Blog 9 - Privacy

I have accounts on several social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Linkedin, and more. I use an iPhone that has my fingerprint as a login method. Prior to this school year I never thought twice about the information I put on the platforms regarding the information that could be gathered. 

In the past year, I have noticed more where after searching for products on a website or talking to a friend about a product, I would later see what I was looking at being advertised on social media. A strange example is that I was once talking to a friend about something regarding being TSA pre-checked at the airport. Later in the day I was scrolling on Twitter and there was an advertisement about TSA Pre-checking. This was so strange to me because I never searched it, and that is not something that would typically be advertised to me. 

From that point on, I am convinced phones and other electronic devices are listening. This article backed up my belief and provided some tips on what to do about it. These devices likely know more about me than my parents or best friends. While this may totally freak out some people, I just go on about living my life. Most of the data they collect is in order to target me more directly with products, services, or events I might be interested in. I honestly do not mind this because I get exposed to brands and products I otherwise might not have seen. 

The information that is gained that can be concerning includes location or bank account information. I try to be careful in these areas because I don't want someone to use my account and I'd rather live without getting kidnapped or stalked. 

I should be smarter about how I search and do things online. Today in class, I learned several ways to protect some of my privacy. For example, I could use a search engine like Duck Duck Go instead of Safari or Google Chrome because that engine does not use cookies or hold my information. I read more about this search engine on the about page. I also learned it is important to close out of browsers so that next time I go online, I am starting fresh. Additionally, I can start using a VPN to encrypt messages and data so that they do not get stored anywhere, rather only the person I send the message to is receiving it. 

There's truly no telling all of the information that the government has on me from these third party platforms, and honestly I am okay living in the unknown. I just hope it is not used against me at some point. The technology world is constantly changing and becoming more advanced day by day. It is important to be smart online with the information being shared, and I pledge to improve my privacy settings from this point forward.  

Blog Post 8 - Texting

The idea of texting, also known as short message service (SMS), first began in 1984 by Friedhelm Hillebrand and Bernard Ghillebaert. This website shared that the first message was sent in 1992, but at this time cell phones did not have keyboards, so the message was sent on a PC. 

Nokia was the first company to support sending text messages in 1997 with a full keyboard on the cell phone. This product was called the Nokia 9000i Communicator. Pioneers would be the people who first tried texting. The average American sent .4 texts each month in the year 1995. These Americans would be in the pioneer group. 

In 2000, the average number of texts increased to 35 a month for each user. The people that adopted the innovation at this time would be considered the early adopters because they saw how useful texting could be from the pioneers, so they started using it as well. 

The pioneers and early adopters see the benefits of texting and learn as time goes with different types of keyboards such as the slide phone keyboard, touch screen keyboard, and 9 touch keyboard. These groups also see the benefit of sending a quick message that the receiver can read and respond to easily without having to take the time for a phone call. SMS allows users to respond on their own time, or not respond at all whereas phone calls require both people to be available and at a place they can speak to one another. 

Other benefits as time goes on is that images and videos can be sent through a text message. This allows users to send more types of messages and benefit users. 

The early majority in this example would be the people who watched texting increase in popularity then decided to adopt the innovation because they saw the need to have the skill. The late majority would be the people who adopt the idea of texting way later. They might have begun texting in 2007 with new cell phone inventions and innovations like the smartphone that has touch screen keyboards. 

The laggards of the texting innovation are likely elderly people who did not grow up with the innovation and would have to learn from scratch. A few of the laggards may adopt, but it is likely after years of refraining. I picture the people in this group as grandparents who hold the cell phone close to their face and type using one finger. 

The late majority and laggards may have taken longer to adopt or not have adopted texting at all because they focus on the negative aspects of the innovation. One negative aspect is it takes away the tone of voice from the message. The sender may have one way of saying the message while the receiver may read the message is a differing tone that creates a different message than intended. These groups may also think that texting takes away from communication skills. Many texts include abbreviations or do not include proper punctuation. Late majority and laggards, who are typically in the elderly ages, prefer proper punctuation and in-person communication because that is what they grew up with. 

They may decide to never adopt because they do not want these negative benefits and other personal reasons. For them, the benefits may not outweigh the cons or negative aspects. These groups may really value actually speaking to a person or are set in their ways and not willing to learn anything new. The benefits of resisting the adoption of texting are that they get more human connection and potentially have less confusion of tone. They also get an instant answer rather than waiting for when the receiver sees the message and takes the time to respond. 

I think that the pros of texting outweigh the cons because you can always call or ask for clarification when needed. In situations where you don't need an instant answer, texting is often more convenient. Texting also provides written proof of a conversation if you need to provide answers for other people. The written proof also can serve as a memory. For example, if someone texted their address then you could go back when you are headed to their home. 

Texting also provides time to think of a response when it’s a tough statement or question whereas in person or on the phone one must respond immediately. The innovation also allows me to easily keep in touch with people who are especially busy. I still feel close to them, but do not have to find a time in their schedule to make a phone call or get together all the time. 

Texting has both positives and negatives and people have adopted the innovation over time to fit into the categories in the Diffusion of Innovations theory. 

When new technologies come out, I usually find myself in the early adopters or early majority groups because I like to see what it is about before adopting. I see how if the innovation is worth my time or funds and then assess if the innovation is for me. Check out this list of pros and cons to decide for yourself what category you are in!

Blog Post 7 - The Typewriter

When I was in elementary school, my grandma worked in an office and every now and then my mom would drop me and my brother to hang out with her for a little while. At that time, I was really into writing, so the typewriter fascinated me and kept me busy. I didn't know how to formulate words on a typewriter or keyboard yet, so I mostly just typed random letters, but I had a great time doing it. 

In class today, group one presented on the typewriter’s history and advantages and disadvantages. I learned a lot about the typewriter that I did not know before. For example, the first typewriter was created by Christopher Shores, then was sold to a gun manufacturer in 1873. At this time, no two typewriters were the same and the keyboard was purposefully spaced out to prevent jams. 

At this time in history, the typewriter was a great and useful invention, but does not compare or outdo any of the newer technologies that we have today. The disadvantages seem to outweigh the advantages of the typewriter when compared to the technology we have today such as laptops. The main advantage is that they are distraction free because their only use is to type rather than searching on the internet, email, etc. Another advantage is that they do not need electricity to work, so they can be used at any time. 

One disadvantage is that when typing, if you make a mistake you can't backspace like on a laptop. Instead, the user had to use white out and let it dry then type over it. Another disadvantage is that they have no memory, so if you lose your papers after typing something then your creation is not stored anywhere. Instead, the user would have to type it again. 

After learning about the typewriter in class, I was interested in getting more details. Throughout this webpage article, I was able to broaden my knowledge of the typewriter. I learned that the QWERTY keyboard we still use to this day originated from the first typewriter. I find it very interesting that the typewriter was sold to the Remington gun company which you can read more about in this article as well. 

Typewriters were a great invention in the past, but they are hard to come by these days. If you see one while out antiquing you might want to get it now as it could be very valuable in the future. Or it could just be a fun pastime way of writing!

Blog Post 6: History of the Radio

Introduction 

Radio was the first wireless mode of communication. It sends messages by radio waves instead of wires. There were a lot of developments that lead to the capabilities that the radio has now. Whenever I get into deep thought about the concept of radio waves, I am baffled by their capabilities and how someone discovered them. 

I think about how I may be driving down the road and a radio broadcast in my vehicle while the person on the other end could be thirty minutes away. The more I think about it the more confused and baffled I become, but in this blog post, I will be sharing my research on the history of the radio and discuss a research study about the current perception of radio broadcasting music. 

History

In 1877, Heinrich Hertz discovered the ability to transmit radio waves. In 1894, Guglielmo Marconi uses discontinuous waves to send messages in morse code. Originally he sent these messages over land in a short distance and later sent them over the Atlantic. In 1904, Ambrose Fleming, inspired by Thomas Edison’s research, wondered if the Oscillation Valve could be used to detect radio waves, and it did. Lee de Forest developed receiver technology called a triode in 1906 but later became an amplifier in 1911. 

During World War I, the direct conversion receiver was used to allow direct conversation through military circles, but the size and cost of the valves and batteries were a barrier to their use. There were many other challenges to radio use of radio during World War I and since it was a relatively new technology to work with, the radio had a short-range and was very bulky. 

In the 1920s, crystal radio set sales boosted and the popularity of listening to radio broadcasts from home increased. The crystal set took away the need to have batteries or an electrical source because they used the tuning of a coil, a crystal detector, and headphones to work. Popular broadcasts included various news stations, sports broadcasts, and others. By 1934, 60% of households in the United States had radios. The radio shows broadcasted were like television shows now, except they were only in audio form. 

While some shows died off, the most popular radio broadcast shows turned into television shows with the invention of the television. In the 1950s, radio communication became increasingly popular among groups such as the police or truckers. Their need for this type of communication made the invention of portable radios very popular. 

Where is the radio now?

As far as radio broadcasting goes, the younger audiences have turned to stream music applications rather than live listening to the radio. The benefits of streaming are that with premium memberships, listeners can listen to any song, any time, and without commercials. These factors are appealing to millennials and younger audiences because they want to listen to a variety of songs, make playlists, and not listen to interrupting commercials. I read a study about millennials perceptions of substitutability and complementarity of these music streaming apps to broadcast radio. 

The study shared the statistic that, “Almost 60% of millennials use two or more mobile apps to stream music, while less than 40% of consumers aged 35 or older do so.” Newer vehicles support this trend by being compatible with smartphones and mobile applications. Another change is where historically, before television and in the early television days, radio sets were in many homes. These days, I would be surprised if someone has a radio in their home that gets used. 

The main study included 1,095 participants aged 18-36 and had listened to broadcast radio in the past two weeks. The survey identified their usage of audio media and social media then assessed the substitutability and complementarity of offline broadcast radio, broadcast radio apps, and music streaming services.

The researchers found that millennials perceive broadcast radio and music streaming apps as similar products, but there is still a differentiation between the two. The motivations for listening to one over the other include information, entertainment, socialization, and escapism. 

Conclusion

Radio has made an impact on the world and has led to many developments over time. There are many contributions and developments that went into the radio and radio variations that we have today. The technological advancements throughout the years including the invention of the television led to a decrease in broadcast radio popularity with the younger generations and was shown throughout the research study. 

Below is a list of sources used to create this blog post. Check out the links for more details and information on the history of the radio!

https://www.eh.net/?s=the+history+of+the+radio+industry+in+the+united+states+to+1940+

https://www.electronics-notes.com/articles/history/radio-receivers/history-of-the-radio-receiver.php

Interested in reading another study about young adult audiences and radio listening trends? Check out this study!