squaretrain866

[squaretrain866]

Why do minorities require their own social media space?

It's not that specifically minorities require their own social space. It's that people as a whole all have different interests. It'd be the same if athletes, gamers, or car enthusiasts all wanted a place to discuss something they have in common. This would be being a minority as well. They have similar interests and can connect since they also have a similar background to go off of. Everyone needs a social media space, and it's not dependent on whether you are a minority or not.

What is NODAPL, and why does it matter? No DAPL was a social movement against a pipeline project in Dakota. Native Americans were in protests against the project because it meant that an oil pipeline would go through their sacred and private land. Not only could this ruin the environment if an oil spill were to occur, but the building of this pipeline would destroy the terrain and peace of the local environment.

What causes a divide in social media?

A divide in social media could be caused by something as simple as different interests or something as extreme as discrimination. It could also come from a controversial topic where there are three sides to a debate, and people decide to take it to the extreme and stray from having a civil debate.

What are some examples of technological discrimination?

One of them would have to be the way facial recognition software has trouble identifying darker-toned faces. There was a case where a black man was accused of committing a crime because his identity matched a face that was similar only in complexion. Another example would be the way individuals are profiled. Technology can be coded in order to have a bias for or against a group of individuals.

[squaretrain866]

Why are trolls harmful?

Trolls are harmful because the whole point of them is to spread toxicity throughout digital media. The toxicity could be intentionally spreading lies in order to cause chaos for their own enjoyment. The reason trolls are so harmful are because of how easy it is for one to come into existence. Anyone can make a social media account and start posting anything they’d like. It could be lies about a person or public figure. These posts can be reported, but they are not always corrected. 

What is online harassment?

You can enter a debate online with someone and it can take a turn where instead of properly debatingrg a person it turns into attacking and criticizing a person. This could be viewed as online harassment. Stalking where you make accounts in order to view people or message them in an inappropriate manner could be seen as harassment. 

Where can online harassment happen?

Online harassment can happen in any digital space. It could happen in social media, video games or even on forums. It could be stalking or talking bad about a person that leads to negative impacts on the victims well-being. 

What are digital crimes?

Digital crimes could be spreading hate speech or promoting hate. This could be slander where you say things about a person that aren’t true and ruin a persons image. Not only will this violate a services terms of agreement this is also illegal. This is something that a lot of people sue over because ruining a reputation can really impact a persons life in more way than just image. 

[squaretrain866]

Why is mavis beacon so important?

Mavis beacon is a black woman that was put on the cover of a computer program. She was photographed and payed solely for her photos. She became the face of a typing program. This is so important because she is the first black woman to not only be put as the face of technology, but to be put on as the face for anything. What makes this event an even greater significance was because she was not properly compensated for what she would become the face of. She received only 500. Later on her face was used again and was modeled in a way she considered offensive. She requested it be removed, but unfortunately was denied. Ultimately this is another case of white individuals taking advantage of black people to make a profit. Mavis Beacon was never properly compensated for her work and never had the work taken town. 

Why is gamification of race and gender so important in todays society?

The gamification of race and gender means being able to play as any race or gender you desire   The reason this is so important is because it can continue to perpetuate racial and gender stereotypes. A great example of this would be Gta games because they represent black people as thugs and many Hispanics and gangbangers. It also portrays women as sex objects more often than people. These are all reasons why gamification can become harmful to these individuals. 

How does social media increase white supremacy?

Many social figures tend to be of fairer complexion. This intentionally and unintentionally can lead to white people being the focus in social media. This may lead to many individuals of various races wanting to become similar to these social media figures. This can essentially eliminate the different cultures that make all races unique. 

What does it mean to be a cyborg?

A cyborg is an amalgamation of human and technology. It can be seen as any person that has a combination of technology no matter how small it may be. An example could be a pacemaker or amputees using prosthetic limbs. Regardless of how tech is involved it still is seen as a combination of man and man made creations. Cyborgs are typically seen as gender less or having little to no gender characteristic. The benefit of this is considering people as being able to have gender or no gender at all. 

[squaretrain866]

Why is colorblindness impossible(my personal experience)?

I experience discriminatory treatment everyday without fail. It’s not necessarily me being asked to leave places or not being allowed to enter a store, but more so being followed around stores. I’ve learned to live with it that it will always happen. It has a lot to do with my clothing. I wear baggy clothes and I could be seen as a criminal or a threat to public well being. If another individual with lighter skin were to do this they’d be seen as stylish or trendy. I’ve witnessed this in various ways. I’ve seen and also experienced occasions where I’m walking on the street and a person crosses the street as they approach me. My friends of lighter complexion have entered stores and they don’t receive special treatment such as being hovered over by workers or security. 

What’s it like to be mixed?

I’ve always heard the phrases “but you don’t look black” or “you don’t look mixed”. When I first heard these phrases it made me feel as if I wasn’t ever going to truly accept my heritage. As I’ve grown older I’ve learned being a certain race isn’t a physics characteristic. People don’t necessarily have to look a certain way in order to be part of that racial group. In my case I tended to lean towards one side of my heritage more than another because of my home life and having one heritage a lot more present than the other. It makes it so hard to feel like a part of a race when all you have of it is the genetics. In some cases you don’t have the culture or other groups to show you it. 

White privilege and why it’s still a major isssue?

Many people associate immigrants with being colored individuals. Yet in New York and the East coast there are large groups of illegal immigrants who will never be stopped by Ice because they look American. People of darker complexion are always going to be at a higher chance vs a white individual when it comes to looking like an immigrant. This is part of white privilege in a way that not too many people think about. 

How was meritocracy present in our society?

Meritocracy is a society being based on credentials or degrees instead of heritage or race. The Missouri plan is a way of choosing judges based on merits instead of partisan or legislative votes. I believe meritocracy can also be similar to a social hierarchy in the sense that the more money you have means that the more opportunities you have in raising your individual merit. Since lower income areas tend to be colored communities this system is technically racist since it does not allow an equal opportunity of people to become judges. I do however like this system more than partisan elections. .

[squaretrain866]

How do gender roles affect society?

Gender roles affect society because it forces people to follow and fit into norms they might not necessarily agree with. It causes men to feel like they can’t be emotional and feel like they have to know certain things because they are part of men basic knowledge. I agree with some of the standards regarding these because it was how I was brought up. You don’t necessarily have to be masculine, but I believe it is important to know how to shake someone’s hand, change a tire, and work hard. These were all values instilled in me that I believe all men have. I think me having these ideas be part of the basic requirements is fueling the gender norm divide. I believe it is ok for women to have masculine characteristics. I don’t have much to say about that side of the topic because I haven’t had too many perspectives regarding it. 

What is race?

Race is a social construct created to categorize the different group of people that originated from different geographical points. Growing up I always believed race was more of a physical trait than a geographical origin. I always heard black people look a certain way and white people do too. I took an Asian American studies that helped me come to terms with my own identity as a mixed male. I had trouble with the black part of my identity because yes I show some characteristics regarding that group of people, but I do not necessarily have a dark complexion that is usually associated with them. Although I am Afro-Latino I more coincide with my Hispanic identity so on forms where it comes to race unless it gives me the option to put multiple things I will more than likely always put Hispanic. Race is more than just color of your skin it’s where your ancestors originated from. These races were all created by white males during the age of exploration. 

What is sex vs. gender?

I’ve always thought of sex and gender as two completely different ideas. Sex is just male or female you’re either one or the other. Gender is what you think you are. Sex is more of an objective truth that you can prove through biology while gender is a subjective truth that differs from person to person. It is a truth that can mean many things to multiple different people and all be simultaneously correct since it’s more of an opinion based idea. 

 What can online racism look like?

Online racism can look like saying racial slurs or claiming to be a race that you are not. It can be impersonation, doxxing and being part of online hate groups. The purpose is to know what online racism can look like and it’s more important to know how to avoid it than to stop it. I only say that because a problem can always occur so it’s easier to avoid situations where problems will happen than to stop a problem once you’re in one. I stand by this because of past experience in my life where I’ve preferred to avoid certain things because of the possibility of issues happening. 

[squaretrain866]

How is the gang database affecting communities today?

I personally am affected by this on a deeper level because I am on one of these databases. I really resonated with the part of the text that states that you do not have to be part of the gang, but if you say hello to someone or live near someone then you’ll be wrapped into it regardless of your gang affiliation status. So when my friends and I have decided to get late night food we have been stopped by officers for whatever reason. They get all of our names then their questions turn aggressive and obviously we didn’t do anything we were just out a bit late, but that itself is not a crime. So in situations where others would not be stopped we are and have been harassed. 

What causes a divide regarding technology?

I believe the biggest cause for a divide has to do with the apple vs android debate. I’ve seen it on both sides where users of either platform criticize each others device. However there seems to be a bigger stigma towards android users since apple is more mainstream in America. Another form their is a divide is through lower income communities not being able to have access to technology in schools. This causes digital literacy to be low leading to many individuals not being able to recognize when an article is deceiving them or not. 

In what instances can technology be racist?

We saw last week how facial recognition was flawed when it came to individuals with a darker complexion, but it also can be affected by the code within technology. There are cases where certain systems may increase the price or disqualify a buyer through a computer process yet it could be because of racial identity. This could mean denying a customer from applying for credit cards, mortgages, or a car loan. This is because the coding has been meant to consider these individuals to be less reliable than others when paying back items. 

How is intersectionality relavent?

Intersectionality is relavent because it is the identity of people. It has to do with mini identities such as race, religion, gender, sexuality, and many other factors that make up individuals. It is relevant to all of us because it is the characteristics that make up who we are. 

[squaretrain866]

Media can be used to benefit or harm groups of individuals. The easiest way to turn opinions of other people is by making your opinions accessible and public. This is similar to what has happened with Haitian immigrants. This group of people was barely talked about until they arrived in the United States. Then they came and began to receive certain benefits that other individuals were not receiving. This not only led to more negative views towards immigrants, but it led to negative opinions towards black people as a whole. On one side you have them being attacked by other immigrants and on the other you have them being attacked because they are a collective of black people. The media caused it to be interpreted this way and so causing it to be harmful to immigrants and black peoples. In order to prevent this from happening stay informed and take the time to find the necessary information to come to your own conclusions rather than letting a news station do your thinking for you. 

People in lower income communities are believed to be communities with a higher crime rate when compared to mid-high income neighborhoods. In order to manage the crime surveillance has been increase in these areas. Could it be surveillance in order to benefit or is it to monitor these individuals? The reason these groups would be monitored. In a sense these groups are predominantly colored individuals. Without consent these individuals are being spied on and having their data collected in the sense of protecting them, but could it be for a more sinister purpose? It could be inferred that it’s not to protect these individuals but rather to keep them in check and be more aware of what specific individuals to look out for. It’s as if you had a target on your back just because you look a certain way. 

[squaretrain866]

Technology was not the hype when I was with my girlfriend and we were watching tik toks. I decided to joke about how she gets guys on her for you page so that means she’s not locked in like I am. We say locked in not in a serious way, but similar to saying I love you more but in our own unique way. To prove how locked in I am I start scrolling through my feed to show how I get no girls whatsoever on my feed. We get past like 10 videos with my normal content being presented and then a random video of a girl wearing basically nothing pops up. My girlfriend was shocked and kind of stared at me because it was a weird thing to pop up. She had a reasonable reaction and I’m glad she was understanding that it was tik toks fault and not mine. I had to explain to her that I never get things like that which wasn’t the most fun situation to be in. The algorithm was really wrong for that since it wasn’t my usual comics, lifting or sports content. My girlfriend understood since the post had zero likes or comments and had been up for like 2 minutes since I wanted to prove that it was a fluke. Overall not a good situation to be in. To add a happy ending everything was ok after and to ensure I don’t get that kind of content I made sure to select the not interested button. I find that part of technology to be useful since it ensures I only get the kind of content I want and not weird recommendations such as the one that was previously mentioned. Hopefully this does not happen again or happen to anyone else.