Today, we have all found ways to implement modern technology into our daily lives. It has even gone to the extent that we cannot imagine life without it. From keeping our cell-phones at our hip 24/7, to using a computer for everything we do, it is with no doubt that technology has become a necessity. However, we tend to forget the roots of the devices that we have today. In this piece, we would like to address a few advances from the past that has led, and is continuing to lead us into a technologically dependent future.

Timeline of Technology:

1926 – Films with synchronized voice and sound are invented

This invention lead to the creation of movies which are present in most applications on phones and the Google Glass.

1927 – Philo Farmsworth invents the television

As mentioned with the earliest invention on this list, the creation of the television innovated the way we see moving pictures. A few decades after this, the ability to watch anything we want on our fingertips revolutionizes the way we see television.  

1947 – First Instant Camera – Polaroid

This invention was just the stepping step towards the modern day camera we use today for numerous pieces of digital technology.

1956 – Charles Ginsberg builds first practical video tape recorder

This invention revolutionizes the way we record people’s voices. Although it is bigger than we thought, this early invention modernizes to become a simple insert in a phone, watch, or glasses.

1931 – Ernst Ruska – Glass lens focuses light

This early invention revolutionized the way in which pictures are taken. Although big in nature, this invention eventually modernized and became smaller and ingrained in the modern pieces of technology we see and use today.

1964 – First general purpose mainframe computers is announced

This is the first of the many different types of computers that were invented. Although big in size and unavailable to the general public, this early form of the computer paves the way for the more modern day computers that are seen today.

1975 – Digital LED watches were released to common consumers

This is the first digital watch made available to the general public. Although it is not as modern as the watches worn today, it does change the way in which watches are seen and used. This invention lead the way to the digital watches seen today.

1981 – First personal computer

This invention changes everything in the digital world. This version of the computer paves the way for the more modern-day computers that we see and use now. This invention modernizes and becomes more smaller and portable.

1989 – Tim Barners-Lee invents World Wide Web (WWW)

This invention gives people the ability to look up whatever they want. This revolutionizes the way in which people look up information so the frequent trips to the library will not be needed. The invention of the WWW gets incorporated into every computer, phone, watch, and even glasses.

1992 – First text message from a phone

This innovation changes the way in which we communicate with other people. Calling someone does not have to be the norm as text messaging prevents us from making frequent calls for even the smallest of things. Like the World Wide Web, this invention gets incorporated into the modern day pieces of technology the we use today.

2007 – Apple Introduces a touchscreen cell-phone called iPhone

This revolutionizes the way in which we communicate with people. Which back in the day we had to call or text people from home, we can literally call, text, take pictures, and more with the touch of our hands.

2012 – Google Glass publicly announced

This invention was controversial due to the questionable piece of technology. This invention was on and off the market but this piece of digital technology got smaller. From the Apple Watch to the Google Glasses, the pieces of technology are getting smaller and smaller with each invention. With these pieces of technology, it gets more and more subtle for people to notice if you are wearing some technology, which can prove to be scary.

2015 – Apple watch pre-orders

Like the iPhone, the Apple Watch revolutionized the way that we communicate with people. Now, we do not have to carry around our phones around with us. This leads the way to even smaller pieces of technology around.

Prediction

From what we have seen, technology has come a long way. With that being said, we would like to make a few predictions of what our future may look like from now. In several films and shows, we have received first glances at our possible future, especially considering how rapidly our technology is advancing. The Netflix series, Black Mirror, has been one of few that has hinted at what we may see next. In season 3, episode 1 (Nosedive), we are presented with a society that is run off of what other people think of an individual. The people of this society rate one another based on their interactions with each other. This is very similar to current society’s dependence on social media and our tendency to display an entirely separate persona to the public in order to receive likes. However, in Nosedive, these ratings and likes dictate an individual’s entire livelihood. The higher the rating, the higher the credit score. Although the premise may seem surreal, we are not entirely far from seeing this become reality. Soon enough, we may have devices that allow us to rate an entire person based on an interaction. We may even reach the point where devices allow us an entire background of random people that we pass in the streets.

An additional episode of Black Mirror that may be providing us a possible depiction of our future is titled The Entire History of You, where individuals receive implants of a chip that allows them to record, recount, and erase their memories. Considering “Google Glass”, there is a chance that we may see this technology in the near future. However, just as any Black Mirror episode, there is an obvious downfall of this technology. Our main character, Liam Foxwell, is presented with an emotional dilemma following an interview that he believes went poorly. Despite the possibility that he is overthinking the situation, it is clear that the problem carries on in his mind for so long that it affects his home-life, especially considering his wife, who he assumes the worst of following witnessing an interaction between her and an ex-boyfriend. In the end, he uses the “Grain”, which is the title of the device implanted in the back of his ear, as a way to terrorize his wife, Jonas (the ex-boyfriend), and anyone else in his way. We are then left with the question of whether this device was reason for his eventual downfall.

In the end, we can conclude that technology will continue to advance at a rapid pace. However, we must ask, is there a possibility that the technology of our future will serve as a hinderance on our progression? Although, in a sense, it already has, will technology eventually take entire control of our lives?  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHKruYirSBg

As students, readers, viewers, writers or practically anyone who’s been exposed to modern technology, we can all attest to the fact that in some way, we’ve been exposed to at least the idea of “copyright”. With that in mind, we can all assume that “copyright” enables exclusivity in producing, creating, and distributing an individual’s work — or at least as one who’s spent the majority of their pre-teen years producing One Direction fanfiction, I might’ve had somewhat of an inclination of what that meant…

But that’s beyond the point.

When considering copyright with publications, novels, films (etc.), it is very easy to confuse the actual meaning of this term. Copyright is known to protect an individual’s work, but in what sense? We can answer this question by looking into the case of Pendragon vs. Keening.

Pendragon is a mathematician known for designing a formula that enabled non repeating patterns based on the numbers that were plugged in. Following the creation of this concept, Pendragon’s formula immediately spreads to the studies of other mathematicians and professors with the thought that it may serve as an advance in mathematical studies. However, when an engineer at Keening Paper attains the formula, he finds a way to utilize it in an innovative and useful way, by use of paper products and consumption. In the end, he establishes a process with a pattern identical to Pendragon’s and the company later begins selling their products of similar design. When Pendragon gains awareness of this, he immediately contacts his legal team, with the intention to sue.

With knowledge that this formula was created and copywritten — enabling its exclusivity — was the engineer in the wrong for creating a useful solution out of it? According to the definition of copyright, the owner has rights to “make copies, distribute their work, adapt, publicly display and perform their work”, however, is the idea itself also exclusive to the copyright owner? The answer to that question is no. While Keening Paper did infringe copyright by selling and distributing a design identical to Pendragon’s formula, it does not go any further than that. Copyright protects “creative expression”, but does not protect the idea itself. That is why we see films and stories with similar plots, or similar products (like Pepsi and Coke). In the end, we’ve learned that although copyright is very useful to obtain when producing a piece of work, it does not protect every aspect of the things we make.

During our Ethics in Communications class this week, we discussed the (lack of) ethics in different Super Bowl Adds.

Some people watch the Super Bowl for the game, and some people watch it for the commercials.  Companies are more than willing to pay millions for a thirty-second advertising time slot during the Super Bowl.  Annually, around 100 million people (or more) tune into the big game. With such a large tune-in, companies do not think twice about dropping a pretty penny to be featured.  Most companies have a similar top goal: to be remembered. The craziest, weirdest, and sometimes offensive commercials are created just for this special night. One of the most memorably simple and unproblematic commercials was Lil Jon’s Pepsi advertisement, with his catchphrase, “Okay!”

The Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams happened over the weekend. Embedded throughout the game were the commercials, the primary reason why a good portion of Americans watch the game. While some of the commercials were light-hearted and alluded to upcoming movies and television shows, other commercials were more problematic and shady.

The Bud Light commercial this year was ruthless to say the least. The commercial itself bragged about the fact that their beer does not feature corn syrup, unlike their other competitors like Coors Light and Miller Lite. While some consumers did not see a problem with the ad itself, various corn farmers and competitors companies think otherwise.

According to the National Corn Growers Association, they felt insulted by Bud Light because they did not support their industry and Bud Light made it seem like corn syrup was terrible and other companies who use corn syrup are inferior to them, which harms both the competitors and the corn farmers. Within their statement, they also thanked Bud Light’s competitors for supporting their industry and not throwing them under the bus,

While Bud Light released a statement via Twitter regarding the #corntroversy, it did not stop the damage from being done. Even though commercials like these happen all the time, this particular issue proves to be unethical because it harms employers outside Bud Light and their competitors. Had the commercials poked fun at their competitors in a more creative and less offensive way, maybe the commercial would not have been so controversial.

This is for you, Bud Light

“That’s unethical!”  That phrase seems to get thrown around quite a bit.  But, what exactly are ethics?  What are the deciding factors that define a situation as ethical or unethical?  What attributes in our lives have an impact on what decisions we make?

Our names are Olivia Robinson, Marcy Carini, Makiah Stephens, and Catie Moffett.  We are all freshmen at Saint Joseph’s University, studying Communications. As Communications students, we find ourselves asking a lot of questions in regard to theories of ethics.  This blog is a place for us to voice our thoughts, ideas, questions, opinions, and anything else that relates to the topic of ethics.

For the duration of our semester in our Media Ethics Communications class, this blog will allow for the four of us to create and explore more ethical situations.