Blog #7 EOTO Social Credit Score

 Socialized Data 

The Social Credit Score or commonly referred to in Chinese (Mandarin Simplified) as 社会信用体系 and pinyin the is (shèhuì xìnyòng tîxì). 

(CLICK THIS LINK)

Pinyin is the Chinese pronunciation language which is similar to phonics in the english language. 

The Social Credit Score was founded in China in the early two-thousands. The leading cause for this system stemmed of the idea of having a financial credit score such as a FICO score. 

The Chinese believe there is more than just looking at someones spending habits they wanted to look at the why and see if the person they are giving money to is a good productive citizen of society. 

A 'good' citizen differs based on different cultures and cultural worldviews within a country but, 47% of the Chinese population believes in the concept of 风水(fēng shuǐ):one of the core ideas being yin and yang/yong. The idea of Yin and Yang/yong has strong ties to daoism and buddhism. 

The ideas of balance, prosperity, and honoring family legacy are very prevalent in Chinese culture. 

For example, there are ancient Chinese folktales like  小感动天 (The Feeling Moved Heaven);different festivals/ holidays such as 端午节duān wǔ jié /龙舟节 lóng zhōu jié (dragon boat festival),清明节qīng míng jié (tomb sweeping day/pure brightness festival)，and 寒食节 hán shì jié (cold food festival).

I can say the list of festivals and folktales are only the tip of the iceberg; after studying Chinese and Chinese culture for almost eight years.

                                                (Credit: Liana Conti at China Border)

So, when considering aspects of Chinese culture it makes sense why the idea of a social credit score came to fruition. 

The intention of a Social Credit Score is a sublime idea in the sense of gauging someone. The government is wanting to know if people are well rounded which is similar to the college admissions process in the United States. People in admissions gather quantitative and qualitative data which includes looking at test scores, grade point average, letters of recommendation, and an essay. 

For instance, you go into the bank and 2 people apply for the exact same loan-

The first person sits on there phone all day, does not work, jaywalks all the time, and never helps any elderly neighbors.

The second person works a full time job, volunteers in the community, helps elderly neighbors, and assists their parents who are struggling to accomplish household chores.

Between the two people I would rather give the loan (admit the second person to the college and give them extra financial aid). In this particular case they could easily pick up another job but, they are hardworking and help the community around them. 

Perhaps, if the first person did not get the loan it might be a nudge to stop being so selfish and help a neighbor in need or as an opportunity to meet some friends if they are lonely and depressed. 

The Social Credit Score also plays on the reward theory; citizens that do 'good' will be rewarded such as getting tax breaks and pay cheeper public transportation fares.

I find the benefits of having a high social credit score intriguing because five out of the seven ways to boost ones social credit score consist of doing acts that are long term and require a level of consistency.

 Based on China's current population being skewed towards having more males because of the one, two, and three child policies: I would think there would be more instant gratification tasks to boost their social credit score based on the mere psychology of the male brain.  

On the flip side there is there is the over justification effect which essentially makes someone loose motivation because it becomes tied to ones identity.

 The identification of having a bad social credit score could lead to isolation from friends and family. They may be restricted due to travel bans or may feel a burden to protect the people around them by not causing them further hardship.  

Conversely, family and friends may choose to disassociate from someone with a bad score because they do not want their score to go down, go through further security measures, and possibly risk their own lives/reputation.

Not only does ones Social Credit impact the mind but there are also ethical concerns as to the impact of how ones data is collected. 

These are some of the factors the Chinese government monitors(specifically in Xinjiang Providence) and affect one's social credit score.

I cannot imagine knowingly walking on eggshells where authorities are actively monitoring-

if I leave my house, being penalized for not socializing with neighbors after a long day at work, having travel bans put on me, walking through security checkpoints on a daily basis to get to work, or having to worry about any of my behaviors be considered 'suspicious' or out of the 'normal' (please take a look at this link it is eye-opening). 

I find the wording of 'suspicious' or 'normal' to be quite subjective based on the local authorities.  

 I think a social credit score may benefit some societies and some people but not all.

 I think people should have an option to enroll into having a social credit score but, there needs to be some parameters put into place as to what data explicitly will be collected , how will the government collect the data, and how will people enrolling into the program decide what data they want collected/ gathered on them? 

I also predict that the idea of perfectionism will creep in which will only make matters worse in the sense people will strive to do so well; unwilling to live with who they are and essentially become a society robots.

It would force people to grapple with the idea of what it means to be human? 

What is the meaning of life? 

And it makes me wonder can and will people wrestle with these questions in a healthy manner?

Or.... will it backfire?

 

 

Blog#6 The Progressive Era of Media

 The Progressive Era of Media 

Prior to today I have never heard of ANTIWAR.COM or The American Conservative. 

There are a plethora of factors such as journalists cutting corners due to time constraints, Americans being uninformed and not wanting going beyond the news to fact check or understand/listen to different perspectives....

The list can go on and on. 

I think it is because of polarization within the media specifically, the media gatekeepers. 

This includes the journalists, producers, executives, and algorithm's used on distribution platforms.

I as the viewer of mainstream media, have to remember most mainstream media is a for profit business.  

Meaning, businesses are required to pay their shareholders and money based off of viewership, especially off of advertisements .The shareholders are the ones who fund everything so, if they are not happy then there might not be any stories to be told due to funding being cut. This may include not being able to pay the shareholders. 

Part of the problem is news and all media is a numbers game. In order to make money enough customers have to buy into the story so the company can prove to the shareholders three things

#1.  The shareholders receive a return on their investment.

#2. Their is the lowest amount of risk on their investment. 

#3. They make a profit on their investment.

The only mainstream media company I know that is a a non-for-profit is PBS but, they are currently in financial uncertainty; would not be surprised if they close their doors in the near future. Similarly, non-profits must appeal to donors who are willing and able to make a contribution. 

Having to seek out an unpopular opinions such as antiwar voices is not surprising because, search engines like Google have companies bid or pay for the top seat on a Google search.

Followed with algorithm's that can influence what comes up first on a Google search based on previous search history and data that has collected on it's users.

The data collected on you is then used to create a persona (customer profile) and if your data matches up to a companies target audience then it is very likely it may be higher up on your feed. 

Blog #5 Privacy Online & Off

 

Privacy Online & Off

The issue of data collection effects us by following us wherever we go not just on the internet but where we physically go and if I can be tracked so can anyone I associate with which ultimately creates a domino web of data being spread globally. 

Now a days it is nearly impossible to hide anything wether it be our location which in one of the Ted talks specifically mentions government entities but, it's more than the government thats the issue it's also the businesses. But, since the Ted talk link was not linked in the blog I used facial recognition and AI to find the direct link. 

Just like Cathrine Crump once there is any trace of you online it is near impossible erase. And with AI becoming more powerful by the day it has only enhanced the issue. 

For example if I am in a group picture and it gets posted to social media then my face is out there for anyone to use. Some can even use AI to use facial recognition.

 I would be more concerned about companies like Apple and Google tracking this information in order sell it because they are for profit companies. 

Mind you this is coming from someone who has their Professional Google Analytics certificate and having someone in my immediate family working for Google. 

Perhaps, the only ways to help this issue is by requiring all data to be stored in the United States and cannot have data be transferred from abroad unless Federal Warrants are issued. 

Part of the issue with our data being sold off is based off of were our data is stored. For example if my data is being stored in China then my data falls under China's laws. The worst part is that users cannot see where there data is being stored and have no say as to which countries they don't want it stored. 

By doing anything else such as not allowing for profit and non profit companies to sell data would require some sort of censorship especially with privately owned companies which will not go over well considering companies such as Twitter (X) and Meta being accused of censorship 

Another solution would be to come up with a data ethics verification certificate which can be publicly displayed on a businesses primary platform such as an app or home website address serving as a differentiator to benefit businesses, customers, and consumers. 

 Some possible ways we can do our part to protect ourselves and our communities are as follows

1. Go completely off the grid which would include no technology, wearing a ski mask with sunglasses on in public with the only form of transportation being by bike, living alone in a uninhabited island somewhere in Alaska (similar to where the Alaskan Bush People live) or in the deep woods in Minnesota near International Falls or in the Upper Peninsula . However, this is very unlikely to be sustainable unless you bring your entire family with you and know wilderness survival skills but, it is still a possible solution for some people.

2. Be careful who you associate with because many people make judgements based on perception. 

3. Know the purpose of what you and others you associate with are posting online.

4. Utilize of First Amendment right to protest in Washington

5. Write to legislator/ representative to put a bill into place.

6. Ask for consent of others before posting on social media. 

7. Ask to not be shown in photos that will be publicly available.

 

Blog Post #4 ETO Com. Tech Timeline

 

Carrier Pigetons 

Carrier Pigeons also known as homer pigeons date all the way back to Ancient Egypt about 4,000 years ago and are referred to as the 'Swiss army knife' of ancient eras. 

Quite frankly, I find the Carrier Pigeons are the 'Swiss army knife' of history. 

Not only were Carrier Pigeons first used to deliver messages relating to the Nile River flooding they were also used in the ancient Greek olympic games. 

Athletes competing in the olympics brought pigeons, sending updates to their villages and countries to update their loved ones and communities. 

As an athlete if I won an event at the olympics the mere act of physically hand writing a letter to my village and parents saying I won and experiencing the pigeon taking flight would leave me in awe. 

I would find this victory to add a grounding pride and appreciation of representing where I lived. This would also be a memento for my family and village to keep for centuries to come, allowing an opportunity for everyone to gather and celebrate. 

Also many literary icons reference using carrier pigeons such as William Shakespeare metaphorically in  Part 1 (Act 1, Scene 4) and Edgar Allen Poe.

The Carrier Pigeons were the closest form to sending a modern day text message.  They were used to bring timely news in times of disaster by saving the lives of many people while, being used as a medium to relay some of the most exuberant moments in peoples lifetime. 

Carrier Pigeons were the most timely and reliable way of communication because they were faster than a man riding by horse. 

Society relied on pigeons so heavily that many remote islands such as New Zealand even had their own postage system called 'The Great Barrier Island Pigeon Post' that was entirely ran by Carrier Pigeons. 

Carrier Pigeons founded the idea of air mail.

They helped make the world and people become more connected regardless of distance. 

It did not matter if you lived in a rural secluded or even inhabited area because people can still communicate, interact, and most importantly connect. 

But, in the eighteenth century and through the end of World War 2 Carrier Pigeons were used on the front lines during a multitude of wars. 

For example in the Franco Prussian War Carrier Pigeons had cameras strapped to them so the opposing side could devise a tactical strategy and have actual arial images to develop into microfilm. 

I also found it interesting that the press used Carrier Pigeons to provide and serve as a medium to create propaganda surrounding the war. 

Essentially, leaving Carrier Pigeons to serve as the late eighteenth century version of drones. 

They served the media and the people on the tactical lines and front lines. 

World War 2 is still considered to be the deathliest military conflict to date with 75 million casualties but, imagine how many more casualties would have occurred if it were not for the Carrier Pigeons.  

Likewise, with any invention there are repercussions in how people decided to use Carrier Pigeons. 

I am personally a little torn because I find it unethical to put these poor pigeons through so much distress and cruelty from war but they saved many lives. 

However, there are other uses of Carrier Pigeons that I find to be absolutely horrid.

Following World War 2 there were unethical experimental procedures conducted on Carrier Pigeons such as putting electrodes on the animals as well as putting frosted lenses in the pigeons eyes in 1949 by the Germans. 

They were and are still used to smuggle substances such as narcotics and other drugs over international borders to this day. 

I think with any medium used to connect society there is going to be ethical gray areas but, it is up to the users morals to decide how they want to use the medium such as a Carrier Pigeon.  

Blog Post #3 Eight Values of Free Expression

 

        Eight Values of Free Expression 

July 4, 1776 marks the day the Colonists had a cup of tea to celebrate the break from across the sea: 

The Declaration of Independence being adopted and officially founding a nation called The United States of America. 

The Declaration of Independence serves as the why behind the nations existence and the promises it fulfills for the citizens; similarly going hand and hand with The Constitution that was adopted in 1789.

The Constitution, serves as the legal blueprint for the parameters needed in order to ensure the promises of The Declaration of Independence can be fulfilled.

Within The Constitution there are amendments, the first being freedom of speech. Speech is a form of expression and there are many forums one can speak through by expressing feelings and emotions.

Out of the eight values of free expression I find the Marketplace of Ideas to be the most applicable to today's age. Not only is this applicable for writers but for other creatives as well. Think about the variety of creative mediums there are such as music, films, graphic design, and writing. 

Part of how creatives make a living is based on how much exposure their work receives. The other portion is based on who you know or get to know.

Many creatives use a variety of social media platforms such as Instagram or LinkdIn to promote their work. 

I find myself wrestling to publish any of my work because of the contract I agree to in the terms of service. This can make the job search harder for recruiters, clients, and potential employees if creatives cannot make their work easily accessible.

This is partially because there is not a secure place to publish content.

Meaning as a creative I know I will not fully own what I produce because it 'may' be republished or parts of what I published can be taken without being compensated. 

For example, I have Beyoncé in a movie trailer I post on Instagram, someone can take the movie trailer and replace it with different words by throwing a script into AI and have Beyoncés audio play with words she did not say. This only seems to become an issue if defamation occurs, if it can be proven to true, and the impact defamation has had on the individual in front of the court. 

Link to video

  

But, at the same time if the measure of licensing/publishing is in place artists would have to inquire and there would likely incur some sort of fee to publish/license their content by having to go through another loop to share their work. Meaning there would be less creatives, fewer perspectives, and interpretations which would go against John Miltons Marketplace of Ideas theory.  

Not only would this restrict an idea of expressing one's opinion but, it would contradict the mere purpose of the Revolutionary War which was to break away from the tyranny of England.  

Without the Marketplace of Ideas it would against what Thomas Jefferson and the committee that helped write the Declaration of Independence. Specifically, highlighting the natural rights which are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of happiness. All of which the committee writing the Declaration of Independence found to be true. 

But, what is truth? 

 I found myself asking this question when producing a documentary on art therapy. And I can only imagine the Founding Fathers asking the same question when establishing a nation. What truths do we want to be true about our nation? 

I believe that truth is subjective. 

Truth is based on moral principal set by someone of high morals and we the people accept it as objective but our interpretation and relationship with truth is subjective.  

Similarly, to how the principals of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of happiness in the Declaration of Independence came to fruition.

I am not discrediting the founding fathers by any means but, they had an 'hi' to their story when conceptualizing the Declaration of Independence.

In fact these rights did not directly come from the Committee of Five , they were based off of a philosopher named John Locke and the Social Contract theory. Which highlights the ideals of life, liberty, and property.  

We the people living in the United States of America enter into a contract and it is up to us to uphold the contract we declare to be true even if some may mistake the truth as artists and citizens living in a digitized world.

Blog Post #2 History and Workings of the Supreme Court

 History and Workings of the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is highest court in the United States; constantly analyzing and interpreting history into the modern era of America. Consequently, making history with every question and decision they make based off of one document-

The Constitution. 

When reflecting part 1 and part 2 of the videos, I had a full circle moment. For context, I watched these exact videos in my Government class 4 years ago to the day. The Liana going into senior year of high school would say  I learned what certiorari means which is "to be informed". 

But, what I did not know is how to be informed?  I learned in order to be granted certiorari  four of the nine justices must vote yes. Also known as "The Rule of Four". But, in terms of the death penalty five of the nine justices have to vote yes in order to grant stay. 

This video allowed me to see the justices from a different point of view and am able to empathize understand their calling on a deeper level. Think about when re-reading or re-watching something you pick up on a detail you may have never noticed before which is exactly what the people of The United States do and pose upon the justices to evaluate on a daily basis.

They construct a theory based on the interpretation of The Constitution. Justices are constantly testing through discussion the theory based on an argument of Ethos, Logos, and Pathos. Overtime, a perspective or parts of an argument may change over time perhaps even in sixty minutes. 

The most important takeaway of the video is The Supreme Court essentially being the modern day hybridization The Symposium and The Agora. The courtroom floor is taken by the  modern philosophers through the form of a discussion that is available for the public to witness and call attention to but, is guided by appeal and the opening argument of a lawyer. 

These philosophers are there to improve the theories of the constitution by disputing or adding an argument through a discussion posed through questions in order to provide clarity to the laws put forth amongst the American people.

Following the discussion, the court makes their decision. One of the justices has to write a holistic explanation as to the outcome.The most surprising aspect I learned about is the amount of writing entailed specifically in opinion writing. 

Depending on the case some justices might be writing two documents at one time such as the opinion of the court which requires collaboration with the other justices in the majority and the dissent and their own opinion piece (if they so choose) separate from the opinion of the court. 

Which begs the question of how do justices determine who is writing the opinion of the court? 

Blog Post #1 Top 5 Sources of News and Information

 Top 5 Sources

 We live an era where knowledge is constantly at our fingertips. Our brains are overloaded with a plethora of information on a daily basis.

                                     

  The average human being makes an average of 35,000 decisions each day and of those 35,000 decisions 5 of my decisions are based upon what media I decide to absorb each day. 

 #1.  Google                         

 

Google is the source I use the most due to its accessibility. As someone who asks a multitude of rapid fire questions at one time being able to quickly pull out an electronic device on a moments notice and retrieve information quickly is highly convenient in a society constantly pressed for time. 

Google offers a streamlined method of gathering a wide range of information such as news and research through Google Scholar. The ultimate drawing factor to Google is not merely the ability to retain information but, the capabilities to create through the tools it offers such as Docs, Drive, Slides, Sites, and even Gemini. 

#2.   Conversations 

                  

 Conversing with others is another way I retrieve news. While a variety of topics can come up in day to day conversations, I can learn about a different perspective of a current event or even something new about someone's life.  Conversations not only help build lasting connections but also help with ones mental health. 

        #3. Text/Email

                                    

                                 

    

 Text/ Email is the third source I receive news. Text messages are often a way of sending and receive urgent news in an informal context such as updating a friend that you may be running late to dinner. On the contrary perhaps you are meeting with a client and do not have their phone number then I might let them know via email I may be running late. Additionally, many media and news outlets utilize email to update their subscribers in order to inform them of any recent updates. Therefore, it depends on who the sender is and the urgency of the news being delivered which determines wether text or email is the best outlet to communicate. 

            #4 The Daily Herald 

            

                    The Daily Herald is a newspaper. The Daily Herald is a local newspaper delivering news in the Chicago Suburbs. They primarily focus on local stories and events going on outside of the 'windy city'. Reading the physical version of the Daily Herald allows me to have a break from technology. I also seek the benefits of being able to focus better, increase my attention span, and improve comprehension. Reading a physical newspaper offers the benefits of making physical notes in the side margins which improves retention of the published content . 

           #5 Euro News

                                        

 Euro news is a European televised news outlet. I often find myself gravitating to this particular news    outlet due to the polarization of American media and they come in with a different perspective that most American media outlets fail to take into account.  Oftentimes discussing the different perspectives of  nations across the world.

 They pose hot topic questions and discuss both sides of possible solutions such as discussing what laws (if any) should be put into place regarding Artificial Intelligence. Since euro news is not streamed on national television in the United States; I have to watch the news on my phone at bizarre hours of the day due to the time difference or read the hi lights on my phone.