Post No.11: EOT Response

The group with the most notable overall topic was the media sphere, specifically the slides on online influencers. Online influencers are a relatively new concept but they have a big impact on the younger generations and their perception of social media. In the presentation by Josie cancel culture is noted. Cancel culture is when an influence loses support and following after a controversy. This is most evident in the canceling of Shane Dawson for his racist video and his inappropriate comments towards children. Pew Research Center released a report entitled “Americans and ‘Cancel Culture’: Where Some See Calls for Accountability, Others See Censorship, Punishment”. The report gives data on Americans’ opinions on cancel culture, Conservative Republicans are less likely than other politically associated people to describe ‘cancel culture’ as actions are taken to hold others accountable. It is fascinating that even on the mundane issues that there is a Parisian divide. 

Blog Post No.12: Final Thoughts on Social Media

What is the first image that comes up when you google your name? Is it a grainy picture at your seven-year-old soccer game that your dad posted on Facebook almost ten years ago? Or is it some old Instagram profile picture you had in eighth grade? Are there even pictures of you, or just randos and strangers who happen to have the same name? Why does this even matter?

 

The internet is forever, no matter where you post or who posts it. The youngest generations are growing up in an era where the entire world and its wealth of information is just a small click away. In fourth grade, I got my first phone. What was once my father’s old and discard iPhone four became my prize possession. For the first year, I only used my phone for its basic feature; calling, texting, and the occasional game. However, the summer before sixth grade I was allowed to join social media. My eleven-year-old self was ecstatic to try out fun filters and share the pictures on my own Instagram and Snapchat accounts. Looking back, I wished I held off using social media for just a little longer. 

Social media can effects how a person is developed and it has affected how I have developed. When I first started using social media, specifically Instagram, the main focus for me was to communicate with others. I originally would share random photos of myself doing cool things and screenshots of funny memes on Instagram, as that was the app's original purpose. Instagram did a rebranding and the overall focus of the app shifted from being a picture-sharing app into an entertainment platform where people can become famous. This shift led to a rise in Instagram influences who would use words such as “instafamous” or “instabaddie”. 

As a result of an influx of influencers on Instagram, I changed the way I would post. Instead of posting random selfies with cute heart and flower crowns filters posting on Instagram became a production. For some time, I would prepare to take Instagram pictures and it would be a whole ordeal, just for one picture and a few likes. But, as times are now changing again and I have more pressing matters to attain Instagram has become a place where I just post “aesthetic” photo dumps less frequently. 

I truly believe social media is the most harmful to those who have been exposed to it in the essential years of brain development. At a very young age, I and many other girls were exposed to many harmful things on social media, specifically Instagram. Photoshopped images of women’s bodies gave us all the wrong impression of how girls are supposed to look. All humans have an innate desire to compare themselves to others and combined with an unconfident preteen it is not surprising that the suicide rate and low self-esteem are rising among the younger generations, my generation. 

Social media is not all bad. I use Facebook to keep in touch with my grandma, aunts, and uncles; LinkedIn to post my academic and career accomplishments; Twitter to keep up to date on celebrity news; and Instagram to share what I am doing. It is important to express caution and set boundaries while using any social media app. There is a lot of grime on social media but it can also be an efficient way to communicate with others.

Blog No.10: Robotic Automation

The documentary by Frontline entitled “In the Age of AI” describes how our world is being reshaped and reimagined by the technology of artificial intelligence. AI, artificial intelligence, is a part of all human life and most people are unaware of its reach. Kate Crawford, a well-known artificial-intelligence scholar who is interviewed for the documentary, states “It [Artifical Inelligence]  has pervaded so many elements of everyday life and in a way that in many cases is completely opaque to people”. Unlike other forms of technology, AI is not tangible but a concept that is constantly growing and learning. As AI develops and becomes smarter several risks emerge. The issue that is most pressing to the average person is the automation of jobs. A large number of labor jobs can be done by AI. As of now, AI can do about 70% of the task of the most common jobs, (retail sales, market analysis, hospitality, warehouse labor) without human intervention. The full capabilities of AI are still unknown but the future of robotic automation is already upon us.

Blog Post No.9: Social Credit Score

What if the government tracked everything you do? Every step, keystroke, and the transaction is watched and monitored. What if all of these actions affected your social standing with the government? What if the government created a system that numerically evaluated each citizen by their actions which affected their social standing? What if I told you there is a system similar to this already in place.

The Chinese government created a system to monitor its citizens. The social credit score is a system that contributes a numerical value to the trustworthiness of a person, company, or government entity. Currently, the system is run by and managed by China’s National Development and Reform Commission, the People’s Bank of China, and the country’s court system. The majority of the data is collected through traditional means; governmental, financial, and criminal records are all public records. The Chinese government also employs the use of third-party sources to gain information such as websites that have access to people’s credit scores. The Chinese government is also experimenting with new ways to gather information. Sources such as financial transactions and video surveillance are starting to be incorporated into the government’s data collection system in regard to a person’s social credit score.

 

The purpose of the social credit score is to encourage good behavior among Chinese citizens. A person with a high credit score gets perks that others do not. Some examples of benefits are breaks on taxes, discounts on government bills, the ability to rent vehicles or hotel rooms without having to make a deposit first, and better interest rates on loans from banks. Businesses with high credit scores get different perks such as less frequent inspections and audits and fast-tracked approvals for government services. It is shown that the system is mainly targeted toward businesses and companies individuals also can receive benefits or face consequences of the social credit system. For those who have high scores, the system disproportionately benefits the system. There is a big negative impact on those who have a low social credit score. People with low social credit scores have public shame, limited options for housing and hotels, limited employment options with exclusions for high-level jobs, travel bans on trains and planes, slower internet, and bans from private schools. 

Like most government programs there are flaws. There are concerns about data credibility, data protection, and invasion of privacy in China due to weak regulations and law enforcement on privacy. The most controversial aspect of the social credit system for individuals is that it tracks behavior and gives citizens a score using incomplete, or inaccurate data.

So what does this mean for Americans? Currently, there is no system like this in America. It is unlikely a system like this could be implemented due to the right to privacy. The right to privacy was inherent in the First, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Ninth Amendments.

Blog Post No.8 Privacy Rights

The right to privacy is not clearly stated in the United States Consitution or Bill of Rights. Over time this right has become incorporated in different clauses of the First, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Ninth Amendments. There are distinct rules to what the government can and cannot due regarding privacy but there are several instances the government violates these rights. For almost two decades the Denver Police collected information on activists operating in the area. Approximately 1,500pages were made public and released information about individuals they themselves were not aware of. Glen Morris, a Native American activist, found out that someone planned to murder him. Morris is just one of many examples of the government trampling privacy rights and violating the Constitution.

 

In the case of private institutions, the policy and laws on privacy have limitations. Social media companies add clauses in their terms and conditions to allow for surveillance. On Netflix, there is a documentary entitled “The Social Dilemma” that investigates the design of social media and its ability to manipulate its user by collecting data on them. One of the most notable quotes from the film is by Daniel Hövermann, “If you’re not paying for the product, then you are the product”.  Social media companies are collecting your information and selling it to others to make a profit. Cellular devices are always listening and tracking. This is evident all the time.  If you mention or text about a company or product it is very likely an ad for the same product will be on your feed within days or even hours. Christopher Soghoian explains in her speech that our phones are always surveilling and others have the ability to access this information. 

Blog Post No. 7: Diffusion of Citizenship

Rogers' diffusion of innovations is an extremely beneficial concept when academics are theorizing about particular topics but I find its application to ideas most interesting. For a controversial or stigmatized idea to become socially acceptable it must follow the diffusion of innovations chart. For example, take the idea of African Americans being United States citizens. In modern-day society, it is repulsive and bigoted to view black people as less than human but this ideal has not always been true throughout history. It took almost 400 years from colonial America to the 14th amendment before slavery became abolished. Early abolitionists, Olaudah Equiano, Anthony Benezet, and Mum Bett, aka Elizabeth Freeman,  faced ridicule. Even after the 14th Amendment passed with the Citizenship Clause which redefined citizenship it took two more amendments to increase equality between black and white Americans. 

Blog Post No.6: Paper as Technology?

When I think of paper, I do not consider it a type of communication technology. However paper revolutionized the way humans communicate with each other. Cai Lun is a Chinese court official who is credited for inventing paper in 105 AD. Before Lun’s invention, most people used bamboo or silk strips to write but these options were heavy and costly. Paper was a technological advancement that was very popular on the silk road and for many years to come. Paper still has a huge impact on society. Paper gave people an easy way to write down information and produce it for others. There are some negative environmental implications due to the production of the commodity. Overall, paper is important for communications.