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Week 13: blogpost due 11/20

1. Determine what kind of social media site you are creating. 

The social media I would be creating would be a photo blog like Instagram. It would be called “Rootine”. The name is derived from two words: Root and Routine. This social media platform allows you to share what your daily routine is like. A user can post a picture that symbolizes an activity or a video that shows how an activity goes. The platform is welcome to anybody as long as they meet the required age to sign up. 

2. What will you measure?

Users can use hashtags on their post. Likes by other users will only be visible to the user’s post being liked. Comments will be shown to all users because it will allow discussion between the app. However, negative comments will be filtered and deleted once it is posted to make sure that the app is mental health friendly and negative vibes-free. Users are welcome to user their names or create a unique one for their username. Authenticity is important in this platform which is why users will be verified based through their phone numbers and not email. Users can only create 1 profile per phone number to help eliminate bots. The site is only accessible for 16+ of age. 

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

From most to least important: most important would be the authenticity of the profile (making sure it is a person behind it and not a bot), then how old the user is, when the post was posted, the quality of the post (is it harming others?), then the frequency of posts on the platform, and lastly, the likes and comments.

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

Factors that would not be measured in this platform is the number of comments and likes or views. Every post would be at the top of the timeline based on who posts first or who posts the latest by the minute or hour. Every user has a chance to be viewed by other users, therefore, everybody has an equal chance of attention in this app. The date of when the post will also be categorized, which can be convenient when looking for an old post or content.

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

The timelines updates every minute making sure every post is seen by other users. If a post is in a different language, there will be option to translate in the language a user can understand it. If a user missed a post, he/she can utilize the search for the hashtags to view old posts under that hashtag. A user can also hide a ‘rootine’ post if he/she wishes to not see more of those posts often. 

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

The app creators will make sure that the app is unbiased when it comes to exposure of each user’s post. Users will be allowed to hide some posts that are not relevant to them or if they think it is not helpful and this will allow them to control what they see as well. The default algorithm for this is that posts can be seen by when they are posted but users has also the ability to change that for them. 7. How will the model live out the (un)ethical practices we have discussed?

Negative and harmful comments would be filtered in this platform to eliminate online hate. The platform also filters the bots through the verification system of  1 phone number is equal to 1 profile to make sure the users are authentic. The required age limit will also help filter out young children using the platform. Most importantly, the platform is hopeful that it is not encouraging societal norms to its users rather it encourages authenticity. 

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Week 10 blogpost (10/28/20)

1. How does a troll affect someone's reputation online? A troll is someone who shares or responds in an unusual way that disrupts a person or community online. With that being said, a troll or a group of trolls can affect someone's life by having the power to anonymously type negative and/or post hate comments towards a group or a person. People respond to someone else's criticism differently. Trolls who usually do not care about what they say online can affect someone emotionally or mentally in a negative way. Such as when Leslie Jones was faced with trolls online hating her for a movie she did without any reasonable cause. 2. How dangerous is it to have the ability to create a character online and have the vulnerability of being exposed to a lot of criticism? Reddit is an example of a social media that allows its users to not only find information but also to entertain themselves by communicating to people online. However, this also encourages its users to make up a persona online that they do not have to take responsibility for when damage has done. Not ony does it harm other users by posting false information, it can also make a user vulnerable to online hate comments or can put their private life at risk. Such as when Grandpa Wiggly was being forced by Reddit users to identify himself, it put the creator of 'Grandpa Wiggly' at risk and it also breaks the trust in the online community. 3. How do trolls affect the trust of online users with other users? Trolls are obviously a disruption in the online community. The creators of these troll accounts are purposely made to hide their identity to be able to post or reply whatever they want without being responsible. Now, having that control affects the trust between online users because one might be communicating to another but has no knowledge of whether this user is genuine. "Whether a troll is impersonating a living person or fictional persona, he or she undermines the integrity of the community (Phillips, 57)." This makes the online community not reliable when it comes to getting to know a complete stranger or by obtaining information from it.

Bergstrom, K. (2011). “Don’t feed the troll”: Shutting down debate about community expectations on Reddit.com. First Monday, 16(8).

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. pp.55-57.

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

[rsanntn]

Hi Sam, I hope you’re having a great week. Do you think society has a role to play in having the big businesses colonizing our nation through the products that we buy? :)

WEEK 6: Formations of Digital Race

Why is the topic of race so sensitive?

As mentioned in “Race in Cyberspace” the authors believe that race is a social construct, they put that statement online and made the internet erupt in claims that race is biological. In my opinion people talking about race is taboo. It is always hard to talk about the actual problems that are rooted inside of us. This a topic that a lot the world likes to pretend doesn’t exist, though it is oddly essential to how our lives are lived today. It is also hard to be open to the opinions of others that don’t agree with you when it comes to race.

How does changing the outer appearance of a video game character perpetuate racism?

In “The Revenge of the Yellow-Faced Cyborg Terminator,” the main character, Lo Wang claims to having an “eclectic Asian background” (Ow, 2000). Throughout history we have seen that around the world colonization was basically done everywhere and done by every background, but mostly done by countries in Europe. These country’s had a greed for land that isn’t theirs to colonize and have those citizens assimilate through fear.

Years have passed since the era of major colonialism. Through this video game we see that this Asian representing character has the same qualities as the Europeans that were trying to colonize these countries. It shows that assimilation that they wanted from the citizens has been thrown in their face in the past and today. These same qualities that were shown by the colonizers are now bad since it’s the other way around.

Are the products of big business the new colonizers?

With international business being the main kind of business today. Most of the goods we buy and consume are thanks to importation. These goods that we consume are now goods that we compare to those that are made in our own country. We find that most of our happiness from capitalism is thanks to goods made from other countries. Though the ideas for these products are made here they are manufactured elsewhere which opens doors for subtle colonization both ways. These infiltrations could lead to more power for these big businesses in foreign countries.  

Without racism would we understand the concept of “differences” to this depth?

We often see differences of things in a very minute level: why is this product better than this product? Why should park in this place vs. the other spot? We compare things everyday. Now that we are in week six, we fully understand that we live in country that is built on racism. As I read the article on White Supremacy in the Digital Era, the Presidential Debate plays in the background. This question inspired by both these things.

Without this inherent racism pulsing through the veins of America would we understand the difference between good and bad? If I didn’t learn from a young age what made me different from my peers and those around me, whether my sex, gender, race, age, would I have understood how to be open to those that aren’t like me or vice versa?

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.

[rsanntn]

Week 6 blogpost (due 09/30)

1. Does cyberspace play a role in racism?

Cyberspace play a role in how people perceive race by looking for contents that people may relate to. Entertainment, such as video games, gives its players a perspective through the characters in the game and their story. In the case of the Shadow Warrior game, the producer’s goal was to allow players to perceive the character, Lo wang, in any way they want. However, the problem was that the sound effects and the phrases the character was spitting out was pure stereotypes about Asians, such as “Or, as the Yellowfaced Cyborg Terminator prefers to read himself, as a ‘wacky blend of all things Asian.’In this level, I closely examine how the hybrid Yellowfaced Cyborg Terminator of Lo Wang as gamer plays the roles of movie star, tourist, and colonizer, unsuccessfully negotiating through these contradictory perspectives (Ow, 55).” These expressions by the characters influences the user’s perspective towards other races.

 2. How big of a responsibility does mainstream media have in influencing society’s decisions?

By participating in mainstream media, we allow the creators of these platforms to influence our daily decisions through exposing ourselves to constant marketing strategies that they insert in our feeds, or the feeling that we have to post every single day on our accounts, or following and idolizing people we barely know.

3. Will we ever achieve a peaceful “global village”?

Global village as defined by Mcluhan was supposed to be expanding and shrinking of culture around the world by sharing one another’s to people across the globe through telecommunications. While we were able to reach people through the developments of technology, it does not seem like it is shrinking culture barrier among people. Rather, it seems like it is creating more types of culture, such as cultural racism, cancel culture, and other several cultures that divide us all. I believe that these negative cultures were built from the technologies that we now have. It allowed people to hide behind computers and instead of lifting each other up, it made way for people to express themselves beyond what was acceptable.

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 Yellowface Cyborg Terminator: The Rape of Digital Geishas and the Colonization of Cyber-Coolies in 3D Realms’ Shadow Warrior. Race in Cyberspace (pp. 51-68)

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Week 3 blog post (09/09)

Question #1: How does technology replacing humans in the work field affecting the society?

Automated eligibility systems provide an efficient way of collecting data and analyzing it. It also provides a convenience to a growing population by being reliable when it comes to its ability to store people’s information and pulling them when needed. However, automated systems also provide a narrow judgement when it comes to decision making in terms of human services that sometimes needs human empathy. “Forty years ago, nearly all of major decisions that shape our lives were made by human beings. They often used actuarial process that made them think more like computers than people, but human discretion still ruled the day” (Eubanks, 2018). Now that a lot of the jobs are computerized and turned into machines, it is quite easy for a person to be judged by numerical records and systematically be secluded. Automated inequality results to consequences that put people’s lives at risk and inconveniences.

Question #2: How does cyberspace bring communities together?

Cyberspace has been a revolutionary tool for some communities as it brought them together by their shared experiences and qualities. One of the communities that cyberspace has produced is the Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghanistan which mobilized the global awareness and opposition to the repressive Taliban regime.  Another community that was built on cyberspace was a “global feminist networks begun in South Asia have fostered a challenge to gender-specific abortion, or “son selection,” as some refer to the practice of terminating pregnancies in which the fetus is female” (Purweal 2004). Cyberspace was not only a place to gain information, but it was also a safe space for communities and individuals who were not experiencing the same freedom offline.

Question #3: What is cyber feminism?

Cyber feminism evoked as different communities started using technology as a new way of expressing feminist practices. Cyberspace was not only used to create communities, but it was also a source of support for some people. From these communities built online, their agendas and goals were what defined cyber feminism. Their causes connected people from different parts of the world and in a way was seen as the modern revolution. Most importantly, cyber feminism is composed of variants that is “sustained focus on gender and digital technologies” (Daniels, 103).

Question #4: What makes the society vulnerable for automated systems?

Automated systems are consisted of algorithms and predictive risk models that control and decide which group of people are policed, who will receive resources, will be employed or not employed, and sometimes who will be investigated for fraud. Everyday, we encounter technology. Whether we buy something or download an app, our information can easily be accessed and recorded without our consent. “They are so deeply woven into the fabric of social life, that most of the time, we don’t even notice we are being watched or analyzed” (Eubanks, 2018). Society is vulnerable to these automated systems because these systems are planted into our daily lives whether we agree on it or not and it is sometimes used against us as we are judged by what we do or what we purchase. 

Daniels, Jessie . (2009). Rethinking cyberfeminism: race, gender, and embodiment. Women’s Studies Quarterly. 37, 101-124.doi: 10.1353/wsq.0.0158

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

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Week 2 blog post (09/02)

Question 1: How are the big media companies affecting our individual decisions?

Big media companies have a big responsibility when it comes to what gets put out in news outlets. With social media being accessible to almost anybody, news can spread fast and be interpreted in a way the headlines are formatted. Gomez and Torres’ ‘News for all people’ talks about the monopoly of big media companies. With only a handful of corporations being able to control the media, it is highly likely that narratives can be flawed and biased. Consequently, society decides based on what is portrayed to them and sometimes can influence their decisions.

Question 2: What was the government’s role in the birth of the media system?

Humans are social beings. With the demand of being connected to one another, the Postal Act of 1792 gave birth to America’s first Internet (Gonzalez & Torres, 5). The mailing system was basically the social media back then as it allowed people to communicate with each other by writing letters and have their newspaper delivered which was a way that they connected with other parts of the nation and stayed updated. American newspapers sprouted across the land with breathtaking speed, thanks to the government’s support (Gonzalez & Torres, 5). The relationship between the media companies and the government made it possible for the constitutive decisions and this eventually gave a voice to the people, even giving some the right to vote.

Question 3: What are some of the consequences society had to face during the development of computer technologies?

Although most people are thankful for the benefits that technology has brought them, it is still undeniable that it was built on a foundation of capitalism, warfare, exploitation, and inequality (Fuchs, 10). Fuchs mentioned how a horrifying event in history played an important role in technology’s development. IBM is an American computer technology company that started as a computing and recording company. It assisted Nazis in their attempt to extinguish the Jews, ethnic minorities, gay people, etc. by selling punch card system and using it to number the victims and such. By selling data and information, IBM built a company by collaborating with mass murderers. Another example is of Huffington post. Huffington Post is a popular news blog turn into profit-oriented business. HP is built on unpaid voluntary bloggers but when it became profit-oriented, it became problematic. It became a slave work site as the company made money yet the workers who contributed to the success of the company are not compensated.

Question 4: How does modern social media contradict marx’s critical theory?

Marx defines critical theory as a specific form of critical thinking (Fuchs, 10). Social media has been widely used and abused that people are often using it as an outlet. Marx believes that critical theory sees a possibility of a better future without domination and exploitation, yet media companies manipulate the society by collecting people’s information and using them to market and advertise for profit, which contradicts Marx’s critical theory.

 Fuchs, C. (2014). Social media a critical introduction. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications

Gonzalez, J., & Torres, J. (2011). News for all the American people: the epic story of race and the American media. Brooklyn, NY: Verso

[rsanntn]

A time technology has failed me

My family and I immigrated to the U.S about 7 years ago. All of our relatives live in the Philippines. Due to the distance, we miss birthdays, holidays, and other important events. Thanks to technology, communication has never been easier and more convenient. We contact our family through facebook a lot. It provides us an option of messaging our family there or video chat them. However, one important event was coming up one time. We were all excited for my grandfather’s 60th birthday when facebook app started to crash. We could not contact them and celebrate with them. Obviously, it was very disappointing that we had to miss such major event. Fortunately, we were able to contact them the next day and greet my grandfather. 

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starting fall semester like a Diva.