Diffusion of Innovation: Autonomous Cars

Diffusion of Innovation: Autonomous Cars



Autonomous or self-driving cars are a modern transportation innovation that is truly revolutionary in how it could simplify everyday life. However, this technological phenomenon has been slow to catch on with Americans, despite great advances in its feasibility and performance. Let's take a look at the diffusion of innovation for self-driving cars.

Pioneers: Early automotive innovators, engineers in Japan, and contemporary figures such as Elon Musk.

Early Adopters: People in foreign countries with larger populations and more drivers (European cities), rich people in America, and Uber.

Late Adopters: The general American public is still skeptical of autonomous vehicles, due to safety concerns and our deeply ingrained car culture. Racing legend Mario Andretti famously said "I'd rather be dead before self-driving cars take over, I just love driving so much."

Laggers: American auto manufacturers have also been slow to develop self-driving cars for sale in the states, due to them not being street-legal in every state quite yet.

We are still in the midst of the experimental/launch phase of autonomous cars/vehicles. There have been very few early adopters of this technology, due to its current impracticality and legality. It is tough to say whether or not self-driving will be the next big breakthrough, but with the rich car culture in America and the freedoms given by driving oneself, it is not likely to take over society in the near future.

Marketplace of Ideas is Integral to Democracy

Why the Marketplace of Ideas is Integral to a Free Democracy

Photo Credit to Eddie Playfair

In my opinion, the marketplace of ideas is the most important value of free expression for a few major reasons.

This concept of a marketplace of ideas was borne out of the early American debate over whether or not printing or publishing should require a government-issued license. In his work entitled Areopagitica, John Milton argues that when truth and falsehood are allowed to freely grapple, truth will win out. And the grappling makes the truth even stronger. In short, this was the winning argument against the government requiring a publishing license for journalists and publications. 

Also known as the Discovery of Truth, a marketplace of ideas must be protected under a free democracy in order for all people's views to have an equal voice and presence in society. Whether an individual leans right or left politically, they should have the ability to watch or read viewpoints that either support or dispute their claims. If there are two people, one who voted for President Trump and one who voted for Hillary Clinton, they should both have the same ability to watch either Fox News or MSNBC. 

Along with free press protections, the marketplace of ideas is a vital part of the First Amendment's free speech clause. If the U.S. government required publishing licenses, they would effectively have control over who has a voice in mainstream media and what viewpoints are socially relevant. Since no such requirements exist, American society truly is a melting pot with a wide swath of political and social viewpoints, creating a truly free marketplace of ideas. 

Photo Credit to Eddie Playfair

The Autonomous Automobile's Slow Rise

The Slow Rise in Popularity of Autonomous Cars

• An autonomous car is a vehicle that is capable of driving itself with
  little or no human interaction.

• Self-driving technology was first experimented with in the 1920s,
  heavily tested in the 1950s, and the first semi-autonomous car was
  introduced in Japan in 1977.

• Numerous auto manufacturers have attempted to perfect the autonomous
  vehicle, such as Mercedes-Benz, GM, Nissan, Toyota, Audi, and Volvo.

• Uber has tested out their services with “driverless” cars.

• Currently, driverless cars are being tested more in Europe than in the
  US, 29 states have passed laws allowing autonomous vehicles.
  
  
• Problems involving self driving cars include the inability to detect
  pedestrians, some have been killed as a result of this.
  
  
• Self driving cars have been slow to catch on in America, due to our
  car culture and the fact that so many of us love the freedom of
  driving ourselves.

• In the words of auto racing legend Mario Andretti, "I would rather die before self driving cars take over."

• As digital technology/Artificial Intelligence becomes more advanced,
  so will the capabilities of driverless cars.

• In our lifetimes, trucking, one of the most prolific job industries in
  America, could become all-digital/driverless.

• Proposals for autonomous car racing series have been announced. This could be a success, as auto manufacturers have always been drawn to racing due to the concept of 'Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday.'
  
  
• The popularity/appeal of this idea may be slow to catch on, as the
  Formula E electric racing series is not as prevalent as traditional
  motorsports such as NASCAR, IndyCar, or Formula 1.
  
  
• Fully driverless cars may not occur in our lifetime, but
  semi-driverless vehicles that have ‘autopilot’ features are being
  tested successfully.

Link to this PowerPoint presentation

The Mad World of Cell Phones

The Mad World of Cell Phone Culture

Photo Credit to Julian West via YouTube

The video we watched for week 6 of Media Law & Literacy was the song Mad World, originally sang by Tears for Fears but remixed here by Gary Jules. The video is Moby & the Void Pacific Choir's 'Are You Lost in the World Like Me.' This video depicts a child lost in a world where all of the adults are glued to their cell phones. This is incredibly indicative of how many view today's society, as cell phone culture has taken over. 

The visual portion of this video is truly powerful and dramatic. It shows a helpless child in need of adult supervision, care, and love, but as he wanders aimlessly he only discovers people doing everything from taking selfies to getting plastic surgery. This shows just how self-centered American society has become, people only care about bettering their lives rather than caring for others. An overarching theme in this video is that everyone the young child stumbles upon has their face in their cell phone, completely oblivious to the outside world they walk through pointlessly. 

This video is perfectly matched with the famous song Mad World, as today's society has indeed gone mad and been irreparably harmed due to the wave of the cell phones and social media obsessions. 

The last scene of this video is especially significant, it all of a sudden becomes a colored video as the sun sets in the background of a field where many people are walking in the same direction. This field ends with a cliff, which everyone walks off of due to not realizing the severity of the situation. This is symbolic for how cell phone culture is killing society, people do not have the necessary social skills to exist in a community anymore, thanks to being obsessed with cell phones. 

Link to the YouTube video

Photo Credit to Julian West via YouTube