Blog Post #11

Mainstream vs. Alternative Media — Why It Matters

Understanding the difference between mainstream and alternative media is essential today. During this presentation, I learned how different these two forms of media are and how they both play vital roles in shaping public understanding.

Mainstream media refers to large, well-known organizations such as FOX, CNN, ABC, The New York Times, and NPR, all of which have much influence over the general public. These platforms discuss many things, from politics to health to international affairs, reflecting what is happening in the world from multiple viewpoints. Mainstream media often shape national conversations and public opinion because they reach many people and spark conversations worldwide.

Alternative media offers independent and nontraditional viewpoints that can sometimes clash with the narratives of mainstream sources. While these sources can have a smaller audience, they tend to focus on niche topics that are not as talked about in mainstream media. They can range from all over the political spectrum, whether very far left, in the middle, or far right. Alternative media helps bring some new light and perspective to parts of the world that are dark and overlooked by the mainstream media. While also giving a voice to groups that feel like they do not have one.

The key takeaway is that there is a significant difference between these two media types, from the audiences they target to the topics they discuss. While mainstream media tends to focus more on the public agenda and major stories, alternative media provides a valuable counterbalance with perspectives that need to be heard but won't be covered by the mainstream media. 

Media literacy is critical in this world, and we need a well-rounded viewpoint on the news, whether from mainstream or alternative media. We must stay informed and ask questions, as even if you do not fully agree with someone else's viewpoint, hearing a different perspective may be very helpful.  

Blog Post #10

 Reflections on In the Age of AI

Watching the second hour of Frontline's In the Age of AI felt like seeing into the future. The documentary combines interviews, expert insights, and real-world case studies that showcase AI's good and evil. While the film acknowledges how much potential AI has, for example, advances in healthcare, logistics, and even climate modeling, it does not mean AI can not be harmful, especially when misused in the sense of being weaponized, monetized, or left unchecked.

One of the most influential parts of this video was when it talked about the global race for AI dominance. The complications with the US and China about who will be the one to lead in the innovation of AI and the massive threats to security that come with it are fascinating, as this is not just about who can be bigger and better when it comes to algorithms it is about the data and the fact that both us and china want to own and control that data as they can use it to shape economies, politics, and even culture. Knowing this alone made me realize how big AI has become and how much power it holds.

Privacy was another area that shocked me, as we give away so much data daily, sometimes without even knowing. AI thrives on our data, from online purchases to voice recordings and location pins. All of this is data-driven, and companies will use it to their advantage by targeting ads to give you a form of influence. While it can be very convenient to have these ads almost personalized to you and your taste, they can also be very unsettling, as they raise significant ethical concerns, including who is viewing or collecting our data. Is anyone protecting it, and if so, who?  Why do we not get a say in people viewing or collecting our data?

This documentary also discussed the risks of online security and identity theft. AI can be used to help detect fraud and commit it.  AI produces things like Deepfakes, automated scams, and voice cloning, which is scary as it is becoming hard to tell the difference between the real and the fake, making it hard to trust companies or brands today. If you cannot trust digital content, how can we function as a society that depends on the internet?

However, the entire documentary was not based on an opposing viewpoint. In this world with all the modern technological advancements that we have that are growing at a rapid pace every day, there are always ways to use and misuse them, so we as a society have to do our part and use technology wisely, especially AI, as it can be so beneficial in so many different ways and for so many people as long as you use it the correct way. However, this is not all for us, the people, as we need more transparency, regulation, and public education. So we need the government to do its job and communicate these things to the public, as AI is still new and evolving, and is scary for many people when it does not need to be, as long as you are transparent about its usage.

Overall, this documentary opened my eyes to my knowledge about AI, how it affects us now, and how it will affect us in the future. It's not about being pro or anti-technology; it's just about being informed, as our generation and future generations will have to suffer the consequences if we can't learn how to handle and control these technologies now.

Blog Post #9

The Third-Person Effect — When "They" Are the Problem, Not "Me

Imagine when scrolling through social media, you stumble across harmful content that seems to be spreading misinformation, propaganda, or violent content. Well, you're probably thinking, "That doesn't affect me, why should I care if it affects others?" That's a prime example of the third-person effect, a psychological phenomenon where individuals believe others are more affected by media messages than themselves. This was first introduced by W. Phillips Davison in 1983, a communication theorist, and while this may seem harmless or very minuscule, there is so much more to this mindset.

The third-person effect creates a distorted view of social media and how it influences.  People who believe they are not affected by the third-person effect may let their guard down and try to push for more restrictions on social media based on the assumption that others are more vulnerable.  One example is that a parent may want to support the ban of violent video games, but they are not the ones being harmed because they think this will hurt their children and or other people, as they are less intelligent. This belief shapes public opinion and influences policy decisions, often without evidence to back up the fears.   

This can also significantly impact society, creating a sense of division and reinforcing beliefs of intellectual superiority. This is very dangerous as we live in an age of misinformation, especially as older generations tend to think the younger generations are being brainwashed by technology and social media as a whole, while younger generations believe they are being targeted for political campaigns, ad scams, or TV commercials. These mutual assumptions can breed mistrust and prevent open conversations.

This effect can also appear differently in people with different cultures or backgrounds. Someone who grew up wealthy may be entitled to believe that uneducated or poor people may be more affected by the media, which reinforces a classist ideology. The majority of people may feel that minorities are more at risk of being manipulated, which is a form of stereotyping. Many people associate gender and sexuality with certain types of content, saying women will be more influenced by beauty standards. In contrast, men will be more influenced by more aggressive or violent content. While there are many different opinions on which specific groups are affected by the media, some true and some false, the third-person effect often relies on overgeneralized assumptions without factual evidence.

I can see where this is an issue in my life. I can spot it when I think about misinformation online, especially on social media. Still, at the same time, there are times when I've thought things like "I hope people don't actually believe this," making the assumption that other people are more likely to fall for this type of misinformation than I am. Which is precisely what the third-person effect is. It’s not just about how the media influences them but also how our belief in that influence affects us.

Our generation, raised in the digital age, must be more cautious of this bias. Being media savvy doesn't mean you aren't affected. It means recognizing how everyone, including ourselves, is shaped by the content we view and consume. Understanding the Third-Person Effect challenges us to take more personal responsibility and stop underestimating others.

Blog #12

Scrolling and Sharing: My Digital Life as a Social Media Marketing Minor

This semester has been an enjoyable journey through my evolving relationship with media, as much as through its history and theory, and it has made me look at my phone, which probably knows more about me than my mother does, in a new light. As a social media marketing minor i am always on my phone i use snapchat as a daily form of communication with friends and its practically my life line at this point, instagram for posting fun aesthetic photos of me and my friends and TikTok to keep up with current events as well as just having fun making videos. Creating this blog has been a big learning process. I usually go through everyone else's content. Still, I'm putting out content with my thoughts, which has been interesting, as it has made me question my place and what I'm doing in the digital world. 

Before taking this class, I hadn't considered my social media presence or overall digital footprint. I have always been aware of it, but I never gave it much thought. However, the things I learned in this class and the articles I have read have shed light on privacy violations, the harsh reality of Facebook's data collection policies, and even the thoughtful viewpoint of a 14-year-old who decided to unplug.

These stories have inspired me to reflect on how I utilize social media. Just think about all the data Snapchat has from having your location on, and how TikTok's algorithm probably knows me better than I know myself. Although I have not been the most active person on social media, I have become significantly more active since attending college it has also made me more aware of what I post on social media for the world to see, it has also taught me the importance of digital privacy and what that entails, especially when accepting terms and conditions for social media platforms that I will use in the future. 

When I consider the prompt of hopeful and pessimistic perspectives of technology, I find myself somewhere in the middle as a social media marketing minor; I think parts of social media are fantastic, snapchat for example allows me to know what my friends are up to or to make new connections worldwide, and TikTok provides almost unlimited knowledge from how to make a grilled cheese to how to learn rocket science while also encouraging creativity and being and outlet to learn more about current events for a lot of people.

At the same time, Instagram can help you gain opportunities and allow you to express yourself.  However, despite the positives, a handful of negatives are associated with social media, some of which include that it is very demanding of its users and can have a “dark side,” characterized by loneliness, FOMO, erosion of privacy, and more. However, this can all be avoided if you find a healthy balance, and for me, that involves prioritizing real-life relationships, aggressively protecting my digital privacy, and using technology deliberately.

Looking into my future in social media marketing, several topics covered this semester stand out as particularly prominent, including artificial intelligence, online privacy, and online censorship.  AI is such a big part of our world, and it's only growing.  Seeing AI produce content in a field that I will be entering in the near future is concerning and raises questions about authenticity and algorithmic bias. While AI is becoming increasingly powerful, online privacy for social media users has become a highly relevant issue, and although it's essential now, it will only gain more importance. Social and digital marketers need to be more transparent than ever with consumers. Furthermore, the complexity of internet censorship will significantly influence the very fabric of online communication, as it blurs the lines between platform responsibility and freedom of expression.

This also made me think about how social media and the internet have completely transformed mass communication. Anyone with two opposable thumbs and a brain can be a content creator simply by sharing their story and perspective on life online. So, bigger corporations are no longer looking at people with degrees in social media marketing because we have platforms like blogs or TikTok. The explosion of Facebook and Twitter has evened out the playing field. 

It has also made me consider how these platforms challenge mainstream media hegemony. Before this class, I didn't know how to spell hegemony or understand its meaning. However, it occurs when traditional media outlets attempt to assert dominance by promoting specific narratives. Social media has strayed significantly from these conventional narratives, allowing counter-narratives and marginalized voices to find an audience. These platforms have changed how we access information and who gets to share it.

For many people, including myself, social media has been a positive experience and a tool for empowerment. We can build communities around shared interests, advocate for our beliefs, and, if desired, even launch our brand or small business using social media. Using hashtags can organize movements or help creators make a living from their content creation on TikTok.

So, yes, my relationship with technology is good. Still, at the same time, the daily reality of Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok, while I hope for a career in Social Media Marketing, has been transforming my trip through this semester. It has transformed me from a casual user to a more critical and intentional participant in the digital world. At the same time, these platforms are attractive and helpful, particularly in connecting people and disseminating knowledge. My future professional work depends much on privacy, authenticity, and the evolving ethical questions of artificial intelligence and online censorship. Understanding the power dynamics at work and how social media has democratized content production while concurrently addressing issues of hegemony and free expression is essential. I am resolved to be conscious, understanding both the empowering possibilities and the natural responsibilities accompanying the shaping of tomorrow's digital stories.

Blog Post #8

The Silent Revolution in Your Pocket: Understanding Smartphone Adoption Through Diffusion Theory

One of the most fascinating inventions in communication technology is TikTok. Over the past few years, this app has become popular much faster than any other social media platform, and Everett Rogers's Diffusion of Innovations Theory helps explain why.  TikTok became so popular so fast because it hit all the right areas. It had a tremendous social component, quick entertainment, encouraged creativity, and was easy to use. People enjoy following trends and sharing; TikTok made it relatively simple.

The early adopters of TikTok were mainly young adults and teenagers, which makes sense, as they were born into a more technologically savvy era, making it much easier for them to adapt to a new app. They appreciated how the videos were concise, engaging, and creative, making it easier to pay attention and fostering a sense of community among viewers. The app's algorithm was brilliant, as it paid attention to every user's interests and showed content that interested them, leaving them wanting more. While yes, these early adopters helped. 

Late adopters, conversely, either felt overwhelmed by learning another app or were dubious about TikTok's credibility (early on, data security and privacy issues raised questions). Still, some have decided not to use TikTok entirely. Their motivations might be worries about lost time, content quality, or the sense that they "need" no other social media app.

While TikTok has many positive aspects, it also has many downsides. The positives are that it's fun and creative, and can be an opportunity for people to show their personalities and innovate in their ways by sharing content. However, it can also promote many unhealthy habits and a sort of dark side, which can encourage binge watching, unrealistic beauty standards, misinformation, depression, and more. 

For example, I'm personally very cautious about how I spend my time on my phone because I know that I am very easily influenced and can be sucked into social media very quickly without even being aware of it. It can affect my mood and mental health. So, am I doing something beneficial for my health right now? Am I being productive or managing my time responsibly?  So I ensure the benefits of social media outweigh the negatives.  

With any communication technology, it is essential to be aware of your time and usage of the app and how it benefits you, considering your personal values and mental health.  Sometimes, you must decide to put your phone down for your well-being. 

Blog Post #7

 The Silenced Voices: Dissent, War, and the First Amendment in a Time of Global Conflict

The Progressive Era, which occurred around World War I, was a period in American history when many people opposed the country's involvement in war. These people would use their voices and speak out against it, but the government did not appreciate that, so they made laws that made it illegal to speak against the war. This led to many people being jailed for expressing their opinions. The Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918 were laws enacted by the government to suppress dissent and counteract efforts to undermine the war effort. This shows that it can be challenging, especially when the country is at war. It also leaves us asking how a nation balances national security with the fundamental right to free expression. 

Looking back, though, the difficulties of those early dissenters were not in vain. Their persecution helped shape our understanding of the First Amendment. Landmark cases, such as Schenck v. United States, introduced the "clear and present danger" test, which indicates when free speech can be limited. Justice Holmes' powerful dissent in Abrams v. United States introduced the enduring concept of the "marketplace of ideas," which holds that people should be able to exchange viewpoints freely, even if they disagree with some of them, as this process will ultimately lead to the discovery of the truth. The Gitlow v. New York decision was also pivotal, as it established the importance of incorporation, meaning that the protection of the Bill of Rights, which included free speech, was no longer limited to the federal government. They now apply to each state. The battles legally from the silencing of dissent ultimately laid the foundation for our freedoms today. 

When I look at the world we live in today, it's filled with war, chaos, and violence. I feel a sense of unease as we repeat history. There is a lack of honesty in mainstream news. If I want to find someone who will speak freely about their viewpoint, I must actively seek them out. Many websites, such as ANTIWAR.COM and The American Conservative, often provide much insight into what mainstream media is saying, making me wonder why. Why do we have to struggle to find certain views or perspectives in this day and age? 

This topic prompts me to consider the reasons behind this marginalization. Several factors immediately come to mind that make sense. The first is increased media consolidation, where multiple larger corporations control what we hear, shaping our perceptions based on their desired narratives. Shockingly, this is still ongoing, and it is very risky to narrow the people's perspectives, as they don't want anything to be revealed that might harm their power or the status quo. 

There are also significant commercial pressures within mainstream media. After all, mainstream media is a business in its own right. Numerous controversial viewpoints can deter advertisers from associating, which is undesirable, as advertisers are crucial for the survival of mainstream media, as they can drive away specific segments of their audience. The mainstream media is a highly competitive market, so fostering discussions that may be challenging but beneficial is not done, as other priorities take precedence in their eyes.

The government cannot be entirely overlooked in these situations, as it has access to a significant amount of information from various sources, including the framing of narratives that are being disseminated through mainstream media, which individuals in power often shape. There is also immense societal pressure surrounding a single message, which can unintentionally suppress or downplay dissenting voices under the pretext of national unity and security. 

As discussed in the videos, the Supreme Court cases involving prior restraint, Near v. Minnesota and the Pentagon Papers, are particularly relevant here. These papers establish that the government cannot prevent something from being published before it is published. The bar for the prior restaurant is relatively high, with specific expectations such as obscenity, immediate threats to national security during wartime, and incitement to violence. The government must justify why these exceptions apply. These rulings undermined the role of the free press and the ability to hold people in power accountable, while also informing the public, even if the information is uncomfortable or challenges the narrative.

With all this being said, the suppression of anti-war voices historically and in society today reveals a sort of tension between the fundamental right to freedom of speech and national security, from silencing dissent, and then the progressive era, to powerful forces being involved in the mainstream media, ​​powerful forces—including media consolidation, commercial pressures. All of these factors influence how society is shaped today. The landmark Supreme Court cases have even clarified the importance of freedom of the press and how the government shouldn't restrict it as much as it does, and if it does, to justify the restrictions. Yet we still struggle to ensure that we have diverse viewpoints, particularly from individuals who challenge narratives of conflict and war. Emphasizes the frailty of these liberties and the need for constant awareness in defense of the First Amendment's values.

Blog Post #6

The Invention of Netflix and Streaming Services: What I Learned

I learned that in 1997, Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph launched Netflix, a company that would revolutionize how people watched and consumed entertainment. What started as something as small as a DVD subscription that would come to you by mail quickly grew into something massive. In the first decade of Netflix’s existence, it primarily focused on providing a convenient way to watch movies at home by having them delivered straight to your door, which gave other alternative video rental stores that were more traditional a run for their money. Twenty years later, in 2007, everything began to change when the company provided online streaming services, which made it easy to access a plethora of movies and/or TV shows whenever you wanted. 

The goal of this was shockingly straightforward, as they wanted to eliminate the usage of DVDs, as they were inconvenient to return. You had to go get them from a video rental store, and then you would have until the next day at a specific time before you would have to go back and return it, and if you didn't return it on time, it would charge you an extra fee. So the point of Netflix was to avoid all the hassle and make entertainment more accessible than ever. This made a huge difference as people started to stream their favorite show or movie at any time and from any place on any device. DVDs eventually ceased to have any relevancy and disappeared as streaming truly became the new normal, which set the stage for the digital entertainment era.

Netflix then became so popular that it gave inspiration to other companies to make their own streaming platforms, such as Prime Video, Max, Hulu, Peacock, Disney+, and Paramount+. Towards the end of 2013, Netflix had 34 million global paid subscribers. Fast forward about 11 years to 2024, and that number grew exponentially, gaining an average of 24 million subscribers a year from 2013–2024, becoming 300 million subscribers worldwide.

While Netflix and other streaming services have become very convenient, it has become a concern that the rise of streaming has created some issues that you may want to pay attention to, as this could help you or a loved one who may be struggling. Some of these concerns are binge-watching, as being able to watch every episode of a TV show back to back without any interruptions can lead to viewers spending hours on end staring at a screen, which can lead to many health problems, as physical inactivity can lead to heart disease, blood clots, obesity, and even diabetes.

Binge-watching can also lead to problems beyond just physical health; mental health and social effects can be big issues as well, as binge-watching can lead to a lack of sleep, vision problems, and increased anxiety. It can also contribute to feelings of social isolation and depression as people tend to prioritize life online rather than in-person relationships. In some cases, it can even lower productivity at a significant rate, which can interfere with one's daily responsibilities, such as work, school, sports, and social activities.

Streaming services such as Netflix have been a blessing, as it has reshaped digital entertainment into what it is today, but with this blessing comes high responsibility, as we can't misuse or abuse it, as it can become detrimental to our overall well-being. So we all must do our part to prioritize our health and wellness, enjoy content in moderation, and stay connected to the people around us in the real world.