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# System prepended metadata

title: Reading Responses (Set 1)

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# Reading Responses (Set 1)

# Reading Responses 5 out of 5

### Sep 17 Fri - Superconnected

“The internet and digital media are not responsible for the stresses and pressures of modern life; more often than not, they help people manage these stresses”. A phrase In the reading Superconnected by Mary Chayko, stuck out because it is easy for people to blame social media for problems, but also take the positives for granted. The article begins with some of the positives technology has brought us. It attributes the internet and social media for bringing people together in a way that was not possible. Chayo discusses convenience, and microcoordination, and about how the internet has made tasks that were once near impossible available in seconds. Cell phones have made gatherings and meetings with people from all over a common occurrence. The internet has made it possible for those who were once bored to fill their time with online entertainment. It has also allowed those with a shared interest to “become full-fledged cultures, with rules, rituals, symbolic boundaries, and initiation practices by which fans gain access to an inner circle”. 

“There is much concern that attention spans are diminishing in the digital era, though this, too, is difficult to quantify with precision. Many have become accustomed to posting digital updates frequently, or checking in with friends, or simply looking at or scrolling through digitizer screen” Some of the negatives that social media and the internet have brought on to society are decreasing attention span, a need for instant gratification, and constant updates. Social media also has created a new level of FOMO, since everyone can see what others are doing. This can lead people to have increased anxiety. 

Since phones have become a necessity to everyday life, we've debated if phones are an addiction or a dependency? With evidence that can back both sides of the argument, the debate continues. Phones could be considered an addiction because people feel unwell if their phone is not with them at all times, it has come to the point where people even sleep with their phones. At the same time, the argument can be made that phones are a dependency for health and safety reasons. Some people feel disconnected from society without their phones or even feel unsafe walking without them. I think it is an important question to think about, are you addicted to your phone or is it just a dependency? 


### Sep 21 Tues - How the Web Works 

The internet works in a similar fashion to ordering a bagel and iced coffee from your local cafe. The article How the Web Works, uses this simple analogy to explain a complicated process which is the internet. The storyline begins by explaining the two main characters: the client and the server. A client is an average person using their iPhone or laptop while connected to the internet through software such as safari. The server is on the other side of the interaction, they store the information for the websites. Now for the bagel and coffee to be delivered they must go through multiple steps. The first step in getting your bagel delivered is the distance between the shop and the house, which is known as the internet connection. Then you have to use their app to place your breakfast order, which is known as the Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol. Once you have their app downloaded you have to find the location nearby, which is Domain name servers working similarly to an address book, but for websites. It is important to use the correct language when placing your order to ensure you get what you are expecting, this is known as Hypertext Transfer Protocol. Now you have to place your order for both the bagel and iced coffee, which is compared to the Component files. There are two types: code files and assets. Code files are the actual building blocks of the website, while assets are what users see. 

Through the introduction into how the web works and a more complex look at the internet’s inner workings in the article, How HTTPS Secures Connections: What every Web Dev should know, it has become clearer how HTTPS and security work. Being aware of the paths your machine takes when loading a website as well as the importance of securing your connection are important due to the invisible threats that exist. This information is useful when applying communication skills to the world because knowing how to properly secure your connection is a growing issue users face today.



### Sep 28 Tues- Fake News 

“20 top-performing false election stories from hoax sites and hyperpartisan blogs generated 8,711,000 shares, reactions, and comments on Facebook”(Buzzfeed). Buzzfeed looks at the increase in fake news on Facebook within the three months before the 2016 election. The graph shows how fake news had a smaller audience of about 3 million but quickly skyrocketed and surpassed the real news outlets that had a platform of 12 million originally. 

![](https://i.imgur.com/ne0cb97.jpg)
*BuzzFeed News*


“Addressing so-called fake news is going to require a lot more than labeling. It’s going to require a cultural change about how we make sense of information, whom we trust, and how we understand our own role”(Data Society). This article offers an explanation of how we have gotten to a point where fake news is everywhere and challenges that arise when trying to come up with a solution.. People do not know what sources are trustworthy and who can decide if they are trustworthy. A solution offered is a fact-checker built into sites like Facebook that check for a reliable source, but the issue is people can not agree on what makes a source reliable. Therefore, a solution is much more complicated than simply fact-checking every article posted. 


If everyone in this country had learned crap detection skills and adequately used them, I do not think we would be in this situation. This is because if people were properly educated on simple ways to detect fake articles, it would not give the article a chance to blow up and would remove their platform. This is seen in step 4 of the Media Manipulation Life Cycle, which is “manipulation campaign documents actions by tech companies, government, journalists, or civil society to mitigate the spread of a campaign’s content, messaging, and effects” (Media Manipulation). Within this step, it calls on the platforms and the public to mitigate fake news. If everyone were to be appropriately educated, this step would be more effective and would quickly remove the fake news from their respective platforms. It would also have allowed people to have been less affected by fake news if they could tell sooner and if the articles were not given the same amount of attention. This is evident in the BuzzFeed article, where fake news surpassed credible news articles three months before the 2016 election. If people had been better informed and educated before, this could have been prevented. 

### Oct 12 Tues - Social Networks 

“Networks are no longer as simple, rigid, or tightly bounded as power elites have been throughout history.” (pg 202) An excerpt from “Social has a shape” by Rheingold is a text that discusses the complexity of social networks and how they have evolved.  In the past social networks were seen in a more literal form, where it was the people you interact with in life.  It was known as “Six degrees of separation between us and everyone else on this planet.” (p. 192). This was a way of describing the world because it was a small network that connected everyone. 

“Social network analysis (SNA) of public health data has recently suggested that if your friends’ friends (few or none of whom you actually know) are obese, smoke, or are unhappy, you are more likely to be obese, smoke, or be unhappy.” (p. 197) The study highlights the effects of the social network you choose to immerse yourself in.  Within each network, there are nodes, which are smaller networks within the larger construct.  This study can highlight the effects of the nodes within the social network. 

“The invisible ties that link each of us to others have become more visible and machine readable.” (p. 203)  With the creation of social media, our social networks have grown and increased the reach of our networks. Another development with the emergence of social media is the visibility these social networks now have. Before these, it was impossible to see who someone’s friends are or how they are connected. But, with the creation of Facebook, it became possible to see friends, mutual friends, and connections between groups of people. 

“Everybody in a highly clustered, homophilous network tends to get the same news, and it is more likely that everybody in a clique (the actual technical term sociologists use) will have the same opinions and access to the same information.” (p. 206) The emergence of social media exacerbated filter bubbles and caused echo chambers to become the norm. Before this, people voiced their opinions in person, and there was no algorithm behind what people heard or saw. But, now platforms such as Facebook could filter data and tailor it to the beliefs of the social networks viewing it, creating the issue of filter bubbles. 

How do you think social networks will continue to change with the creation of new social media platforms? When looking at the future of social networks, that is a question that comes to mind due to the industry’s ever-changing nature. 
   
   
   ### Oct 18 Tues - Exam Review Questions
   
  #### Questions: 
1. What is google bombing? 
    a. A type of malware 
    b. A form of catfishing 
    c. The practice of causing a website to rank highly in search results for irrelevant reasons due to heavily linking
    d. The practice of trying to hack Google  
    
2. How do filter bubbles differ from echo chambers?
    a. Filter bubbles are our own choices plus the algorithm which restrict what users see, while echo chambers are the result of filter bubbles that lead to extreme forms of opinions
    b. Filter bubbles and echo chambers are the same thing
    c. Echo chambers are our own choices plus the algorithm which restrict what users see, while filter bubbles are the result of filter bubbles that lead to extreme forms of opinions 
    d. Filter bubbles are just the algorithm of social media platforms that do not restrict what users see, while echo chambers are the result if social media platforms did not use the algorithm 
    
3. Can you explain the relationship between DNS, IP, TCP, & HTTP?


4. What are some ways to spot fake news?

#### Answers: 

1. C. 
2. A. 
3. The relationship between these terms can be explained in terms of how the internet works. The first term is DNS which is like an address book for websites, known as the who: name to address mapping. The second term is IP, which addresses and routes; these are special numbers that represent a unique location on the internet. The next term is TCP which is the how or the reliability of data. This defines how data should travel across the internet. Lastly, HTTP is what is requested, a protocol that defines a language for clients and servers to communicate. 
4. Spotting fake news is becoming increasingly complex, but knowing the proper techniques can help. The first step in spotting fake news is reading beyond the headline, as they can often be 'clickbait' or attention seeking. Then check the author(s) and see if they are reputable journalists with other published work. Another helpful technique is checking if the article has sources and if they are correctly cited with hyperlinks embedded in the article. Lastly, check and see if these sources are reputable or if they are also fake news. 





 













