The Final 5 Key Concepts
There were many topics discussed in the course the past 5 weeks. When I first enrolled in an MCS class, I thought I was going to learn about things I already knew because how much more of media can you really learn, right? Wrong. This course taught me so much more than I ever thought I could know about social media. I learned how these online application could have an effect on different countries, specifically Syria. Before this class, I never saw any videos, photos, or have a discussion with my friends about it. Here are 5 pictures that I thought stood out to me that would reflect what I learned in class.
Multi-tasking
Earlier in the course, we were able to study various MIT students looking at multiple screens and multi-tasking. In their courses, their professors talked about how they would see their students answering emails, studying for other classes, on their phone, yet still paying attention. In Korea, we also viewed a 3-year study on Internet addiction. The Korean government enforces a responsible use of Internet usage which is taught at an early stage. In the digital game World War Craft, many individuals found they would spend 10 or more hours a day and would even want to quit their jobs on the online world. Although there are many negatives when talking about the term “multi-tasking,” there are also positives. In the film, “Chicago Girl,” the subject of the filk was able to multi-task and balance school and work while helping with coordinating revolutions in Syria.
Faster, Smarter, Better Technology
In Winner’s article called, “Do Artifacts Have Politics?” the topic of technology rises when dealing with labor. In the reading, he discusses the invention, design, and arrangement of specific technical device that interferes with the community. I chose this image because there was a specific example where the human tomato picker was slowly replaced with better and faster machines. We were able to see the replacement of people with machines. The way technology is shaping our world can be seen in our everyday lives. Our world wants whatever is faster, smarter, and better.
Hiding Behind a Screen
I believe this is a huge umbrella concept that was seen throughout our course. Hiding behind a screen is the foundation of technology and social media. We are able to see online hate and racism arise because of this concept and fostering slacktivism which is the ideal type of activism for a lazy generation: why bother with sit-ins and the risk of arrest, police brutality, or torture if one can be campaigning in the virtual space. Online hate is at a all time high and has become mainstream. According to our reading by Lisa Nakamura (2012), racism is regarded within Internet culture as spam, noise, and trash. Thus, hiding behind a screen is seen everyday and discrimination has been deemed as normal. She suggests calling out online racism as racism in order to address its on-going structural oppression.
A New Way to Discover Your Sexuality
Technology has changed the way we are able to connect and communicate with others. Dating apps allow users to easily access and choose partners. There are so many ways how technology advanced the way we are able to find a potential partner. In the course, we learned about how a Typhoon brought an increase of diversity in the Philippines regarding the amount of people that started to get on Grindr. All of these dating apps created a way for individuals to connect with others that have qualities and features they were searching for. Technology has given a new way to discover more about yourself.
Fake News
I chose this specific image because I remember the exact moment I retweeted this image on Twitter not knowing that it was actually a picture his family serving a Thanksgiving meal to those experiencing homelessness in November 2015, not serving meals in Texas. It is so easy to believe huge headlines especially when there is a picture that fits so well with it. We must become aware of the fake news that is out there, especially knowing that all of these different corporations and news articles are competing to grab our attention. We must be aware of easy traps and headlines that are trying to feed us false information.
