Aaron Williams

6-3-17

Extra Credit

One concept that I found entertaining during this class is the different fallacies we learned about. Today in my extra credit blog I’m going to talk about the Three Men Make a Tiger fallacy. What you will gain from this blog is the benefits, flaws, and a little background information.

Many of us fall victim and initiate this fallacy everyday. This fallacy basically believes a story after hearing it so many times. Now just take a moment and think about how many times you have did that or if you’re doing it now. For an example when I was growing up my sisters will always tell me if I put salt in my shoes and let it stay in them over night then I will grow a couple inches next time I wear the shoes. Not only did my sisters tell me that but so did my grand-mom, mom, and aunties so I use to believe it. I know this is a childish rumor but I’m showing the correlation and accuracy of what this fallacy mean and how easily we believe things.

The problem with this fallacy is that it doesn’t account for any true evidence to make it creditable. For an example I can start a rumor and say Johnny rob my house last night but he really didn’t. After I start to tell people this false accusation word of mouth will get around and now people will start to judge Johnny character and view him as a thief. Also this will start a lot of gossiping. Another flaw in this fallacy is how would you be able to know if the person you’re listening to is creditable and honest? These are just a couple of flaws with this fallacy.

But they’re a couple benefits to this fallacy also. To me the biggest benefits is a person can create an image for their selves by put them in a position to be successful. For an example I can start a rumor and say I have intern for some of the top investments companies in the state of Georgia. After word of mouth get around and the right person might hear it and that possibly can lead me to real job opportunity.

As time past and the more our nation has developed this fallacy has became one the most used fallacy to me. Because if we look on TV we see a lot of reality and talk shows which is nothing but gossip session and the world tune in everyday to watch it. This is my blog about the Three Men Make a Tiger Fallacy, I hope you enjoy it. 

Extra Credit

Tanner Townsend

Comm 250

Friday June 2, 2017

Powerful Speeches

            “Powerful words can move a crowd,” this is a quote that hold a lot of meaning. Throughout time we have seen powerful leaders sway the beliefs of the audience through the phrasing and word content that most appeals to their like/ dislikes. In this class I most grasped the concept that it is the argument that can sway the thinking of the audience rather than what is being argued.

            A topic that we talked about in class was that fact that it is not what you say but how you say it. That the audience is not always swayed by the topic that is being argued but in cases the argument that they find most confirming. An example of this was what we talked about in class of the speeches that have turned history for good and bad. For instance, Hitler was creating speeches that were absolutely terrible but people were following his words and the way he talked. He built Ethos that gave him the credibility to control the minds of that many people. But on a brighter side we see how many people had switched their beliefs when Obama came into office based on his ability to speak.  

            The part that amazes me so much about this is that most humans talk on an everyday basis, other find ways to persuade people but it can be self-taught, nut there is ways to learn to manipulate your words to reach the audience in a more efficient way. I feel as if this topic in the class gave me more insight into the importance of rhetoric and how it can help u in many situations. As we go through life there will be many times where we have to speak to prove ourselves, to get a job, to plead a case, the situation in which we will speak for ourselves is infinite.

I feel as if this class taught me many things in such a short time but the one thing that I took home the most was the fact that’s words are powerful but it is the way in which you speak them is how you gain the interest of the audience in order to win them over. speaking has been a part of our history for as long as history is recorded and it is up to us to find a way to win our audience over through speech.

            

Extra Credit

Today in my blog will concentrate on the rough independence false notion. Inside the blog will discuss the advantages and imperfections of this paradox.

Subsequent to get-together a comprehension about this paradox I never envisioned what number of us were raised on this misrepresentation, not from being power to experience thusly but rather by the structure of our general public in the United States. Growing up your folks, relatives, and companions likewise say/push you to be the best individual you can be. For an illustration, in case you're skilled in scholastics or in games you generally here the maxim "hone make culminate" or "diligent work beats ability any day when ability doesn't work to better themselves". These quotes essentially aggregate up what really matters to the rough independence paradox.

Presently by having a general comprehension about this misrepresentation, now lets delve further into this paradox. In America we are an independence nation, which mean we consider and put our requirements first before we consider the following individual. This attribute is created at a youthful age from what we are instructed. We are educated to be autonomous, dependable, and have an independent perspective, this is a piece of the rough independence error. The defects in this technique is, say in case you're experiencing tough circumstances and need a shoulder to incline toward to get past this harsh circumstances, you need have individuals close by on the grounds that doing your life you lived just for yourself and demonstrated people you needn't bother with them. Additionally you need have the capacity to set up great kinships since you will be taken a gander at by your companions as childish, conceited this wouldn't enable you to construct trust and faithfulness among other individuals.

Another piece of this deception is the request of being exceptional. What it means by being extraordinary is the matter of being a sure way where nobody can identify with you. Despite the fact that you may not be a one of a kind individual society needs you to. We should have the capacity to set up and isolate ourselves from other so we need be characterized or seen by others as the normal individual or the same as every other person. The defect in this strategy is compelling individuals to be something their not. Being interesting isn't a typical attribute that everybody is conceived with and making individuals round forgotten or not feeling acknowledged by not being novel, put a strain on society by costing stress and sorrow.

Another piece of this deception we are educated at a youthful age is concentrating on our quality and capacities so we can enhance ourselves. Likewise we should work in ranges to enhance our shortcomings. I don't see a defect in this piece of the strategy. I thoroughly concur with these ones in light of the fact that so as to enhance, we should chip away at our qualities however to end up plainly a balanced individual we should take a shot at our shortcoming as well. I can identify with this by utilizing sports as my illustration. In games our mentors dependably instruct us to rehearse our qualities since when times get tuff you should depend on your qualities and systems to assume control. Dealing with your shortcoming will enable you to make plays that you didn't believe was conceivable.

This misrepresentation hit home in transit I think and grew up. I wouldn't state I am an individual since I experienced childhood with regarding others, tuning in, and never think your direction is the main method for accomplishing something. In any case, I was instructed to put yourself first since individuals are shrewd and will cross you out by the day's end. So being without anyone else isn't a terrible thing you just became acquainted with how to adjust functioning with others and yourself out.

Filter bubble

My filter bubble is pretty simple for someone with a busy schedule like mine. A lot of my followers of course come from people who know me personally, however adding in fans and sports the list can go on and on. I receive a lot of tweets, or messages of praise and congratulations, and who wouldn’t want to see that all the time. Being a part of the football team, people have a lot of good things to say. Dealing with the school, its programs and students from various places in the world. There is also time when the players can receive hate messages, and negative things about the team. Those are hard to read simply because we have to watch what we say, how we say it and watch who we speak with. So in a way everything I do in the use of social media is monitored, and therefore filtered. I watch what I say, as well as think about it before it is posted. 

Filter means to go through a device to remove unwanted material. By monitoring what I say before I say it, I can filter out more unnecessary tweets that would arise. In reality, filtering is very helpful in a sense of the type of vibes you want around you. Any bad vibes, negative thoughts, or bad tweets, I do ignore. Taking the time out to block each and every individual would cut into the time I barely already have. By placing myself around people with the same goals as me, likes and fans who love what I do, I usually see a lot of the things that relate to something I do, or like. 

The more and more I look further into what actually is on my feed, and the “suggested sites” or friends to follow I notice a trend. The algorithms mimic me, therefore my media is based off of me. I like that the data concludes to what my hobbies are. However on the opposite side of things, I wonder who is really paying close attention to me based off of what I like. Sometimes it is hard to tell who even wants to know me personally. Or if they don’t see me outside of just one role I play. Filter bubbles are used in various ways. Not only viewing certain things on social media but also separating personal from fake. 

Dissoi logoi allows a person to listen and understand both sides of the story. I personally am more accessible to listening to a different view if they know what they are talking about. By understanding the motives, reasoning and roles, the mediator can come to a clear understanding as why this person may view one topic one way compared to another. Dissoi Logoi also has a way of giving a fair chance to all participates within a situation. As well as if the person is genuinely trying to see my side of the view. Then the conversation becomes easier. However there are cases when the other side of the story is rude, disrespectful or not worthy of listening to. At that point it’s simply ignored, which the information gets filtered immediately. 

Extra Credit Post

I enjoyed this class much more the second time through, mostly because we were able to go more in depth into conversations/debates.
The one topic I wish we talked more on was political polarization. We talked a decent amount in one of our class periods about this topic, but I feel that there was so much more we could've mentioned. I would have liked to more about political polarization with our 'Millenial' generation. To me, one of the biggest problems with some of the social movements is about free speech, and what that means to members of each party. In my opinion, if someone in our generation aligns with liberal views, they seem to want free speech for everyone until they hear something they don't like. There are so many other issues that I have noticed in the last year, and I don't want to type out each reason, I just wish we could have discussed some of these issues that are very noticeable in the present day.
I do want to bring up how it is tough to see how my generation is treating people. I think that we are treating veterans worse than illegal immigrants. We protect and defend criminals and outcast the police. Everyone thinks that their party's plan is the right one to rescue America, when there isn't a need to rescue. This is just causing the political poles to divide even more. I loved being able to speak my mind and my views on a daily basis in this class, while others showed respect for their classmates' opinions at the same time. It was the first class I have taken at this University where I have experienced how political arguments should be done.

Extra Credit Post

Christian Gaylord

Extra Credit Blog

Comm 250

            Overall I enjoyed taking this class and what this class proposed to me. With the different topics we discussed in class, nothing caught my attention more then dissoi logoi and how the Internet is trying to disable dissoi logoi. Dissoi logoi is Dissoi Logoi, also called dialexeis, is a two-fold argument, which considers each side of an argument in hopes of coming to a deeper truth. While taking this class, I’ve noticed while I was on the Internet, I would never see anything to do with serious news; by this I mean I would never see what negatives are happening in the world. For example, when the Manchester bombings took place I did not see anything about it on my social media feeds. I think this occurs because I mainly want to see comedy on my social media feeds or pictures of funny animals; but yet again I would like to be well informed with what is occurring in the world.

            I would’ve liked to talk about this a little more in the class because it sparked so much interest in me. I’ve actually discussed with my father why this occurs so often with the Internet. My dad is more of a republican then I am. He told me that he always gets notifications from Fox News and different type of Republican Party notifications. He told me he prefers to see these types of things on his news feed because he wants to argue with his siblings who are more on the democratic side of things. That’s another reason why I enjoyed talking about dissoi logoi so much because I have never really considered the other side of an argument before. When arguing I would assume that I was always correct and the one I were arguing with is wrong. But now learning about dissoi logoi, I consider both sides of the argument.

Pop the Filter bubbles

Blog post 3

Filter Bubble

Zack Darlington

6/2/17

Comm 250

            There are a number of characteristics that a person may use to describe themselves. Hobbies, religious views, political stance, College education or employment may make up the foundation in which someone bases their lifestyle on. Social media plays a key role in creating and then confirming these characteristics. These social sites are created with algorithm’s that are a self continuing process that can produce large amounts of data. Algorithms have the ability to suggest material that we may enjoy, due to our previous preferences. Some user’s may find this very beneficial because they no longer have to actively research and find topics similar to their preferences. Like many things in life, simplifying can have its pros and cons. One example of a pro may be your Amazon account providing you with different types of patio furniture that are similar to the style you have been looking for. This Algorithmic process simplifies the exhaustive steps that are taken when relying on one’s own knowledge to find a similar product. When these algorithms are implemented into a different context, we can see how society may begin to divide. These same algorithms that can suggest movie topics for you based on the movies you have viewed, can also suggest political articles that align with articles you have read in the past. With more controversial or sensitive topics, algorithms can create a divide in our society. The term Dissoi Logoi essentially means that there are two sides to every argument. However, algorithms prevent us from being open to the opposing side. One may not feel that they approach situations close minded, but because we follow the suggestions provided to us from these algorithms, we are less informed on opposing views. However, user’s follow the suggestions that are provided because we are comfortable with the view that is being displayed. This is defined as a filter bubble. Filter bubbles are created by algorithms through the process of understanding what we have a tendency to view the most, and providing similar options. We live in these filter bubbles almost subconsciously because we did not actively surround ourselves with these alternatives.

            On my personal media feeds, I do see an extremely small variety of opinions. This may be due to the fact that I tend to refrain from reading a friend’s political rant, regardless of their party affiliation. When it comes to less controversial topics, I encountered numerous accounts that all vary in what they post. One of my best hobbies involves guns and hunting. A large majority of my browsing time on social media will be spent watching videos on shooting techniques or different rifle reviews. But my feed still consists of make up tutorials or a dog riding a skateboard. When filter bubbles create a social divide, it is known as polarization. I believe that we see an increase in polarization when the topics are sensitive, such as politics. Algorithms were able to create individual filter bubbles, which led to the decline of dissoi logoi, which resulted in an increase in polarization.

            Algorithms clearly have their benefits. The ability to simplify our search results based on our past preferences is greatly appreciated. But like any “great” invention, there is a downside. Algorithms are having a profound effect on the increase in polarization. There are a few ways in which we can continue to apply dissoi logoi, and ease the tension between opposing views. Rather than relying on the internet for your news feeds, make an effort to find a hard copy of the newspaper. This removes the algorithm and causes you to actively search and identify what values you look for in certain news stands. Switching up your news provider can be another way of experiencing different opinions. The greatest leaders are comfortable with the uncomfortable. Step outside your filter bubble and help reduce polarization.