If you could magically change anything about how social media sites are designed, what would it be?
I would magically change the way social media was designed to make sure that no matter what was programed or how it was designed it could do no harm. I think that's the biggest issue design wise. Things have a good intention and then people pervert their uses and misuse it.
How have your views on social media changed (or been reinforced)?
I think my views on social media have changed by me being more aware of what goes on behind the scenes. I would like to think that I will now be more conscious and aware of how things are designed and how I interact with it online.
They get more behavioral data. Even if they can’t sell ads for this group of people yet, they are still accumulating a larger data set with a larger percentage of Earth’s population.
I understand why business and companies do this but the fact that most people are unaware of the data being collected on them feels very dystopian and creepy. I know there's something everyone agrees to but its made in a way knowing you won't read it. Like the ingredients on a highly processed food package its there but no one reads it.
What if social media sites were governed by their users instead of by shareholders (e.g., governed by the subjugated instead of the colonialists)? How would users participate in decision-making? Would non-users have a say (e.g., if the whole user base decides to harass a group of non-users)? How do you think the sites would work differently?
I think it would be very interesting to see a site run by its users. It would be more user friendly and have less friction. Users could vote on decisions or state their opinions for either side
As women were advancing the field of computer programming, some of them became frustrated with how they were viewed, such as Margaret Hamilton:
It’s very understandable why she was so upset. Coding is hard work and it may come easier to some people than others but it’s still work and people deserve to be recognized and in this case celebrated for such achievements.
Because society would rather discredit an entire profession than acknowledge that a female-dominated field might be doing something that actually matters.
I think that is very wild that this has happened so much in the past that some people feel they can predict it when they see the pattern reoccurring. I find that sometimes it feels like we’re just going in circles,borderline begging to be treated as equals.
Do you think there are situations where reconciliation is not possible?
Yes I do. Specifically the Nazi trial examples, there is no coming back or recovering from that. I think there are other examples that are also not forgivable.
What do you consider to be the most important factors in making an instance of public shaming bad?
I think some of the biggest factors are intent of harm or actual harm done to the person. And if abusive tactics are used. I also think there should be an evaluation of the actions and if the consequences match the “crime”
Do you think there are ways a social media platform can encourage good crowdsourcing and discourage bad crowdsourcing?
I definitely do think there could be a positive way for social media and crowdsourcing interact. For example, certain platforms have systems in place to try and bring attention to negative crowdsourcing.
In what ways do you think you’ve participated in any crowdsourcing online?
A way that i have crowdsourced is by using the app Transit. They ask questions about your public transportation system and how they’re app helped to improve other users experiences.
How do social media platforms make harassment possible?
Social media makes harassment possible by allowing multiple accounts and a sense of anonymity behind screens. Even if the design of social media sites are not meant for evil people can always use and twist technology in their favor.
Have you experienced or witnessed harassment on social media (that you are willing to share about)?
I have definitely witnessed and heard about harassment through social media. I think it’s become a more common shared experience the longer we have technology
What dangers are posed with languages that have limited or no content moderation?
People can find ways to bypass content restrictions due to the lack of moderation in other languages. It can potentially pose harm if people misuse that knowledge or if it is not fixed.
Have you ever reported a post/comment for violating social media platform rules?
yes, I have. When the person was saying or doing objectively harmful or hateful things the least I could do was report the activity.
What are the ways social media companies monitoring of mental health could be beneficial or harmful?
I think things like facebooks suicide prevention system can be helpful but it can also be an invasion of privacy and data. I do think its important that people are safe online and that companies take that into consideration while creating these social media sites.
In what ways have you found social media bad for your mental health and good for your mental health?
There was a time where I had to take a break from social media because things were to overwhelming and upsetting every time I went on TikTok or instagram. This was during the 2020 Black Live Matter protests and while I was in full support of the movement seeing constant police brutality on my feed was very triggering and I was not in the right mental space to healthily engage with that.
In what ways have you tried to make content go viral (or seen others do so)?
A couple ways I've seen people try and make their content go viral is by adding hashtags or trying to play the algorithm to have their content pushed. Or some people say controversial or inflammatory things to draw attention to their account or themselves.
In what ways have you participated in helping content go viral?
I definitely think that I have helped some content go viral by liking, commenting, sharing, and reposting content. that I find interesting or funny. One of the main ways is sending it to friends or posting it on my story.
[As I follow YouTube recommendations] It’s far more likely that my biases will be confirmed and possibly even enhanced than they are to be challenged and re-evaluated. And it’s likely for a lot of consumers of YouTube that they will be segregated by political cultural and ethnic lines.
I really agree with this statement. I have definitely found this to be true specifically on YouTube and instagram. They take notice of your political views or things you value and show you content related to that.
What responsibilities do you think social media platforms should have in what their recommendation algorithms recommend?
I think social media platforms should strive to have their algorithms create a positive environment. For example I do not think algorithms should push hateful or offensive and inflammatory content just for profit.
What experiences do you have of social media sites making particularly bad recommendations for you?
Sometimes sites will show you something they know that you won’t like or that they know will catch your attention in a negative way. Like something opposite your political views or someone hating on something you really like. They do it on purpose and it’s wild that social media companies will try and get a specific response from you just to increase engagement and profit. and if they can’t make you happy they will try to make you mad.
What experiences do you have of social media sites making particularly good recommendations for you?
I have had really accurate really good content recommend to me based off my interests and what i’ve already searched for or based off my phone listening to me. I think it’s really disturbing and freaky how they can find out what u like and be able to spoon feed it to you but i do like videos of chinchillas dancing so i’m in a pickle.
What incentives to social media companies have to violate privacy?
Social media companies make money by selling users data to advertising companies. So money is a big incentive for companies to violate privacy.
What are your biggest concerns around privacy on social media?
My biggest concern is being doxxed or stalked because of what I post on social media. My other concern is having my data be used to have me be targeted by companies.
Are you surprised by any of the things that can be done with data mining?
I wouldn’t say I am surprised more concerned about the information that is so easily accessible. Especially for big corporations to use in whatever way they please.
What was accurate, inaccurate, or surprising about your ad profile
I did not realize that I had turned off my personalized ads awhile ago. I think younger me was creeped out thinking google would be tracking what I watched and recommending me stuff based off of that.
What do you think is the best way to deal with trolling?
based off what I have seen in personal experiences its best to try ignoring them first. They usually move on after not being entertained or appeased.
Ask anyone who has dealt with persistent harassment online, especially women: [trolls stopping because they are ignored] is not usually what happens. Instead, the harasser keeps pushing and pushing to get the reaction they want with even more tenacity and intensity. It’s the same pattern on display in the litany of abusers and stalkers, both online and off, who escalate to more dangerous and threatening behavior when they feel like they are being ignored.
While I agree with this statement I believe that each situation is a little different. It is clear that trolls fall into two main categories either they stop when they get bored or no reaction or they keep going and going and going until they get some sort of reaction
Where do you see parasocial relationships on social media?
I see parasocial relationships a lot with influencers mainly on the youtube platform. I think this is because a lot of people on youtube share things about their real self and it blurs the line between reality and entertainment and people can feel like they relate to a certain youtuber or content creator based off the experiences they share.
How do you notice yourself changing how you express yourself in different situations, particularly on social media?
I tend to like most people portray a more polished and happier version of myself. I think that it’s authentic to me but I think it’s more like a mini snapshot of my best moments.
With that in mind, you can look at a social media site and think about what pieces of information could be available and what actions could be possible. Then for these you can consider whether they are:
Before reading this article I didn't understand what people meant when they said "frictionless" when referring to coding or social media. But now I have a more solid understanding on how and why social media apps work the way they do.
Open two social media sites and choose equivalent views on each (e.g., a list of posts, an individual post, an author page etc.).
The first thing that comes to mind when seeing this are the two apps Instagram and TikTok. When Instagram is in the reels section it is very very similar to TikTok. which is why there is such a big audience for both apps. they both take advantage of the infinite scroll which a lot of people get sucked in to, which allows for more engagement and more revenue for these apps.
Someone in another country would have to try to find a way to indicate that they aren’t in the United States even though there is no clear place to indicate that. If this is a form for shipping to people in the US only, then this limitation might make sense.
I think this is a good point that shines light on a bigger issue. People making technology and social media have biases that they are using to make code. A lot of people being this point up when there is evidence of ai being racist and that’s only possible by human error wether that is intentional or not.
The Bloomberg article we quoted mentions “spam bots” as what is being measured, but Elon Musk has used phrases like “fake or spam” accounts and “fake/spam/duplicates,” which might lead to different numbers.
I think it is worth mentioning specificity especially when it comes to social media. So many things can be misunderstood and mistranslated due to the fact that it is done by technology.
How are people’s expectations different for a bot and a “normal” user?
I think people expect a bot to not give specific answers but more vague responses that they are programmed to give. I also think people recognize that they are not talking to a human so they adjust what the say accordingly. either by changing the words the use or by using metaphors to get around certain prohibited words/language/discussions that the bot is programmed to detect and potentially prohibit.
In this example, some clever protesters have made a donkey perform the act of protest: walking through the streets displaying a political message. But, since the donkey does not understand the act of protest it is performing, it can’t be rightly punished for protesting.
I can see the logic behind this reasoning and I agree with it quite well. I view this as technology or bots being the donkey and the protestors as being the programmers. Its not the donkey that's protesting it is simply "following instructions" just like a bot reads code.
Acting in ways consistent with the virtues (e.g., courage, truthfulness, wittiness, friendliness, etc.) leads to flourishing of an individual.
I agree with this. I think people should strive to be as moral as possible.
What do you think is the responsibility of tech workers to think through the ethical implications of what they are making?
I think of someone looks at wherever technology they are creating and they see that it can be used for wrong and that the harm will outweigh whatever positives it will create than they should alter it or put some safety features to prevent that from happening or not make the product at all which I think sounds harsh.
What things about the design of Twitter enabled these events to happen?
I believe that twitters system of the retweet and quote tweet button helped have this news of Saccos racist tweet spread. The more people that see the more it is reposted and then broadcasted on other peoples feeds. I also think the # feature made this more seen and popularized.