship with the technology I use every day, whether it is how long I use a device and for what I am using my device for.

Blog Post #11: Each One Teach One Review #2 - Five Eyes and the Increasing Importance of Internet Safety

As I go about my day, I rarely think about how my privacy is being violated. we use our phones, tiny supercomputers we carry around in our pockets, but little do we think about how we may be tracked or potentially seen as a threat. After learning more about Five Eyes, I was only a little surprised that some of the world's leading governments have been tracking us to monitor whether or not a citizen is a terrorist. I am surprised that this group was hidden for so long.

Savanna's presentation taught me more about Five Eyes, a secret surveillance organization run by 5 world governments to keep tabs on everything we do. The reasoning of terrorism is always used, but it really does make you, as a citizen, think, how much data does my government have on me. Now that they are out as a group, there is more reason in my mind for people to start taking actions to protect their data. However, not many people knew about this group before some information released. In fact, I really do not know if people around the world still know this group exists.

The start of Five Eyes happened shortly after the conclusion of World War II, as the United States and the United Kingdom continued to maintain country relations after the war. The United States and the United Kingdom created the UKUSA Agreement in 1946 with Canada, Australia, and New Zealand joining shortly after. Each member of the group can theoretically cover a different "region" of the globe, depending on the proximity of the country to one another. In doing so, these countries have access to information of their own citizens, as well as people and countries who are close by. 

Being a part of the organization gives these countries the ability to keep tabs on their citizens and who can be seen as a threat, since other countries collect data and information and share among the group. Other countries have been known to want to have that connection of secrecy with the US and other countries, meaning more countries want the ability to keep tabs on their citizens without being found out. The only line the group does not cross when it comes to spying and keeping tabs is that they do not gather information of other world leaders who are members of the group.

The organization has been around since the 1940s, and I am concerned that I did not know about Five Eyes beforehand. As we were taught in class, as well as what I have seen in the news, a lot of news that is designated "more important" or more "fear-inducing" is brought up into the forefront, when other pieces of news seem to be pushed to the side. Ever since the growth of technology, using the internet has always been a mixed bag. The systems that we use each day are the same systems we allow to track what we do and say, often thanks to cookies we choose to use willingly. The governments have taken advantage of the internet to observe what we like and dislike, and use it to link who we are as people, at a much faster rate than we were a few years ago. I personally feel a bit ashamed that I have not been more careful to keep my interests a bit more secretive when using the internet, but there are steps that we can take to be more cautious online.

As I have mentioned previously, Virtual Private Networks, or VPNs, help keep your data safe from being tracked online. VPNs are mainly designed to keep your data encrypted until it reaches its destination, to protect from hackers and scanning systems that try to scan and read data only meant for one person. Some good VPNs to look into include ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and SurfSharkVPN. Most of these VPNs may cost you some, but it is worth it to keep your data and sharing safe in the long run. The video above goes into more detail about what a VPN is and isn't, as well as what it is designed to do. Clearing your browser history would also help to keep yourself safe as, in a way, your browser and search history are "footprints" to who you are, where you have been online, and what your interests are. So being careful and aware of what you search can help you to be much safer online. Also, disabling cookies for sites you don't use or frequently visit can help you to limit how your information. Passwords are a big thing as well, as there are many different ways to keep yourself safe through passwords that are easy to remember, yet hard for others to guess.

After hearing about Five Eyes, it is concerning with how much my government knows about me already, as well as what is gained every time I log in. I want to practice being more safe, but I do fear that based on recent issues of race in our country, I could be put at much more of a risk of racial discrimination in the systems we use today. As I become more aware of how we operate in our systems, I want to be smarter in the things I search, the websites I visit, and the information I share when I go online.

Blog Post #10: AI Development and Privacy Concerns

The development of AI has always been a recurrent conversation around the world. Many scientists have developed AI to perform different roles and to provide systems to improve how we live our lives. Alongside AI, algorithms have been created to track the things we like to do as users, and using our information to see and observe what we like to do. As the use of AI has improved over time many existing systems and industries have changed in order to best make use of the new systems in the workforce.

As I was not really aware of what AI systems are being used today, I feel that it is the same for people in my situation who have likely never used an AI system before. CNET's article on AI discusses how AI are able to process large amounts of information for different purposes, the most often being essay writing and proofreading, and image creation. Large amounts of code are what keep these algorithms running, and it takes a lot to store and use data on a daily basis. Looking into some processes in the documentary piqued my interest, yet made me nervous about the potential misuse of AI systems.

Frontline Documentary: "In the Age of AI"

As we watched Frontline in class, I was honestly surprised with how many existing systems are controlled by artificial intelligence that I was unaware of today, such as how online shopping for companies such as Amazon work. I thought about how long it takes developers to make and establish these systems, especially after the large amounts of fine tuning that systems need to go through in order to fit the certain requirements needed in a specific field. Lately, I have been hearing a lot about ChatGPT, and was largely unaware of what it was before we started discussing it in class. It seems like a good system in certain scenarios, even if not for someone like me, but then again, AI systems need to be used for the right purposes and reasons, or else many biases will be more evident over time. CNBC created a brief video documentary on ChatGPT and its impact across the board so far.

Throughout the documentary, many people who were interviewed talked about how the big tech companies use algorithms to track what we watch and view online, a process I was already aware of. However, I did not know how much biases these practices could cause. When I try to use the internet, I want to be more careful of what I do, as I know that as soon as I look up an upcoming video game, or a laptop, or recommendations for new glasses, for example, only a few seconds later do I see an advertisement targeted at me to buy these products I either need or want. As convenient as it is a bit creepy, the AI we use in our lives are helpful to our living and well-being. Another video discusses the initial reaction to ChatGPT on release, in a short video covered by NBC News.

A big concern I have with AI algorithms is how easy it can be for people to manipulate the systems to fit their own biases. Even the basic things we consume on social media is tracked and analyzed and, unfortunately, not everyone on the internet is there for good reason. Many people are trying to take advantage of AI and open-source systems in order to illegally collect data. The FBI does use advanced strings of code to keep track of malicious hackers, but it is still a problem to deal with if people do not feel safe online. Virtual Private Networks, or VPNs, are localized networks that protect your information on all forms of wireless signals, and are being offered via affordable and effective monthly subscriptions. I mainly learned about VPNs from watching YouTube, as many VPN groups were sponsors for plenty of the YouTube channels I tend to watch. Mainly I feel that people who purchase VPNs use them to watch content not readily available in their home country, which goes back to my previous blog on cord cutting and getting rid of cable, but having a system allowing users to browse and shop safely without the fear of being tracked, or worse, hacked and shutdown, helps to reassure people online. Hacking is, in a way, virtual robbery, and VPNs keep your devices safe from anything that wishes to corrupt your systems, one of the reasons I am looking to get a VPN in the near future. Two of the most popular are NordVPN and ExpressVPN, and I would suggest looking into their prices and "perks" that come with purchasing access. Here is also a link comparing the major VPNs, as well as what they offer compared to their competitors. No matter what choice you make, each one is dedicated to protecting your online information in both public and private spaces.

Personally, I feel that AI is good to have, especially in certain ways it has been implemented into our existing systems. More methods, however, need to be taken to prevent such negative and offensive biases from affecting the internet space, as well as being careful how to use these systems within our lives.

Blog Post #9: Each One Teach One - The Effects of Cord Cutting on Today's Entertainment Consumption

As technology has been improved and upgraded on as time has gone on, our systems of entertainment have largely improved how we view stories and events that occur in our lives. More people gained access to shows and programs through cable television than they would have had through local providers. Even having had cable for a few years in my household, I am glad that I have access to the channels I used to watch when I was younger and were not readily available to me. Even through the growth of entertainment, there has been a larger movement to streaming services and online programming that are not accessible through cable. Many households around the world, including my own, have taken more of an interest in exclusive shows on multiple platforms, and although the indulgence of entertainment is good, there are a quite a few negatives to "cutting the cord" and the exclusivity of programs viewers may be interested in streaming.

The act of cord-cutting is getting rid of the use of cable boxes and cable television and switching to streaming services. Cord-cutting comes with its benefits but also a fair amount of lacking areas. Cord-cutting and switching to streaming gives users the ability to subscribe to one or multiple streaming services, and are given access to the shows and intellectual properties that a company owns. For example, I enjoy using Disney+, and I have access to Disney's owned properties, such as Marvel movies and TV shows, Star Wars media and other Lucasfilm-owned media, and even some programs from Disney's other properties not promoted as much, like 20th Century Studios (formerly 20th Century Fox) movies and television programs. Netflix is very popular, having pioneered the ability for streaming services to make their own exclusive programs, such as "Stranger Things" and "Wednesday" under the "Original" brand, a business tactic that other companies have started to take after, if not already.

As streaming services were setting the foundation in the early 2010s, people were able to stream services from their computers, tablets, game consoles, phones, and televisions, often through cable or the internet. One of the reasons why owning a game console was so popular more than 10 years ago was that it was more cost effective to get a game console such as a PlayStation that could play games and run video streaming services such as Netflix and YouTube without having to pay much more money for a cable box solely dedicated to watching shows and movies. There is a downside to using many streaming services, with the biggest being that using more than one is going to cost a lot more over time. Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu's services per month combined cost $22.97. Yearly, the total price comes down to $275.64. For the basic plan for each service, except for Netflix, the others have started to implement ads onto the streaming services. To pay for the intermediate or "Standard" plan for Netflix and Hulu, and Disney+'s "Premium" plan, which removes ads, prices surpass $10, with the total yearly cost for all three services being $41.47, if the user does not want to pay for ads on each platform.

The growing move to streaming services over time is also a detriment to all of the cable companies that currently exist, and are likely struggling to hold on. As we discussed the Diffusion of Innovations Theory, I think about how there will always be some people who are the "Laggards" of streaming services, and people have a variety of reasons not to get streaming, whether it is from not having a lot of interest in the programming or a lack of money to be able to pay for the services in the first place. No matter what the specific reason is, for every person who is using a streaming service and is not interested catching new shows on television, that is one person who will not likely continue their subscription to a big television company such as DIRECTV or Dish. Compared to streaming services, cable and satellite companies charge a lot more for access to channels. Dish charges customers $99.99 a month for it's more balanced or "better" plan, and DIRECTV's satellite plan costs $64.99 a month with added taxes and fees for 2 years. A big issue with such expensive prices is that people who use these platforms are not often watching shows on every single channel they have access to, so people on streaming are paying more than what they are actually using.

As of right now, it seems like streaming services are a good choice to make in most respects, however, streaming services such as Netflix have started cracking down on who gets access to their systems of usage. There are a variety of articles on how Netflix has gotten on users' cases for free password sharing to gain access to accounts, as Netflix wants more individuals or families to pay for their own account and access to the platform. However, this system of account management does not seem to be widespread yet.

From a personal standpoint, I like using streaming services, the main one I use being Disney+. I can watch a lot of shows I used to watch when I was younger that are no longer on television, as well as watching some of the shows and movies my parents watched when they were younger. However, as I am becoming an adult and am more aware of the responsibilities I need to take care of every day, I often feel like I don't have enough time, or I want to dedicate myself to other things. Especially since I do not have a full-time job as some other students have, I need to be careful with how I use my funds not just for things I want, but especially for what I need to purchase. The balance of being a college student always involves what I should spend time on now and what I need to devote time to later on, and money for college students is not so easily available. As for my family, we all share the Disney+ account as a family and enjoy watching it together. Being able to watch a show with loved ones brings us closer, even when a little distance keeps us physically apart. My family enjoys watching shows as a whole, but again, we, as a family, need to be careful with how much these services cost as a whole, and how much we are willing to pay for these services that we don't necessarily need.

Being really big into gaming, I frequently play on my Nintendo Switch. I am already an active member of Nintendo Switch Online, an online service for Nintendo Switch owners that enables users to play online as well as have access to classic games on certain platforms, I have to keep in mind how much money I am spending and using across the board. My current plan costs $19.99 per year, as I am on an individual plan. If, out of the blue, I were to suddenly purchase access to a Disney+ account just for myself, on the "Premium" service, no less, I would have to pay $151.87 per year. The cost of using streaming services does add up over time.

Streaming services are a good source of media consumption, but take plenty of time and investment from the consumer. A streaming service is only useful if the consumer is actively using the service. As the way we engage with our entertainment changes, consumers should think about how they can, and should, best use their money in a means to help them relax after a long day's work, to socialize with friends, and to gauge the amount of media consumption they receive. The tech we use each day is becoming more expensive to manufacture and produce, and streaming services over time are on the cheaper end of spending costs. Users should be careful of how they are spending their money, and what is worth to pay for to get an all inclusive package. From a personal standpoint, high-end game consoles, such as the PlayStation 5, fill out the recreational requirements with the ability to install and watch streaming from home, without the need for consumers to feel like they have to pay extra for external hardware. After everything is considered, it is all based on a user's personal feeling towards using a subscription service. There are plenty of resources online to help users decide how much they want to pay for a subscription, and what is the best option for streaming. We are all different people, and enjoy different forms of media. We each can watch what we want, but should be able to find a more affordable way to enjoy our content.

Blog Post #8: The Diffusion of Innovations Theory and Modern Video Game Promotion

The Diffusion of Innovations Theory discusses how different forms of technology have emerged and changed over time, often through the widespread use over time throughout a population or certain group of people. The theory helps to illustrate how more people in a society become more used to an invention or innovation, and how many people join the majority in getting the new invention or innovation. For example, our smartphones are consistently getting re-releases and upgrades, which pushes more people to buy newer versions or models of their current smartphone. Games can also be analyzed under The Diffusion of Innovations Theory in the same way, as innovations and changes within the industry occur all the time.

In analyzing video games under the theory, I want to focus on the 2010s era of video games, where the internet started to become more mainstream and many people were able to contact one another globally. New games that still hold up today, such as Minecraft, were introduced to the world in the 2010s. As more people got smartphones, mobile gaming was easily accessible, as people with phones could now bring games with them on the go. More modern consoles that were higher in processing power were created, and games overall looked better and had way more improvements than before. E-Sports was coming to the forefront in the minds of gamers everywhere, as more citywide teams were developed to compete nationally and globally.

Some notable pioneers of the Game Industry at the time would be Reggie Fils-Aime, former Nintendo of America president, who largely changed how Nintendo was viewed in a positive light throughout his time as the CEO. He took a modern approach to Nintendo's appeal in the eyes of the public, as well as helping to innovate new ways to play and enjoy Nintendo games, especially during a time when Nintendo was viewed only as a company making video games for kids. During E3 2014, Nintendo teamed up with Robot Chicken to create skits based on the Nintendo characters during the event, an unexpected action by Nintendo at the time.

A short video compilation on all of the E3 2014 Robot Chicken skits.

A big movement for the growth in video games was bolstered by the easy access to the internet and online gaming, another reason why E-Sports was on the rise. As more people gained access to the internet, more video games offered great support options to be able to play with their friends and other players on a global scale. More countries are starting to integrate internet, and as a result, are introducing more people to game culture as a whole.

In comparing video games to the Diffusion of Innovations Theory, the Innovators of the industry are mainly people who pioneered the use of internet and online gaming within the industry. Many good games came out during this time, as well as new iterations of the consoles, with Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft coming out with the Wii U in 2012, and the PlayStation and Xbox One releasing in 2013, respectively. The Early Adopters would be composed of people who did not own video games, and wanted to become a part of the culture. Early and Late Majority would likely be the long-term consumers of video games that were engaged in video games and may not have had the means to purchase a new console at the time. The Laggards are likely people who are not interested in video games, however, the people in this group most likely started to play video games during COVID, especially after the release of the Nintendo Switch in 2017.

Some negative effects of a world full of games are that it can be hard to find a balance between work and play. Especially for people who enjoy games as a hobby, it can be hard to make time to play video games. On the opposite spectrum, some people can spend plenty of time in front of a stream which can lead to long-term health effects if there is a severe lack of exercise. Also, some tech developers try to innovate too quickly, part of the reason I am so adverse to VR in some aspects.

Overall, video games have cemented themselves as a favorite, still-growing pastime of many people around the world, as it leads to connections formed and stories to be experienced among many people, even becoming a recognized sport with millions of viewers a year. The use of video games continue to grow in access, enabling people with disabilities to play with adaptive controllers, and the games industry is becoming more focused on accessibility in gaming so many people with different characteristics can play to what's comfortable and challenging for them.