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Week 13 Short-Answer Quiz #3 Due 11/20 :)

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

The type of social media site I would like to create would be similar to Twitter because many people get their news from Twitter and use it for engagement. I recently started using Twitter at the beginning of this year. During the 2020 election, I saw many articles about voter fraud, Covid-19, proclaimed president, etc., and tweets being flagged with unreliable information. Users also claimed that their post and source of information were trustworthy and it sparked a lot of discussion and arguments which made it confusing to understand what information was actually trustworthy and reliable. I think this is important to look into and create a model for people to share articles, news, and posts about issues. Implementing algorithms can help determine what information is reliable and where these articles and news are coming from such as Wikipedia or popular news websites. 

2. What will you measure?

The thing that will be measured would be the top shared articles, news, and posts because many people will look into these to get their information and form opinions. Another thing my ethical model would measure is which articles and posts are heavenly filled with inaccurate, sarcastic, and racist remarks so users can avoid getting news from those. 

3. How will you weigh these factors?

The factors that will be weighed would be the number of errors such as spelling and misleading information made within the shared article or post. Furthermore, it will identify the amount of offensive words used. The top shared posts and article links would also be recorded because it will help give an overview of where users are getting their information from and what is frequently popping up on the user’s feed. 

4. What factors will not be measured?

The factors that will not be measured would be “trolls” making up articles and posts just for the fun of things. These types of information being put out with ironic and sarcastic comments can be seen as harmful and the user can face punishments such as being suspended. 

5. How will the model learn or adapt to new information?

The model will learn to adapt new information by checking and verifying if the content being shared and posted is not filled with false information. This can be with scanning specific misinformation and offensive words used. Unreliable information can be flagged or deleted so users can avoid it or look into it to see why it is not trustworthy. This can be very useful because users will be able to determine fake news. The model can also block posts or links of hate speech and online harassment posts in order to provide a safe platform for the users.  

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

The biases that will be built into the model will allow users to block and make posts invisible to them (similar to Instagram and Twitter). This will change the algorithm’s outcome because the user will not be able to see that certain type of information in their feed from other users. This could potentially lead to bias because the user will only see what they want to see. Furthermore, the model can store information about current issues and events and will block or mark offensive, false, and inappropriate content that is posted. Improvements of the algorithm can still be made through updates and revisions in order to identify key information that is crucial for information being verified and checked as trustworthy. 

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

The algorithm will help promote trustworthy information that users can access while marking, deleting, or flagging false and inappropriate information. The algorithm will also prevent any harmful views (hate speech or online harassment). Users are part of the participatory culture in which they are invited to actively participate in the creation and circulation of new content. This can be seen by sharing common ideas and sharing various information and expose others to new ideas and perspectives. Users can use the platform to propose or speak about certain issues that are happening around the world and making a change to it. However, there will always be biases or errors made by algorithms such as Instagram’s method of blocking information and claiming it to be false. The manipulation of viewing certain information can also hinder users’ knowledge about issues and concerns. 

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Week 12 Blog Post Due 11/11 :)

How can sites be a form of affirmation?

It is clear the black Women have been discriminated against and racialized for their appearance such as their hairstyle and how society is able to influence what is acceptable and beautiful. One way that sites provide a foundation for change is that it “operates as a possible space to discuss issues of concern, provide support, elevate spirits and also resist hatred” that they face (Lee, 2015). Many of these bloggers were concerned with how people reacted and spoke out about people with naturally curly hair which can ultimately have negative consequences toward women with naturally curly hair and how they perceive themselves. However, this gave bloggers and commentators a way to “reclaim the Blackfemale body from white advertisements and the white beauty industry that commonly portrayed the Black body in its natural state as ugly and needing to be improved” (Lee, 2015). Blogs became a place of encouragement and support and were used to teach and discuss the historical wounds of racial oppression, operating as a virtual homeplace, also bringing people together to enact social change. 

Why are online communities seen as a way to profit and rather than building communities? 

When online communities were created, there was also a growth of big businesses surfacing through the Internet and promoting different types of new products. It was noted in the article that “Rarely if at all, do these “community centers” inspire or facilitate efforts toward individual or group empowerment, organizing, or advocacy” (McLaine, 2003). This can also be seen through subscriber fees of articles and access that these online sites require in order for their users to use and connect with others. The Internet was made to be neutral however there are racial codes implemented that cannot be overlooked and businesses over the Internet seem to be taking advantage of their users by marketing and promoting things. 

What is the purpose of ethnic online communities and why is it important?

As mentioned, racial codes are still an issue within online communities/ the Internet because of the Internet’s default status of “whiteness” which chooses to avoid issues of race and ethnicity rather than acknowledging it. Therefore, “Ethnic Internet portals have received major attention by marketing the premise of relevant content and community to underserved Internet users of specific ethnicities” (McLaine, 2003). Ignoring issues of ethnicity and race of people limits the growth of individual users, as well as the technological medium as a whole leading to the digital divide. Ethnic online communities can be an important factor for empowering marginalized individuals that have been ignored by technological advances. This is more than just helping marginalized communities be familiar with technology, it is providing them a space and platform where they can build communities through the Internet and express themselves and concerns. 

Why was Gamergate created and why is it important?

Gameramegate is essentially an online movement ostensibly concerned with ethics in-game iournalism and with protecting the "gamer" identity. This all began with the female game developer, Zoe Quinn, and her sex life as she was a victim of death threats and harassment since she began trying to publish Depression Quest (Hathaway, 2014). Eventually, many people began to focus on corruption in gamer journalism and grew angry about harassing females in the gaming community. This corruption has led to convincing game writers to adopt the same ethical standards as "real journalists” and speak for a victimized demographic people. People began to be aware that the target audiences for video games were mile young male gamers and did not represent other groups. Ultimately, #Gamergate offers an opportunity for change within the gaming community and accepting everyone who plays games. 

Citation: 

Hathaway, J. (2014). What is gamergate and why? An explainer for non-geeks. Gawker.

Lee, L. (2015). Virtual homeplace: (re)constructing the body through social media. 91-111.

McLaine, S. (2003). Ethnic online communities: between profit and purpose. 233-254.

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Week 11 Blog Post Due 11/4 :)

How did surveillance play a role in black bodies? 

To begin with, the construction of the black body was being labeled as a criminal and classified as problematic in society. Ethno-racial populations, including laborers and slaves, were being targets of surveillance throughout the United States. Mobility was an important source of power for slaves however “ knowing where enslaved persons were, what they were doing, as well as being able to identify persons” was a way to control them (Lee, 2017).  Slaves had no privacy because they were constantly being targeted and followed and they had identifications such as slave passes, manumission papers, and slave hire badges. Surveillance of them continued that lead to the construction of “criminals” and “problem populations” and ultimately gave a negative perception of who they are. This construction consisted of inferior, superior, and biological notions of criminals that were based on older (racist) notions of differences between white and black races. It is clear that this was a form to oppress black communities. They were even laws implemented to surveil and patrol these groups that were labeled as criminals. This shows the unfair treatment of black communities that they received. 

How is Twitter an important factor for black communities? 

The advanced search tab on Twitter allows people to view information about specific hashtags and keywords. After the murder of Mike Brown, there was a new hashtag called “IfTheyGunnedMeDown” emerged on black Twitter as a way to recover/redefine and love Blackness. The hashtag enabled people to voice their opinion about the media’s portrayal and stereotyping of victims who had been killed or injured by police officers. It is clear that marginalized groups face unjust treatment and are often killed by police. Media also found a way to portray Mike Brown negatively by manipulating photos and using photos that made Brown look dangerous. People on Twitter, on the other hand, tweeted and retweeted the picture of Mike Brown in his high school graduation cap and gown and the photo his family publicized after his death which contradicts how Mike Brown was being portrayed on Media. Furthermore, this hashtag sparked discussion of ‘what picture from my social media account would the news use to portray me if I were gunned down?’ after seeing how Brown was portrayed (Lee, 2017). Many of these hashtags were used to shed light on the portrayal and unjust treatment that black communities face. 

How is the Internet a way to spread public awareness and advocacy? 

The Internet is another form of receiving news and information since people have access to it almost everywhere. The news on the Internet is typically provided by individuals and independent organizations that focus their attention on events and issues that are being reported on or news that has been misreported by other big news outlets. Furthermore, information on the Internet is an important implication for activism and “creates distribution networks that can later be used for organization and mobilization purposes” (Vegh, 2003). The Internet is able to document and report negative or unjust actions happening around the world and make the public aware of these issues that can eventually lead to taking action. Some of these issues that are report shed light on certain situations that can trigger and fuel an activist movement which is why the Internet becomes important for organizing movements and carrying out action for change. 

How did the Internet allow people to form social movements? 

The article discusses the Arab Spring which was a series of anti-government protests, uprisings, and armed rebellions. Social media played an important role in communication and interaction among people involved in the protest. Without the Internet, these people would not have been able to organize and communicate with one another about this issue. This is why the Internet and wireless platforms were “decisive tools for mobilizing, for organizing, for deliberating, for coordinating and for deciding” (Fuchs, 2014). People that were protesting used social media to organize demonstrations and distribute useful information about their activities and most importantly raise awareness of ongoing events. The Internet allows people to voice their opinion and organize groups that influence protests and a new form of activism. 

Citations: 

Fuchs, C. (2014). Social media and communication power. In Social media: A critical introduction (pp. 69-94). London: SAGE Publications Ltd doi: 10.4135/9781446270066.n4

Lee, L. (2017). Black Twitter: A Response to Bias in Mainstream Media. Social Sciences, 6(1), 26. doi:10.3390/socsci6010026

Vegh, S. (2003). Classifying Forms of Online Activism The Case of Cyberprotests against the World Bank.

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Week 10 Blog Post Due 10/28 :)

What are trolls and what is their role on the Internet? 

Trolls have been around the Internet and affect the way people communicate because a person that trolls have been described as someone “whose real intention(s) is/are to cause disruption and/or to trigger or exaggerate conflict for the purpose of their own amusement” (Phillips, 2015) There are many accounts and users on the Internet so people need to be aware of who they are talking to because some might be trolls. Trolls can pretend to be someone they are not and lie about a lot of things like age, religion, gender, and more. Most trolls just taunt and make jokes such as sending memes or making comments that are nonsense. However, some trolls behaviors can be aggressive at times leading to consequences and online harassment. Furthermore, trolls do not share information about who they really are and they state that people should not take things as seriously because at the end of the day it was just for amusement. 

What impact do trolls have on a person’s life? 

The article titled “A Timeline of Leslie Jones’s Horrific Online Abuse” shows how trolls can negatively affect and destroy a person’s life. It was clear that Leslie was being targeted by hackers and trolls and her personal website was taken down. Her Twitter account was inundated with racist and sexist hate speech associated with her role in Paul Feig’s inexplicably controversial all-female Ghostbusters reboot (Silma, 2016). This shows how online trolling can cause so much more damage than just a joke and for amusement and people hop on the trend to support this type of behavior. Through this, Twitter changed its hateful conduct policy to prevent any type of abusive behavior and allow more types of reporting. Twitter did this to reduce the burden on the person being targeted. Today on the Internet, many people with huge followings are being attacked by hackers and trolls, and are even having their personal information hacked and leaked.

How are memes connected to trolls online? 

The article titled “Defining terms: The origins and evolution of subculture trolling”, states how memes make sense in relation to other memes and this allows people to speak to those online while confusing those that are unaware of this type of network. The use of memes becomes an identity factor for trolls because they are able to understand the context. Memes are described as a group of digital items sharing common characteristics of content, form, and/or stance and it was theorized that memes create discussion and participation online. An example of memes is Lolcats and rolling rick which were pushed into mainstream media for everyone to see. These memes often go viral because people share and repost it for everyone to see and make people laugh as well. 

How can trolling be avoided online? 

Trolling is very much present on the Internet and can often be a bad or good thing. For instance, some trolls may take things too far and threaten another person but sometimes trolls trick people for a good laugh. Within the gaming community, trolling was very popular among other players and overall people had a good laugh about it. In the case of Grandpa Wiggly, it ended up being a fictional character of the actual person and essentially trolling the community of who they were. Nonetheless, it is shocking to see the actions people engaged in to find the true identity and leaking various information. Grandpa wiggly participated in the behavior of trolling by feeding into the minds of other Reddit users to keep them talking online (Bergstrom, 2011). Trolling can happen any time throughout the internet and sometimes people do not know they are being trolled. Therefore it is difficult to avoid trolling online.

Citations

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.

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Week 8 Blog Post Due 10/14 :)

In what ways are cyborgs impacting the way women are seen?

The article begins by explaining how cyborgs are a cybernetic organism, a hybrid of machine and organism, a creature of social reality as well as a creature of fiction (Haraway, 1991). She breaks down three important factors of cyborgs and that is the distinctions between human and animal, man and machine, and the physical and non- physical. She compares women as being natural and how cyborgs are constructed in imagination and material reality. Through this, it is possible for women to construct who they are rather than being seen as natural and weak. It was mentioned that communications technologies and biotechnologies are the crucial tools for recrafting the bodies of women. This is important because these tools embody and enforce new social relations for women worldwide. The image of women is being reconstructed through the use of technology and advances which impacts the meaning of race, sex, and class to progressive for change. 

How role does women-only spaces online create? 

Women-only spaces are a way for women to finally have a place to voice their opinions. Within the digital world, “online communication in mixed-gender settings generally tends to disadvantage women” and they are able to create their own space (Daniels, 2009). It was mentioned that women in mixed-sex online discussion groups post less frequently when their discussion and topic gets no response. However, women in the ladies-only forum has impacted discussion and topics because women are able to feel comfortable expressing their opinions and getting responses from others. In mixed-gender settings, women’s opinions often go unheard of and male discussion is always seen first. Within these women spaces, they are free to talk about and address some issues connected to women’s roles as wives and mothers, beauty standards, abortion, and more. Furthermore, women were able to relate to one another and jump in conversations that no one really seemed to talk about. 

How does the concept of realism affect the way young women see themselves? 

In the media, there is this thing called stimulation body where a person may relate to the character’s voice and looks but the body is what ultimately influences how they see themselves. Many of the virtual personae that have emerged in media and are the construction of young, attractive females which can have negative consequences. Through this idea, gender and sexuality are implemented within media such as television and games which influences what is masculine/feminine and what is mechanic /natural. Video games are great an example of how male and female characters are represented as because these characters “conveys an image of the feminine body that is hyper sexualized in that its femininity is predicated on the gender/ sex conflation” (O’Riordan, 2006). They play a role in digital beauty by emphasizing what is virtual reality through the development of the relationship between the body and representations of the body. 

What are the consequences of gendered white supremacists?

In the article, they gave a brief summary of a woman that was targeted by white supremacists and how things turned out to be violent. One thing that white supremacists do is published the home addresses and phone numbers of the victims. The incident of Jena 6 shows the horrible actions that white supremacists engaged in and the unfair treatment they received from the law. Militaristic swagger and tactics of bullying and intimidation were some of the characteristics of white male supremacists. White supremacist was using technology and the Internet as a way to harass and cyber bully people based on “physical characteristics (like size, disability, or age) or social identities (such as gender, sexuality, race, or ethnicity)” (Daniels, 2009) therefore hate speech is a real thing and has negative consequences. 

Citations: 

Daniels, J. (2009). Gender, White Supremacy, and the Internet. Cyber Racism: White Supremacy Online and the New Attack on Civil Rights (pp. 61-86). Rowman & Littlefield.

Haraway, D. (1991). A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century. Simians, Cyborgs, and Women: The Reinvention of Nature (pp. 149-181). Routledge.

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

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Week 7 Blog Post Due 10/7 :)

How is racism affecting the way people use the Internet? 

The Internet is essentially a part of peoples lives whether they know it or not because they are constantly on the internet. It becomes impossible to ignore since so many people/users on and there are different types of perspectives and ideas shared online regarding race and inequality. Furthermore, there is representation and misleading information about certain groups. For example, the article states of White supremacists organize attacks toward other groups and how search engines lead to inaccurate information such as looking up the term “black girl” (Senft and Noble, 2014). Those of color are prone to hate speech online and false media representation. Through this, it is clear how the Internet plays a role is racializing certain groups even though the Internet is meant to be neutral. This is where white coding has been used to program software and technology and why the Internet is no longer neutral. Their ideologies of whiteness influence users perception of what is “normal” and why search engines have negative stereotypes and assumptions about groups. 

How has multiculturalism been implemented within technology? 

Multiculturalism is the presence of, or support for the presence of, several distinct cultural or ethnic groups within a society. The article mentions how race was used as a tool to degenerate and exploit non-White people. Technology such as television and Netflix has moved to be more inclusive with movie options for viewers that include marginalized groups. There has been a shift to be inclusive and diverse but it questions whether it is for marketing and profit. However, there are some movies that express the need to make marginalized groups in television and media be “normal” since White ideologies have been shown to be “normal” (Benjamin, 2019). Celebrating representation and diversity can often avoid telling the true reality about racism and stripes away the importance of being aware of these issues that are present within the Internet/ technology. 

How is big data policing affecting marginalized groups? 

Police data remains colored by explicit and implicit bias in which police data is racially coded. The data incorporates the lived experience of people of color and marginalized groups who have rightly or wrongly felt discriminated against because of society’s suspicion of who they are. Therefore, big data policing must acknowledge that race is still part of modern policing and how it negatively affects people. Big data policing has started to improve from their previous mistakes however the past of their actions cannot be forgotten. It was mentioned that “police failed to protect civil rights protesters and police allowed violence, lynchings, and prejudice to undermine the criminal justice system”  (Benjamin, 2019). This clearly shows the heavy surveillance that African Americans had to face during the civil rights movement. Ultimately, there is a move toward creating meaningful protections for privacy and civil liberties. 

How is white invisibility embedded in the lives of many? 

The way that white invisibility is embedded through the lives of many is that white is everyone such as movies, literature, film, television, and etc. It is apart of our lives that influence people’s perception of what is the norm and accepted in society. In this sense, whites are regarded as raceless and assumed privilege. Minority groups experience visibility and want representation in the forms of public spheres since they are discriminated against. There are differences in how white and minority groups experience forms of racism. People of color that are successful in sports are attributed to natural talent. On the other hand, White people are regarding as hard-working individuals if they are successful in sports. These differences help define the privilege white people receive (Senft and Noble, 2014).

Citations

Benjamin, R. (2019). Race after technology: Abolitionist tools for the new Jim code. Cambridge: Polity, 41-88.

Senft, T., Noble, U. N. (2014). Race and Social Media. The Social Media Handbook, 107-125.

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Week 6 Blog Post Due 9/30 :)

How can cyberspace provide a powerful building and progressive medium for minorities?

Cyberspace can be helpful because users are able to bring their assumptions and discursive patterns regarding race with them when they log on and they are able to discuss issues. This can also help build interaction and shared experiences about certain issues and shed light on why it is important. Furthermore, they can make their voice be heard over the internet, and “the representations of cyberspace in popular media highlight an array of ideological attitudes toward race” that can promote change or support of issues (Kolko et al., 2000). It was also mentioned that cyberspace engenders new combinations of ethnicity and raciality and engagement with these new constructions of race and cyberspace. These can be seen in forms of academia, commerce, politics, and other popular media such as film, fiction, advertising, and video games. 

How has White Supremacy played a role in online interaction with users? 

One thing that was mentioned was the way that the Internet allows “whites-only digital space where they can question the cultural values of tolerance and racial equality unchallenged by anyone outside that frame” leading to consequences. This can have negative implications because these online sites tend to change the story of history such as describing slavery as a “sanitary, humane, relaxed” institution which in fact was something horrible that happened (Daniels, 2009) Furthermore, they affect minority and oppressed groups by claiming that White males are superior. White supremacists are able to take advantage of the Internet by creating linkages and express radical views. These types of sites are fostering false information and are trying to get rid of racial equality by justifying racial issues that have or are happening. This is detrimental because white supremacy online sometimes leads to violence in the lives of minority groups.

How is racism seen in video games/development? 

To begin with, the author argues that “yellow-faced cyborgs” are problematic because of the narratives of racism and colonialism that are tied to the character and overall game mechanics. The author focuses on the game called 3D Realms where the Yellow-faced Cyborg Terminator, is on his “solitary quest to rape, pillage, and claim the Asian continent, leaving nothing but carnage” and gives off a racist remarks about the Japanese and making the player to become a “colonizer” (Ow, 2000). The way that the game is designed influences the player’s role within the game. For instance, a first-person perspective was given in the game where the player is able to imagine themselves as the character and engage in the different types of violence that the game offers. The characters of the game are often created with stereotypical features that make false representation of certain groups. Colonizing becomes present in the game which focuses on “conquest and exploration, rather than upholding justice” that the player had to complete (Ow, 2003). Furthermore, the game has sexist agendas by making all-female characters sexualized and submissive.  

How do online environments facilitate the fragmentation of identity of individuals? 

Many people use the Internet/ technology for communication Social media allows people to create a virtual identity such as “choosing an e-mail name, putting together a webpage, designing a graphical avatar, or creating a nickname for a chat room or virtual world” (Kolko et al., 2000). People can take on a different persona online which could be different from reality through language and gender. However, most tend to bring their real-life identity and experiences online and share it. Cyberspace influences users because people engaged in topics concerning race. Gender affects online interactions that people have with each other because it affects the way they experience cyberspace. Those that do not put out there gender identity often take on a cyborg identity. Users can also adopt a different gender identity online and see what that experience is like and this leads to the real-life and offline biological identity. 

Citation: 

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.

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.

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Week 4 Blog Post Due 9/16 :)

How is the New Jim Code impacting a person’s life through coding? 

In New Jim Code, the author describes this term as the employment of new technologies that reflect and reproduce existing inequities but that are prompted and perceived as more objective or progressive than discriminatory systems of a previous era (Benjamin, 2019). This is important because once a person is coded into a specific category it becomes difficult to take off that label. Codes then become a powerful tool and render some things invisible or invisible and create a vast array of distortions and dangers. Just a simple name of a person can give off a first impression of what others may perceive the person to be as. The author tells us her experience of naming her son with an Arabic name but after 9/11 she did not. Evidence has linked that White sounding names received positive feedback than non- white-sounding names. This influences the negative or positive perception of who the person is and placing them accordingly to categories. This is highly unfair but is a reality. 

How has the internet/ technology become a crucial factor for change in black communities? 

To begin with, the Internet helped spread the word of the Million Women March which focused on family unity and what it means to be an African American woman in America. However different media outlets such as news and television contributed to a national backlash against African American aspirations for social, political, economic, and educational equity from the 1970s to the present. These media outlets will often show one side of a story to make the public believe in one narrative. Despite that, technological growth and development to networking capabilities helped enable people “to build social relationships across barriers of space and time” through virtual communication and being able to put out information and ideas (Everrett, 2002). They are able to use technology to their own advantage and making it responsive to the changing demands of community empowerment in an information economy where people can be aware of these issues. 

How does the Internet reinforce racism and stereotypes on people of color?

The internet is a place where people share and express ideas as well as representing different groups of people negatively. Search results from the internet often lead to false representation and in this case, it was about Black women. In The Power of Algorithms, algorithms are supposed to be a form of neutrality or objective but have led to “openly promote racism, sexism, and false notions of meritocracy” (Noble, 2018). Even though it is on the internet, people created these searches and results that we all carry biases and prejudices. When searching up Black girls/women, the very top searches are sexual pages as oppose to meaning information such as Black feminist or books. Another example was the racist images that appear on google when searching up African Americans because “apes” and “animals” were tied together. Through this, it is clear that the google search bar is giving off negative stereotypes of people of color and is not “neutral”. 

What impact does the Black press have on digital media? 

It is clear that white people controlled what was being said over the Internet because they had easy access to technology. White people pushed one narrative while marginalized groups were portrayed badly and were spoken for. Over time, there was a growing presence of black people over the Internet and their involvement within media to have their voices be heard. The Black press was created and was about struggles for racial justice, particularly during heightened moments of political and economic crises, was the press’s role as cultural arbiter and promoter (Everrett, 2002). They saw this as a form of change and fighting for injustices that are present regarding race since they supported a variety of black protest and cultural movements. 

Citations:

Benjamin, R. (2019). Race after Technology: Abolitionist tools for the new Jim code. Cambridge: Polity.

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

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

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Week 3 Blog Post Due 9/9 :)

Why is Internet technology viewed a crucial medium for the movement toward gender equality? 

The Internet is a tool for creating a communicative space where many can share and express different ideas and concerns. Women can use political reality as a way of empowering and focusing on change. Furthermore, the Internet is a “tool” to be used for addressing gender inequality in local regions and leveraging connections to feminists in other regions and “women’s presence in and use of the Internet has the potential to transform a whole range of local conditions and institutional domains where women are key actors (Daniels, 2009). This leads to global social movements organized online as internetworked social movements where the Internet is a “safe space” for resisting gender oppression. The Internet allows those to participate in conversations without limitations of what they are able to express, therefore, the Internet is an ideal place to communicate different ideas.

How is the Internet a tool for embodiment and what impact does this have? 

An example that was used was Pitts’s research and it is useful for considering the impact of the Internet on self-identified women’s lives. Furthermore, it illustrates the ways women engage with Internet technologies in order to create meaning for themselves to improve or even change the material conditions of their lives and their bodies (Daniels, 2009). Furthermore, “Pro-Ana websites'' are a way for women to form online communities to offer each other nonjudgmental support in finding strategies and tactics for disordered eating behaviors. Eating disorders are very serious among young women because of how the media influenced the false representation of what a woman should look like. Girls and self-identified women are engaging with Internet technologies in ways that enable them to transform their embodied selves, not escape embodiment.

How are digital security guards able to access information from people? 

There are two ways that digital security guards gather information and that is through visible and invisible surveillance. Visible surveillance is like the cameras around streets that record. Invisible surveillance are the devices that collect information and monitor the actions of people in the form of codes such as phones (Eubanks, 2018). They are present within social media and influence the things we see , buy, and search. People are always on the Internet because it is a form of communication and sometimes people do not realize that they are being watched and monitored with what they do online. Every online search and activity online is recorded and is never really gone once deleted. Job interviews have even begun to search up people’s social media accounts and view the person’s personal information that is displayed in public to evaluate and decide if the person is for the job. Therefore, people should be careful and be aware of how surveillance is a part of their life. 

How are marginalized groups being targeted by digital technology systems? 

To begin with, marginalized groups are defined as low-income communities of color, poor and working-class where they do not understand the way digital systems work and who they target. This is unfair because advantage groups (white people) are not as likely to be targeted whereas marginalized groups “face higher levels of data collection when they access public benefits, walk through highly policed neighborhoods, enter the health-care system” (Eubanks, 2018). They are being singled out and experience high levels of unfair/unjust treatment and sometimes they are not aware of how surveillance is used to single them out. These digital and institutional systems are built to benefit white people and exclude marginalized groups because they experience invasive surveillance that increases the stigma and hardships of poverty. 

Citations: 

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

How has media represented people based on race/ethnicity? 

Many media outlets have affected the depiction of race/ethnicity of many groups that have created stereotypes and negative biases. Media has constantly portrayed non- white minorities as threats to society through “racial ignorance, group hatred, and discriminatory government policies” that infused stereotypical thoughts that have devastating conflicts toward group members  (Gonzalez and Torres 2012). The media seemed to always push the narrative or non- white vs white where non- whites were targeted to be the problem and insinuate a type of representation that non- whites are dangerous to America. This gives minority groups a bad representation that often is not true about who they are. However, some media outlets have changed from focusing on racist viewpoints and address issues and motivation for change. 

How has media changed the way people receive information and what impact does this have? 

There has been a huge technological advancement for media were newspapers, broadcast television audiences, and telephone landline subscriptions greatly decreased. The Internet helped open many new opportunities and a way for people to receive news fast within hours of it being documented. Many journalists moved to the internet as a way to deliver and present information on the news. Because news was being published very quickly, journalists often produced a blurred representation of what actually happened and essentially giving false or inaccurate information. Many people get their news from Twitter and Facebook however sometimes the news put out can be manipulated. Facebook typically puts out a lot of false information and is recommended to avoid it (Fuchs 2017). It is important to look into news that are not heavily biased because it changes what is news and opinion.  

Why are many many journalists struggling to maintain their job and what is the purpose? 

A reason why many journalists are struggling with their job is the present “racial inequality in the news industry” because when black, Latino, Asian and Native Americans entered this profession, they were not welcomed by their white colleagues (Gonzalez and Torres 2012). In a way, whites wanted to control the news that was being put out there for the public to read and persuade them to believe in one narrative. This is where the non-white journalists assumed the role of watchdogs to monitor news coverage and hiring practices so that there will be other information on news from a different group of individual’s viewpoints. They are currently still losing their jobs because it becomes difficult to produce news that the public will be interested in and their publications tend to be ignored. 

How has social media played a significant role in socializing people? Is this always good?

Social media has provided a huge upgrade in communicating with people through emails, calls, and apps. There is a huge emphasis placed on why communication is important to individuals because “Communication is a basic feature of all societies and all human activity… Communication takes place routinely in everyday life” (Fuchs 2017). People feel a sense of belonging through social media and form groups and communities with a common goal. This helps people express what they value and meet new people as well as striving for change. Social media has also helped keep people updated by sending information and current events such as news articles about COVID-19. Publishing of scholarly articles are also published that the public can read. As mentioned before, a lot of misinformation can be published as reliable through media so people have to be aware of where they are getting information. An example of this is when people started believing vaccines were bad for children and formed groups to get rid of vaccines for children. Overall, social media is a powerful platform that can often be manipulated. 

Citations: 

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

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

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Technology has failed me

One time technology has failed me was when I was trying to submit my assignment an hour before the deadline but my laptop decided to act up during that hour and would not load the program for me to submit my work. I was so frustrated because this has never happened to me before. I ended up turning in the assignment 15 minutes late. 

Although there was another incident that technology was in my favor. During the summer I completed an extra credit assignment for one of my classes that was 20 points in total and the professor accidentally made a mistake and I received 200 points out of 20 points. I emailed the professor about this because academic honesty is key. 

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Hello everyone :)