# Reading Responses (Set 1)

## September 16th - Attention

The hyper-connectedness of the internet can be seen as both a blessing and a curse, depending of course, on how one chooses to view this issue. Our meeting spaces and availability to connect have moved almost entirely online, especially now in the age of the pandemic. It moves to ask this simple question: is this age of constant availability a good or a bad thing? Mary Chayko writes that technology has pervaded people’s online and offline lives, and this statement stood out to me because even when I think I’m offline, I’m not. Through social media and technologies, our availability has drastically increased, and anyone can be accessed at any time. Even when I’m not on my devices, I am still actively receiving notifications, and constantly thinking about if anyone needs to reach me, also affecting my attention throughout the day. Through this also comes micro coordination, the last-minute coordination of plans. While micro coordination also benefits in increasing availability, it can make upcoming plans seem insincere and non-important, ultimately taking the natural human element out of something as simple as meeting a friend for coffee, just call them.

It seems as though this constant interconnectivity and increase in availability have taken away from a fundamental part of human connection, and in a way it has. Twitting at other users can be substituted for a watch party with close friends, multitasking and an increase in distractions has resulted in feelings of being overwhelmed, the need to want to check our social media in “fear of missing out” has engulfed our thoughts, and it is easy to become addicted to technology. However, emergencies can be attended to faster, friends and family can be reached within seconds, even when they are hundreds of miles away, and our sense of “ontological security” is still being fulfilled as there is still a continuing and growing sense of community online and the offline one is still strong. Ultimately, this argument raises the question and debate about how much technology use is too much? Technology is an important advancement, has become a fundamental part of our everyday lives, and provides more highs than lows, but this is as long as it is used correctly and in moderation.However, everybody’s definition of correct and in moderation is different, and here the problem begins.


## September 28th - Fake News
When “surfing” the internet, it is important to be weary of the information you are reading, just like one would be weary of the waves. The internet is full of fake news and conspiracies, waiting to flip and drown you with misinformation. So, the question to be asked is, how do we stay away from, or at least be able to spot and detect fake news and misinformation? It’s a difficult problem to solve, as fake news is everywhere, especially during election times, and the scariest part about it all is the fact that a ton of people believe it. As in her article, Emily Dreyfuss, maps out the timeline of media manipulation during the 2020 election, which can go hand in hand with the 5 stages of media manipulation. This is a dangerous cycle, as it can affect the “information ecosystem.”

However, trying to find a solution to this problem is more complex than one would inquire. Most experts have the tendency to blame “stupid people” for not knowing what is real versus what is fake, a condescending solution to a complex issue (Boyd 2017). This reels in the question whether or not it is a platform's responsibility to regulate what misinformation is posted on their platforms. For example, In the final three months of the US presidential campaign in 2016, fake news stories on Facebook generated more engagement than the top stories from multiple major news outlets (Silverman 2016). How much of this is Facebook’s responsibility to regulate what is being not only posted, but boosted on their platforms? Is it really plausible for every internet user to read about how to be able to scout and scoop out misinformation, especially older generations who may not be sure how to ? In today's digital age, people see what they want to see and actively make the decision to believe what they want to believe. However, this misinformation can be very dangerous, and it comes down to a thin line of what is free speech really versus how much can companies regulate what is being put on their platform.


## October 1st - Learning
On the surface, it may not seem that learning is a skill that one must acquire, it is just something that one just does. When we are children, we learn the alphabet and basic mathematical functions, but we never properly learned how to learn. How does someone even learn how to learn? Brown, Roediger, and McDaniel argue that there are multiple strategies that can lead to better learning. For example, trying to solve a problem on your own before being taught the solution by someone else can be a gateway to learning the solution better. Furthermore, they argue that all new learning requires a prior foundation of knowledge, and while the examples that they provided make sense such as “to learn trigonometry you have to remember algebra and geometry,” what about learning something with no prior knowledge? The reading then links this to elaboration, connecting what you're learning to other things you have already learned or expressing in your own words. This is a tactic I can relate into my own life, as often mnemonics and connections to other things I enjoy, help me remember sole and niche facts.

The strategies of learning can be linked to attention and multitasking as well. Rereading and achieving mastery cannot be done when attention is split from multitasking. Personally, I only ever have to reread when I was not paying attention to what I was reading, and oftentimes I still do not intake all the information during my reread, it is just a large consumer of my time. While these strategies are extremely important, it is important to note the factors that come into play when using them. It also causes me to wonder about how these strategies can be altered or should be altered now because of online learning? Are our zoom learning strategies different now? How can a screen affect our memory intake? These are looming questions that can show how not only it is an acquired skill but is also a skill set that is always changing and adapting to different conditions.

## October 12th - Social Networks
The world is interconnected just like the strings of yarn on a yarn ball, with different lines making up the connections within our own world. Have you ever thought about why some websites get more clicks than others? This is because the internet is connected by a large number of low degree nodes, like a regular everyday blog, and a small number of high degree nodes, such as Google (Rheingold). A node is a part of social networking, and can be defined as a communication endpoint or where different links connect. Nodes and links are everywhere and cause the internet to be the way it is. The internet is able to be a place where any users can interconnect because of the way that nodes and social networks operate within the system.

Not only does social networks affect the way the internet works, but it also holds true in everyday life. For example, social network analysis (SNA) has suggested that if your friends are unhappy, you are, therefore, more likely to be unhappy too (Rheingold). This phenomenon has to do with how our own social networks affect us. This reigns in the idea of how we should always surround ourselves with good influences, but also how we seek out people who are more like us than those who are not. The SNA can also be linked to how algorithms work. It is important to be wary of things that come up on our algorithm because if it becomes a part of our social network, it can begin to take a toll on our feelings and mental health. Furthermore, if you are already feeling unhappy, the algorithm can detect that behavior and put other links and websites that can further drive how you are feeling, because you are more likely to click on them.


## October 19th Exam Review
1. HTTP’s purpose is best described as
(a.) Making sure the message is received
(b.) Requesting the resource needed
(c.) Routing the address
(d.) Reliably delivering the data
Answer: (B) HTTP is used to request resources from servers. Mnemonic: Hey TT Please send me…

2. How would you best describe Sturgeon’s law?
(a.) 80% of sales come from the top 20%
(b.) Happiness is considered clumpy in social networks
(c.) The value of a network is proportional to the number of viewers
(d.) 90% of everything is crap
Answer (D) Mnemonic: Would you want your surgeon to be crap? Sturgeon says they should never be over 90.

3. How would you describe a public good? What factors must it meet to be considered one?
Public goods are non- excludable and non- rivalrous. A public good example would be a lighthouse, one’s consumption of the light house is not limiting someone else’s consumption, and everyone can use it.
Mnemonic: That's so good that we can all use that public good.

4. At the Boston Commons, too many sheep herders have let their sheep feed on the grass, resulting in inedible brown grass. How would you, as Mayor, solve this social dilemma? Why is your proposed solution better than the other possible solutions?
This is a tragedy of the commons.
I would say Ostrom’s institutions of collective action would be the best solution because with boundaries and rules there would be enough grass to continuously feed sheep instead of using it all at once.
Mnemonic for Ostrom: Ostriches rule.