The Influence of Big Power

We all know that powers outside ourselves influence us; governments, corporations, and advertising all try and shape our worldview in varying ways and for different reasons. Our group is focusing on these three big powers and examining the way they influence us.

Changing Propaganda: How Social Media Gives Power to the Individual

posted by Karee Brown

It started as a simple trickle of water running down the walls in the bathroom of the hotel room, but it soon turned into a steady stream of water coming from the ceiling. It didn't take long for the paint to begin peeling and eventually some drywall began to fall from the ceiling. My dad had been in his hotel room for thirty minutes and it was already falling apart. It was late and he didn't want to waste his time talking to hotel management. So he tweeted about his hotel experience thus far. To his surprise, the hotel management contacted him within the hour and offered him a new room and reimbursement. 

Why did the hotel respond? Because what my dad had to say about the hotel management and maintenance would influence the way that other potential customers saw that hotel. If my dad was portraying a bad image, he could easily damage their reputation. He was using the leverage of propaganda to get what he wanted. Quality service.

There has been a shift in the use of propaganda from the twentieth to the twenty-first century. This shift hasn't just been the medium that is used, though that is a factor. The shift is mostly concerning who is distributing the propaganda and how much power that government, company, or individual has. Just like my dad was able to spread an opinion about a hotel room, you can have power to influence. 

Although these companies and government powers have a lot of influence, you have more influence than you think. With the changes in propaganda from the twentieth to the twenty-first century (especially with social media), you can help government and companies use their powers to promote a more ethical society. 

Open vs Controlled: When Resources are Restricted

The above video depicts Bryce trying to gain access to the MDT practice rooms. The MDT (Music / Dance / Theater) rooms are controlled with codes that only MDT students are given. They are also scheduled out, weekly by hour, to specific students.

Bryce first asks Heather for the practice codes. She rejects him, explaining that they are not supposed to give the codes out. He then asks Whitney, who doesn't hesitate to not only give him a code, but let him have all of them. With the codes he tries to access one room, but is kicked out as soon as he enters, so then continues to another. Once he has been in that room a while, Rachelle lets him know that she has been assigned that room, and so asks him to leave.

This scenario is representative of what we see when resources are controlled. Relationships and inefficiencies are taken advantage of by those in need of the resource. These kinds of situations insight uprisings and revolutions, as we've seen all throughout history. However, they also promote trade and innovation when handled right.

In order to fully understand how important personal security and privacy is, it is imperative to understand today’s constant threat of Cyber War looming over our heads. James R. Clapper, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, ranks cyber crime as the No. 1 national security threat. In the last year alone, our federal government fell victim to 61,000 cyber-security breaches that exposed records dating back to 1985 (time.com). This exposure to personal files of U.S. government employees gives enemies access to sensitive personal and financial information.

As an example, you know that moment in Criminal Minds when the FBI agents can’t enter a house because they lack a warrant? At their moment of frustration, they must abide by the law and comply to the homeowner's request for a warrant. What exactly is a warrant and how much does it protect us? According to a general Google search, a warrant is a document issued by a legal or government official authorizing the police or some other body to make an arrest, search premises, or carry out some other action relating to the administration of justice. Recently, there has been a major dispute between the FBI and Apple over a rejected request for a “warrant”. But how much access does a warrant give? And is it always justifiable in sacrificing privacy?

Both Bryce and Rachelle relate the scenario back to their individual takes on the issue of being open vs. being controlled, and relate it back to historical and current relevance.

Bryce's Take

Bryce has related the scenario to the balance of security versus privacy. The controlled resources present an opportunity in which privacy means more security but less efficiency. Here are some of his thoughts.



"I noticed that there were resources going unused, and I personally had a need to use the rooms as a performer. I took the initiative to even out the playing field by getting access to those resources. How terrible to have perfectly good practice rooms go to waste!

Once I determined what resource I wanted, I knew exactly where to look for someone who had the codes - the other practice rooms. By using public information, I was able to track down who had what I needed. This happens all the time on LinkedIn and other forms of social media. Only absolute privacy of who owned/had access to the resources would protect them completely, but that's not feasible in our society.

Once people came along to grab the rooms that belonged to them, I was happy to leave. But at least, up until that point, I was able to use the resources. Rachelle may have felt a bit uncomfortable asking me to leave, but I didn't feel like that was such an issue that I shouldn't use the room at all.

There is a level of privacy that is advantageous to society. Personal issues should be kept very secure, and nobody should have access to those. Depending on how they are stored, the government shouldn't have a right to those things either. However, when it comes to logistical and operational things, privacy should be avoided to allow resources to be shared as freely as possible.

While we should keep some information private, who owns and has access to the practice room codes is NOT one of them."

A more detailed explanation of Bryce's position can be found in his personal blog post, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Other Stuff that's None of Your Business.

Rachelle's Take

Rachelle has related the scenario to the issues of manipulation when it comes to how we present ourselves, both in real life and online. With limited information, we are more susceptible to  being manipulated into strong emotional responses. Here are some of her thoughts.



"By asking Whitney for the codes to the MDT (music dance theater) practice rooms, Bryce puts her in an awkward situation. He obviously knew where to find a student that had the codes, which meant that the MDT students make their presence in the RB known. This is similar to putting private information up on the Internet for all the see: there are people out there that know us just by what we post in the Internet. 

Whitney believed that it was her obligation to share the code information because she was asked in a friendly way, by a friendly person, and in an open environment she was comfortable in. The more time we spend on personal blogs and Facebook, we become comfortable sharing personal environment to possible predators. We most likely do it out of niceties and a feeling of personal responsibility. 

What Whitney may not understand is that Bryce did not present her with any information regarding his activities in the practice room. She allowed him to use a limited resource without knowing his intentions, or possible consequences. 

We are constantly being stimulated by emotionally charging articles, videos, and posts. This can result in impulsive actions and negative emotions that can inhibit our logical thought process. I reacted to Bryce's presence in my practice room in a kind way, but some people may not have. Other practice rooms were obviously available, but I made sure to kick him out of mine- the one resource I for sure knew I had. We often rely on these resources (Facebook pages, bias news websites that may not give full information, and YouTube clogging) that make us feel emotionally and personally protected, when instead there is a likely chance these resources can be hacked. 

Stay safe on these sites, and protect yourself from biased opinions by securing your resources, and not sharing private information. Like practice room codes."

A more detailed explanation of Rachelle's position can be found in her personal blog post, Security vs Privacy: Our Vulnerability is Just the Beginning.

Social Media Is Creating Real Friendships: A Case Study In Quidditch

Qudditch: Organized on Social Media played in real life

Introductions 

My name is Jackson Berg and I'm a beater for the Provo Nightfuries Quidditch team. No you are not dreaming I actually said Quidditch. Yeah like from Harry Potter. I love Quidditch because there is good in everything. This includes things such as social media Many people say social media is ruining relationships.  I believe social media and other digital tools aren't ruining interpersonal relationships; they're actually facilitating the creation of new interpersonal relationships and strengthening existing ones. 

The Other Lost Generation: Final

This is my trip to Butchart Gardens in British Columbia. It is a beautiful garden, but easy to get lost in.

We are constantly wandering through a digital wilderness that looks like this one. It is enticing, but very easy to get lost in. It is simple for one to wander aimlessly for hours through a beautiful garden such as this. It represents various forms of social media such as:

• Facebook

• Twitter

• Instagram

• Snapchat

We never really think about who created this digital wilderness. Who created the elaborate algorithms that we see in social media? Did they intend for us to find a purpose in this garden? 

The Battle for Social Network Offensive Supremacy

Everyone is getting offended. Let them!

New Media and Technology Saves Lives: The Art of Online Collaboration

Over the last few years, the argument that social media and technology is ruining people's lives and relationships has been ever present. You hear of people doing "social media fasts," and the older generation saying that young people do not know how to connect in the real world. Amanda states that, "We see people all around looking down at their phones, not bothering to look up and notice the people around them. You never know if there is a person you need to meet, or someone you need to smile at. Digital media hinders this." This is a provocative statement, but truth of the matter is that social media and technology SAVES LIVES.

The Social Media Identity Issue

Social media is like the friend you share a love/hate relationship with. I think it's fair to say it's one of the world's greatest tools for communicating with loved ones and reconnecting with people all over the world. Yet, even though social media may have risen from pure intentions, the world has found a way to abuse it's power and the security of one's identity is at risk. 

In connection with these thoughts, Jolene Hammond also shares a powerful point of view concerning identity security through social media (<<click here) ... How well do people through the internet know who you are? 

Analysis of Rhetoric in Politics

I was not able to physically attend one of the caucus meetings on Tuesday, but I was able to research the kind of communication and rhetoric that is affecting this year's politics. From what I know about politics, the candidate stands in front of a group of people, usually a large mass, who are either for or against their argument or stance. This rhetorical device helps the candidate present his/her views on a bias and non-bias scale.

Here are some other rhetorical devices or approaches that I have found through research:

• Markus Koppensteiner and two others in their article “Moving speeches: Dominance, trustworthiness and competence in body motion”, discuss how body movement or language gauge their dominance and trustworthiness levels. For example, according to their research, “Male speakers from the opposition were rated higher on dominance but lower on trustworthiness than speakers from other groups.”

• Politicians like to present positive views on what the public likes to hear, so that presents the rhetorical device of appealing to the audience. Melanie Mason in her article “A subdued Donald Trump sticks to standard pro-Israel positions in speech to lobbying group”, talks of Donald Trump “appeal[ing] to the pro-Israel crowd.” This helps politicians gain more favor and maybe even receive more votes.

• Social media and digital media are significant contributors to the political scene. Caucuses and political debates are always televised and/or put online on blogs, social networks, etc. This also affects citizens themselves. Yonghwan Kim said in his article “Social media and online political participation: The mediating role of exposure to cross-cutting and like-minded perspectives”, “Previous studies have demonstrates that news media use indirectly influences citizens' participatory behaviors via psychological variable such as political efficacy.” This is because social media has created false identities of people, so why not the politicians as well?

Looking more into the social/digital media aspect (because that is what I am researching for my project), it has affected all aspects of life, including politics. My argument is that social media is adversely affecting civilization through personal relationships since personal relationships are one of the things that hold society together; politics do as well, so when media starts to negatively affect politics, then civilization is in trouble.

Quidditch: Digital Collaboration is building real world relationships

I'm Jackson Berg, avid Quidditch player, and digital collaboration enthusiast.

The Other Lost Generation

We are constantly wandering through a digital wilderness that looks like this one. It is enticing, but very easy to get lost in. It is simple for one to wander aimlessly for hours through a beautiful garden such as this. It represents various forms of social media such as:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Snapchat
• Blogging 

This is my trip to Butchart Gardens in British Columbia. It is a beautiful garden, but easy to get lost in.

Mass Culture vs. Individual Identity

Me: "Hey Kaz! how was school?" 

Kaz: "It was LIT." 

Me: "Huh?" 

Kaz: "Like class was sick ... nah mean? YEEEET."

Me "..." 

Kaz: "yeet... yeet?" 

Me: "USE YOUR GROWN UP WORDS!" 

Kaz: "I am?! #getonthislevel" 

Me: "" 

A Case Study In Quidditch: Why social media and other digital tools are actually creating stronger interpersonal relationships

My name is Jackson Berg and I'm a beater for the Provo Nightfuries Quidditch team. No you are not dreaming I actually said Quidditch. Yeah like from Harry Potter.  I believe social media and other digital tools aren't ruining interpersonal relationships, they're actually facilitating the creation of new interpersonal relationships and strengthening existing ones. 

Sprezzatura today?

My name is Carli Stone.  After discussing Sprezzatura a great deal in our class, I started to wonder if there were very many instances where Sprezzatura was used in our day.  Often time we will see people update their social media accounts to fit a specific audience.  But then we see celebrities who are able to portray themselves very similarly across several different platforms.  Is this a form of Sprezzatura? Let's find out. 

Perception versus Reality

Hi, my name is Katelyn Dalton, and social definitions and online interactions matter to me because I'm a college student trying to learn how to market myself in a world where our digital footprint says more about who we are than we ourselves can. Here is my idea:

Mass Identity vs. Personal Identity: Are we Still Individuals?

"My name is Kotahi Tarawhiti, and I have a younger sister who adores social media ... But I often wonder how much of my 'sister' is still intact after using social media for so long. I believe that social media is turning individual and personal identities into more of a glob of people with similar 'likes' and 'followers'."