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Final Blog Post

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Our Relationship with Technology Technology has created a completely new way to communicate, changed cultures, and advanced society, we are surrounded by it on a daily basis. I think technology makes things easier, provides comfort, and can be a fascinating aspect of society like self-driving cars or a warming drawer in your kitchen. I think it connects people across miles in a short period of time and allows new ways of self-expression. Social media allows you to connect to people who relate to you and have similar interests. People can see something they dislike about the government and society and then speak out about it. Technology also has created new careers while also getting rid of others. It has positively affected society while in other ways has done the opposite and negatively affected us.  I think some people have gotten into the idea of having the latest and newest versions/updates of technology. Get excited to have the new headphones a year later than the ones before. In
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Blog #7: Diffusion Theory

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The Diffusion of Innovation Theory   proposes the main five elements influencing the spread of new ideas: the innovation itself, adopters, communication channels, time, and a social system. Instagram has been around since 2010 and reached one million followers in two months, and today has two billion active users. Instagram promoted a new way of sharing and communicating with people encapsulating three elements of the theory. Many people who began using Instagram and aided in its increasing popularity were artists and celebrities.  A lot of social media platforms come and go over the years which could explain the late adopters or those who choose to never get involved. Late adopters can join later with an app's increase in popularity and longevity. Most applications, websites, and social media platforms cause concern among people because of the information they gather and/or share. This is a downside but a significant negative consequence of social media like Instagram is the way t
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Blog #6: EOTO Reaction

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Search engines were born out of a need to find files in an easier way. Originally it was hard to locate files and there was WebCrawler which used keywords. Though this came with a lot of spam pages instead of reputable sources because people would load these pages with keywords to be the top-clicked files. In 1996, Google came along fixing the problem of finding reputable sources instead of these spam pages. Google was built using backlinks instead of keywords and this created search engine optimization. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the quality and quantity of website traffic to a website or a web page from search engines, so this removes direct and paid website traffic. Google later made a deal with Apple making it the primary search engine on their devices. The creation of Google made file location easier but lead to digital amnesia. Since the information was easier to look up, people were more likely to forget or not hold onto information. Over time t
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Blog #5: AntiWar

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War is a hot topic in today's society. Seems there is always one going on whether the average person is aware or not. There are multiple views and standpoints, and often conflicts are broadcasted on news channels and articles are written on news websites, but on a regular basis are we always getting each point of view?  When delving into websites like  AntiWar  and  The American Conservative  I noticed points of views regarding war and conflict I have never seen before. Considering one cannot hold their government accountable if the average American does not know about the conflicts we are then that cannot be possible. The United States has been in wars that have left countries in devastation and they have not been able to recover yet, politically or financially. War is something that should be considered carefully by all parties due to how it can greatly affect a country.  I think there are multiple reasons we do not hear voices like these. Websites such as these can spread the id
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Blog #4: Each One Teach One

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The ballpoint pen was an innovative creation that stemmed from quills and ink, and the fountain pen exists now as a critical form of communication, self-expression, and modern business. The creation of the ballpoint pen coincides with the steady decrease in illiteracy.  In 1950, Bic Cristal was invented and became the first widely accessible pen and in today's world, most Americans can walk into any chain store like Staples, Office Depot, Target, or Walmart to purchase one. The ballpoint pen started at the hands of John L. Loud who patented the ball and socket mechanism. His goal was to have a versatile ink pen that could write on leather and wood as well as paper though his creation was too rough for paper.  In 1931, Hungarian-Argentine inventor Laszlo Biro and his brother, Gyorgy, used Loud's delivery system and repurposed oil-based news ink. Biro found fountain pens to be too leaky and the ink smudged too easily. When Gyorgy found a way to use the news ink it solved the slow
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Blog #3: Speech Theories

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Eight Values of Free Expression , are speech theories that represent the values of free speech in society.   Out of these eight values, I feel that value number 5 (Check on Government Power) is the most important, and in a close second place value number 3 (Stable Change). When it comes to checking the government’s power it’s fundamental to ensure as a society or even as an individual we feel our rights are being protected and not taken away from us. Staying informed and then speaking out when there has been an abuse of power ensures the stability of our democracy. In terms of Stable Change, I think it's important because it shows why the government is important and valuable. We as Americans have the freedom to speak as we please, and/or push for societal betterment, freedom, and inclusion though not all groups agree. When certain groups decide to go from verbal hateful speech to hateful actions, subsequent punishments are upheld. It is a responsibility of our government to use its
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Blog #2: The U.S. Supreme Court

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The United States Supreme Court was established in 1789 and is the highest federal court and the head of the government's judicial branch. It is currently made up of nine justices who have the power to check the other two branches of government. To better understand my answers to these reflection questions, follow this link to an overview of the Supreme Court by the History Channel. What did you learn about the Supreme Court that you didn't already know? I learned that originally the Supreme Court started with six justices instead of nine and for some time the government was trying to figure out the right number to settle on.  What is the most important takeaway point about the Supreme Court? An important aspect of the supreme court often, is that it sets and holds the precedent for cases that the lower courts cannot settle, because of this they have covered some of the most important cases in history.  What was the most surprising thing you learned? I was surprised to find th
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