Week 10: Eight Values of Free Expression

The marketplace of ideas and individual self-fulfillment. These two values of free expression are the most important among all eight. Throughout history, these two values have been at the forefront of First Amendment court cases. The marketplace of ideas first appeared in one of the quartet cases of 1919. Oliver Wendell Holmes, a Supreme Court Justice at the time of one of these cases, dissented from the normal protocol regarding First Amendment rights. His dissent helped to create the modern First Amendment and freedom of speech laws that we know today. If you’d like to read more about Holmes’ dissent and the details of the case, you can do that here.

Now, the idea of individual self-fulfillment is probably one of the most important ideas in all of society and life (not just within the First Amendment). The idea of individual self-fulfillment is one that allows individuals within society to find purpose. Through free speech and free flow of ideas, individual self-fulfillment acts as a way for humans to live the life they want and not feel persecuted for it. In some aspect of everyone’s life, we’re all looking self-fulfillment.

These two values of free expression have been under fire ever since the rise of the internet and social media. In an article posted by americanbar.org, author David L. Hudson, Jr. describes how social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are using censorship to rob us of our First Amendment rights. Particularly, these platforms are attacking the values of the marketplace of ideas and individual self-fulfillment. the article talks about how when these platforms use censorship (and you know they all do to some extent) they’re robbing individuals of the actual marketplace of ideas. This lack of a free flow of ideas and thoughts among individuals then creates a halt on the path towards many individuals’ self-fulfillment. If individuals can’t be exposed to everyone’s ideas and beliefs, how can they create their own thoughts and feelings based on pre-existing ones? Personally, I feel that the way the internet and social media have been used in the last two years has created a toxic environment for everyone. I feel as if everything I read online or see in an Instagram post is fake or just can’t be trusted. The amount of censorship that is used online is appalling. The internet needs to be considered in the same realm as public space, which is where almost all of the First Amendment can be enforced.

Week 7: EOTO Com Tech Timeline Pt. 2

Emoticons or “emojis” have been around for a couple of years now. Their purpose is to convey emotions through little pictures that have a cartoonish look to them. When emojis were first released (at least on iPhone and iOS devices) they were a secret that not many people knew about. But, once you’ve shuffled through a few menu screens and tapped a few buttons, the keyboard becomes available. Back then, there were so little options compared to today’s ones. Now there are thousands of different emojis that a user can select. This vast increase in the number of emojis must have improved their ability to convey emotions and messages, right? Not exactly. 

This article written by pyschologistworld.com discusses emojis ability to convey emotions and messages. While there are always two sides to every coin, the summation of the article generally lets its readers decide how they want to view emojis. Are they an effective means of communication, or are they simply just another technical complication that’s getting in the way of real human interaction? The way I see it, emojis are great tools that can be used to make a message funny, heartfelt, or even depressing. What emojis do well is give (almost) everyone and everything a representation. Nowadays, basically everyone can find an emoji that they can identify with. But, while they may be great tools, they may also be hindering our ability to communicate effectively. What if someone uses an emoji that is meant to have a different meaning than what the reader thinks. What if somebody interprets a message the wrong way and it leads to irreparable consequences? What about those who are visually impaired and may not be able to see emojis. Don’t get me wrong, I love emojis and I love using them. But more often than not I see them as a toy rather than a tool.

Week 6: EOTO Com Tech Timeline

The human race has been evolving since the dawn of its existence. The creation and evolution of technology has followed the same road map. However, there seems to be a compromise that people are starting to pick up on more. As technology advances, the human race impedes. The video shown above illustrates how our world has become so consumed with the idea of seamless (and constant) connection, that everyone has seemed to forget about the specifics of the connection part of it. Connecting on a human level means interacting with one another face-to-face. It doesn’t mean following people, it doesn’t mean liking their posts, it doesn’t mean direct-messaging them to chat behind screens. Not only is technology limiting the quality of our social interactions; it’s creating a false sense of reality. What you see of somebody online usually is not what their life is like in reality. Somebody’s profile could be the happiest and most inspiring profile in the world, yet they might be one of the most depressed and uninspired person ever. Everything on social media and the internet can all be a facade if the people posting content want it to be. The technology itself is not bad though. 

Technology can still be used to better our society and create a better world for everyone. The only ones standing in the way of that is us. People are so concerned about their online footprint that it literally takes over their lives. They care more about how many likes they got, or how many followers they have, that they fail to see what really matters in life. People like this will never lead a satisfying life. They’ll always feel inferior to someone who has more followers and more likes. It’s not that technology makes people feel like they need to be popular. It’s people. When our society can get past this obsession of social media and being “popular”, then technology will start to truly revolutionize the way we go about our lives. We’re just scratching the surface of what’s possible, and we can accomplish so much more than what we think.

Week 5 Post: The Progressive Era

On October 3rd, Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly praised Donald Trump for his efforts in the United States’ denuclearization talks with Kim Jong-un and North Korea. President Trump and Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un are set to have their countries start discussing denuclearization on Saturday, October 5th. The two countries have tried to come to terms before, but when interactions between the two world leaders came to halt in February it was difficult for many to read the terrain on where both sides stood. An article written by CNN writers Veronica Stracqualursi and Nicole Gaouette highlights the level of tension that there has been surrounding halted discussion. “…North Korea's representative to the UN blamed the US for the "little progress" in relations between the two countries.” (Stracqualursi & Gaouette, 2019). While the US has been fairly civil during this non-interaction period, North Korea seems to be placing all of the blame on President Trump regarding the slow negotiation process. In regards to the US, I think that it is excellent to see President Trump making another effort to come to terms with North Korea. If the US can create a strong relationship from the isolated country, it could open up new doors for world peace that would have previously been inaccessible.

Article Links: https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-northkorea-missiles-putin-trump/russias-putin-praises-donald-trump-for-north-korea-talks-idUKKBN1WI1QU
https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/01/politics/us-north-korea-nuclear-talks/index.html