All About Alternative Media

Media streams and news reports are always right in front of us, sometimes these media outlets are so loud that we don't even realize there are other sources of information. Alternative media is defined as: Newspapers, magazines, or online sites that are privately owned and circulate messages that are felt to be underrepresented by 'mainstream media'. AntiWar, Democracy Now, and The American Conservative are all examples of alternative media sites. 

So, what are the pros and cons that alternative media provides citizens? For starters, alternative media isn't owned by large corporations and therefore will provide readers with more diversity in political topics. Publishers within these private companies have more unfiltered information as they do not have a brand identity to keep. Lastly, alternative media can make readers feel more connected to their peers as certain topics that they feel passionately on may be brushed over by mainstream media and these smaller websites allow them to see that others feel the same way.

However, like most things, there are some cons to alternative media. For example, even though these smaller platforms are privately owned and therefore less controlled, the downside is the information posted may not be fully accurate and you want to make sure you are being critical of the accuracy of the material that you are reading. Alternative media sites also don't make as much money as the high profit media corporations and unfortunately, may not have enough funds to be on air for a long period of time. They also may miss out on research and reporting opportunities due to money. While smaller sites create a tighter knit community as you are all sharing opinions on topics, these communities can be highly biased and sometimes even ostracized to those on the opposing view.

Society as a whole can really benefit from alternative media as it gives citizens a space to receive political information on a broad range of topics. These articles also provide different levels of analysis as well as show different viewpoints from both extremes. As a Generation Z student, alternative media also allows me to research political topics that may not be highlighted in mainstream media. Having the ability to read about issues from both perspectives also helps me gain a better and more educated opinion on the world around me. 

Alternative Media doesn't just affect me or society as a whole, but it also affects the different groups within our society. 

   Old vs Young: Older generations may prefer regular news stations as they can be accessed easier and they are more trusting of the government than younger generations. The younger people are more likely to use alternative media sites due to their lack of trust in larger corporations and interest in niche topics.

Majority vs Minority: Alternative media sites can be very helpful to minority readers as they may feel not fully represented in larger media programs and connect with the smaller sites more as they feel seen and heard. 

Overall, Alternative media is a helpful resource to those wanting to be more informed on topics not often talked about or even for a student wanting to make their own judgments on political issues around the globe. 

Diffusion of Innovations - Apple's iPod

As consumers there might be products that we adopt early on and when it becomes popular you say, "Hey I've been using that for years!" Or perhaps there are those products that we hold off on buying, whether its because we feel we don't need it or just don't want to hop on the bandwagon. This concept of buying into products or ideas stems from Rogers's Diffusion of Innovations (or ideas) can be seen more clearly in Roger's Diffusion of Innovations Model. 

2001 Apple iPod

The innovation and evolution of music has been tracked throughout the beginning of time. There is archeological evidence that humans having been making music and musical instruments for around 40,000 years. Ancient Greek vases portrayed people playing flute type instruments and singing. In the Middle Ages, aristocratic courts and churches used music and evolved later into the Classical Period. The Classical Period lasted from 1732 to 1827 and composers such as Beethoven and Mozart helped develop the sonata and concerto. 

Fast forward to 2001 when the technology company, Apple introduced their iPod. The iPod combined the past innovations of the record, cassette tape, and radio all into one small gadget that could fit into your pocket. The iPod caught on and spread to consumers as people realized that this gadget was more convenient and reliable to their old cassette tapes and radios. You were now able to plug your headphones into a smaller device and didn't have to carry around your clunky cassette player. The sound quality was also better on the iPod and ran less risk of the tracks being scratched and worn down. However, people may have adopted this technology later than others on this technology was extremely new, and they didn't feel like they had to join in as their radios, records, and cassette players still worked just fine. 

 

Diffusion of Ideas

It's now 2025 and we are seeing the downsides of what used to be brand new technology. We now have small pocket-sized computers that not only replace the old iPod but now replace our telephones and cameras. While this technology has improved our society in many ways, the technology has evolved from being helpful to hurtful as governments and large social media corporations are stealing our data. The government and large companies are now able to gain private information on citizen's day to day lives through phones and voice command technologies. 

Looking back at the revolution from early music to a small gadget that combined all of the past music innovations, to current cell phones in our hands, the positives of this technology outweigh the negatives. However, it's hard to say if in the future, will the negatives begin to outweigh the positives?

What I Learned About the Typewriter

We go about our day-to-day lives surrounded by many different types of technology. All of the technology that we use today started from somewhere. For example, the computer I am using now to write this blog post, wouldn't be possible without the invention of the typewriter. 
In this post I will be sharing a few interesting facts I learned about the typewriter from my classmate, Destini Hunt's presentation and blog post; I will link her blog here: Destini Hunt's Blog

Sholes Glidden Typewriter in 1874

The story of the typewriter we know today began way back to the year 1714 when Henry Mill had patented a writing machine. Although, it would take almost a century for inventors to finally turn Henry Mill's dream into reality.

There were many types of writing machines that were patented over the years, however the first breakthrough for the typewriter didn't occur until 1868 when Christopher Latham Sholes, along with his colleagues, created the Sholes and Glidden typewriter.

Early typewriters no doubt began to pave the path for the technology and communication we know now, but these early machines still needed some tweaking. For instance, the typewriters up to 1878 (when the shift key was introduced) were only capable of writing and printing in capital letters. The early 20th century was also the first time writers were able to see their work in real time, rather than typing a full page only to see errors in the beginning of your writing and having to start all over again. 

The last part of the typewriter's transformational change is when electric typewriters came into existence. Allowing for faster and more efficient work to be produced as well as less strain for the typer. 

QWERTY Key Layout

The Typewriter's Legacy

Even though typewriters aren't commonly used today, it's legacy can be seen in the QWERTY set up on our phone, computer, and any other online keyboard we use today. So, while typewriters may be a thing of the past now, we wouldn't be able to communicate as effectively without its existence.