30 Matching Annotations
  1. Mar 2024
    1. But even people who thought they were doing something good regretted the consequences of their creations, such as Eli Whitney who hoped his invention of the cotton gin would reduce slavery in the United States, but only made it worse

      This is a very interesting take on the inventions that people create. Though the person who made it with good intentions does not have control of people who change it into something that can be harmful, I think that this can be used as an example as technology advances.

    1. We hope that by the end of this book, you have a familiarity with applying different ethics frameworks, and considering the ethical tradeoffs of uses of social media and the design of social media systems.

      Before taking this class, I was not educated on ethics framework but I definitely got a better perspective of ethics on social media systems and the importance of upholding them.

    1. Other social media sites have used more unique features to distinguish themselves from Facebook and get a foothold, such as Twitter with its character limit (forcing short messages, so you can see lots of posts in quick succession), Vine and then TikTok based on short videos, etc.

      I think that Facebook's forthcoming was a part of a bigger plan. I use FB because my family uses it and its easier for them to navigate through. Just like other platforms, the development of FB has encouraged other platforms to succeed and vice versa

    1. If there is an opportunity for even more profit by making worse movies, then that is what business leaders are obligated to do:

      I think that this goes back to the unethical decisions that the entertainment industry enforces. I wonder what kind of moral code they have within the companies.

  2. Feb 2024
    1. Also, Rebecca Jennings worries about how public shaming is used against “normal” people who are plucked out of obscurity to be shamed by huge crowds online:

      Public shaming has gotten so normalized on social media towards celebrities which has most times impact their lives. Every little change is noticed and talked about on social media as if it isnt normal.

    1. The term “cancel culture” can be used for public shaming and criticism, but is used in a variety of ways, and it doesn’t refer to just one thing.

      I think that cancel culture can be used for good when someone is held accountable for their actions but at the same time it can get out of hand to those who do not deserve it. It can go both ways but at the end of the day it is something that can ruin some ones life.

    1. Women of colour, (black, Asian, Latinx and mixed-race women) were 34% more likely to be mentioned in abusive or problematic tweets than white women.

      In the media just like in real life, marginalized groups have always been a target to harassment. Due to historical gaslighting, Women of color are perceived a certain way which is engraved in society.

    1. done by a group of people.

      Crowd harassment is often a trend that people follow on social media.. Oftentimes kids and teens are influenced into following the crowd of harassment to people who are vulnerable. I think that although it is hard to regulate, there should be a system in place to automatically restrict users if harassment occurs.

    1. This small percentage of people doing most of the work in some areas is not a new phenomenon. In many aspects of our lives, some tasks have been done by a small group of people with specialization or resources.

      It's interesting to see that only a small minority of tweeters is the cause for the bottom 90% of tweeters to view and interact. I think this is important to acknowledge since there can be exclusion for others.

    1. Like identifying someone and sharing the news in this scene from the movie Crazy Rich Asians:

      I like the references they use with the movie Crazy Rich Asians, crowdsourcing is always an attention grabber to the audience. Having a designed interactive Ad-hoc can be beneficial while also causing harm.

    1. Governments might also have rules about content moderation and censorship, such as laws in the US against Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM

      Government officials play a big factor in the censorship of platforms which I think have influence in the way users interact. I think its good how governments are against Child Sexual Abuse however I also think there should be a reinforcement through all media.

    1. Users who don’t feel safe will leave the platform, so social media companies are incentivized to help their users feel safe. So this often means moderation to stop trolling and harassment.

      This statement is important for social media companies to understand so that it reinforces effective moderation practices to ensure safe platforms for users. I also think that by ensuring a safe environment, minorities and underrepresented communities can express themselves more often.

    1. There are various rules and designs social media sites can use, and they can amplify natural selection and unnatural selection in various ways.

      Algorithms are an important aspect of social media that has always fascinated me. Data collection and displaying similar content/niche is what keeps users to continue scrolling on social media.

    1. In this view, any piece of human culture can be considered a meme that is spreading (or failing to spread) according to evolutionary forces. So we can use an evolutionary perspective to consider the spread of:

      Seeing a meme from an evolutionary perspective is interesting to consider. I think that the spread of all of the ideas listed well represents what a meme is though I never thought of it from this perspective.

    1. TikTok’s success with its recommendations relies less on advanced recommendation algorithms, and more on the design of the site making it very easy to skip the bad recommendations and get to the good ones.

      TIkTok's algorithm is for sure advanced. The algorithm is also to switch in a matter of moments. I think this has a lot to do with its success.

    1. Sometimes though, individuals are still blamed for systemic problems. For example, Elon Musk, who has the power to change Twitters recommendation algorithm, blames the users for the results:

      I think that this goes beyond the algorithm shaping the experience of users on social media. I think that at the end of the day trolling increases engagement

    1. In this way of managing disabilities, the burden is put on the computer programmers and designers to detect and adapt to the disabled person.

      I think this is a good idea and with Apple already doing this for its consumers I think that there is a high possibility that their technology could evolve into helping more disabilities. The intention of putting the burden on the computer programmers is good until there isn't a feature to turn off these tools for people that dont need it. '

    2. Assistive technologies give tools to disabled people to help them become more “normal.” So the disabled person becomes able to move through a world that was not designed for them. But there is still an expectation that disabled people must become more “normal,” and often these assistive technologies are very expensive.

      I think that that technology can give people with disabilities hope in "becoming normal" however I think that its easier said than done. I feel that it can be hard for someone with a disability to ask for help, much less purchase an expensive tool.

  3. Jan 2024
    1. Datasets can be poisoned unintentionally. For example, many scientists posted online surveys that people can get paid to take.

      I think unintentional data poisoning shows that we need to be careful about what we post online because sometimes you never know what can go viral. Often times when I see people posting online, I remember that whatever is posted online will stay on there forever and eventually follow you.

    1. But targeting advertising can be used in less ethical ways, such as targeting gambling ads at children

      It's interesting to see our feed based on data mining, even if something is only liked or interacted once. In terms of ads targeting children, I think there should be more restrictions due to kids being vulnerable and gullible.

    1. While modified behaviors to present a persona or code switch may at first look inauthentic, they can be a way of authentically expressing ourselves in each particular setting.

      I feel that it takes practice to make it seem more authentic. Although it can be useful for certain situations, it can be draining by the end of it.

    1. Elon Musk also decided to remove the ability to look up a tweet’s source.

      This is interesting to read, especially after Trump's account was suspended. I think this is a lack of authenticity which affects Elon's integrity.

    1. Designers sometimes talk about trying to make their user interfaces frictionless, meaning the user can use the site without feeling anything slowing them down.

      If designers make their interfaces frictionless, the benefits would be substantial, however I also think that there will be an increase in technology addiction. This is obviously a good thing for platforms to make more money off of views but mental health will decline even more.

    1. An example blogger blog. Visitors can comment on any of the posts, making this much more interactive and communal

      This type of interaction on blogs I feel is very interesting because of the direct contact with the post. This was the initial stage of commenting, updating, subscription that we have now on social media. It is cool to see these ideas being developed and how it has changed.

    1. Data points often give the appearance of being concrete and reliable, especially if they are numerical.

      This concept is interesting to think about when the numerical data impacts our perception of its accuracy. I would like to know more about ethical considerations.

    1. When computers store numbers, there are limits to how much space is can be used to save each number.

      I find this interesting because I did not know there was a limit to how much space can be used to save each number. As a beginner to coding, I would like to know more about how to use floating numbers.

    1. . This allows the protesters to remain anonymous and the donkey unaware of it’s political mission.

      I found it interesting how separating the intention and act of protest creates a loophole for the protesters to remain anonymous. I think it is smart but at the same time cowardly.

    1. These pauses may come in handy when posting tweets, to make it look like your bot is taking time to type in the text.

      I think that these pauses are very handy when it comes to making your bot "real" in a way. Its cool to see this side of what actually goes on when bots are involved.

    1. they sometimes hired “computers,” which were people trained to perform the calculations.

      I found it interesting how computers were considered smart humans to do calculations but now electronic computers are smarter than humans that now have their own language. It would also be interesting to see the shift between human computers and electronic computers during that era.

    1. But in existentialism, people must create their own meaning and morality.

      Although there are many frameworks of ethics, the important thing to remember is that people have free will and can choose to follow it or not. Personally, I grew up religious however, I have always kept an open mind about different ideas and perspectives. Existentialism allows us to adapt or reject ethic frameworks.