Evolution of Technology: Instagram

Instagram was launched on July 16th, 2010, by two men in San Francisco, Kevin Systrom and Michael Krieger after receiving funding from Baseline Ventures, a private equity company. Krieger took to the app and posted the first-ever photo to the app; an image overlooking a marina landscape. Krieger then posted the second-ever photo to the app and it was a photo of Systrom working at his desk at their office in San Francisco. The two continue posting photos of their food and beverages, puppies, and at the movies watching the new film of that year, "Inception." The app was available on Apple iTunes IOS to download on October 6th, 2010 but was unavailable for Android devices until 2012. Facebook later purchased Instagram from Systrom and Krieger on April 12th, 2012, for $1 billion. 

Over the past decade, the app has had trends of photographing food, animals, art, fashion, and makeup. The platform now offers stories, IGTV, reels, lives, messaging, highlights, a professional dashboard, business tools, shopping, an explore page, and more advanced editing features. Instagram has transformed to be one of the top-used social media platforms in the world. The app currently has an estimated two billion users. 

The app allows users to create quick, easy content and this is a great way to connect with people as well as explore your interests! It is also highly customizable, therefore, there are an immense amount of markets to tap into. 

The advertising industry has never been the same since the introduction of Instagram. Brands are now able to directly promote their goods and services through the app to their consumers. The birth of a new generation of influencers has allowed brands to connect even more with their consumers. The influencer niche is its' own segment of the app and can be viewed as an ambassador program for a brand. Typically, influencers will promote products for a brand in exchange for money, free products, or experiences. This is a cheaper and more effective alternative to traditional marketing. 

Recently, the spread of false information has increasingly become an issue among social media platforms, particularly on Instagram. During political elections, the pandemic, and major international affairs; the spread of misinformation was at an all-time high. It is important to stick to news sources that you know are truthful and unbiased. 

Instagram has infamously been known to set unrealistic standards; especially regarding fitness, wealth, travel, and beauty. There is little to no transparency when it comes to editing photos, and many are guilty of heavily photoshopping their content. This is something that users of the app should improve on, to promote a more realistic version of themselves. 

Instagram has played a huge role in the evolution and development of communication technologies. It has allowed users to instantly post updates to share with other users across the globe. It has allowed brands to directly connect with consumers; establishing relationships for success. It has created a new generation of advertising through influencers. The app's legacy was a key element in the past decade and will continue to be a foundation for the upcoming decades. 

8 Values of Free Expression

​​The sixth of the eight values of free expression is to Promote Tolerance. This can be referred to as the Tolerant Society: Freedom of Speech and Extremist Speech. This idea was mainly developed by Lee Bollinger, the current president of Columbia University. Promoting tolerance allows for actions to have consequences but also remembering that ignorant people cannot be controlled. 

It can be argued that the freedom of speech, especially through the practice of expanding protection to speech that is hateful or violent, teaches us to become more tolerant in all aspects of life; and that a more tolerant society is better. 

The first of the eight values of free expression is the Marketplace of ideas. This can be referred to as the discovery of truth and was first suggested by John Milton, who first said that when truth and falsehood are allowed freely, the truth will win. This also is what makes the truth even stronger.

This stood out to me in addition to promoting tolerance since it supports the idea that the truth prevails. Even when faced with falsehood, the chance for the truth to rise above is likely. This gives people a chance to promote their ideas and for others to accept and embrace these ideas. People are going to gravitate towards things that they believe, even if the press is construing the media. 

Promoting tolerance and social media go hand in hand and as an analyst, you can draw a connection between the two. A theory can help explain a real-world problem by providing concepts to what we observe to show a relationship between these concepts. 

Using social media platforms has many advantages, but with those come many disadvantages. Referring to the dark side of social media, hate speech, cyberbullying, misinformation, and slander are all relevant topics that are part of free speech; and the debate continues if these are protected under the first amendment. Though the majority of violent speech on social media is bad, this has even led to some platforms, such as Twitter, silencing those who speak out about anything and everything. On a larger scale, this is known as prior restraint; when the government stops you from speaking or writing before you even do it. This completely violates the first amendment to freedom of speech. 

On a lighter note, many benefits of social media positively promote tolerance. A core memory that still resides with me is the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in 2020 which created an uproar throughout the entire nation. Though the ignorant people who frowned on the movement were not generally affected, this movement had a new generation of support from a younger demographic. Leaders of the movement used social media platforms to organize protests, speak out against the government and establish a trend of BLM across all of the major platforms, such as Instagram, Twitter, and Tiktok. Bringing awareness to the discrimination of African Americans in our nation promoted tolerance, leading to a more inclusive and improved society.

The Founding Era

It took me by surprise that the chief justice presides over trials of impeachment against the President of the United States in the Senate. I had assumed that the entire Supreme Court presided over the trial because of the severity of the case. This definitely expresses and shows the Supreme Court's power and influence over not only the United States but the world as well. 

It is important to note that the Supreme Court has the ultimate jurisdiction over all laws within the United States. The Supreme Court is also responsible for evaluating the constitutionality of those laws. This key takeaway is important for all US citizens to be informed of, especially before voting during a major election.  

The judges who are on the Supreme Court do not have control over the issues dealing with cases that are brought to the court. Judges have to wait for people to bring their cases to court. Before watching this video, I assumed that the Supreme Court intervenes in lower courts when those judges cannot handle the extremity of the case. The video helped clarify that cases go to the Supreme Court due to the fact that the issue has made national headlines. 

As someone who wants to go into the legal field as a corporate attorney, I have naturally been interested in the legalities of the Supreme Court. One of my biggest inspirations and role models served on the Supreme Court, RGB -- Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She endlessly fought boundaries within the male-dominated legal field.  

Privacy Online & Offline

 

The invasion of privacy is currently a hot topic in the national media. This issue affects not only me but my friends and family members as well. Reflecting over the past year, there have been many incidents that have truly impacted my trust in privacy protection. My school email account was hacked, my mom's identity was stolen, my banking information was breached, and my family's personal information was leaked through my brother's school account. It feels degrading, humiliating, and remorseful when situations of privacy invasion occur. 

The government should implement and enforce laws regarding the invasion of privacy on media platforms. The government should prohibit major corporations from selling consumer data to companies without the consumer's consent. There should be stricter laws that prevent social media apps from violating uses and terms agreements without consumers being notified. Hackers need to be held accountable and justice needs to be served for wrongdoings. 

Electing officials who are willing to work toward protecting the privacy of individuals is a step in the right direction. Laws take time to officially pass, but this is a great way to spread awareness about the issue. As United States citizens, we can protect ourselves from invasions of privacy by upholding our rights and maintaining our amendments. As consumers, we can be more mindful about limiting the amount of information we are releasing to the public. As students, we can protect our daily online consumption by clearing our history. 

My Top 5 Sources For News

 

1. Apple News 

This is the most convenient news source since all of my technological devices are from Apple. The app sends me notifications of current news that is both national and international. Typically the stories are not geared toward my interests, but it's a great way to discover other news and stay up to date. 

2. Google News 

When using my laptop daily, Google sends me notifications of the newest and most popular stories within the pop culture industry. This is a great way to stay up to date on the news regarding celebrities, movies, TV shows, and other media-related interests. 

3. WRAL Local News Channel 

From the earliest moments that I can recall, WRAL has been the most prominent and relevant news channel that my family and community consume. I have even had the pleasure of meeting a few of the news anchors and journalists at community events. Watching WRAL is a 5pm ritual in my household. It is a great way to consume unbiased media. 

 

4. New York Times 

I view the New York Times as a classic news source. It has been at the forefront of publishing media and press for decades. This is why I continuously trust it as a reliable source. 

5. Instagram 

Using Instagram is part of my daily routine, which is why this is an accessible, convenient news source. Most of the news I consume on this app is pop culture, global, or fashion related. This is how I stay on top of trends, recent news in Hollywood and international affairs occurring.