mari-yah

[mari-yah]

Quiz #3 11/20

1. Determine what kind of social media site you are creating. Then answer the following questions, explaining your decisions. (Remember The key here is to create an ethical algorithm model).

The social media site I want to create is a blog website; Where are you can write about anything and post a photo along with it, usually followed around a theme or an aesthetic- oh my blog!. Businesses can use it or just for simple personal use or artistic use./expressive use.

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

It will measure your likes and the shares that the user gives. Also will measure the hashtags you like the post from. The like and dislike ratio will be hidden but will be taken into account for the users’ interests so that way they get recommended blogs that they would be interested in. 

3. How will you weight these factors? (Rank factors from most important to least important).

Firstly the user may take a quiz upon finishing their accounts then that quiz would go off the hashtags of their interest very broad at first and then it would purify and cycle through their interest by the likes that they give online after using it for awhile.

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

Some factors that will not be measured would be how much you comment on a post. Things like sexual identity, race, ethnicity, location will not be directly measured, and deciding whether to use a personalize photo or image of any is recommended but not in force to be of your face. Comments will not be used for measurement because it allows people like ghost users to not be left out in the algorithm. Things around identity such as race ethnicity and location will not be directly measured to enforce the safety of the user, as well as a personalized photo will not be mandatory as long as they feel comfortable.

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

The model will be using google reverse image search that way you may be able to learn the origin of the image or a source of written text to the original owner. That way the information may be as up-to-date as it could be. This model will adapt to new information by always having algorithm updates by categorizing by the original owner the source of information they post.

6. What biases will be built into the model? How would this change the algorithms outcome?

This model will include a group of overseers that protect the user from dangerous language that they can confront such as derogatory terms towards them any harassment or acts of violence or bullying … Etc. each time a user goes against the policy they will be either reported by the overseer or flagged by a fellow user. They will then get a message and an email explaining their wrongdoing and will get two warnings before termination of account. If a user abuses their flagging of the posts they too can undergo suspension or termination.

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

This model will live out the unethical practices that we have discussed in this course because it does not stand for negativity online. If that harmful currents were to happen online there will be actions taken against them there has to be a sense of justice on a website and payment for the people’s’ actions :everyone will be held responsible for their actions. My hope is for people to share written text and photos or a combination without the feeling of this eminent fear of being socially attacked online.

[mari-yah]

Week 12 Blog Post

Why must we be so aware of our ethnicity online? Who can benefit from knowing?

Many users online try to aim for equality and this great change,but also we have to be somewhat aware of our ethnic roots because, “Ignoring issues of ethnicity limits the growth of individual users, as well as the technological medium as a whole. Most certainly, this lack of recognition—or even acknowledgment—of ethnic Web users has facilitated the infamous digital divide. “ we only see that if we are aware of ethnicity and see how it can divide us online.

How can targeting a certain ethnicity online be beneficial?

Targeting a group of people can be a negative thing but there can be positive outcomes too,“ important bonds that can tie members of ethnic groups together, it is often difficult to do so without ignoring some of what makes certain ethnic cultures unique. The trend toward homogenizing and ignoring differences, dictated by a desire to build market share, shuts out to some extent the distinctive essences that give vitality to a culture. For instance, A-Space.com is working to bring together the Asian world under one umbrella, a difficult challenge because of the widely varying heritages among Asian Americans. Yet it is precisely these distinctive differences, which are often lost in big portals, that can provide great impetus for ethnic groups to actually go to the online world. These unique traits are also what can bring people into a community access center to develop culturally rel- evant information together. (The Children’s Partnership 2000)”these exact different traits that they target can get people to come together and form communities and bond over them. Yes targeting ethnic groups for certain characteristics can be bad if used inappropriately, but when t brings together that ethnic group further enhancing their community that can’t be such a bad thing for such a purpose like that.

How does the military restrictions on hair cause racism?

Military in the U.S does have some restrictions as mentioned in The reading by Lee, “ which regulated a soldier’s appearance, banned “un- kempt” and “matted” hair, which includes cornrows,8 locs, braids, and twists ... the regulations are speaking to Black women in particular due to the specific hairstyles mentioned, such as cornrows, locs, braids and twists, and as men have to keep their hair shaved close to the scalp or as a crew cut”. This is targeting anyone of color who has hair like mentioned above which in particular “cornrows” wouldn’t be such a liability to the U.A military out in the field would it?

Why do we push people of color whether intentionally or not to look more “white”?

As mentioned in Lee’s reading,“Black women’s bodies in the push for Euro-centered beauty aesthetics. Throughout there is a common message that the natural Black body is inappropriate, unprofessional, distracting, and needs to be fixed. The consequences, of not following the dominant, con- structed standard aesthetic, means loss of employment and access to the classroom, bullying, surveillance, denial to cross transnational borders, loss of economic opportunity and position in the U.S. military.” People of western society often more than not see people of color in any way represented as this negative symbol, when in reality it’s this misled idea that specify has constructed and has echoed in most of people’s heads; brainwash. They just need to snap out of it and step back to be able to push their boyfriend and be able to see the bigger picture that being different isn’t a negative aspect but rather just a human quality.

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. 

[mari-yah]

Week 11 Blog Post

Hashtags, or a great way to put a problem on display for the better but are there ways it can backfire?

Hashtags can bring really good attention for much needed problems but sometimes it can backfire by misinforming the later crowd to the hashtags of its origin and get misconstrued as the hashtag, “Consequently, while there are some cases that people can easily rally around, there are other cases that do not receive as much attention. This leads to domestication of “accepted truths”.

How does Mass Media play a part in the cyberspace war?

“Mass media constitutes a very important battle ground for activists. Media attention guarantees wide visibility and the most Affective forum for publicizing the issues in contention”this is something that is major in an activista life to be able to have a chance to get millions of eyes on their movement, this can help play a key role in the cyberspace war and getting to a more progressive future.

Would today’s society be considered contradictory why or why not?

“The Media- social media, the Internet and all other media - are contradictory because we live in contradictory society as consequence their effects are actually contradictory they can dampen forestall or amplify advance protest or have not much effect at all.” This can also be due to the fact that people like to live their online identity a certain way so they have this Internet character and people are ever-changing creatures so they will start to contradict themselves at one point the problem is when they don’t own up to it and be accepting to change.

Has the Internet started movements and how do they progressively move forward?

“The Internet resulted in the emergence of movements, that movements were born on the Internet, that protested were conveyed by the Internet, or the movements are based on the Internet, could be a logic that is based on covert technology cool determinism: technology is conceived as an actor that results in certain phenomena I have suicidal characteristics Castells fails to see that is not the Internet the great society but human actors that are embedded”these things are the things we need to take advantage of and make positive change. Harnessing that energy and teaser front it over to perform that change.

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.

[mari-yah]

Blog Post #10

What are some weapons that Internet Trolls use To be destructive online? Can those weapons always be bad?

"The Trolls' use of the term, as memes within the troll space compose a holistic system of meaning, memes only make sense in relation to other memes," as mentioned by Phillips having these memes can be weapon in the troll space. Again memes can be used for harm, but also for good as in making connections to people online. This sense of making content relatable to people can help people feel part of a community therefore brining them in this circle of closeness to people online.

Was Grandpa Wiggly a Troll? Yes or why not?

"While some were able to brush off the events of Grandpa Wiggly’s unmasking as amusing or perhaps just another day on the Internet, others seemed to be genuinely outraged. However, most Redditors seemed to agree that Grandpa Wiggly was a troll. But what does it really mean to call someone a troll?" as it is still up to question and still leans both ways as well. Grandpa Wiggly was as in his own words a character, but the people who didn't know that were still in a sense left in the dark and conceived leaving them feeling like Grandpa Wiggly was troll for the deceit.

Why is it that trolling happens a lot more frequently than in person bullying/trolling?

"fully 92% of internet users agreed that the online environment allows people to be more critical of one another, compared with their offline experiences. But a substantial majority, 68%, also agreed that online environments allow them to be more supportive of one another." This data right here pulled off of pew Research really displays how internet does allow people , "to be more critical of one another" in other words also leaves cushion for the trolls to be free within that space of taking "critical" too far. Yet without the internet, it wouldn't allow us to be as supportive to each other.

In Leslie Jones's case, was it the safest thing to go after her trolls? Why?

Leslie Jones had the misfortune of dealing with relentless trolls who refused to give up on just being so ill will towards her, such as creating a fake twitter account under her name, and slander her name and reputation, to people who didn't know her and got that first impression of her. She decided to try and get her followers and ever herself involved in order to try and stop this evil being that was completely always trolling her, may have not been the safest way, but she did create a small support movement for her in hopes of clearing her name.

Bergstrom, K. (2011). “Don’t feed the troll”: Shutting down debate about community expectations on Reddit.com. First Monday

Duggan, M. (2014), “Online Harassment” Pew Research Center, pp. 1-11.

Phillips, W. (2015), "Defining Terms: The Origins and Evolution of Subcultural Trolling”. This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Mapping the Relationship between Online Trolling and Mainstream Culture.

Silman, A. (2016). A Timeline of Leslie Jones's Horrific Online Abuse.

[mari-yah]

Week 8: 10/14

How has the internet made strides into the direction of broadening Feminists ideas?

“Cyborgmanifesto” mentions that ,” is also an effort to contribute to socialist-feminist culture and theory in a postmodernist, non-naturalist mode and in the utopian tradition of imagining a world without gender, which is perhaps a world without genesis”, even through technological advances we still struggle to live forward from detaching our older more traditional ways of thinking.

Why is classifying as female not at all “cookie cutter”?

As mentioned by Harraway, “There is not even such a state as 'being' female, itself a highly complex category constructed in contested sexual scientific dis- courses and other social practices. “Meaning that term female no one usually is just 100% just female, it’s a term coined in today’s day as something that was socially constructed for people to fit into that, and it has taken us or at least most of us so long to eve live around the correct terminology to even start to accept this new and upcoming change.

What are some examples of toxic traditionalist views we see online and how they negatively effect progressive change onto healthy new perspectives ?

In the reading,”Gender, White Supremacy, and the Internet,”we see ”That is, men tend to choose screen names that refer to and honor heroes and martyrs of the movement, while women mostly do not. The pat- tern in screen names at Stormfront.org is one that simultaneously reflects the broader gendered structure of society as it constructs gender identity and sex- uality as well. This sort of pattern is consistent with other research that finds that these user-created nicks are important in shaping online interactions, because they offer an explicit indicator of gender identity and sexual avail- ability.”That is these groups of “in that vision they have these old stylistic values of the men who got usernames of heroes and martyrs to represent as and as women did not. Men feel as though online they have to make up for not being physically there online through making such a fussy nickname to be able to illustrate to everyone who sees them online as nothing less than a manly man. This can be a negative indicator of progressive growth because they need to realize that most of those “manly man” values aren’t that important as being accepting of new progressive change and better the future.

How can digital icons illustrate people’s perspectives of reality?

Many people use icons instead of real photos online as mentioned by O’Riordan, “ Gender, Technology, and Visual Cyberculture“ that,”These virtual personae are simulations, then, that in some ways converge with traditional representational practices but also signify differently. Unlike the cartoon or phantasmagoria characters, these virtual personae are attempts not to realize the fantastic but to idealize the real. “ in their realities this personae is their identity that they more often identify especially with this ever changing cyberspace we’re living through it’s actually quite normal did many to have different icons than of their own picture.

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

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.

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.

[mari-yah]

Week 7: Blog Post Due 10/6

“In addition to to being subjected to hate speech, default assumptions of whiteness digital-divide rhetoric that encourages “model minority” competition, and accusations of “reverse racism” when they design systems to reflect their own interests people of color have also had to navigate a range of digitally circulated stereotypes”(113)This is said in The social Media Handbook, why do we people transport stereotypic ways into the digital world?

I think we teleport these toxic ways because people have been so ingrained and pushed over and over again these social constructs cues that are unfortunately racists teleport online as well because people just do not know better, they think unconsciously racist,.

As started in The Social Media Handbook“For many of us working on race and gender issues at universities, SWGSBG was exciting because it struck us as a clear “real world” response to academic calls to correct the demeaning portrayals of non-White women on social on social media platforms “ why is it that the portrayal of these outcasted minorities get put on blast socially online?

One reason I think they put on trial these minorities is because in person they would never confront someone because of confrontation and feeling the need of fear of the other person they would belittle would whiplash back. So online caters to much more cowardly crowd and they choose to attack a low blow like race and culture hate.

“TV or tech, cosmetic diversity too easily stands in for substantive change, with a focus on feel-good differences like food, language, and dress,” as mentioned by Benjamin, why is it that we tend to cover up so much of hate and disguise it with the opposite of what America is going through right now?

I suppose one way of it would be to cover up like everything is okay, and to cope with everything bad that is going. If we were able to portray America in a commercial it would be tough because there is so much political hate towards each other, so much tearing down by your skin color, that we can’t even see under all this noise we’re all just human beings.

Benjamin states that more of recent news its been calculative how they segregate people and how much of what they let in, “today the glaring gap between egalitarian principles and inequitable practices is filled with subtler forms off discrimination that give the illusion of progress and neutrality makes it easier and faster to produce racist outcomes.” How is it in today’s society very important what Benjamin just phrased of egalitarian principles and inequitable practices being blurred?

People are trying to blur these lines as to not seem as racist as they are, in my opinion, they use it as curtain that can ever so lightly shield them from being too racy. Even though what the one person had said is Racists they can fight now especially with this upcoming election for their right to be blurred just as in egalitarian borderline with inequitable practices.

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.

[mari-yah]

Week #6

There is this strong belief system in society and opinions about race that has been ingrained over time and time again when Kolko brings this up, “Many of the people involved clung to the idea that race simply must be rooted in biology, and how any claims to the contrary- no matter how calmly stated, well documented, or logical they might be-had to be thoroughly beaten down so that they wouldn’t surface again.” It isn’t biology this is something us humans have created to make us more separated to each other than closer. This construct that we have built that has gotten us so isolated; what are some reversal healthy societal constructive ways to bring these old fashioned ways to an end and bring upon a more positive way of thinking?

We have to revert and enforce to get rid of hate, and start making positive thinking popular, more and more we do this everyone else would start to hate of being negative and start to enforce positive change. This can start with one person, making a hashtag or starting a new movement of actually trying to understand and love the other individual for actually being true to themselves and their posts.

Online anyone can be whoever they desire, and act way more different than they normally do. This can give many people a sense of control in their own little cyber world, as for people who gender bend theirselves online such as brought in by Kolko,”In their writings about virtual sex, for example, Turkle, Stone, and Shannon McRae have each discussed the cross-dressing facilitated by online interaction. Users can adopt a different gender and purportedly learn what it is like to inter- act in the face-to-face world within another gender role. But in their tellings of such masquerades these authors subscribe to the schema of the cyborg,”. These roles give them a sense of more freedom, is the internet a safe way to explore gender identity, and if so how would that be more/ less beneficial than in person?

I think if you can use the internet online to help you in any way, go for it. Anything to help you better understand that you can do that then the better you are for trying to grow and better yourself.

How is it that a land that stands for freedom and idealism and radical change be both so accepting of change and striving for the better tomorrow, but also create so much disturbed hatred towards everyone? As mentioned in Ow’s reading he states, “ the majority of hate websites are U.S.-based, with 2,500 out of 4,000 racist sites originating in the United States.” That is a a little more than half of the internet’s pages of hate being the U.S. how is it that we can further lower that number? Is it an option to create a universal wide web form of policing to further undo this? How can we come bout this?

I think one way we can start to go about this is to try and stop, all the negativity such as the cancel culture or anything that starts to get toxic online, no need to give attention to stuff that is hate and full of negativity, skip along and reinforce with positivity comments, love and messages.

Online the internet can give one so much power that it creates a being such as mentioned by Daniels,”Haraway asserts that cyborgs are not born, but constructed by the hands of others, and as a result are neither entirely innocent nor guilty of their actions. The constructs fracture existing myths of a naturalized "universal woman- hood" adverse to science and technology by embracing a hybridized politic of shifting boundaries.” Building the way up to make a being online is an incredible feat, what is one way we can transform this and make it for the better into spreading the cyborg and creating a much more safer place online?

I think we can all work on this by providing positive feedback online by the best way we can by make sure we positively reinforce behavior that spreads positivity. Online such as Instagram and Facebook and any other posts that way we can start bringing up omg change with small things to to create this new positivity uplifting.

[mari-yah]

Week 4: Blog Post Due 9/16

News is always altered or always moving in the direction of what’s trending; how does that hurt the people that are being oppressed right now especially during riots and marches of the BLACK LIVES MATTER movement?

News can definitely bring light onto issues that are very important especially the black lives matter movement but where there is light there will always be darkness. The media has more than often portrayed the movement negatively effecting the areas during the protests/marches. As mentioned by Anna Everett, “ The situation of mainstream coverage of this virtual community’s on-love activity parallels mainstream press coverage of violence and crime”. They display how violent these marches are or protests and usually they’re misguided into a darker light, a light of the mainstream trends or fuzzes peoples’ judgements on how they perceive these protest. Making the people of color yet victimized again for the sake of a news coverage story.

Why is the internet biased? Does it have to be this way, if not how can we pave the way for a better internet of tomorrow?

The internet is very biased that’s why when you read anything online take it with a grain of salt and research all the perimeters of the material you’re searching up. In The Power of Algorithms it states ,”some of the very people who are developing search algorithms and architecture are willing to promote sexist and racist attitudes openly at work and beyond, while we are supposed to believe that these sane employees are developing”neutral” or “objective” decision-making tools.” This clearly demonstrates that people who make web search engines such as ,”Google” are biased too and many scholars and general people very much base their thinking off such search engines. General information does not have to be displayed in such a derailing way from the actual information versus corrupted information being pushed down our eye sockets. One alternative way is making sure we monitor and be able to correct this misinformation that is displayed on search engines, that way it can be more filtered and less biased algorithm of who ever makes sure you see that fist hit when you click search it isn’t such biased and demeaning information.

How does the internet see color? Why can this be so toxic?

The internet is very much ready to pounce at anyone who is different than their own being usually we term those people as , internet trolls. As stated, “ many people feel about the hostility of the web toward people of color, particularly in its anti-blackness,”. You can see examples of this anywhere online, twitter, YouTube , or Instagram many people hiding behind their screens almost gives them more incentive to be racist if not even more. This can get really bad because people will be persistent in harassing people online who are vulnerable to these attacks which can unfortunately may lead to the victim resulting in suicide, and with this cancel culture that is blowing up. It’s much easier to ride the train than rather stand up to it.

Why can naming your kid a certain way in today’s society be of importance to their role?

I believe you can name your child any name you would like. It is sad that in today’s society we are so ready to jump on being the judge a book we have never read. In The New Jim Code states , “ names reflect much longer histories of conflict and assimilation and signal fierce political struggles.” Yes, some names do carry that big title and historical tribute to who you are and can potentially be, but also can put you in this box of prejudged notions that everyone will presume before they even met you. Such as being flagged every time you fly because of your name is one example, also mentioned was that at one point all names were made up. So even if they are so different from you, that person doesn’t make them alien.

Benjamin, R. (2019). Race after technology: Abolitionist tools for the New Jim Code. Cambridge: Polity.

Everett, A. (2002). The Revolution Will Be Digitized: Afrocentricity and the Digital Public Sphere. Social Text, 125-146.

Noble, S. (2018). Algorithms of oppression: How search engines reinforce racism. New York University Press.

[mari-yah]

Blog Post Week 3: 9/9

How invasive can technology and companies be, when they want to find out more stats on their consumers? Are the ways they’re doing it justified? Why or Why not?

Many companies have been trying to lurk around the corners and crevices of our screens today.  Many grab and steal our information without us even knowing according to Eubanks, “LePage’s use of EBT data to track and stigmatize poor and working-class people’s decision-making “this type of evidence can really seem wrong at first glance, and in the wrong hands can get bills and laws to make it harder for families to participate and receive funding for their families, because of  their, “decision-making” according to the evidence this makes the family, “criminal, lazy, spendthrift addicts”. The ways they are achieving this evidence isn’t quite the best and certainly not justified, we do not have the full scope of what the families’ needs/circumstances are, finding these targeted audinces and leeching data off of them to just turn around and use to harm them is not good. In other words like Eubanks puts it, “Big Brother is not watching you, he’s watching us.”

What types of people are more likely to be under surveillance and why?

I would say in today’s world almost everybody is being watched over, if you have a screen then they have a screen on you most likely than not. In the reading, “Automating Inequality Introduction” Eubanks mentions that, “people of color, migrants, unpopular religious groups, sexual minorities, the poor, and other oppressed and exploited populations bear much higher burden of monitoring and tracking.” They target this group of people because they are the great change and the biggest population that we see in today’s society in America. The lower class/highly oppressed people are the ones the feel they need to monitor more to get a sense of what they are abusing of the system and how to twist that and turn it around towards them.  They only do it selfishly focusing on how else can the U.S save money by cutting them off s much as possible as mentioned above in my first question.

How is the Internet a positive change of pace for females who face oppression on the daily?

The Internet can really be a big change of pace or a nice break for some females who are constantly being oppressed everyday as stated,” The virtual nature of the Internet-the structure of interconnection in cyberspace that draws participants into ongoing discourses on issues of feminism, patriarchy, and gender politics, and textual process of self-expression without the prohibition of limitation of physical space”(Rethinking Cyberfeminism:Race, Gender, and Embodiment.108). Having this safe space gives a sense of relief and comfort from the outside world that many females face big prejudice and injustices daily. Having to deal with all of these injustices and without an outlet or anyone to go to release steam is very hard on a person’s emotional state, so the Internet has its goods to offer as well.

What are some other alternatives that people may use the Internet to help better their understanding of themselves and benefit cyberfeminism?

One thing that many people go to online is asking the Internet questions and one that many have is about them. So having that resource for many people across the globe to help better them can be beneficial toward their own sense of fulfillment but also Cyberfeminism. One question that many ask is or hover aroubd this broad section, “identity tourism in which people switch gender and racial identisities,” and this is very beneficial for Cyberfeminism because it gets their gears all churning; it, “functions as a heuristic device for thinking about gender and race”. It is another form for people to get educated and think about themselves and to think about others.

Daniels, Jessie. (2009). Rethinking Cyberfeminism: Race, Gender, and Embodiment. Women’s Studies Quarterly.

Eubanks, Virginia. (2018). Automating Inequality Introduction.

[mari-yah]

Blog Post Week #2

With so many News Companies being exposed to the daily viewer, how does one differentiate fake News to factual News?

As mentioned in “Gonzalez and Torres News for all The People” there are over 32,100 sources of News and Information on the daily. With that many sources being put out there for anyone to view it can critically change or shift their view as a whole new perspective.  Now a day also with liability there is quite the dilemma with that because there is just so much information being thrown at everyone that many people don’t have the time to fact-check the information they have seen. Many who do not fact check get this sense of perspective that may not be the correct one and then share and ‘preach’ to many which can influence many with one wrong detail, and all it takes is one wrong detail to really cause a disarrays among the people.

Are certain News Companies taking advantage of their viewers, if so how and why are they?

Journalists in the present day have a big weight on their shoulders because people now rely on the T.V News, a news article, magazines, and now because of phones and internet, we want to be told updates quick and easy like through a tweet, Facebook post, Instagram post, etc. As presented in “Gonzalez and Torres News for all The People” journalists have to convey the meaning of an event then publicize it to us, and the quicker the better. Many journalists/News Companies are also very opinionated and have their own perception of the news and with being so quick it produces quite bit problems because the less the journalist knows about the subject the fuzzier and unclear the work will be which will then lead to misrepresentation of the event and spreading it like a disease; person to person. The journalist/News Company with their own perception and opinion can really influence anyone who reads it and in a sense lead to manipulation, which can really take advantage of their viewers to really get them to see and enforce their vision of the News.

How is Power used in Social Media and how do we dictate who has Power?

Power is seen as someone who has control or influence over, with social media booming many people online have great power over others some knowingly and others unknowingly. In the reading, “Social Media A Critical Introduction” they bring up big people who use social media for power is companies and politicians. This is one group of people who the internet gives power to because of their position and what change they can bring about because of that position they hold to actually initiate change within the system if they’re willing to that is. Some people fall into power by just stumbling over one post that blew up on twitter and now they have 1+ million followers, some of these people who do fall into power are accidental. Sometimes the Internet algorithm dictates who has that has power by chance of your post being shared with more people.

Are there any positives to social Media and if so, what are they, and how do they help the betterment of the social media user?

There are many negatives in the Internet, because we do not know who is lurking on the other side. Yet in the midst of all the chaos that the Internet can be there is a sense of community. As brought up in the reading, “Social Media A Critical Introduction” they bring to light that there are ways of communication that give a sense of community that help social relationships, to those who struggle in a social atmosphere, practicing, or participating in online communities such as Facebook Groups, clubs, Activities, or online gaming can help ease one’s solitude.

Gonzalez, J., & Torres, J. 2012. News for all the people: the epic story of race and the American media. Verso.

Fuchs, Christian. 2017. Social Media: A Critical Introduction. 2nd Edition. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.

[mari-yah]

Technology is the handy man’s wrench, the gas to a car, and to a student to technology is like their handy dandy number 2 rainbow testing pencil that they give you in the 3rd grade to help you with test taking or in my case school....or at least I thought so.

I have this big essay due the next day and my paper was all done on Microsoft Word. I like to type things out on Word as I use it as a notepad ,and then transfer things over to Google Doc. I was going over my paper one more time to make sure there was no funny business or mistakes in my essay. So I went over it and it all went well. So I transferred the essay on over to a Goggle Doc and transferred it over.

I am now getting ready to go to school to turn in a hard copy....I didn’t have ink in my printer! I realized this just now. It’s okay I think to myself because I know CSUF has printers in the library for us students to use. I arrive at the library and rush on over to the computers all scattered and stressed because in a couple hours I need my hard copy of my paper turned in.

I log into the computer. Log into Google. Scroll through my files....nothing.

The file didn’t upload?!

I immediately grabbed at my hair as if trying to reach into my brain for any solution I can think of. What can fix this? What on earth can help this poor soul who’s essay was worth 40% of the class. My mom. She was home...my laptop from which the original file was in was in the laptop.

I called my mom, and very quickly realized she is very new to technology...asking her to transfer the file into google docs was too hard for her, so through many explanations of what Microsoft Word looked like; a Big Blue Ol’ Reliable Word and a mom I was able to turn in my essay.

Yes my mom gave me word for word my essay, I am forever grateful.