Assessment 1

How public opinion may have been influenced through social media and new devices -
This is an interesting topic to consider because for a good space of time, this was a hot topic on social media. I would say the role that social media has played in this whole debate is pretty significant, at least in the eyes of the public.

Personally, the first I even heard of the whole issue was when I had logged on to Facebook, as has become the daily routine, to check and see if anything was new. I kept seeing graphics, posts, and pictures of different sides of the issue. Mind you, the majority of my contacts fall under a few categories - conservative Mormons, Filipinos, and the occasional friend with liberal views. Personally, the reality that was created for me based on my social media involvement has been that what has happened has been a somewhat negative step, given that most of what had been posted was not very positive regarding the issue. Not discriminatory, but a little worried.

Delving into the issue a little deeper, I found a Facebook page with a fair amount of traffic, that was definitely in favor of marriage equality in Utah. I imagine, if you had liked that, there would be a steady amount of pro-marriage equality posts streaming down your Facebook feed. However, aside from the very obvious pages created either for or against, I think what was most prevalent were the articles that were being re-posted by some friends. The articles detailed what was happening, and if anything sped up the process of information dissemination.

Based on what we had discussed, depending on which side of the fence a person happens to fall on, you gain a really narrow view of the subject. Obviously, most of the people you're friends with will share a lot of your ideological views, therefore what they post will only fuel the fire, strengthening views you probably already have. It really has created an even wider gap between the two prevalent ideologies. Furthermore, it seemed, according the articles and different posts that I saw on my feed, that although there is a lot of negativity regarding the issue, the loudest voices were those who were pro-marriage equality. Even the pictures used for articles were of LGBT members, picketing, smiling, or just being generally happy. Even if I was just scrolling my Facebook feed, and didn't care to read the articles, it made everything seem like a very positive thing. That contrasted with the different "worried" posts was an interesting contrast.

What you think about technological determinism's role in this -
I supposed it could be argued that technological determinism's role in this issue has been the quick dissemination of information, and the ability to frame ideas and event in a specific way. Hearkening back to what I had talked about earlier, similar to the way the feeling of an article can be somewhat framed by pictures that are used to accompany it, the sharing of information, for or against an issue, can very much frame the way we see an issue. Similarly, given that Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Vine are all things that people use on a daily basis, what is being posted on those feeds could very much become the reality of the situation for someone. It is shaping the way that people view the reality of a situation because, as Twitter and Facebook have become, constant streams of information are being received and processed.

How social media have contributed to the push for action, either in efforts to petition for or against marriage equality in Utah, and to organize for civil protest -
Pointing again back to what I had said earlier, Facebook pages like the one I shared earlier and this one have played an interesting role in contributing to the push for action. Actually, just logging on to the Equality Utah page I found this little graphic:



The ability for people to send invites to events, to share about upcoming events, to let others see where they can rally together for their cause has been pretty big. I really think some of the images that were used to depict what rallies looked like, with people being happy, and all the signs, has been huge in giving people the courage to come forward and join. Additionally it gives the appearance that there are many people supporting the cause, whether that's really the case or not.

In conclusion -
Social media has played a really big role in the whole issue, with first of all providing somewhat of a narrow view of one side. There is a social filter that has been created as a result of social media, something that doesn't exist in newspapers or even online articles. These filters can providing feeling and perceptions of an issue that may or may not represent it's reality. Furthermore, social media has allowed for quick dissemination of information, and as mentioned, the ability to frame the reality of an event. Above all, however, social media has also become a means of rallying people behind a cause and portraying the cause as powerful and effective.