EOTO 2 Reacts Blog Post #11

 Chilling Effect

The first topic that caught my attention was the chilling effect. I had never heard of this concept before but it is when individuals or groups refrain from engaging in protected activities or speech out of a fear of social and legal repercussions. This concept is actually very negative because this effect reflects a weakening of democracy and a suppression of free speech. It is honestly sad that individuals are scared to voice their opinions because of a fear they have of other individuals and groups’ opinions on their opinion. 

Mainstream and Alternative Media

The two forms of media are completely different as mainstream media is the media that we receive and see on our phones through social media and on television through news channels. Mainstream media has a huge impact on public opinion, ideas, perspectives and beliefs as it can greatly influence individuals or groups to think, act, and feel a certain way about a particular subject. That is the purpose and goal of mainstream media is for these huge news channel avenues do a thing called agenda setting which is a concept where the media tells us what to think about a certain topic without us even really realizing it. Alternative media on the other hand is non-traditional sources of news and information that challenges the narrative presented by mainstream media. Alternative media is individuals or groups voicing their opinions on topics through social media platforms such as Instagram and X which challenge the thinking and belief behind ideas that the mainstream media puts out. This form of media usually picks at all of the errors of mainstream media and tries to correct those errors even though alternative media does have a lot of bias and discrimination involved within. Alternative media also poses a threat of potential spreadings of misinformation, influences negative behaviors, and can cause defamation. Both forms of media are nowhere near perfect at all and are completely different, however, both are crucial in how society thinks, acts, and feels. 

Human Capital Theory

This was another cool concept that I had never heard of and was unaware about prior to the presentations. The Human Capital Theory is the theory that the more you invest in yourself, the bigger reward you get. This theory tells us to invest in our futures because doing so will lead to a life filled with productivity. The theory gives us a lot of motivation, and a deeper and more advanced understanding of better ourselves. This theory also assumes that investing in your education is necessary to acquire skills and training which, in turn, will increase individual capital. 

Facial Recognition Software

The last concept I wanted to discuss was the presentation slide on facial recognition software because of the ever so evolving society we live in and how engraved facial recognition software is in our society. Facial recognition software was ineffective when these systems were first tested and tried but success grew with better cameras, faster processing, and learning machines. Facial recognition software is used all around us as it is used in devices, law enforcement, airports, retail stores, banking, etc. This presents many concerns such as potential errors, and issues such as surveillance issues and privacy concerns such as breaches. While there are many positives such as it reducing crime and increasing security, the negatives completely outweigh the positives.