Discussion has recently risen about the impact having a Hotmail email address has when it comes applying for jobs. The idea is that employers are more likely to doubt your ability if you use one, due to the assumption that the outdated email address shows a lack of technological knowledge. It’s interesting to consider that the internet has existed for long enough that using outdated features of it can cause social stigma: much like wearing older fashion trends or using a phone that isn’t a smartphone.

There are varying opinions about this, but the majority of employers seem to believe that it doesn’t have the impact that some claim. Chris J. Collins, a professor of human resource management at Cornell University argues that it’s a bad practice from a statistics perspective.

“We know from 60 years of research on selection that that’s a bad use of data because the data that you’re using, the email address, tells you nothing about the candidate’s skills, experience or base of knowledge. You could have just deselected someone who was actually a great fit for the job based on an erroneous assumption.”, says Collins.

Erik Byrnjolfsson, the director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy has a different perspective. “Ignoring people who use older technology doesn’t strike me as a particularly effective way to screen people but if someone is truly overwhelmed with applications, perhaps even noisy and often inaccurate signals like that can reduce the information overload a bit.” Byrnjolfsoon concedes that basing an application purely on an email address is foolish, but he also says that because employers are swamped with tons of applications, one doesn’t have to stretch their imagination that hard to envision how showing a sign that you’re aren’t particularly tech savvy might rub an employer the wrong way.

Regardless if having a Hotmail email address effects employment, the concept of outdated internet tropes it is a thought provoking subject. While vintage physical technology and media have carried social stigma in some circles for years now, such as owning a Blackberry or CD player, the notion of outdated digital media is one that is a lot more new and going to continue to grow as time goes on.

Due to the computer chip shortage sparked by COVID-19, Samsung has announced that it will be building a $17 billion facility outside Austin, Texas, aimed at supplying the country with the required amount of computer chips. Most United States companies are dependent on Taiwan for chip production, which poses a national security threat in the age of COVID according to Nina Turner, who is a research analyst for the International Data Corporation.

“It’s a concentration risk, a geopolitical risk” to be so reliant on Taiwan for much of the world’s chip production”, says Turner. The United States is hoping the factory will bring jobs to the country, and gain more leverage over economic rivals such as China.

Congress has said that they will subsidize the semiconductor industry, which marks an interesting change in policy when it comes to the the economy. Historically, the US government has been quick to support policies like the Trans-Pacific-Partnership, which outsourced millions of jobs overseas to countries like China, Taiwan, and the Philippines: the very countries the US is now intimidated by due to their increased level of influence and power.

The market share that the US holds in worldwide chip manufacturing has dropped from 37% in 1990 to 12% in 2021. It’s pretty frustrating that the government waits until the last possible minute to even attempt to solve important problems, but hopefully they’re able to provide more jobs to United States citizens moving forward through initiatives such as this one, especially ones that have to do an industry as profitable as media and technology.

Majority of studies regarding social media, have always been tied to teenagers and how the constant use of social media can be linked to mental health and it could be linked to depression. Social media has also been tied to rising anxiety among teenagers. On Tuesday, JAMA Network Open, published new findings in a study that showed a series of surveys from around 5,400 adults. The age of these adults also averaged around 55-56 years of age. The main purpose of the study was to see how adults were coping during the pandemic. It was a year long study from May of 2020 to May of 2021. The researchers of these studies slowly switched to see whether or not social media use is directly tied to changes in mental health.

“People who were using Facebook, people who were using TikTok, and people who were using Snapchat were substantially more likely to come back and tell us they felt depressed the next time they filled out the survey,”

Perlis, Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard.

The purpose of the study was not to see whether social media directly causes these changes in mental health but it does show that people who have these changes are more likely to log in to these sites. This study shows the bigger issue however, and that there is a rising mental health crisis going on in the United States. Nearly 1/3 of Americans have reported that they are feeling depressed which is up 8.5 percent from October 2020. The study also showed that if individuals had minimum symptoms of depression they would worsen over time if they used social media regularly. Previous studies also show that social media activity is increasing as time goes on.

While the Astroworld event tragedy has been circulating in the media for quite some time over the past month, we are seeing the lawsuits finally come in against everyone who was involved or had some powering regarding the festival. Just yesterday, two security guards filed one lawsuit each against the artist. In the suit, they are suing not only Travis Scott but also his company, Cactus Jack Enterprises, his label, Cactus Jack Records, and his organization, Cactus Jack Foundation. They are also suing Live Nation, the concert promoter Scoremore, and the security firm that hire them for the event.

On November 22nd, the two security guards with advice from their lawyers, took the stage in front of a crowd and states how the event was terrible, they haven’t been paid what they were originally told, how there was no training for the event, and other issues that took place. Both security guards sustained some damage that they are seeking monetary damages that exceed 1 million dollars and they also want their attorney fees paid as well.

“For the most part, they told us where to stand, not to let people run in, and to be safe and not to put our hands on anybody,” he said. “There was no training.”

Jackson Bush

Swinging back to the event, at least dozens of lawsuits have been filed that total over 3 billion dollars. The people including are Travis, Live Nation, and others that have connection to the festival. Below is the live footage of both security guards and their outrage.

Admits the age of the superpower that is known as Netflix, Disney+ started to grow rapidly since it was released in 2019. From 2019 to today, there is currently, 118.1 million subscribers to the streaming service. Already that is two million more than what they reported in August of 2021. Compared to last year however, during the pandemic, Disney reported that the company made 18.5 billion dollars which was up by 26% from the pandemic era. Disney+ is classified as one of the most successful streaming services and it is classified as a direct competitor to Netflix.

“We continue to manage our DTC business for the long-term, and are confident that our high-quality entertainment and expansion into additional markets worldwide will enable us to further grow our streaming platforms globally,”

Disney’s CEO Bob Chapek

Why would a plateau in subscriptions raise such an alarm? The streaming service has always been focusing on a quarter to quarter growth template rather than thinking about the future. While the CEO stated that they are making the shift now and focusing on the long term effect of their platform, there seems to be a lot of differences that change how the platform will maneuver through the market. For instance, the market is much more saturated since the release of new platforms like Paramount+. Not being able to adapt to the market and follow a content calendar like others will slowly show where the company’s priorities are. Fortunately, the company saw an increase in sale for it’s park revenue so it did not create too much of a scare, but investors are worried about the platforms future going forward.

Just this month Apple has announced a new initiative to release manuals, part lists and tools to allow consumers and third party repair shops to have access to Apple property. This follows the ongoing “right to repair” movement that reached a height last summer. According to IBIS World, from 2014 to 2018, increased smartphone and tablet usage resulted in a 4.4% growth in the cell phone repair industry. Breaking cell phones nowadays is an unfortunate anomaly in the United States, due to the inflation of bigger and better technology for a higher price tag made with cheaper parts than last year. Most consumers find that it is usually cheaper or the same cost to buy a brand new phone than fix their older models. Some repairs cost upwards of $250 without insurance which a small percentage of Americans can afford especially after the pandemic. During July of this year President Biden has made several executive orders to The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as well as individual tech companies to consider the repair market as a new consumer norm, helping reduce tech waste and improve consumer tech knowledge.

Apple has been one of the first to give up the battle by releasing classified documents on parts, assembly manuals and unique tools within the industry. Apple has been under fire in the past years for raising prices without fixing problems circulating battery life and sleek but poor functional design, which competitors like samsung often point out in advertising schemes. This newly released information will not only be in direct use for the consumer but also third party repair shops who were used to using backdoor strategies to begin with. The hope is that this type of open market will help reduce the price for cell phones, making them again an affordable and crucial part of an individual’s 21st-century life. Expanding the market, allows people choices to make decisions based on their budget ; evidentially making what is first world custom to owning a cellphone still realties for the people financially struggling in this country by the  effect of the  global pandemic. Long term, the people behind the movement hope that everyday people develop more of a relationship with the parts and processes that make up the phone they hold everyday and will become better advocates for the new models released in the future.

Resources

Chen, B. X. (2021, November 17). What Apple’s new Repair Program means for you (and your iphone). The New York Times. Retrieved November 24, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/17/technology/personaltech/apple-iphone-self-repair.html. 

Duffy, C. (2021, July 14). Biden’s executive order takes on right-to-repair. it could make fixing your smartphone easier. CNN. Retrieved November 24, 2021, from https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/14/tech/right-to-repair-biden-executive-order/index.html. Lawrence, L., & Brody, B. (2021, November 18). Why is Apple letting customers fix their iphones? Protocol. Retrieved November 24, 2021, from https://www.protocol.com/policy/apple-right-to-repair-ftc.

Leaving the house nowadays, the running list seems to consist of keys, this year face masks but mostly phones. Living without a phone for more than a few days is virtually impossible. Making calls, organizing transportation, navigation all require a little help from the internet. These small smart computers in our pockets, guide us through much of life, making it a valuable item. My question is are smartphones becoming unaffordable, especially in a fast paced upgrading society? In the New York Times article, The True Cost of Upgrading Your Phone, the equates a new 1,000 Iphone to almost 2,500 cups of coffee or $17,000 in interest in 30 years.(Chen, 2021) Most Americans still prefer to go on cell phone plans hosted by companies like Sprint, Verizon or Metro but breaching a contract for a new phone can cost hundreds of dollars, especially if your old phone is broken and untradeable. Pew researchers estimate that 23% of American adults have enough savings set aside to cover three months of emergency expenses from a study from 2020. (Parker et al., 2020) The Pandemic continues to create problems for the economy, from industry ranging from supply chain to restaurants, the list goes on affecting people’s livelihood but the advancement of interconnected technology like smartphones continues at a rapid rate. The American public has a conflicted relationship with this particular device because of its power to put us at the center of the tech ecosystem which scientifically produces serotonin and dopamine but on the other hand do not retain no long term value, much like a car depreciates with time. Apple phones specifically are manufactured in less expensive ways than they were before, making them a less durable phone, not to mention all of the charger pairing issues. Samsung, does brag about their design taking in durability concerns but has unfamiliar internet highways for loyal apple users. The United States population alone has doubled its smartphone ownership by 50%.“Only 35 percent of all U.S. adults owned a smartphone in 2011, compared to 85 percent of adults who own a smartphone, as of February 2021.” ( S.R.T., 2021) The rate of cell phone users will only continue to grow as the technology data can be relied on at more high speed rates and digitization becomes more immersive. As a society we need to find ways to make these devices in a more sustainable way that decreases the rate of purchase while allowing citizens to still connect to the world’s information at an affordable rate. I’m not saying that cellphones should be added as an unalienable right but be more conscious of the present day consumer and the cost of living. Once again, I find myself at the mercy of another technological device hoping I can keep them from harm’s way long enough not to make a human error of dropping, losing or spilling something on it.