marinadonaghue

[marinadonaghue]

So all these artists are really gonna act like they didn’t know R. Kelly was a creep the whole time? 🤔 .. Okay. They all forgot that he married Aaliyah when she was underage? They forgot about the child pornography charges? This is not about being unaware, this is about the dismissal of black women. I want to say better late than never, but it’s difficult to respect the artists that are disassociating themselves from R. Kelly now that lifetime produced a special. Is this disassociation really because they are beginning to value black women, or is it because not disassociating themselves from him will hurt their careers? Hmm.

[marinadonaghue]

This is despicable, plain and simple. Wanted to post because it reminded me of Dr. Lee’s Virtual Homeplace

[marinadonaghue]

Blog Post 11/30

1. What is Hacktivism?

Hacktivism is a form of online activism in which users utilize technology to advance human rights; they do so through hacking websites, shutting them down, creating parody software, and disrupting servers. Hacktivism rests on the notion that information and communication are free, meaning authorities should not be able to control or censor the internet. Through hacktivism, people are able to use media to  express disapproval, advocate, and call attention to issues in society and digital spaces.

2. What is an example of Organization/Mobilization online?

Change.org is an example of organization/mobilization online. Change.org offers users a platform to present an argument/campaign and persuade others to adopt their point of view, as well as prompt them to take action. When campaigns for Change.org surface on social media, users are able to click the link, sign a petition, and receive continuous e-mails regarding the progress of the cause, as well as ways to participate in the cause to achieve the desired outcome.

3. Is Wikileaks a form of hacktivism?

I connect the earlier version of Wikileaks to hacktivism because its main purpose was to demonstrate the inner workings of governments and authoritative figures/institutions in society. Wikileaks was a form of hacktivism because it purposefully hacked into confidential databases in order to expose issues and corruption within governments. Unfortunately, it is difficult to argue that Wikileaks remains a form of hacktivism, due to its lack of reliability as well as its bias political agenda.

4. What are virtual political communities?

Virtual political communities are groups of internet users who share similar political beliefs and utilize digital media to become informed, communicate, and/or organize activities. These communities are digital forms of civic engagement and allow for individuals to network regardless of their physical location. In addition, members of these communities establish trust, honesty, and reciprocity through these virtual spaces, which enables them to maintain and expand their community.  Once these groups are formed virtually, people are able to connect physically to participate in political action; this is evident through Zeke Spier.

Bibliography

Elin, Larry. 2013. “The Radicalization of Zeke Spier: How the Internet Contributes to Civic Engagement and New Forms of Social Capital.” In Cyberactivism: Online Activism In Theory and Practice.  

Vegh, Sandor. 2013. “Classifying Forms of Online Activism: The Case of Cyberprotests against the World Bank.” In Cyberactivism: Online Activism In Theory and Practice.  

[marinadonaghue]

Blog Post 12/7

1. What did the Patriot Act really do?

The Patriot Act served as a justification for the government’s hyper surveillance on people. The government was already utilizing unlawful forms of surveillance through wiretaps, illegally videotaping suspects, and intercepting and analyzing e-mails; all without search warrants. This law simply gave the government more control; this is especially evident through the fact that federal investigators were able to pick judges when seeking warrants, to ensure they didn’t have to face a liberal judge. They were also able to use their warrant in any part of the country. In addition to the Patriot Act allowing the government to justify their hyper surveillance, it also extended the ways in which they could surveil. For example, following the act, federal investigators were able to tap each phone an individual may have used. Before the act,  they were required to obtain a warrant for each phone they planned to tap. Lastly, the increase of governmental control under the Patriot Act is evident through the expanded definition of a terrorist; this allowed the government to investigate and prosecute anyone they saw fit.

2. Are children/teenagers being socialized to accept surveillance?

Because children are growing up in an extremely technological world, I believe that many of them are being socialized to accept surveillance. This notion is evident through Parenti’s discussion on how children are the least surprised by security measures, due to the fact that they’re used to having their luggage searched, ID’s examined, and jokes screened. Surveillance is all children know, and this enables the government to continue their hyper surveillance without much resistance. As Parenti suggests, kids are demonstrating signs of ultra trust and super obedience in authority figures, due to routine observation and regulation. Social media has allowed the government to mask their surveillance in entertaining platforms, advertisements, consoles, cell phones, and other technological devices that include cameras, microphones, and the like. It is likely that when the majority of teenagers sign into social media, they are not contemplating the fact that regulations on their posts, terms of service, as well as advertisements are all forms of surveillance; they simply see them as normal aspects of social media.

3. Do you think Opt-in advertising policies will make digital media less exploitative?

I agree with Fuch’s that Opt-in advertising would make digital media less exploitative; however, I also agree that most internet platforms would refuse to implement this policy. As a classmate stated earlier in the semester, what may be beneficial is providing monetary incentives to users when they allow for advertisements; this way, corporations/internet platforms can continue their advertisements, and users get paid for membership. I believe this would be more effective than Fuch’s suggestion of a participatory fee for media projects. I think the only way to ensure Opt-in advertising policies are enforced would be for the government to make them mandatory. However, that would create a problem because it opposes capitalism’s free market ideology. In my opinion, the best outcome would be for social media users to boycott all exploitative platforms and demand economic justice in regards to their usage. If this happened, I think social media platforms would be more likely to adjust their advertising policies due to the structure versus agency ideology. Unfortunately, gathering enough people together to protest social media in a way that would enforce change is extremely unlikely.

4. After reading Fuch’s conclusion, do you think social media will ever be a space of true participatory democracy?

Although Fuch’s asserts that it is possible for the internet to become a commons-based space, I don’t believe that the policies and changes it would require are likely. I agree with Fuch’s that in order for the internet to truly change, capitalism must change; I don’t believe that will happen in the United States. A commons-based internet opposes most ideologies associated with capitalism, and each social system in our country relies on that economic/political system. I understand that capitalism is not present in every country, which is why I’m limiting my response to the United States. It is important, however, to note the fact that Google (which Fuch’s claims is the internets biggest company) was created in the United States; this is one testament to the political power they have over the internet. In my opinion, there is simply too much capital and systemic control involved in the internet for it to truly transform into a space of participatory democracy (any time soon).

Bibliography

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

Parenti, Christian. 2003. The Soft Cage: Surveillance In America From Slavery To The War on Terror. New York, NY: Basic Books.

[marinadonaghue]

Here’s a recent topic surfacing on social media that definitely relates to our class.

[marinadonaghue]

What we were talking about in class

A better, more positive Tumblr

Since its founding in 2007, Tumblr has always been a place for wide open, creative self-expression at the heart of community and culture. To borrow from our founder David Karp, we’re proud to have inspired a generation of artists, writers, creators, curators, and crusaders to redefine our culture and to help empower individuality.

Over the past several months, and inspired by our storied past, we’ve given serious thought to who we want to be to our community moving forward and have been hard at work laying the foundation for a better Tumblr. We’ve realized that in order to continue to fulfill our promise and place in culture, especially as it evolves, we must change. Some of that change began with fostering more constructive dialogue among our community members. Today, we’re taking another step by no longer allowing adult content, including explicit sexual content and nudity (with some exceptions).  

Let’s first be unequivocal about something that should not be confused with today’s policy change: posting anything that is harmful to minors, including child pornography, is abhorrent and has no place in our community. We’ve always had and always will have a zero tolerance policy for this type of content. To this end, we continuously invest in the enforcement of this policy, including industry-standard machine monitoring, a growing team of human moderators, and user tools that make it easy to report abuse. We also closely partner with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Internet Watch Foundation, two invaluable organizations at the forefront of protecting our children from abuse, and through these partnerships we report violations of this policy to law enforcement authorities. We can never prevent all bad actors from attempting to abuse our platform, but we make it our highest priority to keep the community as safe as possible.

So what is changing?

Posts that contain adult content will no longer be allowed on Tumblr, and we’ve updated our Community Guidelines to reflect this policy change. We recognize Tumblr is also a place to speak freely about topics like art, sex positivity, your relationships, your sexuality, and your personal journey. We want to make sure that we continue to foster this type of diversity of expression in the community, so our new policy strives to strike a balance.

Why are we doing this?

It is our continued, humble aspiration that Tumblr be a safe place for creative expression, self-discovery, and a deep sense of community. As Tumblr continues to grow and evolve, and our understanding of our impact on our world becomes clearer, we have a responsibility to consider that impact across different age groups, demographics, cultures, and mindsets. We spent considerable time weighing the pros and cons of expression in the community that includes adult content. In doing so, it became clear that without this content we have the opportunity to create a place where more people feel comfortable expressing themselves.

Bottom line: There are no shortage of sites on the internet that feature adult content. We will leave it to them and focus our efforts on creating the most welcoming environment possible for our community.

So what’s next?

Starting December 17, 2018, we will begin enforcing this new policy. Community members with content that is no longer permitted on Tumblr will get a heads up from us in advance and steps they can take to appeal or preserve their content outside the community if they so choose. All changes won’t happen overnight as something of this complexity takes time.

Another thing, filtering this type of content versus say, a political protest with nudity or the statue of David, is not simple at scale. We’re relying on automated tools to identify adult content and humans to help train and keep our systems in check. We know there will be mistakes, but we’ve done our best to create and enforce a policy that acknowledges the breadth of expression we see in the community.

Most importantly, we’re going to be as transparent as possible with you about the decisions we’re making and resources available to you, including more detailed information, product enhancements, and more content moderators to interface directly with the community and content.

Like you, we love Tumblr and what it’s come to mean for millions of people around the world. Our actions are out of love and hope for our community. We won’t always get this right, especially in the beginning, but we are determined to make your experience a positive one.

Jeff D’Onofrio CEO

[marinadonaghue]

Blog 11/16

1. How is Gamergate similar to the online abuse Leslie Jones experienced?

Gamergate is similar to the abuse Leslie Jones experienced through the reasons for its formation, the tactics used, as well as the end result. Leslie Jones experienced online harassment following the release of the new Ghostbusters trailer. People were enraged at the idea of an all female cast in a historically male dominated film; they were also enraged to see an African American woman play a role in a predominately white film. Similar sentiments can be applied to Gamergate. “Gamers”, a population that had historically been dominated by white males, were so resistant to let females enter the gaming world, they harassed and threatened Zoe Quinn to the point where she left her own home. In addition, the tactics used in harassing Quinn and Jones on social media are similar.  During the harassment of Jones, people infiltrated her personal website with nude photos, her passport, and driver’s license. During Gamergate, users harassed Quinn by sexually shaming her, leaking nude photos, as well as releasing her address and phone number. Lastly, the end results of Gamergate, as well as Leslie Jones harassment are similar. Gamergate has been successful through chasing prominent women who make/write about video games out of the industry, while Leslie Jones was temporarily chased off of Twitter. Although Jones eventually signed back onto Twitter, the harassment she faced was so bad she felt the need to leave a social media site she loved and enjoyed; the same situation occurred during Gamergate. Gamergate, as well as the harassment Leslie Jones faced reinforce the notion that online spaces have limitations, as inequalities among gender, race, class, sexuality, and the like do not disappear in digital spaces.

2. How does Gamergate demonstrate white male privilege?

Although there are non-white, female supporters of Gamergate, I believe the general ideology of Gamergate demonstrates white male privilege, because it excuses the portrayals of race and gender in video games. Hathaway claims that one of the most popular explanations of Gamergate is that people want to play games without complicating them by acknowledging or discussing the ways in which those games portray women and minorities, as well as how the industry treats them. As Hathaway suggests, this is likely due to their privilege. Because the dominant population of gamers is white males, they are used to being represented in video games without having to view them from a different perspective. It requires a great deal of privilege to claim that negative portrayals of minorities and females do not need to be discussed, as they will ruin the fun of a game; it’s easy to feel that way when those portrayals don’t negatively affect the population one is a part of.

3. How does the United States demonstrate institutional unacceptability of Black female bodies?

Institutional practices in the United States demonstrate the unacceptability of the Black female body in various ways, the oppression of hair being one in particular. This oppression is evident through the stories of Ashley Davis, a woman who was told she would lose her job if she did not cut her locs; Tiana Parker, a seven-year-old who was sent home from school because administration viewed her locs as unacceptable and distracting; Vanessa Van-Dyke, a twelve-year-old student who was told that her afro needed to be cut/straightened, and was a distraction to other students in response to her report of being bullied at school; and Audre Lorde, who was not allowed to cross borders or pass immigration in Tortola, British Virgin Islands due to her locs, as her hairstyle was tied to stereotypes of criminality and Rastafarian religion. These stories exemplify dominating European standards of beauty, the policing of the black female body, politicization and racialization of hair, as well as the dismissal of comfortable atmospheres for black women.

4. How are Black women celebrating their hair on digital spaces?

Two ways black women celebrate their hair on digital spaces are through blogging and vlogging. Numerous bloggers/vloggers, such as “CurlyNikki.com”, “Afrobella”, and “BlackGirlLongHair” (among many others) have created “virtual homeplaces” for fellow black women to celebrate their bodies, speak on social injustices, and share experiences, frustrations, triumphs, as well as struggles to embrace their natural hair.  These spaces allow black women to form communities around their hair and connect with women who have shared similar experiences in regards to hairstyle, as well as institutional oppression of the black female body. Through sharing these experiences and forming a community that celebrates the natural black female body, these blogs are able to create social change; this is evident in the boycotting of Patti Stanger’s television series.

Bibliography

Hathaway, Jay. 2014. “What is Gamergate, and Why? An Explainer for Non-Geeks.” Gawker. October 10. Retrieved November 16, 2018. https://oswego.open.suny.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-1037139-dt-content-rid-5183544_1/courses/201809-94057-SOC301/What%20Is%20Gamergate%2C%20and%20Why%20%20An%20Explainer%20for%20Non-Geeks.pdf

Lee, L. (2015). Virtual homeplace: (Re)Constructing the body through social media. In Keisha Edwards Tassie & Sonja M. Brown Givens (Eds.), Women of Color and Social Media Multitasking: Blogs, Timelines, Feeds and Community (pp. 91-112). New York: Lexington Books.

Silman, Anna. 2016. “A Timeline of Leslie Jones’s Horrific Online Abuse.” The Cut. August 24. Retrieved November 16, 2018. https://www.thecut.com/2016/08/a-timeline-of-leslie-joness-horrific-online-abuse.html

[marinadonaghue]

11/9

1. In what ways is Capitalism present on Wikipedia?

Although Wikipedia is seen as a form of web 3.0 in which all members participate voluntary in s non-commodified manner, there are elements of capitalism in Wikipedia. One element of capitalism that is present in Wikipedia is the fact that Wikipedia work is stratified. The people who work on the site are the people who have enough time and intellectual skill to actively contribute to it. This connects to capitalism because, as Fuchs suggests, not everyone has the time and skill to actively contribute to the site due to capitalism, which creates a class of wealthy and poor. The wealthy have material resources, as well as skills, time, and access to these networks, while the poor are more deprived of these resources. Fuchs suggests that Wikipedia could only be democratic and communist is we lived in a classless society where resources were evenly distributed.

2. How did the Wikileaks article demonstrate the power of corporations? The article demonstrated the power of corporations through the ways in which multiple corporations attempted to shut down the site by using their power. For example, Amazon’s cloud computing platform hosted Wikileaks data, and cut off services to the site following a statement from the Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman. Apple pulled the Wikileaks app from its store, while Mastercard, Visa, PayPal, Bank of America and the Swiss postal bank cut off payment services to the site. Because the companies did not want to be associated with a publicly condemned site, they utilized their corporate power and attempted to silence Wikileaks. Although there is no direct evidence stating that the government was involved in these acts, it can be implied that these companies were abiding by the wishes of the government, considering these events occurred following governmental statements condemning Wikileaks.

3. Fuchs describes the ways in which Wikipedia is not truly without hierarchy. Are there any forms of social media that are without hierarchy?

I don’t know if I believe there are any forms of social media that exist without hierarchy. When considering Tumblr, there are suggested pages and posts, and that algorithm is likely due to popularity of certain pages. Wikipedia has a hierarchy through their administrators of the site as well as dominant cultures within the network. We’ve previously discussed the hierarchies within the most popular forms of social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat. The only form of social media I can think of that may be without hierarchy is Marco Polo, a video-messaging app. There are no followers, trending topics, ads, etc. However, this is a fairly new app. I’m sure that if the app gains enough popularity to the point where celebrities are using it, they may get a verified checkmark, which would create some sort of hierarchy on the app.

4. Should Wikileaks be treated the same as other forms of journalism?

Wikileaks should be treated the same as the New York Times, or any other newspaper that is protected under the first amendment. The attempt to censor Wikileaks is simply because the government/governments do not want the public to know of their corruption. I can understand where Wikileaks can seem dangerous or as a threat to society, however, that is only because of how corrupt the government is. Assange should not be censored simply because his site does not conform to the ideologies associated with “responsible journalism”. The government circumventing constitutional protections through systems of pressure and approval against citizens exemplifies the notion that people are never really free.

Bibliography

Benkler, Yochai. 2011. “A Free Irresponsible Press: Wikileaks and the Battle over the Soul of the Networked Fourth Estate.” Harvard Law Journals, Vol 46:311-397

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

[marinadonaghue]

Algorithm 10/26

1. If I were to create an algorithm, my social media site would consist of profiles created by users. Users would have a profile where they were able to make posts that reflected their interests, such as: thoughts, events, photos, music, etc. I would measure what users liked and the frequency in which they liked similar items. Users would be able to follow other profiles depending on what they liked.

2. If a user consistently liked profiles that revolved around a particular interest, such as a sport or genre of music, the algorithm would measure that and create suggestions for the users. The algorithm would measure similarities through the use of keywords, as well as similar sounds- such as videos they watch. I would weigh consistency by whether the person followed or liked at least five of the same categories, or photos.

3. The algorithm would not measure how many profiles each user follows, nor would it measure the amount of followers a user had, or which followers were more publicly prominent than others. The algorithm would also not measure the amount of words people had in their posts. To avoid popularity, the algorithm also would not measure hash tags or “trending topics”.

4. The algorithm would adapt to new information by measuring time stamps of when posts were uploaded, and timelines would be configured from the newest posts to oldest. New information in regards to posts and likes will be collected through a series of keywords as well as users frequency in which profiles they view most. The users will also have the option to create a “favorites” tab, consisting of their favorite profiles to follow; this tag will consolidate their favorite users profiles into a separate timeline.

5. Biases that will be built into the algorithm are keywords that will flagged as “red” words, which will consist of words that could potentially, be problematic or used as hate speech. Another bias that will be built into the model is eliminating an emphasis on the amount of followers or likes a post has to the general public, only the creators of the site will be able to see those things. These biases will change the algorithms outcome because the algorithm will filter out posts that contain “red” words, meaning users freedom would ultimately be limited. In addition, the algorithm will not be able to configure itself based on popularity of pages or amounts of followers, meaning time is the only factor in the order of a person’s timeline. In addition, prominent stories from larger public figures would be muted, as they would simply appear in people’s timelines in regards to when the post was uploaded. Because hash tags and trending topics are not available, it will be more difficult to foster a large online community of people that share in the same interests, as people will simply have to search for the things they are interested in, rather than finding them on a trending page.

6. The model will live out the unethical practices we have discussed because it will invade users privacy through the surveillance of what they like and dislike, as well as what pages they follow; although this will not be sold to companies. The site would be non-profit and would exist off of donations from users; which would probably fail due to the algorithms restrictions. The algorithm would hopefully be more successful in generating a safer online community than many other social media sites, as there would be more restrictions on what is acceptable to post and what is not.

[marinadonaghue]

Blog Post 10/12

1. Define the term interpellation and give your own example

Interpellation refers to the idea that our senses of identity stem from how we respond to the ways others categorize us through gestures and public speech. This can occur in positive forms, such as being acknowledged for an award; however, this can also occur in negative forms. Non-interpellation occurs when people are made to feel non-existent or ignored. Negative interpellation occurs when people feel noticed in an uncomfortable way and are made visible when they otherwise wouldn’t want to be. Misinterpellation is the result of understanding ourselves as being apart of everybody, then being addressed in a way that makes us realize we are not. For example, I was at someone’s house for Christmas last year, and they made a “joke” at me that I probably wasn’t used to ceramic plates at Christmas since Puerto Ricans use Styrofoam. I felt comfortable at this event until that person pointed out to me that because I was a different race, I wasn’t apart of everybody and fell into my own separate category.

2.  What is an example of white invisibility?

An example of white invisibility is the notion that when any white president gets elected, they have gotten elected on the basis of merit. When Barack Obama was elected, it was frequently stated that he got elected simply because he was black. Whites are able to go through life without having to acknowledge their race, as it doesn’t negatively affect them. This occurs when Alice Marwick interviews the white male social media programmers in Silicon Valley, when they tell her that race is a ‘non-issue” in their lives. The problem with this is that social, political and economic inequalities are then ignored in regards to race; meaning many whites deny the privileges they receive due to their whiteness, and simply attribute those inequalities to a difference in determination, or worse, don’t acknowledge them at all. As Senft and Noble (2014) stated, when people of color are talented athletes, it is because they have some biological talent; when whites are talented athletes, it is because they worked hard. White people have the option to remain racially invisible.

3. How does the construction of the Internet demonstrate white privilege?

The construction of the Internet demonstrates white privilege because the Internet in and of itself was originally dominated by whites, because they were the predominate owners of computers. Even as the Internet progressed, programs that were specifically created for non-white users, such as “Blackbird” were referred to as reverse racism. To insinuate that racism is reversed when it seems to be projected towards white people demonstrates the fact that whites are typically not subject to any racial discrimination- when in reality, the word racism is not exclusive to people of color. To be offended by the creation of a safe space for people of color is a textbook example of privilege, as it demonstrates a sense of entitlement. Another example of white privilege in digital spaces is the concept of Black Twitter. Black Twitter simply refers to a large public group of black people that use Twitter, and generate trending topics through their high volume usage. Pew reported that 25 percent of online blacks use Twitter, while only 9 percent of online whites did. The problem with the label “Black Twitter” is that online spaces are comprised of millions of white people collectively engaging in communication, sharing interests and culture; however, there is no term to label this because whites have been in power so long they have been seen as race neutral, or raceless. Lastly, I remember when Emojis were first introduced on Iphones, as well as social media; they were yellow, then all white. It wasn’t until recently that Apple decided to acknowledge that non-white people exist.  

4. The Ted-Talk viewed in class discusses types of online racism, what is another form of online racism that you’ve witnessed that wasn’t discussed?

A relatively new form of online racism I have witnessed is known as “digital blackface”. Digital blackface is a term created by Victoria Princewill, and occurs when white users use memes/emojis of black people to demonstrate their emotions. Some of the most popular memes in digital spaces are of black people typically expressing emotion in a dramatized fashion. Princewell claims that white people are using GIFs to perform exaggerated blackness, and that this is the 21st century, digital version of minstrel shows. Princewell discusses the ways in which this creates a problem, because it perpetuates the notion that black people exist for non-black peoples entertainment, as well as to symbolize excessive emotion. I will post a link to the video below.

5. My handle names for all of my social media are just my name, or different variations of my initials, such as: marinadonaghue, marinad, marinad43 (43 is my favorite number). My reasoning for this is because I’m basic and am not afraid to admit it. Also, I tend to be shy about my personal life and don’t necessarily want a tag that expresses things about my personality. I also use the same pictures for my social media so that there aren’t a bunch of pictures of me floating around- although this wasn’t always the case.

Bibliography

Senft, Theresa and Safiya Umoja Noble. 2014. “Race and Social Media” Pp. 107-125 in The Social Media Handbook, edited by Jeremy Hunsinger and Theresa Senft. New York, NY: Routledge.

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-40931479/is-it-ok-to-use-black-emojis-and-gifs

[marinadonaghue]

Blog Post 10/5

Fuchs discusses the ways in which certain social media apps are limited. What is a form of social media that Fuchs did not discuss and how is it limited?

Snapchat is a form of social media that is limited in regards to entertainment. Snapchat users with the most followers are promoted on accounts that don’t necessarily follow that user. The users with the most followers are primarily based off of entertainment, such as celebrities, beauty vloggers, musicians, etc. People that may also be famous, but are not as famous as others will face the limitations of not being as popular on this app. Snapchat has also implemented filters designed for specific celebrities, in order for them to promote a product, song, or movie they have coming out; if someone isn’t extremely popular on Snapchat, they will not receive their own filter. Snapchat also promotes certain news stories/articles; these are typically entertainment articles and rarely focus on politics, which Fuchs discusses in relation to other social media platforms.

How would implementing a social credit system affect American society?

I believe if American society implemented a social credit system equivalent to the one presented on Black Mirror, or in China, it would create an even larger base of powerful people that are able to oppress the less powerful. People would have the option to rate a person as low as they would like, even when that person didn’t engage in any negative behavior. Although much of our American society already functions based on an invisible social credit system, only certain people have power over others; with a social credit system, everyone has power. Although, there may be certain benefits if each person had some form of power; it may make it easier to correct the enormous power gap in our society.  

Fuchs describes the ways in which Foxconn workers are treated in China, as well as the effects of our consumption in the Congo. Why do you think people continue to consume these products despite the negative effects they have on others?

As far as American consumption goes, I believe that if American workers were suffering the same fate as the people in China and in the Congo, people would be more likely to refrain from the consumption of these products. America has a reputation of being an extremely nationalist country, and many Americans tend to believe that they are superior to citizens of other countries. If Apple employees in America were treated in the same ways as they are in China, I believe there would be protests and social movements created to liberate them of that treatment; although, many American workers are exploited and we continue to consume. I think people continue consume these products simply because we are selfish creatures by nature, if we are not viewing this injustice firsthand, we tend to be out of sight, out of mind about it.

Do you agree with Fuchs that capitalism, imperialism, class and exploitation form the heart of society?

I completely agree with Fuchs statement. We have become so dependent on technology that it is nearly impossible for us to refrain from consumption. People rely on all forms of technology for information, work, school, social connection, music, news, etc. Although some of these uses are not necessary (music, social networking, etc), many of them are mandatory in order to live adequately in society. For example, if someone wanted to apply for a job, but the application was solely online, they would have to use some form of technology in order to apply. If the company decided to contact him/her for an interview, it would have to do so on some form of technology, whether it be a computer or phone. We don’t have much choice in boycotting these products; and because the consumption of these products is almost always at the cost of exploitation, imperialism, and slave labor, we don’t have much choice in boycotting those either- they have become the heart of society.

Bibliography

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

[marinadonaghue]

THIS!!

“We can disagree and still love each other, unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist.” ~ Robert Jones Jr.

[marinadonaghue]

Blog Post 9/21

1.  Do people use politics to justify their use of social media?

In my understanding, Fuchs suggests people may justify their consumption of popular culture and social media by claiming there is a political attachment to them. In some ways, I agree with Fuchs idea that the uses of social media and popular culture are justified through the idea that they have politically progressive aspects to them. It’s much easier to claim to be politically present through the use of popular culture and social media than it is to actively participate in political movements. On the other hand, I don’t believe people are constantly justifying their use of social media by claiming its political; sometimes it genuinely is. For example, Childish Gambino’s “This is America” is an extremely political song/video with multiple messages and underlying meanings. In order to fully grasp the relevancy of the video, I had to watch it multiple times, causing me to consume social media at a high level. I was genuinely consuming social media at a high level for political purposes; I wasn’t simply using politics as an excuse to over consume it.

2. Is fan culture exploitative?

Fan culture is exploitative in the ways that social media provides public figures/companies free publicity through the consumers. For example, when Drake dropped his most recent album, a comedian named Shiggy uploaded a video of himself dancing to one of the songs, “In My Feelings”. The video Shiggy recorded transformed into a viral challenge, inviting all social media users to record themselves dancing to the song and upload it onto social media. Because of this, Drake’s song gained more popularity than it would have otherwise and quickly became number one on the charts; this occurred through the publicity of the challenge. Shiggy, as well as other social media users promoted Drake’s song without him having to hire or pay them, yet he capitalizes off of that exposure. Some may say that in this case, Drake did the morally correct thing by including Shiggy in his music video for “In My Feelings”, as well as brought him on stage during a few of his concerts. However, although Drake publicly acknowledged that Shiggy helped him get the song to number one, he never paid him. In my opinion, this is a prime example of the ways in which fan culture is exploitative.

3. In what ways is participatory culture not always present on social media?

One of the ways participatory culture is not always present on social media is through the amount of exposure celebrities receive over non-celebrities. For example, when Time magazine released their cover for the “Me too” movement labeled “The Silence Breakers”, one of the women they chose to include was Taylor Swift. Although Swift’s victimization should not be minimized, she had and still remains quiet regarding women’s rights. Tarana Burke, the creator of the “Me too” movement was left out of the Time cover; this is because she does not have as large of a following as Taylor Swift. Because of Taylor Swift’s celebrity status, she was a more desirable candidate for Time’s cover; although she was not nearly as much of a silence breaker as Burke. This further validates the idea that there are unequal power relations within social media.

4. Do you agree with Jenkins’s idea “If users like it, then it’s no problem”?

I agree with Fuchs argument that although social media users are motivated by communicative and social needs, it doesn’t make them any less exploited. Yes, social media users benefit from participating in social media in several ways: they engage in dialogue with others, share with larger audiences and take pride in their content, but there are other ways people can gain social fulfillment. Just because people don’t feel like they are being exploited, doesn’t mean that they aren’t. Whether we enjoy social media or not, the fact of the matter is that social media revolves around profit, and most of it’s users aren’t making any.

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

[marinadonaghue]

Blog Post 2

1. Fuch’s discusses the simplistic notion of participation in regards to web 2.0. What are the ways in which people practice this on social media?

As we discussed in class, one of the ways people participate minimally on social media is through lack of posts on their profiles. To add to that conversation, I believe another example of minimalist participation is through the lack of captioning one’s posts. For example, there are many social media users that will post pictures with detailed descriptions/captions attached to them; this can be viewed as maximum participation. On the other hand, people who may post photos regularly but do not put forth the effort to caption their photos may also be viewed as minimalists. In my personal experience, I participate minimally on Snapchat. I watch Snapchats everyday, however, I rarely post my own. Anyone who has me as a friend on that form of social media would view me as a minimal participant, despite the fact that I visit the app daily.

2. In regards to engineered, instrumental reality, in what ways do you believe social media automates/manipulates social connections?

I believe social media manipulates social connections by creating a blueprint for the ways users interact with one another. For example, on Facebook, although it seems like users have the freedom to socialize in whichever way they please, there are limitations to their social connections. There is a like button on Facebook, but no dislike button; this forces users to either like something or be silenced. It wasn’t until recently that Facebook added reactions, where users are able to pick from five different emoticons to express their feelings regarding a post; still, they are confined to those five emoticons. Although people are able to comment on a post stating they dislike it, this could potentially be reported to the Facebook community. The Facebook community consists of guidelines that must be met in order for users to remain on the site; this is also a form of manipulation in regards to social connection. We, as social media users have a set of options we can choose from in regards to the way we would like to socially connect with others, but we are not really free. We have to abide by guidelines and features that were put into place by the creators of the app.

3. Should researchers gain informed consent from social media users despite the presence of “terms of service”?

I understand both sides of this argument. Because many social media users fail to read the terms of service before creating profiles, I don’t believe researchers should be required to gain informed consent from users before placing their content in an academic work. It is our responsibility as human beings to read contracts before we enter into them. However, ethically speaking, I believe I would ask people before I used their content for my own research. Social media is worldwide, and understanding the terms of service when one is not educated in contractual agreements can be difficult; this shouldn’t mean people should have to miss out on creating social media profiles. Social media companies know that most people won’t read the terms of service, and in many ways, I believe they are happy about that.

4. Fuch’s uses Facebook to demonstrate the notion of integrated sociality. What is another form of social media that also encourages this?

In my opinion, Twitter is one of the most prominent social media apps in regards to integrated sociality. When a person tweets, they are creating content on a cognitive level, then publishing it so others can comment, retweet, and like the tweet; this is the communicative level. The cooperation aspect is present through the process of “quote tweets”. Twitter users have the option to quote tweet, which is retweeting someone’s content with a caption of your own; this allows users to manipulate the content, as Fuch’s discusses, and allows for multiple authorship.

Bibliography

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

[marinadonaghue]

First Blog Post 9/7

1. Fuchs discusses the ways in which social media invades users privacy through the surveillance of advertising companies. In what other ways does social media allow for surveillance?

While reading about the process of surveillance on social media, I immediately thought about the surveillance of people on social media in regards to policing. It is common for police to use social media to gain evidence as well as locate suspects/victims of crimes. However, it is also common for police to use that power negatively, such as spying on activists, and using that surveillance to control people for exercising their first amendment right. For example, during the Standing Rock protests, people were using Facebook to check-in at protest locations as a way to communicate with fellow activists; the police scanned social media constantly to determine the locations of protests, and subsequently harassed and arrested protesters. This eventually led to Facebook users refraining from checking in on social media, in an attempt to shield protestors from the police. Additionally, police were using the Black Lives Matter movement as a way to spy on activists/supporters of the social movement. When social media users would hash tag “BlackLivesMatter”, police were accused of flagging those users, as well as people connected to those activists. The police not only flagged these users, but also leaked their information to homeland security, the military, and the department of justice. 

2. Through reading Fuchs’ critique of political economy, it is evident that not all social media users are created equal. What are some ways inequalities are present on social media?

An inequality present on social media is the way social media covers news. For example, this past week, Ariana Grande was seen singing at Aretha Franklin’s funeral. Grande was scrutinized on social media for the short dress she wore to the funeral, as people felt it was not only inappropriate for church, but also for a funeral; this topic hit multiple social media apps as a trending topic. The same day, the Bishop for Franklin’s funeral groped Ariana Grande; this did not become a trending topic until the following day, and still has not gained as much publicity on social media as the previous topic. This demonstrates gender inequalities present on social media in the way that news outlets on social media are more consumed with what a woman was wearing to a funeral than the fact that she was forcibly touched at it.

3. Fuchs discusses the ways in which social media users are exploited. What is an example of the exploitation Fuchs discusses? Often times on social media, the most popular pages are those of public figures, celebrities, politicians, etc. It is common for these users to generate “trending topics” through the use of hash tags. When a social media user with a large following creates a hash tag and asks their followers to use it, these hash tags turn into trending topics; meaning these users ultimately have greater opportunities to use their social media as a platform to have their voices heard. In addition, the more followers’ users have, the more likely they are to profit from their pages, through sponsorships and affiliate links. People with small amounts of followers do not have these privileges. The topic of exploitation applies to this in regards to the fact that people with larger followings are gaining their large platforms because of their followers, who are usually non-famous and have a small following. If social media users with large followings didn’t have their followers, they would ultimately lose their platforms, affiliations, and sponsorships; yet their followers do not profit from any of these.

4. Fuchs discusses sublation in regards to Internet platforms, such as Myspace and Facebook. What is another example of sublation that you’ve seen on social media? The most recent example of sublation I have witnessed in regards to social media is a new app called “Marco Polo”. Marco Polo is an app that allows users to record videos of themselves and send them to friends to view live, or at a later time. When users send videos to their friends, the friends get notifications that alert them that their friend is talking to them. Friends are then allowed to reply with a video response. Essentially, Marco Polo is a video form of text messaging, while also incorporating voicemail and Snap chat. In addition, it can be argued that the app incorporates Facebook as well, considering users have “friends” within the app. Although this new app incorporates the other apps, it adds a new element to each; there is no time limit on the video someone can send (as there is with Snapchat), viewers can actually see the people leaving them messages (you cannot do this with voicemail), they are able to speak into the camera as opposed to typing (which is done in text messages), and do not have to be live with their friends (as you do with Facetime). Marco Polo is emerging as a new popular app, however, it would not be able to exist without the creation of the apps before it; it may eventually eliminate the uses of other apps, but also preserves them.

Bibliography 

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

[marinadonaghue]