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Week #13 Blog Post 10

How patriotic is surveillance?

We all are aware of one of the most horrifying events to happen on American soil, the September 11th attack on the world trade center. So many innocent individuals fell victim to terrorists, we still honor the victims and never forget. However since the terrorists were able to pass Airport security we have upped the TSA security at the airports. We also upped our surveillance across the country at home as well. In Fear As Institution 9/11 And Surveillance Triumph by C Parenti we learn the aftermath stricker surveillance following the attack. The Patriot Act liberalized use of the federal government's four main Tools of surveillance :wiretaps, search warrants, subpoenas, and pen/trap orders (which allow investigators to log and map all The telephone numbers called by a suspect)” (Parenti). Though I understand the wanting need for stricter security on our technology, I feel as though this patriotic move has amore different motive than security purposes. The government wants to be able to track everything on our devices to stop stuff like activist protest. Honestly anything that can be considered a terrorist motive can become a drastic motive. 

Can anyone be a terrorist?

In Fear As Institution 9/11 And Surveillance Triumph by C Parenti we learn that there is an expansion on the label terrorist that can be subjective depending on who you are talking to. Parenti expressed, “Cruictually the Patriot Act creates a new massively expanded definition of what a terrorist is. Now anyone who breaks the law so as to impact policy or change public opinion and does so in a way that might endanger human life (including their own) can be investigated and prosecuted as a terrorist” (Parenti). We briefly talked about this in class as well. Many political activist groups get in trouble for even liking certain posts, and begin to get product as a terrorist against our country. The surveillance following us on our technology could cause us trouble even if we don't have negative intentions regarding our political ideologies. The government has drastically taken over the patriot act and carelessly addressed the proper way to acknowledge the safety of our country from those who intentionally mean harm. 

Will Twitter be our downfall? 

In How Your Twitter Account Could Land You In Jail by Mattew Power we learn that what we post might be used as a counter argument, making you think twice before you post your next tweet. Which makes myself think about how disturbing it is that within our country we have to experience the eyes constantly watching us. Power exclaims, “According to the criminal complaint filed against them, the two men had been “communicating with various protestors, and protest groups...[via] internet based communications, more commonly known as ‘Twitter’. The observed ‘Twitter’ (Power 2010). The police department has access to our social media algorithms, everything we like, share, follow, will go with us through the criminal justice system. Whether it is related to us or just something we thought was cool, it can become a real life scenario that could get one into more trouble than not.

Can our Political Ideals Land us in Jail?

Did you know if you are more active in your political stance you may end up getting into trouble? In How Your Twitter Account Could Land You In Jail by Mattew Power he explains different scenarios in which the use of the social media Twitter platform has been used as evidence for individuals being labeled as terrorists because of their political views. Power shares, “defendants’ actions “may have been related to more expansive activities” and “that until further investigative activities by law enforcement agencies can be completed (Power 2010). It's hard to believe that this is the reality for so many people. Just because one is active in their political morals and wishes to express their own rights, could make one known as a terrorist against the American government. It’s actually insane to me that just because I like certain posts regarding political movements, it will follow me, even on a private account. The truth is nothing is private on social media, we have discussed this in class multiple times. Regardless of our friends or likes that we come across, nearly everyone can access our accounts. They can know our political ideologies just based on our liked posts and such, we must be careful when we come across our own morals on any social media platforms. 

Parenti, C. (n.d.). Fear As Institution 9/11 And Surveillance Triumph [Review of Fear As Institution 9/11 And Surveillance Triumph ].

Power, M. (2010). How Your Twitter Account Could Land You in Jail.

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Post #9 Week 12

Why does race swapping cause such a dramatic social uproar?

I'm sure as many saw through social media that amount of backlash the new real life remake of The Little Mermaid had when it first came out that the disney princess, Ariel would be played by Halle Bailey, an african american actress. All over social media it was filled with hating remarks about the actresses hair, her complexion, and overall personality being “wrong” for a fictional character. It was utterly disgusting. In Laytoa Lee’s article, Are Y’all Ready for a Black Mermaid? How Black Twitter Challenges White Supremacist Imaginations we learn the hate that comes through the big screen when roles are switched from white actors to african american actors. Lee explains, “For these “fans,” their discontent stemmed from the casting of a Black actress for a role that their minds should be played by a white actress, since the original animated film featured a white Ariel” (Lee 2023). The actors being switched with different looks creates more creative and unique styles to different cats, the art is subjective. However many ignorant people are ruining the whole idea by creating hate in a disturbing way. 

How does connecting to an actress encourage the youth to be themselves?

In Laytoa Lee’s article, Are Y’all Ready for a Black Mermaid? How Black Twitter Challenges White Supremacist Imaginations we see in what ways young girls were deeply influenced by seeing their princess look like them. Lee shares, “ the surprise and awe on these beautiful little faces when they first realized the mermaid on film is Black like them. In one video, a little girl squeals and exclaims, “She’s like me” (Lee 2023). Even with all the hate associated within the actress, she still was able to share some light and touch the heart of many little girls. Seeing that an actual disney princess looks like you, gives hope and begins to make little girls believe that they can achieve so much. I feel like this is such a vital opportunity for the younger generation to experience all races. It helps kids connect to their true selves, and having these fictional characters can give them the greatest joy in my opinion. I think it was such a magical thing. 

Is surveillance through mobile devices gonna change our future? 

In this week's lecture we watched a short documentary titled, Survalliced and we saw the scary reality that the future may turn into. We see how specifically modern day software has targeted manu innocent individuals to watch and spy on their phones. The surveillance is watching our messages, social media, and everything on our phones. They are specifically targeting activists and their posts. We have even discussed in the class, how someone was targeted for like Black Lives Matter posts and was arrested and labeled a terrorist. This is extremely scary and concerning. We have to be alert in real life situations happening across the United States, social media is a great way to stay alert.  However we have to be crucial in making sure that we aren't getting watched, however it's more hard to do than say. 

Is there a way to put a stop to our technology being surveillanced?

It's no secret that our phones, laptops, ipads are being hacked into by the government or even other individuals. We know that the government has access to our tweets, photos, contacts, and pretty much anything on our phones. There's no escaping the software hacks of modern day technology. Even if our own social media is private, there's still ways to get into our profile. Pretending to be someone you're not or even through tags from friends. As long as you're a part of that cloud, hackers can gain access to information. We had a whole discussion a couple weeks ago about the dangers of hacking and ways to prevent it. However I think the most important thing we can do is spread awareness to everyone around us. Especially if we know political activists fighting for our futures, government officials specifically activists in order to punish them with a crime. Spreading awareness can help others continue to protest but safely. 

Lee, L. (2023, April 14). Are Y’all ready for a black mermaid? how black twitter challenges White Supremacist imaginations. Ms. Magazine. https://msmagazine.com/2023/04/17/the-little-mermaid-halle-bailey-black-twitter/ 

O'Neill, M., & Peltz, P. (Directors). (2020). Surveilled [Film]. HBO Documentary Films.

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Blog Post #8 - Week #11

What Can Black Twitter Accomplish?

      Black Twitter: A Response to Bias in Mainstream Media by Latoya A. Lee gives incredible moving and realistic battles that people of color have been forced to face. The stories of victims that have died to police violence, due to their skin color was shared. It made me realize how many names go unnoticed and stories unshared. Lee exclaims that through these tragic events the stories did start becoming ones that the public could acknowledge through social media, on twitter. Many people have posted a sort of a sickening type of joke, making racial remarks on social media platforms. These tragically make it harder to take real world matters seriously. By using black twitter, we can control the narratives and stories of people of color. “Ultimately, the media is central to what comes to represent many people’s social realities and also central to the spread of ideas worldwide” (Lee 2017). This is so true, the representation needs to be controlled to spread awareness and reach out to communities regarding real life issues.

Does Race Matter in Arrest, How Does Social Media Cover it? 

In Black Twitter: A Response to Bias in Mainstream Media by Latoya A. Lee we learn more about the discrimination of crime punishment against people of color and white individuals. Lee expresses, “An example of mainstream media reinforcing perceptions of blackness and criminality can be seen in the 2015 news coverage of three white men and four black men who were arrested for committing the same crime of burglary” (Lee 2017). It's been no secret how often people of color do things the same as other people and still get punished more. For the longest time people of color didn't have a voice and we didn't see it in the media. For me personally I only started seeing representation through the Black Lives Matter Protest in 2020. 

How can hashtags be a useful way to navigate social media and political ideology?

I think many people have used a hashtag on a social media post in their lifetime. In the lecture today and guest speaker we were asked to use an icebreaker. The question was how can hashtags be used through social media, I can't remember the exact question. My partner and I had a very interesting conversation about the history of hashtags. Hashtags used to have a hold on our everyday posts but now it's not as common. In the early 2010s every single thing we posted had a hashtag on it. We could use those hashtags to constantly monitor and scroll throughout relative content. That's why using them to spread awareness is huge, our social media algorithms with the help of hashtags can get the word out on so many events. Such as stopping oil pipelines, protesting in the area, and even signing important ballots. Hashtags need to come back into our media the same way it did in the early 2010s, in order to help create more awareness and reach to communities. 

Does Social Media have a Communication Power? 

In Communication Power in the Arab Spring and the Occupy Movement; 2011: The Year of the Rebirth of History and Dangerous Dreaming by Fuchs we learn, “movements were born on the internet, that protests were conveyed by the internet” (Fusch 2014). Movements are a great way to communicate into groups, and spread a message. It could be in my opinion one of the most powerful tools in use to help. That communication can be open to interpretations, however when the media is covering protest and spreading a message globally, that is when action is most likely to be taken. Communication is the most powerful tool we can use to understand each other from different backgrounds.

Lee, L. (2017). Black twitter: A response to bias in mainstream media. Social Sciences, 6(1), 26. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci6010026 

Fuchs, C. (2014). Social media: A critical introduction. SAGE Publications. 

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Week 9 Blog Post #7

Does protesting limit our rights more than expresses them?

In The Radicalization of Zeke Spier: How the Internet contributes to civil engagement and new forms of social capital by Larry Elin, we learn that while protesting is supposed to be something amazing within itself, our rights remain limited. The opening line quotes, “The only thing more consequential than getting arrested and jailed for what one believes is taking a serious beating or dying for it” (Elin 2013). These words are incredibly powerful when you realize the true meaning of them. We have seen this time and time before many individuals, specifically people of color, being turned away from expressing their fundamental rights. The reading even provides a little history about how the US was founded on protest. It;s extremely sad to see in a world where we built up the only ones who are being turnt down are those of minorities, even after all we have been through. 

Does the internet change the way we protest?

Our ways of protesting in America seem to differ from place to place. We see people protest in physical, peaceful, and more manners, all of which are valid and respectable. In The Radicalization of Zeke Spier: How the Internet contributes to civil engagement and new forms of social capital by Larry Elin the expression, “Spiers use of the internet to become informed, to communicate, and to organize for activities that he then participated in physically seems to be emerging as a formula for civil engagement among a broad range of Americans” (Elin 2013). The internet can be both negative and positive as we know, so it’s hard to to use it in a social setting such as protesting. In the reading we also learn about how the recordings of video on the internet during protest can be a way to help protect individuals within the law.

Will the internet's social movements harm us?

In Daniel Whites, White Supremacist Social Movements Online and in a Global Context we see different ways in which the internet negatively affects communities. In the reading we learn how white supremacy groups are active in online communities and becoming a danger to minorities. This is incredibly disgusting, last week we discussed the action needing to be put in place to make our communities safer for all. “White supremacy online in the global information era facilitates the formation of a translocal white identity, which is in turn shaped through global information technologies rather than in opposition to them” (White 2025). The communities building online can be such an amazing thing and bring people from across the world together, however these harmful alternatives being spreaded is disgusting. Social media continues to turn bad throughout the years, it needs to be monitored and controlled in a better way.

How worried should we be about white supremacy groups' online activity? 

I feel like many people see online groups as not a threat because people aren’t actually in person. In Daniel Whites, White Supremacist Social Movements Online and in a Global Context he addresses the idea by saying, “the likelihood that a white supremacist organization could pose a serious political challenge in a contemporary democracy is remote, though worrisome” (White 2025). This is something we don't see often however more recently we have seen it more. Through modern times many communities communicate through the internet, so it can become so reliable. But hate is unfortunately always spread across the internet too, we saw a couple weeks ago too through Whites’ reading that this issue has become more prominent. Moderation needs to be controlled on the internet to help prevent issues taking place. 

Elin, L. (2013). Finding R&D trends and experts made simple.

White, D. (n.d.). White Supremacist Social Movements Online and in a Global Context (p. Chapter 4). essay. Retrieved 2025,. https://csufullerton.instructure.com/courses/3496314/files/259401392?module_item_id=86755603

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Week 8 Blog #6-

Does a Cyborg try to make up for their lack of origin stories through us? 

In the reading of Cyborg Manifesto by Donna Haraway, we learn how cyborgs are “machine like” along with a hybrid of our own reality. Haraway addresses this as, “machines have made thoroughly ambiguous the difference between natural and artificial, mind and body, Self-developing and extremely designed , and many other distinctions that used to apply to  organisms and machines. Our machines are disturbingly lively, and we ourselves are frighteningly inert"(Haraway 2018). We can compare this to last week's Black Mirror’s episode where everyone is a cyborg trying to fit into the merit system. This concept has me inquiring about do cyborgs not have an initial background. We talked about this inside class, however, we subconsciously implanted reality into these cyborgs. 

Will Visual cyberculture inspire our society in a negative way? (K O'riordan)

In Gender, technology, and visual cyber cultural Virtually Women by Kate O’Riodan we see, a fake woman “the most celebrated virtual persona to date…as the “cyberbabe”(O’Riordan 2000). The concept about how men view women can be interpreted in our everyday lives. The reading also goes on to say, “the female face is thus the future present of the convergence of cybercultural forms such as mobile telephony, computer games, hand held devices, and the internet” (O’Riordan 2000). Our society must err on the side of caution moving forward about how we represent women in the digital world.

Do we socially view all women as maternal figures?

In the documentary we discussed and talked about in class, Seeking Mavis Beacon, we see two young women trying to find a real life woman whose identity has been essentially stolen and used for AI marketing. However one of the most curious parts is how they materialize Mavis. We see her showing off features while talking to kids, teaching them. Most of our childhood teachers are women. They even had a photoshoot with her walking a little boy. For the marketing standpoint, the likeableness and stereotype of a woman is to be forced to be maternal. 

Does AI take away identities and perhaps genders for money?

Talking more into Seeking Mavis Beacon, it was quite alarming to know that the real person that the character was based off of was Renee L’Epernace. She was a Haitian immigrant working at a perfume store when she was approached by one of the creators of a new software. They offered her only $500 to do a photoshoot and that was it, however they used AI to market off her face for future ideas revolving around the software. While the creators were making millions off their new and booming business software. They would use AI features to “soften” her face and hands to resemble Renee. They didn’t even ask permission or allow her the right to forget. This is what we learn in class, they can not be removed from the project essentially. It’s so crazy to me they basically stole Renee’s identity and reprogrammed her to someone she isn’t. You saw her face but you didn’t see her because it was just a fake persona. 

Donna Jeanne Haraway. (2018). Cyborg manifesto. Camas Books. (Original work published 1985)

O’Riordan, K. (n.d.). Gender, technology, and visual cyber cultural Virtually Women [Review of Gender, technology, and visual cyber cultural Virtually Women]. (Original work published 2000)

Jones, J. Olivia McKayla Ross. (2024). Seeking Mavis Davis [Review of Seeking Mavis Davis]. In G. Feiln (Ed.), Neon.

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Week #7 Blog Post -5

Could the merit system be weaved into our society slowly?

In the Black Mirror episode we see a merit system that has taken over society. Everyone is in a ranking system that allows people to be ranked off their personality, appearance, and their attitude. In the episode we saw so many little hints that could be interpreted into our lives. In the episode the main character is in the elevator at work and is forced to fake a smile. She begins to look through her social media to engage with her in order to get a high ranking. We subconsciously do this in our everyday lives as well. We are endlessly scrolling (especially at night) and keeping “touch” or updated with people in our lives.Then when we finally see them in person we ask about things we saw them do, like “hey I saw you were at disneyland how was it?” Just to make conversation and gain people’s approval. We are constantly in need of validation like in the episode. 

What ways are the merit system influenced into our daily lives?

I think it’s pretty clear that the episode is a mirror exaggeration of our lives and digital lives. It’s inspired by how we are constantly reliable on our own ranks just as we saw in Black Mirror. People are constantly looking up to influencers such as Lacey wishes she was Niomi. We see Lacey scrolling through Niomi’s feed and you can see the envy of wanting to be her. Whereas we see young girls all the time looking up to unrealistic expectations of bodies through modern influencers. This scary similarity among others shows that the show’s episode is a warning of what the future could look like if we don’t control our media literacy. 

Is white supremacy a danger in digital media?

Social media is used as a tool in so many ways, some may be beneficial while others might be negative. However the most dangerous way social media is used is through bullying and discriminating against others. While we know we could find so many websites online, one that is causing a huge safety issue for many people of color is the white supremacy groups online. We see this in Daniel Whites’s White Supremacy in the Digital Era “white supremacists’ messages might be lost among the millions and millions of websites on the Internet. Even so, white supremacy online is troubling. Consider (1) its easy access and global linkages, (2) harm it may precipitate in real life, and (3) the challenge it presents to honoring cultural values such as racial equality” ( White). Media needs control to protect people. People spreading hate online can become serious and deadly in the matter of hours. We need control of the media to prevent white supremacy along with other discriminations taking place through online active groups.

Can moderations on social media prevent crime?

Touching back on Daniel Whites’, White Supremacy in the Digital Era we learn how even though the hate is being approached through screens it can turn into a real life situation. “White supremacy online sometimes leads to violence, harassment, intimidation, and racial terror, transcending the virtual world to damage real, live human beings” (White). We even addressed this in class where a white supremacy group discussed a mass murder against African American people and took action on it. Horrible people are spreading violence and hate online only to make it a reality. If we moderate and report these groups of hate we can help save and prevent so many people. The discrimination that starts online only spreads the further that we let it. Reporting these groups will help create safe spaces online. 

Work Cited:

Black Mirror, created by Charlie Booker, season 3, episode 1, Nosedive, 2016

White, D. (n.d.). White Supremacy in the Digital Era.

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Post Number 4 - Week #6

Do modern day games create a false reality of a racist and misogynistic view? 

I was utterly shocked when reading the article The Revenge of the Yellowface by Jeffrey A. Ow, even talking about it in class was very interesting and came from a point of view I would have never assumed. Ow describes how he plays a game that targets asians and forces gamers to fit into the role of a colonizer. Thinking about this article and games nowadays we do have so many games that share hatred into the world where fantasy characters eliminate their opponents that are offensive and unideal. “This yellowface cyborg terminator, amalgam of middle class white man and digital ninja, revels in the maternal hybridity between human and machine, using this positionality to transcribe master narratives based on racial and colonialism” (Ow). I never thought the games I would play growing up had such a negative and bad context behind them. From my own point of view, I am thankful I never had to fully be aware of them, but now as I am older, I realize how much harm these fake characters can cause to so many ethnicities and cultures. 

Do games play into sexist, racist, and stereotypes? Do the creators view their characters? 

I wanted to talk more about Ow's article. I think it’s extremely important to clarify. In modern day video games we see women portrayed as either prostitutes, in domestic violence situations, or even needing to be rescued by a man. As a woman I think it’s extremely offensive that the men get to be seen as a powerful figure, war hero, playboy, and more. Do the creators of the game interpret women as such fragile beings and feel the need to only associate them when it’s convenient to the men. Though many games are meant for a mature audience, many young adults are buying these games. I know many of my young male cousins play games like GTA and COD, this is scary. One can only assume they will take the interpretations of the game into consideration and create their own false reality. We talked about this briefly in class. Imagine someone who has played GTA and has never been to Los Angeles before, they can create false realities based on these disgusting simulations.

What does it mean to be a cyborg in cyberspace? 

In Race in Cyberspace by Lisa Nakmaura, Beth E kolko, and Gilbert Rodman we discover a relatively newer reality as the internet begins to slowly take off. The ideal of a cyborg, touched on throughout this week's lecture in my opinion, is connected to this reading. A cyborg is almost machine like- though the article is older we see this still in modern times. Cyberspace is expressed differently as well, in modern times we would just refer to it as the internet. Hence cyborgs are created in cyberspace is an addiction which we have discussed many times before in class through algorithms. In the reading the authors express, “Participants in cyberspace, It turns out, are not just embedded in language, but tied to gender; in other words, they bring a variety of their Real-world identities to bear on cyberspace representation” (Kolko, B. E., Nakamura, L., & Rodman, G. B. 2000) Meaning we are just sucked into this unreal reality that can give us our small amount of domine with no cares about the real issues at hand. Many inappropriate conversations occur online, in which if we see we must do something. We should not just be watchers when we can be doers. 

How important is our privacy online? 

After attending the last class I realized how much danger we are in, by relying on technology. I don’t want to seem dumb, but I never knew that when you are on a website the “https” the (s) stands for secure. This will come in handy later on the intranet trying to find certain sites. However I also was unaware of how much of our everyday information is being given away online. Those cookies need to be stopped and our devices make it so much harder for us to turn it off. We talked alot about convenience during the speaker's presentation. I will admit for myself the convenience of technology is a huge part of my life. Especially when it comes to school and I need the fastest results or easiest way of working around my school assignments. However this panel was a huge eye opener to me. We discussed so many dangers within AI including face recognition, unsecure sites, and misinformation. All of which could affect anyone in their everyday lives however more often to people of color. This presentation was a great way to explore the negative side effects when you don’t pay attention and rely on the convenience of your phone like I used to. 

Kolko, B. E., Nakamura, L., & Rodman, G. B. (2000). Race in cyberspace. Routledge.

Jeffrey A. Ow (2010) The Revenge of the Yellowface

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Blog Post #3 Week 4

How does your name contribute to everyday racist coding? 

I thought this was a very interesting part of Race after technology by R.Benjamin when he was elaborating on naming a child. While my initial thought was a bit confused the more he went on about how firstly everyone's name was at one point the first. Meaning that there was a time when once everyone’s name was a new name. He addressed the idea that others judge quickly and gave an example, giving a child a “more arabic name” he would be flagged every time at the airport. He goes on to say, “Just as in naming a child, there are many day contexts- such as applying to a job, or shopping- that employ emerging technologies, often to the detriment of those who are racially marked” (R.Benjamin 2019). I never realized how much a name could impact one’s social and everyday life. This could be harder for those with more of an “unique name.” Companies may look at these and decide whether or not the position would be good not based on personality but solely on their name. In which they could discriminate based on biases and assumptions. 

How do the digital world’s algorithms contribute to biased bots?

Biased bots are also addressed in R. Benjamins’ Race after Technology in which he discusses how modern algorithms upon the digital world make racist assumptions. He claims, “In some cases technology sees racial differences” (R.Benjamin 2019). Technology could automatically filter out certain job application candidates based on their ethnicity or even gender. We talked in class about how applying for insurance, credit card, or anything in those terms that uses technology can determine your “risk” and how biased towards people of color. It does connect to his other statements about how names could be seen as a tool to filter out people of color based on their “unique” names. The biased bots are the ones in control of the algorithms and can determine the outcome of certain ideals.

Google discriminates based on race?

S. Nobel addressed her concerns about how google creates suggested searches about uncalled for negative comments about people of color.  We have talked about this alot in class and covered it in our readings. Technology does in fact negatively view a certain race based on the color of people. In Nobels’ work algorithms of Oppressions we learn about how when putting into google “white house” when President Barack Obama was elected. Google had a very disgusting and plain out rude comment come up suggesting towards the president's skin color.  Another example Nobel provides is when searching Michelle Obama, it was associated with Apes. This honestly shocked me more and I couldn’t believe it the more I read it it felt as though we had gone back in time years prior.

 How does gender play a role in algorithms?

In Kimberle Creshaw’s Ted Talk performance she does a survey where she asks the audience to stand up. The room is filled with many different races, genders, and a huge diversity. She said she was gonna announce names and to sit down when you don’t know them.  She began to list names of male african americans and a couple people sat down but not everyone. Then she began to start listing the names of female african americans, and immediately more than half the room sat down. What all the names had in common were they were african americans who were killed by the police. She showed however that the women were less known compared to the men based on social media or press algorithms. This is so concerning as a woman, that women are hidden in the shadows. We talked in class about Intersectionality in which racism, gender, religion, disability, and sexuality overlapped creating multiple diversity. This is huge in my opinion and plays a role for so many women who unfortunately have more than one minority upon them.  

Benjamin, R. (2019). Race after Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code. Polity.

Noble, Safiya Umoja. Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism. New York, New York University Press, 2018.

National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). “Kimberlé Crenshaw: What Is Intersectionality?” YouTube, 22 June 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViDtnfQ9FHc.

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Blog Post #2 - Week #3 (Feb 6)

How did “A Day Without Migrants” impact the nation?

Last Monday was a day of protest against the country for their mistreatment and abuse of power but more importantly their anger towards immigrants. Trump had recently had a mass deportation order put into place. As we were talking in class I realized the severity of the situation. We talked about having a card associated with your rights in case an immigration officer had detained you. This is such a horrifying thing to think about. In protest of Trump and his decisions, across the country was a protest known as “A Day Without Immigrants.” In order to participate people were told not to buy anything, go to work, and go to school. There have been protests like this before. The whole focus is to show the country that we rely on immigrants in so many ways and they do in fact contribute to our society here in America. It impacts the nation when all of a sudden all of these people just get thrown out of their country. There is so much more to say on this topic and exactly how important it is and morally correct to help and stand by the immigrants in our lives. 

2. With immigration rights being taken away, what else can happen and be taken away?

I know it can be such a scary time knowing that mass deportations are taking effect. It may be someone we know or even someone a part of our everyday community. A mass deportation is referred to by the article, Know Your Rights, as “expedited removal, an immigration officer may quickly deport individuals without due process if the government establishes that they entered the United States without immigration documents and have been in the country for less than two years” (Know Your Rights 2025). The article talked about the steps being taken from the Trump administration and what exactly it means. I know this scary concept can lead to so many other questions for people or people they know. In the article it confirms things such as what to do in case an immigration officer detains you. I know in class we went over it a little bit but I think this is such an important concept and things everyone should be aware of. 

3. Why does social media’s algorithm contribute to racism? 

As we all know when we scroll endlessly on our social media we tend to stay there for hours on end. This is based on our algorithm, our phones know what type of stuff we like versus what we do not like. However did you know how harming this could be for so many people of color?  According to Nichole Brown, a professor in sociology, “algorithms are able to reproduce racially biased outcomes… without even using race” (Brown 2020). Brown follows where she uses an example where in the city of chicago the police department wanted to use different algorithms to attempt to predict gun violence in the city. These algorithms along with different attempts to use algorithms such as how much of a risk individuals are, are overwhelmingly people of color predicted. My face literally dropped while watching the video. The fact that the Police Department itself allowed these algorithms to be used is crazy. It feeds into the stereotype that all people of color are dangerous or “at risk”. Which we all know is not the case at all, this is actually really terrible to society and insulting to the black community. Change must be done.

4. What does it mean to be a modern day cyberfeminist? 

When I first saw the chapter I was a little confused. I didn't realize they were such a thing, I knew the word cyber and feminist so of course I had an idea but I was fully aware until reading the article. In Jessie Daniels’ article titled Rethinking Cyberfeminism: Race, Gender, and Embodiment we learn the meaning of this, “cyberfeminism” refers to a range of theories, debates, and practices about the relationship between gender and digital culture” (Daniels 2009). For myself the digital culture refers to forms of social media communities. Meaning that it is free to those who actively use the digital world. The article describes the internet as a “tool” as a way to connect to many and be used as accessed to communicate. It’s no secret that women are targeted daily for things men do everyday, like working while being a parent. Women need support within their community. Having access to the internet is a great way to reach out and find important resources to help empower one another. On page 108 in the article we see many websites globally for women to provide questions, answers, resources, support and so much more. I think in this day of age where the internet can be so negative it’s so cool to use it in such a positive impact. 

Daniels , J. (2009). Rethinking cyberfeminism(s): Race, gender, and embodiment PDF. Project Muse . https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236786509_Rethinking_Cyberfeminisms_Race_Gender_and_Embodiment  

Brown, N. (2020). Race and technology. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8uiAjigKy8 

Know your rights: Prepare for Trump’s mass deportation threats. National Immigrant Justice Center. (n.d.). https://immigrantjustice.org/know-your-rights/mass-deportation-threats 

[emxly-elxzabeth]

Week #2

One memory that remains deeply embedded into my head, where technology didn't live up to its hype was when I got lost going to visit my brother in Riverside, CA. As soon as I got my license about 2 years ago, I was so excited to start driving away and getting out of the house. I’m sure everyone has that sense of freedom, once you get the keys you leave. At least I was hoping to lmao. I decided on the weekend to go visit my brother and his family at the riverside. I got in my car with my water bottle. I asked Siri to direct me to the address thinking nothing more of it. I’m from Los Angeles, so from Riverside with no traffic it should take me maybe 45-50 minutes.  I thought I had put the address in correctly on Google Maps, and started heading my way. Since I haven't been to my brothers before, I had no way of knowing if I was going to the right place based on my surroundings. I made it really far when suddenly the drive seemed very long. With no traffic and a long time the light and my brian began to go off. At this point I knew something was off. There was no way that I was driving for over an hour and hadn’t gotten there yet. I pulled over to the parking lot of Albertsons and immediately checked my phone. The direction went to another street with the same address and name in Apple Valley. Little did I know I was going in the complete opposite direction. I felt so stupid haha, being someone who didn’t go out of the house a lot and didn’t know the different freeways, I just assumed that Siri would direct me properly. Please don’t come for me yall, haha I was so embarassed to tell my family how I could make such a big mistake. Eventually I made it to my brother's house in three hours, which is crazy to me thinking about it now. However since then I have learned my lesson and not rely on my girl siri again for navigation. I was so used to technology, having always had it around me, so this was definitely a time where it didn’t live up to its hype of saving me. Though I guess one could argue it was on me, but guys trust me I was so stupid and assumed Siri would get me where I was supposed to go. I’m thinking it just heard the street name and not the city so it got confused. But thankfully I made it to their house safe and never again will this happen lol.