Poster Project

The poster project was an interesting project. The purpose of the assignment was to find a topic that involved societal issues. For my overall subject I chose to take pictures of technology and it's impact on the world. I was to capture fourteen issues that I personally use almost everyday.

 

The center picture consisted of the topics I was going to cover throughout the project. Unfortunately I couldn't fit every technological issue because I either didn't own the technology or it was in a store. I found the center picture fascinating because almost every object of technology that was in the picture I use almost everyday and I don't know what I'd do without them.

 

My first picture on the top left was GPS systems in cars and their technological issues. GPS devices are fallible; they're made so by satellite communication errors and outdated or inaccurate maps. Even when maps are current, some mapping and navigation information doesn't take into account road types. With this type of software error, the road that may look like the shortest distance between Point A and Point B might actually be an unpaved private drive. Because of these factors, drivers find themselves driving on unsafe terrain and into other hazards, such as artificial lakes or train tracks. The more confident you are in what your GPS device tells you, the less likely you are to notice something's wrong. Accident risk increases when drivers take their GPS device's instructions too literally: Warnings of "when possible, make a legal U-turn" send some veering into oncoming traffic.

 

The second picture was based on portable chargers and it’s backfire on society. Batteries are known to overheat and catch on fire. Which poses a threat to security at airports and human lives. This critical issue is still on the rise and continues to as more people need the extra power for their phones or other devices and ignore the fact that their dangerous. I chose to use my Mophie case as the picture of my issue because I thought it was a prime image to portray portable chargers.

 

The third picture regards the technological issue of laptops and its effect on society. Laptops are dangerous in many ways. One of the many include; hackers and their ability to take over laptops and control their systems from the other side of the world. I chose to take a picture of a computer because computers are taking over our classes and people use them every day. I like this picture because I liked how it looks with the wood and the black which brings a nice contrast.

 

 

My fourth picture on the top right I had taken was in the Tesla store at the Santa Monica 3rd street promenade. Regarding large self driving companies such as Tesla and Google there have been several issues with their development of self driving cars and still have a long way to go. Problems of these include: technology that can’t control the behavior of other drivers. Autonomous vehicles will have to deal with drivers who speed, pass even when there’s a double yellow line and drive the wrong way on a one-way street. Also, weather was a prime cause of system failures after which human drivers had to take back control.

 

My fifth picture is about video gaming and it's effects on society. The effect of video game violence in kids is worsened by the games’ interactive nature. In many games, gamers are rewarded for being more violent. Too much video game playing makes people socially isolated. Also Games can confuse reality and fantasy. I own a video game console and I can easily say that playing video games certainly excludes me from, family time and more impactful things in life.

 

My sixth picture comprises of headphones and their concerning effects to humans as a whole. Headphones exclude people from conversation and not to mention being rude when one is taking. Listening to music with headphones can be especially dangerous especially because they destroy your ability of hearing properly. Also, thousands of people listen to music with their headphones on when driving. This act can be life threatening since the driver cannot hear outside noises and therefore wouldn't be able to hear the sound of a siren or car honking.

 

My seventh picture has been one of the most controversial topics in the past few years. Drones have numerous advantages to our society, however there are several disadvantages that are concerning to security and privacy. A growing number of drones have been flown dangerously close to commercial aircraft's, violating federal rules about their operation. In addition, privacy is one major concern as there are no laws that protect individuals against people stalking or spying on them in their homes, there are no federal laws in place that would protect individuals from being spied on specifically by a drone.

 

My eighth topic is about the Samsung galaxy note 7 phones and their repercussions of our society. All over America there have been numerous events where these specific phones have been exploding due to their batteries not fitting the actual phone causing it to overheat. The Note 7 has been banned on commercial and international flights because they are highlighted as a hazardous material.

 

My ninth issue is Game applications such Clash of Clans, Candy Crush and Mobile Strike that are accessible through mobile devices are creating an effect to our society. Not only are children addicted to these games, but also adults as I have seen my own grandfather glued to his device. Students often become easily distracted by these games and do not pay any attention in class. As I have also seen my friends do this throughout the school year.

 

The tenth picture was based on home security systems. Unfortunately a large percentage of security system activation's are false alarms. This is undeniably frustrating and expensive for homeowners who are inexperienced with security systems. This results in many of them deciding to avoid activating their system to avoid the inconvenience and expense of false alarms. Which is exactly what happened to my family and many other families that I know of.

 

The eleventh issue consists of social media and it’s continuous result to ruin society. There are countless problems with social media: addiction, lack of attention span, decline in intellectual abilities as well as bullying. Unfortunately, society and the many people I know base their lives around social media and how they portray their lives.

 

The twelfth topic is about the age of smartwatches and it’s exponential increase of demand. These watches are also marketed as medical devices and fitness trackers to acting as an extension of your smartphone. However, as smartwatches become mainstream, cyber criminals have been gifted with a new avenue to exploit in the quest to steal valuable data.

 

My thirteenth societal subject was based on television addiction. Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime are just a few online streamers that encourage watching television shows or movies. Similar to playing video games, it makes people socially isolated as well as antisocial. Preferably staying at home instead of going out with your friends is unhealthy and is a societal issue that needs to be taken care of.

 

The last picture and problem of technological issues involves virtual reality. Several complications have arisen in recent developments. Impairment of hearing and nausea is a significant issue among health problems people will face when using virtual reality headsets. With this image I wanted to capture someone actually using the VR and enhancing the contrast of the picture.

 

To conclude, the poster project was enjoyable, however I found difficulty trying to put the images onto the actual poster. I had also learn’t many interesting things about technology that I use everyday that I had no clue it would impact society.

 

Done