Is the Zombie Apocolapse a Result of Cell Phones?

Today’s society depends so much on their cellular devices that now even the generations who grew up without them are questioning how they ever went so long without a cell phone. Cell phones have advanced rapidly over the past decade and have gotten to the point where everything people could ever need is in their hand: information, communication with friends and family, news, TV, etc. Although this has been a blessing, it has been a curse as well.  Society is so addicted to these devices that we depend on them more than we depend on other human beings. 

The Mad Work Remix of Moby video presents us with this in a dark, twisted way. However, it is only twisted because none of what is included in the video is false.  It is actually unbelievable how this is really the world in which we currently live. The video presents us with a young boy without a cell phone who is shorter than everyone else and is the only one who has real emotions towards things going on in the world. He gets bumped into and stepped on in the crowd because no one will take their eyes off their cell phones to look up. The video is in black and white to show how nothing has emotion or “color” because people are too consumed by their devices. Some examples used were a regular girl in her room who instantly becomes a model when she gets behind her cell phone, demonstrating editing and filtering. Another is two people on a date that are not even acknowledging each other because they both are too busy responding to texts. Lastly, another example was how everyone was recording a deadly fight and posting it, instead of being willing to help stop the fight. These are three examples used in the video that we see everyday in our society.

I think that the video is genius and does a great job portraying what we are going through as a society. While I do believe that cell phones have a lot of good that comes out of them, I agree that they can also turn people into walking zombies.

Click here for the link to the video! It’s only 3 minutes and worth the watch.

Does the First Amendment Protect Whistle-Blowers?

Whistle blowing is when an individual within an organization or company reveals information about said company that would never otherwise be revealed. This is a very controversial topic since there are two sides to the argument on whistle blowing: people who believe it is morally right to blow the whistle versus the people who believe that this action is always unjustified. To give you a better understanding of whistleblowing, I’ll provide a popular example. Edward Snowden worked for the US government on their surveillance programs and found that the government was monitoring people and had more information on each citizen than we realized.  Snowden leaked this information to the public without permission and was forced to face serious consequences.

Aside from whether this is morally correct or not, is this action protected under the First Amendment? Technically it is protected under the two clauses: freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Snowden did have the freedom to express what he wanted through any platform that he desired but unfortunately further consequences of his actions are not protected under the First Amendment. 

Since whistle blowing is in the news right now, I thought that it would be an interesting topic to present. Click here to read about a recent whistle blowing incident with our president!

Here is a picture of Edward Snowden

Lincoln vs the First Amendment

One of the freedoms that the First Amendment protects is the freedom of speech which is why I find the time of the Civil War to be so interesting. Lincoln was elected in 1860, one year before the Civil War began. Within the first year of the war, Lincoln created a law suspending Habeas Corpus. This basically meant that the government would quiet all anti-war comments. Doesn’t this go against the First Amendment? The First Amendment is about the people and states that Congress shall make no law against the usage of speech and press.

    Lincoln believed that the south was trying to expand slavery into the north and that this was unacceptable. However, there were a lot of people with opposing views which caused Lincoln to pass the law, in hopes of quieting the pro-slavery side. It is known that the government tends to lean more towards going to war than not, therefore, people who were anti-war seemed to be a threat towards the government.  This ultimately led Congress to defend themselves.

    Let me know what you think about this case and if you believe that Lincoln was being ethical or unethical when passing this law.

Google: Overly Dominate or Purely Genius?

Overly dominant or purely genius? Google has become such a large company and search engine that it currently controls all of the information we look up and has even dived into the smartphone and laptop industry. Google is not only just a website to look up facts and statistics, they now produce electronics such as the Google Home Smart Speaker, the Pixel 3 phone and Pixelbook laptop. Advertisers pay Google hundreds of thousands of dollars to have their articles and research in the Google search engine.

    This has raised the question on is Google overly dominant? The article attached to this blog talks about how 48 U.S. States launched an antitrust investigation into Google. People are arguing that Google holds too much power in the online advertising market for they give the top results page to the advertisers who pay Google the most money; not necessarily the most credible sources.

    Another issue that has risen is the impact that Google is having on smaller companies. Google focuses heavily on their larger companies without giving smaller companies a chance, putting their businesses at risk. Google has become so large that it has basically started to control all aspects of the internet, which a lot of people have claimed to be unfair and overly dominant.

    In my opinion, Google is not doing anything necessarily wrong. They are using their power to produce and grow even more, which all companies would do if they were in their position. I understand why these people may be upset but realistically Google is so large that they have the right to pick and choose who they want to work with and who they believe will benefit their company even more. However, I do agree with the public that Google should give smaller companies a little more of a chance when getting into their search engine because some of that information could be beneficial as well. In the end, it is up to Google how they want to run their company. 

I have attached the article I talked about in this blog. Click here to read!

Why Have TV When There's Netflix?

A topic that was presented in class that was really intriguing to me was the topic of Netflix. Netflix is an app that allows monthly paying users to watch hundreds of shows and movies at any time of day. Netflix started off as a website in 1998 and within the first 4 years of the website being launched, Netflix acquired 600,000 members in the United States. This number grew to 3 million monthly subscribers within 7 years of launch.

    In 2007, Netflix introduced online streaming so that users can watch shows on their personal computers and by 2010 it went from being a website to an app. This resulted in Netflix being available in 130 countries by 2016. In present day 2019, Netflix has over 148 million paying subscribers worldwide and has beat out competitors like Hulu, Amazon Video and HBO.

    I would consider Netflix as another revolutionary app because it has changed the world of entertainment. People no longer have to wait for a show to come on because it is right on the app available at all times to watch. While this has been a positive for Netflix as it is bringing in more profit daily, this has caused cable companies to take a beating since people are canceling their subscriptions due to Netflix being cheaper and of higher value.

     Another benefit of Netflix is that there are no commercials so people can watch their shows without interruption. Netflix now creates their own Netflix classic shows that have drawn even more people to the app since they do not play anywhere else. I believe that Netflix is another convenient app that has reeled people due to its features and benefits that no other company presents.Today, people prefer quick and convenient so it is no surprise that Netflix has been so successful

Click here for a link about Netflix’s net income growth over the past couple of years. It’s pretty amazing so make sure to check it out!

Here are some examples of original Netflix shows!

Instagram Means Business!

Technology has not only rapidly advanced within the last 20 years, it has really taken off within the last 7-10 years. I did a presentation on the social media platform, Instagram. Instagram is an app where users are free to post whatever photos or videos they would like to express themselves and their lives.

     Instagram was launched strictly on iPhones in October of 2010. By 2012, there were 80 million users on the app which made it popular enough to be downloaded on iPhones and Androids. Fast forward to one year later, Instagram gained 150 million users and introduced a new form of communication within the app called insta direct message. Insta direct message allows users to send posts to each other in a private chat that only they can view and allows users to message other users on the app like a text message. In 2019, Instagram currently holds over 150 million active users and estimates roughly 55 million pictures posted and 1.2 billion likes on the app everyday.

     I believe that Instagram has been a revolutionary app that has allowed family and friends to stay connected, has allowed people to express themselves freely and has turned into an investment for businesses and sponsors. People can make a living by posting on Instagram through sponsorships and promotions. However, a major negative effect that Instagram has had is the impact on mental health. A study was found that users who use Instagram daily are more likely to develop feelings of loneliness or lowered self esteem. This is because people only post what they want people to see and may come across as having a “perfect” life which brings other people down about their lives. Aside from this, I believe that Instagram is a great invention and still has so much room to grow.

Click here for a link talking a little more in depth about the history of Instagram. Enjoy!

This picture shows the updates of Instagram's logo over time.

This picture is an example of an Instagram advertisement

How Are Our Justices Providing Justice?

The United States Supreme Court is the most powerful judicial branch of government. They deal with human dilemmas, draw boundaries, uphold the laws and tell the president, congress and the states what they can and cannot do.

    Today we view the US Supreme Court as one of the most powerful authorities in our country. However, this was not always the case. In 1801 the US government moved to Washington DC and the Supreme Court was only given temporary quarters. It was not until John Marshall was selected as Chief Justice was the US Supreme Court viewed as credible. Under Marshall, the Supreme Court struck an act of Congress as unconstitutional and that is what earned them respect within the public.

    This respect came to a screeching halt 20 years later when a slave named Dred Scott claimed his freedom under an act of Congress. The Supreme Court hit a low point with the citizens of the United States when they ruled that Congress had no power to ban slavery and blacks could never become citizens. However, after the Civil War ended the United States abolished slavery, defined citizenship and granted voting rights.

    Fast forward to present day, the US Supreme Court receives approximately 7,000 petitions a year. The cases are sent to the 9 justices who are individually responsible for each case. After reviewing, they discuss the cases that have been argued and decide which ones are worth fighting for. These cases get taken to court where they outline the issues in front of the public.

    I believe that the present day system is tedious but reliable. It is more effective that each justice has to personally evaluate a case and then discuss it with the rest rather than there just being one justice making all of the decisions. This brings a sense of diversity to the table and allows more ideas on a specific case to come up that maybe one justice would not see. After watching the video (link attached) on our present day Supreme Court, it seems that each justice takes their job seriously and wants to make the best decision for the people. 

This is a picture of the first US Supreme Court This is a picture of the present day justices

The First Amendment is Protecting Youtubers

Two of the main clauses of the First Amendment that protect communications majors are freedom of speech and freedom of the press. These have a key significance in our lives in the communications field whether we are in advertising, journalism, game design or broadcasting because they allow communications majors to create creative content (whether visually or verbally) and place it on any media source (press) that we choose.  Aside from the careers that I mentioned above, a new career in the field of communications has risen within the past couple of years; being a YouTuber. Before I get into who a YouTuber is and why they would be classified under the school of communications, it is important to know that becoming a YouTuber demands a high level of protection under the First Amendment. 

    YouTube is a website and social media platform where anyone can post anything for free. In most recent years, some people have grown so popular on the site that they now can make a living off of posting videos. These individuals are known as YouTubers. They produce their own content, upload their creations to Youtube daily and depending on how many views they receive, will earn a profit off of each video. This career is highly protected under the First Amendment because it requires total creative expression.

    Companies also use Youtube for advertising purposes since you can promote yourself/your product freely with anything you would like people to see.  This is a new field in the world of communications that has benefited individuals and companies because it has allowed them to find a new way to earn income and allows them to reach large audiences due to the easy accessibility of YouTube.

Click here for a link of the top 10 richest Youtubers in the world right now and how much they make through videos. Enjoy!