32 Matching Annotations
  1. Nov 2025
  2. social-media-ethics-automation.github.io social-media-ethics-automation.github.io
    1. Seth Meyers. Jimmy Kimmel's Halloween Candy Prank: Harmful Parenting? Psychology Today, October 2017. URL: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/insight-is-2020/201710/jimmy-kimmels-halloween-candy-prank-harmful-parenting (visited on 2023-12-10).

      This article talks about Jimmy Kimmel's prank where parents pretended like they had eaten their child's Halloween candy. While it may seem harmless and funny to the adult, to the child it could be hurtful and not funny at all. Pranks can be perceived differently by different people, so it is important to approach situations with empathy.

    1. What do you consider to be the most important factors in making an instance of public shaming good (if you think that is possible)?

      I think that if f the public shaming results in changing negative behaviors and recompense to the victim, then it could be an instance of good. However, if the public shaming is taken too far or devolves into just hate, then it would be a negative instance

  3. social-media-ethics-automation.github.io social-media-ethics-automation.github.io
    1. q1] Doxing. December 2023. Page Version ID: 1189390304. URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Doxing&oldid=1189390304 (visited on 2023-12-10).

      Doxing is releasing someone's private information like their names or addresses to the public without their consent. It is a serious form of harassment and could put that person in danger.

    1. In addition, fake crowds (e.g., bots or people paid to post) can participate in crowd harassment. For example:

      I feel like a lot of times people who participate in crowd harassment don't even know the full scenario. They don't have clear reason of why they are harassing the person, just that other people are harassing that person so it "must be justified". However, that justification could be an illusion because of how bots can be used to mimic real people. In this way, crowd harassment can be created from nothing.

  4. social-media-ethics-automation.github.io social-media-ethics-automation.github.io
    1. GoFundMe: #1 Fundraising Platform for Crowdfunding. URL: https://www.gofundme.com/ (visited on 2023-12-08).

      GoFundMe is a big example of crowdsourcing. Users can post the reason they need money and people can donate money to their fund. This platform can help people pay for their medical bills, legal fees, etc.

    1. Disinformation campaigns also make use of crowdsoucing. An academic research paper Disinformation as Collaborative Work [p31] (pdf [p32]) lays out a range of disinformation campaigns:

      I think it's interesting how disinformation campaigns also use crowdsourcing. This shows how technology can be used for both positive and negative effects. Crowdsourcing can be difficult to "control" because of mob mentality and many factors.

  5. social-media-ethics-automation.github.io social-media-ethics-automation.github.io
    1. Brian Resnick. The 2018 Nobel Prize reminds us that women scientists too often go unrecognized. Vox, October 2018. URL: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/10/2/17929366/nobel-prize-physics-donna-strickland (visited on 2023-12-08). [o10]

      Donna Strickland was the third woman in history to win the Nobel Prize in Physics, but didn't even have a wikipedia page before she won the award. This article discusses how many female scientists are under recognized by the public and underrepresented in awards.

    1. When social media companies like Facebook hire moderators, they often hire teams in countries where they can pay workers less. The moderators then are given sets of content to moderate and have to make quick decisions about each item before looking at the next one. They have to get through many posts during their time, and given the nature of the content (e.g., hateful content, CSAM, videos of murder, etc.), this can be traumatizing for the moderators:

      It's concerning that the moderators are being exposed to disturbing content without proper mental health support. I feel like this is extremely unethical and takes advantage of the workers financial situation. Companies should provide professional therapy and better pay.

  6. social-media-ethics-automation.github.io social-media-ethics-automation.github.io
    1. Spamming. December 2023. Page Version ID: 1187995774. URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spamming&oldid=1187995774 (visited on 2023-12-08).

      Spamming is used to send messages to a large amount of people. It can take the form of emails, texts, and even social media comments. It could be sent by bots or humans. Spam messages are very annoying for the people who receive them.

    1. ny-pinching, or you could be a reckless spender, but the aim is to find a healthy balance between those two. Moderation, or being moderate, is something that is valued in many ethical frameworks, not because it comes naturally to us, per se, but because it is an important part of how we form groups and come to trust each other for our shared survival and flourishing.

      Moderation is also a virtue in Taoism, which is centered around balance. In Taoism you should avoid excess and live simply. It's interesting how moderation comes up in philosophies all over the world

  7. social-media-ethics-automation.github.io social-media-ethics-automation.github.io
    1. ] Digital detox. November 2023. Page Version ID: 1187412856. URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Digital_detox&oldid=1187412856 (visited on 2023-12-08).

      A digital detox is when you try to stop using digital devices as much as possible. Reducing screen time is supposed to help with phone addiction, as well as physical and mental health. It is supposed to help people connect with the real world and their real relationships.

    1. You know, it forces kids to not just live their experience but be nostalgic for their experience while they’re living it, watch people watch them, watch people watch them watch them.

      This sentence is really interesting because it reminds me of how many people's first instinct when restaurant food comes is to take a picture of it. Even while having fun and being excited for food, the first instinct is to take a picture to remember it/show it to people. It's almost like having an extra observer in your brain judging everything.

  8. social-media-ethics-automation.github.io social-media-ethics-automation.github.io
    1. 21] Star Wars Kid. December 2008. URL: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/star-wars-kid (visited on 2023-12-08).

      Ghyslain Raza became known as the "Star Wars Kid" after he recorded a video of himself pretending o fight in the Star Wars movie. A classmate posted the video online and it became viral. He was bullied severely and had to finish school is a psych ward. There are a lot of negative side effects of going viral and how that subjects you to unwanted and negative attention.

    1. Fig. 12.2 An example chain letter from https://cs.uwaterloo.ca/~mli/chain.html [l9].

      This reminds me so much of the chain texts people sent in middle school. I remember receiving these texts and actually being scared that bad things would happen. I think it's interesting that this format has stayed the same and that it exploits people's superstitions through a carrot and stick method.

  9. Oct 2025
  10. social-media-ethics-automation.github.io social-media-ethics-automation.github.io
    1. Zack Whittaker. Facebook won't let you opt out of its phone number 'look up' setting. TechCrunch, March 2019

      Facebook does not let users opt out of connecting their phone numbers to their accounts. This raises privacy concerns because of how it removes a layer of anonymity. Users have no control over whether they can be searched up or not.

    1. 11.4.1. Filter Bubbles

      Companies are almost incentivized to put people in echo chambers because of how that increases time spent in the app. People like to have their beliefs validated. I feel like this could be limiting because of how one's beliefs would never be challenged.

  11. social-media-ethics-automation.github.io social-media-ethics-automation.github.io
    1. Social model of disability. November 2023. Page Version ID: 1184222120. URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Social_model_of_disability&oldid=1184222120#Social_construction_of_disability (visited on 2023-12-07).

      This part talks about how the social attitudes toward disability has changed over time. In medieval time disabilities were seen as a reflection of one's morality, whereas these days it is seen as just a matter of biology. It also discusses the societal barriers and exclusion that continues to this day.

    1. When designers and programmers don’t think to take into account different groups of people, then they might make designs that don’t work for everyone. This problem often shows up in how designs do or do not work for people with disabilities. But it also shows up in other areas as well.

      The designer's bias, whether intentionally or unintentionally, could be worked into the design of the item. This is why it is important to have diversity in tech. Since the products will be used by everyone, it needs to be made for everyone.

    1. Mark Johanson. Can your boss read your work messages? BBC, February 2022. URL:

      This reminds me of how nearly everything on school laptops are usually monitored. I feel like people shouldn't use work/school technology for anything personal or private because it is definitely not private. The article stated that companies usually monitor employees for security reasons, especialy when they deal with sensitive materials.

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

      Social media companies are probably mainly incentivized by profit. Social media companies can get a lot of money by selling user data to advertisers. They might also analyze user data to tailor the algorithm to them and get users to stay on the platform as long as possible.

    1. Kurt Wagner. This is how Facebook collects data on you even if you don’t have an account. Vox, April 2018

      I didn't know that social media sites could collect data on people who weren't members. If your friends share their contacts with facebook, or you even just browse on websites linked to them, facebook can collect your data. Additionally, there is no way to opt out of this kind of data collection.

    1. 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.

      This reminds me of the saying "if you're not paying for the product, you are the product". I feel like it's a little disturbing to realize how much data social media takes from you. I wonder if theres an ethical way to do this that limits privacy infringement because I feel like targeted ads could be useful in some cases, for both consumers and business owners.

  12. social-media-ethics-automation.github.io social-media-ethics-automation.github.io
    1. 29] Julia Alexander. K-pop stans overwhelm app after Dallas police ask for videos of protesters. The Verge, June 2020. URL: https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/1/21277423/k-pop-dallas-pd-iwatch-app-flood-review-bomb-surveillance-protests-george-floyd (visited on 2023-12-05).

      This is an example of how online trolling could be a form of digital protesting. In 2020 the Dallas PD asked the public to submit videos of protestors in order to arrest them. In response, Kpop fans flooded the app with edits of their favorite artists as well as review bombed it in the app store.

    1. “Boys throw stones at frogs in fun, but the frogs do not die in fun, but in earnest.”

      This quote highlights how while trolls may think that they are just jokes made "in fun", they could cause pain "in earnest". The humor is one sided and inherently malicious because of how it is created at the real expense of another (humor created by killing/scaring frogs). This quote shows the thoughtlessness of human nature.

  13. social-media-ethics-automation.github.io social-media-ethics-automation.github.io
    1. Conspiracy Theories Abounded in 19th-Century American Politics

      I thought it was interesting how conspiracy theories were spread around for so long. It is a kind of political propaganda that somehow spreads faster when it is a little too crazy to believe. I feel like the creation of forum in the digital age aided the spread of conspiracy theories because people can easily find other people who believe the same conspiracy and they can spur each other on.

    1. Emai

      I was surprised that email is so old because of how it is still used so much. Email has outlasted so many online forums and social media messaging platforms, and is still consistently used to this day.

  14. social-media-ethics-automation.github.io social-media-ethics-automation.github.io
    1. ] Caroline Delbert. Some People Think 2+2=5, and They’re Right. Popular Mechanics, October 2023. URL: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/math/a33547137/why-some-people-think-2-plus-2-equals-5/ (visited on 2023-11-24).

      The title of this article caught my attention. I thought her example of 2 cups of vinegar and 2 cups of baking soda making 5 cups of foam was interesting. The article also shows how truth is not universal. Facts could be subjective to different people and different loopholes.

    1. If we download information about a set of tweets (text, user, time, etc.) to analyze later, we might consider that set of information as the main data, and our metadata might be information about our download process, such as when we collected the tweet information, which search term we used to find it, etc.

      I didn't realize how much information is collected from these apps beyond the basic questions apps ask when you sign up. I think it could be useful in some cases like when you want to document more with less effort. However I also feel like as a result we have way less privacy than many people assume.

  15. social-media-ethics-automation.github.io social-media-ethics-automation.github.io
    1. Steven Tweedie. This disturbing image of a Chinese worker with close to 100 iPhones reveals how App Store rankings can be manipulated. February 2015. URL: https://www.businessinsider.com/photo-shows-how-fake-app-store-rankings-are-made-2015-2

      I found it interesting how in a way people have become "bots". They didn't actually want to download the app of their own accord, they are just carrying out the actions that they were told to do. The scheme of app developers buying downloads is similar to influencers buying followers. I feel like many people have too much trust in online rankings because they don't know how it can be swayed.

    1. How are people’s expectations different for a bot and a “normal” user?

      I feel like people would trust a bot less than a human because it cannot form opinions on its own. For example if a bot recommended a restaurant and praised it a lot, people would probably not pay it as much attention as if another person recommended their favorite restaurant. Bots cannot "think" only carry out the actions they were programmed to do.

  16. Sep 2025
    1. Only “Can we do this?” Never “should we do this?

      The rapid development of AI opens up many new dangers, such as deepfakes, AI scams, etc. Once tech is created, it cannot be uncreated. Connections can be drawn to how Victor Frankenstein created the creature without consideration for the morality of his actions or the consequences the creature suffers for his own existence. I believe that ethics absolutely cannot be separated from science.

    1. respectful to parents, elders and authorities, taking care of children and the young;

      Confucianism also dictates a strict hierarchy where children should be obedient to their parents, wives to their husbands, and citizens to their emperor. This hierarchy contrasts with the ideas of the Enlightenment like "all men are created equal". While I believe that many tenets of Confucianism should be followed more, like filial piety and prioritizing your community, I also believe that Confucianism's hierarchy relies too much on the suppression of self, making it unsustainable in its purest form.