Our Surveillance Society

From social media sites to surveillance cameras to smartphones, each and every one of us leaves a digital trail that is being closely monitored with or without our knowledge. From the moment we wake up to the alarm on our smartphone, we begin engaging in the digital world. Before even getting out of bed, most of us check our emails, read news headlines and browse through our social media accounts. Every time we engage in this behavior “big data” is being stored which is accessible. As we exit the house and begin on our journey, our smartphones already know where we are going and tell us how long it will take to get there. Amazing! Right? We do not even have to put in where we are going, our phones know based on our typical travel where we are headed. Pretty cool? Or pretty scary?

Due to advances in technology, we have access to everything right at our fingertips. From computers, phones, i-Pads, cameras and even watches, we can get and send information immediately. However, all this information is under surveillance and tracked. What exactly is surveillance? According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, surveillance means: close watch kept over someone or something. Personal data is stored and can be assessed by companies. This “big data” is shared and used to predict our habits and patterns in our daily life. Is this an invasion of our privacy? Does it impinge on our basic rights? It is a big price to pay for the convenience of technology.



Most of us know we are under surveillance, but could never give up the use of all our modern conveniences and devices. “The amount of data we produce every day is truly mind-boggling. There are 2.5 quintillion bytes of data created each day.” Let me put this into perspective: On the internet alone there are 5 billion searches per day worldwide. On Snapchat, there are 527,760 photos shared every minute and on Instagram users post 46,740 photos every minute. 1.5 billion people are active on Facebook daily. The list goes on and on… Each of these clicks and each of these posts contributes to the “big data” being collected on each and every one of us.

Is “big data” all bad? The answer is no. It can help us learn and make smarter decisions. It can predict crime, improve healthcare and help us respond to and predict natural disasters. It can help companies increase profits. There are many ways that data can be beneficial. But, where do we draw the line? How much is too much information?

Have you ever looked up something on the internet and within minutes that particular item or store can be found every time you are using various apps and search engines? That is no coincidence. Your internet searches, voice searches and even your location are all tracked and stored so that the advertisements can be accurate and specific to who they are targeting. I have had some eye-opening experiences myself that have left me wondering how this “big data” is being compiled. For instance, while shopping with some friends, we were looking at some expensive Burberry scarves. My friends were trying to convince me to splurge and buy one. I left and did not purchase it. Within minutes, I was being targeted with advertisements for Burberry scarves. Coincidence? I think not. Are we being listened to through microphones on apps loaded on our devices?



Is all this surveillance impinging on our privacy? Many feel companies have taken it too far. Privacy advocates warn that it is becoming more difficult to protect privacy and are calling for more regulation. Experts say the large volume of data and the speed of its growth, increase the sense for urgent action in the United States. IBM estimates 90 percent of all data in 2017 had been created in the past two years. Congress has not yet responded, in part due to divisions over how much regulation to impose on the internet without hurting online commerce and stifling innovation. From the controversy surrounding Edward Snowden's security leak of classified information to hacked email accounts of prominent political candidates, internet privacy and cybersecurity present major ethical issues in today's technology-centric society. Countries are challenged to find the right balance in securing personal data and how to regulate the sale and exchange of information obtained on the internet. Innovative technologies and data collection that enable novel modes of interaction and new opportunities for knowledge can also be abused to invade people's privacy, provide new tools of discrimination, and harm individuals and communities.

As a society how do we handle this new age of surveillance and “big data”? How can we not be so heavily influenced by it? There are no easy answers. I can’t help but wonder where we will go from here...







Sources:




www.bernardmarr.com/default.asp?contentID=766

https://www.bernardmarr.com/default.asp?contentID=766?contentID=766

Quarantine Life

As of today, my family and I have been in quartine for 35 days. It has proved to be a time of uncertainty and fear. How can we stay healthy? Will out business survive? Will we survive?

There are so many questions and concerns running through our minds. Having my brother, sister, and I all home taking classes online has proven to be quite challenging. We quickly realized out internet could not support all three of us on Zoom, Webex, and similar platforms simultaneously. For me, taking 6 classes this semester and having them switch to online classes has proven to be one of the biggest challenges of my academic career so far. If I told you I couldn't wait for it to be over in a few weeks, I wouldn't be lying. However, I am grateful for supportive and understanding professors.

The challenges of schooling at home and scouring the internet for toilet paper are so minuscule in comparison to the heartbreak and loss some families have had to experience. I am so blessed that my family remains healthy and we have the love and support of each other. I am not going to lie though, I miss HPU and all my friends and classmates. Never in my wildest dreams would I ever of thought this is how my Sophmore year Spring semester would play out.

I will say, I have a deeper appreciation for the simple things in life. Going to dinner with friends, shopping, and the ability to leave my home. I am looking to the future with optimism and can't wait to return to High Point University in the Fall.

Some interesting perspectives on the toilet paper shortage and online education.
https://www.fastcompany.com/90491842/what-the-toilet-paper-shortage-can-teach-us-about-5-leadership-styles
https://hechingerreport.org/college-in-the-time-of-coronavirus/

Propaganda and It's Implications

The understanding and definition of “propaganda” has been transformed and manipulated since it was first created and explored in 1622. Not only has the meaning itself been transformed, but it has changed the way in which it influences mass communication. Most recently, propaganda can be explained as, “a form of persuasion distinguished by a mass persuasion campaign, often one-sided and fear-based, that distorts or attempts to hide or discredit relevant evidence, disguise sources, and discourage rational thought”. When thinking about propaganda, we tend to associate it with its usage in World War I and II, advertising, religion, or education.

Although propaganda has been previously tied to negative connotations, in the world of communications, it actually can be explained and used in beneficial ways. Some forms of propaganda involve the use of fear and deception, but mostly all forms of propaganda include the use of factual information to achieve the end result of influencing others. When understanding the impact that propaganda has, it is important to keep in mind how the audience will interpret the message, how most effectively we can get the message to reach them, and what platforms or outlets people can find the message.

Propaganda is used in everyday life whether it is obvious to the human eye or not. An example of propaganda is advertising. One strategy that a company may use to advertise their product is by portraying how their product/brand is better than a specific competitor’s. Verizon has launched multiple commercial advertisements on why people should switch to them and stray away from AT&T. One of their claims was how Verizon has 5 times more 3G coverage than AT&T and this was presented to consumers by showing a side by side map of the United States comparing both companies' 3G coverage. This is an example of propaganda because Verizon is presenting information, in a biased manner, to promote their service and draw business away from their leading competitor.

Another real-life example of propaganda is through political signs, commercials, and campaigns. Candidates running for a political position will come out with statements on why they are the more qualified choice for the job than their competitors. In the most recent presidential campaign leading up to the 2020 election, Mike Bloomberg has come out with multiple 30-second commercials explaining why he would be a better president than Donald Trump. In addition, at the end of the commercials, he makes a claim that Trump is scared of Mike because Mike can “get it done”. This is a form of propaganda because Mike Bloomberg is putting out these commercials as a political strategy to sway the voter’s political point of view.

Propaganda is a powerful tool that can persuade or change people's minds. In the wrong hands, it can have a negative outcome. However, as a student studying strategic communications, it can prove to be quite useful in advancing knowledge on how to persuade and communicate to the masses.

Sources:

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/4970/
https://www.historians.org/about-aha-and-membership/aha-history-and-archives/gi-roundt

Cultural Apparatus: Lasswell & Lippmann on Propaganda. (n.d.). Retrieved from culturalapparatus.wordpress.com/walter-lippmann/propaganda/.

What is Your Online Footprint?

I have been challenged with the task to go online and view myself through someone else's eyes. So, I started with the most logical starting point and googled my name. As I typed M-I-A- G-I-N-D-L-E-S-P-E-R-G-E-R and prepared to hit enter, I wondered to myself what I might find out there about me. On a side note: I did happen to also think, I really need to marry someone with a short last name. After years and years of typing Gindlesperger, I dream of the day I can maybe type a name like Smith or Jones. Ok, back to the task at hand. After hitting enter, I have to admit, I was a bit nervous about what I might find. I have never posted anything wild or crazy nor have I ever been in any kind of legal trouble or anything, but the thought of what exists out there about me did make me feel a bit uneasy.

The first thing that popped up on my screen was pictures. Lots and lots of pictures mostly all posted by me at some point on one of my social media platforms. The pictures were all tasteful and there was not anything that was unsettling to me. However, upon further evaluating the pictures, such as me basking in the sun on the sea in Italy, swimming with stingrays in the Cayman Islands, being crowned Homecoming Queen in high school and giving a speech at my high school graduation, (that one was from a local newspaper publication) to name a few, they all felt a bit self-absorbed or artificial. As I dug deeper, there were even pictures of me on a mission trip that I had the honor of attending a few years back. I thought, well there is a little more substance. Something that was life-changing for me and I can only hope made a small difference in the lives of those I served. Not that I am not proud of my accomplishments nor do not have fond memories of my travels, it just kind of felt peculiar looking at it from a different mindset.

As I stared at the screen, looking at what an outsider might interpret from all these pictures and what their perspective of me might be, a few thoughts popped into my mind. They might think, "Wow! What a glamourous life she must have." "She has it all!" They may even feel a bit envious of all I have accomplished in just 20 years. Then, I had a gut-wrenching feeling, what if they felt less of themselves or like they didn't measure up. This stuck in my mind and seemed to resonate the loudest in my head.
When I posted these pictures of some happy moments in my life, I never gave a single thought about how they might make others feel.

None of these pictures showed me when I wake up with my hair a wild mess, or when I had a big pimple on my face. They did not show the tears of disappointment and shortcomings, they just featured me on my good days and lots of big smiles. Do not get me wrong, I am not ashamed of who I am, I just do not think the pictures of me that circulate the internet tell the whole story.

This assignment has certainly given me a lot to think about. In a world where we post only all the "good stuff" how do we know what is real? With that in mind, I will move forward with a more conscious and thoughtful approach as to what message I send out into the world. All while, of course, looking for that "Mr. Right" with a short last name!