Media Law Blog

Technology has no doubt become an extension of ourselves in everyday activity. Whether it is a text notification, Twitter buzz, or a quick glimpse to see what is next on your calendar, people are constantly looking at their phone. Now the real question is… How does this affect our relationships with one another? Is there a benefit to technology? When couples go out to dinner, it is common knowledge that each of them should put phones in pockets or purse, but what some people tend to do is set it on the table. Even just the sight of the phone can throw off the entire evening. Each time your partner looks at the phone to respond to a message, it is taken as a type of rejection. These little things may not seem important, but do they build up over time. Technology can also affect our friendships and relationships with family. The number of times I’ve heard someone over the age of 65 point out that “Young kids are always on their phones nowadays and no one can hold a conversation”, is

What does 200 million mean in social media? Imagine 200 million people sending selfies and pictures to one another. Snapchat had over 200 million users at the end of Q3 in 2019. This type of social media has changed how we interact with one another. Now, what would one expect when there is a global pandemic and everyone is stuck at home? People result in using their social media to stay in contact with one another. Snapchatting friends and family during this time allow people to see faces and it is nice for that type of connection. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Snapchat has increased its daily users by 11 million. This is proof that the app is receiving more attention. Not only do people send pictures back and forth, but they have also been video calling on the app. With new updates to the app over time, it has become more and more valuable for communication. Games have sparked the interest of the users sending filters back and forth keeps people entertained. Guessing

Is there going to be a shift in how we communicate with one another due to the Coronavirus? Are we going to think of new ways, or possibly revert back to more traditional styles of communication? With this being a very stressful and anxiety-driven time of our lives, some suggest social media is not what we need right now. The UK has taken on handwritten letters to communicate with one another to try and decrease their stress. Mental health is very important during this time and we need to help one another. People have said that a handwritten card or letter helps them date back to a memory with whom they received the message. Digital text and posts do not have the same effect because there wasn’t as much time and effort put into it. Studies have shown that these cards and notes are the most effective way to communicate love towards your family and friends. With everyone being stuck in their own houses, it is always nice to receive a handwritten note from your best friend from

The First Amendment of the United States Constitution states, “ Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” This right that Americans have has been tested in the past, but what happens when there is a global pandemic? In Michigan, there were people out front of the state capitol protesting the stay-at-home order that was put into place to protect the citizens of Michigan. Many states around the nation have struggled with these protests in fear that it will lead to the spread of the COVID-19 virus. As stated above, the people of America have the right to assemble and the individuals out front of the State Capitol were exercising that right. Their frustrations come from the closing of businesses and being told to stay at home. But now is when the mor

Propaganda can be defined as information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view. When I think of propaganda, my mind goes towards the messages created and delivered during World War II. When I was younger, these are the examples my teachers would discuss and show us.  This type of propaganda to instill fear seemed to be used most often. Whether it was a Nazi hat on a baby, alluding to the future if people didn’t buy war bonds or poverty in Germany encouraging individuals to stand with Hitler, there was always some form of fear behind it. Now there are different forms of propaganda as well that are encouraging and empowering, for example, the “we can do it!” poster created to empower women working in the factories. Propaganda was used aggressively to send messages to the public during that time period and has become vital to how we study this form of communication today. In today’s times, propag

When I first thought about my online footprint, I did not imagine that it would be that large, but then I did some digging. All my peers seem to have some type of social media to stay engaged with others. The main purpose individuals see for social networks is to stay connected with each other. I made my accounts public because I do not believe i have anything to hide. Always taught that if you wouldn’t want your grandmother to see it, do not post it. After scrolling through my phone, I realized that I have several social media accounts, some I use more than others. I have, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, GroupMe, and LinkedIn. I use almost all of these accounts daily. Each one is used in different ways though. I utilize Instagram to keep up with my friends from College as well as those from high school. I tend to find myself scrolling on this platform and wasting countless time because I am interested in what others are doing. When it comes to my posts, they us

There have been said to be many benefits to Freedom of Speech in the First Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights. Different individuals value certain aspects of what Freedom of Speech entails. I believe the “watchdog journalism” theory should be valued and also respected on both sides of the argument, for and against. This theory can be defined as oversight of government by the media. News outlets are supposed to use this type of journalism to hold the government accountable for the public to understand and see what is occurring with their elected officials.  But to begin, we will look at an event that happened in history that not many people remember or have even been taught. During President Ronald Reagan’s administration, he had made a few decisions that he would one day have to face the watchdog journalism of the United States. Reagan supported the people of Nicaragua that were trying to rebel against the Sandinista Government. Due to the Democrat control of the Ho

The first computer was about 1,800 square feet and was created in 1943 by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2007, Steve Jobs introduced the first generation of the iPhone, which he described as “a widescreen iPod with touch controls, a revolutionary mobile phone, and a breakthrough internet communications device”. This quote in no way did the iPhone justice in terms of its capability and expansive use. What was originally called a glorified iPod Touch has now become a supercomputer in the pocket of over 100 million people. What used to take a computer hours or days to do now takes a fraction of a second, and the most current generation of the iPhone is more powerful than a lot of personal computers available to consumers.  The iPhone’s impact on communication cannot be understated because it created its own unique form of communication. While Apple was not the first company to think of instant messaging, Apple refined and perfected the idea wi

Before the age of radio and satellite phones, soldiers in combat used a much more peculiar form of communication. Going back as far as 776 B.C, carrier pigeons have been used a form of “instant” communication to relay the results of some of the first Olympic Games as well as orders in wartime. Known for their reliability to return to their home, Homing Pigeons were trained and used in World War One and World War Two to communicate enemy positions and signal for help.  Being a student in 2020, it is amusing to envision a pigeon being your most reliable form of communication in wartime. But like all old forms of communication, pigeons came with their limitations. The biggest one is that they were animals with no prior training or use in wartime or person to person communication. While they were skilled at navigating to what was their “home”, a message sent never guaranteed a message received. In addition to that, using pigeons was a very one-sided form of communication. Pigeons wou

Opinions surrounding war are plentiful but a majority of them never receive mass media attention. Anti-war conversations are never publicized but why is that? Is it because the media believes Americans enjoy war and its coverage? Or is it because Americans believe war is what keeps us safe? I believe it is not because people enjoy war or disagreements between nations, rather than military funding on a global scale that moves our economy. Most of the federal spending in a fiscal year is allocated toward our military.  Keeping America safe is a top priority to not just the government but for every citizen. Anti-war can come from an angle of individuals not understanding the purpose of a large military or our involvement in foreign affairs. There are always two or more angles to an opinion and that is fair and should always be considered. The matter of the fact is that military bases abroad keep us safe. The men and women in uniform deserve our utmost respect whether or not your opini

Facebook is one of the largest social media platforms used worldwide. They have struggled in recent years to remove "fake news" from their server. The 2016 Presidential Election in the United States could possibly have been the biggest "fake news" time frame in politics. Facebook worked diligently to remove all false news article headlines on their server. With many Americans just scrolling through their timelines multiple times a day, it is likely that most individuals do not click the link to read the full article. The downside of this is when the headline was created for that exact purpose. Most people will read a headline and feel like they know the entire story. They will then base their opinions off of an eight-word headline that could be completely false or spun. This is dangerous to our society. In this technology addicted era we live in, we take less and less time to view the credibility of our sources. There is no more double-checking the authors p