Here are some notes to remind you of the Readings of the Week, on the Internet.
Trust and authority: - we want to be heard immediately - whose voice can be trusted? - who has authority? - power to the marginalized - slick presentation deceives
Google and Fair Use, Right to be Forgotten: - display of copyrighted material online - Youtube taking down after complaints for instance (is this a reasonable system?) - everyday people want the right to be forgotten: can one really ever be forgotten once out there? - allowing Google the right to delete: reasonable?
Wikipedia: - the rise of Wikipedia (as reliable as Britannica? do you love it or not?) - journalists told not to cite Wikipedia (and do not cite for CS492: go to the original sources mentioned, read and cite) - disclaimer on content on their site (enough?) - why does the group edit work?
Embrace or refuse the Internet: - Kelly: the web is primarily for us to socialize and share personal stories: think less of the commerce and more of the "community" and embrace it - Carr: we should be more critical of our use of the Internet: we skim instead of think deeply, we thrive on information - no attention span - focus on immediacy - such a central role in our lives - our brains rewired
Fake news: - origin of misinformation: beyond traditional media - everyone can produce content - echo chambers are promoted (environment, health) - proliferate in Facebook and other social media - diffusion of rumours - bias - cyberdepdency - ageing population
Internet addiction and mental health: - inability to get off the Internet - one's life totally online - affecting health - difficult to just remove the source of the problem - social media and depressive side-effects: limiting use may help - may feel worse about yourself (comparison) - loneliness amplified
Tech company control: - tech giants governing the Internet - power in their hands (breaches) - should there be antitrust legislation? - what data protection possible? - big data in the hands of a few
The origins of the Internet (video): - how much of what was imagined in 1994 has now come to pass? - what parts of the video resonated with you? (note that Eric Schmidt of Sun Systems in the video became the CEO of Google) - the anecdote about wanting to fast forward the setting of the sun
ANNOUNCEMENTS: A1 due on May 21 at 10am (Eastern) -- A2 (sheet) available to download from Handouts by May 22 classtime -- A2 due May 28 at 10am (Eastern) -- read the papers on Privacy for next week (skip over or skim some of the longer ones) -- Handouts page will soon have explanation of May 29 class