Blog #10 - EOTO 2 Reaction

 For our second Each One Teach One presentations, we had the opportunity to learn about different terms and concepts
. It was incredibly interesting to learn about not only my topic but many others. I particularly likes Shanice Gamble's presentation on misinformation, disinformation, and fake news.  

Shanice likened misinformation to a game that we played as children called "telephone". In this game, one person made a statement and it was repeated down the line until it came out as something completely different at the end. Disinformation on the other hand is the deliberate misleading of a narrative or facts, often called propaganda. 

The term here that we hear the most about is fake news. This frase has been used everywhere but was most famously used in abundance durning the presidential term of Donald Trump. This is the manufacturing and fabricating of false information that poses as real news in the mainstream media. 

All of these stem from one issue: confirmation bias. This happens when people ignore new and possibly more true information because it does not correspond with the beliefs that they already hold. This is becoming more of an issue now-a-days with social media companies like instagram and snapchat pushing articles with misleading titles or even downright incorrect information. 

These things can impact us in so many ways from bad grades on assignments to incorrect medical advice. It is always important to double and triple check your sources especially when it comes down to things like vaccinations and illness symptoms because it could make the difference between life or death. 

Blog #8 - EOTO - Spiral Of Silence

She believed that humans inherently have a "quasi statistical sense" of the popularity of our own opinions. If a person believes that their opinion is not high in popularity, they may choose to stay silent in fear of repercussions. The primary reason that this spiral exists is humanities fear of isolation or some sort of reprisal.



By definition, the Spiral of Silence is the term meant to refer to the tendency of people to remain silent when they feel that their views are in opposition to the majority view on a subject. In simpler terms: the Majority will speak out when praised and the Minority will silence when shunned.

This Theory was originally published by a German Political Scientist named Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann in 1974. She used this theory to come up with a possible explanation for why many Germans did not oppose the Nazi party.



The media effects this theory both negatively and positively. On the negative side, words commonly used in media like "all" or "most" lead people to believe that their view is not seen by anybody else and that they must be wrong. This furthers peoples tendencies to stay silent. On the flip side, the media does manage to impact the effects of this theory in a positive way through social media. Through apps like instagram, twitter, or snapchat people feel more comfortable voicing their opinions that may receive backlash as opposed to speaking face to face.


Statistically, we are less likely to speak out against people who's opinion matters to us or someone with whom we share a relationship with. For example, a person is less likely to voice their true opinions with friends, family, and neighbors due to fear of damaging that relationship.


Just like any theory, this one comes with a few criticisms. Some have questioned Noelle-Neumann's proposal of a quasi statistical sense and whether we truly can sense the popularity of a viewpoint. Others have asked if fear of isolation is strong enough to deter people from voicing their opinions.

Blog #7 - TED Talks and Privacy

After viewing multiple Ted Talks about privacy with todays technologies, I am left more aware than ever of the lack of privacy that we as twenty-first century humans have. 

In a Ted Talk by Juan Enriquez, he related our online trails to tattoos. These Cyber-tattoos will be around long after we are gone and will in some ways, immortalize us. In this day and age, we are all on the internet. From the photographs on the day we are born to the obituary on the day we die. These things and everything in-between will remain on the internet for the rest of existence. 

Catherine Crump spoke about the military grade surveillance equipment that many local police departments now hold. They use the ability to track faces, license plates, and more for the purpose of learning all about us in the slight case that they may need it later. 

Christopher Soghoian discussed surveillance blockers placed by phone companies to try and block hackers from data about us. He showed viewers how to keep our conversations private by simply using the messaging apps provided. 

Darieth Chisolm explained what is commonly known as revenge porn and how it can destroy lives. With one in ten women under thirty experiencing it, it is not an uncommon issue. As a female under thirty, I have had multiple friends experience this and it is made worse by the fact that there is very little that can be done. 

It is obviously the governments job to watch for suspicious activity and catch criminals but it is also their job to protect or security and privacy. There should also be laws in place with a real punishment for crimes such as revenge porn as there is no way to make it disappear forever. 

Blog #6 - EOTO Reaction

Throughout or Each One Teach One presentations, we had the chance to learn about an array of technologies both new and old. I particularly enjoyed learning about the idea of paper as a technology from Casey Derrenbacher. When we think of technology, we often think of our laptops, cell phones, even security systems but never do we think of something as simple as a sheet of paper. Casey discussed how the invention of paper happened in 105 AD China. 

They originally used bamboo strips and silk to trace but eventually moved on due to weight and cost of these items. Natural materials like tree bark, old rags, hemp waste and fishnets were all pounded down and mixed in water to be spread out and dried into paper. By the end of the Han Period paper quality had improved and was traded along the Silk Road. 

It was the Europeans that invented the paper machine to optimize the paper making process. In 1799, Louis Robert created the first model known as the Fourdrinier Machine in France which was later patented in England by Henry and Sealy Fourdrinier. This spun the creation of paper mills. 

Paper is still used to this day for many different reasons including writing, books, and packaging. Negatively however, paper is one of the largest contributors of solid waste and has led to mass amounts of deforestation. 

Blog #5 - Media Against Anti-war Voices

 We often link the viewpoint of being Anti-war with the "hippies" of the sixties. The United States war in Vietnam stands to this day as the most opposed war in American history. According to an article on USHistory.org, the average ago of soldiers in this war was nineteen and made up primarily of lower class Americans who could not pay their way out of the draft with college. Many Americans retaliated including famous Boxer Muhammad Ali and Civil Rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.. This was the beginning of an anti-war movement that still stands in the US.

When researching the Anti-War movement, it became obvious that it is not being circulated in the mainstream media and was only able to be found on sites that I have never heard of. 

The first site that I looked through was called Antiwar.com. The headlines on this site talked about how the United States is depicting the Russian threat of nuclear weapons as more than it truly is and how Ukraine is arresting their own citizens for supporting Russia. The next site that I searched is called Theamericanconservative.com. Many of the articles on this site spoke about the dangers of entering a war that we don't need and being realistic about relations in foreign countries. 

So why is it that we have to try so hard to find these Anti-war voices? An article posted by Darius Shahtahmasebi  points out that American owned social media companies are blocking posts that go against the United States position in foreign affairs. An article for The Baltimore Sun discusses the viewpoint that being Anti-war is inherently Anti-American and many people believe this to be true. Mainstream media fears streaming information that may make them appear this way.