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.