The Supreme Court

Although I previously learned some information about the Supreme Court in high school, I feel like I still didn’t fully understand the history and workings of SCOTUS. After reading this article from the History Channel, I was able to learn many more interesting facts and get a better understanding of what the Supreme Court actually is. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the nation and plays a vital role in the interpretation of the Constitution and the application of the law. Established in 1789 by the Judiciary Act, the Supreme Court is made up of nine justices, the Chief Justice of the United States, and eight Associate Justices. They are appointed by the President and confirmed or denied by the Senate. The justices serve for life, which ensures their independence, and fairness, and also insulates them from potential political pressures. 

The Supreme Court's main responsibilities are to interpret law while defending the Constitution, resolve disputes between the federal government and the states, as well as between individuals or organizations, review appeals from lower courts, protect individual rights, and serve as a critical check on the power of other branches of government. These roles help to ensure that the country’s laws and policies are consistent with the Constitution and that individual liberties are protected. One thing I found surprising that I did not know before was that the Supreme Court does not have the power to create laws itself. However, it does have the power to strike down laws that violate the Constitution.

While reading the article as well as doing some additional research, I learned that the Supreme Court's decisions have had a profound impact on American society and have shaped the course of our country's history. Some of the most significant cases in Supreme Court history include Brown v. Board of Education, which declared segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional, and Roe v. Wade, which established a woman's right to choose to have an abortion. 

The Supreme Court also plays a critical role in the balance of power between the three branches of government. The court can declare executive orders and laws passed by Congress to be unconstitutional, which can limit the power of the President and Congress. From the video, I learned that John Marshall, the nation’s fourth chief justice, played an important role in this and is well known for his contributions towards a more modernized U.S. government. During his years as the chief of justice, John Marshall worked to establish the power and prestige of the Judiciary body, in hope of claiming equal balance and status with Congress and the Executive branch. 

The Supreme Court is an essential institution in the American government and serves as the final arbiter of legal disputes in the country. Its decisions have had a profound impact on American society and have shaped the course of the nation's history. The court's independence, lifetime appointments, and commitment to the principles of judicial review and stare decisis ensure that it remains a critical check on the power of the other branches of government.

The Privacy Invasion

Although the profound technological advances of the 21st century have propelled our society, privacy, as a result, has become a thing of the past. Many people would assume technology to be beneficial to the safekeeping of our private information, but this is not the case. The information we give and receive through online technology is constantly being monitored. Even private information about our lives that is offline can be stolen in ways we would never expect. What we can expect, however, is to no longer have the luxury of privacy as long as modern technology consumes our lives. 

 

Almost anything we do online, from texting to searching to shopping to posting on social media platforms, is being tracked and stored. It is concerning to imagine the amount of information that companies have accumulated from their users, especially regarding social media. I use several social media apps to post, share, update, and connect with friends and family. After watching the TED Talks on the seriousness of technological advances interfering with privacy, I am rethinking my willingness to trust technology. Every time we click “agree” to the terms and conditions of an application, or accept the use of cookies on a website, we are fully allowing these apps and websites to collect and use our information for their benefit.  

 

The personal data collected from our online activity, for example, can be used to promote targeted advertisements which in return generate revenue for these online companies. Andy Yen explains in his TED Talk that “this year alone, advertising [revenue] is 137 billion dollars, and to optimize the ads that are shown to us, companies have to know everything about us.” Revenue is probably the largest motivator that compels websites and social media platforms to invade our privacy and steal information. Because these large online corporations are making billions of dollars from the exploitation of our private data, it is unlikely that the government will want to interfere with this privacy concern. In fact, the government indirectly benefits from the successes of these corporations, further lowering their incentive. 

 

Another way the government benefits from the invasion of our private information is through the detailed records that law enforcement gains offline without our knowledge. According to Catherine Crump, police officers are easily able to track and keep tabs on any civilian through advanced technology. Hidden high-tech cameras allow the police to automatically read the license plate of every passing vehicle. They then use this information to check for suspected criminals. However, the data collected is stored whether the results raised suspicion or not. This means that the government has access to the locations and daily movement of almost every citizen regardless if the individual is innocent or a threat. Catherine Crump explains in her TED Talk that we can fight this invasion of privacy by petitioning for the disposal of private information gathered on innocent people, leaving this technology for its intended use on criminal activity.  

In our increasingly technological world, the online and offline invasion of privacy is something more people need to be worried about. The best way to protect ourselves from this technological invasion of privacy is to be cautious. We can be cautious with what we post, share, search, and agree to on websites and applications. My mother uses a special search engine called DuckDuckGo. I remember seeing it on her phone for the first time and questioning her because I thought it was ridiculous that she refused to simply use safari or google. After watching Andy Yen promote the use of this exact search engine, I now understand my mother’s reasoning for using DuckDuckGo as it was developed solely to protect users privacy. Although we may never have complete privacy, utilizing tools such as private search engines, messaging apps, and other similar programs is a step toward better online privacy.  

 

 

 

My 5 Favorite News Sources

https://pressgazette.co.uk/news/daily-mail-snapchat/

Daily Mail on Snapchat

I was first introduced to Daily Mail from the social media app, snapchat. On snapchat alone, it is one of the biggest news brands on the app. Having a staggering presence of about 15 million subscribers, Daily Mail is the closest news brand to the top news source that is Insider, with over 19 million subscribers. I feel that the reason they gained so many subscribers and so quickly is because they are displayed on the snapchat platform and produce a mix of content that is specifically targeted at a younger audience. I personally enjoy clicking through the Daily Mail on snapchat because it is easily accessible, quick to read and is an outlet that mostly focuses on trending news.

https://techgameworld.com/tiktok-becomes-a-news-source/

TikTok

While TikTok is one of the most well-known social media apps already, it has now also become one of the biggest sources of news content and information for Gen Z. Many individuals use their platform on social media to speak out about current events, trending news, political affairs, and many more topics. Gen Zers are now even using TikTok as a search engine as one would use Google Search or Microsoft Bing. What I like the most about getting news content from this social media app is that the videos can span from ten seconds all the way to three minutes, making the information quick and to the point as well as convenient. Having a platform on this app makes it easy to connect with a larger audience and be able to share relevant  information to the public. As someone who uses the app almost daily and has accumulated almost half a million followers myself, I’ve been able to use my own platform to spread relevant news to my audience as well as help to raise money for hurricane Ian’s damage to my hometown, Fort Myers, Florida.

https://www.allsides.com/blog/quick-update-allsides-media-bias-chart 

All Sides

One news source I really like and appreciate is All Sides. All Sides is a news source that is totally unbiased and introduces you to consider multiple perspectives so you are able to make your own opinions. They’re entire message is based on not being fooled by media bias and misinformation while avoiding manipulation and fake news. The purpose of this is so that their audience can see the full picture of what’s going on from “all sides.” This news source even provides its own Media Bias Chart that separates online U.S. political content into five categories spanning from hard left-wing opinions to hard right-wing opinions. I like that this news source gives many different perspectives because it frees people from falling into a “filter bubble” so that the news you are absorbing is balanced.

https://authornews.penguinrandomhouse.com/whats-new-on-instagram-and-twitter/

Instagram

As an avid user of social media apps, I’ve been using the platform Instagram since before I even had my own phone and had the app downloaded onto my mom’s phone. Over the years, I’ve watched instagram change, grow, and adapt for it’s users and in more recent years, quickly become a source of news content. Instagram is now not simply just used as a photo and video sharing app but a platform where relevant news can be distributed. Personally, I like reading news off of instagram because it seems much more personable and casual. I specifically use this app more so to keep up with recent fashion trends and follow brands and companies I purchase from frequently. I also enjoy using Instagram to keep up with news from my favorite sports teams as well as news from my local county’s Sheriff.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.foxnews.android&hl=en&pli=1 

Fox News App

Growing up, Fox News has always been a main source of news which my family consumes. More recently, I’ve added the Fox News app onto my phone and it has been a news source I check quite frequently. The Fox News app has been a very convenient and reliable way for me to keep up with political and worldly matters. The app also makes it easy to search through many news categories, listen to live news, and see the current trending news on the homepage. The app even recommends news stories for you to follow based off of what you read or watch the most. I believe the only downside to Fox news is that it is definitely a strong conservative platform and might not be the best news source if are looking for unbiased news.