EOTO REACTION- The Email

 Wow! The EOTO projects were very impressive and I learned some really cool and new information. The project that really stood out to me was learning all about e-mail. 

For as long as I can remember I have always had an email address  to communicate with family who live overseas in the United Kingdom,  Australia, and New Zealand. Email though is an amazing way for companies to send newsletters about upcoming "drops' ' that are happening within the company. Personally, I use email to buy clothing at boutiques or clothing stores. I have a subscription to send me pictures of new clothes, I click the link and then boom I can purchase the clothing item in one click. 

I also use email to get news updates. Getting email news updates is very helpful as I am a busy college student who does not have time to sit down and watch a 30 minute newscast every night. 

Email is an amazing way to communicate with others about almost anything and I can not imagine my life without it.

An example of clothing stores or companies sending me deals over email.

              News update from New York Times via email.

EOTO- Gate Keeping

 Gatekeeping what is it? In my personal opinion gatekeeping is a term used a lot but many do not understand what it actually means or has their own different meaning. I was excited to take a deep dive and learn more about what gatekeeping is. 

First thing first was what does Gatekeeping actually mean. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines gate keeping as “ one who tends to take guard” or a “ person who controls access”. I decided to get some more definitions from other websites. Communication Theory.org defines gatekeeping as “ [a gatekeeper] as a person who decides what information should move to a group or individual and what information should not…  The gatekeeper is having its own influence like social, cultural, ethical and political.” The Cut. com describes gatekeeping as “ When an individual or group controls access to goods and services but particularly to information and people with power”. Based on the information given by these three websites I have decided that my own personal definition of gatekeeping is when someone or something decides ( or decides)  not to share information they want to make public; this could be anything from their personal life to big government information.” 

I think what makes gatekeeping so fascinating and unknown to what it really means is due to the fact it can be so broad. Before doing this research I had only really heard of gatekeeping on a more lighthearted note. Being a twenty something “girly girl” college student I am a big follower of beauty bloggers and social media influencers. In the influencer world a gatekeeper is someone who gets criticism for not sharing the products they use or where they go for meals, etc because they do not want people who follow them to use the products so they do not sell out. If an influencer is accused of gatekeeping online they usually face a lot of criticism for not being real and upfront with their followers and ultimately usually lose the following they gained online. At the end of the day an influencer is supposed to help followers find products, not hide it from them. 

Now that gatekeeping at the end of the day is not really that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things but gatekeeping can get way more serious. Throughout taking Media Law and Literacy I have realized that many big corporations are not telling the whole truth about what they know about us which is really scary to think about. Many online websites like Facebook ( or Meta as a whole), Google, and Amazon ( mostly for Amazon Alexa) get our information after we go on their websites and store it and discover everything about us. This is honestly very scary to think about as they never shout it from the rooftops that they know our information, in fact if it was not for investigators finding out they do store information the world would have probably have ever known. 

Gatekeeping is a basic principle that can be light hearted or have a deep meaning. At the end of the day we have probably all been a “gatekeeper” at one point in our lives!   

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Blog post 8- Privacy Online

 This week’s blog post was all about the invasion of privacy online. The Internet is a very scary place that we rely on every minute of every day.

A video that stood out to me was the Juan Enriquez Ted Talk, “ Your Online Life is A Permanent Tattoo”. The Ted Talk was an “aha moment” for me personally. For many getting a tattoo is a big deal as it is on our body forever unless we pay the “big bucks” to get them painfully removed. While very different, posting something online is permanent and will always be on the world wide web once posted. Even though you can “ delete” a post off social media or online the traces will be there forever and views can screenshot or still see posts so therefore it really is not gone forever. It is important for everyone to understand that and make sure they are actually proud and think about what they post online fits their personal brand or viewpoints

We live in a very scary world so it is also important to know and realize that  our privacy is not really protected online. Once we put in our email’s or information online databases know all about us which is terrifying. It makes me scared for older generations as they are more gullible than my generation ( Gen-Z). We just have to make sure we are extra careful online and use fake emails, or names to not be a victim of anything from the internet! Be cautious it's scary out here! 

Blog Post 7- A New Innovation

 One innovation that has changed my world is Instagram. Instagram was created and founded in 2010 by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger but is now owned by Meta. Instagram is a very fun and easy to use social media app that lets users post up to ten photos or videos in one post or they can do instagram stories where posts are only on users feeds for 24 hours. 

I personally use Instagram every day to connect with friends and family who live overseas in the U.K but I also love it as I get to follow organizations that are important for me. 

I am a Type One Diabetic and like to meet other people who also have diabetes. At times being a college student with diabetes can feel isolating and hard but I follow many instagram accounts like beyondtype1 or the JDRF. These instagram accounts help connect other diabetics together which helps me not feel alone and gives me the opportunity to connect with others who go through what I go through on a daily basis. I would have not found out about these organizations or have connected with people if it was not for Instagram. I find it hard or challenging to open up to my friends about my Type 1 Diabetes as they can not relate to what I am going through. Therefore I find these instagram accounts as a way to open up to other diabetics and to help me know I am not alone.

While at times Instagram can be stressful or used as an app to compare yourself to others I am forever thankful for the opportunities it has given me and helps me connect with people who go through what I go through!