Class Takeaways

Over the course of the semester I have found that keeping a running blog has made me more aware of events and issues in our society.  One of the biggest takeaways is my new, more complete understanding of the First Amendment and the rights and privileges it gives to the American people.  I now understand why we are the freest country in the world.  I have been able to explore topics such as the Supreme Court, multilingualism, and, most recently, the media ban in Sri Lanka following terrorist attacks.  Blogging about these topics has allowed me to learn in depth about each through research.  From this class in general I have been able to expand my knowledge of the history of the First Amendment, Communications technology, and the world, especially the United States, as it pertains to communications and free speech.  I feel that because of this class, I am able to be a better and more aware citizen.  This is because I have a new understanding of what my duties, rights and responsibilities are as someone born and living in the United States.

Why Blogging and Unrestricted Journalism is Important

Simply put, unrestricted journalism promotes the free market of ideas theory.  This states that all ideas, good, bad, and ugly, should be put out for everyone to see.  The bad ideas and good ideas struggle against each other in the eyes of the public, and eventually it is thought that only the good ideas will remain in the end.  So...how does this relate to blogging?  Blogging is a way for the public to make its voice and opinions heard, and it promotes a flow and production of new ideas.  Our society stands on the foundation of ideas, creation, and the voice of the public.  This is just one of the many outlets the public can utilize.

Echo Chambers and How to Avoid Them

Are many Americans and citizens worldwide living in echo chambers?  To answer this we must first ask: what is an echo chamber?  Simply put, an echo chamber is a situation in which people will only hear or pay attention to stories, news, media, etc. that is of an opinion similar to their own.  In this day and age with the scale of online media and the number of media sources, it is easy to find a source at virtually any point on a political spectrum.  This is a double edged sword of sorts because while there are plenty of ways to get a full story, not everyone is willing to read media sources that are outside of their political biases with an open mind.  This means that there are probably millions of people who are stuck in echo chambers.  In order to avoid this situation it is paramount that readers, students, educators, the general public, and really anyone that has business paying attention to news (which is everyone) reads every article and story with an open mind, especially if it comes from a source they would not normally agree with politically.  Another key to avoiding echo chambers is to seek out news media that has an opposing viewpoint to your own.  One of the best strategies to staying informed and aware is to keep an open mind, and avoid being stuck in echo chambers.

Sri Lanka Social Media Ban

After the devastating attacks in Sri Lanka the government issued a ban on most social media platforms (especially Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Viber).  As American Citizens that firmly believe in First Amendment rights, this may be concerning because of the ban's infringement upon what we feel is a basic right.  Well in this case the Sri Lankan Government had a just reason to impose this ban.  That reason was to protect the Muslim citizens in the country and prevent or reduce the spread of disinformation about the attacks.  It was found that people were using social media in order to incite violence against Muslims and spread anti-Islamic propaganda.  There may have been better ways to prevent these things from happening, although the social media ban is not entirely unethical or unwarranted in this situation.