# Reading Responses (set2)

### Nov 04 - Ads & social graph background
I'm sure most people are familiar with online advertisements. When I was watching this video by Vox, a pop-up ad window was on the side showing a shopping site I just visited a few days ago. Advertisers use third-party cookies to collect data, such as which websites you visited, in order to present the most relevant and tailored content to certain audiences. Such targeted advertising is indeed very effective for advertisers. Just as Robe (2014) mentioned, “Banner advertising can see an increase in search volume”. Throughout the article, he also explained how online advertising works and why it's beneficial for businesses. Customers can be exposed to digital ads no matter where they are, so long as they have access to the internet. Because “it is the fact that it is an advertiser’s medium that keeps it free”. What if users do not want to be tracked. According to the video, even if users are given the opportunity to block third-party cookies, it is still difficult to avoid tracking. Because firms like Google and Facebook can provide websites with code that appears to be a first-party cookie but transfers all data to a third party instead. Also, I strongly agree with what Lou (in Vox, 2020) said, “advertising-only business model has caused products to become less good than they could be”. Nowadays, good marketing is the best way to sell, quality does not seem that matters anymore.

### Nov 18 - Algorithmic discrimination
Cathy O’Neil (2016)’s Weapons of Math Destruction explores into the world of Big Data and its insidious, fast-growing control over almost every aspect of modern life. Algorithms are likely to increase inequality in the United States. O'Neil gives some frightening examples of how much harm algorithms can cause. For example, algorithmic discrimination. Many users have noted that the search engine's image results appear to reinforce Eurocentric beauty standards. People noticed that searching “beauty” yielded few results featuring people of color. According to Fiona (2016), “the results Google generates are determined by the search engine’s constantly evolving algorithm”. In machine learning, algorithms rely on multiple data sets, or training data, that specify what the correct outputs are for certain people or objects. “Once their model morphs into a belief, it becomes hardwired” (Cathy, 2016). A model is learned from the training data that can be used to predict the correct outputs for new people or objects.

### Dec 02 Fri - Authenticity, work, & influence
During the coronavirus pandemic, people spent significantly more time at home scrolling through Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. While these influencers documented much of their lives, they also interspersed videos and photos with numerous advertisements. This has fundamentally changed the way many young consumers shop. Influencers with tens of thousands or even millions of followers can make or break a product, or even sell out in seconds, with just one well-placed post. According to Rachel (2020), “companies spent an estimated $5.2 billion on influencer marketing on Instagram alone in 2019”. GOMIBLOG, an abbreviation for Get Off My Internets, is possibly the most well-known influential hateblog, with tens of thousands of registered users and monthly visitors. Not only are the forums dominated by feminine genres of social media creation, but the vast majority of the threads focus on female influencers who have established a big following on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and/or personal blogs. However, authenticity is really very vague on the Internet, according to Brooke (2022), one GOMI member, for instance, noted the supposed contradiction of an influencer who “pretends she doesn’t care about aging but totally dyes her grey hair”. Sometimes it is just very hard for people to tell “if an influencer genuinely loves a product, is being paid to talk about it, or just wants to be paid to talk about it” (Taylor, 2018)

### Nov 08 - Manipulated
The biggest impression after reading these two articles is that all the business relying on the Internet is the clout business. Many companies are making efforts to strive for clout. One way to earn a long-term and loyal audience is Instagram pods. Instagram Pods are invite-only groups of Instagram users, businesses, or brands who have a similar following. The purpose of building a Pod is to connect with a community of like-minded Instagrammers and naturally help one another boost followers and engagement. One thing that pods are better than buying fans and using bots is that Instagram Pods are made of real people with real Instagram accounts liking and commenting on photos, for real. Companies and brands are trying to “trick Instagram's algorithm” (Caroline, 2018) to win more audience for them. Posts are not the only thing that manipulated online, as well as the fake reviews and ratings. Some utilize false reviews to help apps and products that would otherwise would not give a second look. There is “ ‘loss of innocence’ with online discussions, comments, and reviews of products” (Joseph, 2015). If a product is not even shown to the public, it will not be purchased. Pods and fake reviews are emerging as a way for businesses to trick the algorithm and profit from it, reflecting the growing importance of clout nowadays.

### Nov 01 - Finding someone & living alone
It is not surprising to find out that “living alone has become increasingly prevalent in developed countries” (Joseph, 2021). Individuals in more developed countries are less reliant on the welfare functions given by their families, and hence have more freedom in making the decision to live alone. Comparing the pros and cons of living alone, although it costs more but provides more privacy, freedom and independence. Furthermore, living alone provides more freedom to pursue personal interests without fear of criticism or interference from others. Nevertheless, it can lead to social isolation and financial uncertainty. It's probably because of the rise in the number of people choosing to live alone, combined with the development of the Internet, has contributed to the rise in popularity of online matchmaking. According to Derek (2019), matchmaking sites have officially surpassed friends and family in the world of dating, injecting modern romance with a dose of radical individualism. However, online daters tell lies about height, age, income and etc. People exaggerate their income or appearance on the Internet for the purpose of “ eventually meeting other people in person” (Christian, 2010). Most people here are not deceive others, they mainly tell white lies to make themselves better and just want to get a date.