# Reading Responses (Set 1)

## Reading responses 5 out of 5

### Sep 14 Fri - Attention
Oddly enough, the human brain may be undergoing an evolutionary adaptation to the technology-rich media environment right now, according to media studies researcher Ulla Foehr (2006). I seem to imagine my brain as the Neanderthal version of a brain designed to consume technological media, even while growing up in a technologically rich world. As technology becomes a bigger part of everyday life researchers begin to question how this media impacts us and why we use media as often as we do. The article *Superconnected*, by Mary Chayko, analyzes these very imminent questions.

Modern technology has made it possible to not only stay connected with those who are close, but those who are far as well, a phenomenon that is quite incredible. Interestingly enough, I rarely considered how easy communication becomes when technology is incorporated. It is convenient to send and receive messages when available and coordinate with one another without physical proximity. When considering my plans I've made for Friday September 15, none of these plans were made by face-to-face communication, but rather virtual. Although at times, it does feel overwhelming to be constantly reachable, and the pressure the author discussed to return messages quickly is definitely real.

The constant desire to fill ordinary or boring moments with digital entertainment is another issue those who are users of digital technology may face. In turn, many researchers have dedicated their time to understand the relationship between extended digital media use and attention span. While it may be true that those who are in a media-saturated environment could have a harder time focusing on a singular task; However, this change may lead to a new way of thinking about multiple things at the same time, a task that humans have not been proficient in yet. For each negative there is for living in a digital world the author provides a positive, reframing the negative view and moral panic surrounding an ever-changing world of media consumption.

### Sep 27 Tues - Learning

In fourth grade I was taught that “a highlighter is like gold, you don’t want to use it too much when going through reading.” From that point on, I used my highlighter like gold when reviewing multiple texts. Future Sarah would then go through my highlighted portions of the reading multiple times before an exam; Turns out, I was studying in the worst possible way and Peter Brown would be ashamed of my unreliable studying habits. Brown’s main claim throughout Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning is that many students do not know how to learn the information they receive every day. Brown continues to argue that repeated retrieval is the most effective form of learning.

Repeated retrieval is the practice of retrieving content with the goal of gaining understanding multiple times. Repeated retrieval could consist of giving yourself multiple “mini quizzes” of the content, practicing with flashcards, or spacing out studying or review sessions. Not only has this tactic been found to be successful through empirical studies but I have first-hand experience with this tactic. Recently, in class we’ve done retrieval with the mini quiz on internet functions- it taught me that I really need to practice my internet functions, I was even able to come up with mnemonics with the class in order to remember the content for the future. Brown poses a very valid argument for students to use repeated retrieval and it makes me wonder why more professors don’t use this tactic.

### October 5- Cooperation
Why do we cooperate? It seems when placed in dilemmas in which we can lose and win things, many people do not cooperate with the group according to Martin Nowak. In Nowak’s “Super Cooperators” he delves into how and why people do and don’t cooperate and in which situations people are more likely to cooperate. He can back all of his findings in research and he defines five mechanics of cooperation.

The first mechanic is repetition, meaning that you give what you get in return. To me, this mechanic makes a lot of sense and is not surprising to me. The second is reputation meaning that social pressure increases the chances of cooperation, I can also see this as I’ve seen multiple videos on the psychology of social pressure. The third was spatial selection meaning that the benefit-to-cost ratio must exceed the average number of neighbors per individual, the person does not want to feel cheated by those around them. The fourth was multilevel selection which states that those who cooperate can be more successful than a group of defectors, this point made me happy as I would definitely fall in the cooperator group. Finally, kin selection means you choose to cooperate with people who are similar to you or your family. Of all of these mechanics, I found it most interesting to note that punishment does not lead to cooperation. In a real-life application, I am a serious advocate for prison reform and I feel as though this is just another example of why the US prison system fails so many, those who commit crimes will not simply take punishment to change, but rather education.

### October 7- Social Networks

I know the president. Or at least I should know the president through about six of my personal connections. Your social network is defined as your personal network of personal relationships. Your network holds great influence over you as a person. Public health data suggests that if your friends' friends are obese, smoke, or are unhappy then you are more likely to as well. Social networks are facinating, especially as they evolve with the internet.

There are seven identified ways that technologically mediated social networks are transforming society- I will identify and summarize the more important points (There could be hundreds more in my opinion, but these are the ones highlighted in the reading) First, networks become global due to the fact that communication and information can be spread instantaneously. This phenomenon has helped with globalization. Second, people would rather be involved in networked organizations, in which the group is all working on the same level towards the same goal, rather than working in a bureaucracy where there would be a hierarchy. Third, networking is changing into a more individualized practice rather than community. It takes only seconds to create a Twitter, Blog, or FaceBook page in which you are networking yourself- rather than a community with a commonality such as a "new moms group." Fourth, the new digital media space we have now created involves a whole new range of social practices- especially with how we create social networks.

With the power of digital technology people have the ability to create millions of connections through our use of social media forming a vast social network. The social network as humans once knew it is changing. These networks are no longer proximity-based, since the internet can connect us globally social networks become increasingly more geographically diverse. This makes me wonder however. How do these increased distance social networks make people feel on a larger scale? Are people finding a stronger sense of insecurity or lonliness without face-to-face contact? Is the luxury of proximity the key to social security for humans?

### October 11- Haters

Over the summer, a group of boys that I went to high school with felt the need to comment rude things on my personal TikTok account- which I frequently use to just make fun videos with friends. Since I was home, I saw one of the boys who commented about a week later in the gym- he completely avoided eye contact with me in person. I thought this ironic considering he seemed so bold online but so shy in person, turns out this is a common phenomenon online. When online, people exhibit disinhibition, which is a lack of restraint in regard to following social cues, the behavior is often impulsive with little risk assessment. Clearly, Anson did not consider that we still live in the same town when not in college and that we could run into each other, and when we did, he would be ashamed of his behavior. He probably tried to justify his behavior, use language that takes the weight of his actions away or felt it wasn't a serious offense since he never directly threatened me.

What fascinated me the most about this article was learning that women are more likely to be a target for cyber-harassment and less likely to be a "troll"- I wonder why that is. When thinking back to my gender and communications class I do wonder if this is a societal gender norm that has manifested in men, as they tend to have more built-up anger and aggression toward others.

In addition, I was fascinated to note that "Facebook users saw bullying or harassment 14 to 15 times out of every 10,000 views of content on the app between July and September, while Instagram users viewed such content 5 to 6 times out of every 10,000" (Bond 2021) I think this disparity has to do with age. A lot of bullying happens in childhood and adolescent years, and since Instagram is more popular among younger users this could be the reason for the added frequency of harassment on Instagram in comparison to Facebook.

I've found that this topic was much more fascinating than I had once considered and I'm looking forward to further discussion in class.