jbuenrostro00

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Week 13 Blog Post 11/20

1. Determine what kind of social media site you are creating. Then answer the following questions, explaining your decisions.

The social media I would aim to create would be a kind of hybrid of bigger apps and how they used to be. The platform I would create will allow you to post photos like Instagram and also typed posts like Twitter. The layout would consist of stories you could upload and explore pages that are random. The layout would would also be night mode by default with the option for users to change it if they’d like. The profile for users would be more of a MySpace layout with the option of showing your best friends/interests/status updates/etc. My goal for this social media platform is to have a safe-space for individuals to post about their life and how they are/feeling rather than trying to create the perfect image of themselves. I’d also give the option for people to chose their background/color scheme for their profile to make it feel their own and to give them their own aesthetic. 

2. What will you measure? (ex: likes, hashtags, how long someone stays on a page, etc) Be sure to explain all your decisions.

Something I would measure/not measure is likes. What I mean by this is that I would allow people to turn off their likes if they do not care for them or allow people to keep them on if they do. Personally, I enjoy likes but I know there will be people who are discouraged if they don’t get the number of likes they want. I would also measure hashtags used in order to determine what is popular among the social media platform in order to use it for future references. Other things I’d measure is how many people have viewed a person’s story, post, profile, blocked them, unfollowed/followed them, etc. This is just for the person to see their activity and how their account is going. They of course have the option to turn these measurements off for them to see. One more important thing I’d measure is dislikes on a comment. I would choose this because it follows the footsteps of Reddit; it hides the comment but gives people the option to see it if they want to. This helps censor bullying and any harassment that could take place on the platform.  

3. How will you weigh these factors? (rank factors from most important to least important)

As my most important factor, I would rank status update as number 1 because it is most important to know how a person is doing emotionally, mentally, and physically. I would then rank comments as the second most important factor because comments are open ended and can be either good, bad, or neutral. This keeps up with the safety of the platform’s community and individual users too. In third, I would measure the amount of dislikes on a comment because it would allow us to see trends with profiles that have constant dislikes on comments and figure out if they need to be restricted/banned. It also allows to see if what they are doing is wrong or if they are spreading false information. At fourth, I would measure likes. I would measure likes at fourth because although important, it is not the most necessary to place as priority since users already have the option to hide them if they wish to do so. 

4.  What factors will not be measured? (what will not be measured in your algorithm and why)

Something I would not measure is how long a person views a person’s profile because in all honesty, we all do a bit of page browsing from time to time whether on purpose or on accident. I also would not measure the amount of times a post has been shared because if it is a personal post or something that would not be ideally shared, I would not want to create the sense of anxiety or wondering as to why a person’s post is being shared. I would also not measure dislikes on a post because I feel that would easily backfire. People such as influencers, athletes, celebrities, etc. would definitely bite the dust if dislikes were measured. I also feel many regular people would feel discouraged if they found a number of dislikes on a personal post. I also wouldn't measure the amount of times someone has viewed a story or post because it is not something I find important to measure. 

5. How will the model learn or adapt to new information? (this can include changes in language, etc)

This model will learn to adapt by including different types of languages across the globe. Including different languages would be a big step in allowing people all over the world to connect. Giving this platform access from all over the world would also include being able to translate posts from others in order to chat/interact with people from all languages. This model will also adapt by using trends and popular hashtags to see what is up and coming in the social realm (new pronouns/laws/issues/etc.). Using trends to adapt with new information weekly/monthly will allow people to feel up to date and also give more of a sense of inclusion.

6. What biases will be built into the model? How will this change the algorithm’s outcome?

The option to select what topics people would like to see on their explore page will be included. This will greatly change the algorithm as it will respond to what the individual is interested in and be something of their own. The users will also have the option to mute block or remove people from their profile. When posts pop up on their feed or explore page, the user will have the option to choose if they’re not interested in the topic/post which would remove any more content of the sort. This changes the algorithm by revolving it around what the user finds pleasing and enjoys. 

7. How will the model live out the (un)ethical practices we have discussed?

This platform will live out the ethical practices we’ve learned by creating positive default algorithms that thoroughly represent groups and individuals of all backgrounds. Inclusion and a sense of welcome is vital for the platform because it allows people to be themselves. This platform will do its best to punish any harassers/bullies who act inappropriately on the media site. A goal is to also limit the amount of trolls and toxicity that takes place in the comment section of people’s post. This platform will be a general safe-space for everybody. 

[jbuenrostro00]

Blog Post 11/11

1. What can we do to normalize Black people’s hair?

I feel like there are many ways we can normalize Black people’s hair. It can be as small as educating our youth about differences among groups of people and why they should not be seen as ‘weird’ or ‘not normal’ because they don’t share the same features. Another way to normalize Black people’s hair can be to push for companies and the military to remove their rules against dreadlocks, afros, and any other natural hairstyles that Black people have. With the removal of these absurd rules, those who have these hairstyles will not be seen as ‘unprofessional’ or ‘intimidating.’ I firmly believe that White-owned companies should also hand over their ownership of Black hair products over to companies that are Black-owned themselves. This will allow for Black people to actually have products made by people who are similar to them and understand how to maintain their hair. Black people’s hair needs to no longer be an issue among individuals because hair is hair and we all grow it (usually). 

2. Was #gamergate misogynistic or did the people have genuine intentions for the gaming community?

I feel that although there were a handful of genuine people concerned for the state of gaming journalism, the vast majority of the #gamergate movement was definitely misogynistic. I truly believe that if Zoe Quinn was a guy who had been with 5 different girls, the gaming community would not have cared or would have congratulated him. A lot of the people who took part in the movement were just men who have fragile masculinity and could only see the female journalist as the “five guys” girl. Although they seemed to ‘shift’ their priority to reforming gaming journalism, it was quite obvious they were still targeting women. If the people who took part of this movement were concerned for gaming journalism, they would have targeted much bigger game developers. It was a shame that “Kotaku has banned its writers from contributing to developers on Patreon...” because it was a popular crowdfunding website for women. 

3. How has animal crossing transitioned from a life lesson game to one that is an escape from reality?

Although in the beginning animal crossing was a new and different way of teaching things such as mortgages and debt, the game has since become an escape from reality for many. With the pandemic going on, especially when it first happened, many were stuck at home in lockdown with a great deal of boredom. With the rerelease of animal crossing, millions of people found a way to fight their boredom and escape from our crazy pandemic reality. The village was bonded with a feeling of comfort because of its, “simple, deliberate life of basic subsistence and straightforward agricultural trade,” (Bogost).

4. How has animal crossing become such a popular game in the U.S.?

I think that the environment of the game as I mentioned in the previous question provides a sense of comfort for many who are in lockdown. The idea of being in a small village with easy objectives to do sounds very easy and relaxing for a majority of the people who play the game. Not only that, “Timmy and Tommy value any kind of effort the player wants to conduct as viable labor,” (Bogost). With a high amount of individuals going unemployed during this virus outbreak, being aware that any activity in the game is seen as viable work is comforting for them. I also think that the ability for players to keep working for more in the game has resulted in the games huge growth in popularity. The game allows players to craft tools for the community, design clothes, create recipes, etc., which gives players a sense of accomplishment when they complete these tasks. 

Bogost, I. (2020). The quiet revolution of Animal Crossing. The Atlantic.

Hathaway, J. (2014). What is gamergate, and why? An explainer for non-geeks. Gawker.

Lee, L. (2015). Virtual homeplace: (Re)constructing the body through social media. 91-111.

McLaine, S. (2003). Ethnic online communities: Between profit and purpose. 233-254.

[jbuenrostro00]

Week 11 Blog 11/04

1. Why does the media often portray black victims of police brutality as bad people who are criminals?

I believe that this portrayal of black people in the media being seen as ‘thugs’ and ‘criminals’ is in result to the underlying racism that is still heavily felt in our country today. Black men such as Eric Garner and Michael Brown were described with negative terms such as ‘giant’ or ‘huge’ and the media attacked them for their criminal history. In contrast, white criminals are portrayed in media usually with a pitiful image. Examples such as Dylan Roof, Nick Cruze, and Brock Turner, have media portrayals like being ‘mentally ill,’ ‘an outcast,’ or even ‘just on the wrong path.’ The double standards and blatant racism in many media outlets has been seen and called out by many of the public but has yet to be punished. Hopefully in the future there will be better representation and explanation in media and the racism will no longer be present. 

2. Can science be used as a way to keep one race inferior to another?

Yes, science can be used as a way to establish superiority over another race and keep a race inferior to another. In the 18th and 19th centuries, “scientific constructions of inferior, superior, and biological notions of criminals were based on older (racist) notions of differences between white and black races,” (Latoya). Science being used to justify the superiority of whites over blacks allowed for the whites to surveil their actions at all times and lead to the creation of a law enforcement that patrol this so called “problematic” population. 

3. Is the internet crucial for spreading awareness of events that are taking place?

Yes, the internet is proving to be a crucial tool to use to spread awareness of events that go on in the world. The internet allows large numbers of activist groups to spread and promote awareness on issues to thousands and even millions of people for virtually no cost (Vegh). Some examples of activism online is those against police brutality. Many videos pop up and show real life interactions between protestors/regular people and police which show the police brutalize many of those who are peacefully protesting/complying. A lot of progress that has been made can be greatly thanked to the internet. The internet is a crucial weapon because it can reach tons of people in such a small period of time and provides real life events that occur around our communities. 

4. How can organization/mobilization be useful?

Organization/mobilization is one of the three described ways of online activism. Organization/mobilization can be used to call for offline action, call for an action that usually happens offline (but is more efficient to be done online), and call for an action that can only be done online. Organization/mobilization can be useful for catching the attention of a congress person or other government official from ones community. “Call for contacting one’s congressional representative though email,” (Vegh). With organization/mobilization, it allows people to have more of an impact on their communities. People can also use organization/mobilization online to get groups of people together and rally/protest for a cause in their community/state/nation. 

Fuchs, C. (2014). Social media and communication power. In Social media: A critical introduction (pp. 69-94). London: SAGE Publications Ltd doi: 10.4135/9781446270066.n4

Lee, L. (2017). Black Twitter: A Response to Bias in Mainstream Media. Social Sciences, 6(1), 26. doi:10.3390/socsci6010026

Vegh, S. (2003). Classifying Forms of Online Activism The Case of Cyberprotests against the World Bank.

[jbuenrostro00]

Week 10 Blog Post

1. Do people who troll actually know what kind of toll they can take on people across the internet or communities on the internet?

Honestly, I feel that trolls are just people who kind of have nothing better to do in their spare time than to just ‘troll.’ Since it’s the internet, a lot of people have the mindset that “well it’s on the internet so it really can’t hurt anyone physically.” A lot of people just troll to get reactions out of the person they are targeting or fans of that creator they are targeting. Many people do not even realize what they’re doing, “To my - and in fact to their - fascination, few could recall how they described their behaviors before the subcultural definition of trolling took hold. They have since come to use the term retroactively, but at the time did not think of themselves as trolls.” Although they did not understand what they were doing, ‘trolls’ should be told why their actions are wrong and why their actions can inflict harm to others. 

2. Is removing hate comments/censoring what people post wrong?

This is a complicated question to answer because there are different variations of this situation. On one hand, innocent people such as Leslie Jones can be attacked viciously for simply taking part in a role for a movie that was not that good. Although she was apart of a movie that was not well liked among the general public, for her to receive such malicious comments to the point for her to say, “I feel like I’m in a personal hell. I didn’t do anything to deserve this. It’s just too much. It shouldn’t be like this. So hurt right now.” Followed by a later tweet, “I leave Twitter tonight with tears and a very sad heart. All cause I did a movie. You can hate the movie but the shit I got today... wrong.” In these instances, comments should be taken down because she had no reason to be attacked so much over a role she had in a film. As for other hate comments that are directed to those who inflict hate or have racist views, (cyberbullies, white supremacists, racists) I think for me and for many others, the comments should remain up. This creates a “well how come they can spew hate but I can’t?” situation which can become difficult. I feel that that removing hate comments targeted at people, or just hate comments in general, should be looked at on a case by case basis. There are certain kinds of hate comments that are deemed socially acceptable and others that are not. 

3. Is Reddit a good website for individuals and communities?  (page 2, page 3, 

Personally, I have never used Reddit before but from the article I read it seems to be a pretty ‘true-to-self’ website. “Within the Reddit community, there is nothing in particular that compels a user to be truthful and open about their off-line identity, yet many users seem willing disclose details about their lives away from the Internet.” The website seems kind of the opposite of an app like Instagram - which is where a lot of people try to come off as having perfect lives. Reddit seems more relaxed and less serious than other platforms in which you have to provide information, “The ease that one can create a Reddit account has given rise to the phenomenon of what are known among Redditors as ‘novelty accounts’... Yet as we will soon see, there is still and expectation of truthfulness amongst some community members.” The website also seems to maintain control of hate comments that are spread on the platform by having it to where “If enough users downvote a particular comment it is collapsed and hidden from view; users must click to view the collapsed comment (and its resulting thread). I honestly feel that is a very good feature to have because it gives the power of the users to decide what is right and wrong to post rather than the website creators. It also sounds like the comment is still kept up but just hidden from view which doesn’t really take away a user’s right to comment what they please. 

4. Is trolling/having a fake internet persona dangerous today?

Yes, trolling online and also having a fake persona online can lead to drastic outcomes. A prime example of ‘trolling gone wrong’ is none other than rapper 6ix9ine. He started off as a rapper who had more of an underground/yelling style of music. His career took off with his track, Gummo, which he portrayed himself as a cold blooded gangster who had a lot gang affiliates. He eventually became so wrapped up in this persona that he actually felt he was who he pretended to be, a gangster. He eventually got into several altercations with the law including several RICO charges which could’ve put him behind bars for almost the rest of his life. He eventually fessed up and took down his accomplices and confessed that he was only doing a persona for ‘clout.’ As for his trolling, he is notorious for his shenanigans online by consistently calling out other famous artists. He has called out: Chief Keef, Lil Reese, Tory Lanez, 50 Cent, Trippie Redd, etc. His constant outbursts and callouts of other artists has resulted him in becoming one the most, if not the most, hated artist in the music industry. 6ix9ine has shown that even though the internet isn’t real life, being irresponsible and playing with fire will eventually get you burned. 

Bergstrom, K. (2011). “Don’t feed the troll”: Shutting down debate about community expectations on Reddit.com. First Monday, 16(8). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v16i8.3498

Duggan, M. (2014). Online Harassment. Retrieved from https://moodle-2020-2021.fullerton.edu/pluginfile.php/2715046/mod_resource/content/0/httpswww.pewresearch.orginternet20141022online-harassment.pdf

Phillips, W. (2015). Defining terms: The origins and evolution of subculture trolling. 55-87.

Silma, A. (2016, August 24). A timeline of Leslie Jones’s horrific online abuse. The Cut. https://www.thecut.com/2016/08/a-timeline-of-leslie-joness-horrific-online-abuse.html

[jbuenrostro00]

Week 8 Blog 10/14

1. How can the relationship between a made up persona (Annanova) and a person distort their view on real life relationships?

“In much traditional media reception the consumer can be said to view the media content. In the computer game scenario the user operates the content (Lara Croft).” With that in mind, some people may feel the comfort of being able to manipulate their relationship with someone. The simulated newscaster (Annanova) is programmed to be content with the user and easy to manipulate. In contrast, many real life people are the opposite of “pleasant content” and can prove to be difficult to associate with. This won't cause confusion for people to develop relationships with organic humans but since “we have reached a cultural moment in which the concept of interpersonal extends beyond humanism...” it will be seen by some as too much of a task to create those genuine connections. 

2. What issues can arise from the development of cyber bodies?

The cyber bodies of female are bringing back “...old templates, against which normality beauty and legitimacy can (again) be judged.” The women in the cyber world are sexed through morphology and are typically made with unrealistic features including excessively large breasts. With developers being able to create the bodies, it allows the comeback of judging female bodies in comparison to a cyber body. “Virtual bodies, as it turns out, are not the human translated into data but the data embodied as a fantasy of the female.” Developers and users are able to create and interact with their fantasy female which will in turn put down the realness of a  real female. This creation of hyper-femininity reintroduces one-dimensional understanding of gender. 

3. What is the difference in screen names between White men and White women?

For White men, their screen name tends to be symbolic and/or also have connection to a White hero. A man by the name of diabloblanco14 expressed that his name came from Muhammed Ali describing White nationalists as “white devils” and that he wanted to embrace that. He said that he, as a White man, needed him and his race to become white devils in order to create the society they want. He then described the 14 as a quote of his “We must secure the existence of our race and future for White children.” In contrast however, White women did not really have any meaning behind their screen names. Many white women chose names such as WarMaiden, Classic-Goddess, Norwegian14Beauty. These names show that the women did not chose signifying names which leads to the point that the author made in saying that “men tend to choose screen names that refer to honor and heroes and martyrs of the movement.” The women often described their names in terms of beauty of a city or of themselves which is drastically different compared to White men. 

4. What is the difference in White supremacy online and White supremacy in the print-only era?

White supremacy in the print-only era was much less complex and did not have the ability to to reach others in different countries who shared the same beliefs. The print-only era of White supremacy was contained by the “...one-way, top-down communication strategy of printed newsletters published by a few (mostly male) leaders. White supremacy online however has led to the creation of translocal whiteness. Translocal whiteness “transcends national boundaries in favor of racial and ideological boundaries.” This allows White supremacists around the world to interact with each other and use the source from a third country to align their views such as the American and Canadian who used a historical example from the Czech Republic as a way to align their views. 

Sources:

Daniels, J. (2009). Gender, White Supremacy, and the Internet. Cyber Racism: White Supremacy Online and the New Attack on Civil Rights (pp. 61-86). Rowman & Littlefield.

Haraway, D. (1991). A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century. Simians, Cyborgs, and Women: The Reinvention of Nature (pp. 149-181). Routledge.

O’Riordan, K. (2006). Gender, Technology, and Visual Cyberculture. Critical Cyberculture Studies (pp. 243-252). New York University Press.

[jbuenrostro00]

Week 7 Blog Post

1. How can a person’s environment influence their interpellation? 

Interpellation is is how we get our sense of identity from “how we respond to the ways in which others implicitly categorize us through public speech and gestures each day.” Based on where you grow up, your interpellation may differ from someone with the same ethnic/gender/religious background. In a city like San Francisco, where LGBTQ is very expressed and open, someone who grows up as apart of the LGBTQ will more likely have positive interpellation as compared to someone who grew up in in the south. A Black child in the from south Tel Aviv, located in Israel, will have a negative interpellation due to the racism and segregation that is infringed upon the Black community from such a young age. Environments can have positive, negative, or no impacts on one’s interpellation. 

2. If race is an invention, why was it invented?

Race was invented for “the use of racial diversions emerged as a way of resolving the conflict between, on the one hand, the ideology of equality for all and universal reason and, on the other, facts of social inequality” (Stephen Spencer 2009). Race was created no more than to separate those by physical attributes such as skin color. With the idea of one race being “inferior” to another, this gives those who are “superior” a higher probability of being successful and having power over others. 

3. How can we overcome racism in today’s society?

“One of the biggest barriers to discussing white privilege is the fact that racist acts are generally described as somewhat singular exceptions to general rules of civil society.” This constant act of “they made a mistake once and it wasn’t that bad” needs to be stopped if racism is to ever be stopped one day. Rather than letting an incident slide, we need to hold others accountable for any racist acts that are done. This doesn’t mean to “cancel” someone though because if we just “cancel” the person and strip them of all they have, they won’t learn to love others, they will only have more ammunition to hate and be racist. This does apply to an extent; if someone knowingly infringes an act onto someone else because of their race, they should be punished. What I mean is that if someone makes a statement or joke, unknowingly, that is racist, we must make it our responsibility to tell them why they’re wrong and educate them to know next time to not say or do the same thing again. Educating one another and even educating ourselves will be the key to overcoming racism and hate in today’s society.

4. Is the colorblind ideology wrong?

Yes, the colorblind ideology is wrong and racist. Seeing themselves as invisible, white people deny their advantages their whiteness brings them and lays foundation for new forms of racism such as “covert, coded, and cultural.” This colorblind ideology describes the social and economic inequalities among whites and people of color as a result of culture rather than heritage of supremacist laws and policies. Being “colorblind” to race is also wrong and racist because the person is discrediting the struggle that the people of color have gone through because of supremacist laws and polices. 

Benjamin, R. (2019). Race after technology: Abolitionist tools for the new Jim code. Cambridge: Polity, 41-88.

Senft, T., Noble, U. N. (2014). Race and Social Media. The Social Media Handbook, 107-125.

[jbuenrostro00]

10/01 Blog

1. What is your opinion on racism in video games?

As a kid, I played a lot of Call of Duty and have been exposed to all types of slurs and bigotry. I, like many others know that this is not okay but have become desensitized to it because of how often those words are yelled in a match lobby. The racism, homophobia, etc., is everywhere in video games and a lot of people have become used to it. Becoming so used to this foul language and hatred online has had a negative impact on a lot of people though because now they can’t differentiate what is “dark humor” and what is just flat out racist. I think Sony and Microsoft should introduce moderators for game lobbies by censoring what words can be said. They should censor out any slurs that will inflict harm on another player and if the words are repeatedly said, they will be permanently banned. A lot of games have options to report players but I just believe it’s not really helpful because not a lot of people have the effort in them to report somebody. Not only that, the servers don’t really take action which leads to people not wanting to report others. 

2.  Can online white supremacy lead to real life danger?

100% yes. I believe that online white supremacy can lead to danger in real life. Recently, a lot of white supremacists who claim to be “patriotic” decided to meet up and counter protest against BLM protestors. This took place in my old city of Yorba Linda and the true colors of those people were seen as they intimidated and attacked BLM protesters. The build up before the protest took place online, mainly on Facebook, where a bunch of “anti-mask” yet “pro-life” people wanted to gather and protest at the same location as BLM protesters. They knew of this and many of those people wanted to go “protest” solely to intimidate these BLM protesters. This gathering resulted in several altercations between the two groups and even a member of the supremacists getting hit by a car. 

3. Do you believe that race is a social construct?

Yes, I do believe that race is a social construct that can be changed with how society changes. Throughout history, countries have chosen how to identify each race and what is acceptable as what. A good example of this was a court case in the 1920s, Ozawa vs. the United States. As a native from Japan, Ozawa came to the the US and lived there for many years until he finally decided he wanted to naturalize and become free “white” person. He learned English, and became accustomed to the US culture. He also had kids who he raised to only know the American culture. Through all this, he was still declined because he did not fit the ‘Caucasian race’ image. Even though he had white skin and became accustomed to the culture, the courts decided that he didn’t fit THEIR description. That leads to the question of what is actually a free “white” person? Race was just made up by man in order to keep others separated based on their looks and what society perceives them as. 

4. Can the internet become more of a problem for racism spreading in the U.S.?

The internet can definitely become a problem for racism that is currently going on in the U.S. Since the internet is so massive and easy to access, many people can be exposed to fake information that changes their worldview. It’s also easy to hide behind a fake persona or just behind a blank page and spread racism across the internet. With what is going on currently during the election, people with racist ideologies have much more access to spread what they believe in to other people and grow a mass following. This can cause to far more tension online and eventually lead to in person issues as we’ve seen recently during protests/counter protests.

Kolko, B. E., Nakamura, L., & Rodman, G. B. (2000). Race in Cyberspace: An Introduction. Race in Cyberspace (pp. 1-13). Routledge.

Ow, J. A. (2000). The Revenge of the Yellowfaced Cyborg Terminator: The Rape of Digital Geishas and the Colonization of Cyber-Coolies in 3D Realms’ Shadow Warrior. Race in Cyberspace(pp. 51-68). Routledge.

Daniels, J. (2009). White Supremacy in the Digital Era. Cyber Racism: White Supremacy Online and the New Attack on Civil Rights(pp. 3-16). Rowman & Littlefield.

[jbuenrostro00]

Week 4 Blog Post

1. What quote stood out to you most and why?

A quote that stood out to me most in the Jim Code reading was, “... the language of ‘progress’ is too easily weaponized against those who suffer most under oppressive systems...” I feel that this statement is very relatable, especially today. Even beyond having “normal” names, a lot of people with privilege overlook the issues that people in minority groups face each day. Many of those people argue that we have “progressed” a lot as a country and that a lot of the groups who face oppression are at the fault of their own and not the system that has failed them. These groups face oppression and discrimination even at the hands of technology which blows my mind. 

2. Why do you think employers give jobs to those with more White-sounding names?

I think that employers give more jobs to those with White-sounding names because they feel the person will be more bland or average. They might find comfort knowing that this person has a “normal” name and will probably be more “normal” as a person, as opposed to a person with a name that doesn't sound “White.” They may feel that the person with a nonWhite-sounding name may be a difficult person or someone they will not be able to work with. It can also just come down to the employer simply discriminating against the job seeker. They may want someone who sounds more White because it will give the company a better look and/or appeal. 

3. What is something I learned or realized from the articles?

I realized that the articles views on names are true; names were always new at some point. Names like John or Steven, which are viewed today as “normal”, used to be weird or unfamiliar for people. Over time, these names became socially acceptable and normal. This process could very well happen for other names from different cultures. Just like the “White” names took time to become “normal”, the same will happen with names from other cultures. People just need to embrace their roots and heritage and name their kids what they would like. 

4. Will there be a way to stop technological discrimination and should those who are found to be programming racism into the systems be fired from their jobs?

100% yes. People who are found to be programming systems to be racist and discriminate towards marginalized groups should definitely be fired and even given a hefty fine or time in jail. I do hope for a way for technological discrimination to end but I feel it won’t happen or at least won’t happen any time soon. I feel this way because people will always find a way to hide their real emotions towards marginalized groups and be able to slip through the cracks. I do feel though that the public will become more active on cracking down against this discrimination in the system and hold companies like Google more accountable for who they hire to program their software. 

[jbuenrostro00]

Week 3 Blog Discussion

1. Should it be required that companies release inner details of their digital fraud detection system?

Yes, I believe companies should release inner details of their digital fraud detection system. I believe this because there are people who aren’t as lucky or wealthy as our author was. Without the funds and luck, many people will be severely impacted by insurance-fraud claims that can ruin their lives and even lead to more tragedies for their families. I feel that it would be a moral obligation to help those in need but it seems that those companies do not feel the same. 

2. Why are there programs to help lower-income families yet the government create such a negative stigma towards them?

I think that there are programs to help lower-income families in order to show the “bad apples” and people who abuse the system. They use these people to show that they shouldn’t fund those programs because the people abuse it when in reality a very minuscule number of people abuse it. In the article I read that the governor of Maine used data fromEBT cards to show how money was poorly withdrawn (liquor stores, smokes shops, etc.) but not spent. Those who abused the system only accounted for about 0.03 percent of the 1.1 million dollars spent using EBT cards. 

3. Are government representatives held accountable for targeting the poor and working-class?

No, it appears the government representatives are not held accountable for their actions that intentionally go after the poor and working-class. In fact, in the article it stated that the governor of Maine introduced a bill that would band TANF recipients from using out-of-state ATMs. This bill had no intentions of actually working but just to “heap stigma on social programs and reinforce the cultural narrative that those who access public assistance are criminals...”

4. What are ways we can help the poor and working-class receive less stigma for their need of assistance?

A good way to start would be to hold companies more accountable with maintaining the privacy and access to their information. I also believe that predictive models should not interfere with their needs. Creating better programs for these people will allow less surveillance of these poorer areas and less of a chance for them to come under public scrutiny and social disadvantages. We can also do a better job as citizens by looking close to our government officials and making sure they do not pass policies that directly target those who are poor. 

[jbuenrostro00]

Week 2 Blog/Discussion

Question 1

How do we have such a great number of news sources and outlets of media yet so many citizens of the U.S. are so misinformed?

A: I feel that much of the bigger news sources such as CNN, Fox, NBC, ABC, etc. receive much more promotion for their news channels than other smaller news sources. This helps their information be more easily accessible to the common person without having to do much work to find it. Also, many of the bigger news channels try to intensify certain headlines that they feel is attention grabbing for the viewers. Since a lot of people in the U.S. tend to gravitate towards crazier headlines, they will then be more likely to tune in to those channels. These news channels are also smart with how they distribute information of current events because they pick and choose certain parts of a story that is in favor of their political views and leave out other information if it doesn’t fit their agenda. This leads to people not getting the full insight on things and just relying on a biased news outlet. The news channels also use what they feel is a “reliable source” to show where they obtained the information because people will most likely trust that source provided and not go and do their own research. This leads to why so many people in the United States are so misinformed even though we have the highest amount of news sources available to us in the world.

Question 2

Do you feel that if there was more of a minority presence in the news that the information broadcasted would be much different than it is now?

A: In my opinion, I feel that the news would be much more different with a bigger presence of minority people. I feel that the journalists will be much more educated on the topics and issues that have to do with their ethnic group which will lead to better information being distributed. I also feel that citizens would be much more educated knowing both sides of certain situations to better decipher who is in the wrong of each issue that is talked about. I also feel it will show better insight on groups who are poorly depicted in the media outlets currently. In the article (Gonzalez and Torres) it was said that the minority population would become the majority of the country by 2050 showing even more that people of color need more representation in the news.

Question 3

Can social media be seen as an effective tool towards revolution or change?

A: Yes and no, social media can be used as an effective tool towards revolution or change. In the Fuchs article, the Occupy movements, which took place in 2011, explained how many movements emerged from North America, Greece, Spain, the United Kingdom and other countries.  They were asked about the advantages of social media and its use throughout these movements. The group responded by saying, “… that they allow them to reach a broad public and to protect themselves from police…”  (Fuchs, page 9).  Social media also helps with alerting the public of any dangerous activity that protesters could face to prevent injury and arrests. However with the policies and rules that major social media outlets have, it limits what could  be said and posted onto a platform which can slow down the spread of change.

Question 4

Can people in high power see critical theory as dangerous since the theory is a critique of domination and exploitation?

A: Yes, I believe that people in high power could view critical theory as dangerous because the theory criticizes domination and exploitation. The article goes on to explain that dominance is, “… one group benefits at the expense of others…” and that they have, “… violence at hand that they can use for upholding the situation where the one benefits at the expense of others,” (Fuchs, page 20). Exploitation goes more into depth about how one group controls property while forcing others to work to make goods or property they don’t own themselves.  This is what American capitalism is based on. Many companies such as Amazon, Apple, Sony, etc. have such high success much due to the exploitation of workers in other countries. The exploitation of these individuals is usually low wages and poor working conditions they must endure. Critical theory goes on to explain that it “… wants to show that a good life for all is possible and that domination and exploitation alienate humans from achieving such a society,” (Fuchs, page 20).  Critical theory proposes participatory democracy, which is, “… a society in which all decisions are made by those who are concerned by them and all organizations are controlled by those who are affected by them.” These types of solutions do not sit well with the such wealthy individuals because their high success is partly due to the exploitation and dominance they have on lower class individuals.

[jbuenrostro00]

When technology failed me...

It was a couple years ago when I used to play indoor soccer at the swap meet. It was a fun thing to do on the side and it was a good way to stay fit. I also was on a team with some good friends. One day I had a game and didn’t know how to get there so I used Apple Maps in order to get the directions to the swap meet I was playing at. I typed it in and it popped up but, unknowingly, I clicked on the wrong swap meet and followed those directions. I ended up at the wrong swap meet and was super bummed out because I was hyped to play again. I was pretty annoyed with my apple maps too. I didn’t even have time to go to the right one because I wouldn’t have made it with much time left of the game. It was a sad day for me that day. ): </3