EOTO #3: Sherman Antitrust Act

The United States is a mixed economy that consists of characteristics from both capitalist and socialist market systems. Therefore, the U.S. embraces and welcomes economic freedom and competition. Another trait of this system is that government intervention is allowed. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company was the first monopoly to exist. Rockefeller basically made secret deals with railroad shippers in order to transport his oil at a lower prices and dominate the market, to ensure profit. As a result of these actions, it was nearly impossible for any new companies to arise. Therefore, consumers' options were limited and because Rockefeller's was the dominate oil company, he was able to set the prices as he pleased. When there are trusts, consumers are forced to use one option because all other competitors have been run out of the market; this does not ensure the consumers' best interest as they would not be receiving high quality goods for low and reasonable prices. In light of these unconstitutional actions, government involvement was necessary and the Sherman Antitrust Act was created. 

According to the Great American History Fact-Finder, the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 was "the first of several antitrust acts designed to curb power and growth of monopolies, the law forbade companies to join in a trust in order to control interstate trade." Due to "loopholes," the Sherman Antitrust Act was replaced by the Clayton Act in 1914, its goal being "clearly define unfair business practices." The Clayton Act worked to eliminate unfair business practices that included price fixing, bid rigging, and market allocation among competitors, to name a few. To obtain a better understanding of illegal practices, price fixing is an agreement written, verbal, or inferred from conduct) among competitors that raises, lowers, or stabilizes prices or competitive terms. Basically, if two competitors were to form an alliance by dropping prices, then consumers would be more motivated to purchase cheaper goods. On the hand, outside competitors with similar products would be losing customers and would unfairly be driven out of the market. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was also established in 1914. This is an agency enforces and implements the ideas of the Sherman Antitrust and Clayton Act. It also is tasked with intervening if illegal trust activities are suspected. 

Facebook is an example of a modern day monopoly. In December of 2020, the FTC sued Facebook for illegal monopolization. Instead of welcoming competition, Facebook bought all of its rivals which include Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp. Obviously, this limits the choices that consumers have and basically forces everyone to use their social media apps. This also does not allow new social media platforms to rise and catch on with the public. Therefore, Facebook has anticompetitive motives and was not looking out for the best interests of consumers. As a solution, the House of Antitrust Subcommittee is suggesting that Facebook should be separated back out into individual apps, known as "structural separation." It has also been recommended that congress take a closer look at other tech giants such as Amazon and Apple.

Overall, the Sherman Antitrust Act was created to protect the idea of economic freedom for both entrepreneurs and consumers.  

Lens of Diffusion Theory

An example that can easily explain Rogers' Diffusion of Innovation is Tiktok. Tiktok is "a short-form, video-sharing app that allows users to create and share 15-second videos, on any topic." Tiktok was created in 2016, however, it joined with Musical.ly in 2018 so that a more extensive video network could be established. 

I would say that the exploratory phase of Tik Tok took place in the middle of 2019. I think that the pioneers were drawn to this app because it offered new features that were not seen on Musical.ly. Also, Tiktok allows users to interact mainly through video clips and music which can be done on other apps like Instagram and Facebook; however, TikTok was designed for this purpose so audiences were drawn to it. 

Next, I would argue that early adopters emerged around October of 2019. TikTok caught on with the public because it possess a huge library of licensed music, that is conveniently located for users under "sounds." The app is well-organized and not difficult to use. 

The early majority began to use Tik Tok in February of 2020. This is when a few of my friends began to use the app and create their own content. I personally did not understand it so I was reluctant to take part in it. However, when the Corona Virus hit and sent everyone into months of quarantine, TikTok became extremely popular. This is because many people were bored and tired of being trapped in their houses, so they turned to Tiktok to kill time and to also share creative posts since a lot of people were unable to see each other in person. This was a drastic tiping point of TikTok. Had COVID-19 not occurred, Tiktok may not have become as popular as it is today. 

By the time I entered my first year of college in August of 2020, Tiktok had began its saturation period. Every student I talk to has an account and we all bonded over that fact that Tiktok is a great way to procrastinate homework assignments. 

Currently, I believe that Tiktok is still in the saturation period. I think that those not on Tiktok simply are just not interested in it or are confused on how to use it. For example, my parents could care less about such an app because they have no use for it. I also think that older generations view Tiktok as an app for younger age groups. 

EOTO#1: Invention of the Email

Email is defined as "messages distributed by electronic means from one computer user to one or more recipients via a network." The first mail system was very limited. Individuals would have only been able to communicate through computers that were exactly the same make and model, within a close proximity. Also, if too many people were using a computer system at the same time, messages would not send properly. Computer-based mail and communication capabilities were expanded with the invention of "time-sharing." Time-sharing is "the sharing of a computing resource among many users at the same time by means of multiprogramming and multitasking." This made it so that more than one individual could use the messaging system at a time. Time-sharing was a huge building block that led to the creation of the email. The email was officially created in 1965 by Ray Tomlinson. He is credited with creating the email as he was the first individual to send one. Even after Tomlinson's first email, messages could not be sent to computers that were different models. The Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) clearly determined protocols that were necessary for the exchange of emails from dissimilar computers. ARPANET's original intended purpose wast to connect computers through telephone lines, for research agencies supported by the Pentagon. To date, there are currently 3.8 billion active email accounts. This invention caught on with the public because it is quick and they replaced the need to send written letters in the mail, which could take forever to reach the recipient or could even be lost en route. 

There are several positives and negative concerning emails. Emailing systems are not challenging to use, and it is a fast and efficient way to converse with people. Email is also convenient as the recipient does not have to be present for the email to actually come through. Numerous copies can be made of an email if it is sent to a large group of people. Much like the "reads" feature on my iPhone, users also hav the ability to send an email with read receipts on it. Emails can be prepared as drafts so that you can take your time drafting them. Messages can be encrypted to keep private information secure.

Even though email is for the most part a positive invention, there are a few cons. I think that we can all agree the worst aspect of email is receiving spam mail everyday. Annoying spam mail can build up and overcrowd your mailbox. If you people do not have wifi, they cannot send emails. It can also be irritating to find the right email as many individuals constantly change their email address. Occasionally, email attachments can contain viruses that damage your computer or gather personal information. I use my email everyday. In fact I have three different emails that I use each day. I think I receive an average of about 30-40 emails per day. I like the fact that email is a more formal method of communication. Sometimes people use text message too casually by incorporating a lot of slang terms and abbreviations that can be difficult to understand. Moreover, email is present in my life similarly to almost four billion other individuals, and it is an extremely helpful resource. 

 

EOTO Reflection: Invention of Paper

The first form of paper was created by a dignitary that served the imperial Chinese court by the name of Cai Lun. He made it out of old rags, tree bark, and fishing nets. Before paper, people used stone tablets, cave writings, papyrus, parchment, bamboo, wood, and silk to keep written records. I could not imagine lugging around rocks to write on or using expensive materials such as bamboo. Paper is easily made, it is affordable, and is now used everyday in today's society.

A major advantage of paper's creation, is that it has aided in the evolution of humans. Pen and paper have been tools that have helped humans learn to read and write. Not to say that people did not learn how to read and write before the invention of paper, but paper made it easier for more individuals to practice language and become educated. Also, paper has allowed humans to efficiently share ideas with no limit to the length of words. 

Today we use paper for almost everything. Although I know that online learning is becoming more popular than the traditional style of pen and paper learning, I grew up using paper to write out all of the letters of the alphabet, learn grammar, and express my ideas through essays. Even if schools are gradually using paper less, businesses use paper everyday to keep files on their customers, and they also use it for receipts of transactions. Additionally, newspapers and magazines have been our main ways of staying updated of current events and trends and are produced everyday in bulk. However, even news sources have moved online. I think that eventually, there will be no need to use paper in countries like the U.S. as everything is become so online-based.

Although paper has been a super helpful invention, a negative aspect associated with its use is deforestation. Obviously, we make paper out of trees so we have to chop down several to continue to produce it. Every invention has an unintended consequence that we should be aware of.

antiwar

In the Age of AI

I think the most considerable conflict that we as a society face, is deciding if we should trust AI. I would argue that AI posses a greater threat than actually having a positive impact on society. 

Artificial intelligence(AI) may very well be the future. This statement is certainly true for China. The most shocking thing that I learned from In the Age of AI was that it can take people a total of 8 seconds to complete the process of getting a loan. It was also shocking to hear that the AI system that was used would assess customer's credibility by considering battery percentage and hesitation when answering questions. I think that if I was aware that an AI system was analyzing my response to questions looking into aspects like my battery percentage, I would feel extremely pressure. Firstly, my battery percentage is always low. This is not a result of lacking responsibility, my battery simply just needs to be replaced because it is fried. Also, when I feel like I am being monitored I have a tendency to act more suspicious. Unfortunately, I do not know why this occurs but I cannot help it. Due to these factors, I would know that I am credible but how would AI know that based off of battery and behavior patterns? This makes me wonder if AI would actually be able to accurately predict and interpret my behavior, as well as others. 

As cheesy as the SyFy movies are, they contain ideas that remind us of the potential dangers of AI. Although AI systems have been programmed by humans, the goal is for AI systems to think for themselves. A positive aspect that was mentioned in the video, is that AI has the ability to come up with several alternative outcomes or solutions that humans have failed to think of. In the video, N.Y.U Professor Amy Webb states that AI systems "are able to think and imagine and see things, in ways that we never have before." She then suggests that AI could potentially lead us to solutions for major issues like climate change and cancer cures. In this sense, AI is welcomed for its unique thinking patterns. However, what if AI overpowers us? It may sound foolish yet we should be skeptical of the unintended consequences of AI, as every technology has them. For example, when cars were invented it made getting from two different places easier and faster; but no one accounted for the idea that automobiles would lead to immense air pollution that is deteriorating the ozone layer. What if AI develops a mind of its own? This theory is displayed by several films,

most notably 

Oblivion and Alien: Covenant. In both scenarios, a super computer decides that the best course of action for the human race is extinction. Now although both movies are hypothetical examples of the potential impacts of AI, it is not impossible for these events to occur. As pictured in the video, AI scientist Kai-Fu-Lee mentions that the more information a system is fed, the better it functions. What if the more AI learns about humans and their destructive exploitation of resources, the less favorable we become in its eyes? Authors Nick Bostrom and Luke Muehlhauser both stress the idea that AI may posses opposing goals and values that may not be "human-friendly." They also emphasize that fact that it would be nearly impossible to create an AI system with "common sense." Contrastingly, psychologist Steven Pinker believes that AI systems would be "peacefully" work alongside humans. However, he uses diction that suggests that harmful AI systems could still come to surface by using words such as "unlikely." This word-choice does not inspire a lot of confidence for someone who is for AI. 

I fully believe that AI is the next our society's next big technological innovation. However, I suggest that we proceed with caution.