Blog Post #4

    Netflix was founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph. Reed Hastings came up with the idea of a subscription based movie rental service after he got charged a huge late fee for a VHS tape. Netflix started to offer their online subscription DVD rental service with numerous movies and television shows. They delivered the DVDs through the mail in custom envelopes with more than one hundred distribution centers. It allowed customers to rent as many movies that they wanted for a flat monthly fee. Netflix started the Netflix Prize contest for a million dollars to improve their recommendation system. The prize was awarded to a team of mathematicians, computer scientists, and engineers from all over the world three years later. Netflix started to offer subscribers the option to stream some of their movies and television shows straight to their homes through the internet in 2007. Netflix was able to partner with numerous electronic products that included video game consoles and Blu-Ray players to promote their video streaming service. In 2010, Netflix released their streaming only subscription option in the United States. Also in 2010, Netflix started to expand their streaming only subscription plan outside the United States starting in Canada. By 2016, Netflix was able to offer their subscription service in more than 190 countries and streaming services. Even Though Netflix’s streaming subscription service continued to grow, having over 200 million subscribers by 2021, their DVD rental system was still profitable. Netflix eventually started to release original content for streaming in 2013. Their first Netflix original content of any kind was the series House of Cards. As of 2021, Netflix has more than 2,400 original content on their streaming platform. 

    Netflix completely changed the way that people view video content. Before there was Netflix, the only way to view content was by renting VHS tapes or DVDs, or just watched whatever was on live TV. The creation of Netflix allowed people to watch whatever they wanted, when they wanted. People do not have to sit through commercials anymore. It also caused the decline of people having cable and only having streaming services. In 2018, the percentage of people that got rid of cable increased by 33%. Netflix also impacted the content we watch. In 2018, Netflix spent 13 billion dollars on content, and 85% of that content was original content. The reason that Netflix spends so much on original content is because that is the content that sticks out to people because it could only be streamed on Netflix. The original content on Netflix has been wildly successful. Netflix was one of the first companies to use the internet for their entire business. Their business model is the reason they were able to develop their algorithm. Netflix says that 80% of content watched on their platform come from recommendations. In a world where companies are constantly trying to predict consumers, Netflix has seemed to master it. Netflix has caused the decline of movie theaters and traditional television.   

Sources: 

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Reed-Hastings 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakemorgan/2019/02/19/what-is-the-netflix-effect/?sh=4e6e708e5640 

 

Blog Post #3

    When it comes to talking about freedom of speech, there are eight values of the first amendment. The first value of the first amendment is the marketplace of ideas. The marketplace of ideas value is saying that if the truth and false were allowed to be freely spreaded that truth will always win. The second value is participation in self-government. Participation in self-government is the idea that if political candidates were unable to voice their positions because of restrictions, the citizens would not be able to make good decisions. The third value is stable change. Stable change is the idea that if angry people are allowed to speak freely about what they are angry about, they would be less likely to resort to violence and the government would be able to monitor threats better. The fourth value is individual self-fulfillment. Individual self-fulfillment is the idea that allowing people to express themselves freely is a basic human right. The fifth value is check on government power. Check on government power is the idea that allowing the press to report on politicians abusing power will help citizens make informed decisions. The sixth value is promote tolerance. Promote tolerance is the idea that if the government doesn’t censor hate speech, then the society will realize why it is hateful and become more tolerant. The seventh value is promote innovation. Promote innovation is the idea that people that live in society where freedom of speech is protected, that the people would fulfill their lives in multiple ways. The eighth and final value is protect dissent. Protect dissent is the idea that all opinions are protected under the first amendment no matter how unpopular it is. 

    The value that I feel is most important value of free expression is check on government power. Check on government power is the belief that the press should be able to freely report on governments abusing their power. I think that it is the most important value of free expression because it is a crucial part of check and balances, and that helps keep our government in check. This is the best way to make sure that our government does not abuse their powers. It is also important because it makes sure that the voters know when their government officials are abusing their powers and can make informed decisions based on the information. 

    The value that feels most personal to me is stable change. Stable change is the idea that if the government allows people to express their anger freely, they would be less likely to revolt and the government would be able to monitor potential threats easier. I said it was most personal to me because I love to vent and get out my anger, so that I don’t bottle it up. I don’t like to hold on to anger for too long because it doesn’t feel good to do so. I think that it is good because it lowers the risk of people revolting and it makes it easier to monitor threats. 

    The value that I see in action today is marketplace of ideas. Marketplace of ideas is the concept that is against monopolies. Monopolies happen when companies control all of a market and they can drive up the market price as high as they want. I see that in action everyday because the US has very many different companies in lots of different industries. I could probably name a million industries that operate in the US, and for all of those industries, I can name a million companies that are in that industry.      

Blog Post #2

    This Video is a documentary about the supreme court. It goes in depth about the supreme court and how it works. I liked it because it was concise and it went in depth about the supreme court. I learned that the average supreme court justice is on the bench for 16 years. I thought the average number of years that a justice is on the bench would have been around 20 years. I was surprised by that fact because the justices are all significantly older. The most important takeaway from this video is that the supreme court justices obey the constitution. That is the most important takeaway from the video because it means that sometimes they have to exclude their politics when making decisions. The most surprising thing I learned from this video is that the average years that a justice serves on the bench is only 16 years. It is surprising to me because I thought the average would have been longer because the supreme court justices do not have term limits, so they can be on the bench for however long they want once they are appointed. I was also surprised by that fact because a lot of the current justices are significantly older, and it seems like a lot of the current justices stay on until they are dead. The video changed my way of thinking of the supreme court by saying they have to obey the constitution. I interpret that as they have to separate their politics from the constitution. I think that way because the constitution might say one thing, but they think a different way, so they have to separate their politics from their decision making. I think that is the best way of interpreting the supreme court because they should not try to be politicians if they have to obey the constitution.        

Blog Post #1

1. Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/): 

I chose Instagram as my number one news because I am on Instagram all the time. I love watching Instagram reels. I follow a variety of different accounts. Instagram is usually the first thing I check when I wake up in the morning. I am a huge fan of comedy, and I follow a lot of comedians that make jokes about news stories. Oftentimes I find myself in a situation where I don’t hear about a major news event until I look at Instagram, and I follow many different accounts to get different viewpoints.  

2. CNN (https://www.cnn.com/): 

I chose CNN as my second news source because I believe that this is a very trustworthy news source. Once I hear about a news story, I often go to the CNN website to see what they have to say about it. I have always thought they heavily research whatever they are talking about. In middle school history class, I had to write about current events, and I often chose to get an article from CNN. I think it is a great news source.  

3. NBC News (https://www.nbcnews.com/): 

I chose NBC News as my third news source because I grew up watching a lot of NBC. My Mom is a big fan of the Today Show, and oftentimes before school, I would watch it. It is one of the first places I go to when I hear about a major news event. I love hearing that I like being on the Today show, and watching it on youtube later because I don’t wake up that early. 

4. Flagrant Podcast (https://www.youtube.com/@OfficialFlagrant): 

I chose the Flagrant Podcast because I listen to it all the time and I find it entertaining. Flagrant is a comedy podcast hosted by comedian Andrew Schultz. The regulars that accompany Andrew Schultz are Comedians Akaash Singh, Mark Gagnon, and editor Alexx Media. I like this podcast because it's funny and they talk about current events. Each episode they go through current events and viral internet posts. I got into this podcast during the summer, and I am a fan of comedy and Andrew Schultz. I like how they go through current events in a comical way.  

5. ESPN (https://www.espn.com/): 

I chose ESPN as my fifth favorite source because I love sports. I have been a fan of sports all my life. I am a big sports fan. I find that they are the most trusted source in sports. Their instagram shows up on my feed all the time. One of my favorite teams, the Washington Commanders, have been reported on a lot lately, and I like going to ESPN to get their opinions on it.