The guest lectures by Nick Monaco and Joe Erb were the two that I found most informative and inspiring. Both lectures were informative and Joe Erb’s was also inspiring. Nick Monaco spoke on the use of bots and computational propaganda by governments and other sources. I found this lecture to be incredibly interesting since bots and online propaganda can have such a big impact on what we see on the internet, especially on websites like Twitter. The ways that bots can be used online are always changing and Nick Monaco spoke on how they can be used to spread disinformation. Disinformation can and has influenced people’s opinions on politics, which can lead to hearing only one sides opinion consistently. The lecture by Joe Erb was also very informative and inspiring. The thing I enjoyed most about this lecture was how Joe brought his own talents back to help give a voice to the Cherokee Nation and their language. I also found it interesting how Joe had worked to get more mainstream use of the Cherokee language, working with Google and other companies and groups to increase its use. The thing I found inspiring was how much effort Joe was willing and able to put into his projects that benefit the Cherokee Nation. Bringing awareness to the Cherokee Nation through animation and then teaching the Cherokee about animation is something Joe did that inspired me to put more effort towards the things that are important to me. Both guest lectures by Nick Monaco and Joe Erb were very informative and inspiring.
I gained quite a few insights while doing research on my country. One of the first insights I had while doing research was how different life is for most Ukrainian citizens compared to life in the United States is for me. The way of life, different government, and overall culture are very different between the two countries. While doing research, I came to realize that the life experiences of those in Ukraine will be much different then what myself and others will experience living in the United States. Up until the beginning of my research I had never put much thought into how those living in different countries have experiences that are vastly different from my own. Another insight I gained while doing my research was on the conflict with Russia that Ukraine has. Although I had heard about Crimea before, it was not until my research began that I learned about the intricacies of the conflict and gain a real understanding of what is going on in the region. Learning about the conflict gave me a real insight on how events that have already made their way through the mainstream news cycle have continued to develop and change over time.
Globalization 3510W 