Throughout the semester in MADT307, we learned countless ways technology is used, implemented, future predicted growths, entertainment, social issues, and even policies regulating technology. One of the greatest learning outcomes I believe to be the most important is trends. This impacts the future of how fast technology may grow and be utilized in our everyday. Trends shape the future in today’s modern age of digital transformation. The current and future trend that stood out to me was 5G networks. Data from Statista, a provider of market and consumer data, indicates that by 2024, 5G mobile network technology will have reached more than 40 percent of the global population, with close to 1.5 billion users. Also stated in our class powerpoint 5G will have a significant use in the future. Another trend in technology and development is artificial intelligence. Deriving from the internet of things, Artificial intelligence ranges from personal assistant like Alexa and Siri, to self driving cars like Tesla and Google. This created a curiosity of how AI will look like in our future and the ethics behind these highly intelligent devices. One of my favorite classes was the video about the trolly problem. This problem showcased the ethics behind people and where we stand with ethics behind technology. It’s not as simple as a decision, but a consequence that follows that decision.  

Social issues have become more apparent in today’s society than ever before, but the way technology plays a role have really opened my eyes on what’s going on in today’s modern age. Problems such as inclusive gaming where women don’t have a safe place to enjoy doing something they enjoy like playing video games without being disrespected. Inclusive gaming has been a topic of discussion for years now and with game content being designed for a specific audience, the stereotypes of gaming consumers have changed throughout the years. Instead of the stereotype of a white male who is straight, women, and even communities such as the LGBT have spoken up against the unfair treatment that women and other races face when dealing with the gaming industry. Another topic that stood out as a social issue was FOMO and our addiction to social media. Our addiction of presenting our best life at all times and fear of being left out has become a significant problem in today’s society. FOMO, or known better as, the fear of missing out, has created a negative impact, but an awareness of myself and those around me. Social media is the key driver of FOMO in my personal life, from the new cars, vacations, to sunday brunches, people’s lives look so amazing on camera. This created tons of social anxiety in millions of teens and adults lives all around the world.

Trends in technology give a glimpse of what the future holds and how it might be shaped for generations to come. Faster technology, greater processors, more computers, more devices in the internet of things, and even AI all play a beneficial and negative impact in all of our lives. Social issues often become greater because of our dependence on technology and comparison to others around us. This class has really opened my eyes on where technology is, and where it plans to go in the future. I am confident in my understanding and communication of current trends in communication technology, and able to critically examine and communicate the role communication technologies play in our lives and society at large. Thank you for the amazing semester.

FOMO, or known better as, the fear of missing out, has created a negative impact, but an awareness of myself and those around me. Social media is the key driver of FOMO in my personal life, from the new cars, vacations, to sunday brunches, people’s lives look so amazing on camera. This created tons of social anxiety in myself, and has given me worry that I’m not living up to my peers. Eventually realizing social media is only highlight reels of people’s lives, I have learned to understand that everyone around me, does not have a spectacular life every moment of the day, and they are still figuring life out. Nobody has life figured out, and if they do, they are usually lying. Understanding that it’s not about comparing myself to others, but improving myself is what helps me live the life I want. If I always compare my life to everyone else’s, I will always be unhappy, but if I focus on what steps I can make to get ahead, I am full of gratitude and happiness knowing I don’t need it all figured it out. FOMO has created a negative impact in many people’s lives, but if you can focus on yourself while still appreciating those around you and the lives they have, you’ll be significantly happier in the end. This is my experience with FOMO and how its shaped my life.

This blog is focused on France and Getty Images policy and laws regarding photoshop pictures.

First off, I completely support Francy and Getty Images policies and conditions regarding photoshop. For the first reason that photoshop is used by advertisers to promote their products, and if their models and examples are retouched, its a false image of what the product guarantee the customer. Another reason why I support their policies is because it’s unrealistic to meet the standard of what these photoshop models look like. To their six pack abs, to curvy hips, to flawless face, it’s no wonder people are miserable and unhappy. These eventually create negative perceptions of body images in customers and public which gets the customer to continue coming back to purchase their product. I believe this is a manipulation to exploit the public’s flaws instead of highlighting their individuality and valuing people for who they are. I believe the US should have a similar law to the one in France, because we should come together and support and respect people for who they are.

Inclusive gaming has been a topic of discussion for years now and with game content being designed for a specific audience, the stereotypes of gaming consumers have changed throughout the years. Instead of the stereotype of a white male who is straight, women, and even communities such as the LGBT have spoken up against the unfair treatment that women and other races face when dealing with the gaming industry. First off, diversity in gaming is significant because video games empower and influence on an emotional level in the lives of players. This gives players the ability to escape their real life and become the hero in any world they can imagine. In the article of Why Diversity Matters, it states that “Diversity is significant to the gaming industry because it goes beyond race, gender identity, but can impact the audience of gamers with disabilities.” With creatable avatars, the traditional white male who is skinny is often projected, but what about women, children in wheelchairs, old men and women, or people who are large in size or other disabilities. This is the foundation of creating a safe place for all players because accessibility and inclusivity are different parts of the same message. This will create the message that they can be accepted anywhere, both in real life and the gaming world. Creating a safe place means a variety in costumes, gender and sexuality respect, and not judging others for being different, but being entirely supported and celebrated. Supported and celebrated for who the individual is gives players the identity of knowing they matter despite being different.

The stereotype of who gamers are and the actual evidence gives a glimpse of the demographic the players are. In the U.S., 45 percent of gamers are women, according to the Entertainment Software Association 2018 Sales, Demographic, and Usage Data report. With this evidence, game developers have made steps to making women the main protagonist in games like Tomb Raider, Star Wars, and Horizon Zero Dawn to beloved indie games like Firewatch, and Night in the woods. While video game content are making shifts to give room for female representation, game developers and the video game industry remain male dominated. This has created a sense of self-imposed responsibility to encourage more women to join the ranks and has given confidence of other races than white males to become part of the beloved video game industry. POC has stepped up and aimed to tackle racial equality and inclusion movement by improving representation and to encourage people of colour to work in the industry. This program has become one of the greatest resources for people of colour and has brought attention to who people are represented in video games. A black man is usually the LA gang member, but POC wants to represent people from all over the world, such as the Caribbean, South Asia, and even people of Birmingham. All races and genders should have the equal playing ground to be represented in video games, but also be apart of creating the video games itself.

Internet is significant to society because its a broadband connection that enables us to access job opportunities, education, consumer goods, information and to other people. Some people in the united states are without internet and its usually in rural areas and this gives them an unfair disadvantage to access education, jobs, and connections to other people and this is what is known as the Digital Divide. More than 30 percent of rural America still lack what the FCC considers adequate broadband and this is the standard of 25 megabits per second. Sometimes referred as the homework gap, this can create an academic burden for teens who lack access to digital technologies at home.  Stated in Pew Research Center’s article, 17% of teens say they are often or sometimes unable to complete homework assignments because they do not have reliable access to a computer or internet connection.

Some of the solutions on solving the digital divide is supplying students with an internet connected device or other technological devices such as a laptop, or tablet. In this solution, students are able to take the device home and this gives students and their households the ability to access the world of the internet. This solution is only half of the process on closing the digital divide because internet access is the key component on not only giving students internet, but their households as well. This program works just like a school extension of school wifi. Login codes of the school ID number and select location will be needed. You are unable to freely travel across town doing hw with your access code. You’ll need to be in a close proximity of your house. This creates a regulation on privileges not being abused, and students using access for education purposes. Your family is able to use the code as well and up to three devices are able to connect with your code at a single time while in the proximity of your home.

The entertainment giant, known as the music Industry, has gone through significant changes throughout the years and is just finding its footing again in the demanding market. In recent years, streaming, especially the paid subscription audio streaming, have accounted for more than half of the music market. While streaming is not the only type of service to purchase music, streaming itself has only gone up 41.1% up from 2012 to 2018. “By the end of 2017, there were 176 million users of paid subscription accounts globally, with 64 million having been added during the year.” (IFPI) Despite growth in the music industry, copyright infringement remains a current and evolving problem. The term “stream Ripping” is the latest issue facing the music industry and community. While growth and problems arise, the direction of where the music industry is a mystery for many, and the future has endless possibilities to be discovered. One of the directions the music industry is headed is the aspect of streaming services. While streaming services give listeners the ability to play any song, any album, and even the ability to create personalized playlist is available, the way we interact with streaming services is where the future of the music industry is headed. From shazam, to voice command, and even devices like Alexa, playing music has never been easier and convenience is the focus in the future of the music industry.

The consumer is one half of the music industry while the artist and musicians play the other half. With services like CDbaby, DistroKid, Soundcloud, these services give artist the ability to distribute their music onto music platforms without the need of record labels and agents. The future of the music industry eliminates the need for record labels because each artist will be their own management team, publicist, and distribution. Online streaming has taken over the music industry and with the access to distribution of personal music, local acts can become worldwide superstars with one popular hit. Unlike mega stars like Katy Perry, One Direction, or Drake, local and small acts have a shot at the fame or making it big because of the fair playing ground every artist stands on. This is the future of the music industry and its moving faster than ever.

In this article of Augmented Reality, it focuses on the benefits of using Augmented Reality in organizations and businesses. Some of these benefits include how we learn, the way we make decisions, but most importantly, the way we interact with the physical world. Since augmented reality adds digital elements to a live view, it allows employees to rapidly and accurately absorb information. From automobiles, medical, and even engineering, augmented reality allows customers, employees, and inventors to see 3-D representations of virtual images that will provide real time, on site, step by step visual guidance on various tasks.

Heppelmann, James. Porter, Michael. (December 2017). A Manager’s Guide to Augmented Reality. Retreieved from https://hbr.org/2017/11/a-managers-guide-to-augmented-reality

The article from Engine Creative, gives in depth reviews and support of managers, marketing managers, and project designers and their outlook of Augmented Reality. It then starts describing the key benefits of brands and organizations and how Augmented reality can impact and give their business and organization an upper hand on production and efficiency. One of the other topics the article focuses on is the use of Augmented Reality in people’s everyday life.  

Engine Creative (n.d.). Unlocking the Potential of Augmented Reality. Retrieved from https://www.enginecreative.co.uk/blog/unlocking-potential-augmented-reality/

Group Rules:

1. Show up to scheduled meetings.
2. If you can’t make it, just let us know in the group chat, and we’ll fill you in.
3. Everyone participate equally as possible.
4. Any resources/articles you come across, put links on a shared google doc so we all can
   access it.
5. Be chill to one another.
6. A group member will be removed only if they do not participate or volunteer for any of
   the workload. Additionally, if they do not contact the group over the course of multiple
   group assignments.
7. We should divide up work and have a framework for who will be doing.
8. Topic:
   The technology our group has decided to focus on for our kickstart is:
   The questions we need to answer for the blog for the technology we choose: What’s interesting about the technology? What do you want to learn more about?
   Notes for if we choose Augmented Virtual Reality: Virtual Reality can be defined as visual sounds, sight, etc. that mimic a real or imaginary environment. In our textbook, it is noted that Augmented Reality exceeded its expectations of consumer adoption in 2016, but still have inhibitors, or disincentives for adoption (pg. 194). It is also noted that 5 major challenges involved in increasing the adoption of this technology surrounds: a device, all-day battery life, mobile connectivity, an app ecosystem, and telco cross subsidization(pg.194).
   I think that although this technology has been mainly used for gaming and entertainment purposes, I would be interested if there could potentially be any medical or therapeutic uses for such technology. I also would be interested to know if there are long term effects as far as how they impact people psychologically.

For the communication technology Kickstart project, I always wondered why computers were so important, but the opportunities of what will the computer technology become in the future seemed just as interesting. I believe the computer has become very important in today’s society because it is very much accurate, fast and can accomplish various task at once. Beyond the overall use of the internet and applications that are packed into a computer, communication and computers have worked hand in hand from the start of its design. Computers communicate using telephone lines and modems. Through email, we can send messages to anyone in the world, and with Apples Imessages, you can send messages that go directly to phones, watches, and even other macbooks. Being an Apple lover, I have grown to love their features that integrate all of their technology together. With Icloud, you can store data in a cloud and retrieve it to any device by a click. Another amazing feature of communication is AirDrop and the ease of transferring files, documents, PDF’s, or even songs to nearby friends and family. With computers, education and information have never been easier than this. With learning management systems such as Blackboard (The service we use at Chico State) many courses have an online space to participate in discussion threads and forums, chats, and video conferences. Collaborative functions in office applications such as GoogleDocs allow us to view revisions and add comments in real time, making the process of relaying feedback more efficient. Some of the things I would love to learn about computers are AI assistance and how a personalized artificial intelligence can impact our future of technology and communication. At the moment, my knowledge of AI is that it enables people to approach task or problems and solves it, but what about AI and our communication to others. It seems that AI can adapt to your personality, habits, trends, search history, likes dislikes, so it only seems that when machines get smarter, we can begin to measure and track human behavior in ways that were never before possible.

CellPhone

1982 Mobira Senator NMT-450

https://wontek.com/retro/nokia/nokia-mobira-senator

1989 Motorola MicroTac

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_MicroTAC

2002 Blackberry 5810

https://www.cnet.com/pictures/a-decade-or-so-of-blackberry-smartphones-pictures/2/

2005 Palm Treo 700w

https://www.cnet.com/reviews/palm-treo-700-review/

2019 Iphone XS Max

https://www.apple.com/iphone-xs/