This article discusses the long-standing debate on whether the pace of modern life is detrimental to society, culture, and the human experience. It points out that this debate is not new but has been ongoing for a long time. Today, the focus is primarily on technology such as smartphones, tablets, and other electronic devices. However, similar criticisms were made over 100 years ago about newspapers, telegrams, telephones, and even written correspondence. The comic highlights a generational phenomenon: every generation tends to believe that "the past was better" and criticizes changes in contemporary society. Ironically, these criticisms themselves have been passed down through generations. This psychological tendency is known as "presentism," where people perceive their own era as the norm while idealizing the past.

This reminds me of my own experience with scrolling through short videos on social media. Sometimes, I just want to relax for a bit, but before I know it, I’ve spent hours immersed in the content. Moreover, the algorithm seems to cater more and more to my emotions—especially when I’m feeling anxious or down, it pushes similar emotionally charged content, trapping me in a cycle. I can’t help but wonder: is this kind of personalized recommendation truly helping users, or is it exploiting their psychological vulnerabilities to maximize engagement?

This website tells that supply and demand is a fundamental economic model used to explain how prices are determined in a market. It describes the interaction between the quantity of a good or service that producers are willing to supply and the quantity that consumers are willing to demand. The model assumes that in a competitive market, prices adjust until the quantity supplied equals the quantity demanded, reaching an economic equilibrium.

This is a great example which allowing advertisers to target an audience labeled as “Jew Haters” is highly controversial and exposes the potential dangers of data-driven advertising systems. This raises an important question: Are these companies truly unable to fully control their ad systems, or do they choose to turn a blind eye in pursuit of profit? Furthermore, does this behavior indicate that algorithms are amplifying societal biases while companies fail to implement sufficient oversight and ethical considerations? When a company nearly monopolizes the digital social space, should there be stricter regulations to prevent it from abusing its power?

The article discusses a theoretical framework for analyzing social control and behavioral norms: the guilt–shame–fear spectrum of cultures. This framework categorizes cultures into three types: guilt cultures (driven by guilt and personal conscience, common in Western countries), shame cultures (influenced by social evaluation and reputation, typical of East Asian countries), and fear cultures (motivated by fear of authority or supernatural forces, seen in some traditional societies). Lastly, it highlights that these cultural categories are not absolute but can coexist and evolve with societal changes.

Many parents, after criticizing their child's behavior, do not take the extra step to reassure them that it is the behavior being criticized, not the child as a person. This relates to my own experiences growing up, as I often felt that when I made mistakes, the disappointment or frustration from adults was directed at me as a person rather than just my actions. Without clear reassurance, it was easy to internalize feelings of shame rather than learning from the mistake in a constructive way. think it is crucial for parents to help children separate their actions from their identity, ensuring that they feel supported rather than fundamentally flawed. However, I also wonder how this process changes with age—at what point does a child become more capable of naturally making this distinction without parental reassurance?

Doxing refers to the act of publicly revealing personal or private information about an individual without their consent, often with malicious intent. It can involve exposing addresses, phone numbers, or other sensitive data, leading to harassment, threats, or real-world harm. The practice is commonly associated with cyberbullying, online activism, and digital vigilantism, raising significant ethical and legal concerns. Efforts to combat doxing include stronger privacy laws, platform policies, and cybersecurity measures to protect individuals from unauthorized exposure.

This discussion on intersectionality deeply resonates with me, especially in how different identity combinations can exacerbate social injustices. I believe this concept extends beyond traditional identity factors such as race, gender, and class. In modern society, technology, social media, and even biases in artificial intelligence algorithms further amplify intersectional inequalities. I once read a report stating that doctors are less likely to provide adequate pain treatment to female patients, particularly women of color, compared to male patients.

This bibliographic entry for TurKit is intriguing because it underscores the evolution of iterative task design on crowdsourcing platforms. Although the chapter only briefly mentions TurKit, the reference points to a deeper discussion on how iterative workflows are critical for refining crowdsourced outputs. It raises an important question: how can such iterative systems be enhanced to better manage not only repetitive tasks but also more complex, adaptive problem-solving processes?

This sentence makes me curious about the trade-offs inherent in various communication methods. While asynchronous tools (like emails or forums) allow for more thoughtful responses, they might also slow down decision-making. I wonder how designers of digital collaboration tools can balance these trade-offs to optimize both efficiency and the quality of communication in crowdsourced projects.

This website tells us the information of spamming. It first tells the definition of spamming which refers to the mass distribution of nsolicited messages, often for advertising, fraud, or malicious purposes. It also includes different types of spam like email spam, social media spam, SMS spam, and forum spamming, among others. The impact of spamming is also been told in the website like Spam can be disruptive, waste resources, and pose security risks such as phishing scams and malware.

This paragraph makes me think that how do we find the balance between free expression and platform control. I know Twitter was accused of over-moderation and under-moderation. I was wondering eveyone holds different opinion on the regulation, how do we make a plan to help both side of people. Or are we just giving up some users for a larger group of people.

In this NPR article, Anya Kamenetz explores Facebook's (now Meta) internal research on social media's impact on teen mental health. While some reports claim a direct negative effect, the data is more nuanced—some teens struggle with anxiety or self-image issues, while others benefit from social support. Kamenetz highlights that social media's influence is not uniform and that mental health is shaped by various factors. She advocates for a more balanced approach and further research to better understand both the risks and benefits.

I personally believe that the impact of social media varies from person to person and depends on how individuals use it. For example, some people gain support and a sense of belonging through social media, while others may feel anxious and depressed due to comparison, cyberbullying, or information overload. Many people flaunt their wealth online, which creates significant pressure on others. I sometimes feel anxious when I see others securing internships or offers from prestigious companies. Therefore, we should focus more on how to use social media in a healthy way.

Moreover, even those who do not use social media are still affected by it. For instance, when people frequently use trending phrases or memes from platforms like TikTok, those who are unfamiliar with them may feel excluded or left out.

The article discusses the evolution of cetaceans, describing their transition from land-dwelling mammals to fully aquatic creatures. It mentions early ancestors like Pakicetus, which lived on land, and how they gradually adapted to aquatic environments through intermediate forms such as Ambulocetus and Rodhocetus. Over millions of years, cetaceans developed streamlined bodies, tail flukes, and echolocation abilities. The article also provides fossil evidence, genetic studies, and explores the evolutionary relationship between modern cetaceans and ancient artiodactyls.

This reminds me how digital platforms accelerate the spread of language and culture but often lead to the loss of original context and meaning. A key question to consider is: How can we ensure that cultural borrowing remains respectful rather than exploitative in online spaces, especially when the original cultural creators do not always receive proper recognition?

Zack Whittaker's article highlights how Facebook does not allow users to opt out of its phone number "look up" feature, even if the number was provided for security purposes. This raises privacy concerns as users remain searchable by their phone numbers without full control over their visibility.

This reminds me of the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica incident. In that case, Facebook's recommendation algorithm was used to precisely target political ads, trapping users in filter bubbles and potentially influencing election outcomes. This demonstrates that recommendation algorithms are not merely "neutral" tools but can be exploited to manipulate public opinion. While individuals can choose to seek out diverse sources of information, when the entire system is designed to push certain biased content by default, personal efforts may not be enough to counteract the influence of the algorithm.

I completely agree with the article’s perspective that criticizing is often easier than creating. Our society places more emphasis on analysis and judgment rather than encouraging people to innovate, making it harder to come up with new ideas. I’ve experienced this while playing games—during post-game reviews, it's easy for us to point out each person's mistakes and what they should have done differently. However, when someone asks how we could have won the game, everyone suddenly falls silent.

I find this statement to be very true. In class, we were once asked to write a problem statement. At first, I thought it would be a simple task—after all, I already understood the problem I was trying to solve. However, when I actually started writing, I realized that articulating the problem in a clear and concise manner was far more challenging than I had imagined. During the process, I gradually came to understand that helping others grasp the essence of a problem requires more than just a deep understanding of the issue itself. It also demands the ability to think from others' perspectives and to communicate in a way that is simple, precise, and easy to follow. At the same time, the information must be substantial yet not overwhelming—captivating the audience without making it tedious. This requires a higher level of logical clarity and structured expression. Crafting an excellent problem statement is not just about making others understand the problem; it is also an exercise in organizing and refining one’s own thoughts.

I don’t entirely agree with the statement. Many people often feel stuck when facing a problem, not because the problem itself is unsolvable, but because we tend to overcomplicate it in our minds. We imagine countless obstacles before we even begin, creating a sense of fear or overwhelm about the difficulty of the task. This mindset makes taking the first step seem disproportionately challenging. In reality, the hardest part of solving a problem is often not the problem itself but the way we perceive and anticipate it. However, when we muster the courage to take that initial step and start acting, we often realize that the situation is far less daunting than we had imagined. Each small, concrete action helps to unravel the problem, creating momentum that leads to eventual solutions.

I feel that I am not very good at finding a balance between my own needs and those of others. I often focus on others and neglect myself. This situation makes me feel exhausted and even lost at times, because in constantly prioritizing others, I often forget my own needs and feelings. The ethics of care advocate meeting the needs of others without ignoring one’s own existence and value, which seems particularly challenging for me.

Taoist predictions are grounded in profound philosophical theories, such as the Eight Trigrams of the I Ching, the Yin-Yang and Five Elements theory, and the principle of Heaven-Human Resonance. By combining these with knowledge of astronomy, calendars, and divination practices, Taoists can infer changes in nature and human society. However, Taoists believe that "Heaven's secrets" are the natural laws governing the universe. Revealing too much of these secrets may cause people to become restless or attempt to defy natural laws to change their destiny, thereby disturbing the harmony of the Tao.