Technology and Politics

The article "In YouTube: The Flattening of Politics", the author discusses the impact YouTube has on journalism and focusing on the subject of politics. Grove states " And with YouTube's global reach and ease of use, it's changing the way that politics-

In the 21st century nothing has been more influential on the human race than technology has. Technology is a part of anything and everything and the thought of no technology would be considered the apocalypse. Two women, Jane McGonigal, a video game designer, and Sherry Turkle, a technology professor at MIT, both have their own perspectives on technology and how it impacts emotions. McGonigal’s main focus is how video games can be used as a model on how we as humans can make this world a better place. Turkle’s studies are focused on how technology such as cell phones, online avatars, and social media make a whole generations personal development different from past generations. McGonigal is extremely optimistic towards the idea of not only video games but technology as a whole being a huge impact on the improvement of earth’s population. Turkle is more skeptical on technology bringing up thought evoking questions regarding whether technology and its effects on us should be considered good or bad. Even with their contrasting topics both of these women are trying to show how the technology of everyday life alter the emotions. Turkle and McGonigal’s ideas are comparative regarding the emotional effect on people using alternate realities being positive and they also agree that technological communication has become a tool for emotional benefit in society, but their technological views differ on how technology will help us mature as a person.

Within the past few decades, technology has completely transformed. The height and talent of today’s technology has completely changed America and its views. Technology has completely changed and expanded over the past 20 years. Within the past decade a new form of editing technology was created, and that technology is Photoshop. Photoshop is a software used to alter images. In todays day and age, photoshop has become the norm. It is everywhere and it cannot be escaped. Photoshop is used on everything and everyone, and it is affecting us at an extremely negative rate. Due to the works of Photoshop being used on every single media platform, society has adapted to the perfection in photos that were altered by Photoshop. What the world sees when they look at a photoshopped picture is what a company views as perfection, and this image creates an unhealthy comparison between the viewer, the image, and those around them. With Photoshop, images are altered beyond recognition. The Photoshop software takes away any blemish and flaw, and it can make the model used in the photo unrealistically thin, and by this it creates an unachievable body image. When these images are viewed by society, they only see the photo, and they don’t see the hours and hours spent altering the image to actually make them appear this way. So, when society, especially young children and young adults, see these insanely altered images they see something that isn’t real. They see someone that isn’t realistic,

The consequences of progressing technology are actually great because it is easier to reach people around the world at the speed of lighting and the global market is within the reach of a fingertip. Surely, it could save time and expand productivity in a positive form. Advanced technology causes communication to be easier and less expensive, it can improve the healthcare system and the education. Nonetheless, there could negative aspects on the environment and people. Technology can be addictive and caused people to be lazy and dependent without having the opportunity to train and exercise the brain by relying too much on computer devices. Besides, its debris could be very destructive to the environment.

During the recent 2016 presidential election, candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton could be seen glorified on the television screens of an MSNBC segment. On the other hand, viewing Fox News reveals a very noticeable conservative bias, favoring ideology from candidates like Donald Trump, Ben Carson, and John Kasich. CNN, thought to be the most neutral of the three, is only considered unbiased because it always has “at least one conservative and one liberal pundits” reporting on an issue (Garcia). News media rarely provides information unbiasedly, there seems to be some sort of political leaning to almost every news report. Although biased news allows for more perspectives and grants more information to the audience, the extent to which

Traditional media, such as newspapers, have been in decline as news consumers turn to free access on the internet, and advertising dollars have fled along with the consumers. The newspaper industry has $1.6 billion less a year to spend on news than ten years ago (Jones, 2017, p. 577). Newer forms of online and digital media do not have the high financial costs of television and printed media to publish their content and are better able to cater to specific issues. In reviewing news, studies show that consumers tend to judge the media source as biased if it differs from their own opinions (Kaye, 2016, p. 607). Strong liberals regularly turn to media that support their ideology such as MSNBC, while strong

News providers seem to be much divided as far as what they report and how they report it. However, there is no definite answer to the question of biasness among news channels such as Fox News and the Cable News Network (CNN). This is because an individual who is more liberal than Fox is likely to consider it a conservative bias while an individual who is more conservative than CNN is likely to consider it a liberal bias. As a result of the polarization in the major media broadcasts, people are divided and unclear where the truth lies. For instance, conservatives and liberals occupy diverse worlds when it comes to getting news about politics and government; therefore exacerbating the partisan divide of how people view their government and political leaders. This polarization extends from the media preferences to the basic lives of people including their different opinions and views. Conservatives and liberals are more likely to interrelate with like-minded individuals while discussing politics with their comrades or even congregate online (Prior, 2013).

Whether it is news channels on the television or whether it is Twitter and Facebook news, the public will always have a way to find out current reports. Since society has become so dependent on technology, a greater amount of individuals get their actual news online and especially through social media. As many of the public know, you cannot trust what people online are saying. Since individuals are so accustomed to getting the news online, many of them tend to believe what they just happen to scroll across on Twitter and Facebook or any other sort of social media. Finding actual facts and truths on the news have become so difficult now, due to all of the millions of different sites and places where we can get our news from. The news online tend to be biased and untrue due to how openly and freely individuals can create their own site and “reports” on current events such as a real news channels would. Social media has just made it more complicated to find the actual accuracy of current events but with enough research, dedication, and using the SMELL test, finding the right information would not be as

The evaluation of research and studies was conducted in order to assess possible liberal bias in the media. Through consideration of studies within the past twenty years, certain implications and causes of media bias are addressed and explained. As there are multiple viewpoints surrounding media bias, many stances are observed. Media bias is justified through a matter of diversity, party affiliation, liberal expectations, and varying definitions of bias. The results of these studies show that while media bias may exist, it not significant. It is also found true that most journalists have left sided beliefs, but tend to claim moderate. The negative reputation of bias is ultimately defended, and it is found that this bias can be considered positive in some aspects.

The media can link people to the government by spreading opinions, ideas, or facts about political subjects that could affect policy or behavior for example, “heavy users of social media, relying on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to connect them with more than just friends and family. Eighty-eight percent … said they use Facebook to find news. This reliance on social media has fueled debates about how social media and personalized web searches influence political polarization. At the same time, social media also provides opportunities for people to actively engage in politics,”(Kelsh 1). This example proves the reliance that society and the American people have on the media, including the opinions and bias found in many online

1) Based on the resources provided above, how would you define technology? Be sure to use your own words!

Mainstream media has changed the view of American politics. It has turned into an “echo chamber,” filtering results around bias and personal opinion. Overtime, media has slowly, but surely polarized the American people. Researchers tend to have a significant amount of evidence backing the issue. Examples of which include Nicholas Carr, James Fallows, Eli Pariser, Brian Resnick, and Hannah Holmes in their articles, “How Social Media is Ruining Politics”, “Learning to love the (Shallow, Divisive, Unreliable) New Media”, “Beware of Online Filter Bubbles”, “How Politics Breaks Our Brains and How We Can Put Them Back Together”, and “ Red Brain Blue Brain.” All five of the authors seem to express some concern about

Technological advances have certainly entered this era to facilitate people’s lives. There is no doubt that some new technology has been created to help operate or effectively manage time in a way that would be beneficial to humans. Technology significantly helps a number of people. A group that greatly benefits with the advances of technology is teenagers. Teens constantly use computers for schoolwork, networking, or knowing anything they want to know with a simple use of their fingertips. Furthermore, with the advances it is no longer needed to leave the household to run an errand such as going out to pay a bill or do some shopping. As technology advances and enters the life of mostly all humans many begin to question how healthy these technological advances truly are. A couple of decades ago kids spent their time outside playing with their friends by the same token with items that did not require the use of electricity. Kids and adolescents would dedicate at least a part of their day to reading books and gaining knowledge from there instead of social media. Distinctively today’s adolescents instead of reading books will go on the internet for a summary and inform themselves in less than 5 minutes, spent their time inside playing video games or on their cellphones allowing technology to be the only thing they know and rely on to have fun or be informed. Moreover, this guides us to the points Ray Bradbury makes in his novel Fahrenheit 451. Bradbury touches on several

Technology is used on a daily basis to accomplish specific tasks or interests. Modern technology increases human capabilities and this technology has evolved with years. Technology simplifies life in so many ways and everyone defines technology in their own way. They’re new types of technology on the market, this technology simplifies our daily lives. They’re endless demands as consumers of technology, people use technology to accomplish simple tasks every day. Technology’s used in business, education, communication, healthcare, entertainment and so much more. There’s an unquestionable impact of technology on society. Whether considering the plow, vaccinations, or the internet, technology has had a huge impact on society. While not every advance benefits society, there’s many positive effects of technology. Modern technology makes life more convenient now more than ever. Modern technologies like broadband internet makes it possible to access relevant information at any time anywhere. Today’s technology makes it simple for students to learn from anywhere through online education and mobile education, which improves the education system. It also improves the health system, most hospitals have implemented modern technology in surgical rooms, which may reduce the number of mistakes made by doctors. Modern technology’s more convenient than when it was simpler because, it provides an easy way to access information, improves the education system, and it improves the health system.

With this new glass of Merlot by my side, I sit and wonder at the amazement of technology. Each velvety sip opens me up in my corner a little more just as technology has done so for the world. But now I must go off and ponder further on into an important philosophical question of whether this technology, endless as it has come to be, should be considered as a thing that has brought out the best or the worst in society. How complex a question! Surely I could easily look back fondly and count the many ways that technology and its manifold presence has been nothing but a blessing, not only to facilitating human kind, but also our intrinsic pursuit of society. But now, as easy as that might be, it would be a more healthy venture to play the