Blog Post 8

 Diffusion Theory and the Personal Computer

Personal computers (PCs) started to become mainstream in the 80s, and many were on board with adopting the new technology. According to Everett Rogers' diffusion of innovations theory, there are five main "stages" in attitudes towards new innovations, including innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards. 

Diffusion theory

Innovators are, clearly, those who assist in the creation or early development of a technology. Early adopters are typically "ahead of the game" (ex. the usage of DALL-E Mini before commonplace AI). The early and late majority make up most of consumers, while "laggards" are reluctant to adopt the technology.

 

 

2000s computer design

The majority of people fall into the early majority or late majority category. For computers, the early majority typically fell between the late 80s-early 90s, while the late majority fell into the late 90s to early 2000s. 

 

Much of the initial resistance to computers was due to pricing. In 1983, the Apple Lisa was priced at $9,995-still expensive now, but more so since that would be around $27,314 adjusted for inflation. Not every computer was this expensive, but many models were at least a few thousand dollars adjusted for inflation. 

 

Additionally, computers contribute to higher global energy use and e-waste. According to the University of Oxford, "A typical staff desktop and screen used for eight hours results in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions equivalent to around 70g CO2e arising from the electricity consumed. Aside from environmental, the invention of computers also slowly led to social issues-especially what many label "social isolation" due to the rise of digital communication and decline of face-to-face. This issue was increased by the Covid-19 pandemic with the rise of platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

Computers became more accessible in price and user-friendliness after the 70s and 80s. However, there was a fear of the automation computers would bring, as many believed computers would replace their jobs during the 80s.

 

 

 

Blog Post 9

 EOTO: Five Eyes

The Five Eyes Alliance- including the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand

After World War II, five of the world's largest English-speaking countries formed the Five Eyes Alliance, created to share intelligence. The alliance began with the Atlantic Charter of 1941-an agreement between America and the UK, created during the Atlantic Conference, for post-World War II principles. These principles included agreeing "not to seek territorial expansion; to seek the liberalization of international trade; to establish freedom of the seas, and international labor, economic, and welfare standards." (Office of the Historian).  

After the Atlantic Charter came the BRUSA (Britain and USA) Agreement (later renamed the UKUSA Agreement) in 1943. Three years later, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia joined the alliance, solidifying itself as an English-speaking intelligence alliance. According to the USANAS Organization, much of the intelligence shared was during the Cold War, including "signal intelligence, satellite intelligence, human and military intelligence." 

After the USSR was dissolved, the Five Eyes Alliance shifted to "citizen surveillance and digital communications." This monitoring of the average citizen was not known to the public until the 2000s, as Five Eyes remained a mystery to the public for many years. Information about Five Eyes is still vague and limited.

 

In 2020, the Five Eyes attributed a "severe risk" to data encryption, though this encryption protects transactions and personal information shared by citizens. To get around the issue of surveilling its own citizens, countries in the Five Eyes (or its subsidiaries) will request another country in the alliance to surveil their citizens. 

 

Edward Snowden, well-known whistleblower, mentioned the Five Eyes' involvement with NSA spying. Even while researching the Five Eyes, I could find little concrete information due to its "secretive nature," with even cybersecurity website NordVPN only having vague descriptions of the types of information gathered by Five Eyes.

 

Other groups associated with the Five Eyes also exist, including the 9 and Fourteen Eyes that feature other countries. However, the 9 Eyes is more closely associated with "countering terrorism and other security threats." (NordVPN) As information about these alliances has become more public, privacy concerns have been raised, with journalists Mary James and Catherine McNelly citing VPNs (virtual private networks) as a possible solution to data stealing.

 

Image from Allaboutcookies.org

 

 

Being a form of "unofficial alliance," the main issue surrounding Five Eyes is security and "human rights violations." For nearly 80 years, The Five Eyes Alliance (or early versions of it) have targeted citizen's sensitive information, unbeknownst to most people. Protecting your data online through VPNs and being mindful of the legitimacy of the websites you use is the best way to combat this surveillance. 

I believe that my generation is especially susceptible to this surveillance, as our constant use of social media already hinders our privacy. Social media sites have access to our names and locations, with little privacy even when being cautious online. I think we can benefit from monitoring our social media use and the permissions asked by websites we utilize. The Five Eyes preys on individuals who may not be aware of how to be secure online. I use technology every day for artwork, writing, and communicating with others, so it is beneficial to know how my data is being used and how to protect it.

Blog Post 7

 Antiwar Voices

Anti-war voices are typically censored in media due to dissent, which Dictionary.com defines as "to disagree with the methods, goals, etc., of a political party or government; take an opposing view."  

 

 

Lee Camp, former presenter for the show Redacted Tonight, spoke at length about his opposition to the Russia-Ukraine War. Redacted Tonight was backed by Russia, but the show, which had run for years, was suddenly cancelled by US sanctions due to their dissenting views. All of their archived content on YouTube was also banned from the site.

 

 

Lee Camp on censorship

Most anti-war perspectives are found on "obscure" websites-even when looking for articles about anti-war perspectives. I found few articles about anti-war voices from popular sources. Websites such as Antiwar.com contain opposing views to the mainstream, leading to them being pushed into obscurity. 

Aside from dissent, American spends billions on, essentially, war funding. Journalist Sahara
Sajjadiankhah commented on the National Defense Authorization Act, with $389.5 billion of the total
$816.7 billion in funding going to "military contracts to secure weaponry and services from defense
contractors." 

 

In 1918, the FB Sedition Act was passed to reduce anti-war, specifically World War I, perspectives, as "the targets of prosecution under the Sedition Act were typically individuals who opposed the war effort, including pacifists, anarchists, and socialists." (Boyd, 2025).

 

According to Cornell Law School, Near v. Minnesota (1931) ended with the ruling of prior restraint  being unconstitutional-though notably still allowed in "exceptional cases," such as during wartime. 

The top two results on Google for anti war censorship are from the same source

Throughout America's history, those who are anti-war have been censored, with modern examples such as Lee Camp being completely banned from social media sites due to their views causing dissent, as well as the weapons industry and American economy "benefiting" from war.