Assignment 1 is due on Monday January 30th. It should be roughly 750-1000 words in length. All assignments will have equal weight.
Write an essay about a social problem or issue associated with the use of computers and/or computer technology, and try to relate the issue you write about to one of the week 1 readings. Choose a topic that you find particularly compelling and try to make the reference to the readings explicit. Assume the audience for your writing owns and/or uses a computer, but not that they are computer literate (in particular, a reader might not be a cs major).
Explain the problem, why someone might find it compelling, and how it relates, in some fundamental way to the use of computers or computing technology. Please ensure to provide appropriate references in your writing.
Your essay should have a title and it should be largely self contained, that is, please explain the context and any assumptions needed to understand what the problem is, and why it is a compelling one.
The purpose of this assignment is to introduce me to your writing style, and to provide feedback to you. The assignment requires little background other than some knowledge of current events and social trends (if you use technical details, however, please ensure their accuracy), and include reference to your source material. (Please pick a standard accademic reference format and use that throughout your essay. At a minimum, references should include article or book title, date published, pages, author, etc.)