Eight Values of Free Expression

    Individual Self-Fulfillment is a value of expression that I resonate with the most out of the Eight Values of Free Expression. This value is the most important to me because this value is what allows individuals to express themselves. It allows people to create any identity they want for themselves as this becomes an aspect of who we are as individuals and it is how we define ourselves. If we were not allowed to express ourselves in the ways in which we desire, there would be no diversity in our population. Everyone would dress the same, act the same, and do the same jobs. But, with Individual Self-Fulfillment, I am comfortable enough to express who I am to others and not feel judged about it. This also gives me the power to change my identity at any given point in time. Also, I believe that Individual Self-Fulfillment can be seen in action today. The younger generations (such as Millennials and Generation Z) have started to step out of their comfort zones and express who they truly are for anyone to see, especially with the help of social media. This is the time when individuals of different races, religions, sexual orientations, etc. are being accepted for who they truly are. Without the value of Individual Self-Fulfillment, this would have never happened. 

    The value of expression that I see in action today is the third value, Stable Change (aka Safety Valve). Especially when it comes to politics, we have seen in the past years people are becoming vocal regarding their political values and who they like and dislike in office. While this can lead to a lot of anger if someone disagrees with these thoughts and opinions, there are other instances where the ability to "vent" has been incredibly beneficial for an individual, or for society overall. Especially on social media, people are feeling more inspired to share their thoughts and feelings even on topics people may not be comfortable listening to. A lot of individuals will discuss problems going on in today's society regarding the lack of rights for African Americans, women, and people part of the LGBTQ+ community. The more these topics are discussed, the more people become aware of the issues and the likelihood is higher that change can be made. It is also a lot more common to see discussions on how to improve the world around us, on how we can make an impact on climate change and global warming. While not all "venting" especially on social media is positive, it can cause changes to be made which is a compelling right for us citizens to have. 

    To continue with the idea of Stable Change, in the news very recently the world has found out about a shooting that left three dead and five wounded at Michigan State University. Due to Stable Change, people are given the right to "vent" about the issue whether they experienced it in person or heard about it on the news or through social media. Gun control is a huge issue in the United States, and this incident proves it again. This is giving people the opportunity to use social media as a platform to express their thoughts and feelings to hopefully make a change regarding this massive issue. Social media has become an amazing tool to help create change, and people are already communicating about this issue greatly. 

The Founding Era

    Something that I never knew and that stood out to me from the documentary is that sometimes the opinions of the Supreme Court Justices can change. Since the Justices are very well-educated in the field of Politics and American history, it is interesting to hear how a certain case can change an opinion or belief a Supreme Court Justice has. Even at times, the justices will switch sides and the majority becomes the minority. It makes me want to learn more about the Supreme Court and about the cases that stood out to the Justices to make them change their viewpoints. 

   A big takeaway point about the Supreme Court which I found really interesting is when a Supreme Court Justice mentioned how compromise is inevitable. This statement resonated with me because not only will the Justices have to compromise with one another when making a decision about a certain case, but no matter what, you will have to compromise with others in many different situations in your life. It helps to show that other people can bring up great points and collaborating with others can lead to better outcomes than just working alone.     

   The most surprising thing I learned in the second part of the documentary about the Supreme Court is that when they release a decision on a case they have been working on for months, the information can be spread onto the news within minutes. I have always been aware that news can travel fast, but I was impressed at the speed that something so significant such as a Supreme Court decision would be released to the public. It also interested me to learn that the court normally waits to release their decisions and the release of their opinions is announced at the end of their term, which is in late June. While I am aware that the Supreme Court holds a lot of power and can take a long time to formulate an answer, this shows that the individuals on the other side of a case may be waiting for almost a year to be given back a statement regarding their situation. 

   I always knew the job of being a Supreme Court Justice was difficult (especially considering how hard it is to obtain), but the videos really put into perspective for me how challenging the job can be. These videos have shown me that you need to have a large amount of patience as a Supreme Court Justice because if they decide to work with a certain case, it can take them months to even complete a statement. Also at times these statements can be up to 80 pages long and go through many different processes of revision from different staff members all the way to the Justices themselves. The videos gave me a lot more respect for the Justices as it showed how dedicated each Justice has to be towards their career and they all take it so seriously. 

Privacy, Online and Off

    The issue of government surveillance is such a large issue for every single person on the planet. Juan Enriquez's TedTalk showed how there are 18 billion faces online on websites such as face.com. This means that there are multiple pictures of every person that can be used to not only access your name but your social media pages, your address, criminal records, credit cards, etc. A complete stranger can find out so much about you, without ever meeting you in person or having a conversation with you. Along with this, Catherine Crump in her TedTalk gave the audience a reminder that the government knows more than we think and that they are always tracking us. The government will take pictures of your license plate to find out where you are going and who you are with. While this can be used in order to track any charges someone may have when driving, the government likes to keep this private information just in case you may commit a crime in the future. These invasions of privacy not only impact me but my friends, family, and everyone else in the world because it is truly a reminder that nothing that you do in your life is private, even if you think it is. It shows that we need to be careful with what we post online and do in public because it can all have consequences without us even knowing it. 

    The government should be putting an end to websites such as face.com and shut down websites that display an individual's private information for anyone to see. However, since the government does keep tabs on every single person living in the United States, this unfortunately does not seem like a realistic answer. While there are changes that should be made to make our privacy more secure, I do not feel like we will be seeing any changes because the government wants to ensure that they have access to information on anyone they want at any given moment. 

    According to the TedTalk by Christopher Soghoian, he mentions how encryption on cell phones makes it harder for the government or any other intelligence service to listen to your phone conversations or track what you are doing on your cell phone. Apple iPhones have encryption services on their messaging app, as well as for FaceTime calls. WhatsApp is also very secure and can be beneficial to use when you are communicating with someone who is located in a different country. Sticking to these apps as your main form of communication is the best option because other communication platforms or social media apps may have wiretapping and the government listening into your conversations, as encryption makes the government's job 10 times harder when trying to get access to your phone calls and text messages. 

My Five Top Sources of News and Information

TMZ is one of the most interesting news sources in my opinion. TMZ covers mainly celebrity news and what is going on in pop culture. TMZ is almost always the first news source to reveal news to the public (in relation to pop culture media) and has a very quick team of journalists to create a story to be released that same day new information was discovered. TMZ is the first source where I will hear about a celebrity that is recently pregnant, in a new relationship, or may be part of a jaw-dropping scandal. But, because TMZ is always releasing new information to their audience as quickly as possible, this means they may not have gathered the full information needed to cover the story or some information may not be accurate. But I believe it is always very engaging to read a news story from TMZ, especially if it is covering a celebrity or pop culture topic I am interested in learning more about. 

The New York Times is a source that has always seemed reliable in my opinion. I have been able to use many different articles from this news source for numerous assignments in the past. When reading articles from this source, I feel like I am learning something new and the information feels necessary to be aware of. The information from this news source seems more impactful on society rather than the celebrity drama I will also like to pay attention to, as I have previously mentioned. 

Vogue normally sticks to celebrity news (most commonly female celebrities) as well as fashion and beauty news. While Vogue and TMZ cover celebrity news, I like to look at both sources because I believe they share different kinds of celebrity news. For example, TMZ will always be the first source to unleash celebrity drama, but Vogue will stick to news such as a celebrity's favorite pasta recipe, or what it is truly like to work on the set of a specific movie or television show. Vogue gives the audience the impression they know the celebrities more on a personal level, getting more of the inside scoop of their lives rather than what information is normally gathered by the paparazzi on a daily basis. 

Cosmopolitan is more directed to a female audience, however, they do not just only publish articles about fashion, makeup, etc. Cosmopolitan will discuss topics women tend to be more interested in such as vacationing, dating apps, astrology, and celebrity news. However, the company still makes sure to tackle more hard-hitting subjects for women, such as reproductive resources, sexuality, political issues, and sexual assault. I enjoy looking at the website because the topics always seem interesting to look into and the website overall can be seen as calm and relaxing, even when discussing heavier topics. While this may not be entirely accurate, the appearance of the website also makes it feel more reliable and trustworthy than some other sources. 

INSIDER is a source that covers all different kinds of news, but I am more interested in paying attention to the reviews they publish. INSIDER tends to share their reviews or opinions on certain products, apps, restaurants, vacation places, etc. They will also post snippets of their reviews online which makes the company a lot more accessible to those who may have never heard of the company before. I believe that they share some really entertaining information and I feel like I can always learn something new from this news source, whether I am reading an article, watching a video, etc.