Saturday, March 5, 2016

The Power of Opinion

My original idea was to investigate the power that large businesses have today compared to the power of the US government. In pondering how this argument could be intertwined with the theme of  the influence that communication has on civilization I began to research on the internet. A few weeks ago I read the letter that Apple released to their customers in regards to their struggle with the FBI. I have not continued to follow the news on this subject and decided to check back in on the debate. Performing an initial internet search returned countless new statements, videos, blog posts, tweets, etc. This got me thinking about the power of social networks.


Never have we seen a time in history when so many opinions can all be voiced and have the potential to be heard by the masses. Never in history have we been able to see so many people rally behind an issue so quickly. It is incredible if you stop to think about how many people are able to pick a side on an issue so quickly due to information being able to spread quickly and so far-reaching. Communication is truly changing the future of our civilization.

This example with Apple illustrates the power of the masses. In the 21st century one person can have an impact with a single idea. A person can gain a following very rapidly due to the means of communication available in our day. Followings have the potential to go viral. Followings are not limited to geographic areas. Communication in our day is a double edged sword. While the opinion of the masses can be good for society, it can also lead to terrible things. In the recent light of Apple vs the FBI we are seeing a push for the protection of personal information. A company is willing to defy a government's demands and the company is amassing vast support from fellow businesses and individuals. However what will happen to our society when a company is able to defy the government in ways that will harm citizens? Will we reach that point within the next few decades or will the government always have the power to protect individual citizens?

Social proofing my idea with friends and acquaintances has proved that many people agree that big businesses have large amounts power. Several people have disagreed about regulations regarding businesses imposed by the US government. There seems to be varied opinion on this topic and many people have strong views. However I have found that a general consensus exists and people agree that competing power between the government and companies is a real phenomenon.

7 comments:

  1. I understand your concerns about giant corporations defying the government (I feel the same way). I may be wrong, but I feel that the tone of the last few sentences put such companies in a bad light by presupposing that the government is always right. A lot of people actually think that Apple is doing the right thing by standing up for the long-term vision. I think this is an angle that you might want to consider.

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  2. I mentioned in my argument how the media is affecting society and civilization. I like how you added online information, and how people can make a decision on something based on what they read on the internet, even about something as crucial as government topics. And I also agree that companies are defying the government, and are in a way taking control because of revenue and other contributors. I think that could be something you could add to your argument.

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  3. This post introduces one of the big problems with specialization. You cannot have one entity that is better at everything than everyone else at everything. More specifically, the United States government will not understand every piece of new technology as well as the experts in the private sector. Exhibition A, the Department of Defense has introduced their very first "bug bounty." This is where they invite hackers to hack in to their systems, and then they reward the hackers by paying them for detailed information about the hack. Here's the official press release: http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/684106/statement-by-pentagon-press-secretary-peter-cook-on-dods-hack-the-pentagon-cybe. In addition, let's hear what John Mcafee has to say about the case: http://www.businessinsider.com/john-mcafee-ill-decrypt-san-bernardino-phone-for-free-2016-2. Finally, the FBI has made some mistakes that have made it obvious that they aren't as "tech savvy" as they proclaim to be: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/02/technology/apple-and-fbi-face-off-before-house-judiciary-committee.html?_r=0. What's my point in all of this? Just like Adrian commented, we shouldn't always assume that the Government is right. More importantly, the government shouldn't always assume that the government is right. When the experts in the private sector that something is a bad idea, the government should first listen, instead of assuming that those experts are innately defiant in nature. And when the majority of experts and corporations agree against the government (such as we are seeing in this case) they should be even more concerned.

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  4. This is generating some good discussion and is definitely something that meets the criteria of an important contemporary topic. Don't forget to follow best blogging practices (see the document linked from the top of the blog.)

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  5. I like your end statement that, "people agree that competing power between the government and companies is a real phenomenon." This gives your argument more legitamacy. overall it is a very kirotic argument. Many people in the United States are concerned with this idea. But there are also those who may thing that it is not happening or that it is simular to crazy conspiracy theory (personaly I agree that it is deffinitly real) but your statement rebutes this counter argument or at least gives your more ethos. I personaly think that your comunication spin on this concept is really well thought out and will be a good turn to take.

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  6. I really look forward to hearing the personal connection aspect come in to this idea - it seems very culturally relevant, I just haven't heard why it matters so much to you specifically yet!

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  7. I really look forward to hearing the personal connection aspect come in to this idea - it seems very culturally relevant, I just haven't heard why it matters so much to you specifically yet!

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