# Reading Responses
## Set 1 of 2

## Mar 19 Tue - Ads & Social Graph Background

Has online advertising changed the lives of business owners? Is it effective? Do cookies pose a threat as an invasion of privacy? While it can be perceived as such, I’d argue that it’s more of a convenience to have around. Perhaps it’s something we put in the shopping cart to buy later, but forgot to note down the website name, there’s no way to trace it back without the use of third-party cookies! The finding Nemo analogy presented in the video shows the perfect example of this. I’d also argue that it helps out business owners. With the use of tracking people's online visits and consistently seeing pop-ups of something we are interested in, it can be a temptation to click back on and maybe even purchase! In addition to cookies helping business owners out, online advertising is extremely effective to conducting a successful business. Whether it’s social media advertising, banners, Google Adwords, Marketplace Ads, or pop-ups, each of them in their unique way contributes to the success of the company and one way to do that would be through tracking algorithms. The question is how do advertisers get payment out of fulfilling the advertising duties to business owners? Some ways would be through cost per acquisition( when the advertiser pays only when a desired action is achieved), cost per click ( when an advertiser pays only when their ad is clicked on, giving them a site visitor), cost per mile (amount paid for every thousand impressions served of an advertisement), and paid search advertising (The advertisers pays only for each click of an advert.) Overall, it’s through third-party cookies and online advertising that promote brand awareness as well as help businesses market themselves successfully and effectively in hopes of improving sales.

## Set 2 of 2

## Mar 22 Fri - Manipulated

In recent times, there have been a lot of accusations regarding the credibility of online news sources. We are told not to believe the news that we see on Instagram posts, TMZ, and, nowadays, even common news channels due to bias. But why so? Why is it so bad to believe what we see? Joseph Reagle’s “Manipulated: ‘Which Ice Cube Is the Best?’” focuses on how users live in a world of digital manipulation, getting fed the types of news that they regularly engage in. According to Reagle, this sort of manipulation can skew people’s understanding of topics and further strengthen our beliefs on a topic that we are not very well informed about. For example, if you like a post regarding Pharrell Williams’ take on Balenciaga, Instagram’s algorithm will continuously feed you information about what Pharrell Williams thinks about those company’s take on fashion. As a result, you’ll continue to think that Pharrell Williams is the best designer. However, you’ll miss out on what other brands, such as Balenciaga, think about Pharrell Williams’ route of clothing. If Pharrell Williams releases a piece of “unique clothing” and your whole feed is about him, you never know if other companies are calling him out on possible fake reviews. You’ll continue to believe the lies. Geoffrey Fowler’s “Fake reviews are illegal and subject to big fines under new FTC rules” article provides information regarding the persistent issue of fake reviews on online platforms and products, threatening possible legal action for phony reviews. Fowler mentioned that there could be a fine of nearly $50,000 per fake review, and those fines could amass to a large lump sum. He claims that in an era where online reviews are the driving factor for completing a purchase, the widespread presence of fake reviews makes for untrustworthy authenticity of online feedback. In order to fix the issue, Fowler underscores the fact that the lawmakers in the United States are taking steps by trying to enforce the $50,000 penalty in order to reduce such misdirection. I guess Pharrell Williams really can’t sell those overrated clothing pieces anymore, huh?