![]() Contributed by Lindsey Vagnini It’s happened to most Facebook page owners: we leave our account logged in and, when we come back, we notice a post in our news feed with our name attached without any memory of posting it. Uncertain over who is accessing our private digital spaces is concerning on many levels. When I experienced this uncertainty, luckily, my “hacker” was my sister. It was a fall afternoon and I had just returned from a volleyball game. I plopped onto my bed, quickly propped my laptop on top of the pillow next to me, and started scanning my recent Facebook posts. Suddenly, I noticed that my message inbox had no new messages. This confused me. Before I had left for my volleyball games, my Facebook page projected the little red number at the top showing three new private message notifications. Clicking on the messages, I noticed each had a tiny grey check mark underneath, implying that someone other than me had seen them. Who read them? I tried to figure out how someone could hack into my laptop without knowing the password. Of course, at the time, I thought the password was genius. I think it resembled something like, “BarbieLovesFrenchFries101.” I don’t have that password anymore, needless to say. ![]() My next thought was that a hacker virtually accessed my account through a cyber-virus infecting my computer. This thought was more terrifying than assuming one of my friends solved my french-fry eating Barbie passcode. Later that day, my sister eventually confessed to reading my messages on Facebook. To my relief, this was a settling discovery. Still, this event proved just how easy it is to lose privacy in new media platforms. In my case, it was through Facebook. In other stories, though, this lost privacy involves national politics and Apple iPhones. The incident reminded me of a New York Times article briefing the master key the FBI found as way to hack the iPhone of Syed Farook, the gunman in the 2015 San Bernardino shooting, without Apple's approval. Refusing to give the FBI this key was Apple’s way of protecting the privacy of iPhone owners nationally. Apple was attempting to respect the national digital privacy of individuals. Unlocking these phones was a political concern that is arguable in discussions of privacy. Would people rather be safer with less digital privacy or at risk with the dignity of their private digital activity? This question lies at the center of the FBI’s new Apple-hacking ability. Now that the FBI has unlocked the iPhone, it is questionable that this unlocking will lead to social progress. Daniel Little describes “social progress” as improving freedom and self-determination, reforming the way people think in a society to a place in which all embrace the same new moral and digital communication patterns. In addition, he discusses the use of utilitarianism influencing social progression. Nationally, the FBI unlocking Farook’s iPhone 5C leads some to believe in social progress while convincing others to reject it. For instance, as the FBI can now potentially hack into anyone’s iPhone in the U.S., individuals might see that as a good surveillance tool leading to a safer America. In opposition to this idea, others who distrust the FBI’s ability to access information on any iPhone in the U.S. might start a campaign against their unlocking secret. If this would happen, people might use hashtag activism that purposely requires them to use their iPhones to protest the FBI’s actions and attempt to weaken their digital power. Does this master key for iPhones mean other digital media companies will pay to get one too? This question was the first that came to my mind once I read the New York Times article. For me, just knowing my sister read my Facebook messages was concerning at first. Now we are talking about a national audience compiled of strangers who have access to our contact lists, what we are saying in our text messages, and our personal, savable photos. For some people, the word “technology” is thought of as security, but what the FBI has done seems to promote the opposite. For example, if something is secure, that means the device is inaccessible. Clearly, the FBI accessing the Apple iPhone 5C proves that this digital device has no real secure feature.
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![]() Contributed by Lindsey Vagnini Recently, my iPhone 4 had blackened and become unresponsive, and despite my frantic attempts to press the little circular button with the square on top as many times and as hard as I could without causing a different reason for its fragmentary state, it stayed that way. After 24 hours of my iPhone refusing to come back from the Apple Inc. dead, I realized its absence caused an uncomfortableness in me that I didn’t know existed. Suddenly, I lost immediate contact with my friends, family, boss, co-workers, classmates, and so on. While maybe extreme, this feeling is experienced by many. The moment your phone stops working for more than an hour—or, for some, even ten minutes—creates feelings of irresponsibility. For instance, I couldn’t reach, respond, or ultimately do one of the most important things humans regularly do: communicate! ![]() After 48 hours, I couldn’t take the sight of my lifeless iPhone and went to a local Apple store. When I arrived, I explained my situation to the Apple store associate. I thought maybe because the iPhone 4 is becoming more outdated by the minute, my phone would never be usable again, and it was time for a new iPhone. Immediately, the associate took my iPhone and put one finger on the circle button (what I now call the “magic iPhone puddle”) and another on the on/off button placed on its top edge. Bam! My social relationship world was rejuvenated and I had my source of communication back! Apparently, if an iPhone is not turning on, pushing both of these buttons for 30 seconds at the same time brings the iPhone instantly back to life; however, holding just one of these buttons deletes its internal storage. Good tip! The incident left me wondering: is this a problem? Is this a possibly ever-accruing phenomenon, that while useful for those with the incapability to communicate through conversation, we use our technology to converse more than we use face-to-face social exchange? Some research says relying on technology is constructive. In other words, our reliance on technology is helping to develop a task only possible through the assistance of these digital devices; therefore, this makes digital assistance somewhat of a necessity. This form of communication is called Assistive Technology. In some ways, Assistive Technology could be taking on a new meaning when we consider our internal anxieties caused by the absence of technology. For instance, the “high tech” described in this PBS article reveals the reliance people are putting on their technology when living a twenty-first century version of a “normal” life. In this case, technology is used to fill the need that people with disabilities cannot, without technology’s assistance. So, in this sense, relying on technology is essential for some folks. Still, the question remains: is this reliance a good thing, even when it is necessary for certain individuals' daily functionality? The worrisome aspect of this idea is that people concerned about their technology needs seem to be few in number. This lack of “worried people” posing, holding, and using iPhones in the images released even in the large domains like Google Images are, in my experience, hard to find. For example, in my search to find a representation for this post, I googled the following: “worried people with iPhones.” Needless to say, I found just the opposite in my results. For example, images of Barack Obama, a sunburnt chimpanzee, and a bunch people with teeth glistening smiles surrounded by at least one iPhone appeared. It is safe to say iPhones, according to the Internet’s representation of them, are perceived as healthy and pleasant interactive devices. Google Images seem to think so, and many other advertisement companies often project a sense of mutual agreement in the images they disclose on their websites. This positive light could be causing us to rely on iPhone assistance to effectively communicate in our lives. In consequence, could it be that losing our mouth would worry us less than losing our iPhone? After all, we don’t need a mouth to send a text message! ![]() Post contributed by Thomas M. Tochterman Since the release of Apple’s iPad in 2010, classrooms all over the world have been progressively incorporating this type of digital media into their teaching methods. For the past five years, the trend of using iPads as teaching tools has been prevalent in higher education classrooms such as colleges and universities, but more recently iPads are popping up in elementary classrooms. Since we are now in what’s called “the digital age,” teachers are starting to adapt their teaching methods to young students known now as “digital natives.” An article written by Jonathan Cohen called “Using iPads to Increase Productivity in Elementary Education,” states that not only does Apple’s iPad dominate the education tablet market share with 94% respectably, but also addresses how the iPad creates more productivity among younger students. Today, young students are surrounded by digital media every day. Educational systems around the world are not how they used to be in that now educators are taking advantage of how digital media dominates a young person’s mind, and they use that aspect for learning and educational purposes. Digital natives are considered to have a low attention span when it comes to learning traditionally. iPads in the classroom are used to not only increase productivity among students, but also to keep their attention in ways video games or television do. iPads allow students to be interactive rather than being detached. I am considered a digital native in the fact that I grew up with the internet, but in many ways I also am not a digital native because digital media was not in every aspect of my life growing up like it is for young people today. I can remember getting in trouble with educators for having my Game Boy or Nintendo out of my backpack in the classroom. It is amazing to see how far we have come as a society by instilling digital media into the educational system for students to interact with. Not only does it enhance the learning process, it shows how our educational system is willing to adapt to new generations of students by enhancing digital literacy. Not only is it important for young students to gain knowledge about new technology and digital media, it is imperative they understand how to use it properly because it will only grow and develop more. ![]() Post contributed by Amanda Bagnall-Newman Today’s age is filled with a variety of technology within our reach. From where I sit, I can reach my iPhone, iMac, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 2DS, Tablet, Bamboo Pen, Underwater Camera, Graphing Calculator, and my digital alarm clock. This is more technology than my grandfather ever used in his lifetime, all at my fingertips. Americans are wired to their smartphones, tablets, and other tech devices. This isn’t necessarily bad. I personally enjoy my tech lifestyle (having Yahtzee on my phone has been the greatest). Now, what is the closest living thing to us humans (other than ourselves)? Our pets! I love my babies! My family has five lovable outdoor cats and two mutt-weilers (Rottweiler/mutt mix), and we love them to the ends of the Earth. And I am sure I am not the only person who loves their pets. So why not share our lavish tech-savvy lifestyle with our beloved pets? I've found an article that addresses this very question: Why your cat needs an iPad. Welcome to the year 2015, where we have so much amazing tech laying around our house that we don’t use, so we give to our pets. A whole new line of apps are popping up that market towards our cats and dogs. No longer do we have to touch that slimy tennis ball or the dead mouse off the carpet; we have an app for that. Go Dog Go has released a fetch machine that launches balls for a dog to chase. The dog can be trained to reload the launcher and play to his heart’s content. Your dog is a strong, independent animal and doesn’t need a human to throw the ball for it. One problem, my neighbor had a dog that would play fetch till it would pass out from exhaustion. That dog lived for the chase: the tennis ball chase. Imagine if your dog ran itself to death because you weren’t around to stop it. Wouldn’t this then seem like a bad idea? The article mentions a great point; Americans live such a busy lifestyle that we can’t always provide the attention our pets deserve. This is understandable. When I get home from my night shift in the summer, my kitten will go crazy for attention, even hopping in the shower with me (freaked me out the first time, but we’re cool now). So how can we solve this problem? Provide our critters with a new form of entertainment: iPads. But the bigger issue is this. Technology is creating a communication gap between humans and our pets. Instead of your dog being excited to see you when you come home, he gets excited to see you take out an iPad. While we provide entertainment for our pets with these new devices, they will slowly replace us. There are already machines that feed animals automatically, provide a constant stream of fresh water, and even clean out the kitty litter box. The only connection we have left with our babies is love and affection, but yet again, we have an app for that. Post contributed by Serina Jones
The Apple company is currently dealing with controversy in China. The newest iOS 9 software update gave Apple customers the benefit of receiving news sent right to their devices. The News app works in the favor of anyone who has access to it, simply because one is able to access any kind of news they want. When the app is opened for the first time, the customer is able to choose what kind of news they want to receive and what source they want to receive that news from. Now, the problem is that China has no access to the News app. This is because of China's firewall that prohibits anything that is not allowed in China. Sources say that the app is on Apple devices there, but customers in China just cannot receive news. It has also been stated that Beijing insists that companies censor the things the country does not allow before they bring their products out there. As of now, the News app only works in the United States, but is being tested in Australia and Britain. China is Apple's second largest source of revenue at this time, so the company is treading lightly with the moves they make concerning this app. ![]() Post contributed by Brandon Pribbernow On September 9, 2015, the Apple Corporation released a new line of products which includes the Apple iPad Pro and the Apple Pencil. Apple is a great company that produces great but high-priced products that people continue to buy. The iPad Pro is the newest version of the Apple iPad products. The Apple Pencil is something completely new to the company, and is something that they have never done before. I personally do not feel the Apple Pencil will be a very successful product. When I first heard of the Apple Pencil, I was very interested to see exactly what its purpose was and how it would be used. After looking into the product, I do not see it going very far or being very popular. The Apple Pencil is an overpriced, over-glorified stylus, which will only work on the Apple iPad Pro. This means if you have any other touchscreen Apple product that came out prior to fall of 2015, the Apple Pencil is completely useless to you. The features on the Apple Pencil are also very limited, and buying this product would be a great way to waste $100. What I find most entertaining about the idea of the new Apple Pencil is how one of the founders and creators of the Apple Corporation felt about styluses. When Steve Jobs announced the iPhone back in 2007, he hated the idea of a stylus, as you can hear from this short video clip. I completely agree with him in this video, a stylus is just another material item that a customer will most likely lose or misplace. My final thoughts about the Apple Pencil is that it is a bad idea and goes against what Apple wants. I personally am an Android user, so I do have a bias towards Apple products, but looking at what this product does and the features it has, I don’t think it will be as useful as some people hope it will be. The product does not do anything outstanding or special that a person could not do before this product came out. The first group of people to try this product I feel will be disappointed. Post contributed by J'Clef
As we know, Apple Inc. is one of the best, most efficient technology sources in the world. Throughout my life, I have encountered devices such as the iPhone, iPod, iPad and even their new brand of headphones: Beats. I remember in middle school, purchasing my first-ever iPod. It was so exciting, from being able to FaceTime, to going to the app store, to downloading Angry Birds. Apple has been an company that has had new updates or some type of new feature to the product every year. If you have never had the experience of owning an Apple product, I believe it is worth the try. One thing about these Apple products is that they are very secure. The software is very hard to break into, there’s hardly no limitations, and very easy to work with. Now that we are in the year of 2015, Apple has done it again, creating the iPhone 6s. The iPhone has come a long way, from only being able to make calls and texts, to having apps, to now using your fingerprints to lock and allow access to your phones. As of last week, Apple has come out with features of the new iPhone 6s, shown in Figure.1. The new iPhone has a 5.5-inch (diagonal) massive screen. Also, the camera has been enhanced that you may be able to take pictures while also recording a short active video at the same time. In my opinion, Apple is the real definition of technology enhancement and growth. What do you think about this new iPhone? Is it as great as the world makes it out to be? Do you believe Apple is worth buying? What is your experience? |
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