The Digital Culture We Experience Everyday

Simmons College - Spring 2017

[beccaruesch-blog]

Shopping via Instagram Story?

We’ve all seen those Instagram and Snapchat story posts where people are using a product, sponsored or not (but usually sponsored), and encourage people to buy it or try it out for themselves. They often include a “swipe up” for more feature, which then takes the user to a link to purchase the product from the website. Well, earlier today, I stumbled upon an article on Digiday that talked about how users will now be able to add items to their cart and then purchase them through Instagram story. I was immediately intrigued and had to find out more. 

Through a company called MikMak, users who see a product featured on an Instagram or Snapchat story will be able to swipe up to see the product information, add the product to their cart, and then purchase the item - all without leaving the original app and going back to what they were viewing after the purchase is complete. This brings a whole new meaning to not just driving engagement for posts, but actually driving sales. 

A sample of what this process would look like. Source: Digiday.

I have to say, I am somewhat excited about this idea because I know that I never like clicking on a link to wait for a webpage to open to the purchase a product. It’s annoying process that usually sways me out of buying something. I think this method definitely answers those needs and I am curious to see how it plays out. Speaking as a consumer, I do think that I would find this feature beneficial and more convenient. 

Overall, I think this is another step in the advancement of the digital world. Consumers are really more on technology to improve their lives and make things more convenient for them, and this app feature would definitely do that. I would not be surprised if more platforms implemented shopping right from their app either, as I do see this as a trend that could quickly catch on.

[beccaruesch-blog]

Pop Your Bubble

A new launch by Kind Snacks’ recently caught my eye and reminded me of the conversation we had earlier on this semester about the “filter bubble”. Kind recently launched a Facebook-plugin, called “Pop Your Bubble”, that is designed to connect you with users outside your bubble and introduce you to different content and view points. 

Users can visit www.popyourbubble.com and link it to their Facebook profiles. The site then uses an algorithm that matches you up with profiles least similar to your own. You can follow users and all of a sudden have a feed that is vastly different from what you see every day on your original Facebook feed. 

A screenshot of www.popyourbubble.com

My first thought on this was immediately intrigue. There are definitely a lot of people who seem to be annoyed with the filter bubble and feel like they are not getting a well-rounded stance on what’s going on. One of the things I thought was most intriguing was that Kind Snacks’, of all brands, was the company who launched this. I never would have thought that a granola bar company would be the first to make waves in popping the filter bubble, but it seems that is the beauty of the digital world. 

I do, however, have to wonder if this will be successful. Even though I’ve heard people say they are annoyed with the filter bubble, my hunch is that once people are exposed to views and posts that are vastly different from what they’re used to, they will not like it. My guess would be that people will become angry and upset and therefore, stop using the website and feed altogether. I could definitely see “Pop Your Bubble” kicking off for a 15-minutes of fame sort of thing, but right now, I am having a hard time seeing it being a platform that people consistently use on a long-term basis. 

[beccaruesch-blog]

The Growing Popularity of Instagram Stories

In recent months, Instagram has been, what some would call, relentlessly copying Snapchat’s features when they unveiled the new Instagram Story. When these were first introduced, many people (including myself) were doubtful and seemed to laugh at the fact that they were just copying Snapchat. I often heard phrases like “I’m never going to use them” and “How could they actually think this would work?” 

Well, Last week, Instagram announced that Instagram stories currently had 200 million active users on a daily basis. Snapchat’s daily active story users? 158 million. 

Instagram also recently introduced a new feature quite similar to Snapchat’s by including disappearing photos and videos in direct messages on Instagram - which has about 375 million people using them on a monthly basis. 

I will admit that at first, I was skeptical of Instagram stories and all the changes they were making, and did not use the stories for some time. Part of this is yes, because I don’t like change and another part was I didn’t like the idea of the app trying to be something it’s not. I thought “Instagram is great and popular for a reason, why are they changing it?” Turns out, I would end up eating my own words.

I was intrigued when more of my friends started to use stories on Instagram - not just celebrities. I thought the tagging your location feature was a nice touch, and it proves to still be one of the more popular features about Instagram stories today. So, eventually I gave in and while I still use both Snapchat and Instagram stories, I would say that I use both pretty regularly. However, looking back and thinking about it, I can’t really say that I am surprised. I have always liked the Instagram app the best and others seemed to share similar opinions. Instagram always had the functions I preferred and there was something so fun about it that I still cannot put into words. I guess what I’m saying is that if I had to choose one social media app that would eventually “rule all”, I would pick Instagram with little-to-no hesitation. 

[beccaruesch-blog]

Technology and the Future of Education

As the digital world continues to advance, I see the use of technology greatly improving education in the future. YouTube is already filled with millions of lessons and tutorials that user can access for free. Even those who want to learn more complex subjects like coding have the opportunity to learn from over 40 million programmers using programs like Stack Overflow. I have personally used Lynda.com to learn many more technological skills and their slogan is “...online, on your own time”. I really think that this is where the majority of education is headed, and I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. 

Technology has greatly improved the educational world as a whole, but has also offered access to those who cannot afford hefty college tuition. College courses are available online and often cheaper than attending a college or university. I believe in the future, we will start to see more interactive courses and online, advanced and professional institutions. In fact, for the past 15 years, MIT has been recording lectures and gather materials that cover over 2000 courses, so that students can access them online. I think as we move forward, many other institutions will start to follow this trend. 

With all this being said, I don’t think that traditional colleges and universities will go away anytime soon, or even anytime in the near future, but I do think that schools, including elementary, middle, and high schools, will start to implement more technology into the classroom. I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility for computers to start being the teachers of tomorrow’s children. 

[beccaruesch-blog]

Why I think Amazon is Slowly Taking Over the World

Last week, Amazon announced that they acquired the rights to stream the NFL’s 10 Thursday Night Football games for the 2017 season, which Twitter did this past season. Not only does this show that TV and cable packages are starting to become less popular, but it is also another deal Amazon has made to make them one of the number one brands for all consumer’s needs. 

They obviously have a wide variety of products and services, already making them a “one stop (online) shop”. They also introduced drone delivery within one-hour of purchasing online. Yes, this proves how far we have come with technology in the digital world, but it also is slightly terrifying to think just how much ownership and influence Amazon has on our lives. Amazon Prime currently has around 65 million members in the U.S. and that number is only growing. Streaming NFL Thursday Night Football I think will result in an increase in Prime memberships and I also think is another step closer to Amazon becoming the sole provider for most human experiences. 

It’s a weird topic to think about, but Amazon has made huge traction over the years, and I believe that as our technology continues to advance, so will Amazon. I would not be all that surprised if in 10-15 years, we were all using Amazon for shopping, watching TV, buying groceries, and every other daily activity.  

[beccaruesch-blog]

What TV Station is the Leader in the Digital World? Start with ESPN.

I recently read an article on Digiday, “ESPN is thinking beyond TV with “special projects” that really sparked my interest, partly because I had noticed on my own that ESPN had become much more than just a TV station, but a platform that utilizes in digital channels in a way that enhances and supports their overall brand. This article really confirmed what I was seeing and I thought it was particularly interesting to read about this new series they are creating that does not just focus on sports, but focuses on the way sports bring people together. 

I have always thought Instagram Stories were an interesting outlet for brands, more than Snapchat, because people tend to want to follow brands on Instagram, and did before Instagram Stories even existed. I will be curious to see how their strategy to feature different people from the show on their Instagram and tell their “story” eventually plays out. 

The main reason I wanted to share this article, however, was because it does a great job of proving and explaining how any brand can become a staple and leader in the digital world if they know how to use their various platforms and do so correctly. ESPN started out as just a TV channel that sports fans would watch, but has grown into a multimedia channel that is popular on almost all social fronts. They create engaging, interactive content that correlates to what they feature on their TV channel, but also explores different sides of sports and sports stories. ESPN tends to not be a brand that comes to the top of one’s mind when they think of leading brands in social media or the 21st century, but in my opinion, I definitely think they deserve to be on that list and am excited to see what they come up with in the future. 

[rachelsylvia13-blog]

Wouldn’t it be nice?

Ever since examining the amount of hours we spend consuming content on our phones, I’ve felt myself become hyper-aware of my device use and the use of those around me. Suddenly, I feel a little guilty about the amount of time I spend using my phone and started reflecting on the reasons why I use it. I’ve elected to moderate some of my device behaviors, from the times I engage with it to the kind and amount of content I consume while using it.

Looking around I’ve started to feel like I’ve chosen the red pill in The Matrix. I feel so aware of mine and others consumption, while everyone around me doesn’t seem to realize or consider the amount of hours and reasons they are on their phone.

Prior to reflection, I used my phone (and admittedly sometimes still do) for many reasons beyond just communicating with others. My phone was the perfect tool to get out of every awkward or uncomfortable situation. If I didn’t want to talk to someone while waiting to walk into the classroom, I would whip out my phone and suddenly I was untouchable, invisible; no one would approach me. If there was an awkward silence in conversation, I would fill it with screen time, oftentimes continuing the conversation with something I just read on my phone. Need a distraction from the existential dread that comes with being an upperclassman in college? Not a problem, that’s what scrolling through social media feeds is for. I spent so much time using my phone to get away from things that made me uncomfortable that isolating myself from the world happening around me was a talent, which turned into a pretty nasty habit.

When I started recognizing that my phone use was having a negative impact on my relationships with others and myself, I decided to take a step back. I set boundaries for myself. I don’t use my phone when I am with others, I think twice before absentmindedly hitting the like button and I stopped taking out my phone to fill a spare moment and started people watching. These choices, however irrelevant they may seem, have had a profound impact. I feel more confident when speaking to others and I feel closer to my friends and family. While I still find myself needing a distraction sometimes, I have stopped distracting myself from important relationships and present moment.

The difficulty, then, is that those around me still use their devices the way I used to. I find myself looking around a room full of my peers and every one of them is looking at their phone. Even starting a conversation does not pull their eyes from the screen. In order for our relationships to improve with others there needs to be reflection and adaptation of our technology habits to each relationship.

Do I expect people to have a technological epiphany and change their habits for the better? No. But it would be nice.

[beccaruesch-blog]

The comparison you made to feeling like you took the red pill in The Matrix was excellent, and really helped me understand and relate to your point. I also use my phone to avoid awkward situations, or when there’s a pause in “life” and I’m not totally sure what to do. Sometimes even when I am waiting for the elevator I will just look at my phone, even though I just looked at less than a minute ago and I know nothing has changed. It’s definitely a bad habit, but honestly, I don’t really see myself being able to break it anytime soon and I actually think it will get worse as our society progresses. 

Virtual Reality is quickly becoming “the new normal” and everyone is talking about soon Robots will be living just like humans and be able to complete tasks that used to only be done by us. I will admit, it definitely freaks me out, but I honestly don’t think there’s much we can do it about it, no matter how hard we try. There is no getting around the fact that we live in a digital world and it’s only going to progress from where we are now. Hopefully we can all maintain some sense of sanity, but I actually see this problem getting worse before it gets better (if it ever gets better). 

[chloe-meck-blog]

NYT subscription: $3,  Bottle of wine: $10,  Axios news experience: $10k,  Detoxing from alternative facts: Priceless

Ever since we (begrudgingly) welcomed 2017 into our lives, I have found myself spending less time getting information from a screen. I feel that what I am finding on digital platforms is less factual than before, not worth my time or there is not enough wine in my fridge to get me through the whole news story or my social feed without sobbing. 

This is why when reading Dhiya Kuriakose’s prediction of “The Year of Digital Detoxing” I related immediately. She discusses how necessary it is becoming to, “find meaningful space on primary screens with reduced time available.” This creates a problem for online news sources that will now need to develop strategies to demand their audience’s attention and bring them back from their digital detox. 

Jon Slade offers a solution to this problem in his prediction of, “Trusted News at a Premium,” but not a very effective one for the long-term. He believes that news sources will find success in creating experience packages similar to a meet-and-greet package you might buy for a concert. Instead of meeting your favorite rockstar and getting their autograph, you could be paying a news experience start-up, Axios, $10,000 for a year of news briefings and exclusive articles.  

I think the general population hesitates to pay $3 a week to subscribe to sources like The New York Times, let alone $10k for their news. This might create more of an experience that could be appealing to some with the means to spend, but I do not think it will appeal to enough people to solve the problem of turning off the news/social feed. Sources should be asking how to create a demand for factual news and make it more accessible, not how to make quick profits from a small population of readers. 

[beccaruesch-blog]

First of all, the title of this post immediately caught my attention. I have actually found myself getting more of my information from a screen lately. I do have subscriptions to The Boston Globe, New York Times, and Washington Post, but they are digital subscriptions. I read a lot of articles on my phone and also, get a lot of news on Twitter. 

My jaw actually dropped when I read the part about Axios charing $10K for a “news experience”. I can’t imagine spending that much on almost anything, let alone something I could get for a $3 subscription (which I agree, some people think is too much). I think that even if my money wasn’t an issue for me, I would laugh at spending that much on news. I think that good, factual news is now more important than ever, but if they want people to start reading more, asking them to pay $10K is definitely not the way to do it. 

[marceau-comm323]

Phones Out or Away on Public Transit?

Personally, I never know whether I should step back and take time away from my phone during my commute or if I should restrict social media and just utilize it for news apps and music. I struggle with choosing what is the right thing to do because I think that I am staring at screens enough so I shouldn’t be using that time to continue to, but I also feel like since I am only using my phone for music and catching up on the news that it’s enriching and okay. SO, you want to know what I actually do when I encounter this situation? I’ve decided that I won’t look at my screen, but I do use my phone for music. I put my headphones in and keep it tucked in my pocket. I think that I spend enough time on my phone and since it’s one of the few times that I am surrounded by other people it would be nice to see their faces instead of emoticons. It’s really a personal preference, but I think that as a society and in our personal lives we need to take some time away from our phones and dedicate it to being in the moment. 

[beccaruesch-blog]

I definitely relate to this same dilemma on my commute. It always feels like it should be a time for me to escape my phone for a bit and just observe the people and things surrounding me. It often seems like each time I tell myself I’m not going to look at my phone during my commute, I fail to do so each time. I also listen to music on my phone during my commute and can’t help but look at it and open something when a notification pops up. I always think that avoiding technology or taking some space from it is easy if you just put your mind to it, but in my own experience I think it’s a lot easier said than done. I agree that it is good to take some time away from technology when we can, but I think the problem for a lot of people (myself included) is that it’s just not entirely realistic sometimes. 

[digitaltentori-blog]

Putting out fires for samsung

Extra blog post #4

After last year’s $5.3 billion recall for Samsung’s fire prone Note 7, they have officially released their new phone offering- the Galaxy S8. After trying to maximize battery capacity on the Note 7, it led to internal structure pressure and then some spontaneous combustions. For their new phone the Galaxy S8, they are no longer trying to squeeze a lot of battery power from a small space by making the phone larger for an adequate battery size, but it will last less than what the Note 7 was intended to last. This is leading to be a significant moment for Samsung, as it is the big comeback phone after their huge misstep with the Note last year. While many customers most likely will remain loyal to Samsung, they obviously lost some and any further issues or complications they may face forward could be the tipping point for their consumers to switch over to any new Apple or Google phone. Their new phone will also come at about $100 more than comparable Iphone or rival Android models which is a weird strategy and means their betting on consumers to forget last year’s missteps and just focus on their new offerings. In my opinion, this will not be as easy as Samsung claims but perhaps loyal Android users feel differently. 

[beccaruesch-blog]

I think this is a really interesting point, and one that I actually did not know about. I agree with you that this doesn’t seem like the best strategy for Samsung, especially given everything that happened with the Galaxy Note 7. I actually think they are making a mistake offering it at $100 more than their other competitors. One would think that because of the big PR crisis with the last phone, that Samsung would at least make the price equal to the iPhone. I am definitely curious and eager to see how this plays out. 

[beccaruesch-blog]

Thoughts on the Congressional Vote on Internet Privacy

Last week, Congress voted to undo the Obama-era rules that prevented Internet service providers from selling your web-browsing history to open markets without your permission. This was followed by a lot of applause on the GOP side and a lot of concern and anger on the Democrat side. I am a Democrat and proud :liberal snowflake” - and always will be - but this was the first vote by Congress in the last few months that I was not upset with. Here’s why. 

First of all, Internet providers have been accessing and using our Internet data long before this vote occurred. Facebook has been using the “retargeting” method for years now. With this method, instead of having a customer leave a sight without buying anything and just being gone, advertisers and companies have the option to stay put in the customer’s mind with ads popping up on the sidebar in Facebook for that jacket they just looked at on Nordstrom.com. These sites have been using these codes and algorithms ever since they figured out how to do it. In my opinion, if you think your browsing history is not being sold, and will continue to not be sold, you’re not paying attention. 

I recently read this article by Greg Leffler called, “Your privacy online is still the same as it was yesterday” which was part of the inspiration for this post. One line in particular that really stuck out to me was “It’s a big reminder that the country that brought the world Silicon Valley is still downright backwards when it comes to national data policy.” 

I am not saying I am a huge fan of having my history and Internet data sold and marketed towards, I am just saying that I was not surprised when this vote happened, mostly because I knew it was already happening. It is quite possible I could be wrong, and this reverse in law could be more of a violation of privacy than we already had, and if that is the case, please enlighten me. However, based on what I know and what I’ve read, I believe that nothing has really changed with our Internet privacy, but has mostly just remained the same.

[beccaruesch-blog]

Problem Statement

Finding a table for brunch at a good restaurant, on a weekend, without waiting at least an hour is becoming close to impossible; which takes some of the excitement and fun out of the brunch experience for those in their 20′s and early’s 30′s. 

People want to go to popular brunch places, but no one likes waiting for a table, and the longer they wait, the more annoyed they get. The brunch experience as a whole should be more relaxing, carefree, and fun.

[beccaruesch-blog]

Digital Technologies and the Concept of Time

Assignment #4

February 23, 2017 

My relationship with time, schedules and social media has had a mostly positive effect on my quality of life, but especially on my productivity. I have always tended to do things “by the book” and find a sense of order in my life by making schedules and sticking to them. I really related to the section of Chapter 2 when Rushkoff spoke about a time where people had no where to go because the simple concept of time just did not exist yet. This is mind-blowing to me, as I really can’t imagine what my life would be like without some sort of calendar or schedule. Rushkoff then proceeded to talk about how with the invention of text, people could record promises and debts. This resonated with me because I am always thinking about what comes next and tend to make to-do lists for the future. Reading this made me think about whether or not I am truly living in the present, or just always thinking about the future.

When Ruskkoff talks about how text and contracts can hold accountability, I related to this as well  because I know that part of the reason I write things down I need to get done is so that I can hold myself accountable to that. If I don’t get something done, but I wrote it on my list as something I needed to get done, I feel like I did not discipline myself hard enough and need to focus more next time. As I said above, I believe this habit of mine truly affects productivity in a quality way. I enjoy the feeling of being productive and maintaining a to-do list and consistent schedule is something I don’t ever see myself giving up in the future. 

One of the other topics I enjoyed was his point about how with the concept of time,“Human beings now had a story that could be told” (78). This made me think about how far we’ve come in the digital and social media world, especially with advertisements. Many advertisements now tell a story and some are even recurring, like Flo from Progressive or the Most Interesting Man In The World. Humans have become almost obsessed with telling their “story” if you will through social media. 

Rushkoff also stated that our rhythms of life became almost entirely dictated or “tuned up” like  machines, thanks to the invention of the clock tower (81). While I agree that humans are machine-like in that everyone seems to run on a schedule and go from one calendar appointment to the next, I disagree with the fact that he seems to be dehumanizing us entirely. Yes, we are reliant on machines in schedules, but I still think, even in 2017, that people find time to live in the present and enjoy their current life every once in a while.

Lastly, I really resonated and agreed with Rushkoff’s point about using our digital technologies to schedule our lives in a manner that matches with our physiology. Everyone is different and therefore, schedules and concepts of time will be different for each individual. Yes, we are constantly running on an internal and external clock, but everyone is still running on their own, individual schedule. As Rushkoff said, we have the ability to program our technologies to follow our own paces. 

[beccaruesch-blog]

Agreements and Disagreements with 2017 Predictions for Journalism

Assignment #3

February 17, 2017 

In Rebekah Monson’s piece titled, “Journalism is a Community-As-A-Service”, there were many points she brought up that I agreed with and believe to be relevant for journalism in 2017; however, there were also a few areas where I disagreed with her. 

The main point of this article was to convey the importance of engaged communities and how journalism needs to shift away from being flashy advertisements with a little bit of journalism, and more towards journalism with a few ads. She mentions that communities are more engaged than they ever have been before and I absolutely agree with this. After the election, people sought out their communities that they belonged to because they wanted to stand up and fight for that community. We can see a phenomenal example of this with the Women’s March, which brought millions of people marching for women’s rights not just around the United States, but around the world as well. 

I think that Monson’s point about journalism steering away from only focusing on ads and revenue is definitely a trend we will see in 2017. These engaged communities more than ever are eager to see real, solid journalism. I also think the press itself realize now more than ever just how important they are to give a voice to these communities. 

The one part of Monson’s article that I disagreed with was that throughout the whole piece, she made it seem like no one trusted journalism before and everyone just constantly rolled their eyes at it and instead went to take quizzes on Buzzfeed. While this might be a little true to some extent, I don’t really think it’s all that accurate. I know that I have always been a fan of journalism and relied on it to give me information about what was going on in the world, and most members of family and close friends felt this way as well. Overall trust in journalism may have fluctuated over the past recent years, but I don’t think that people completely lost trust in the media like Monson made it seem. 

The topic that I think we will see less of, which might be surprising to some, is referenced in Nathalie Malanarich’s “Making It Easy”. She talked mainly about how unless news outlets can get a notification sent straight to someone’s lock screen, then they will not be interested in the news or will become distracted by something else in the meantime. I do understand and mostly agree with the overall point that in 2017, people get distracted very easily and want information to be accessible in a matter of seconds. I also agree that this is how people have wanted to receive their journalism in recent years. However, I think that given everything going on with Trump’s attack on journalism and all the noise surrounding “fake news” that people will actually begin to be more interested in the entirety (or most of) the articles themselves. There is a constant, 24/7 cycle of information today and I actually believe that people are relying on good journalism now more than ever. They are our voice in this political atmosphere. They can expose and test people in power when they try to lie to us and put important issues behind the scenes. Yes, news alerts on lock screens are still extremely relevant, but I think instead of being distracted by something else after they receive it, people will actually start to swipe to open up and read the article itself. 

[beccaruesch-blog]

My Virtual Community

February 10, 2017

Assignment #2

One of the communities that I am a part of online right now is definitely a very liberal, activist community on Twitter. While reading the prompt, this was immediately the one that entered my mind, most likely because it is currently the one that has been consuming most of my time online. Overall, the community is definitely known for speaking their minds and standing up for what is right. I am definitely not as vocal as some people in the community, but I always make sure to stay and active and engaged with what’s going on. I have been a part of this community for about a year, although over the past couple months I have gotten much more involved than I ever have before. Politics and news have always been interests of mine, so entering this community came pretty naturally to me and is one that I am happy to be a part of. It gives me a chance to voice my opinion and hear the thoughts of other like-minded individuals. Opening up about something important to me never really came easy for me, and part of what allowed me to start doing this was engaging in this online community with people who shared the same views as I do. I understand this is a pretty easy thing to do when everyone thinks like you do, but being able to voice my thoughts in a community where I am comfortable, has allowed me to become a bit more comfortable voicing my thoughts and opinions in communities where I am the minority. 

There is also a more prominent interaction with the right-wing, conservative community than there ever has been before. People are speaking up not just within our community, but challenging the other side as well. These two communities will likely always disagree with one another, but watching the overall interaction increase as more debates over what and what is not constitutional continue to happen has been an important experience for myself. Yes, I have been exposed to a lot of posts and things that offend me personally, but I believe it’s more important than ever to be aware of what the other side of the argument  is. I do not foresee interaction between these two groups slowing down anytime soon.

The legacy of this community has certainly been shaped by history, much like many other communities on social platforms. Specifically, the most recent Presidential election was certainly historic and one that made the voice of this liberal, feminist community grow even louder. It’s hard to say whether this community has truly grown since the election, or if its previously silent members just came out from the “dark”. To me, it feels like the true legacy of this community is just beginning. The previous, less-vocal legacy has shaped the present state of our community by showing people that it’s okay to be loud, even if they were once silent before. Our community is growing, gaining traction and strength every day, and I can without hesitation say that this is a community I am quite proud to be a part of and will likely be a part of for the rest of my life. 

[beccaruesch-blog]

Black Feminism in the Digital Age - My Thoughts

February 7, 2017 

I was very intrigued while watching the lectures examining black feminism in the digital age. I will admit that this was something that I had not necessarily thought of before. I always thought of digital feminism as a positive thing and thought it raised awareness. While I still believe that this is true, I will definitely pay more attention to what kinds of messages white women are truly sending out when they participate in digital feminism. 

One phrase from the lecture that particularly stuck out to me was, “It’s like watching a rat race, knowing they won’t win”. Hearing those words was sort of a reality check for me. As a white woman, this is something that I have never experienced and I was very interested to learn that not all feminism is necessarily helping. I was aware that white feminism was sometimes more prominent or given more attention online, but I had never really thought about why or how this is effecting women of color on the internet. 

The one part that I disagreed with a little was when she mentioned that the women who are in power online, in terms of feminism, haven’t been listening. While I can definitely agree that a lot of women need to do a lot more to ensure equality for all, I don’t think that white women in power online have been ignoring what’s going on. Yes, some individuals might be, but I really don’t believe that all of them are overlooking this issue. I know that this is something that I hadn’t necessarily thought about before today, but at the same time, I don’t believe I was ignoring this issue. 

This was one of the most eye opening lectures I have heard in a while, and I will definitely be sure to keep in mind the position of power that I am in, and how I can use this to help all women in the future. 

[beccaruesch-blog]

The Filter Bubble Known As Facebook

Assignment 1 - Prompt A - January 31, 2017

As I scroll through my Facebook News Feed this evening, I see a range of many categories, including, but not limited to: politics, news, life updates (engagements, marriages), event invitations, pop culture, celebrities, religion, status updates from friends, The Boston Globe articles, New York Times articles, pictures of social gatherings from the weekend.

However, there is one particular category that currently outweighs the others by a significant portion; politics. In fact, the first three posts I see are from my close friends taking part in the #NoMuslimBan protest that went on in Copley Square this afternoon, and the first seven posts I see are about the ban in general. Overall, there was a pretty large lack of distribution in my News Feed, and part of me thinks that has a lot to do with timing. Given that there were numerous protests going on today, and that I am mostly friends with progressive liberals, almost all I saw on Facebook this afternoon was posts about the overturning the Muslim ban and photos and status updates of people posting about the protests. I tend to “like” a lot of my friends posts about this, because I agree with them, and therefore I am being shown news articles that relate to my stance on this issue. While watching Eli Praiser’s “Filter Bubble” TED Talk, there was something he said that really stood out to me, which was along the lines of “We’re shown what we want to see, but not what we need to see”. I definitely saw this on my News Feed today and honestly had not really thought about that until I heard him say those words. It made me realize that part of the reason I am seeing so little distribution on my Facebook feed is because I am only being shown what I want to see based on the posts and news articles that I like. Facebook doesn’t want me to go onto my feed and be upset with what I’m seeing, so they are not showing me posts about the other view points on the Muslim ban. This made me question whether or not I really had all in the information about this recent executive order that was put into effect. I have never read any article from Breitbart news about this issue, but I have read many from The Huffington Post, New York Times and The Boston Globe. 

It’s hard for me to say that my feed is having a negative impact on me, because I agree with everything I’m seeing. I’m not getting angry or sad when I see what people are posting. However, there was a point where I said to myself in my head “well why does the other side think this is a good idea?” I couldn’t answer that question, because I was quite frankly uninformed about the other stance and why they wanted to sign this executive order. The more I think about it, the more I believe it’s possible that my News Feed, on both Facebook and Twitter, is having a negative impact on me. I like to consider myself an educated and informed person, but how informed can I truly be if I am only being exposed to one side of every situation?