Privacy, Online and Off

 Privacy, Online and Off

Every link we click, every time we search on google, use our phone,

or go through with a purchase, we are simultaneously being tracked by

the government. Even though this has always been one of my bigger

concerns and it affects my life, it also has my concern with my family

and how they are getting tracked as well. With the intent of posting on

social media, like Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, Facebook, and other apps,

we sometimes forget about how well our phones pick up what we are doing,

and we post without care. With all of these examples of invasion of privacy,

the one message about privacy that hit me the most was the woman's ex and how he was posting her pictures on a

page with her name on it without her knowing. This was my biggest issue

when I heard about it. 

As well as the government having access to all your information, it

is still just as dangerous. Sometimes, knowing that the government has

your information is a comforting idea because if you lose any of your

information, get into violence trouble, or in need of help, the phone has

all your information when you need the help. On the other hand, the

unknown about the privacy leakage and being exposed is a terrifying

thing to experience because it is exposing you to everything. I feel the

government takes this privacy information on a low level as well as not

having empathy for people's concerns about the internet violations of

privacy. Even though the government has difficulty accepting the

opinions of others, this fact of the matter makes people rage and worry

about privacy within the media and internet. 

To protect ourselves from the invasion of privacy regarding the government,

I think we can do a better job posting where we are, who we are with, as

well as our personal information that can most likely be leaked. The

government tracks our information from our phone calls to our socials.

To help a little bit of this problem, we can protect ourselves from turning

off our locations, change our passcodes to our socials every once in a while,

check app permissions, and avoid over posting. These are big areas of

privacy that tend to get exposed, or leaked, which then leads to more

privacy leakage, which causes anxiety among ourselves

and loved ones.

Two Values of Free Expression

Within the First Amendment, we have eight values of free expression in the United States of America. These include Marketplace of Ideas, Participation in Self-Government, Stable Change, Individual Self-Fulfillment, Check on Governmental Power, Promote Tolerance, Promote Innovation, and Protect Dissent. All these values are extremely important for free speech and getting your thoughts out to the public. While reading these in my class, two major values stood out to me, and these were Promote Tolerance and Stable Change. Stable Change is the idea of people feeling safe and stable. Promoting Tolerance is the idea of making opinions feel more open to free speech and tolerating others. 

#1: Promote Tolerance.

Promoting Tolerance gives us the opportunity to have insight of what other people have to say. This way, we can learn other peoples beliefs and opinions so we can recognize what areas we need to work on to encourage acceptance among our community. Also, from listening to other people and what they think of laws or other factors of our government, we can invite our own opinion in and understand why we are saying what we are saying. Allowing our brains to listen to people, opens up acceptance within our community, which invites more tolerance. 

I highly encourage this free speech because even though you don't agree with another person's opinion, doesn't mean you have to hate them. With the First Amendment being free speech and letting others have the right to say what is on their mind, you need to accept the opinions of other people and indulge in what they have to say. This is so important because with having the talent of tolerance, the rate of riots would decrease dramatically and the sides of our government wouldn't be as discouraging of each other as we are right now. 

Promoting Tolerance in the world we are living in is crucial because we are super one sided and we are only accepting of our own opinions and beliefs. Having a tolerance is so important as this world is getting more controversial. We don't need to agree with the person we are talking to, but we can accept what they think and still be civil with them. This goes especially with the people we are closest to as it can ruin relationships if we don't feel comfortable talking with our loved ones. With this, I strongly agree with this value, as I put it to my own life and it's such an important factor. 

#2: Stable change.

When the government silences people, it makes everyone very angry. This is because, with the First Amendment, people have the right to their own opinions and speech. When this is violated by the government, it turns the opinions of people around and lowers trust. When the trust lowers, it creates tension within the community, and this is how riots start and hate speeches begin. I strongly agree with Stable Change as it promotes people to say their opinions and doesn't violate trust. In fact, if the government and authorities listen to what the people have to say, it increases the chances of a better government and more stable world, in for which we live in. 

People want to feel safe. That is why we live in America because we have the right to free speech. In a place where we want to feel safe, we vent, because it is a sense of security. We vent to family, friends and trusted ones in our life. We also vent because it is a way of not acting out, in other words, decreasing violence. Stable Change is so important in this democracy because it enables us to feel seen and feel like we are being listened to. There's a sense of frustration when we feel we are not being heard, and that is why this value is so important. 

Letting people rent and feel comfortable in the place they are in is important for people to feel accepted in the community. People want to live in comfort, not chaos. The more the chaos, the more violence there will be. It is the leader's role in the government to promote the safe space people want. 

Top 5 Sources of News

 My Top Five Sources of News & Information - Blog Post #1

#1 - Google

My go-to news source is Google, as it provides me with all the world news I need. When I have a question about something I am reading online, my go-to site to check my understanding is Google. It is the most important search engine and provides you with on-the-go information. It is a highly recommended news site from all over the world, and it is also the simplest. When searching for an answer you have, it also has an AI option that gives you the answer you are looking for on the spot. 

#2 - My Dad

For my second news source, I like to go to my dad because he is always up-to-date on news from around the world, especially about the presidency, and he doesn't give me incorrect information. Any information I see on my apps or any website I use, if I'm not sure about it, I ask my dad about it, as his job is to be up to date with this stuff. He also explains everything I ask about in depth, so I have a better understanding of what I'm reading, rather than accidentally taking in the wrong information from one-sided news sites. 

#3 - TikTok/Instagram

Even though TikTok and Instagram aren't often used as news sources, I follow news accounts on these apps, such as ABC News, AP News, and Courier Newsroom, and use the information I get to look it up and confirm the news on Google. I get my news most easily from these two apps because when I am scrolling, I land on news from somewhere in the world, which stops me in my tracks and helps me stay attentive. I listen to what it is showing me. This is also beneficial for me because I sometimes forget to look directly at news articles, so it provides me with the news instantly. I recommend TikTok/Instagram because you can get distracted by a news post, and that's how these sites get your attention fast. 

#4 - Barstool Sports

Barstool Sports' news source is a news channel with personality. It posts a variety of content, such as sports, pop news, trends, and humor. It has become relatively popular over the last two years and continues to grow with new content. With its popular social media presence and
college videos, Barstool is popular among college students. This news source is recommended by me if you want to brighten your day by seeing what other college campuses are doing, or if you are seeking videos from creators and new trends. 

#5 - APNews

Lastly, with the final news source that I go to, I chose AP News, as this site provides me with all the world news I need to know.  I used this news source in my copyediting class because we took weekly news quizzes to test our knowledge of what we read. This gave me the opportunity to understand how AP News' website works and to navigate it. It also releases new information every 5-10 minutes, which helps people understand what is going on in the world.