# Wiki Tutorial #### Tessa Baum, January 21, 2021 The reading written in 2019 by Danah Boyd, ["Agnotology and Epistemological Fragmentation"](https://points.datasociety.net/agnotology-and-epistemological-fragmentation-56aa3c509c6b), calls on its readers (educators, scholars, students, and those that care about the web and its content) to produce good and reliable content for internet users. Boyd outlines the daunting issues that come with using the web. One topic, written in the article's title, is agnotology: the tactical creation of ignorance. I originally thought that ignorance was passive, something that is caused by the lack of actively trying to learn and progress. But Boyd's explanation of how the powerful can easily manipulate and skew the information being shown to web viewers has changed my mind. By figuring out what Boyd calls the "information ecosystem", web users can maliciously utilize "data voids" to direct other web users to information that pushes extremist and harmful content. I see now that ignorance, or maybe it’s creation, is in fact extremely active and in an evil way *smart*, which is quite an oxymoron. This makes me think, *what now?* How might we continue to monitor the web to prevent media spectacles like what happened in New Zealand (Boyd, 2019) without others arguing that it is stepping over the line into censorship? Is it even right to argue that the restriction of such content is censorship when it is *clearly* (to most) detrimental to society and its well-being? Boyd also emphasized how strategically spreading said content is more than half the battle. However, searching for an inkling of a solution, I wonder if using the same exploitive tactics against these mass media manipulators is attacking the issue from only one direction. Boyd stated the alarming ease in which one can fall down a rabbit hole of propaganda. Although it is hard to fault the user who makes two clicks and is already spiraling down, maybe by how we educate ourselves and others on how to search and verify the content, we can create a more bi-directional solution. I remember from middle school being told that [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia) was unreliable and could never be considered a good source. Now of course I would never source a wiki page in my scholarly research papers, however, after reading this article (and after learning about the *quite* dedicated wiki contributors) it is safe to say that there are many other unsafe wormholes on the web, and maybe the obligatory "No wiki" rant needs to be elaborated on in schools. ![I'm sorry for this gif, but I could not think of another image to put, and sometimes I wish I could type this fast, or maybe I wish I was Jim Carrey...His life seems like it's in order.](https://media1.tenor.com/images/8ae2d450312857400fa2074ecd9bcd07/tenor.gif?itemid=4680550) ### Here is the video that the article was based on <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xFPJxGxXFK4?start=1269" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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Reading Response 3/5 (Set 1)

Tessa Baum Jan. 26 -- Chayko, 2017, Superconnected, “More benefits and hazards of 24/7 superconnectedness” With the internet as our new “village green” (p. 178), our communication, time, and attention are more flexible than ever. Direct access to loved ones, entertainment, and work has its clear benefits. However, Chayko explains that the ease with which we use technology to coordinate our lives has loosened our outlook on time and our expectations of others’ attention. Chayko’s specific analysis of how technology impacts efficiency interested me the most. She states that our dependency on technology has made us more susceptible to mistakes and inefficiencies: "the irrationality of rationality" (p. 179). Similar to how digital-natives are not more tech-savvy than non-natives, digital-natives that multitask are neither better at it, nor more efficient. Data has even shown lower grades and productivity associated with multitasking. So, with such powerful technological tools at our disposal, why do we continue to land in a grey area in terms of positive and negative outcomes? Is the issue the user, and if so, how can we be better? Chayko quotes Jamais Cascio, “But the problem isn’t having ‘too much information at our fingertips’ [...] ‘but that our tools for managing it are still in their infancy’” (p. 188). These growing pains that arise in our efforts to navigate technology are natural. I agree that average users of technology would greatly benefit from more efficient tools in utilizing what the internet has to offer. Platforms like Notion, a multifarious digital organizational tool, is one example of what I imagine our future looks like (using a platform to consolidate both personal and work-related tasks and information). But it makes me wonder, how are we expected to keep up with all of these changes? With the ever-changing digital landscape, digital management tools must also change, and a cycle emerges; we start with learning how to use the organizational tool, and suddenly there is a newer, more efficient one to learn. This chapter has only created questions regarding how I can better use technology; I feel as though I have more of an incentive to find and use other tools to help me in this journey. Jan. 28 Like an iceberg, the web goes even deeper than most, including me, expect. Both readings touch on a wide array of protocols and systems that provide users with their online shopping fix, entertainment, information, and much more. The more technical parts of the web, like establishing secure connections, and using public and private keys to encrypt and decrypt plaintext, are interesting. However, and my inexperience with the internet shows, the ‘behind the scenes’ layout of searching for a website felt more...helpful; I know that I do not have the skills or drive to go into cybersecurity, where the information on HTTPS would be most useful. Learning how domain name servers are "like an address book for websites [to locate your searched] website's real address" not only makes the web feel more digestible but also applies to my daily life. The reality is most of my life is on or facilitated by the web. I cannot merely state that secure connections that protect against prying eyes do not apply to my life. More so, as an average user of the web, I am more interested in how I can use these systems to protect myself rather than how they are coded. I am starting to see that being 'superconnected' comes with a risk. Not only in terms of one's mental health and work efficiency but with one's identity and information. I fear that I am just packets of data waiting to be taken and sold. That was a very dramatic, with the possibly incorrect use of “packet”, way to say I’d like to learn more about safety practices that students like my peers and me can adopt. More questions arise like, what could happen to my data if I communicate sensitive information on HTTP instead of HTTPS? How do I check for this? Can I check if my private information was leaked before something bad happens? How can I remedy the damages?

2/5/2021
Untitled

Web Search and Evaluation Tessa Baum What would you query to see how many pages on the English Wikipedia site mention “Northeastern University”? How many results did you get? I found 5,970 results when I searched "Northeastern University" site:en.wikipedia.org What would you query to see Web pages about the skate fish but no pages about an “ice rink”? I found 105,000 results when I searched "skate fish" -ice -rink What would you query to see Web pages about the Northeastern Huskies from the first day of 2001 through the last day of 2002? Between January 1st, 2001 and December 31st, 2002 I found 3 pages of results when I searched for "Northeastern Huskies" This was the top image of a pair of penguins with the specified license

2/1/2021
Tessa's Home Page

Required assignments Wiki tutorial Web search and evaluation Filter and label your email Adblocking Privacy footprint [B] Reading responses

2/1/2021
Lie

I have a beagle named bagel. I wish!

1/22/2021
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