Running head: WRITING ASSIGNMENT 1 1

Writing Assignment One

Cynthia Nieto Vargas

OGL 365

 Dr. Patience Akpan-Obong

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Writing Assignment One

To begin, this paper will discuss two articles in detail through summary, analysis, and

reflection. Moreover, this paper will cover my application of module work connections to my life

and as a leader. Therefore, the first article from Module 1, Using ‘Big Data’ to understand the

impacts of Uber on taxis in New York City, focuses on how Uber (a technology/transportation

company) transforms the taxi market (Willis & Tranos, 2020). In addition, the article

demonstrates big data and explains the impacts Uber had on the taxi industry in New York City

(Willis & Tranos, 2020). According to Willis & Tranos (2020), “Uber uses its technology

platform to link ‘self-employed’ drivers with consumers looking for a ride, taking a small

percentage of the fare for itself.” (p. 94). Lastly, although Uber faces some controversies, the

company still made headlines, such as Disruptive Innovation (Willis & Tranos, 2020). 

Next, the second article from Module 2, Innovative Technologies in Everyday Life

Chapter 2, focuses on the evolution of the World Wide Web (WWW) and how it revolutionized

the internet (Marques, 2016). Moreover, the article covers important technical concepts,

milestones in WWW history, impactful shifts, and trends and offers online recommendations for

best practices (Marques, 2016). As reported by Marques (2016), “the World Wide Web (or

simply Web) is “a part of the Internet accessed through a graphical user interface and containing

documents often connected by hyperlinks.” (p. 3). At last, the World Wide Web is often

confused with computer networks, search engines, and much more but in keeping with Marques

(2016), the WWW is “a collection of documents, with unique names (addresses or URLs), stored

in specialized computers (servers), accessible through browsers, and interconnected through

hyperlinks.” (p. 4).

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Article One Analysis

The first issue I identified in Using ‘Big Data’ to understand the impacts of Uber on taxis

in New York City is how Uber can avoid regulation. In other words, as said by Willis & Tranos

(2020), “Uber drivers can operate without a taxi medallion or taking any licensing exams.” (p.

94). In that case, Uber had more advantages than the taxi firms. More specifically, Uber is a

competitive technological innovation conforming to The Future And Challenges of Technology

for the Prosperity and Well being of the World, (n.d) “The introduction of new or improved

products, or of new or improved processes and organizational methods in the design, production,

and distribution of goods and services” (slide 4). On the other hand, the taxi industry is

government regulated and operates through the medallion system (Willis & Tranos, 2020). So,

the taxi market was disrupted by Uber as it provided better services to consumer needs, like

having better accessibility through fast service on their app and offering lower prices. Therefore,

Uber’s impact on the taxi market slowed down their business, and Uber reached popularity and

captured a larger audience in the adopter groups (Roger’s Diffusion of Innovation theory). 

The second issue raised in Using ‘Big Data’ to understand the impacts of Uber on taxis

in New York City is that Uber does not provide access to its data (Willis & Tranos, 2020). In that

case, data is observed and collected through other sources that would determine the usage of

Taxis and how Uber entered the market. For example, in figure 3 of the article, the plotted

numbers for taxis between 2009 and 2016 indicate the usage of taxi trips. Furthermore, between

2010 and 2012, a huge disruption caused the number of taxi trips to decline (Willis & Tranos,

2020). After further investigation of data on how Uber impacted the taxi industry, results show

that Uber outstood traditional taxi service quality and the complaints associated with customers

(Willis & Tranos, 2020). Lastly, taxis are part of 20th-century innovations as automobile
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transportation, while Uber is part of the 21st-century innovations as new technology. To

conclude, Uber created value through understanding and insights into consumer needs and

developed a creative solution to revolutionize the transportation industry (The Future And

Challenges of Technology for the Prosperity and Wellbeing of the World, n.d.).

Article Two Analysis

There are two issues identified in Innovative Technologies in Everyday Life Chapter 2.

On the Web, too much information is scattered everywhere, which leads to information overload,

the second being referring to Marques (2016), “difficulty selecting reliable contents and sources,

rather than noisy ones.” (p. 9). One can learn on the Web in two ways: informal and structured

learning (Marques, 2016). On the one hand, informal learning includes using sites like Google,

YouTube, social media, and much more. For example, using Wikipedia is free and is an

advantage for people who want to research a topic as the site has fast access to information

(The Future And Challenges of Technology for the Prosperity and Wellbeing of the World, n.d.).

Although, using free sites that may or may not be credible can be a disadvantage and disrupt a

learning process. Like Wikipedia displays warning that some pages have issues like vague

language, lack of external references, biased arguments, and far more (Marques, 2016). 

Another issue identified through these sites and the overall Web is that it can be the

dependency on gadgets and reduced human interactions (The Future And Challenges of

Technology for the Prosperity and Wellbeing of the World, n.d.). Thus, people can rely on

technology so much that they become addicted to it and make fewer connections in real life.

Lastly, other issues like online fraud occur in which personal information can be stolen and

money lost. Luckily, there are safe ways to protect people by following privacy and security

recommendations like installing HTTPS Everywhere, not volunteering unnecessary information,

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not accepting cookies from strangers, and not allowing sites to track physical location (Marques,

2016). Above all, the Web is a learning place for all, and it has made a tremendous impact in

instantaneous communication and collaborations across time and space (The Future And

Challenges of Technology for the Prosperity and Wellbeing of the World, n.d.).

Reflection

As a leader in a family environment, I would apply integrating new technology (The

Future And Challenges of Technology for the Prosperity and Wellbeing of the World, n.d.) to

decide on buying the latest technology depending if it meets family needs rather than just

spending money on-trend products. For example, in my family, we have bought technologies like

Alexa Amazon speaker has been beneficial in our lives as it follows directions like changing

channels, playing music, stating the weather, etc. Next, the concept to be applied is

technological capabilities as it means to learn, understand and master the use of traditional and

recent technology to solve problems (The Future And Challenges of Technology for the

Prosperity and Wellbeing of the World, n.d.). A positive impact would be that those in my family

can understand how to use new technology (laptops, smartphones, etc.) and make independent

decisions regarding payments and appointments without reliance on others.

Conclusion.

In article one, the introduction of technological innovations makes a difference in

society as it replaces older versions of products/services and makes it much easier for people to

get ahold of daily necessities and services right through the tap of a smartphone like Uber. Next,

in article two, the Web provides a powerful platform for people to achieve innovative

capabilities through producing content online. Thus, new technologies and innovations have

many advantages and disadvantages. However, most importantly, for society, companies, and
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organizations to reach higher levels of learning, they need to accept and allow the growth of new

products and services.

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References

KEY INNOVATION. (n.d.). The Future And Challenges of Technology for the Prosperity and

Well being of the World [PowerPoint slides]. ASU Canvas. Retrieved from:

https://asu.instructure.com/courses/134558/files/55725836?wrap=1.

Marques, O. (2016). Innovative technologies in everyday life. Springer International Publishing

AG. ASU Canvas. Retrieved from: https://ebookcentral-proquest-

com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/lib/asulib-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4706378.

Willis, G., & Tranos, E. (2020). Using ‘Big Data’ to understand the impacts of Uber on taxis in

New York City. © 2020 Hong Kong Society for Transportation Studies. Published by

Elsevier Ltd. Retrieved from:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214367X20302027?via

%3Dihub.