# Reading Response Set 1

#### Sept. 20th – How the Web Works

After reading the two articles provided, I realized something – I still do not know how the web works. However, I think I have a better idea than before. Web connections can be thought about as a series of tubes (Brody) between the clients and servers. When a client requests information, that request is sent to and from the server utilizing tools like internet connection, TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP, and component files (How the web works). I understand that DNS, or Domain Name Servers, are used to replace IP Addresses, which I think of as similar to coordinates on the web. To protect information on the web, such as credit cards and passwords, Brody dives into cryptography, a concept I know will take more time to understand.

Knowing what kinds of safeguards are in place to protect our information and how they work is reassuring to read about. It is like walking through a hallway with multiple doors that require multiple different keys to access. Starting with public key encryption leading up to security certificates, the steps taken to ensure a secure and safe connection makes me wonder about the process of decrypting and infiltrating these connections. While I never would want to infiltrate a connection, I am curious as to what happens when someone sneaks their way through the web. Furthermore, when our passwords and credit cards are successfully leaked, are there ways in which we can advance our security and prevent them again in the future?

#### Oct 4th – Cooperation

Cooperation is what I would like to think as the common expectation among groups of people when facing a problem. In most environments I have experienced so far, communication and cooperation are the traits most people express are crucial to finding a solution or devising a strategy to solve a problem. However, these readings indicate a slightly different idea. Reading about the "games" such as the Prisoner's Dilemma Game and the public goods game, it was insightful to read that sometimes cooperation is not necessarily the best choice or most beneficial choice, in a selfish sense. According to Martin Nowak, "cooperation is the architect of living complexity" (Nowak, 2011), but when it is perceived that others are defecting from contributing to the greater good, individuals follow suit. For example, when we witness littering, there will be those who decide to add to the trash by thinking that it will have a small impact. Not surprisingly, this kind of thinking changes when people's decisions are made public. For everyone to do the right thing, many will need to like to seem to be doing the right thing. In addition, punishment should be allowed for those who choose to do wrong. I have been told by many that punishment will lead to more wrongdoing and less chances for changing for the better. From Fehr's and Gächter's experiment, however, I wonder about the benefits of punishment compared to the costs.

From the reading about Robin Dunbar, cooperation in online environments may be extremely difficult. If the number of people that an individual can keep relationships with is 150, then cooperating with strangers, possibly thousands of strangers, seems impossible. Cooperation would have to develop from smaller groups where everyone can account for everyone else. When I reflect on the hundreds, maybe thousands, of people I have met over my life, I can only recall less than 100 whom I may still consider my friends. I would less willing to cooperate with someone I met 10 years ago, but never stayed in contact with, compared to a person I met a year ago and became very close to.

#### Oct 7th – Social Networks

Humans are dependent on one another and have been since the beginning of our species. This dependency reflects the social networks that we create to connect ourselves to one another. These connections are not limited to the people that we are closest to, however. As cited in this text, John Guare states, "I read somewhere that everybody on this planet is separated by only six other people. Six degrees of separation between us and everyone else on this planet" (Rheingold, p. 192). Evidence including Milgram's experiment and Duncan Watts' recreation of Milgram's experiment in 2001 illustrate the profound presence of networks in our society. Rheingold emphasizes the usefulness of networks, especially small world networks, in our everyday lives. Having these distant, low-degree nodes allow connections to people that we would otherwise never have met. For example, knowing someone who works at a prestigious company gets you much closer to meeting higher-up employees and securing a job. Online, these networks are even more prominent, especially group-forming networks.

I agree with Rheingold in the observation that networks are central to our social lifestyles. While I may not fully understand all of the research gone into social networks, as well as the jargon, I understand that the people we know and the people that they know are all connected one way or another. While I understand this, it is difficult for me to be aware of it while I am on social media or with friends/acquaintances. As Rheingold describes, utilizing our networks has become a part of our lives and daily habits. Those who are aware and can navigate their networks have advantages that others may not. When connecting this reading to our previous readings on cooperation, I think it is interesting to think about how many people are willing to cooperate in direct or indirect relationships, but not when it comes to a collective goal. If someone were to contact a stranger from a business asking for an informative interview, I would not be surprised if they responded positively. However, when advocating for a cause like climate change to a large group of people, it is very unlikely that most of them will engage with the post.

#### Oct. 14th – Exam questions

1. Digital Natives are much more proficient at multitasking than digital immigrants.
a. true
b. false

2. Which generation is considered the generation of "digital natives"?
a. Baby Boomers
b. Generation Z
c. Millenials
d. Silent Generation

3. Based on our reading from Mary Chayko about "superconnectedness", is time now "softened" and why? Is it beneficial?

4. What is McDonaldization? What are the four main elements of it?

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**Answers:**
1. FALSE – While digital natives aka millenials are more likely to multitask, from our reading from Kate Moran, they are not efficient. The frequent switching between tasks increases cognitive load and forces us to refocus on each task.

2. Millenials – Millenials consist of people born around the year 2000. This is generally around the time that people began to experience a digitally dense environment.

3. Time is "softened" in today's society due to our dependence on digital technology and its convenience. According to Chayko, we feel as though we are able to make and change plans at a moment's notice, thus changing perceptions of time to be more flexible. This tendency is called microcoordination and there are benefits and disadvantages to it. Benefits include the fact that gatherings that may not have occurred can be planned and executed within the same day. People who may not have had time for each other can update the other when changes happen in schedules. However, continuously practicing microcoordination results in a lack of discipline and vague uncoordinated plans. As researcher Rich Ling describes after studying this phenomenon, lateness has become increasingly common as the convenience of digital technology and planning grows each day.

4. McDonaldization is a term coined by George Ritzer and describes how some societies and groups have become similar to fast-food restaurants. They share the four elements of McDonaldization, which are efficiency, predictability, calculability, and control. Efficiency refers to the fast-paced environment in which you get what you desire in a quick manner. Predictability describes our expectation to have things that we are familiar with be consistent no matter where we are. For example, we would expect the McDonald's in our neighborhood to be the same as the one in a different state. Calculability is similar to the concept of "getting the best deal". If we can get multiple items at a cheaper price compared to one quality item at a higher price, many of us would choose quantity instead. Control is accomplished through non-human technology and boosts standardization. For example, our education system is held at a standard across communities, and what is taught and tested is expected to be the same.

#### Oct 21st – Gender, Communication, & Contribution

Gender is crucial in digital communication, participation, and contribution. As we have read in the three article linked, men and women are studied to have various differences that affect their online activity and participation in things like open source contribution. As Krasnove, Veltri, Eling, and Buxmann state, in terms of SNS usage, women are driven to utilize SNS platforms to maintain strong relationships with close ties to friends and family as well as gain social information on close connections. They are less inclined to broaden their social circle, but do appreciate the ability to monitor the social environment. In contrast, male users on SNS platforms are driven by the ability to gain general information, which they connect to enhancing their position in their larger network of social connections. This seems to suggest that male users' SNS continuance intentions are motivated by a need to be "in-the-know".

Relating these findings to the open source identity crisis, open source contribution is dominated by hyper-masculine individuals that are motivated by feelings of superior intelligence and entitlement. However, with the increase in diversity in technology, women are increasingly entering open source contribution and are "de-masculinizing" it. This is leading to an "identity crisis" in which geeks could previously make remarks of misogyny, entitlement, and privilege without much consequence.