Thank You For Smoking Reflection

    Watching Thank You for Smoking felt a little uncomfortable but it a way that made me think about things I normally wouldn't think about. The film which is directed by Jason Reitman follows Nick Naylor whose entire job is to influence the public to support cigarettes. What stood out to me wasn't just what he was saying but also how he was saying it and how big of an impact his words had. 

    One of the biggest takeaways was how truth in the persuasion that was happening didn't matter it was about the control. Nick doesn't try to prove that smoking is healthy or good for you because he can't. What he actually does is he reframes all the arguments against it. He manages to always steer away from the health risks and lean towards the conversation of freedom and choice. That's where the First Amendment comes in. His speech is protected, especially as commercial speech even though the product he represents is harmful. That made me question just because something is legal to say does that make it right. The movie stays in the uncertainty between legality and ethics. I also find it interesting that Nick never actually lies he just sways the truth the sound better. He leaves out important information and uses his confidence to win arguments. This reminds me of the conversation in communication law and ethics how the idea that persuasion can stay within legal boundaries while still being morally questionable. It made me realize how easily influenced people can be by people who sway the truth. 

Another thing that I noticed was hoe media plays a big roll in all of this. In interviews and public appearance, Nick succeeds not because his information is based on facts, but because he's the most persuasive person in the room. This elaborates on the idea that media doesn't always praise truth but rewards confidence and entertainment. That feels extremely relevant today especially with social media and how easily public opinions can be shaped no matter how misleading the message is. 

    I also found it interesting how Nick brought his son into thinking like him. His son is taught that if you argue enough you can never be wrong. That can sound powerful and first like standing for what you believe in despite other opinions. But at the same time, it shows how persuasion can be confused with having your own opinions and manipulating people. That part made me question whether communication skills are always used the way they should be. Overall, Thank You for Smoking doesn't show a clear representation of what's right and wrong which i think is the whole point. It makes you sit with the discomfort of realizing that persuasion is a powerful thing that people can you for not all the right reasons. For me, the biggest takeaway as someone studying communication, it's not just about learning how to persuade and influence people effectively, but also understanding responsibility that comes with it. Just because you can win an argument doesn't mean you should. 

    

Total Information Awareness: Security at What Cost?

    After the attack's that happened on September 11th the fear of it reoccurring allowed for the     American political imagination to reshape. Because of this the U.S. government made a program called Total Information Awareness (TIA). When you first hear it, it sounds somewhat reassuring, and that awareness means we have protection. After looking into it more you will probably ask yourself how much information should the government be able to have on citizens while still keeping their safety. 

    Total Information Awareness was created under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in 2002. Its goal was to collect and analyze large amounts of data like travel records, emails, phone calls, financial transactions, and more so that strange activity could alert as terrorist activity before it was too late. Basically, it would use elaborate data and try to be able to connect activates that humans would look past. The outcome of this program is huge. On the more positive side, people believed Total Information Awareness could stop violence before it happened. If suspicious behavior could be pointed out early by the government, we could be able to stop terrorist attacks and save people's lives. Threats can be very hidden in todays world and hard to notice, having more information can let us feel more in control of situations like these. The government already collects some data for security reasons, and TIA was basically an attempt to expand that using advanced technology. This seems like a smart step to prevent things from waiting around from a national security point of view.  

    Unfortunately, the risks are just as serious. The first major concern is the privacy aspect. TIA doesn't just find suspected criminals, it collects data on everyone which includes innocent people. This creates controversy between investigating specific threats and watching all the public. When the government can see all that personal information like your purchases, travel history, phone calls, and more, a lack of balance is created between the state and the citizens. Even if you did nothing wrong, you are still being monitored. 

     Fairness is also another issue. Surveillance programs tend to not affect all groups the same. In the past minority communities, immigrants, and activists have been watched more closely. A system like TIA could make that worse. People who are wealthier could have lawyers and other things like that to protect their data, while lower income communities probably won't have those resources. Younger people, especially my generation, are all online. That means our digital footprints are more visible than ever. A program like this could have our entire lives because we are online in ways older generations never experienced. 

Trust is also something to consider. It is important that people trust their government.  When surveillance programs become secretive, the trust can break. Even though congress shut down TIA in 2003 due to public criticism, a lot of people believe similar surveillance systems continued under different names. The big concern is the idea this program introduced and not just the program itself.  Once technology tracks people, it is very hard to limit or remove it. 

    Thinking about TIA makes me realize how much of my life is already held as data. I have used many fitness apps, social media, and I have purchased things online and much more. I have made a digital footprint for myself without realizing or understanding what it means. If someone were to collect all that information, it would be easy to tell who I am, what I do, my interests, and even what weaknesses I have. This is powerful data. Yes, it can be used to prevent and stop real threats, but it can also be severely abused. I think the main issue is who gets to decide how it's used.  

    In conclusion, Total Information Awareness expresses a very important debate which is security versus freedom. It makes us ask ourselves if feeling safe is worth giving up our privacy. Even though technology allows things, it doesn't mean they should all be done. This is a question that affects everyone, not only the government.  

 

8 Values of Free Expression

 I felt very distant when I first started learning about the First Amendment, like something that just existed in history books not in everyday life. But after going through the Eight Values of Free Expression, I have learned that these ideas aren't just historical theories. They elaborate on what is happening right now in the world we are living in. The two values that stand out to me the most are Marketplace of Ideas and Check on Government Power. I notice them both regularly within social media, new, and even political debates. 

Check on Government power is the value that resonates with me the most. Being able to hold our leaders accountable and to check on them is what democracy is based on. If people weren't allowed to have an opinion on policies and speak up about corruption the government would be able to continue operating without consequences. For example, when reporters become aware of government misconduct or questionable decisions they use freedom of press to protect democracy. 

Social media has allowed this to expand even more. Today anyone and everyone could record an event then share that information leading more people to speak out instantly. News spreads in real time. This instantly increases awareness which then allows other people to respond immediately

While social media can help check government power there is just as much chance that it can spread untrue misleading information. A 10 second video without any context can create a public opinion before any real information is known. Aggressive content is known to spread way faster then careful reporting. So even though free expression can hold leaders accountable the way digital communication can spread so rapidly it can create many new problems. 

Marketplace of ideas theory suggests that when everyone is free to express their opinions, the truth will eventually come out. Open discussion, debate, and disagreement are supposed to lead to better understanding. When you first think about it social media is a prime example of this theory. Apps like Instagram, TikTok, and X let millions of people to express their opinions and thoughts while being able to respond to each other in a matter of seconds. Personally when I think about it more I don't know if the marketplace is completely fair. There are Algorithms that control what appears on our feeds.  During things like COVID-19 and recent elections, things that effect a large group of people misinformation tends to spready rapidly online. This doesn't mean that the Marketplace of Ideas is a fail in a whole. Yes, misinformation can spread but without that we wouldn't have the freedom that allows experts and journalists to challenge it in the public eye. 

These values feel personal to me because I experience them every day. Almost every piece of news and political information I consume, I see online. The talk about misinformation and content moderation all align with freedom of expression in some way shape or form. The first Amendment was mainly about keeping the government from controlling what people say. Today, a lot of our public conversations happen on platforms that are private like social media. So many questions are coming up like should these companies control false information? Or when does removing certain content become censorship? Its a difficult balance between when does stopping harm turn into not letting people talk freely. 

For me, check on Government powers feels the most important because it helps protect democracy. At the same time, the Marketplace of Ideas is the part I see the most in my day to day life. Both of these ideas show that free expression isn't something in the past it still plays a roll in how we communicate today. 

The fact people are still arguing about how it should work shows just how important it really is. 

AI and the Future of Strategic Coomunication

 After watching The Age Of AI: The Future of Work, it made me feel two things, one being excited and another being a little unsettles. Ai is changing everything and there is no doubt about it, as a Strategic Communication major this includes the field I will be entering post grad. Strategic communication is based on branding and understanding your audiences. Now with AI tools social media posts can easily be generated as well as analyzing engagement data, it can even go as far as predicting up coming trend. What takes humans hours can take AI seconds. It's very interesting at first but the more you think and look into it, it's also intimidating. It makes me think if AI can do many things faster than humans, where do we fit in? 

Thinking about the communication aspect of it all I understand that communication isn't just about making content, there is strategy behind it. It's about understanding people and there emotions along with culture and timing. Yes, AI can making things from existing data, but Ai doesn't understand human emotions, experiences, or intentions. 

I can't see AI replacing communicators. I think it will change human value. People who learn how to use AI in a way that will benefit them and help with their creative thinking, they are the ones who will have an advantage. 

When I came to HPU, I wanted to grow not only professionally, but creatively. Nothing has changed. My biggest takeaway is that AI makes it extremely important that I develop skills that go beyond AI's capacity like adaptability, real connection and originality. Nothing can take away from meaningful human communication no matter how these tools evolve. 

Ted Talks

 In today's world, our phones, computers and many other things leave a trail of information about us. The TED Talks I watched by different people like Christopher Soghoian, Catherine Crump, and Darieth Chisolm and others show the impact technology can have. Weather it's to help us or to put us at risk we are effected by both. They remind us that our safety isn't always guaranteed and that we have to be aware of what we do to protect ourselves. 

Christopher Soghoian's talk, "how to Avoid Surveillance.. with the phone in your pocket," show how phones and networks were built to be watched. It is easy for Governments to listen in on calls or read messages if they want to. Soghoian also shows that there are way to keep your privacy like using things and apps like WhatsApp because they are encrypted. The point he has is that surveillance is very much a thing but we can also protect ourselves if we know the right way to do it. 

Catherine Crump, in her talk she shows that tracking isn't just online. Police have cameras that watch cars everywhere and this is called Automatic License Plate Readers. This allows databases of people's movements even when you haven't done anything wrong. Crumps enlightens us that this can become unfair monitoring and explains how there should be more rules about the data they have and how long they can keep it. 

Finally, Derieth Chisolm's talk shows that there are personal sides of this digital danger. Sharing private images without consent can ruin a persons life in a matter of seconds. This can affect peoples jobs, relationships and even mental health. Chrsolm's story really shows that this needs to be taken more seriously. Consent matters online like it does in person.

In the end these talks show that technology can be helpful but also detrimental. Phones, cameras, and the internet can do just as much bad as they do good. The biggest take away I got was although all these things are very accessible we need to be ware and use our resources wisely. We should also advocate for ourselves can push for rules that will protect us and keep our lives private and keep our safety a main priority. Technology is here to stay the least we can do is make it safer for everyone. 

 

Top 5 Sources of News - Blog Post #1

 

#1 TikTok 

Tik Tik is a great source of news and information due to there bite-sized videos. TikTok is very accessible and has many communities for people with common interests. Many people especially Gen Z use TikTok as there search engine over google. Many personal experiences and visual aids are provided while using TikTok search bar. Creators often share breaking news with there followers and can update people faster then traditional media. There are also many educational creators that share important information. 

#2  Google 

Google can pull information and sources from thousands of outlets. It is quick and convenient and you can look anything and everything up. You can read many different articles about the same topic and compare them in many different ways like tone and facts. Credible sources are prioritized when doing a google search which is good  to confirm reputable sources. 

#3 Fox News 

Fox news has professional journalists that have access to official sources. Fox news contributes to understanding current events. Fox news reaches millions of viewers which shows that it plays a big role in major conversation. Fox can cover live events that are happening which is a good way to share information in the moment with no delays. 

#4 x 

News often breaks first on X. There is a very diverse perspective due to many people around the world using X. X shows what's currently being discusses widely which help people hear about important current events. X is used by a very diverse age group as well. Journalists, agencies and more are known to immediately post on X.  

#5 My Mom

I already know her values and beliefs, she is a trusted source. My mom uses every single Source of News to get the most reputable information. She summarizes important points for easy understanding. She is very skilled at telling if a source shares information that is questionable or reliable. She gives great insight and context for deeper understanding as well.