My Thoughts

Is it harmful for our government to utilize surveillance tools?

The Patriot Act allowed the federal government to use 4 different kinds of surveillance. This act was passed after 9/11 since there was a high increase in fear amongst civilians and people in power. However, before this was passed there were already violations of privacy laws. The idea of our government using surveillance tools to track and possibly stop terrorist attacks is beneficial. However, with surveillance tools it can be difficult to be sure that’s all they’re being used for. There is still going to be misuse when utilizing surveillance tools and it’s hard to keep them accounted for and put laws into place.

How can social media keep protestors safe and informed?

Social media can keep protest groups in communication and send live updates. People can share information about upcoming or current protests and can also spread messages about any potential threats that might happen at protests to keep each other safe. 

Do you think our government used the attacks on 9/11 as the catalyst to be able to utilize surveillance amongst our people?

9/11 had people in fear and wanting solutions. It could be a possibility that the government took advantage of people in fear and desperate for solutions so they allowed the use of different surveillance measures to try to prove that people can start to feel safe. They allowed the use of wiretaps, search warrants, subpoenas, and pen/trap orders. However the passing of the Patriot Act was just a way to legalize existing illegal forms of surveillance and investigation.

Is communicating with protestors on social media and getting arrested for it an infringement on your protected speech?

During the G20 summit there were thousands of protestors among the city of Pittsburg with demands in regards to capitalism, carbon emissions, etc. State troopers broke into a hotel room with Elliott Madison and Michael Wallschlager inside. They had criminal complaints on them for being in communication with the protestors  and various protest groups on Twitter. They were charged with criminal use of a communication facility, possessing instruments of crime, and hindering apprehension. Madison’s lawyer says his actions were “absolutely protected speech”. I do believe that being tracked and arrested for communicating on public social media applications is an infringement on our protected speech. It is our right to protest and people online should be able to send updates and information about it.

Souces: Fear as Institution: 9/11 and Surveillance Triumphant by C. Parenti,

Why are specific hairstyles deemed unprofessional and inappropriate? And who’s deciding these styles are inappropriate? 

When reading Virtual Homeplace by Latoya Lee, she opens the chapter by discussing how a woman, Ashley Davis, was told at her workplace that she either had to cut her locs or risk losing her job. Davis was employed with this company at the time for 2 months but had been growing her locs for ten years. She was working for this company for 2 months and then they informed her that the new company guidelines banned dreadlocks, braids, mullets, and mohawks. Their reasoning was “a professional appearance is necessary for the success of the company”. How would a hairstyle prevent someone from being successful or professional? Also who created this standard of successful and professional hairstyles? Women of color are being singled out so the white majority of people can feel comfortable. They expect women of color to change and conform themselves to make the white majority feel comfortable and safe. 

Why do men feel entitled to harass women who enter male dominated spaces?

Gaming is filled with men as the majority. There has been a high influx of women gamers throughout the years but they are seen as jokes or harassed by men. In What is Gamergate, and why? An Explainer for Non-Geeks by Jay Hathaway, he writes about how gamergate is an online movement concerned with ethics in game journalism and protecting gamers identities. In this article Hathaway writes about how Zoe Quinn was a female game developer and also the victim of death threats and harassment. Men get intimidated when females start enjoying activities that are classified as masculine. Men don’t want women to take space in male dominated activities and communities because they feel threatened and that often leads to them harassing, bullying, and even doxxing females who try to enter these spaces. 

What are virtual homeplaces? And why are they important for women of color?

Latoya Lee describes a virtual homeplace as “a (real or imagined) place that offers comfort and nurture, where one can seek safe harbor against the racial and sexual oppression they may face on a daily basis”(93). They are important because it offers a space to connect and find unity where they may not find it in other places with other people.

How are ethnic online communities beneficial for minorities?

In Black Twitter: A Response to Bias in Mainstream Media by Latoya A. Lee, she informs us about the murders of black men Eric Garner and Michael Brown. One was a father and one was a teen. News outlets described these men as giants and huge. Why do news and media use fear mongering words and descriptions to justify the killings of black people and try to sway people to make them believe that the cops who murdered them are the actual victims?

We have seen this tactic forever, white people pulling the self defense or “white woman scared” card to justify their racism or violence towards people of color. The police that murdered these victims, Brown and Garner, were found not guilty. Protests emerged from these verdicts and to justify these murders news outlets characterized Brown as a thug, gang member, and lawbreaker. They also described Garner as a repeat offender and discussed his criminal history. They described both of these men as huge and giant. All of these descriptions just paint a harmful picture when in reality both of these men were murder victims. The news and media uses these racist and harmful words to try to paint a picture for the viewers that these men deserved it and the police felt threatened. The last line of defense for police is to shoot or kill someone but they were quick to enact violence on these men. 

#NoDAPL was a very important movement for the protection of Native Land. Why are social media movements important for the future of Indigenous people? 

#NoDAPL was a movement of Indigenous resistance to settler-colonial expansionism. Social media can allow people to further spread their stories and information that big news outlets might not be sharing. Some news outlets share their side of the story and often portray minorities or Native people in an unfavorable light, so the use of social media can allow the people to share their truth and spread the word so others can stay informed. “Advocates of Native American political issues are increasingly using social media as a tool to extend contemporary grassroots activism. This was apparent during the #NoDAPL movement as evidenced through live video streaming,social media campaigns, Facebook check-ins, crowdsource funding, and posts to social media or blogs to share personal experiences and disseminate information (Johnson, 2017).”

Does the internet create sociality?

In Communication Power in the Arab Spring and the Occupy Movement, Fuchs talks about how Castells puts a strong emphasis on how internet communication is the main reason for protests. Fuchs writes how people that are embedded in antagonistic economic and ideological structures of society are the reason for protests and movements. The internet allows us to make use of getting the word out globally but people create this. Social media is complex and with the use of it, it can cause revolutions but it’s because of the people who want to get involved. 

How did black twitter use textual poaching for resistance?

“Black Twitter, a subculture within the Twitter platform, materializes through the creation of hashtags”. They used hashtags as textual poaching to challenge dominant cultural norms and racial bias. These hashtags allowed them to be used as sarcastic jokes but also allowed them a space to display their anger and release emotions. Specifically, the use of the #APHeadlines. This hashtag was created and referred to a tweet written by the Associated Press after Renisha McBride,a woman of color, was shot and murdered by a white man. The tweet they posted was written to make Renisha look like she was at fault and make the man who murdered her look like he was innocent and acted in self defense. Black twitter quickly responded with #APheadline tweets that called out the Associated Press but in a way of sarcastic humor while still getting their point across. Later because of these viral tweets using the #The Associated Press changed their tweet to display the truth that a man murdered an unarmed woman on his porch and he was convicted.

Why is protesting so important for everyone?

While reading The Radicalization of Zeke Spier, I read more about protests and civil rights activists. Elin writes about how the United States was formed by protestors and the first amendment protects the right to protest. Protesting also likens and encourages more people to vote and be more politically active. Protesting can make a difference for communities. It forces people to listen and pay attention. Protestors “are the physical embodiment of the first amendment”. 

How has the development of virtual political communities expanded the mindset of protestors?

Before the internet all protests were done in person. With the expansion of the internet and new communities being created, it allows people to be more informed with current events that aren’t just happening in their area but globally. With learning about current events of political changes, it allows people to do their own research with reliable sources and share their findings with their online communities. With the development of virtual political communities it allowed someone like Zeke spier to discover and expand on his passion for social justice.

What are some positives for political mobilization when using the internet?

The internet is used for people to express and share their ideas and beliefs. It connects like minded individuals and builds connections. It is also a space for cyberactivism which allows people to further their goals by utilizing the internet. Daniels writes about how more obscure activist cultures utilize the internet and social platforms for more political participation. The internet is also an inexpensive way to get others to be interested and learn more about political information. “The Internet is an important new tool, because it increases the speed at which resources can be marshaled and then utilized to achieve the movement’s goals”.

Is there a big difference between members and followers for social movement organizations?

Although we all have rights, should these rights be more closely regulated? Especially when dealing with online threats and doxing.

We all have rights and one of them is free speech. Of course free speech is important. It allows us to protest, speak our opinions, etc. However, the internet can be tricky when it comes to this. Many people can hide behind their screens and post what they like. People can post harmful and offensive things but it’s deemed okay because it’s their first amendment right. In chapter 5, Gender, White Supremacy, and the internet, Daniel’s shares an example of how free speech online can go too far and without legal repercussions. Daniel’s shares how a white mother, Bonnie Jouhari, was a social worker and also helped people file housing-discrimination complaints in Pennsylvania. Her work upset a white supremacist. On a white supremacist website people started posting pictures of her workplace edited to be on fire. Unfortunately when she tried to talk to the police they explained that they couldn’t do anything because it was the publisher’s first amendment right to free speech. 

With white men being the primary people involved with white supremacy, why don’t we hear more about white women being a part of white supremacy?

White supremacy is white male dominated. It is male dominated online and offline. In the print era white men were the primary publishers. However, women have played significant roles in the white supremacy movement.  Daniel writes, “Some estimates suggest that white women may be the fastest-growing part of face-to-face organized racism, with some suggesting that women make up as much as 50 percent of new members”. White men have always been the faces and voices of the white supremacy movement while women have supported and gotten more vocal with their beliefs as the white supremacy movement moved from print-era to digital-era. 

With technology advancing and using computer generated virtual personas, how can this be misleading for the female gender expectations online and offline?

When creating these AI or computerized characters or virtual personas it can cause confusion amongst men and women for gender expectations. Creating these “female friendly” personas can leave people expecting women to act and behave the same online and in person. They create these stereotypical attractive female characters as a link to the real world but that is actually the opposite. Many Of The virtual personae that have emerged on the market to date are simulations of young, attractive females. These personae are clearly being constructed through a heteronormative paradigm. This Gendering of the interface as young (white) Females invokes a familial relationship of fathering”. It is also believed that since men dominate the software engineering and programming that they are creating these female fantasy figures. They are creating female characters the way they expect and want real females to look.

Do we create gendered structured online communication without meaning to?

Do people of color experience negative interpellation more than white people?

“Interpellation is useful when trying to understand the mechanics of racialization”. In The Social Media Handbook, section 8; Race and Social Media, by Theresa Senft and Safiya Umoja Noble, they discuss the theory of interpellation. Interpellation is a concept developed by Louis Althusser. This concept of interpellation by Althusser explains that us as people derive our sense of identity from how we respond to the ways in which others categorize us through speech and gestures. There can be positive interpellation and negative interpellation. I feel like when it comes to people of color they experience more negative interpellation than white people. People of color can feel ignored in society and more importantly political decisions because the system is set up to favor the white people. Negative interpellation correlates to feeling ignored or nonexistent

Is it considered a privilege for white people to be considered “raceless” or “race neutral”?

In The Social Media Handbook, section 8; Race and Social Media, by Theresa Senft and Safiya Umoja Noble, they write how all of us have been assigned a race. However, white people are reminded about this much less than people of color. This concept of all of us being ascribed a race but white people not being reminded of it or being reminded of it much less is called “white invisibility”. This concept or term also relates to white people get to remain raceless. However people of color are always visible. It can be a privilege for white people to be race neutral because they don’t have to feel like a minority because they always have representation. 

With white people having the most representation, how and why do see more white victimization coming to light?

In Race After Technology by Ruha Benjamin, they explain how white Americans have used race as a tool to endanger and exploit people of color. With Donald Trump getting elected in 2016 and recently re-elected, we have seen a rise in the concept og white victimization. We see white people questioning black history month and black lives matter with their complaints being what about white history month or all lives matter. With white people having the most representation and the social and justice system favoring them more than people of color, why do they feel the need to play the victim? They no longer feel comfortable with “white invisibility” when people of color are becoming more visible and taking more of a stand. White people want to be recognized and celebrated even more.

More media like television shows have been emerging with shows centered towards people of color. Will this help put racism into perspective?

Do white feminists have different privileges or get different treatment than feminists of color?

I do believe that white feminists get more attention and authority than feminists of color. Haraway's Position as an established white feminist theorist gives her a racialized authority to be listened To within intellectual communities,commenting,"when uttered through the lips of a feminist Theorist of color,[similar theories]can be indicted and even dismissed as Undermining the Movement or as 'An example of separatist politics." White feminists may be heard more because people might view them more as intellectuals.  (J. Ow, The Revenge of the YellowFaced Cyborg Terminator)

How do characters in video games relate to how people stereotype others in reality?

In the game 3D Realms, there’s a character who rampages through the city. This male character rapes, colonizes, and terminates everything in his path. This character is called yellowface. More specifically, The Revenge of the Yellowfaced Cyborg Terminator. This character is problematic because it feeds into the racist stereotype. A lot of people who play video games are younger boys. They are at an age where they’re still developing and they are very impressionable. We see this in modern day video games like grand theft auto and call of duty. Grand theft auto also plays into the stereotype of African Americans, eastern europeans, mexicans, etc. (J. Ow, The Revenge of the

YellowFaced Cyborg Terminator)

Do you believe race is rooted in nature, culture, or both?

Different cultures use cultural categories. Some people believe that race must be rooted in biology. However, this can be argued because in the United States, the category “black” is believed to be people whose ancestry traces back to Africa. But the category “black” in South Africa does not include people who were mixed with African and European ancestry. There are shifts in racial categorization over time. “In culture: if race were purely a natural thing, there wouldn't be such variation across time and space in people's understanding of racial difference”. I do believe race is rooted in both culture and nature. We have our cultural background which includes where our ancestors are from. We also have our culture that is rooted in nature and who we grew up around.  (Beth E. Kolko, Lisa Nakamura, Gilbert B. Rodman, Race In Cyberspace).

When the topic of race is brought into conversations, why do white people insist race “doesn’t matter?

Is technology used as a tool to racially separate people based on their names? In Race After Technology, by R. Benjamin, they explain how names are racially coded. For example, if you have a non-white passing name, you can be targeted for airport screenings and seen as a risk. Technology is supposed to be progressive but it can reinforce racism. While people with “white names” are usually aware that they can use their whiteness to get away with crimes and not be stereotyped as dangerous. 

With technology advancing, will digital decisions contribute to more racial profiling? Many people believe that data is neutral but this data is compiled by humans. These people make these digital decisions and hold their own values which can promote racism and inequity. The people who work on and create these search algorithms openly value and promote sexism and racism. Unfortunately humans are the ones who create all the digital platforms we use so it seems unlikely that we won’t deal with some sort of racial profiling or sexist agenda. 

Can technology connect communities who may be unconnected? This may seem like a confusing question, however, in The Revolution Will Be Digitized by A. Everett, they add information regarding the Million Woman March. The Million Woman March was an internet success. These women used new technology at the time to uplift their agendas. Women who worked with computers downloaded the contents of the national and regional MWM web sites from their work computers and copied and printed them. They distributed these copies to people in their communities who were disconnected from the new technology at the time  and provided universal access to technology for them. People will find a way to connect with people who may be unconnected if they find a way.

Does algorithmically driven data exploit and marginalized people of color, more specifically women of color? The media and general public seem to fetishize women of color. Specifically, pornography can be associated with races such as, “Latina”, “Asian”, and “Black”. While reading Algorithms of Oppression the author wrote how she searched the words “black girls” while on google. The first search to be affiliated with these words were for a pornography site highlighting black women. She later writes, “women and feminism are marginalized in search results”. Women and specifically women of color are reduced down to be associated with sex when someone searches something on google.  

Do you think with newer technology and bigger social media presences, that people have become more strict with policing gender identity? Why or why not? I believe for some of us we have this preconceived notion that racism and bigotry was more prominent in the past and we have advanced since then. That might be true in some aspects but with the high use of social media it allows whoever to say whatever behind a screen at any point, uncensored. I think people have become more accepting of gender identity but those who aren’t use social media and the internet to loudly voice their opinions because they just simply don’t understand and therefore don’t respect others gender identities. Social media is commonly used as a way for self expression and for people to share their experience which can be positive for people wanting to research and become more fluid. However, this also leads to transphobic, homophobic, and misogynistic backlash online. I do think people have used the internet and social media to learn more about their own gender identities and even how to respect others gender identities, but with that also comes backlash from people who don’t like it or understand it. 

With technology advancing, why do so many of us fall into "glitches" with our insurance policies? Has modern technology made it more difficult for us to navigate our insurance claims and talk to customer support?

Insurance companies have compiled so much data and information it can be easy for some of us to get lost in the shuffle. However, we pay our monthly bills, deductibles, etc . When we need to call to get a bill covered or a prescription approved, it can be so difficult. Nowadays it's difficult to even get a real representative on the phone. There have been so many instances where a provider says that someone's claim has been denied or there’s a glitch in their system. We hear about hackers and glitches within these systems that it’s hard not to get frustrated with this technology and want access to be simplified. 

Are our algorithms biased?

 Healthcare companies have used algorithms for data-driven decision making but it ended up being racially biased. White people have more access to health care then people of different races so they are typically favored. Since white people ultimately spend more on health care, they were recommended more health care. “Since white people are high health care consumers, the algorithms determined they needed more”. (Nicole Brown, Race and technology). 

4. How has technology and surveillance objected to and oppressed people of color?

AI has a 35% error rate in identifying dark skinned women. Technology and surveillance is also used as a fear mongering tactic towards people of color. There’s overwhelming posts from people posting a “suspicious” person walking by their homes. This can simply be a person of color simply walking by a house and a ring camera or home surveillance camera that picks up their motion and now this homeowner deems this person as suspicious and posts it on social media forums to induce fear throughout their internet community. These surveillance systems were created with the intention of safety but have been commonly used with negative implications towards the black or colored community.

Story time!