EOTO 2- False Flag Blog Post #10

Misinformation and Disinformation are a topic that we have been focusing on in my Media Law and Literacy class. 

We have learned about the importance of misinformation and disinformation and why they occur. Why is it important? What are the effects of the operation, and what do we need to watch out for? How might this affect society as a whole? 

As we have been put into groups for this overall topic, we have been split into smaller branches of topics to research and be able to teach the class about specifics on misinformation and disinformation. My group chose the topic of awareness. 

Within our group topic, you will learn about Propaganda, Disinformation, the Smith-Mundt Act, Total Information Awareness, False Flag, and Five Eyes.

I will be covering the false flag operation and explaining the effects.

To begin, what is a false flag? A false flag is a term used by conspiracy theorists to suggest that various world events and crises, such as terrorist attacks and mass shootings, were orchestrated by governments or sinister forces in furtherance of a political or social goal, such as gun control or sowing public fear. 

Historically, the term has been used to refer to a military or political operation carried out intending to blame an opponent for it, often as a pretext for going to war. 

To simplify it, it is a political or military action that is made to appear to have been carried out by a group that was not responsible. 

Let's rewind to nearly ninety years ago when Germany invaded Poland in 1939. Seven German soldiers pretending to be Polish, stormed the Gleiwitz radio tower on the German side of the border with Poland the days before Germany invaded.

They broadcasted a brief message in Polish, claiming that Poland was attacking Germany. To take this false flag to the extreme, the Germans even left behind bodies of concentration camp prisoners dressed as Polish soldiers, that were killed specifically for making this false flag more realistic. 

Hitler was then able to announce that Germany was attacking Poland because of self-defense. 

Gleiwitz Tower

After hearing about the German invasion of Poland, you may feel like a false flag is almost cheating, and I feel the same way!

A London woman buys a newspaper announcing Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland, on Sept 1, 1939.

Why would a country do this? What is a purpose? 

If someone commits a false flag operation, it makes the opposers feel as though they are doing nothing wrong. It justifies their military action.

Another reason for the use of a false flag would be to try and shift the blame from the perpetrators of the event. Another word for this is framing. One side frames the other which leads to a break of trust from external sources. 

The final reason for a false flag operation is strategically trying to take advantage. Disinformation is distracting in many ways, so this can distract the enemy and at that point, the opposers pounce. 

In 1964, the Gulf of Tonkin incident occurred. Between August 2, 1964, a US Navy reported being attacked by the Vietnamese torpedo boats in the Gulf of Tonkin, but little damage was done. 

This U.S. ship was involved in the Gulf of Tonkin incident.

August 4, 1964, the US was patrolling areas where the Vietnamese were trying to attack the north. The US intercepted communications that led the officials to believe that the Vietnamese were attacking again and fired at the Vietnamese boats.

As it turns out, the Vietnamese did not attack, and this was a false flag operation as an excuse to start the war with Vietnam. 

President Lyndon B. Johnson took the incident as a pretext for bombing North Vietnam, which escalated American involvement in the war. 

So, what are the effects of false flag operations, and how do they affect society? 

Within these two examples I have offered, you can understand that false flags provide a loss of trust in the government. How can you trust your leaders when they are deceitful? The questions that citizens across the world have, get heightened with the media, so if citizens face manipulation, how can they trust the leaders of their country? 

Along with mistrust and allowing citizens to gain their own theories, false flag operations can cause division within a country. This can create international instability which makes a country more vulnerable and unprepared for attacks.

Ideally, you want your country on the same page, and with false flag operations, you leave room for rebellions, riots, and conflict for citizens and even within your military if the operation is political.

The last example I will leave you with, which is a more modern example, is the incident involving Saddam Hussein in 2003. 

The United States invaded Iraq hoping to destroy their weapons of mass destruction and find Saddam Hussien.

"President George W. Bush announces that the U.S. forces have begun military operation into Iraq."

In January 2004, the Bush administration conceded its prewar arguments about the weapons that Saddam may have had and announced that the weaponry may have been a mistake. 

Many people died from this attack in both countries, so to understand that there may have been misleading signs and disinformation being passed around, but just claims requiring mass weapons shows that this was another false flag operation allowing the U.S. to attack Iraq first.

These examples of false flag operations are used to create confusion for the enemy. With justifying military actions, or trying to strategically get ahead, the repercussions are unforgivable. 

These false flag operations can change the future of the war, and most importantly, change the trust of the citizens in your county resulting in division and vulnerability. 

Age of AI Blog Post #5

After watching In the Age of AI Full Documentary, I have gained a greater perspective and now have a different opinion about what AI has done for our generation. 

Jerry Kaplan defines Artificial Intelligence as a form of automation and automation is a substitution of capital for labor.

Jerry Kaplan 

As I was listening to and watching this documentary, I was shocked as I learned about the tasks that AI can accomplish. From packaging machines to grocery store checkout scanners, to robots, or even personal assistants, AI has and will continue to change the way that we live as humans. 

The Robot Arm

Jobs within data analysis, finance, and Human Resources, are also used differently because of Artificial Intelligence. AI allows tasks to be done ten times quicker by automating processes, improvement of risk management, and advanced data analysis. 

Along with jobs, AI has boosted productivity across other areas of life such as Smart Homes, with AI-powered devices like the thermostat, controlling lights, and security systems. Another thing that AI has affected is transportation with finding faster routes and helping efficiency with gas.

I also learned about the power that AI has through the internet. We think that we are searching the internet, but we are wrong, the internet is searching us. 

Everywhere we go, is data being tracked. This is a benefit in which the technology and the world will adapt to you, but but the danger is that networks and companies do not have the same goals as you, so the impact of the adaption, could be negative. 

Harry Cripps tells us that he is scared for just more than our country but for the globe. "If we continue to go in an automated system, what are we going to do? 

Kai-Fu Lee says that AI is the ultimate tool of wealth creation. Think about the massive data that Facebook has and how it can target an ad so well that you may eventually buy something. 

Kai-Fu Lee

He continues by saying that AI is a set of tools that helps you maximize an objective function, and that objection will simply be, how can I make more money? 

AI allows the wealthy to get wealthier, and the poorer to get poorer. 

Lastly, Shoshana Zuboff talks about surveillance capitalism. She defines it as a private human experience claimed as a free source of raw materials fabricated into predictions of human behavior. 

So what does this have to do with AI?

AI systems are constantly collecting data and analyzing data. AI identifies our patterns, preferences, and behaviors. With this in mind, the exploitation of each individual's information causes surveillance capitalism to grow which allows data on us as individuals to be more precise. 

Shoshana Zuboff

Diffusions of Innovations Blog Post #8

The Diffusion of innovations is a theory that seeks to explain how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread. 

When I think about the diffusion of innovations theory, the innovation that comes to mind is the iPhone. The first iPhone was created on June 29th, 2007 by Apple Inc. 

Everett Rogers popularized this theory and proposes five main elements that influence the spread of this new idea: the innovations themselves, adopters, communication channels, time, and a social system. 

The innovation itself is the main key to the theory because you must have an innovation to begin the Diffusion theory. McKinsey & Company says that innovation is the systematic practice of developing and marketing breakthrough products and services for adoption by customers. This consists of any new idea, object, or practice, that is new. 

The next element of the theory is adopters. Coincidentally, in my marketing class, we learned about the adopter categories classification. These are groups that individuals are placed in based on their purchasing history, or how quickly they decide to adopt an innovation. 

Five Adopter Groups

1. Innovators: These are the risk takers and the first to adopt the innovation. These people will buy a product before knowing the benefits or repercussions of the innovation. In this group, members tend to be more well-off financially, and leaders of the economy. 

2. Early adopters: In this category, these people are still risk-takers but they put more time and thought into purchasing. This group has influence socially and the majority are financially well off. 

3. Early Majority: This group will adopt the innovation after seeing it successfully used. This is the group that companies need to reach because they are the majority of the population. If companies and innovator want their product out, they need to influence the majority. 

4. Late Majority: This is the below-average group and will buy a product later. This may be determined by a necessity or a pressure that they feel within the economy. 

5. Laggards: This is the last group to adopt the innovation. They may have traditions so therefore they do not believe in the product. If they do then adopt the product, that means that the innovation is inevitable and a must for daily life. 

Communication Channels are the next influence of the diffusion theory. This step is important to getting your innovation out for the world to see. This requires communication between social groups, social networks, and media. Another valuable impact on innovation is the spread of word-of-mouth.

Time is the next crucial piece of the diffusion theory. An innovation that can be useful to the time period you are living in, what is going on economically, and society, can affect how well your innovation is adopted. 

The last step in the diffusion theory is the social system. This is when groups, companies, cities, and cultures, influence others' decisions. For example, if you are selling a new sunscreen skin care product, specifically in September, people in Northern states may be less likely to adopt the innovation than in Southern states. 

Now that I have explained the diffusion theory, let's talk specifically about the iPhone. 

The iPhone is a widely adopted innovation for many reasons such as easier communication, compatibility, innovative features, easier internet reach, and social influence. 

Early adopters wanted to jump on the trend for the reasons above. It was something new and useful, and they were willing to take the risk. This would be expected from early adopters. 

Late-adopters, may have not had loyalty to Apple or even saw the use of having an iPhone. This group may have felt that they could accomplish everything needed without this innovation. 

Stepping away from a bigger perspective, I hear stories from my parents about their childhoods and what was like without iPhones. It seems that people were simply more present. 

iPhones now, are a necessity. It is also impossible to be successful without a phone. Texting, calling, receiving emails, safari, and for safety reasons, you need the iPhone.

The consequences of having an iPhone are the social platforms and networking that we as humans cannot get away from. The downside regarding AI, government tracking, social tattoos, and posting things that are on the internet forever are downside of having an iPhone that would not be an issue without the innovation. 

I do not believe that the positives outweigh the negatives, but I do understand the laggers of purchasing the iPhone and I deeply respect it. The iPhone is a helpful innovation, and it is a necessity, so I believe that managing the downsides of this technology must be through personal boundaries. 

Antiwar Voices! Blog Post #9

As an American Citizen between the ages 18-25, I now have the opportunity and duty to vote for a President for this 2024 Election.

Honestly, I have felt extremely overwhelmed by politics to the point where I have decided not to care as much. I did not pay attention before turning 18 years old, so by the time I turned 19, I was fairly unaware and out of the loop. 

This summer, my grandfather came to stay with my family, and he is a very far right-wing member. When he was staying with my family, he always had the news on and it was nearly a different channel every time he turned it on. 

During this summer, I asked questions, I became curious, and I also began to research on my own. 

I learned that the government and or specific political parties will gate-keep reliable and trustworthy information from reaching news channels, or any mainstream news sources. 

A specific topic that I will most likely never see on mainstream news sources is antiwar voices. 

After exploring ANTIWAR.COM and The American Conservative I have realized that many voices speak on antiwar, but the voices are not given a chance to be seen.

Antiwar is a sensitive topic for many reasons. TruthOut says, "Where war involves a style of conflict engagement that is rooted in domination, subjugation, and armament, being antiwar involves and style of conflict engagement that is rooted in cooperation, collaboration, and disarmament."

Weapons and security are a substantial part of our government financially and culturally. Millions and billions of dollars are waging military operations around the globe, but most Americans are not happy about it. 

Many Americans may fear that speaking out about antiwar will align them with a party that they may not be a part of. Many fear that antiwar is anti-patriotic. 

Another fear may be Americans who do not want to disrespect veterans.

In my opinion, I believe that antiwar activists and believers do not get the platform that citizens in favor of war get due to the threat of them possibly being correct in their thought process. 

I believe that the government could not handle the strong voices of antiwar on mainstream news sources because an AP Poll found that 66 percent of Americans do not believe that the longest war in history, the Afghanistan War, was worth fighting, if this poll was ever shared on mainstream news sources, it may influence others to change the way that they look at war. 

I believe that the antiwar topic is a threat to the government, and they will do whatever they can to prevent the media from giving those voices any kind of acknowledgment. 

EOTO 1- Reaction Post! Blog #7

 In class we presented information about specific technology and how it was created. Each group talked about the history of each technology and the timeline throughout it was created. 

One of the presentations that stood out to me was the history of the internet search.

The internet actually started in the 1960's as a way for government researchers to share information with each other. 

After the Cold War and computers being so immobile they were almost useless, the U.S. Defense Department were looking to find way that information could still be spread even after a nuclear attack. 

January 1, 1983 is considered the official birthday of the internet. A new communications protocol was established called Transfer Control Protocol/Interwork Protocol.

This system allows different kind of computers on different networks to "talk" to each other. 

The First Search Engine was "Archie", created in 1990 by Alan Emtage, a brilliant student at McGill University in Montreal. 

The reason the name became "Archie", was because it was short for "archives". 

In June of 1993, Matthew Gray invented the World Wide Web Wanderer. By doing this, he wanted to measures the growth of the web. He also created the first WWWW bot to count active web servers. 

In 1994, David Film and Jerry Yang created Yahoo! Search, which was the first collection of web pages across the internet including man-made descriptions for the URLs. 

Fast forward to 1998...

Google Launches!

Google, founded by Sergey Brin and Larry Page, is an American search engine company and that changed the world! 

In conclusion, to get to Google and the search engines that we use today, we had to start somewhere. Without Alan Emtage and "Archie", we would not have the information that we have today.

This invention has changed how fast we receive information, how quick we receive messages, and how aware we are with situations going on in our world. 

Along with receiving information, the first internet search has changed businesses through marketing, social behavior because of trends, and it gives us the ability to grow our education. 

Reaction to Ted Talks/Privacy! Blog Post #4

After watching the Ted Talks, I am scared! I feel uneasy, and I honestly feel a little unsafe. 

Beginning with the first Ted Talk, the speaker Juan Enriquez says "Lets take four subjects that obviously go together, big data, tattoos, immortality, and the Greeks." 

Initially I was confused, like anyone would be, but after listening and understanding the connection between the four points, I have gained a different perspective on privacy. 

Juan Enriquez

What happens if these platform turn out to be electronic tattoos?

What if all of us are close to immortality? Electronic tattoos will live much longer than our bodies will and we have to be fully aware of that fact. 

Juan uses the Greek Gods in place of words that we use and think about as humans daily. He uses Sisyphus for reputation, Atalanta for remembering the purpose, and Narcissus to not fall in love with your own reflection.

Jorge Luis Borges says "How else can one threaten, other than with death?"

Well the response is, we can now be threatened with immortality. 

The second Ted Talk Video was presented to our class by Catherine Crump. This Ted Talk gives us information about surveillance equipment and how easy the government can see exactly what we are doing when we are doing it. 

The government has the power to gain a detailed description of everything about you. 

Revealed Data Base From the Government

The techniques that the law enforcement has been using are unlimited and will be used at some point. We have no privacy due to location information, surveillance equipment, and automatic license plate readers that capture images of every passing car. 

The third Ted Talk was given by Christopher Soghoian. He talks about how computing has changed everything!

"The telephone companies have built surveillance features into the very core of their networks."

When we are having simple calls between our significant others, parents, children, or even doctors, someone could be listening such as any government across the world, or anyone that breaks into the surveillance system. It is that easy. 

The governments want full access to everything and when tech companies change settings by default, that is what makes them mad. 

Criminals, terrorists, drug dealers or bad people, it does not matter, we all use the same technology. If their messages and phone calls can be intercepted, ours can too. 

In conclusion, we have less and less privacy with more technology advancing. The government has power that we as citizens need to be aware of. 

Our privacy is limited and we need to be careful about what we post for the internet to see because once it has been posted to the internet, it will be there forever, even if you delete it off of YOUR page.

EOTO 1- The First Television Blog Post #6

In September of 1927, Philo Taylor Farnsworth developed an object that would change the world. He created the first Television.  

 

This is an invention, that people may not know who created off the top of their head.
When you think of Thomas Edison, you may think of the light bulb. When you think of Steve Jobs, you know that he created Apple. But when you think of the first television, most people do not know who created it. 

 

Philo Farnsworth was born on August 19th 1906, in a log cabin built by his grandfather. 

Farnsworth's Childhood Home in Indian Springs, Utah

Farnsworth grew up on a farm and at the age of 14, he had his first idea about the creation of the Television. "His "big idea" was that if he could train electrons to scan a picture from side-to-side, the way his horses moved across the field, he could send images to distant locations where they could be reconstructed line-by line. " 

 If there were any issues on the farm that needed a repairman, Farnsworth would swarm the repair man with questions due to his curiosity. 

While working on the farm, Philo had his first idea of the television, and the impact that this creation would acquire. 

Farnsworth attended Rigby High School and discussed his ideas of the electrical television system with his physics and chemistry teachers. Down below is the sketch that Farnsworth drew for his teachers. 

Philo T. Farnsworth's Sketch for Teacher Justin Tolman

Philo was a talented scientist and inventor from a very young age. "He turned his family's home appliances to electrical power during his high school years and won a national contest with his invention of the tamper-proof lock."

Farnsworth went to Birmingham Young University in 1922 but was forced to drop out due to his father becoming sick. He continued to invent a created while taking care of his father. 

He then met a woman named Elma who went by "Pem", they got married and ended up moving to San Francisco together. 

While in San Francisco, Farnsworth hand picked a team of scientist and inventors to help him make his television system come to life. 

Farnsworth's 202 Green Street Lab in San Fransisco

Throughout his time in San Francisco, Pem became his right hand. Philo trained her to do technical drawings, how to take lab notes, and even how to help with experiments.

Pem ended up becoming the first woman televised. 

The First Working Camera Tube (1927)

First Electronic TV Camera (1927)

On September 3, 1928, Farnsworth showed his innovation to the press. 

In 1929, he improved his design by eliminating the motorized power generator. This was a huge step for the electronic television system because the TV now had no mechanical parts. 

Shortly after the showing, he received an offer from RCA, (Radio Cooperation of America). Farnsworth denied the offer. Radio Cooperation of America wanted to purchase the rights to his device, but Farnsworth did not want to give that up. 

RCA ended up hiring and working with Russian scientist, Vladimir Zworykin . Vladimir reached out to Farnsworth claiming that he wanted to be an investor for Farnworth's inventions. 

Farnsworth took him through his lab in San Francisco and showed him everything that his team had been working on, including all his secrets. 

Vladimir took this information back to RCA and claimed he had the rights to the first electrical television system. 

This situation was taken to court. Throughout the late 20's and 30's, during the Roaring 20's, Farnsworth delt with legal charges saying that his inventions were in violation of patent filed prior to his by the inventor Vladimir Zworykin. 

While in court, RCA had no proof, no evidence, and no sketches. Farnsworth had all of them. Farnsworth ended up pulling his sketches from high school, which proved that he came up with the idea first. 

After years and years of Farnsworth not getting the recognition he deserved, NASA selected Philo Farnsworth's original image dissector as the television camera to use on the moon.

 

THE FIRST MAN ON THE MOON  

"On July 20,1969, as Neil Armstrong took his historic first step on the Moon, Philo Farnsworth told his family, “OK, turn the damned set on”.  He watched as the world marveled at the live television pictures from the moon. But Philo wasn't just an observer. Month earlier, when NASA was selecting the perfect television camera system to use on the Moon, they chose Philo's original image dissector. It had no moving parts and the electromagnets created their own gravity. His satellite cameras had already withstood the rigors of space travel. So Philo Farnsworth’s story had came full circle. His camera being the first to televise the Moon in 1935, and the first to televise from the Moon over three decades later. When his wife, Pem, asked him how it made him feel, he said,  “This makes it all worthwhile. Before, I wasn't too sure."

Farnsworth's invention of the television has changed our world. The invention the television has allowed us to have the TV industry.

The TV impacted actors and athletes in a negative way due to less attendance for shows, movies, plays, and even sporting events. Why would you pay to attend an event when you could watch it live at home. 

On the positive side, television has transformed how information has been given. It has given us live footage, faster news delivery, a greater audience reach, and has given people the ability to have more political participation.  

The creation of the television changed our knowledge and perspective of the world. 

 

Biography of Farnsoworth's life

American Inventor

Inventor of Television

The History 

First Television Set (1929)

The next year, Farnsworth presented his innovation to the press. He then revealed his all-electronic prototype. What was funny was that this was the same device that he sketched to his professors in high school. 

Links

Individual Speech Theory! Blog Post #3!

What is a theory? 

What is a speech theory?

How can a speech theory help explain a situation that is going on in the real world?

I am here to tell you! 

What is a Theory? 

The American Museum of Natural History defines theory as a well-substantiated explanation of an aspect of the natural world that can incorporate laws, hypotheses, and facts. The theory of gravitation, for instance, explains why apples fall from trees and astronauts float in space. Similarly, the theory of evolution explains why so many plants and animals—some very similar and some very different—exist on Earth now and in the past, as revealed by the fossil record.

So what does this definition have to do with a speech theory? 

The video above takes more of a scientific perspective when it comes to explaining theories, but even with the analogies that are mentioned, it can help us as humans to gain different perspectives and apply them to our daily lives.

In my Media Law and Literacy class we have learned about the Eight Values of Free Expression.  These are called speech theories which are used to understand the protection of speech under the First Amendment. 

A specific Value of Expression that resonates with me is Individual Self-Fulfillment. "Free speech enables individuals to express themselves and thereby create their own identity." 

According to Princeton University, self-fulfillment consists in carrying to fruition one's deepest desires or one's worthiest capacities. It is a bringing of oneself to flourishing conception, and unfolding of what is strongest or best in oneself, so that it represents the successful culmination of one's aspirations or potentialities. 

This Individual Self-Fulfillment theory allows us to have free expression and free personal growth. Our thoughts change, our opinions change, and our emotions change. 

We are human.

I feel that the Individual Self-Fulfillment theory and value is the most important expression because I am going through it right now. I am a nineteen-year-old college student, and not only have I drastically changed since high school, but I have drastically changed since freshman year.

In the last five years, I have started to pay attention to politics and the news around the world. I have seen things firsthand, on social media, and by word of mouth. 

In the last five years, I have also seen movements across the country that have had a direct impact on people.

For example; The Black Lives Matter movement which advocates for racism, police brutality, and injustice. The #MeToo Movement that advocates against sexual violence. Also including Pro-Democracy Movement, Women's Rights and Gender Equally Movement, LGBTQ+ Rights Movement, and Mental Health Awareness Movement.  

Black Lives Matter Movement

#MeToo

With diversity across the world, whether it is expressed on social media platforms, rallies, or in a speech, diversity gives others a different perspective. The viewpoint may be controversial, but if we did not have controversy in this world, there would be no such thing as an opinion or even a theory! 

It is more than just an opinion; it is people showing their identity and asserting their rights. Individual Self-Fulfillment is about defining yourself how you chose when you chose. 

"Freedom of speech thus becomes an aspect of human dignity, human agency and autonomy. "

This quote helps put into context that free expression, free speech, and freedom are all fundamental to personal growth. We cannot grow as humans if we are not making mistakes and then being corrected. 

I see Individual Self-Fulfilment more in my life now than I ever have. I see it with my roommates my teammates, and I see it with in myself. 

As a sophomore in college living in the world at this time, I can say that I am grateful for this right and value. If did not get the chance to reinvent myself from middle school to now, or even if I felt the pressure to have my life figured out for my forty-five-year-old self, then I would be the unhappiest version of me. 

So how can a speech theory help explain something going on in the real world? 

Social media is a platform that is used by anyone and everyone to explain themselves and show who they are if they chose. It gives people opportunities to state their opinion and show their viewpoint on situations around the world. 

Should the First Amendment Apply to Social Media? Yes

Individual speech theory used on social media can offer different perspectives for national movements across the world, or even a simple controversy or debate between a community.

By hearing and having an open mind, one can appreciate and fully understand what has happened through social media. 

As a Generation Z member, I know more about politics through social media than I have ever learned by watching the news. Even though I may have used sources and statements that could be controversial, having the ability to listen all sides and then form my own opinion, only benefits my knowledge in the long run. 

Individual Self-Fulfillment theory has allowed others to give me a new viewpoint on their freedom of speech on social media. This viewpoint has enlightened me on situations around the world and has made me more aware.