The issues of how technology is influencing our nation today has come into play with social media and surveillance in our personal lives. We use twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. to express our opinions on things and as a voice to inform people on what’s going on in today’s society. We have learned how to use the tools we’ve been given to change our lives forever; our government has access to all of our personal information in exchange for our protection against terrorism. In Bijan Stephen’s article on “Black Lives Matter” and Rebecca McKinnon’s chapter on “the Arab Spring”, they both touch on the power of technology in negative and positive ways.
In Stephen’s article, he talks about how technology has helped in a positive way when it comes
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In her defensive she shows how exploiting our personal lives can cause problems and crimes that are not wanted. Sure, it helps us try to catch terrorism but in exchange it also leaves us defenseless against each other. Not everyone you think is on our side is on our side, especially those around …show more content…
In Stephens article, he tells how “Social media could serve as a source of live, raw information. It could summon people to the streets and coordinate their movements in real time. And it could swiftly push back against spurious media narratives with the force of a few thousand retweets”. He explains how technology can be used to push to change problems in our society and encourage us to get up and do something about it. Being able to use our capabilities if technology to fullest is “A huge reason for all this success is that, perhaps more than any other modern American protest movement, they’ve figured out how to marshal today’s tools”. In McKinnon’s explanation, she states how “To their credit, some companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Google and Facebook have joined forces with civil liberties groups in an attempt to persuade the Obama administration not to push anti-encryption measures that would enable government and law enforcement officials to access our secure communications”. This is goes with how technology can be used to make a difference just like what Stephen was saying in order to inform people on what’s going on. McKinnon explains how our social media servers have also taken a disagreement on invading our private lives. As it stands, any individual or
The topic of technology and our society has become a very controversial subject today. Many people believe that technology is an essential component of our modern world, helping us to improve communication from farther distances as well as giving us easy access to important information. On the other hand, there is the opinion that too much technology is affecting social interactions and our basic development. “Technology…is a queer thing, it brings you great gifts with one hand, and stabs you in the back with the other.” (Carrie Snow.) The CBC Documentary “Are We Digital Dummies” displayed the pros and cons when it comes to modern technology that we use in the western world everyday.
Malcolm Gladwell, a published author and staffed writer for The New Yorker since 1996, argues in his article “Small Change” that social media will not have a great impact on social change, and might even be demolishing the necessary tools that high-action activism has always been reliant on. Gladwell attempts to speak out to warn our current technological society, specifically to the young adults who frequent social media more than other ages. Gladwell highlights an event from 1960 when four college women from North Carolina A. & T. were denied service because of their race, and turned to protest as they sat at the lunch counter, refusing to move. The movement of sit-ins spread and grew until eventually seventy thousand students across the South were united in protest, without the use of technological communication. He focuses on the idea that this protest, like many others before the use of social media, was formed on the idea of strong bonds between real friendships, and not just loose relationships between acquaintances. But if we were to combine the key concepts Gladwell highlights that are needed within protests
Written over 20 years ago, Neil Postman’s “Five Things We Need to Know About Technological Change” confronts the issues of the present and future by examining the past. Postman’s unbiased approach to technological change allows the reader to decide for herself/himself whether recent innovations are helpful or detrimental. When used ethically and cautiously, social media can positively benefit society; however, social media has proven to have many large problems that, if left unexamined, could deconstruct our society.
Today there are many controversial subjects discussed throughout the media. One of the most discussed is race and the Black Lives Matter movement. Recently, I came across an article titled “The Truth of ‘Black Lives Matter’”, written by The Editorial Board. The article was published on September 3, 2015, to the New York Times. In the article, The Editorial Board writes about what they believe African Americans are facing as challenges in society today, including the all-too-common police killings of unarmed African-Americans across the country. The Editorial Board is right that some African Americans have been treated unfairly, but all ethnicities have been. Life is a precious thing that comprises all ethnicities. This brings us to ask; why
There are people in America that makes us wonder why there is a world to begin with. There are people who represent the greater good of the world, and there are others who are unfortunately not for the greater good of the world. We have to constantly deal with those whose only goal in life is to bring the lives of others down to the ground; to shatter and to break them. This is what is happening now in the world, and this most likely will never change. As a result of trying to change the ways in which we live and interact with these people, there was a movement that wanted to change the lives of African-Americans, as well as other races. This movement was called “Black Lives Matter”. The people who were responsible for the creation of
Technology has had a negative impact on this generation- we have lost and forgotten many things because of it. In Malcolm Gladwell’s “Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted”, he discusses the difference between social media activism and “real” activism and the loss of human connection that he has identified. He believes that with social media activism, we lack the connections a community should have because we don’t get together in person- we are satisfied with being connected through technology. He also thinks that as time goes on, we will only get worse when referring to the ideas that we are delusional because the issues we fight about (such as getting phones taken away) aren’t as important as we think.
Gladwell’s essay discusses the developments of the social media and how it has changed social activism.”The platform of social media is based on weak ties”(Gladwell, page 174). He discusses how the Civil Rights Movement was based on strong ties among people who knew each other.People would rise up and join the revolution if they saw their friends, peers or neighbors in the news or newspapers. There is not much of a risk
Understanding Ramos Sentiments on Black Lives Matter "Building a Culture of Solidarity: Racial Discourse, Black Lives Matter, and Indigenous Social Justice" by Santos F. Ramos demonstrates his feelings towards the Black Lives Matter movement. He claims that other ethnicity groups are misappropriating Black Lives Matter to show awareness of their racial own issues not understanding that they are disregarding the Black Lives Matter movement. By doing research such as partaking in protest and talking to others he's able to use personal anecdotes to describe his views on the issues and come to an understanding of what BLM means. Ramos concludes the article by suggesting that communities should show solidarity with one another meaning that groups should deal with one issue at a time within their own group.
There are many problems in today’s world, one of which is the existence of racism. Obviously it has improved dramatically over time, however racism is still out there in our every day lives. The movement Black Lives Matter has spread nationwide attracting the attention of many different parties. Black Lives Matter has had a large impact on the whole country with many people taking different stances on it.
They suffered everyday throughout history that their lives should matter. No one is saying that only black lives should matter but events that we learn today about past shows us they suffered in the cruelest way and for a long time too. However, other people aside from lacks could be suffering just as much but it isn’t documented and taught as a HUGE topic. Black people suffer with racism (some due to rumors) and brutality.
Cullors Patrisse, Garza Alicia, Tometi Opal. About the Black Lives Matter Network. blacklivesmatter.com. Haki Creatives Design for Social Change. Web 2017.
I chose the Black Lives Matter Movement because I thought that it related well to what happened before the American Revolution. The article, “The Creation of a Movement”, which is from blacklivesmatter.com, was very informing. The creator and author of this website, Alicia Garza, is dedicated to making black lives equal and respected in not only America but in all of the world. The informing article I chose talks about the Black Lives Matter Movement. It was made as a call to action, after the Trayvon Martin case. The Black Lives Matter Movement is “an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise.” Cultural workers, artists, designers, and techies all help out
An issue of personal and international concern is the BLM movement. The Black Lives Matter movement has become a rallying cry in light of evidence that the criminal justice system is overlooking and failing to uphold this basic truth. There are various cases and data showing that over half of those killed by the police in the recent years have either been black or latino. Officers in these killings are rarely held accountable, much less convicted for the use of excessive force. This holds the utmost importance to me because being apart of the minority and seeing the horrific tragedies that my race is facing
Why do Black Lives Matter as opposed to All Lives Matter? When a person thinks about Black Lives Matter, he or she may visualize African Americans fighting for justice and equality. The movement Black Lives Matter was created to bring awareness to the systematic racism, police brutality and social injustice that African Americans face on a daily basis. In contrast, All Lives Matter downplays the fact that black people are looked down upon in society. All Lives Matter may seem like an innocent title, but it emphasizes that justice for black people is not necessary.
The use of social media has risen exponentially in the past decade, and with it the impact of its ubiquity has become evident. Although social media can undoubtedly be a positive vehicle for self expression and social interaction, it is largely restrictive of personal liberty and subsequently does more harm than good. Though this applies primarily to the individual, the negative effects of social media on personal freedom extends to interpersonal relationships and can therefore negatively affect groups as well. The convergence of audiences and associated privacy concerns on social media sites like Facebook can result in self-censorship, while the inbuilt filtering systems create a sense of censorship. Data collection and surveillance make it