Kassandra

She/her/hers

[notkassandra]

Blog Post 11/20

Short Answer Quiz #3

1. Determine what kind of social media site you are creating. Then answer the following questions, explaining your decisions.

The social media site I would be creating an ethical algorithm model for is a microblogging social media platform called Vines Connected. A social media platform on which registered users who are minorities in higher education/academia, can share posts publicly on their journey through higher education. This platform will be dedicated to inspire, support and promote diversity in higher education. This site will aim towards creating a community among minorities reaching higher education through sharing of experiences in academia, sharing of tips among other fellow students and sharing of academia memes.

2. What will you measure?

I will measure the age of users as older users can provide great input and advice for the younger users who are about to begin higher education. I will also measure the field of study users belong to since there are many fields within academia and each have their own adversities. Additionally, I will measure the amount of likes and comments discussion posts are circulating to spotlight the popular post of the week that may provide useful information or just make someone laugh. Measuring the amount of likes and comments will allow users to connect and relate with one another.

3. How will you weigh these factors?

The most important factor is the comment as it allows for building a community. If there are no comments, there is no engagement. Likes would be the least important factor as it does not provide any form of communication. Likes provide the least of engagement besides acceptance and reassurance for users.

4. What factors will not be measured?

I will not measure the location/region of the users for safety reasons. I also do not think it is a necessary factor to help build a community among minorities in higher education.  

5. How will the model learn or adapt to new information?

The model will learn and adapt to new information by displaying newer posts at the top of the page as the user logs into the site. Additionally, users will be able to translate posts to their preferred language.

6. What biases will be built into the model? How will this change the algorithm’s outcome?

Biases that will be built into the model will be the block and reporting feature, where users can block an individual or report a post. Additionally, other biases that will be built into the model are moderators that control what post to flag and delete that are deemed as inappropriate and offensive to users.  

7. How will the model live out the (un)ethical practices we have discussed?

The model will live out unethical practices we have discussed through users discussing their experiences in these predominantly white institutions. This model will amplify the voices of minorities in higher education. This social media platform will act as a virtual homeplace for users. Additionally, users can provide resources and credible information to each other.

[notkassandra]

Blog Post 11/11

What is a virtual homeplace and how is it similar to textual poaching?

Virtual homeplace is defined as a place that offers consolation and nurture, where one can seek a safe space away from the racial and sexual oppression that is present in one’s daily life (Lee,2015). The institutional construction surrounding the Black female body that led to the racialization of hair styles, resulted in Black females reclaiming the Black female body. Through the virtual homeplace of hair bloggers, a safe virtual environment is created where Black females can feel empowered through shared affirmations and mutual experiences. Here Black females come together to share knowledge and recreate a renewed sense of self through the empowerment and uplifting of fellow women. Virtual homeplace and textual poaching are similar as the two both create a virtual environment where people can seek comfort and voice their experience with racial oppression among people who share common experiences and interests.    

What are online communities and what purpose do they serve?

Online communities are virtual spaces that center around empowerment and building relationships within marginalized communities. Here, people with similar ethnic backgrounds, beliefs and interests come together to establish a community through discussions and of sharing experiences. These online communities are important because they allow for the building of support systems and new friendships.

How do these three ethnic online communities capitalize over their users?

The three ethnic online communities presented in McLaine’s article highlight the dynamic of profit over purpose. The owners of these online communities serve the community, but capitalizes from the online users. The capitalizing of users is done through the large amount of ads showcased on the site content. Instead of being more selective on advertisers that are minority-friendly, the owners of these online communities allow for bank ads. The problem with these bank ads is the long history of racially discriminatory banking loan practices. These ads do not empower nor encourage these minority communities.

What is the Gamergate Movement?

The Gamergate movement masks their driving efforts on the ethical failures of gaming journalism, when it is clearly thrived on hate. The movement effectively began because rumors of female game developer, Zoe Quinn, and her sex life. The Gamergate movement amplified by the hate led to the harassment and death threats of Zoe Quinn, which was all due to cheating allegations from her ex-boyfriend. The supporters of the Gamergate movement do not want to discuss how games portray women and minorities, or how the industry treats those same communities, which shows the privilege these supporters have, as they are able to enjoy games that are made for them. The vile behavior exhibited by the Gamergate supporters is deeply embedded in the video game culture. This harassment is prominent in the objective game mode of Search and Destroy in Call of Duty, where two teams consisting of six players face off each other in six rounds. Here, users are able to use the voice game chat feature to talk to each other. I have experienced this vile behavior first hand on COD lobbies from men, from being called a dishwasher to being told to go make them a sandwich to offensive slurs to catcalls. It’s insane how some guys can’t handle losing to a girl on COD without raging or being toxic. Due to this vile behavior, I generally don’t play this objective mode if my friends are not online.

Hathaway, J. (2014). What is Gamergate and Why? An Explainer for Non-geeks. Gawker.

Lee, L. (2015). Virtual Homeplace: (Re)constructing the Body Through Social Media. 91-111.

McLaine, S. (2003). Ethnic Online Communities: Between Profit and Purpose. 233-254.  

[notkassandra]

Blog Post 11/03

How does textual poaching occur in social media?

Textual poaching refers to the creation of an online community that is geared towards resisting and addressing dominant degrading narratives placed on black and brown bodies by mainstream mass media (Lee,2017). An example of textual poaching is Black Twitter, a subculture within Twitter. Through Black Twitter, people of color have space where they can voice their anger and frustration or simply have discussion about similar interests such as a television series. Through the use of hashtags, textual poaching becomes a tool for addressing and challenging social issues of racial bias and discrimination.      

How have people employed Twitter to aid in social movements?

With the protests that have been ongoing during the pandemic, Twitter has become a news source of broadcasting the protests. Activists have created threads of protests footage that highlight the excessive force used by police on protesters. These recordings are rarely used in the mainstream news coverage of these protests, as the mainstream news media likes to report on the looting and rioting instead, which furthers the dominant degrading narratives placed on black and brown bodies. Through Twitter, information about how to deal with pepper spray irritation was spread online to many activists, as well as the suggested clothing and protection gear to bring. Informative videos on the protests in Hong Kong and how protesters there used innovative tactics to organize, such as extinguishing tear gas, were also circulated. Twitter serves as a tool for resisting and challenging social injustice through the accessibility of information and resources for activists.

How is organization/mobilization deployed as internet activism?

Mobilization is the use of web sites and emails that provides information for the readers to implement and to take action for a cause. Here email templates can be created for allies to send to their local leaders, such as mayors and/or governors. The email templates contain a pre-written call to action letter for social issues such as defunding the police department. These pre-written email templates are easy to access and fairly straightforward. The users just need to add their name and the city they reside in and send to their local leaders. Emails are also used to mobilize and organize through the distribution of calls for a demonstration with a given place and time.

Why does Fuchs believe that the internet does not create social movements?

Fuchs argues that the mobilization of the internet is not inherently responsible for creation of social movements. Fuchs believes that the people who are rooted in economic, political and ideological structures of society are responsible for the emergence of movements (Fuchs,2014). The Tahrir Data Project highlights how activists found the internet less important and less informative tools in the revolution. Here, Egyptian revolutionaries considered phone communication and face-to-to-face communication, more informative and more engaging for participating in the protests. Viewing the internet as a form responsible for protests and revolutions, ignores the limitations and contradictions that are embedded in the internet. Such limitations and contradictions of the internet include the surveillance of poor minority communities and the automated eligibility systems that use the personal data among these communities to discourage them from the use of public resources.

Fuchs, C. (2014). Social Media and Communication Power. In Social Media: A Critical Introduction (pp. 69-94). London: Sage Publications

Lee, L. (2017). Black Twitter: A Response to Bias in Mainstream Media. Social Sciences. 6(1):26.

Vegh, S. (2003). Classifying Forms of Online Activism The Case of Cyberprotests against the World Bank.

[notkassandra]

Blog Post 10/28

What is a troll? Based on the definition of a troll, do you believe Grandpa Wiggly falls under as a troll?

In the article by Phillips, trolling is defined as someone who is driven by lulz, exploitability, and remains in the essences of anonymity. Lulz is used as a comedic and visual aesthetic. If one fails to generate and/or celebrate lulz, one’s behavior does not qualify as trolling. The concept of exploitability refers to nothing should be taken seriously. This allows for trolls to carry out and justify their malicious acts. The celebration of anonymity refers to the ability to keep one’s offline identity vague, which allows trolls to engage in behaviors that would not be acceptable in a public setting. Others have defined trolling as having the harmful intent and transgress online community’s guidelines, as described in the Bergstrom’s article. With the story of Grandpa Wiggly, someone who developed a false online identity on Reddit, the question of whether he falls under the characterization of a troll, arises. I believe that Grandpa Wiggly does not fit the profile of a troll because his false online identity did not cause any harm to the other online users, rather it was a performative act in the form of entertainment.

How do websites like Reddit and 4chan allow trollers to remain anonymous and thrive in these online communities?

To create an account on Reddit is fairly simple since there is no email required to be provided. This lack of personal identification information on Reddit accounts allows for users to maintain multiple accounts readily available. The lack of information on Reddit accounts also adds to the essence of anonymity, as it allows for users to remain anonymous. This anonymity allows users to keep their offline identity concealed from the other users, which also allows for them to behave in a way that is outside of their offline persona. Since there is no email connected with the account, it is harder to trace back to who the account belongs to, leaving their identity anonymous. 4chan on the other hand, further allows for complete anonymity, as there is no username or logging in required to participate in the discussions. 4chan keeps no history on discussion board replies, so there is no way of tracing back to one. This further encourages trolls to spew hate online without having the fear of their identity being exposed.

How does trolling result in the harming of another?

The story of Leslie Jones’s online abuse highlights how trolling can become online harassment. The start of the trolling began soon after the release of the trailer for the new Ghostbusters reboot featuring an all-female cast. Leslie Jones was verbally attacked by misogynistic and racist tweets that ultimately lead to her temporary abandonment of her Twitter account. Leslie Jones also experienced trolls using her name as Twitter accounts, to pretend to be her. This account tweeted offensive tweets, that tarnished her reputation as a few believed it was her tweeting these tweets. Leslie Jones’s online abuse shows how trolling can be damaging, as they can remain anonymous, use someone’s identity, ruin their image, and take an emotional toll on one.

How is trolling performed on other online spaces?

Trolling can be seen in the video game, Grand Theft Auto, where players can join the online realm and choose and customize their avatar to their liking. Here, many male players use the female avatars to troll other male players into believing they are playing with a female player. When a female player enters GTA online, they receive much more attention and invites. Other ways of trolling being dominant in GTA is through the act of lying to other users of doing a money drop for them. Money drops are when a user drops a large amount of money through hacking the game. This allows for players to become rich in the game without having to do the hard work of missions. Money dops can result in being banned from the game. Here trolls use money drops to attract players, which then they proceed to killing the players in the game instead of fulfilling their promises. This leads to the players who were lied to, getting off of GTA online or finding a different online server out of anger and embarrassment.

Bergstrom, K. (2011). “Don’t feed the troll”: Shutting down debate about community expectations on Reddit.com. First Monday, 16(8)

Duggan, M. (2014). “Online Harassment” Pew Research Center, pp. 1-11

Philips, W. (2015). Defining terms: The Origins and Evolution of Subculture Trolling. This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things: Mapping the Relationship between Online Trolling and Mainstream Culture. pp. 55-87.

Silma, A. (2016). A Timeline of Leslie Jones’s Horrific Online Abuse. The Cut.

[notkassandra]

Blog Post 10/14

How are online identities racialized and gendered through screen names?

Screen names serve as evidence for gendered occurrences existing online. This is shown through the users who self-identify as women, largely choosing names such as MistWraith, WarMaiden, Norwgian14Beauty, White Rose, etc., whereas those who self-identify as men choose the names like Ironman, etc. (Daniel,2009). Here we see the trend of men choosing usernames that are based on heroes, while women’s usernames are based on beauty. Thus, lead to gender stereotypes being portrayed. Screen names assist to imply racial and gender identity. We see a trend in translocal whiteness in the discussion of what inspired their screen name. Translocal whiteness refers to white people from a range of nations and global regions choosing to self-identify as white.  

How do white supremacy websites highlight a patriarchal structure built within their online community?

White supremacy forums reflect a predominance of white men who hold power and roles in leadership and moral authority to perpetrate racist ideologies in both the print-only and online era. The internet has allowed the women in these racist spaces in creating their own forum post of “ladies-only” discussions. These forums serve as a resistance to the views that male leaders of this movement promote and highlight the gendered structure of the online communication. In the mixed gender forums, women generally are silent by the presence of men controlling the online conversations. The women receive fewer responses from others at this setting compared to men, which discourages women from sharing their inputs. This emphasizes the lack of power the women hold in these spaces. The ladies-only discussion posts underline white liberal feminist rhetoric. The participatory media era allows women to challenge the patriarchy within these white supremacy sites, whereas in the print-only era of white supremacy, white hypermasculinity went unchallenged.  

How are females portrayed in the online gaming realm?

The representation of female characters is relatively low in the video game realm, but when video games do include a female character, the character is hypersexualized. Female characters like Lara Croft and the females in Mortal Kombat are created with huge breasts, unrealistically thin waists, and figure hugging costumes. Female characters are presented as objects of the male gaze. The use of the female body emphasizes a simple-minded understanding of gender. The hypersexualization of female characters constructs unrealistic ideal body standards.

How are humans similar to cyborgs?

Haraway defines cyborg as a hybrid of machine and organism that was created outside the structure of gender norms. Here we can see the gender fluidity with the cyborg. Haraway states that “the boundary between science fiction and social reality is an optical illusion” meaning cyborgs are not creation of the future rather cyborgs have been present in modern medicine. We are cyborgs, whether unconsciously or consciously knowing. As technology advances, we start to become alike to cyborgs through humans working with new sets of technology and machines.

Daniels, J. (2009). Gender, White Supremacy, and the Internet. Cyber Racism: White Supremacy Online and the New Attack on Civil Rights (pp. 61-86). Rowman & Littlefield.

Haraway, D. (1991). A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century. Simians, Cyborgs, and Women: The Reinvention of Nature (pp. 149-181). Routledge.

O’Riordan, K. (2006). Gender Technology, and Visual Cyberculture. Critical Cyberculture Studies (243-252). New York University Press.

[notkassandra]

Blog Post 10/07

What is an example on social media that highlights race itself as a tool to stratify and sanctify social injustice?

Twitter’s algorithm in banning tweets and suspending accounts tends to protect and uphold white supremacy. Twitter was quick on banning tweets that wish harm or death in the light of Trump’s COVID diagnosis. With Twitter banning these tweets, Twitter has failed to address the death threats directed towards female politicians, particularly with minority backgrounds. Twitter did not intervene when these threats were made towards female politicians, like they did with Trump’s death wishes tweets. This emphasizes the discrepancy in Twitter’s administering its policies against hate and abuse.

What is tokenism and how is it used as an algorithm?

Tokenism is the act of using people of color as a symbolic effort to have racial representation. Tokenism is used as a tool in constructing the illusion of progress. This can be seen in the use of Black celebrities as marketing strategy for tech companies, to promote their products. These technological products that are promoted have the potential to develop racial inequities (Benjamin, 2019). These tech companies sell and target diversity to boost revenue and capitalize off of Black celebrities.  

How do White people benefit from white invisibility?

White invisibility refers to White people being reminded far less frequently than others about race. It is the privilege of White people to extract themselves as raceless and not having to think about race. While marginalized groups cannot render themselves as raceless. This privilege is built into our social institutions and systems of power and white invisibility renders White people from seeing the unearned advantages. White people do not see the racial inequities because it is not in their daily lives and is hidden from them by the way the system is set up to be.  

How do videos like “Sh*t People Say” reinforce stereotypes?  

In 2012, “Sh*t People Say” videos were successful and widely popular. These videos featured male comedians who portrayed women sometimes women of color with one-way conversations. These videos consist of men constructing their own portrayal of what they believe women are like and appear to be. These videos tend to misrepresent women of color and underline stereotypes by subjecting women of color to be viewed as domineering or ghetto. These videos were seen as having fun and making jokes, but in hindsight the videos were racist and sexist.

Benjamin, R. (2019). Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code.  Cambridge: Polity, 41-88.

Senft, T., Noble, U. N. (2014). Race and Social Media. The Social Media Handbook, 107-125.

[notkassandra]

Blog Post: 09/30

What are the consequences of online white supremacy?

The digital era has enable white supremacist to globally link effortlessly among the millions and millions of racist sites, to promote their ideologies. The internet allows for white supremacist to promote their ideologies freely, as they hide behind a screen anonymously. The widespread of white supremacy online has contributed to the easy accessibility and global linkages of white supremacy resources, helps perpetuate harm in real life to those of marginalized communities, and has generated challenges when trying to honor racial equality. The hate spewed from white supremacist exceeds from the digital platform to cause damage in the real world. Just three years ago, white supremacist groups held a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia to save the statue of the Confederate general Robert E. Lee, where white supremacists marched with wielding torches. This rally ended with a car deliberately plowing into a crowd of people who opposed the rally, resulting in one death and injuring. This example helps indicate how white supremacy in the digital world can help transcend hate and harm into the real world affecting the lives of human beings.  

How does the game Shadow Warrior reinforce racist ideologies?

J. Ow utilizes Shadow Warrior to depict racism and colonialism in the video game. The cyborg in the game rapes and commits genocide. This game is played from a first person perspective, which places the gamer into the role of colonizer. The game mixes Chinese and Japanese nationalities, which seems ignorant in the sense that the creator makes it seem as if the two are the same. The creators have the mentality of “if you don’t like it , don’t buy it”, which enables this racist behavior to continue to flourish in the video game industry. Referring back to week four discussion of predominantly white male bodies upholding the roles of software engineers, who create these racist computer codes, this can be connected to the predominately white roles who create these video games. The lack of diversity and inclusion, allows for the enforcement of false narratives of people of color in video games and adds to the racist ideologies in video games.  

How is our identity reflected in cyberspace?

Cyberspace adds to the ability for people to remain anonymous surrounding their identities in real life. You may log in and not have anyone know your race or gender, but this does not allow for you to escape your identity that you hold offline. However, we are already shaped by the importance of race offline, that we cannot resist to bring our values and experiences as we log on. We continue to build our identity online through designing an avatar, creating a username, etc.  

How is racism present in online video games?

The video game industry has increasingly become a popular media, with the added feature of being able to play online with friends and people around the world. This online feature has created a racist and toxic environment for people of color. For example, Call of Duty lobbies demonstrate this racist behavior by the use of racial slurs being blurted out exponentially throughout the game. For players who choose to have a rainbow calling card, which is shown after you kill someone, offensive slurs are said towards that player.  

Daniels, J. (2009). White Supremacy in the Digital Era. Cyber Racism: White Supremacy Online and the New Attack on Civil Right (pp. 3-16). Rowman & Littlefield.

Kolko, B. E., Nakamura, L., & Rodman, G. B. (2000). Race in Cyberspace: An Introduction. Race in Cyberspace (pp. 1-13). Routledge.

Ow, J. A. (2000). The Revenge of the Yellowface Cyborg Terminator: The Rape of Digital Geishas and the Colonization of Cyber-Coolies in 3D Realms’ Shadow Warrior. Race in Cyberspace (pp. 51-68) Routledge.

[notkassandra]

Blog Post 09/16

How do algorithms of search engines reinforce racism?

Google is best used to access information based on relative locations of certain fast food joints, but when accessing knowledge on abstract ideas on race, Google fails to perform. Google’s search engine has failed marginalized consumers with the misrepresentation and sexualization of women of color. The mathematical formulations behind the search engines are created by human beings. The search results reveal how sexism and racism are embedded in the structure and language of technology. The tech world in Silicon Valley, which is primarily made up of white male bodies, creates these algorithms that are stemmed from the creators’ views that many of which promote sexist and racist attributes into their computer codes.  

How does digital redlining affect marginalized communities?

Technological redlining refers to how data collection is used to profile consumers online. This data is used to perpetuate false conclusions and racially motive decision making towards marginalized communities. These false conclusions are built on assumptions and prejudices of people of color. This technological redlining can create the inequities of access to internet services to areas where marginalized groups reside in.

How do these racial codes affect marginalized groups?

Racial codes are created as a tool to facilitate and control marginalized communities. The gang database consists of Black and Latinx bodies, which 87 percent of the names listed belong to babies under the age of 1 (Benjamin,2019). This racial coding mistake resulted from zip codes of where marginalized groups reside in and racially coded names. This discriminatory design results in heavy surveillance and the lost in a number of rights for marginalized groups. Once someone is on the list, it is difficult to be removed. This can affect their likelihood of finding a stable job.

How can we remove these racist algorithms that are embedded in the digital era?

As white elite Americans were the first to use and benefit from the internet as opposed to minority groups, these white male bodies primarily take up the roles in tech companies. In efforts in removal of racism and sexism that is embedded in the computer codes, one must address the digital divide. Tech companies who are predominantly composed of white male bodies, must reevaluate their hiring process to a process that embraces inclusion of people of color and women. With a more diverse tech group, this can help eliminate the racial bias in the computer codes and allow technology to speak for the needs of marginalized communities.

Benjamin, R. (2019). Race after Technology: Abolitionist tools for the new Jim code. Cambridge: Polity.

Everett, A. (2002). The Revolution Will Be Digitized: Afrocentricity and the Digital Public Sphere. Social Text, 125-146.

Noble, S. (2018). Algorithms of oppression: How search engines reinforce racism. New York University Press.

[notkassandra]

Blog Post 09/09

How has the digital era created unfair algorithms targeted towards working class minority groups when accessing public services?

With the technology advancements, we believe everyone’s life should be more comfortable and easier. Virginia Eubanks argues that with the rise of digital technology, it has become easier to surveil and police poor working-class communities of people of color. Automated eligibility systems use the personal data among these communities to discourage them from the use of public resources (Eubanks,2018). This constricts poor marginalized communities from accessing the resources that they are desperately in need of. This automated eligibility system harms poor working-class people of color by criminalization and discrimination of the poor.

How have you seen people use technology to their advantage when facing the injustice of public services?  

The American health system has failed the American people tremendously, having them to rely on financial support on funding websites such as GoFundMe in efforts to pay for medical debt. GoFundMe allows people to raise money for any financial hardship undergoing. Social media has allowed people to publicize their GoFundMe accounts to gain exposure to new sets of donations. With a simple retweet on Twitter, one can receive multiple donations from those who encounter the post.

How has the internet become a beneficial tool for resisting gender normative systems?  

The internet has provided valuable resources and safe space to communicate these means for the QLBT community. Here, transgendered women can access community-based transgendered websites that allow them have available valuable information on physicians and hormones required (Daniels, 2009).The community-based websites make the information readily accessible for everyone to understand instead of medical articles that are sometimes too complex to understand. The internet creates an actively engaged platform to speak on the behalf of gender transition by providing reliable information via the use of digital images and trans-friendly physicians. These online websites serve as a tool in resisting hierarchies of gender.

How is internetworked global feminism used as an instrument to address gender and racial inequality?

The internet has provided a great outlet for women of color to have a platform that voices their activism, as often they are excluded from the conversation. The internet has allowed us to connect globally with women from different countries who strive toward gender equality. The interconnection of all women globally, creates enduring discussion on issues of feminism and gender politics, as well as keeps us well informed on these issues on a global scale. This engaging online community created, allows for a space safe for resisting the gender oppression that they experience offline on a daily basis.

Daniels, J. 2009. Rethinking Cyberfeminism(s): Race, Gender, and Embodiment. WSQ: Women's Studies Quarterly 37(1), 101-124. doi:10.1353/wsq.0.0158.

Eubanks, Virginia, 2018. Automating Inequality: How High-tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor. New York, NY: St.

[notkassandra]

Blog Post 09/02

How is Slacktivism seen today?

Fuchs defines slacktivism as the means of publicizing online activism, thinking you have made a meaningful impact when in fact there is no political or social impact (Fuchs,2013). For example, at the start of the BLM movement of this year, many people posted a black square with the hashtag BLM onto their Instagram. Many believe they were showing solidarity with the movement and had the best intentions, but this black square posted had no social impact. Consequently, the black square removed the accessibility of the resources under the hashtag BLM.  

How does social media affect protests and revolution?

With the increased police surveillance on social media, activists run into the fear of being arrested. The broadcasting of protests on social media, exposes the faces of activists making them an easy target for government officials. Many government officials use social media to identify protestors. What we post online can be used against us.

How are we exploited through social media?

Through our online behavior of “checking in” into locations and liking certain pages, these social media applications gather data about us. We are desensitized to the fact of how willingly and actively we share our interests, locations, and personal information to these larger corporations. Social media applications such as Facebook sell our data to third parties, to market ads that are specifically aimed towards us and our interests. Facebook users are exploited through Facebook privatizing off of our interests, as the users create the monetary value.

How does news media perpetuate racial bias?

With the lack of inclusivity in the news media, the racial bias in news coverage is still a persistent issue. With journalists reporting on issues they have little to no relations or experiences in, inherently produces a misrepresentation of it. This misrepresentation done by the press, distorts the lives and events of people of color. Using the BLM movement as an example, the news coverage on this movement undermines the message the protests are trying to convey. The news media rather than broadcast systemic racism focuses on the looting and rioting, which perpetuates a different narrative of the movement.

Fuchs, Christian. 2014 Social Media: Critical Introduction. 2nd Edition. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.

Gonzalez J., & Torres, J. 2012. News for all the people: the epic story of race and the American media. Verso.

[notkassandra]

Technology Mishaps

My first three years of college, I rode the bus to campus. I would always use this transit app that route my trip to campus with the name of buses I had to take. When I first started using the app, I did not know that there was a difference between the 57 and the 57x bus. Turns out the two buses both take a different routes. Since the 57 bus arrived earlier than the 57x bus, I took the 57. At first, the bus was on the correct route. It wasn’t until it took a different turn before arriving on Orangethorpe. Luckily the bus driver was kind enough to let me get off, but now I had to re-route my commute and figure out where to catch the next bus to get to school on time.