After covering and completing the material from this course, I have become aware of numerous things, such as the history and future advancements of technology and communication systems and the current trends and topics that have been a result from these technologies. Reflecting on all the blogs from this semester, I’ve realized I have been able to think about and write on topics that I usually don’t spend too much time on and I have been able to gather a lot of knowledge and opinions on these topics.

A trend that was the most significant to me that I learned in this class is the increased usage of social media by children and young people. According to our textbook, “30% of children between 5-7, 44% of children between 8-11, and 80% of 12-15 year-olds use social media apps”. Reading these statistics gave me a huge reality check regarding the increasing trend of social media usage and dependency by children. I believe I received my first phone when I was in 8th grade and I think most people at my school didn’t receive theirs until they were in middle school. I am curious to see the later effects and potential consequences of having children depend so early on of social media and technology in general.

An example of a theoretical approach that I learned in this class that I thought was the most significant was the critical mass theory. This theory is about users who make up a small segment of the population that choose to make big contributions to the public good. They are innovators and early adopters of new technology and this technology can reach the point of universal access, which means that you can access anyone through some communication technology, such as the phone system. I think this theory is the most significant because innovators are super important to our further advancement of technology and eventually having that technology be accessible anywhere in the world.

A policy that I thought was the most significant was the Net Neutrality policy. Net Neutrality is the concept of internet providers treating all content equally and not blocking or slowing down select content because it might not benefit the internet provider. I think this policy has been relevant for a while and learning more about it in class allowed me to think about the topic for the first in a long time. On paper, net neutrality seems like a logical and fair concept and I believe that a Net Neutrality order passed in 2015. I remember I was either in 8th grade or a freshman in high school and this had become a popular topic and learning more about it in this course unlocked that memory for me.

A social issue that I found most significant was regarding the topic of surveillance technology. Recent technology such as facial technology and Apple Airtags have sparked the discussion of invasion of privacy and potentially putting people in danger. The textbook highlights examples of people finding airtags in their belongings, suspecting that they were targeted for later theft. Facial recognition and video surveillance companies, such as Hikvision, are causing social issues. Hikvision is suspected to be giving the Chinese government surveillance equipment to spy on Muslim minorities in China, and the company has been blacklisted by the U.S.

I think gaming has grown a lot over the past decade or so, especially in the competitive aspect. There are all type of gamers, examples of some are professional gamers, entertainment gamers that post content on Twitch, Youtube, and other social media websites, and collegiate gamers that compete against other schools. I think gaming is stereotypically associated with males and that has caused the issue of inclusive gaming. Even though there are similar stats between number of women and men gamers, gaming in general is related to men and has resulted in harassment and discrimination towards women in this industry. Gaming is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, however a more serious emphasis on inclusivity could make it grow even faster. I think in the competitive and entertainment side of gaming, men are the face of this space and are more well known over women. I love videogames, especially because I get to play and talk with my friends, and I have been playing since elementary school and also really like to watch gaming related Youtube videos. From my experience, I can only name a couple instances where I either played a videogame with a women or watched a video with a woman gamer in it and I honestly don’t think I have been intentional about it. I have played a couple games before like Jackbox and Amongus with girls in my friend group, but outside of that I have not experienced really playing with women and I am not sure if it’s the girls that I am friends with and their preferences or if they feel like they are not very welcome in the gaming space. It would be awesome to see more inclusivity in gaming and have the idea of women participating in gaming be the norm.

I think social media plays a big part in my life and I really don’t know how I feel about it. I haven’t thought about it too deeply however courses that I have taken, especially this one, have made me think a little about the negative effects of social media. I would honestly say that our generation as a whole has a case of FOMO, in general. I consider myself not having a lot of FOMO but sometimes I can’t help it and start feeling regretful that I couldn’t go to this one thing and then I see my friends post about it and that’s when I start to experience a little bit of FOMO. I just think social media was introduced to us at such a young age that it is not only become a habit of ours, but it is a norm and part of our everyday lives. I do agree that social media has a lot of bad things attached to it, from fake news to bullying and people trying to take advantage of free speech. However, I think social media and our individual views on it can be a little subjective. I have seen bad things on social media before, but for the most part I use social media to interact and share stuff with my closest friends, look at sports news and highlights, laugh at memes, and with that being my main focus with social media, it has led to me not experiencing as many terrible things as someone would think.

After reading the article about Elizabeth Warren and her opinion on big tech companies and their involvement in the automotive industry, I think there are pros and cons associated with this.

I think the benefits of having tech companies such as Google and Amazon license their software services to carmakers is a better user experience for customers. According to the article, car companies have been known for making poor infotainment systems, so having their cars support services such as Android Auto, Apple Carplay, and Alexa will help with that issue. Another benefit that I think is a result of this, is that car companies now don’t have to spend as much time and resources in developing software systems for their vehicles. Carmakers can focus more on the vehicle itself and hopefully that can result in a better vehicle, regarding the operational and longevity aspect.

I think the challenge with having major tech companies take over services in vehicles is the fear of monopolies. Relying on these big tech companies for these car services can result in eventual high prices because of their control over the market. It can also discourage innovation and creativity. Small companies might be hesitant of competing and being creative with their own work.

I think the pandemic really showed how important access to personal computers and internet was, where it was most commonly used for work, school, and entertainment. The pandemic also showed the reality of the digital divide in the U.S. and the world and I would say that because of our huge dependence on tech, PCs and access to the internet is arguably a basic necessity for everyone now. I think we should care about the digital divide because without a device or the internet, you are basically disconnected from the world around you and are placed at a disadvantage with not being able to have basic technical skills with devices and the internet. Especially with education focused around having a computer and access to internet, if you do not have then how can you progress and succeed in school? I think we can try closing the digital divide at the foundation of where basic technology is needed: our education system. Our education system is centered around that basic tech and students need access to that in order to progress and succeed through school, and they need that access starting day one, which is also vital for children to start developing those basic technical skills. I think the video we watched in class was a perfect and creative solution to the digital divide, setting up internet routers in school buses and giving students access to laptops are amazing ways to giving them the basic tools to succeed in school.

Music has definitely changed significantly in the last decade or so. All aspects of music have seen a shift, from the listening platforms to the music content itself. Music was listened to and distributed through physical copies, such as CDs, vinyl’s, and casette tapes. Those methods were the most popular ways to listen to music but now they have been completely surpassed by the digital world of music. Digital music was first introduced through downloads and buying a copy of a song or album, and the introduction of IPods helped with listening to music this way. Then streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music were launched, and this completely transformed the way we listen to music. Spotify was launched in 2008 and gained popularity in the early 2010’s. Spotify’s success definitely had an influence in the music industry and played a part in the launch of other streaming services, such as Apple Music, which was launched in 2015. Streaming services quickly became the most popular listening platform and according to IFPI’s 2022 Global Music Report, 65% of global recorded music revenue came from streaming. The report also states that streaming grew 24.3%, to $16.9 billion, compared to the prior year. Considering the dominance of streaming in overall use and revenue, I would say it’s going to continue to play a huge part in the music industry and will do so in the future. Although the physical market this year had growth for the first time in 20 years, an increase of 16.1% in revenues stated in the IFPI report, I do not think it will come close to overtaking streaming in the near future. A big factor of the physical market making a comeback is the popularity in vintage items and this trend has translated over to music, where vinyl’s have become very popular. I can proudly admit that I have been apart of this trend and have been building my vinyl collection over the past couple months.

I believe the content of music itself has changed a lot. The most popular genre of music shifted from rock-related to pop/hip-hop, and the message and lyrics of songs shifted as well. I think that lyrics in the past were more “sneaky”, in terms of the implications of what they were referring to, such as love and relationships. I believe that music today is a lot more straight to the point and artists are freely expressing what they want to say in their lyrics, which some may say are explicit and inappropriate compared to the lyrics of music from the past. Artists are able to express themselves more than ever before and I think that will continue to grow in the future.

Newswire, B. C. D. N. (2022, September 23). Internet of things in food market set to reach USD 10.74 billion and is expected to undergo a CAGR of 9.50% by 2028, industry shares, key players, size and future growth analysis. https://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/internet-of-things-in-food-market-set-to-reach-usd-10-74-billion-and-is-expected-to-undergo-a-cagr-of-9-50-by-2028-industry-shares-key-players-size-and-future-growth-analysis

This article talks about the use of internet of things in the food market. It is expected to grow 9.50% from 2021-2028 and reach $10.74 billion. The internet of things in the food market is focused on the basis of component, node component, and connectivity technology and network infrastructure. These segments can help find areas of opportunity, growth, and strategies to approach the market.

Correa, D. (2022, September 23). Internet of things in Healthcare Market Technological Advancement of Smart Devices Global: Industry Forecast, 2019–2027. EIN News. https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/592379635/internet-of-things-in-healthcare-market-technological-advancement-of-smart-devices-global-industry-forecast-2019-2027

This article talks about IoT in the healthcare market and how recent technological advancements has resulted in IoT gaining popularity and an increase of investment from big companies in order to use it for disease control.

A communication technology that I am most interested in is social media technologies, specifically videos. I am very interested in creating videos and I like to film and edit videos in my free time. Apart from creating videos, I love watching YouTube videos and I watch content regarding sports, travel, news, challenges, and more. Although I mainly watch these videos for entertainment, they also sometimes give me inspiration of what I should include my videos and how I could improve my content. I use Adobe Premiere Pro to edit my videos and I am always searching new editing tricks on YouTube while making new videos and that is something I want to learn more about. Not only Premiere Pro tutorials, but educational videos in general and how they can be useful today. I think YouTube is a great platform to reach out to a younger audience regarding a variety of topics. It’s been very interesting to see the progression of YouTube, as it started off a place to post funny clips and super casual content. Now there are so many YouTube channels that put in so much money in producing a video and the quality of these videos can sometimes be compared to high budget movies, and some of these high quality videos are educational such as instructional help with a variety of school subjects. There are other social media platforms related to creating videos. Tiktok is also a video-based social media app, however they focus more on short-form videos. The typical duration of these short-form videos range from 15 seconds to a couple minutes and it has become very popular over the last couple of years. This is very important because the content on this platform is very quick and abundant, which is resulting in a loss of attention span of social media users. Video content now has to be very concise and straight to the point in order to not lose the viewer’s attention and it will be interesting to see how the trend of attention span continues to develop and how they impact the social media technologies, specifically videos.

Evolution of Listening to Music

Hello, my name is Nicolas Ramos. I am a Senior and majoring in Business Management and minoring in Project Management and I am planning on graduating in the Spring! Some fun facts about me that I am a big sports guy. I love playing and watching soccer, basketball, football, and Spikeball(especially). I am the president of the Spikeball club here on campus and we compete against other schools which is pretty cool, and I also compete competitively outside of college. I am also a big animal person, I have a lot of love and compassion for them and I personally have a dog and two cats. Another fun fact is that my family is from Colombia and it is something that I am very proud of and I love to embrace it. I am looking forward to learning more about tech and communication through this course!