What's Disinformation?

Per the Merriam-Webster dictionary, disinformation is defined as being any false information deliberately and covertly spread (as by the planting of rumors) in order to influence public opinion or obscure the truth. This does not only have to be done by a government, although it has, but it can also be done by fake media outlets. Simply put, disinformation is, in its simplest form, "fake news". One of the worst things about this is once it is out there, it is incredibly hard to stop from spreading.

Dominik Stecula, a political science student at the University of British Columbia, conducted a study of his own to see how certain people react to disinformation and if they can spot "fake news" when it is presented to them. He surveyed about 700 undergraduate students from his university and showed them screenshots from certain news websites with headlines about the 2016 United States Presidential Election. With some fake news sites mixed in, the task was to prove which headlines and screenshots were real and which ones were fabricated. To say the least, the results he gathered were not what he was expecting. News sites that had no legitimacy were given that status by the students based upon the screenshots that they were seeing. As a result, the disinformation that they were reading about could have been spread rather quickly.  The sites looked legit and had a feel to them that was professional, but the material that was being written and read about was far from it. So, one of the many consequences of disinformation is that people do not know how to tell real news from fake news. This is what allows these fake media entities and websites to keep going and it will not stop until people dig a little deeper into what they are reading. As a matter of fact, 50% of all tweets from the 2016 Election had some fabrication to it. This is an incredibly high percentage, especially for such an important event.

Fake news can also impact our society as a whole. On the other side of the political spectrum, something that Americans are also oddly obsessed with is celebrities. We often times see on social media websites such as Twitter and Facebook that a celebrity has died, and one that comes to mind immediately is Morgan Freeman. He is an icon to many Americans simply due to his acting and the soothing sound of his voice. Of course, he has not passed away yet, but that does not stop people from trying to make a story out of nothing. People from all over the country unite to praise his life and send condolences to his family, only to find out that he is alive and well. This disinformation stems from a fake TMZ account that does not even have a check mark next to its Twitter handle, which is the symbol for being a verified account. Through retweets and likes, our society grieved at the loss of an American legend, who by the way is still living.

My Online Presence

Your online presence is something that has recently become an important part of most American's lives. This, of course, entails what you post, how you post, with whom you post, and why that post is there. These remarks are exactly what businesses will look at and ask themselves when they are considering you for an open job position. I'm 19 turning 20, so this issue is one that I will be facing in the coming months to years of my life. I did not go to the drastic measure of deleting all my social media profiles like this 14 year old girl did, but I did do some thinking about what my profiles and posts say about me.

Probably the most popular and frequently used social media platform amongst teens to early adults is Instagram. My account is private and I believe that it is pretty clean. All of the posts that I have do not show any illegal activity or deviant behavior that has the potential to not get me a job, unlike some other people that I know. All that is their are pictures with my friends, vacation spots, Patriots games that I have attended, and my dog. The same can be said about the pictures that I am tagged in. Most of them are just from friends and family where I am either visible or not visible in the picture, but I was there so I was tagged. The comments under my pictures are clean as well. It is quite easy to maintain this because if there is a comment that I don't like or is not appropriate, then I just delete it so that it is no longer there. So, my Instagram account is pretty clean and the same can be said for my Twitter. This account is private too so not everyone can see what I tweet or like. However, it would not be a bad thing if everyone did. I barely send out my own tweets. Instead, I use the site to keep up with world and sports related news from verified accounts that will get the information out as soon as it is made available. Then, I will retweet it to my timeline. Twitter can become a nasty place with some people who harass certain accounts which gives them no edge what so ever, but that is the reality. Harsh language and motions in videos are often used and spread around the entire website like a wildfire. Instead of retweeting this or liking these tweets even if I may find some amusing, I never do because I do not want certain individuals accounts linked to me that could be detrimental to my future.

My LinkedIn profile is new this year and, to be honest, I am not a big fan of it. Now, my account is clean because I only have my previous jobs, resume, and a couple of assignments on there for future employers to see, but this is something that I barely use. There are so many things that you can tell about a person when you are standing in front of them that you cannot behind a screen. So, you may have someone who seems like a perfect fit for your company on paper, but once you get them to sit down in an interview, you are left wondering why you brought this person in. So my account is fine; it is just rarely ever used.

The account that I worry about the most is Facebook, but it is not because of my posts or what I may be tagged in. I have recently gone through my account and deleted any posts that I did not like and they were all deleted because they were cringey. It was nothing bad, just some awkward posts from a 13 year old boy who is now just a distant memory. I am worried about what Facebook is doing with my information. I like to go on my account and enjoy what others have posted and shared, but the company takes my information and pretty much puts it up for whoever wants to see it or whoever wants to take it. Although all of the privacy settings are turned up to the highest that they can be, I still do not feel as though my account or information is as private is it could and should be.

The Pros and Cons of Using Snapchat

The world of technology is always growing and is not showing any signs of ever slowing down. It seems as though anywhere and everywhere you look Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, and other technology companies are releasing new innovative products that promise to make your life easier. Apps on our smartphones are starting to do the same and a perfect example of this is Snapchat. Through this relatively new app, you are able to communicate simply through pictures, videos, and instant messaging which allows for an easy to way to stay connected. Although some of these features may make it sound like the greatest thing in the world, it can sometimes seem far from it.

Communicating is the easiest that it has ever been and that is thanks to new apps like Snapchat. If you want to talk to someone, but do not have the time to go out somewhere to hang out or meet with them and you still want to see them, then Snapchat is the perfect platform for that. If you don't want to talk to anyone, but you still want people to know what you are doing, then you can put it on your story for all of your friends (and sometimes more) to see. While this may seem perfect and nothing will ever beat it, the reality is that it is far from it. David Murphy of LifeHacker wrote about some privacy issues that surround the app that can really turn some people off of it. First and foremost, your location will always be known to your friends. Snapchat has a map on its app which shows where you are AND what you are doing. I was out at a golf course playing 18 with my buddies, and when I went to look at the map, it showed my bitmoji golfing. This was concerning because I did not tell the app that is what I was doing, but it is becoming the new norm. So, now, your location is never private. Your account is also not as exclusive as it may seem. When you register your account you are asked to put you phone number into it. This may seem harmless considering that many social networking sites do the same, but with your phone number other people can add you without your username simply if they have you in their phone contacts. This can lead to having people you don't want to follow you now looking at your every move.

Snapchat relates to Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations, specifically the social networking portion. With the app continuing to become more popular with each and every day, it takes on greater importance because it allows people to communicate freely. If the app were to crash or be taken away from us, we would have to resort to another form of communicating which would make its users very upset. Ideas can also be spread through Snapchat stories. Companies can pay to advertise their products on the app which will lead to more consumers looking at their products and considering purchasing them. Overall, Snapchat is a great way to communicate, but like every other social network, it has some privacy issues that it must work out.

Which Value of Free Expression is The Most Important?

The rights of an American are unparalleled to the rights of citizens within most other countries in the world. Although, one thing that stands out and allows our nation to be as free as it is, is the First Amendment. This important aspect of American society allows citizens to criticize the government, practice any religion they deem fit, etc without prior restraint. Something else that stands out are the Eight Values of Free Expression. They are all important in their own unique ways, but after talking to Sasha, we came to the unanimous decision that the first one is unequivocally the most important. It is called the "Discovery of Truth", which is modeled after John Milton's marketplace of ideas.

This idea says that when good and bad, or truth and lies, are all on the table from two different sides, the good and the truth will ultimately win out. This allows for all ideas to be stated, whether they be good or bad, and people are free to argue over them based upon where their morals lie. For example, this article from Digital Trends talks about the new AirPods that Apple will be releasing to the public soon. However, the writer believes that the upgrades and advancements that have been made are simply not good enough. He thinks that after a three year period, there should be more done to these headphones than offering more than one color and making them sweat proof. This is a perfect example of how the First Value of Free Expression is used. He is starting a debate on wether the AirPods should be further advanced, or if the advancements already made are substantial enough to make consumers feel good about buying this product. Readers of the article are welcome to voice their opinions in the comments section of the article which allows for some give and take for both parties. No straight answer will come out of this, but, due to these American citizens being able to express their ideas without prior restraint, everyone who is involved will have their voice heard.

Sasha and I also talked about the idea that without the first value you cannot have the other seven. In other words, the First Value of Free Expression is the base for which the other seven were created on and rely on. A perfect example comes from the second one, which is Participation in Self-Government. When it comes to election time, citizens want to be well educated about the candidates that are up for office. One of the best and easiest ways to get to know them is through debates, maybe two or three. It is here that the candidates can argue against each others view points and make it clear how they will make the office that they are running for better than it currently is. Then, the citizens are going to go vote, having being more educated on the topic. This is just one example, but the same argument can be made for the rest of the Values of Free Expression.

Is There Still A Separation Of Church And State?

It seems that with every passing day America is changing in one way, shape, or form. Although one constant remains and that is the freedom to practice whatever religion your heart, body, and soul desires. This has been the case ever since the documents laying down the foundation of our nation were written in an attempt to stay away from the tyrannical rule of Great Britain. There is something going on within the Supreme Court and the 14th Amendment in terms of religion, but with the justices on the bench now, it is not all that surprising.

Per The New Yorker, the establishing clause of the 14th Amendment is fading out and the free exercise clause is coming in. Now, this does not mean that it will be written out, rather it means that they free exercise clause is starting to be used by the justices in more and more cases in order to set a precedent. They are beginning to rule that Catholic Schools can receive government funding just like public schools even though they are run by their local diocese. If public schools are able to receive funding for textbooks, transportation, and teachers salaries, then the religious schools should be no different. Judge Kavanaugh stated that if the government discriminates against religious schools solely because of their title, then that violates the free exercise clause. So, does this infringe upon the separation of Church and State? It seems like it may due to the fact that some religious institutions are now receiving government funding, but they are not interfering with an individuals right to pick what religion to practice. The similar cases that are to follow will give us more information because, for now, it is too early to tell. 

Facebook Wants To Shift To Private Networks Which Is The Definition Of Irony

Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, said in a blog post on Wednesday that Facebook will shift to a "privacy-focused communications platform...". The news came from an article that was posted by Samuel Axon which talked about the transformation from a public platform, which Facebook has now, to a private platform where not everything that you post will be out on the internet forever. I mean, come on now. The amount of privacy issues that Facebook has had in the past, one of which caused private information of thousands of Facebook profiles to be released, shows that they really did not care about the safety of the millions of people that have an account.

The key takeaway here is that the public platforms will still exist in which people can interact and network with one another, but the instant messaging feature that Facebook has will be on a private server. Why are they doing this now? Other companies such as GroupMe and WhatsApp are already on private servers, so they very well could just be looking at the direction in which communication is going and trying to get on board while making it seem that they are being innovative. The big question here is: will Facebook violate the privacy rights of millions by reading their messages on a "private" server? The answer will remain to be seen and the situation is definitely one worth monitoring.

Things To Know About The United States Supreme Court

The United States is one of the most coveted countries to live in throughout the entire world, but not many know what it takes to run it. Yes, the most powerful position you can have is President, but what happens at the Judicial level? The highest court in the land is the Supreme Court and it is the most powerful judicial body on planet earth. There are nine justices who are (usually) on the bench at the same time and, as a matter of fact, there have been just over 100 Supreme Court justice with each serving about 16 years.

Becoming a Supreme Court Justices is an incredible honor, but the road to even be nominated is an extremely long process. Although, if you are fortunate enough to become one, your work load will unimaginably grueling. One Supreme Court Justice who served said that you really start to do your work when you forget that you are there, which takes a few years. Due to the magnitude of the position that you hold and the building that you work in, it makes sense. Once you do begin to do your work, you won't stop. This is because that the Supreme Court receives more than 100 new cases each week. However, the one bright side to this is that they can pick and chose what cases they take. When it comes to these cases and the amount of time that lawyers are allowed to present their argument, they are only allowed 30 minutes. This is incredibly difficult, so in order to make a compelling argument, they need to have great opening and closing remarks.

The most consuming part of a Justices life is not being on the bench or partaking in meetings, but rather opinion writing in which they give their thoughts on current cases. One of the most remarkable things about the Supreme Court actually comes from the building itself. It is made of marble, which signifies the stability of the decisions that the court makes. So, the Supreme Court has come a long way from when it was the least credible part of our government.