Reflection on the Illusory Truth Effect (10)

 

The Illusory Truth Effect is a cognitive effect where we begin to believe any repeated false statement is true. This effect has a tendency to happen even when subjects should know better. The repetition of the misinformation influences the human perception of validity. 

This effect happens regardless of if the person knew the information was false. This effect is impractical to plausibility and personal intellect. 

This effect is tied to the idea of Processing Fluency, which can be defined as the idea that things that are easier to process are naturally associated with the truth. Repeated statements are easier to process, thus being naturally associated with truthfulness. 

With the addition of social media in our day to day lives, the illusory truth effect is more and more common. Especially with high volumes of misinformation being on social media platforms, social media contributes the most to this cognitive effect. Additionally, it's even harder to escape this effect due to our constant contact with social media platforms. 

Social Media can even purposefully manipulate our belief system using this effect. Pertaining to biased media platforms, they will only put out information that aligns with their political beliefs. Hearing the same false claim from the same few biased media sites will create the illusory truth effect. 

Not only does social media influence this effect, but we do too. When we see this repeated information, we are more likely to share it with our peers. This can lead us into groupthink and reinforce false ideas. This spread of information is very dangerous and can lead to uninformed voting.

Unfortunately, this is a difficult effect to recognize and break from when we experience it. The best way to try and avoid it is to use "critical thinking" skills and evaluate all information, if it is constantly repeated, and if it comes from a trustworthy source. 

Social Credit System (9)

 

The Chinese Social Credit System is a corrupt hierarchy system that creates government supported classism and discrimination. 

The overarching idea of this system is to monitor citizen's financial, social, and political activities in order to steer the economy and govern Chinese society. This idea was formally declared in 2014, however it can be traced back many centuries to the "warring states" period of China. Essentially, Chinese culture has been built off this simple, yet complex, application of classism. 

The first credit databases were developed in the mid-1990s, formally recognized as a banking credit registry system. Moving into 2004, Chinese President Jiang Zein endorsed the early social credit system. His endorsement mentioned creating a "well-rounded" and "socialistic" society in China. Throughout the early 2000s, additionally policies continued to be put in place, creating the system that monopolizes Chinese society today. 

Data is collected through educational, financial, and criminal records, as well as through general internet searches and social media. The more concerning collection of data comes from surveillance footage and new facial recognition technology. 

This data collection reminds me of our class topic of privacy on and offline in American culture. We have a similar system of data collection that, at further inspection, is an equal invasion of privacy as seen in China. While our government may not have a hierarchy system that uses this data as punishment, our online internet usage is not protected and can easily be manipulated by the government. As a society, it is important we are careful online to prevent a system similar to China's. 

The impact of this data collection results in a reward and punishment system used by the government. Those with high scores become top priority citizens and gain amenities like tax breaks, employment priority, and cheaper public transportation. Those with low scores may be denied permits, access to public services, and limited access to credit. As stated before, this system creates a social hierarchy almost impossible to deviate from unless you have the proper resources. 

Focusing on a more specific issue, citizens can be punished for criticizing or not serving the government. Similarly to the sedition acts our American government has implemented a few times, this criminalizes free speech. While free speech is not necessarily a protection in the Chinese government, it creates a lack of democracy within Chinese communities. Government plays a big part in how we interact in our society. Without the freedom to speak openly about our opinions, either to find like-minded people or learn different viewpoints, we cannot create a holistic society. 

In reflection on the Chinese government and policy, the Social Credit System does not surprise me. What does surprise me, however, is the similarities I find between their system and our government. Processes like data collection and unwarranted government surveillance concern me as I have further educated myself on the Chinese Social Credit System. I believe it is even more important that we as citizens participate in our local, state, and federal elections and educate ourselves on updating policies. 

Kindle/E-Books Through The Lens of Diffusion Theory (8)

Kindle is an electronic E-Book reading device and the most popular e-reading device in American culture. While many readers still hold pride in their physical book collections, many people have switched completely to e-reading. 

Diffusion Theory is a bell curve placed on a graph with time as the x-axis and penetration as the y-axis.

 

It moves through several different periods: Pioneers, Early Adopters, Early Majority, Late Adopters, and Laggards. Additionally, as we follow the bell curve, we move through 5 different phases: Experimental Period, Uptake Period, Tipping Point, Maturation Phase, and Saturation Phase.

Thinking about the application of Diffusion Theory to e-readers, our pioneer era began in the late 1990s with readers such as "Rocket ebook" and "Palm Pilot". While initial excitement is documented, these did not affect the book market. 

In 2006, Sony launched the "Sony Reader", adding an e-book store to their device. This would push us into our early adopters period, as this reader, being more developed, was more popular. 

The heart of our early adopters phase began when Amazon launched their Kindle e-reader in 2007. They also launched a large library of popular books, gaining attention and interest from readers. The innovation of Kindle spiked e-book sales, moving them up to 20% after 5 years. Soon after, Kindle went international and added more popularity to this product. This spike moves us into our Early Majority phase. 

Following this popularity, we move into our Late Adopters phase around the mid-2000s. With Kindle's growing updates and innovations, Kindle became more popular to those looking for leisurely, easy reading. With Kindle being portable and having easy library access, Kindle became a no-brainer investment for reading. Additionally, Kindle can be seen as more eco-friendly, as it does not need paper resources to produce its product. 

Our Late Adopters and Laggards would begin with the uptake in TikTok popularity, beginning in roughly 2020 and moving through the past 5 years. I personally have seen many TikTok videos influencing viewers to invest in a Kindle e-reader. 

I, personally, have not invested in a Kindle e-reader. I love to read, but prefer reading physical books. My mom, being considered a "Laggard", recently bought a Kindle and enjoys how easy it is to access different books. 

Anti-War Voices (7)

 

Anti-War movements have always been discredited and ignored by our government. While censorship and subsequent punishment aren't protected, the government is still getting away with gatekeeping websites like Antiwar.com and The American Conservative. 

War has a few "benefits" to government and economy, such as maintaining power or economic interests, but war hasn't always been just for beneficial reaping. Some war participation protects "national security" or fights to solve social issues. Unfortunately, America has not been involved in war for these reasons in many decades. 

Many of the wars America participates in are controversial, keeping the media on their side is ideal to eliminate political backlash. Hiding sites like Antiwar.com keeps the more extreme anti-war ideas out of media attention, allowing the government to control citizen perception and keep popularity. War is a sensitive topic that is usually a major influence on people's political perception. With easy, widespread access to these resources, both parties would lose support and receive a lot of backlash.

Allowing citizens access to sites that have endless anti-war stories and influences gives a greater power to the people, as our first amendment right covers protection to protest and press. Additionally, it allows for greater education, most likely leading to higher voter turnout and ultimately a loss in power. 

War being such a controversial, and hot, topic in today's society, it does not surprise me that there is a level of "censorship" on anti-war websites. This "censorship" is a big reason I advocate for doing your own extensive research. It is important for all citizens to do what they can and educate themselves on all policies and plans, especially when our country is involved in war. 

War is fatal and dangerous, and not many parties have anyone's best interest in mind. Holding our government accountable and informing ourselves on issues like this is important. 

Reflection on the History Of Magazines (6)

 

Magazines were first developed in Europe during the 17th century. This media had a difficult time sitting in one category early on, resulting in magazines being an in-between of newspaper and pleasure reading. 

The first real magazine was published in Germany titled Edifying Monthly Discussions. These proved to be very popular. As we moved into the 18th century, female readers increasingly popularized magazine style publishers. We still see this today, as magazines are typically marketed towards girls and young women.

Following magazine popularization, Great Britain published the three major and most influential magazines. These were consistently published weekly and focused on different yet specific topics. 

The first American magazine was published in 1741. Those first magazines did not last long; however, moving into the 18th century, magazines flourished. Magazines were made cheaper and quicker. American popularization proved continuous female interest. The first truly successful magazine was The Saturday Evening Post. This magazine printed from 1821 to 1969 and included many popular authors. 

With continuing popularization, magazine prices needed to lower in order to keep mass circulation. This was achieved by increasing advertisement price and lowering the sale price. Magazines became a very sought out way to advertise products and services. The lowering price increased magazine sales and held the industry together.

Moving into the 20th century, new types of magazines emerged. These included picture, news, and business. A combination of picture and news magazines are what we see most today. News magazines became increasingly popular during the 1920s. This became the main source of news for many years. Photojournalism became popular as the rise of picture magazines began to sell. 

Moving into the 21st century, technology began to affect the popularization of magazines. We moved to digital articles and "print" releases that dominate our lives and how we access our media.