I found this source extremely interesting because it made me realize how little I know about content moderation. I have always assumed that when posts get taken down or people get banned, it is because of some algorithm that detects this content as harmful. However, I now know that there are real people behind this moderation. When reading about this, I was really shocked. The author made it clear that these workers are meant to be "invisible" on social media, and they have done a good job at this because I had no idea.

I have reported posts on TikTok for violating the platform's rules. The most recent posts that I have been reporting are these ads I started seeing that were advertising for users to click a link to visit a different website that had sexual content on it. In most of these videos, the person urging the viewers to click the link is generated by AI. I reported these because inappropriate content, like what was being advertised, is not allowed on the platform.

This article discussed director Bo Burnham's own issues growing up with anxiety and how they influenced him to make the film "Eighth Grade". Burnham explains that though he did not notice his anxiety in middle school, when the film takes place, it started to affect him starting in his sophomore year. He describes the feeling of pressure to perform because of his popularity gained from YouTube. He then realized that teen girls around the ages of 13-14 related to his feelings, which inspired him to create the film.

I have noticed that social media can have major effects on my mental health. An example of the bad impact that social media can have is cyberbullying. I know I have experienced people on social media using anonymous accounts to harass me, which can influence my self-esteem. However, one positive impact of social media is its ability to connect people. I feel my mood is boosted when I can easily share funny things or text my friends on social media.

This source details the story of the "Star Wars Kid" meme, including its creation and the aftermath. The video came from a boy in his high school who was playing with a golf ball retriever; unknowingly to him, there was a camera in the room recording him. Some of his classmates found the recording and published it. The meme took off from there, and people edited the original video to include a realistic lightsaber and sound effects. After the meme became viral, it is reported that the boy from the video finished his schooling in a psychiatric ward, and his parents filed a lawsuit against the families of the boys who originally posted the video.

I have participated in helping content go viral by engaging with it. For instance, I help content go viral by liking it, commenting, and/or reposting it. In addition to this, I have used hashtags that other users have created helping them go viral, and participated in trends that others have started.

This article details the uproar around Facebook forcing users to enter their phone number into the app, and then using that information for algorithmic purposes. The author describes that Facebook forces you to add your phone number for two-step verification purposes. However, Facebook will also access your phone number if you have WhatsApp set up. After this, other users can look up your account if they have your number or you're saved as a contact. Additionally, Facebook has been using phone numbers for targeted advertising purposes.

I think that social media platforms should have more responsibilities regarding social media trends. I think that there should be more regulation on what starts trending on platforms. There have been times on social media when I see trends that are harmful, in ways like bullying or spreading misinformation, and I believe that social media platforms should work to regulate and manage these trends. One way that they could do this is by blocking posts that contain certain trigger words.

In this article, the author argues that there is a common misconception that autism is a disability. The author argues that individuals with autism are sensory sensitive, and it is unfair to record or observe someone with autism having a "meltdown" and using that as evidence that they are disabled. The author argues that everyone has a meltdown when they are experiencing strong emotions. Lastly, it is mentioned in this article that many people with autism additionally have real learning disabilities.

Before reading this, I had never considered that there would be such a thing as "situational disabilities." I had considered temporary disabilities, but never the idea that certain situational limitations could be considered a disability. I have personal experience with situational disabilities because, there have been times when my ability to perform certain tasks has become limited.

This article informs of the misuse of resources by some Facebook workers. The source informs that around 50 employees were fired from Facebook after using their access as employees to access other users' personal information. Examples that were given include two engineers who used their position to access the information of women they met in person and proceeded to harass and stalk them.

My biggest concern around privacy on social is how easily accessible my information is. I do not like the idea that my data can easily be bought and used to control how I use my social media accounts. Another concern I have is the access scammers have to my information, which they can use to steal my identity or retrieve my financial information.

I connected with this article because I remember hearing numerous different theories about covid 19 when the pandemic first started. The source of these theories ranged from people I knew from school to social media. I found this article especially interesting because it made me realize that so many people were spreading misinformation and believing it to understand what was going on.

When checking to see what information Google had to personalize my ads, Google informed me that ad personalization is not available for my account. However, I doubt that this means they do not have certain personal information about me. So, I feel very uncomfortable with the fact that Google collects data on me because, it feels like an invasion of privacy.

In this video, the narrator describes how, when the internet discovered a funny Amazon review under a T-shirt featuring three wolves and a moon, the product became highly popular because it was turned into a meme. I feel that I can somewhat relate to this because, I have also purchased items that are ironic and relate to internet memes.

I think that the best way to deal with trolling is not to engage with the users who are trolling you, but instead to block them. The purpose of trolling is to get a reaction out of people, which is why I believe it is best to block them and not respond. This is obviously more difficult if you are receiving a large amount of comments from trolls online, but I still believe the best course of action is to not give them the satisfaction of a response.

This source is a Twitter post that highlights a pattern in Donald Trump's posts. Vaziri mentions that when the tweets are hyperbolic, they are sent from an iPhone, which means his staff is sending them out, but when the tweets are hyperbolic, they are sent from an Android, indicating that he sent them himself. I think that this is interesting because it makes it clear that his social media is not authentic because his staff has control over what is published under his name.

In recent years, I feel that I have seen an increase in parasocial relationships on social media. I notice parasocial behaviors mainly directed at influencers. I witness users online who react in the comment sections or in their own content to popular creators as if they know them personally, just because they follow them online.

In this article Aza Raskin expresses his regrets about creating the technology that allows social media users to consume content endlessly without the use of a next button. The article mentions that the creation of this feature can be linked to the increasing rates of social media addiction and that social media addiction may be correlated to increases in depression. Due to the evident negative side effects of this feature, Aza Raskin expresses his deep regret of creating it.

I have personal experience with this design feature of social media applications. For instance, I primarily use TikTok and Instagram, and I have noticed that there is no endpoint when scrolling on them. When I use these applications, I find myself using them for longer than intended because I am constantly fed more content.

I found this article interesting because it introduced me to points that I have never considered before. Specifically, I feel that I have seen too many of these "voluntourism" selfies on social media platforms, and I considered them normal without considering the real implications. For instance, the fact that these pictures create the generalization that all of Africa is in poverty.

When considering the design of social media sites, I think the pieces of information that should be immediately visible to users are other users' display names, profile pictures, and mutual connections that they may share. I think that these are good pieces of information to be immediately visible because, it will draw the user in and get them to engage more with others profiles. By only sharing basic information, users have enough factors to judge whether or not they want to engage with this user.

I found this source interesting because it reminded me of the example we discussed in class of the woman whose racist tweet got her fired from her job and created uproar on Twitter. This website helps with deleting posts from Twitter, so I wonder how things would have gone for the woman if she were able to erase her post before it gained traction all over the world.

I think that social media platforms allow bots to operate because certain bots are used to boost engagement on posts. With boosted engagement on posts, things on the app become more popular, and the app will gain more traction. So, I think that social media platforms allow the operation of bots to promote engagement with their platform.

I feel that I have heard this term used less in recent years as social media has grown more. I would hear this term used a lot when most social media consisted of people sharing details from their lives. However, in recent years, as social media has grown into a platform where people hear about news and current events, I feel that this term is used less because more people are using social media to talk about "real life". Though the phrase may be used in regard to things like fake news, I think that in recent years, this term has faded from relevance.

Taoism's personal and community ethics also include the ideals that a person should take action to change themselves to become a good example of life for others. They believe that individuals should change so that their lives are in harmony with the universe. The logic behind this is that if one person behaves well in the world and towards others, the community will respond by becoming better. The philosophy is not necessarily to do good things, but to be a good person.