Blog Post: 8 Diffusion of Innovations

This weeks blog post is about reflecting on new innovations such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and other social media platforms and why they are so successful.

One of the main reasons that social media has caught on so much has to do with the Diffusion of Innovations. Diffusion of Innovations is a theory that explains how new social media catches on and how quickly it does so.

There are a few reasons that social media has caught on so quickly. The first is that social media came at the turn of the century and was a new and innovative technology that people liked and were able to connect with easily. This goes back to how fast technology has been developed, since WWII we as a civilization have developed and created more technology at an advanced rate faster than ever before in human history. So why is this important? It's important because sooner rather than later there will be the new big hit and social media will fade away into something else. We continue to want to feel a sense of approval from others and social media has been a great way to continue that. We are now in a waiting game to see what will come next and what will allow us to feel the same way. As it seems today the biggest thing that is holding up social media and making it successful is the sense of self validation and seeking approval from others. The other reason that social media has been so popular is how easy it is to use. People will tend to go with anything that is easy to use and can is quick to learn, and can provide that instant gratification. 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/understand-other-people/201602/seeking-validation-online-doesn-t-bring-real-happiness

Blog Post 7: Eight Values of Free Expression

I think out of the Eight Values of Free Expression that the most important is the second. Participation in Self-Government. Alexander Meiklejohn was the first political theorist to found a defense of freedom of speech entirely on democratic theory. The function of liberty of speech and of the press, in his view, is to enable the most inclusive and therefore best public deliberation. It thus refuses to identify the right to speak freely with property rights, which as Meiklejohn observes can have relatively severe restrictions within the overarching limitation of due process. It has been suggested that citizens will not make wise and informed choices in elections if candidates and proponents of certain policies are restricted in their ability to communicate positions. We want an informed electorate involved in the debate to best represent the interests of the people and want to make sure we are electing the right person for the job.

https://www.lawbookexchange.com/pages/books/28756/alexander-meiklejohn/free-speech-and-its-relation-to-self-government