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Black Panther

Presented By: Carla, David, Erica, Liam, Meha

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Plot Summary

T’Challa (main protagonist) becomes the new Wakandan King
Klaue and Erik Killmonger (antagonists) steal Wakandan “Vibranium” technology
T’Challa and Killmonger are cousins
T’Challa kills Killmonger and opens up the truth of Wakanda to the world

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Conclusion

Although technology can be misused, it is important to develop and share inventions that can benefit societies and promote human well-being.

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Technologies in the Film

Vibranium is the main source of innovation
Its use affects communication, safety, privacy, and health

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Vibranium Improves Communication

Kimoyo for portable communication
Holograms integrated into daily communication
Researchers at Microsoft have created "holoportation"

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[2]

https://www.netflix.com/watch/80201906

Meha (Communication)

Firstly, Vibranium has positively affected communication in Wakanda. The Kimoyo beads allow holographic communication and are given to all citizens of Wakanda. This form of communication instantaneously allows Wakandans to see the person they are communicating with. The holographic communication is similar to services such as Skype and FaceTime. In our modern world, researchers at Microsoft have worked to create "holoportation," which allows real-time holographic communication. This technology has a number of applications such as communication, educational demonstrations, etc. Microsoft claims that through the use of "holoportation," "communicating and interacting with remote users becomes as natural as face-to-face communication" [2]. Overall, the development of holograms seem to be a positive advancement in Wakandan society, as well as in our society.

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Vibranium Improves Health

Visual representation of body's internal condition
Allow in-depth analysis of vitals and diagnoses

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https://www.netflix.com/watch/80201906

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Vibranium Improves Security

Force field around Wakanda
Provides camouflage and physical security
Google Maps blurs areas of the world for privacy

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https://www.netflix.com/watch/80219127

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Vibranium Impacts Security

Device used to remotely control a car
Used when they are chasing Klaue through Korea
An important consideration with the emergence of autonomous cars

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[3]

https://www.netflix.com/watch/80201906

Carla (Security)

- While vibranium allowed Wakanda to improve their communication, health, and security, vibranium also lead to negative impacts in security and privacy that some may consider as breaches on human rights and property rights.

- In regards to security, there is a scene in the movie that depicts the Black Panther chasing Klaue through Korea. Black Panther throws a device onto a car, and the device takes control of the car, allowing Shuri to remotely drive the car from her lab in Wakanda while the Black Panther rides it.

- This is clearly theft in both the film's universe and ours. Today, we have examples of cars being hacked into and controlled remotely. In 2015, a wired reporter drove a jeep cherokee in st louis, while 2 hackers were able to take control of the vehicles transmission and brakes from their living room. This is a major security concern as the market for autonomous cars continues to grow.

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Vibranium Impacts Privacy

Device that is similar to a bug or wire
Unlimited range, wireless
Used to communicate, but also to violate privacy
Existing technology, aside from the range

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Vibranium Impacts Safety

In the USA:

16% increase in reported murders per year from 2012 to 2016
On average, 70% of murders caused by firearms
Gun violence is 34x higher per 1m people than the UK, which has more strict gun control laws

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[6], [7]

Carla (Safety, Weapons)

- Potentially the worst way that Vibranium is used is in the advancement of weapons.

- But the only time these weapons are misused is when they are not under regulation or fall into the wrong hands. This reflects on the way we interact with weaponry in our societies.

- Statistics from the FBI report that from 2012 to 2016, the number of murder victims within a given year has steadily increased from 12,888 to 15,070. The weapons attributed to the most deaths are firearms (70%), but more specifically, handguns (48%).

- While these weapons have made way for violence, the technology behind them hasn't necessarily advanced, seeing as the most popular handgun was created in 1898.

- This shows that there isn't necessarily a correlation between the increase of gun violence and the advancement of weaponry.

- Further, statistics show that gun violence in the US was 34 times higher per 1 million people than the United Kingdom which has much more strict gun control laws.

- This leads us to believe that the issue at hand has to do with regulation and access more than it has to do with the technologies behind the weapons being enhanced.

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Conflicts

Why fix something that isn't broken

Negative impacts of sharing their advanced technology with the world

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Liam (Conflicts)

There are two main conflicts that we noticed throughout the film that helped us come to our conclusion.

The first conflict revolves around the idea that there is no need to “fix” things that aren’t yet broken. Some tribe leaders in Wakanda express this sentiment, as does the King of Wakanda to his younger sister who pioneers the advancement of technology within Wakanda.
The second conflict appears because there are Wakandans who believe the world must know about their advanced technology.

Some view Vibranium as a tool to enhance communities that do not have the means to help themselves,
while others view it as a weapon to seek vengeance on those who have wronged black populations around the world.

For example killmongers father thought wakandan tech should be used to help minority civilizations (such as many African nations)
Killmonger himself wants to distribute this technology to help minorities basically start a revolution against their oppressors.

There are also those who want to keep their use of Vibranium a secret believe they will be taken advantage of by other countries if they expose themselves.

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Conclusion

Although technology can be misused, it is important to develop and share inventions that can benefit societies and promote human well-being.

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Carla (Conclusion)

These concerns are all valid, but the benefits of creating technology and improving societies are far greater than those associated with not advancing or sharing.

This film represents our use of growing technologies around the globe. Computing has improved our lives in terms of efficiency, health, and security. While growing technology continues to benefit society, computing can also be misused if not regulated. “Black Panther” showcases both the positive and negative impacts which computing can have on society.

As expected, "Black Panther" has a happy ending. They use their technology to expose inner-city kids to STEM education, simultaneously promoting the expansion of their technology and exposing themselves for the sake of bettering other communities. Because we have seen technology improve Wakandan society, as well as improve lives in our world, we believe that although technology can be misused, it is important to develop and share inventions that can benefit societies and promote human well-being.

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References

Black Panther. (2018) Marvel Studios. Movie.
i3D Projects, Microsoft. "holoportation: virtual 3D teleportation in real-time (Microsoft Research)." Mar. 25, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=101&v=7d59O6cfaM0 Accessed on Apr. 24, 2019.
Greenberg, Andy. "Hackers Remotely Kill a Jeep on the Highway - With Me In It." Jul. 21, 2015 https://www.wired.com/2015/07/hackers-remotely-kill-jeep-highway/ Accessed on Apr. 24, 2019.
"Edward Snowden: Leaks that exposed US spy programme." BBC News. Jan. 17, 2014. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-23123964 Apr. 24, 2019.
Ninde, Claire. "200 years of public health has doubled our life expectancy." San Juan Basin Public Health. https://sjbpublichealth.org/200-years-public-health-doubled-life-expectancy/ Accessed on Apr. 24, 2019.
Barnes, Frank C. Ken Warner, editor. Cartridges of the World, 6th Edition. Northbrook, Illinois: DBI Books, 1989. ISBN 978-0-87349-033-7.
“Murder Victims by Weapon, 2012–2016” https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2016/crime-in-the-u.s.-2016/tables/expanded-homicide-data-table-4.xls Accessed on Apr. 26, 2019.
“The Geneva Declaration” http://www.genevadeclaration.org/publications.html, Accessed on Apr. 26, 2019.
Escallier, Paul. "Access Denied! 18 Places Google Maps Won't Let You See." May 13, 2011. https://gizmodo.com/access-denied-18-places-google-maps-wont-let-you-see-5801644 Accessed on Apr. 26, 2019.

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