New Technology Assignment

Alter Ego is a device that will allow users to communicate with their computer and other devices somewhat telepathically. You wear a device that is attached to your face, and it detects the micro movements your face makes when you read things in your head, or even just when you think something. It is known as silent speech, or subvocalization. When you read, or think things, you ‘hear’ it in your head. The muscles in your face, jaw, and larynx move imperceptibly so that you can ‘hear’ what it is you are reading or thinking. The device attaches behind the ear and under the lip with sensors in certain areas of the cheeks, jaw, and chin. It does not go into your ear, so it does not interrupt your hearing or any conversations. The device can decipher your thoughts based on these micro movements with 92% accuracy. All you would need to do is think, and whatever you thought is transmitted to the computer it is connected to.  

                                                      

Not only can you send thoughts to your computer, but the device can also answer you. The device has bone-conduction headphones, which according to MIT news,   “Transmit[s] vibrations through the bones of the face to the inner ear. Because they do not obstruct the ear canal, the headphones enable the system to convey information to the user without interrupting conversation or otherwise interfering with the user’s auditory experience.”

Essentially, you can hear the device ‘in your head’ like it were your own thoughts, although it would not have the voice you normally hear, it would be an artificial intelligence voice, like hearing Siri or Alexa. You can watch a video on how this works here.  

I think this device would have a huge impact on social media. Not only is the device completely hands free, it is silent. You would not need to have your phone to be connected to all of your different forms of social media. All you would have to do is think what you wanted to post, and it could be done instantly without you having to even move. I think it could be very helpful for certain demographics such as people who are paralyzed. They could be more involved with a device like this because they would be able to use it to be engaged on social media without needing to move.

While I think this device could have a huge impact and be beneficial, it also is a little creepy that you and your computer are talking to each other in your head. Also, with all of the security breaches happening with Facebook and other ‘secure’ places of information, it would make me nervous attaching a computer to my thoughts.

Additional sources:

https://www.media.mit.edu/publications/alterego-IUI/

https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/941691/tech-news-device-alterego-mit-computer-telepathy

Social Media Case 12

While I had not heard of Dave Carrol and the songs he wrote about the incident with United Airlines and his guitar, I have heard about United Airlines having horrible customer service. I would think that this is not a case of any press is good press, and that United Airlines could have handled the situation a lot better.

It seems like an extremely frustrating experience, and I think that Dave Carrol had a right to write those songs about his experience. He tried talking to several employees, and every one of them turned him away or said it was not their job. Everything that happened to Dave went against the corporate values the company has. They claim that “As a united United, we respect every voice, communicate openly and honestly, make decisions with facts and empathy, and celebrate our journey together.” They mishandled his luggage, did not respect what he was saying to them, were difficult to communicate with, and felt no empathy for him. That is until the backlash started coming in and they started losing money. If they make these kinds of customer service claims, they should live up to them. They could not have known that his songs would go viral, and the hate the internet would deliver. Yet if they truly want this kind of atmosphere of empathy and respect for their customers, you would think it would not be so hard to get help like it was for Dave Carrol.

You can try to make up for your mistakes, but one thing I have learned from this class is that the internet, and especially the powerful force of social media, do not forget. United Airlines has had many incidents where customers were mistreated, and it does not seem like they are trying to fix it and live up to the values they claim they have. Their twitter page is full of angry customers and complaints, and if I saw all that negativity, I could certainly choose a different airline.  

Social Media Case 11

I am a fan of OK Go’s music videos, they are really fun and creative. I remember the first time I saw the treadmill video for their song Here It Goes Again. I also remember when the zero-gravity music video for Upside Down and Inside Out came out. I remember seeing the treadmill video on YouTube, but I think I remember seeing the zero gravity one on Facebook. I did not even know that they did not want it to be on YouTube at first, and that the airline had published the video without permission. I did not know about all the drama behind it.

Before taking this class I really did not pay attention to these big media sources like Facebook and YouTube, and I did not understand all the legalities that happen with them.  It is understandable why OK Go would not want to post the video to YouTube if they were not making very much money there. I think that YouTube is one of the best ways to share videos and it is the first place I would go to look for a new music video. However, if bands and artists are not receiving enough revenue because of all the policies and regulations that YouTube has, and is continually changing, it might be easier for them to go somewhere else.

OK Go said they wanted to have the video exclusively on Facebook for 48 hours, because Facebook is the largest community in the world and the best way to share music. You can read about why it was pulled from YouTube here.

I was surprised that the S7 airline published the video on their YouTube page, even though they did not have the rights to do so. I was even more surprised when OK Go did not pursue legal action with them. They said they changed the platform for sharing their videos was for a reason and to also make a statement. I can see other bands and artists taking extreme legal action if this were to happen to them. Maybe they care more about spreading their music than they do about contracts.

Social Media Case 10

This is yet another example of someone thinking they had a great idea, but it actually went horribly wrong. While I think most of these people making these videos would love for them to go viral, they do not want then to go viral for the reasons they actually do. When Miracle Mattress made that commercial, they probably did not think they would receive the backlash they did. That also seems to be another common thing among viral videos that go wrong. It seems that people are not thinking these things through when they put something out there for the world to see. It seems ridiculous that anyone would want to make money off of something that was such a tragedy, much less that they would make fun of it. Yet when Miracle Mattress tried to promote a Twin Towers sale, that is exactly what they did. They most likely did not see a problem with what they had done until the complaints started coming in.

As with other viral mess ups, they issued an apology after realizing just how much people did not like what they had done. Similar to these apologies, they tried to make it seem okay and offer money to the cause they had made fun of. You can see Cherise Bonanno’s apology here.  She admits it was a stupid idea, and you can tell she wishes they had never made the commercial. Many were outraged by the event which caused the store to close, but they are back up and running. While they must be doing okay to still be in business, they are still receiving backlash. On many of their Facebook posts, people are still commenting about the commercial and showing their disproval of the company. I also noticed while looking through their page that Miracle Mattress does not respond to any of these negative comments, and will only reply to posts that are positive or asking questions.

I think this was a case of people not thinking their actions through. It was incredibly insensitive and I hope they learned that doing things like that are not okay.

Social Media Case 9

I have never heard of a General Authority trying to sell something related to their calling or a talk they have given. I remember when the Ponderize talk was given, but I did not hear anything about the website that was created and the merchandise they tried to sell. It made me kind of sad to hear about, and while they probably had pure intentions to begin with, it was disheartening to see them try and profit off the church. This church leader did apologize, and said that he should have stopped this website from ever being started. However, the damage was done and he still received heavy criticism. Ponderize was meant to mean ponder and memorize, but after this event the Urban Dictionary had a different definition for the word.  

While I believe that you should not use your religious position to try and sell merchandise, I do not think the General Authority and his son meant any harm by what they had done. It makes me wonder if other church leaders knew they were planning on launching this kind of website and if it was okay for them to do so. I also think that if the proceeds of the merchandise were going towards a charitable cause, they should have stated that in the first place and not after the fact. It just made them look guilty and like they were trying to make up for doing something wrong. It also kind of made it seem like they were only going to donate the proceeds because people were unhappy with what they had done.

Devin Durrant and his son Ryan probably did not think they were going to be so heavily criticized, and I think that is the case for a lot of people. They do not think of the power of the internet, and how many people are going to scrutinize what you do.

Social Media Case 8

We need to always be careful about what we do online, because no matter how simple or unintentional it may be, it could always come back to haunt us. I think this is the case for the server Chelsea Welch. Chelsea was fired for posting a picture of a receipt where a customer, Alois Bell, was upset about the mandatory tipping. Bell stated that she gave God 10%, so why do you get 18? She scratched out the tip line, and signed the receipt Pastor Alois Bell. Welch was not even the server who waited on Bell, she just happened to see the receipt and take a picture of it. In the moment, she probably thought it would be funny to post, or even a way to blow off steam because it is really frustrating when you work hard and get stiffed. She probably had no idea her actions would go viral, as they so often do. What started out as something she probably deemed harmless caused her to lose her job. You can hear what she had to say about this situation here.

Pastor Bell was at first furious over the incident, and wanted everyone who had been working that night to be fired. She was receiving a huge amount of backlash for her actions, and was being called out for being UnChristlike.  After receiving more criticism she claimed that what she had done was a ‘lapse of judgement’ and felt sorry for the whole ordeal. You can watch a short news clip detailing the event here. Her reputation was really damaged and while she did not lose her job, she received a lot of criticism online. She felt ashamed because she brought such negativity to her church and ministry. While this should have never gone viral, it is hard to feel sorry for her when she acted so rude.

Applebee’s policy  was very clear that you could not do anything to breach the confidentiality of a employee or guest. Chelsea knew this when she signed her contract. While Chelsea was fired, I think the Pastor’s reputation was much more damaged. People were rallying for Chelsea and saying it was unfair for her to be fired. People were commenting awful things about the Pastor and how it was unacceptable, especially because of her position.

Social Media Case 7

Being in the public eye can mean your every move will be scrutinized. If you are in a position where you know people are going to be watching you, you have to be very careful about what you do and say. I think this is especially true if you are in politics because not only are people going to be carefully watching you, there are those people who are going to be watching specifically for mistakes. I feel like we live in a society where the higher your reputation, the harder you have to fall. I think this is the case with Anthony Weiner.

He was in a high position of power by being a Democratic representative. Because he had such a big reputation he had a lot to lose, and that he did. When he was investigated and later charged for texting explicit images of himself to a young woman who was a minor, he lost everything. You can read about his court case here. It details what happened, and how the sentencing was judged. Not only did he lose his position, his wife filed for divorce, he was sent to prison, and had to be registered as a sex offender.

At first he denied what he had done, but the truth eventually came out. I think that although he eventually came clean to what he had sent, the damage was already done. When I hear about a public figure denying any sort of scandal and trying their best to cover it up, only to realize they can’t so they tell the truth, I tend to not accept their apologies. To me it seems that they are not remorseful about what they did, they are remorseful about being caught. Anthony had several cases of sexting scandals  and only after he realized he was going to be charged did he stop denying what he had done and start apologizing. When your every move is being watched, I do not think trying to hide what you have done will do you any favors. It will only make you seem guiltier.