24 Matching Annotations
  1. Last 7 days
    1. Anya Kamenetz. Selfies, Filters, and Snapchat Dysmorphia: How Photo-Editing Harms Body Image. Psychology Today, February 2020. URL: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/202002/selfies-filters-and-snapchat-dysmorphia-how-photo-editing-harms-body-image (visited on 2023-12-08).

      “People can take a photo of themselves and, in an instant, manipulate it." I found this to be very interesting because as technology is advancing, it is easier for people to do deep fakes, filters to make you look younger, older, etc. I feel like these filter creates a false image of someones persona which can be very problematic in many ways.

    1. “Tendency to continue to surf or scroll through bad news, even though that news is saddening, disheartening, or depressing. Many people are finding themselves reading continuously bad news about COVID-19 without the ability to stop or step back.”

      I also have a tendency to do this at times. I mainly do it to see different perspectives or gain enough information to formulate my own conclusion and etc. However, when it comes to really sad news, I try avoid it because it messes with my overall mood and the more I interact with sad content, it will recommend me more relating content.

    1. Pyramid scheme. December 2023. Page Version ID: 1188350070. URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pyramid_scheme&oldid=1188350070 (visited on 2023-12-08).

      This article discussed about Pyramid schemes and how the business model work. It states how as more and more people are entering the schemes, it gets harder for them to be profitable and majority of the time to be illegal. I seen many Pyramid schemes during covid, crypto scams and etc. I always knew that there was some sort of hidden secret to them and always wonder how they work. However, I did not know they were illegal.

    1. When is it ok to not cite sources for content? When should sources be cited, and how should they be cited?

      I believe that it is okay not to cite sources or content when you are making your own version of the content that is very distinct, or when you drawn inspiration but formulate your own creation. However, I still believe that it is still common courtesy to cite your inspiration or source. I believe that sources should be cited from you are pulling information, use clips or any form of content relating to your content, or when you use something that needs to be credited such as samples and etc.

  2. Apr 2024
    1. Elon Musk [@elonmusk]. Trashing accounts that you hate will cause our algorithm to show you more of those accounts, as it is keying off of your interactions. Basically saying if you love trashing *that* account, then you will probably also love trashing *this* account. Not actually wrong lol. January 2023. URL: https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1615194151737520128 (visited on 2023-12-07).

      This is an interesting tweet by Elon because now I am starting to understand the meeting of any publicity is good publicity and how it correlates to algorithm. No matter what the interaction you have with that post or account, it is still an interaction and is boosting its algorithm. I use to trash accounts and put not interesting and etc. but more of those accounts would just pop up so now what I do is i just scroll past it quickly so they get no interaction and I found that better than trashing accounts.

    1. Phone numbers or email addresses (sometimes collected deceptively [k1]) can be used to suggest friends or contacts.

      This is interesting to me because most of the time when you first download an app it will ask if they can have access to your bluetooth, contact, etc. Most of the time I allow them to because I know there will be a feature in the future where they will ask me again to access said feature. However, I'm starting to question if giving them access to my personal information such as contacts and who I know.

    1. Ash. Autism is NOT A Disability. July 2022. URL: https://www.autism360.com/autism-is-not-a-disability/ (visited on 2023-12-07).

      This article discussed about how most people lack knowledge and understanding around autism and "Social Model Of Disability." The article also talks about how we should rethink what a disability is and how society throws up that term as different disability need different support.

    1. Some users might not be able to see images on websites for a variety of reasons. The user might be blind or low-vision. Their device or internet connection might not support images. Or perhaps all the images got deleted (like what happened to The Onion).

      I feel that having accessibility features will not only benefit the users but it will also make the web application more competitive advantage against others. I recently learned that Alt text on same apps such as Instagram and Tiktok can help with search engine algorithm as well which I thought was pretty cool.

    1. Jacob Kastrenakes. Facebook stored millions of Instagram passwords in plain text. The Verge, April 2019. URL:

      The article talked about how there was a security concern of how Facebook stores their user's passwords. The article opens up by stating "Facebook says it stored millions of Instagram users’ passwords in plain text" which is alarming to hear as Facebook holds millions if not billions of users. Although facebook says that there was “no evidence of abuse or misuse" it is still scary to think that about 20,000 employees have access to such information.

    1. If you send “private” messages on a work system, your boss might be able to read them [i19].

      I recently learned about this a couple of months ago when I started doing graphic design work for my job. When dealing with sensitivity information or any information retaining to the company, the device that obtains that information is now an asset of the company. I was aware of this and asked my boss if he could order me an SSD drive for me to store whatever assets they want me to use onto that SSD drive. Most employees are unaware of certain privacy rules and knowing them can save you from trouble. In a workspace, you may be utilizing different tools such as excel, word, etc. and always assume that your personal information is not safe is always a good rule of thumb.

    1. Kurt Wagner. This is how Facebook collects data on you even if you don’t have an account. Vox, April 2018. URL: https://www.vox.com/2018/4/20/17254312/facebook-shadow-profiles-data-collection-non-users-mark-zuckerberg (visited on 2023-12-05).

      The article talked about how your data can still be collected on certain platforms without needing an actual account. The term is called "shadow profile" and companies such as Facebook can create a version of what they think would be your profile based on the information they have already collected by you. This is scary to think because these companies can collect your data without loopholes to get around with consenting.

    1. Social media sites then make their money by selling targeted advertising

      I find it interesting but not surprised on how social media platforms benefit from collecting users data. It's scary to think about because you never know what information is being collected from these social media platforms. However, this can benefit you if you are a business owner because certain data can help you obtain higher conversion rates. I wonder though, how can social media companies maintain ethical practices when targeting certain demographics because recently I won a class action settlement against Facebook for them selling my data. I feel that these companies should be more transparent of what they are doing with the information they are collecting since these companies are generating alot of revenue from the data.

    1. FBI–King suicide letter. November 2023. Page Version ID: 1184939326. URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=FBI%E2%80%93King_suicide_letter&oldid=1184939326 (visited on 2023-12-05).

      In this wiki page, it talked about the famous FBI-King suicide letter and how it was used by the FBI to "blackmail Martin Luther King Jr." The letter was meant to be targeted at MLK Jr. and was a threat to him as a "suicide letter" to scare him. The wiki page also talked about suspicions on the FBI's involvement and other relevant documents.

    1. RIP trolling is where trolls find a memorial page and then all work together to mock the dead person and the people mourning them. Here’s one example from 2013:

      Hearing this is disgusting. I can't imagine someone going out their way just to troll a deceased person or their loved ones. It is even more sad to think that, it is common enough to where they have a name for it. I wonder how different this is or if it is in the same realm of rappers talking about other rappers losts ones in songs. Both are terrible but I wonder the motivation behind actions like these.

    1. Gene Demby. How Code-Switching Explains The World. NPR, April 2013. URL: https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/04/08/176064688/how-code-switching-explains-the-world (visited on 2023-11-24).

      In the article "How Code-Switching Explains The World" from NRP, they talks about how different people "code switch" depending on the scenario. In the article, they showed famous celebrities such as Obama, Beyonce and other YouTube videos changing their tone of voice while still being themselves. This is because code switching can help benefit you depending on where you are and what situation you are in. The article also states that code switching is how we can "try to feel each other out." Code switching is a valuable skill to develope as it can give you an advantage in certain scenarios.

    1. Sockpuppet (or a “burner” account): Creating a fake profile in order to argue a position (sometimes intentionally argued poorly to make the position look bad)

      I never knew this act was called Sockpuppet. This is very interesting to me because I can't imagine someone going out of their way and creating a burner account to argue. I wonder what category fan pages are under. I find it interesting how different people use social media, and how much influence it has on our society to where people create certain types of accounts.

    1. Federal Trade Commission. FTC Alleges Facebook Resorted to Illegal Buy-or-Bury Scheme to Crush Competition After String of Failed Attempts to Innovate. August 2021. URL: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2021/08/ftc-alleges-facebook-resorted-illegal-buy-or-bury-scheme-crush-competition-after-string-failed (visited on 2023-11-24).

      This source talked about the impact of social media and how it effects college students mental health. This source also discussed how social media can increase the feeling of loneliness and depression. I found this interesting because social media to me is meant to help you connect with other people and share experiences with others. However, I can also see how that might make someone feel lonely or even put them in a depressive state.

    1. One of the early ways of social communication across the internet was with Email [e5], 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.

      It is crazy to see the early stages of social media. Back then it would be so simple, I did not know that emails were a form of social media. With how complexed social media is today, I wonder if it changed the standard for how social media should be. I find this very interesting because growing up I was already exposed to the new social media side and never learned about their early stages.

    1. Document file format. August 2023. Page Version ID: 1170388374. URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Document_file_format&oldid=1170388374 (visited on 2023-11-24).

      There are many document formatting files with all being different uses. I found it interesting how html is the most used. I would of thought Word or txt would be the most used since it is used for more work like project but I was wrong. I wonder though if there will ever be a file type where it combines all components of different file documentations.

    1. Metadata is information about some data. So we often think about a dataset as consisting of the main pieces of data (whatever those are in a specific situation), and whatever other information we have about that data (metadata).

      It is crazy to think about the amount of data you can get from a simple post. Metadata is powerful and can be used by many people. If put in the wrong hands I feel that it can be very harmful. Criminals can use the information from post to do crime. An example of this was, the late musician artist Pop Smoke. Pop Smoke was in LA and posted a picture where it displayed, the time and location of where he was. Under 48 hours, a group of criminal was able to locate him and sadly took his life.

  3. Mar 2024
    1. Buy TikTok Followers. 2023. URL: https://www.socialwick.com (visited on 2023-12-02).

      This website was quite interesting to me because they offer different types of engagements type across different platforms. It's crazy how they offer a "Like" bot for post which I find pretty funny. One thing I found really interesting was their way of marketing. They are selling you this product/service in hopes of you buying into the dream of becoming famous. I can see how this can help different pages in certain scenarios. I feel that the idea of buying fake interactions defeats the purpose of authenticity and in a way you are buying a fake reality.

    1. On the other hand, some bots are made with the intention of harming, countering, or deceiving others. For example, people use bots to spam advertisements at people. You can use bots as a way of buying fake followers [c8], or making fake crowds that appear to support a cause (called Astroturfing [c9]).

      I find the idea of botting and buying fake followers to be very interesting. I never understood why people would want to buy fake followers if their interactions are going to be poorly ratios. However, I understand that it can create a perception of "clout" but long term wouldn't that hurt their branding/account. I have followed the rise and fall of many musicians and seen many industry plant go through struggles that are created by this fake perception. An artist could have 3 million followers but can't get 5000 views on their music videos. I wonder what the return on investment would be for buying fake followers and how common it is across different industries.

    1. What motivated Twitter users to put time and energy into this? What things about the design of Twitter enabled these events to happen? For example, you might notice that the interface shows where Sacco was located when tweeting, Hillingdon, London, which is where Heathrow Airport is located, helping people deduce which flight she was on. What financial motivations does Twitter have? How does that influence Twitter’s design? What changes to Twitter could have changed how this story went?

      When seeing a controversial post like this, I never really thought about the behind the scene of it. I feel that social media platforms benefits tremendously from post like these because it gets people talking about the post, interactions are high which leads to more exposure of the platform. It's like the saying "any publicity is good publicity." If you think about it, when a controversial post like this gets mainstream, different news outlet has to source their sources which may lead to new users to various platforms.

    1. Act with unforced actions in harmony with the natural cycles of the universe. Trying to force something to happen will likely backfire.

      I find this very interesting as it still apply to the way some people think today. Part of this I do agree with Taoism but part of me also disagree. Yes, sometimes there are instances where I do believe that what will come will eventually play out but I also believe that sometimes you will need to force stuff to get the outcome you are catering towards. For example, if you want to land the job that you want, you will have to practice, seek the opportunity, connect, etc. Perhaps, I intaked the information incorrectly but this is my stance on this framework.