Year In Review

Year In Review

HPU Logo

This class has taught me a lot about how the media effects people within society. From learning about different theories, to court cases, to privacy laws, I learned a lot more from this class than I had expected. 

I found it really interesting to follow the history of influential American court cases because being from Canada I really had never heard of many. While I didn't expect the amount of history that was taught in this class, I really did end up enjoying it. 

It has also significantly helped with my writing abilities. Although it was just a weekly blog post, I often wrote extra after being inspired by something in the media or in my social life. That is something that I loved about the blog... some weeks I would be writing about things we learned in class, and the next I would be writing about what my team was up to that week. 

I found that writing about class work often felt more factual than colorful, but it was interesting to see how my writing style changed between the two types of blogs. It seemed to flow easier when I wrote about things like Movember, the Amphitheater run, or the Maymester. I assume this is because I enjoy creative writing a lot more than making news articles, but It taught me a lot about where I may want to take my talents in the real world and what type of industry I may want to end up in.

I think a lot of what I learned in this class is easily transferable to the real world. Knowing the immense amount of power that private companies have in regards to our personal information online is something that should scare most, and is something that I didn't really understand before.

This class has definitely made me more aware of my online footprint. Meaning that I am now a lot more careful about what I post online. Your online information is just as permanent as a tattoo.

Overall this class taught me a lot about American history, how the history affects us today, and about how easily we give people access to our personal information. I really enjoyed the class and look forward to taking classes with Dr. Smith moving forward.

Privacy, Online & Off

Privacy, Online & Off

Privacy Settings

Your online footprint is something that is very permanent. Therefore, you must be very careful what you put online. What most people do not realize is what goes online stays there forever. Throughout the many different Ted Talks that I watched for this blog it made it even more apparent just how careful you must be.

In the first Ted Talk, by Juan Enriquez, he compares your online footprint to tattoos. This is because what you post online is just as permanent as getting a tattoo. The only difference is that when you die, your tattoo dies with you, but your “online tattoo” does not. This is a scary thing to think about. From someone who loves tattoos, and I have many myself, I realize how important the decision-making process is when deciding what to put on your body. I take years to decide what tattoos I want but have never took the time to decide what I put online. Although I have been very careful not to put anything too bad online, you can still find some slightly inappropriate pictures of me. Maybe I need to think a little more carefully about what I post going forward.

Catherine Crump’s Ted Talk talked primarily about the power that police stations and government agencies have. They are using license plate readers and cell towers to uncover locations and tendencies of all citizens. They may claim this is for their citizens protection, and that it may one day become useful, but really it us just them constantly spying on us. Yes, it is important to find the locations of wanted criminals, but to do so for innocent civilians is simply wrong. Why should the government be allowed this power? They should not, but there is little that we can do about it now.

In Cristopher Soghoian Ted Talk is about telecommunication companies recording all our calls and texts. He explains that these companies have done this for our protection, but it has simply gone too far. There are benefits of this like spying on terrorists and other national security threats, but there are also negatives. Hackers can easily gain access to this information as well. So, while they may be protecting us from threats to our safety, it is our privacy that is being attacked. He claims, and I agree, that the negatives of this power outweigh the positives.

The most important things to take from these Ted Talks is to be careful what you put online, and to understand that you are always being watched. Today the government has a lot of power and is constantly able to spy on its citizens. There is not much we can do about it but being more cognizant of what we do online can help protect us moving forward.  

Juan Enriquez

Catherine Crump

Christopher Soghoian

Movember

Movember

Movember Slogan

Movember is an organization with the goal of raising money for prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men's mental health. This organization was created because of the generally shorter life expectancy among men because of these three health issue.

What the Movember organization does is has people create an online account and grow a mustache for the whole month of November. People then donate money to their individual account and then the organization spreads the money throughout different charity organizations. Movember acts as the middle man for collecting money, and shares it with different research groups and charity organizations. 

This is the first year since my sophomore year of high school that I have not taken part in the movement. In years past, I have raised over $500 towards the cause, but this year I simply became too busy to promote my account. 

Although I have slacked this year in my donation efforts, many of my friends have been passed the torch and are taking part this year. I have about eight kids on my team that are currently signed up through the Movember website and are raising money for the cause. 

I love this organization because it allows people to grow a creative, or even hideous mustache for one month of the year without people judging you. When you see someone with handlebars in July you may question their choices, but in November you can assume that they are doing it for a good cause. The organization sees the struggles that are apparent in men's health today, and aims to attack these issues head on. It is something that I would strongly suggest people take part in moving forward.

Movember Website

JUUL: My Personal Experience

JUUL: My Personal Experience

JUUL Logo

Vaping has quickly taken over the college and high school student bodies all throughout the United States. JUUL is one of the most popular vaping companies. The company claims that their electronic cigarettes are meant for adult smokers, but it is easy to read through that claim with them selling fruit flavored pods aimed at the younger generation. Flavors like mint, mango, fruit medley, cucumber, and creme brulee are extremely popular among the younger generations. 

When I came to High Point University from Canada I had never even heard of a Juul, but that quickly changed. Within the first couple weeks I saw most of my friends with one of the e-cigarettes, so like most curious college students would do I took a hit. It was my first time trying any form of nicotine because I never liked the idea of smoking cigarettes. Why did I feel like this device was better that an actual cigarette? I don't have a good answer for that question, but seeing my friends vaping made me feel like it was okay. 

I vaped for 2 years. I started my freshman year and stopped within the first couple weeks of my junior year. I always felt like it was bad for me, but when trying to quit before I had quickly realized I was addicted to nicotine. 

I always thought that quitting smoking would be an easy task, but I was very incorrect. I would see someone hit their vape and feel an itch. For the month while I was trying to quit I realized that I was noticeably more irritable and tired.

Today's issue is that both college and high school students are under the impression that vaping is cool, but are not thinking about the potential health risks. Lately, people have been getting sick and in some cases even dying from these devices, but kids continue to vape. The addictiveness of these vaping product is something that most people do not understand and is what is keeping people from stopping.

You would think that with all the research that is coming out about the negative effects of vaping that people would stop, but like smoking it is not that easy. My goal moving forward is to help kids quit. I now realize how hard it is, so I want to make it easier on other people.

JUUL Empire

Vaping Related Deaths

Total Information Awareness

Total Information Awareness

Total Information Awareness Diagram

The Total Information Awareness program was created by the United States Government in January of 2003 as a part of the Homeland Security Act. It was created to collect data from both public and private servers to detect any potential national security threats. It was also commonly referred to as Terrorism Information Awareness. 

In September of 2003, the same year that the program began, Congress officials voted to terminate the program and cease its funding. This stopped it for a while, but it was reported that the software used for the program shifted to the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2006. 

The issues that arise from this program is the amount of power that it gives the United States Government. While there are clear benefits in finding potential terrorist threats, there really are no boundaries on who they can spy on. This means that everyday citizens were, and still are, being spied on by the government.

This program gave the government access to some very private information that many may not realize. Things like bank deposits, credit card purchases, passport information, web browsing history, license registrations, etc., are now able to be seen by the U.S. government. 

This poses some very serious privacy issues. Should the government be allowed to access our personal information like this? Absolutely not, but to think that we could stop them would be very naive. While there are some clear benefits to this program, the negatives clearly outweigh the positives.

Total Information Awareness

Total Information Awareness (TIA)

My Online Presence

My Online Presence

Clarington Green Gaels

In today's class we discussed the power that private companies have in regards to our online information. It is scary to think that agreeing to most companies privacy policies allows them to have full access to your personal data. From there, these companies are allowed to share the information with whoever they want simply because you "voluntarily" gave them the information by agreeing to their privacy policy. 

Luckily for me, I am the opposite of a social media junkie. In honesty, I really hate the idea of social media and what it represents. I find that it is an escape for some people from their reality, but does not paint a true picture of what their life is really like. People are able to post pictures of their fancy vacations or extravagant parties, but in reality they probably do not live that type of life for most of their life. 

I express my hatred for social media because it helps understand why I have such a small presence when searched on the internet. I do not even have Facebook or Twitter. This makes my digital footprint a lot smaller than most peoples. 

When you search my name on the internet the first thing to come up is a UFC fighter, but secondly you will see pictures of me playing lacrosse. This is because over the years I have had articles posted about me from newspapers in my town or from organizations that I have played for. I do not necessarily love that these articles are so readily available online, but I would rather these types of articles be posted than ones talking about my personal and social life. 

When companies are looking to hire me in the future, I am now a lot less worried of what they may find. I have tried to keep my online profile very clean over the years because I was trying to be recruited for lacrosse, which I think will help me out in the hiring process. 

If I had advice for young people with social media it is to never post pictures with alcohol present. This is something that I have seen a lot over the years in both high school and in college. While it may not seem like a big deal to most, posting a picture with a beer in your hand while in high school is you giving proof of underage drinking. Legal repercussions never come of this, but it paints the wrong picture for yourself online. This is something that my high school coaches instilled into me and I have carried with me into college. Even though I am now 21, I still refrain from posting pictures at parties for the effects on my self-image. 

I left the ad industry because our use of data tracking terrified me
Clarington Green Gaels
Tyler Stinson Team Ontario

Diffusion of Innovation Theory

Diffusion of Innovation Theory

Effectiveness

Theory Explication:

The Diffusion of Innovation Theory describes how people within society adopt new forms of innovations over time. Obviously technology is not created and adopted by everyone overnight, so this theory describes the gradual adopting of these innovations into society.

It begins with the pioneers/innovators. These are generally the people who created the form of technology, or colleagues that work along side the inventors. At this point in time they are both using their innovation for their personal benefits and to improve any possible bugs that can be found within the technology.

Then the innovation will move into the early adopters/early majority section of the diffusion process. At this stage generally the younger generation who is eager to learn about new technology will be the ones to adopt it first. This is where the innovation will really get its feet off the ground and start to earn some popularity.

At the climax of the Diffusion of Innovation Theory is the tipping point. This is where there is a moment in time, normally where something significant occurs that pours the technology over the hump into the remainder of society. An example of this may be the iPhone being launched and grabbing the attention of the rest of society in regards to cellphones.

This then leads into the late majority/late adopters portion of the diffusion process. This is where you will typically find older generations who are late to the punch on new technology. It after the tipping point occurs where they almost feel out of the loop without the given innovation.

Lastly, you have the laggards. These are the people who may have low incomes so they can not afford the technology, live in remote areas so it does not reach them, or simply are not interested in adapting with the new era.

Theory Application:

Instagram Logo

This theory can be applied to almost any new innovation, but for the sake of this blog I will discuss the diffusion of Instagram into society. Instagram was the fastest growing social media network as of 2015. The app allowed for people to share pictures and videos to people of their choosing without needing to send them individually. It was one of the first times that any easy to use platform like this was created, and people quickly began to love it.

The pioneer/innovators section in the case of Instagram likely took place before the public launch of the application. This is because it was the fastest iPhone app to reach 1 million downloads. Therefore, the pioneer section of diffusion would likely not be happening within that time frame.

The early adopters section of Instagram would have likely come withing the first 2 years of the apps release. This is the moment where users starter really picking up interest in the app and using it for more than just sharing photos with friends. People started to see it as more of a marketing tool, and with that it lead into the late adopters stage.

The late adopters are the people in this case that did not see the importance of the app from the start, but realized its significance in today's modern world. Now there are people who use Instagram as a way to promote either themselves or their company. Since so many users are now on this site it makes for a great way to create free advertising for yourself.

Lastly, the laggards would be people who are left without internet connection on their phones, or people who simply do not like the way social media is taking over. There are still many people in this category, but most have adjusted with the times.

Diffusion of Innovation Theory
fastest growing social media network
Why is Instagram so Popular?

Maymester

Maymester

Paris: Picture

I was approached by my french professor who asked me to sign up for the french Maymester. The trip looks absolutely beautiful and completely submerses you into the french culture. You start in Paris, and make your way all throughout France on a two week adventure. I would get to experience the culture, learn the language, try new foods, etc. 

Being a french minor, this is a very appealing trip to me. I want to learn everything there is to know about different french speaking places worldwide.

But, I have now reached a dilemma in my academic career. I have been told all throughout my life that school always comes before sports, but while in college sometimes that is not always the case.

I am on the lacrosse team at High Point University and my games are played in the spring. Our conference tournament would end on May 6, but our team has much bigger aspirations this year. We feel like we should not only win our conference, but make a good run in the NCAA tournament.

The issue that arises here is that the Maymester would commence on May 12. This means that if we were to win our conference, then I would not be able to go. I am stuck in a weird place between being in love with the french language and the game of lacrosse. I know that whatever happens I cant have both. It is a sad, but simple realization.

For me, the chance to tour the world has always been something that I have wanted to do, and to do it with friend and classmates would make the experience even better. On the other hand, this is my third year on the men's lacrosse team at HPU, and I am hungry for a ring.

Decisions...decisions.

Maymester

Promote Tolerance

Promote Tolerance

SELMA: Promoting tolerance and empathy online

The idea of the promoting tolerance is one of the eight values of free expression. It is the idea that there are no laws restricting people from hateful and upsetting speech. The reason for this is that it created a more tolerant and overall better society. 

It allows people who use hateful speech to be called out by individuals in society rather than having to deal with a court system. People are allowed to voice their opinions whether it be good or bad, but if it crosses boundaries than we are responsible for holding them accountable. 

An example of this idea being put into place is in the case of the old Atlanta Hawks owner, Bruce Levenson. Levenson was caught sending racist emails to a colleague talking about how "the black fans scared away the whites." He was forced to resign from his position of the team, and got a lot of backlash from the public. 

I personally love the speech theory of promoting tolerance because it singles out the hateful people within our society without needing the help of the law. It allows citizens to hold each other accountable without relying on higher powers. I am not saying that we could survive without law, but the idea of letting our citizens stand up for what they believe to be morally right or wrong is something that I would love to see more of. 

The sense of community and togetherness that this theory brings forth is amazing. Do I think it is cruel and ignorant to use hate speech? Absolutely. But while we as citizens hold these awful people accountable for their actions, the law is responsible when their evil thoughts turn into actions. This cohesiveness mostly works well and is what makes this country special. 

Lee Bollinger, The Tolerant Society: Freedom of Speech and Extremist Speech
Promoting Tolerance
Bruce Levenson

HPU Men's Lacrosse Amphitheater Run

HPU Men's Lacrosse Amphitheater Run 

Roster Photo

On September 11, 2019, the High Point University men's lacrosse team ran 1980 steps at the HPU amphitheater representing the 110 floors of the North Tower of the World Trade Center to remember those who died on 9/11.

The run as lead by Sean Coughlin, a Junior attackman on the team who lost his father on that day. His father was a broker in New York City and worked at the World Trade Center.

The team ran with energy and enthusiasm. No one complained about getting up early to do the run because it was all to support their teammate Sean.

At the run was Larry Quinn, a professor of marketing and sales at HPU who lost his stepson in 9/11. His son, Tom, was a firefighter in NYC who was responsible for rescuing firefighters who were in so much trouble that they needed saving.

In the past the team has always done something special on 9/11. In 2018 the team did the Tunnel to Towers run in NYC in memory of Stephen Siller who was a firefighter that ran through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel after it was closed off for security reasons. Sadly he did not make it out alive.

It is amazing how the team does something to remember Sean's father every year. The team is able to rally around him and show him support in times of need. The team created a culture that really is a family rather than just a team.

Amphitheater Run

California Bill Will Pay NCAA Athletes

California Bill to pay NCAA Athletes

Breitbart California Bill

A state bill in California is fighting back against the NCAA in regards to paying their athletes. The bill would let NCAA athletes get payed for their likeness while in college. It would also allow them to sign endorsement deals which has never been allowed before. 

This bill is monumental for college sports because it is the first time that college athletes will be able to make money while in college based off their performance. 

This issue has been talked about for a long time, but has recently got significantly more press. This is largely due to the emergence of Zion Williamson to the NCAA basketball scene. Now drafted to the New Orleans Pelicans, he took the college sports world by storm. His viscous dunks and thunderous blocks drew significant attention to the sport. 

Both Duke University, where Zion played, and the NCAA made a ton of money of Zion's success, but he made none. Is this fair? The answer to that question is simply no. While he did receive a scholarship to attend the university, that hardly compensates him for the amount of money and attention that he brought to both Duke and the NCAA.

As a college athlete myself, it is hard enough to find time to do my homework after a long day of practice, workouts, and film sessions. This makes it almost impossible for me to go out and find a job while I am here. If I were able to make money off endorsements it would at least allow me to make money while at school.

I do not believe that I deserve the amount of money that Zion does, but I would at least like the opportunity to earn enough to pay for the odd meal off campus. While Zion deserves millions of dollars in compensation, other NCAA athletes do not. The idea is not to pay the athletes equally, but to at least give them the opportunity to make money based of their performances and likeness.

Breitbart California 
BillESPN California Bill

Newspaper

The Newspaper

Publick Occurences

The newspaper has been around for many centuries now. It was the first time that people were able to receive updates on current affairs, political ideals, entertainment in their cities, etc. Newspapers created a sense of connection between citizens who no longer had to rely on word of mouth.

The first newspaper in English was called the London Gazette of 1666. For a while it was the only sanctioned newspaper, but by the end of the century many newspapers were being circulated.

In America, the first ever newspaper was called the Publick Occurences and was published in Boston. Although it was published without government authority and was quickly banned. 

By the time of the Revolutionary War multiple newspapers were being circulated. Many of which were talking about war propaganda.

Today, newspapers are not nearly as popular s they once were. Since the creation of the internet, online news has exploded in popularity. This is due to the how easily accessible news is on the web. 

With the creation of social media websites it has made finding news incredibly easy. Twitter is very commonly known for being the first place to look for breaking news. This is due to the ease of posting on the app. It is quick and easy to share information through Twitter which often makes it a great place to find news. 

When looking for more details on news content it is often better to look at actual news websites like the New York Times or the Huffington Post. These sites will give you more in depth looks at stuff that may be briefly covered on sites like Twitter.

The overall importance of the newspaper is incredibly important to our society today. Without the creation of the newspaper we would not have the means to connect with our communities or even the rest of the world. Newspapers were the first time that information could be circulated about far reaching areas, and has forever changed the way that we receive news today.

newspaper

Sam Ehlinger

Sam Ehlinger

Sam and his Family

Coming from Canada, college football in America never really appealed to me until I got to school here. It has now become a tradition of mine to watch football on Saturdays with my teammates. I have no specific team to root for, but I love cheering for my friends teams.

On team that I often cheer for is the Texas Longhorns because of my good friend Hayden Baker. He grew up in Texas, and his family has always been Longhorn fans. But the team is even more special for him now because of one specific player.

Sam Ehlinger, the quarterback at Texas is a high school friend of Hayden. He tells stories of running routes for Sam for hours just so he could get his practice. Although Hayden was on the team too, he never had the aspirations of taking his talents to college, so he was really just doing it to be a good friend to Sam.

Now, Sam dominates most Saturday match-ups and is always exciting to watch. But what I did not know was that he had lost his father at a young age.

In this article by the Player Tribune, it talks about how his father passed away at the age of 46 due to a heart attack. It shows how close he and his father were, and how tragic the loss was to him. What was most important about the video though was how Sam thought he was being selfish for feeling bad for himself. He saw his younger brother and realized that he needed to be there for him instead of himself.

I love articles like this because it really humanizes athletes in a way that most people do not normally get to see. We put athletes on pedestals, and even sometimes see them as almost god-like beings. This is simply not the case. Professional and amateur athletes that are watched on a large scale are people too, and it takes articles like this one to really talk about their character rather than their talents.

Sam Ehlinger

Facebook - Are we Protected?

Facebook - Are we Protected?

Facebook - Logo

Recently phone numbers from past and current users of Facebook was found on an online server. There is no knowing what these numbers were used for, but only that they became public records. The issue with this is that companies can use these numbers for soliciting calls, and there is nothing more annoying than that.

Another issue is that it becomes an issue of potential identity fraud. Although the numbers may not have any serious personal information attached to them, it is a stepping stone for further gathering of information. A lot of online security codes are verified through your name and phone number. With some forms of social media having minimal security it could become a large threat for those whose numbers were leaked.

What comes into question here is how the information got leaked, but also whether or not Facebook should be held responsible for the leak. They may not have put the information online themselves, but it was their site that the information was retrieved from. Should they have better security in place to protect users from leaked information? I say yes.

Facebook - Users Leaked Phone Numbers

The Supreme Court

The Supreme Court

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is a very prestigious branch of the government who is responsible for handling only the most serious issues. Some of these would include appeals made by serious court cases, and a lot of presidential rulings.

One of the important things that can be drawn from this video is the fact that all appeals that are sent to the Supreme Court receive the same amount of consideration. Each appeal is carefully passed up the ladder to the eventual final decision to be made by a member of the Supreme Court. So, although they may not read each individual case, people who are well qualified decide which ones they should spend their time reading.

The Supreme Court has more power than other forms of the criminal justice system. Although it did not always have this large of a level of authority. It was over time that the Supreme Court gained its recognition as the highest level of the American court systems, but it is not a clear separation.

In an interview with members of the Supreme Court, they discuss the various issues and disagreements that they face when coming to decisions but are all able to agree that they are always working together to achieve the same goal.

Supreme Court Video

Fight for Gender Equality

Fight For Gender Equality

Steph and his family

Being a Sports Communications major I am always looking for stories that have strong ties to sports.

The ability that professional athletes have to bring attention to important issues really is powerful, and you can see things like this all the time. From Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem to peacefully protest police brutality in America, to Serena Williams speaking out about gender equality in sports. 

In this article found on The Players Tribune, written by Stephen Curry, a professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors, he explains the importance of shrinking the pay gap in the workplace while talking about his love for his daughters. 

He explains that he has been surrounded by powerful women his whole life and that his daughters are beginning to grow into themselves now too. He sees the women that then will one day be and hates the idea of unequal opportunities for women compared to men. 

Curry even goes on to say, "I want our girls to grow up knowing that there are no boundaries that can be placed on their futures, period."

This is a very powerful article not only because it is written by one of the most popular names in basketball today, but because the issue is brought up by the perspective of a dad rather than a famous athlete.

Celebrities are often put on pedestals and we often see them as some forms of higher beings in many ways. This article humanizes Curry and brings him down to a level of your everyday loving father.

The gender pay gap is something that has been an issue since the beginning of time, and it is only with people speaking out about these issues that it will be fixed. 

Steph Curry: Gender Equality