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Journal Entry #8 - Now You See Me

October 27th’s presentation was about the movie Now You See Me and how magic, deception, and psychology can work together. The presentation focused on the Four Horsemen, a group of four magicians who each had different specialties, including card tricks, mentalism, escape acts, and hustling. They used their abilities to perform elaborate tricks and carry out robberies while staying ahead of the FBI and other investigators. I thought it was interesting how their performances relied on more than just magic tricks. A lot of it involved a deep understanding how people think and react. One concept that stood out to me was social engineering. This is when someone manipulates another person into giving up information or access to something. In the presentation, the Horsemen studied a man closely enough and asked the correct questions to be able to recreate his bank vault and figure out how to get the information they needed. This connects to real life because people can sometimes be easier to...
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Journal Entry #7 - Hoaxes

October 22nd’s class was about hoaxes and how easily people can be convinced to believe something that is not true. We discussed examples like the Great Moon Hoax, where a newspaper claimed scientists had discovered life on the moon, and the War of the Worlds broadcast, which presented a fictional alien invasion as if it were real. I think these examples show how much people depend on the information they are given, especially when it comes from a source they trust—or for modern times, TikTok or Instagram.  Something I found interesting was the psychology behind why people believe hoaxes. Confirmation bias, authority bias, and social proof can all influence how we interpret information. I think this is especially relevant today because people often see something online and immediately believe or share it without checking whether it is accurate. Sometimes, if enough people are talking about something, we assume there must be some truth to it. Repeated exposure can also make false in...
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Journal Entry #6 - Talented Mr. Ripley

One thing I found interesting from class was the idea that deviance can actually be healthy for society. Before discussing this, I usually thought of deviance as simply doing something wrong or going against the rules. It's a good point how having people who are considered different helps groups define what is normal and acceptable. In a way, we need an other to understand who we are. So much of our identity is shaped by the groups we belong to and how we compare ourselves to other people, too.  I also saw this idea in The Talented Mr. Ripley . Tom Ripley seems insecure about who he is, so he changes himself to fit into the wealthy and socially accepted world that Dickie belongs to. What stood out to me was how easily people trusted Tom because he had certain signs that made him appear like he belonged, such as the Princeton jacket and his connection to Dickie. It made me think about how people often judge others based on social cues rather than actually knowing them. For example, ...
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Response to "A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing"

I think the phrase “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” is interesting because it connects deception with something that looks completely harmless. The idea of a wolf pretending to be a sheep shows how someone can hide their true intentions behind a friendly or innocent appearance. Matthew 7:15 uses this idea to warn people about false prophets who may seem trustworthy but actually have harmful intentions. It also made me start thinking about people in my own life and how anyone could really be faking who they are. It's interesting but also a pessimistic view of others.  This idea also connects to werewolf legends and the witch trials in Europe. During the early modern period, people were often superstitious and looked for supernatural explanations for things they could not understand. Werewolf accusations became connected to larger witch hunts, and innocent people could be accused and even executed. These trials were influenced by superstition, religious and political conflicts, and the ...
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Journal Entry #5 - Salem Witch Hysteria

Learning about the Salem Witch Hysteria was interesting. The fact that this happened in the early modern era shows how this was going on even as we moved to a more logical and scientific world. It also baffled me how they were accusing people based off of literally nothing. You were likely to be accused if you were financially unstable or too financially independent, or if you were too young or too old, which includes literally everyone. The justice system has made a lot of progress since these times, and that is definitely a relief.  One thing that truly surprised me was the idea of ergotism and how the fungus, ergot, could have actually had effects on individuals, causing "witch-like behavior," like delusions, muscle spasms, and hysteria. I also believe it was a way for people to find something to blame for the issues and social tensions going on at the time. It's a lot easier for people to cope or accept hardships when they have someone or something to blame.  It was a...
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Journal Entry #4 - Social Engineering

Today's class was a blast. Our assignment to create a social engineering scam was fun because it gave us the opportunity to be on the other side of phishing attempts for once. Our group created the QR code to RSVP for the Chainsmokers concert, and I'm confident that this social engineering attempt would work if we put those posters up around campus. It looks real because of the TCU logo, the Crew logo, and it would be on campus so there's no reason for someone to immediately question it. We also added the urgency effect by offering a chance to win a meet and greet if you filled out the GoogleForm within the next hour.  It was hilarious when Dr. Williams revealed that he appointed a person in each group to try and steal personal information from the other group members. This worked excellently because each of us were busy/distracted working on the assignment and trying to make it convincing, while also conversing with each other about various other topics. When Grace asked t...
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Journal Entry #3 - Phishing 101

This journal entry is regarding the phishing topic from 9/10 (I just got the time to write this entry). I truly enjoyed the presentation by Mia and Olivia. They were comfortable in front of the class, and the class was engaging a fair amount as well. I also enjoyed their use of videos in their presentation which made it more interesting. Anyways, I learned a few things too.  I learned that people often use your emotions against you by using things like trust, fear, curiosity, and most prominently, a sense of urgency to get you to bypass any critical thinking and be deceived or successfully phished (probably not an actual term). Again, it's a reminder to pause in everyday life and to be skeptical when things seem a little too good, just like we learned from Dr. Rich Enos and his discussion over propaganda and perception vs reality. For example, someone brought up how a girl tried befriending her but instead was trying to do some fishy (get it?) things on her phone. This was slightly...
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