34 Matching Annotations
  1. May 2023
    1. How have your views on automation and programming changed (or been reinforced)?

      My perspective on automation and programming has solidified over time. I now understand that automation can greatly enhance efficiency and productivity in various fields. It has become clear that programming is a fundamental skill in today's digital age, enabling us to create innovative solutions and automate repetitive tasks. The power of coding to shape the future has been reinforced, and I recognize its immense potential to revolutionize industries and improve our lives.

    2. How have your views on social media changed (or been reinforced)?

      My views on social media have undergone significant changes since my inception. Initially, I saw social media as a platform for connection and information sharing, which I still believe to some extent. However, I have come to realize the negative impact it can have on mental health and the spread of misinformation. The addictive nature of social media and its potential to amplify polarization have reinforced my concerns. It is crucial for users to approach it critically and mindfully to navigate its complexities responsibly.

    1. Individuals or corporations own businesses

      Capitalism is when people have the freedom to make money and own things. It's like a big game where everyone tries to make the most profit. People can start their own businesses and sell things to make money. The more money you have, the more things you can buy and the more power you have. Some people really like capitalism because they think it gives them a chance to succeed and be rich. Others think it's not fair because it can create a big gap between the rich and the poor. It's kind of like a never-ending race to make more and more money.

    2. Individuals or corporations own businesses

      In capitalism, people or big companies have the right to own businesses. This means they can start their own companies or buy existing ones. They get to make decisions about how the business operates and keep the profits it makes. It's like being the boss of your own shop or company.

    1. Guilt is the feeling that “This specific action I did was bad.” The natural response to feeling guilt is for the guilty person to want to repair the harm of their action.

      I had a big assignment due for my history class. I knew I had to start early, but I kept procrastinating and wasted time playing video games. As the deadline approached, I realized I hadn't done much work. I felt guilty because I knew I had let myself down by not managing my time properly.

    2. Shame is the feeling that “I am bad,” and the natural response to shame is for the individual to hide, or the community to ostracize the person.

      I have an example of shame. If I fail a test in front of all my classmates I will feel embarrassed and ashamed because I believe I should have performed better and this should not happen. This feeling of shame makes me avoid discussing my grade and even avoid participating in class discussions.

    1. How do you think social media platforms should handle crowd harassment? Are there things they should do to reduce it? Should the consider whether harassment is justified in some instances?

      I think that social media platforms should prioritize proactive measures to reduce crowd harassment. This can include implementing stricter content moderation policies, improving algorithms to detect and swiftly remove abusive content, and promoting digital literacy and empathy among users. However, people should not consider harassment justified in any instance, as it goes against the principles of respect, inclusivity, and safety that should be upheld in online spaces.

    2. How do social media platforms make harassment possible?

      From my perspective, social media platforms can enable and facilitate harassment through various means. Firstly, the relative anonymity and detachment offered by these platforms can embolden individuals to engage in abusive behavior without facing immediate consequences. Additionally, the ease of creating multiple accounts or impersonating others makes it difficult to hold harassers accountable.

    1. What do you think a social media company’s responsibility is for the crowd actions taken by users on its platform?

      Social media companies have a responsibility to establish and enforce content policies that govern user behavior on their platforms. Also, Social media platforms should prioritize user safety and security, and actively promote user education and awareness about responsible platform use.

    2. In what ways do you think you’ve participated in any crowdsourcing online?

      Maybe through crowdsourcing platforms. Many online platforms facilitate crowdsourcing initiatives. I can join these platforms and participate in various tasks, projects, or research studies. Examples of such platforms include Amazon Mechanical Turk, CrowdFlower, Clickworker, and Microworkers.

    1. Letting individuals moderate their own spaces is expecting individuals to put in their own time and labor. You can do the same thing with larger groups and have volunteers moderate them. Reddit does something similar where subreddits are moderated by volunteers, and Wikipedia moderators (and editors) are also volunteers.

      Reddit platform Allows the users to create and moderate their subreddits so users can volunteer to moderate these subreddits. They can do things such as enforcing the subreddit's rules, removing spam and inappropriate content, and generally ensuring that the subreddit remains a positive and productive community for its members. And these volunteer moderators are not paid.

    1. Another concern is for the safety of the users on the social media platform (or at least the users that the platform cares about). Users who don’t feel safe will leave the platform, so social media companies are incentivize to help their users feel safe. So this often means moderation to stop trolling and harassment.

      Safety is of utmost importance for users on social media platforms. Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives, and with the increase in the number of users, the risk of privacy breaches, cyberbullying, online harassment, and other security concerns has also increased. Therefore, it is essential for social media platforms to prioritize the safety and security of their users.

    1. What responsibility do you think social media platforms have for the mental health of their users?

      Providing resources for mental health and reducing exposure to harmful content. Social media platforms can provide resources, such as mental health hotlines, support groups, and educational materials, to users who may be struggling with mental health issues. Also, social media platforms can use algorithms and content moderation policies to reduce the exposure of users to harmful or triggering content, such as graphic violence or hate speech.

    2. In what ways have you found social media bad for your mental health and good for your mental health?

      Excessive use of social media has been linked to higher levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. It can lead to social comparison, where people compare their lives to the edited and curated lives of others, resulting in feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem. Cyberbullying and online harassment can also take place on social media, leading to negative mental health outcomes.

    1. Would you like something you do or say to go viral

      If the content that I am sharing is something I am passionate about and believes in, then I may feel excited and proud to see it gain widespread attention. On the other hand, if the content is something I feel unsure or uncomfortable about, I may not want it to go viral and may even regret sharing it.

    2. In what ways have you participated in helping content go viral

      I once participated in the activity to help the voice of the minor group to be heard. I shared content on social media so that I can help increase the visibility of the content and encourage others to share it as well. Also, I use relevant hashtags when sharing the content on social media.

    1. What experiences do you have of social media sites making particularly bad recommendations for you?

      I have saw a post advertising a weight loss product that promises quick and easy results on instagram, because I have anxiety with my body image, this post triggers me to feel even worse about myself. I begin to spend more time on social media, searching for quick solutions to my weight loss struggles, which only makes matters worse.

    2. What experiences do you have of social media sites making particularly good recommendations for you?

      I am interested in pursuing a career in biology and I follow several biology influencers on Twitter. One day, I receive a notification from Twitter suggesting that me follow a new biology influencer. I start engaging with their tweets and even DM them a few questions. As I continue to engage with this new influencer, I start to see a noticeable improvement in the quality of biology insights. This leads to improved grades and a better understanding of the biology field.

  2. Apr 2023
    1. invisible disabilities

      An example of an invisible disability in daily life on a university campus could be a student with a mental health condition such as anxiety or depression. While these conditions may not be immediately apparent to others, they can significantly impact a student's ability to succeed academically and participate in campus life. We can help them by providing mental health services and counseling.

    2. A disability is an ability that a person doesn’t have, but that their society expects them to have.1 For example:

      A student who is visually impaired may face difficulties in accessing course materials that are not available in an accessible format. For example, if a course instructor only provides lecture slides in a visual format, the student may not be able to fully participate in class or complete assignments without assistance. The university can provide accommodations such as audio descriptions, Braille materials, or assistive technology to help the student access the course materials and participate in class.

    1. What incentives to social media companies have to violate privacy?

      First, advertising avenue because social media companies rely heavily on advertising revenue. They may use personal information, including browsing history, locations and interests to target advertisements more effectively and thus save money and earn more money. Second, social media companies may violate privacy and collecting the data for data analytics. Because this is important for them to gain insights into trends.

    1. There are many reasons, both good and bad, that we might want to keep information private.

      Keeping information private is important. First, it can protect personal privacy such as social security numbers, medical records and financial information, which is sensitive. Second, it can maintain competitive advantage, because businesses and organizations may keep certain information private to prevent competitors from stealing or replicating its business secret. So keeping information private is essential.

    1. Social media sites then make their money by selling targeted advertising, meaning selling ads to specific groups of people with specific interests. So, for example, if you are selling spider stuffed animal toys, most people might not be interested, but if you could find the people who want those toys and only show your ads to them, your advertising campaign might be successful, and those users might be happy to find out about your stuffed animal toys. But targeting advertising can be used in less ethical ways, such as targeting gambling ads at children, or at users who are addicted to gambling, or the 2016 Trump campaign ‘target[ing] 3.5m black Americans to deter them from voting’

      Targeted advertising allows social media sites to charge higher rates and also increases the efficiency compared to advertise to everyone. It can also improve user experience because they are provided with more relevant and interesting content. However, the shortcuts are also obvious. It is related to the privacy concerns because targeted advertising relies on collecting and analyzing users’ personal data, which can raise privacy concerns. It can even be considered discrimination.

    2. One of the main goals of social media sites is to increase the time users are spending on their social media sites. The more time users spend, the more money the site can get from ads, and also the more power and influence those social media sites have over those users. So social media sites use the data they collect to try and figure out what keeps people using their site, and what can they do to convince those users they need to open it again later.

      Social media sites can increase the time users spend on their platforms by use of algorithms and providing users with more engaging content. For example, Twitter’s “Explore” feature. Explore is a section that suggests personalized content to users based on their interests and activity on the platform. But I think this action has negative effects because people can only see what they want to see.

    1. Trolling sometimes gives trolls a feeling of empowerment when they successfully cause disruption or cause pain.**

      People can provoke a strong emotional response by using trolls because they are posting provocative and offensive content online and will receive upset reaction of others. Trolling is not a healthy or productive way to feel powerful on the internet because it can cause harm to others and disrupt healthy online communities, and can even be considered illegal because it might cause serious consequences. People can engage with others online and build positive relationships rather than using trolls for seeking out empowerment.

    2. Going with the gatekeeping role above, trolling can make a troll or observer feel smarter than others, since they are able to see that it is trolling while others don’t realize it.

      It is not healthy to use trolls to feel smart on the internet because when people use trolls, they are basically intentionally post inflammatory or provocative messages in online forums or discussions with the goal of eliciting emotional reactions from others. These behaviors harms online communities. People can focus on engaging in respectful conversation rather than using trolls.

    1. Do you think it matters which human typed the Tweet? Does the emotional expression (e.g., anger) of the Tweet change your view of authenticity?

      The language and tone used in a tweet can have an impact on how genuine the message appears when it comes to emotional expression. Strong emotions like wrath, impatience, or excitement may come out as more sincere in a tweet, but the context and the message's tone also play a role. A tweet conveying fury in a rude or unpleasant manner, for instance, could not be viewed as genuine or believable by many people, whereas a tweet conveying anger in a measured and compelling manner might. In the end, a number of variables, such as the context, the language used, and the speaker's credibility, affect how legitimate a tweet is.

    1. In the mid-1990s, some internet users started manually adding regular updates to the top of their personal websites (leaving the old posts below), using their sites as an online diary, or a (web) log of their thoughts. In 1998/1999, several web platforms were launched to make it easy for people to make and run blogs (e.g., LiveJournal and Blogger.com). With these blog hosting sites, it was much simpler to type up and publish a new blog entry, and others visiting your blog could subscribe to get updates whenever you posted a new post, and they could leave a comment on any of the posts.

      The appearance of a blog have a significant impact on human communication because it is easy for people to communicate their ideas and thoughts effectively. The use of images and graphics can enhance the message

    1. One of the early ways of social communication across the internet was with Email, which originated in the 1960s and 1970s. These allowed people to send messages to each other, and look up if any new messages had been sent to them.

      email revolted the way people communicate and connect with each other globally. It has completely transformed the wya people share information, idea, and thoughts with each other, paving the way for faster and more efficient communication. It has breakthrough meaning because people used to use mail, which is slow and expensive

    1. Images are created by defining a grid of dots, called pixels. Each pixel has three numbers that define the color (red, green, and blue), and the grid is created as a list (rows) of lists (columns).

      In computer science, image is a digital representation of visual object, such as picture, painting or graphic design. It is important because it can effectively help on communication, entertainment and identification. It is easy to use image to convey complex ideas than use text, and sometimes we can use images for facial recognition.

    1. If we think of a tweet’s contents (text and photos) as the main data of a tweet, then additional information such as the user, time, and responses would be considered metadata

      Main data refers to the primary content, such as the text of a document, images, or video footage of a movie. Meta data refers to the information that describes the main data, such as the creation dates, the tags, the author, or the file format. I think we can add some examples to help people better understand the relationship between main and meta data.

    1. Various groups want to gather data from social media, such as advertisers and scientists. This data is gathered and analyzed with computer programs, which we will not consider bots, but will cover later, such as in Chapter 8: Data Mining.

      The term called algorithms is a set of instructions that are used to solve a problem or perform a task, for example, it can analyze data collected from people to predict people’s favor and interests in order to attract people by showing what they like. Algorithms can affect people and society in both positive and negative ways. In terms of positive ways, it can improve the accuracy and efficiency in calculating and analyzing data. Speaking of negative ways, the data are used without transparency, so it might cause to bias or discriminations in employing process.

  3. Mar 2023
    1. Key figures: Lao Tzu ~500 BCE China Lao Tzu Zhuangzi ~300 BCE China

      From my point of view, more representative figures and their stories can be included. Laozi is the considered to be the founder of Taoism and Zhuangzi is known for his writings on the nature of reality, for example, the dream of butterfly. Zhang Daoling is known for founding the way of the celestial masters which blended Taoist and folk beliefs.

    1. Word spread, and Justine’s tweet went viral. Twitter users found other recent offensive tweets by Justine about countries she was traveling in. IAC (Justine’s employer) called the tweet “outrageous, offensive” but “Unfortunately, the employee in question is unreachable on an international flight.” Twitter users, now knowing that Justine is on a flight, started the hashtag #hasjustinelanedyet, which started trending on Twitter (including some celebrities tweeting about it).

      The operation mechanism of tweets makes the tweet spreading so fast. People can retweet this tweet and @ other twitter users in the comments, then the followers of these people can see this tweet and do the same thing, that’s why the number of viewing is increasing exponentially. But people can also utilize the mechanism of twitter to cyberbully this person, to find her personal information and location. In this event, people contact her employer and cause her to lose her job. Social medias should take mitigations to reduce these kind of events.