###### tags: `CDA` # Reading Responses (Set 1) - Checklist for a [good reading response](https://reagle.org/joseph/zwiki/Teaching/Best_Practices/Learning/Writing_Responses.html) of 250-350 words - [ ] Begin with a punchy start. - [ ] Mention specific ideas, details, and examples from the text and earlier classes. - [ ] Offer something novel that you can offer towards class participation. - [ ] Check for writing for clarity, concision, cohesion, and coherence. - [ ] Send to professor with “hackmd” in the subject, with URL of this page and markdown of today’s response. ## Reading responses 5 out of 5 ### Oct 4 Fri - Cooperation How can gossip be related to climate change, the earth's biggest issue? Gossip feels like a minor factor in everyone's lives, it is almost impossible not to be involved in it or be intrigued by it. Climate change also affects our daily lives, however, it is not nearly involved in everyday conversation as much as gossip. Martin Nowak makes an excellent analogy when describing how littering became so common and damaged our planet: “If we see litter on a street we are less likely to worry about adding a little litter of our own. This pattern ends up hurting everybody” This dangerous mentality Nowak describes is how a super cooperator thinks. If someone else can do it, I can do it. Through this mentality came the popular adage that is told hundreds of times to children, "if your friend jumps off a bridge, would you do it too?" Yet, the question remains: How is gossip related to climate change? Super cooperators are a significant factor in climate change, and gossip functions in a similar manner. In Reading the Comments, Joseph Reagle mentions that grooming is "an activity through which alliances are forged and disputed resolved". Gossip is used to interweave within a large social circle. Forming tighter bonds with those they gossip with and tearing down the ones they are talking about. The short-term individual benefit that comes with gossip is exactly the same as a super cooperator. Everyone else gossips, and so can I. ### Oct 7 Fri - Social networks Through various experiments conducted in individual ways, every human on Earth is connected via roughly six degrees of separation. This concept is difficult to visualize and truly understand. Rheingold references a broadway play that makes an interesting analogy on the connectedness of the world "The President of the United States, a gondolier in Venice, just fill in the names" (192). If all humans are separated by under ten degrees of separation why isn't the world much closer? The answer to this question can be related to the FS filtering blog post. Filters are one reason why the 6 degrees of separation feel so much further than they truly are. Filters force people with similar mindsets to be together, holding people back from meeting others outside their bubble. Yet, Rheingold claims that this "small world" network is an "invisible force driving many of the social and economic phenomena manifesting today" (202). One reason why the small world concept is a significant factor in social lives is people are constantly trying to increase their social circle, increasing their social capital. Social capital is easier to understand because it can be seen every day. People with similar values find each other allowing those people to thrive, all working for a common goal. Rheingold references a book by Putnam that mentions, "[there is] a steady decline in social capital in the United States in recent decades (fewer people bowling in leagues, for example)" (218). The fact that social capital is decreased yet filter bubbles are only growing stronger is very interesting to me. Filter bubbles force you to find people with similar interests, yet social capital, a network of people with similar minds is decreasing. ### Oct 11 Tue - Haters A scary fact about social media is that when asked about the bullying issues on Facebook, an executive says, "It's very difficult to know what is a bullying post or comment, and what is perhaps a lighthearted joke". In today's age with the huge factor social media is in everyday life, an answer such as "it is difficult" cannot be sufficient. Knowing that companies cannot overcome the problem of online haters is concerning. However, the inability to come up with a solution makes it clear the issue is the people posting the content itself. In Reading the Comments, Reagle mentions various studies which prove that through anonymity, humans will have no issue with cheating or lying for personal gain. At the end of the day, anonymity seems to be the largest factor to hate online. If people were not protected by anonymity, they would not say the things they say. Another issue with bullying online Reagle mentions is, "the labels of troll, hater, and bully have lost some of their descriptive potency". Identifying someone as a bully online does not hold the same weight as calling someone a bully in person. The act of bullying is made easier through anonymity and getting called a bully does not have a significant impact, further social media companies will struggle to identify the bully. Clearly, the problem is overwhelmingly difficult to solve and trying to solve the problem at its roots is nearly impossible. If the only solution is getting someone to not send a hateful comment, there will have to be many changes in society and culture. ### Oct 14 Fri - Exam Review Questions: --- 1. True or False? DNS translates an IP address to a hostname. 2. What is Sarnoff's network value? a.N^2 b.N c.2^N Short answer/essay questions 3. What are the differences between Spaced, Interleaved, and Varied practice? 4. Give an example of depersonalization and how it can make a "good person act badly". <br/> Answers: --- <br/> 1. False, DNS translates a hostname to an IP address 2. b, Sarnoff's value is N, where N = listeners/nodes 3. Spaced practice is where you recall information when you are on the verge of forgetting it. Interleaved practice is where you mix skills together, switching between concepts. Finally, varied practice is when you mix approaches to one certain skill. 4. The Stanford prison experiment is one example of how powerful depersonalization can be. "Good people" were chosen to act as guards in a fake prison experiment. Soon enough, the guards started acting horrible and abusive. Depersonalization is where your values or morals are changed. ### Oct 20 Fri - Gender, Communication, and Contribution The Model View Culture quotes an interesting point that, "individuals refuse to engage in cultural practices that originate across racialized lines". This quote that ties together many previous readings and concepts we have covered, specifically, filter bubbles. Rituals and rites play a significant role in people's lives and identities. Rituals establish cultural identity and bring people together with ancestors, refusing to experience other cultures is a sign of the breakdown of social order. James Damore's memo can also be related to past concepts we have covered, his memo can be seen as a form of mis-information. The science behind a lot of his claims is not fully proven and a lot of the facts are not true. The facts are false but Damore does not know it to be so, however, the nature of his claims and the news coverage of the memo causes the claims to be dangerous. Many people could have read his memo and believed all the science behind it to be completely true, causing damage. Overall, Damore's memo shows the power mis-information has, and how if people are not careful and think critically they can easily be manipulated. The Krasnova article provides actual facts to prove there are some differences between gender groups. The authors state that for social networks gender groups are the easiest to identify and play a huge role in how ads operate. Obviously, an ad selling feminine products would want to sell to a specific gender. The fact that social networks have the ability to discern between genders proves there are some differences. Reading the Krasnova paper after the memo provides an example of how to properly explain scientific data.