General Effects of Technology (September 2)

- Communicators
o Changes in the behavior and characteristics of communicators
o Changes in terms of how messages are encoded and decoded
- Messages
o More of verbal than non-verbal messages
o Adaptive/evolving in terms of language used
- Channels
o additional available, much faster, and accessible channels for sending messages
- Noise
o More source of potential distraction if communication is done online

Background Information about the Author

- Sherry Turkle Abby Rockefeller Mauze Professor of the Social Studies of Science and
Technology in the Program in Science, Technology, and Society at MIT and the founding
director of the MIT Initiative on Technology of the Self.

What is the main point of the text?

- Turkle’s Argument: We live in a technological universe in which we are always
communicating, yet we have sacrificed conversation for mere connection.
According to the text, how has technology affected people’s conversations?
- Become accustomed to a new way of being “alone together.”
- Cleaning conversations up with technology (move from conversation to connection;
replacing or substituting conversation with E-mail, Twitter, Facebook, etc.)
- Diminished chances to learn the skills of self-reflection
- Could do conversation dispensing with people
- Seem increasingly drawn to technologies that provide the illusion of companionship
without the demands of relationship.
What can you infer from the article about the importance of conversation in our lives?
- Human relationship is developed through [face-to-face] conversation
- Conversation allows us to understand and know each other (see things from another’s
point of view).
- It teaches patience
- It helps us learn the skills of self reflection
Other effects of technology eme eme (September 6)
Proliferation of Misinformation
Misinformation
- The incorrect or misleading information
- False information that people spread regardless of whether there is intent to mislead
- The second definition tells us that many people who share misinformation online do not
know it is misinformation, and they are not sharing it with malicious intent
- However, this seemingly innocent act of sharing of misinformation can have unintended
outcomes: spread of fake news and propel other issues such as climate change, etc.
Disinformation – false and misleading information deliberately spread
o Often covertly spread in order to influence public opinion or obscure the truth

Misinformation – false and misleading information inadvertently spread

o Generally used to refer to misleading information created or disseminated
without a deliberate intent to cause harm
Malinformation – information with a basis in reality spread specifically to cause harm

Factors affecting the spread of misinformation

1. Instant communication and social media have created the perfect breeding ground for
misinformation to spread
o Research shows that fb users engage with misinformation, as well as twitter
wherein 4 to 6 million times, the people share false content and has not declined
since 2016 (Ohio State University MPA Website, 2022)
o Social media is one of the biggest sources of information for billions of its users;
however, it is also has huge potential for misinformation to manipulate public
opinion
o Opinions can be informed by facts, or by the purposeful denial of them in a
group consensus compels one so
o Herd behavior happens when people follow the behavior of others on the
assumption that “these people can’t be wrong.”
o This behavior can make us collectively behave in conformist ways to the point of
sanctioning the (truthful) dissenter.
2. It is easy for fake news to spread due to artificially intelligent bots called trolls (who are
intentionally hurtful and nasty)
3. Cognitive biases can make people more susceptible to misinformation
 a. Cognitive bias refers to the limitation in objective thinking that is caused by the
tendency for the human brain to perceive information through a filter of
personal experience and preferences
b. For example, we tend to share stories that touch our emotions on our social
media account, and we are more likely to engage with content that already has a
lot of “likes,” comments, or re-tweets – regardless of whether that content is
true or false

What can we do to combat misinformation?

What is fact checking?
- Fact-check (verb) – to verify the factual accuracy of
- Fact-checking (noun) – a process seeking to “investigate (an issue) in order to verify the
facts”
o In other words, fact-checking aims to identify the truthfulness/accuracy of the
information and to avoid the spread of false information
Why is it important?
o Unintended consequences
 Sharing fake news on a social media platform could make people
question your credibility
 The fake news you share could go viral and shape the outcome of an
election
How to avoid the spread of misinformation?
6 Criteria for evaluating credibility of Online Sources
o Authority
 Reveals that the person, institution, or agency responsible for a site has
the qualifications and knowledge to do so.
 What to look for when evaluating a website for authority:
 Authorship
 Contact information
 Credentials
 Site support
o Purpose
 Purpose of the information presented in the website should be clear
 Look at the domain’s URL to help determine the purpose:
 .gov
 .edu
  .net and .org domains can be purchased and may be sources of
fake news
o Coverage
 The website should provide external links to verifiable sources to back up
factual claims.
o Timeliness
 Recency of the site refers to: 1) how current the information presented
is, and 2) how often the site is updated or maintained
o Objectivity
 The website should be clear about how objective it is. You should be able
to find out exactly what a site is up to by looking at its “About” section
o Accuracy
 There are few standards to verify accuracy
 Reliability: Is the author affiliated with a known, respectable
institution?
 References: Do statistics and other factual information receive
proper references as to their origin?
 Does the reading you have already done on the subject make the
information seem accurate?
 Is the information comparable to other sites on the same topic
 Does the text follow basic rules of grammar, spelling, and
composition?
 Is a bibliography or reference list included?
Conclusion
- Everyone can and must fight against the spread if information by fact-checking through
research and refusing to share false or fake information
- Regardless of your age, gender, location, or political beliefs, you can take steps to find
our the accuracy of the information you encounter online
Reminders
September 9
- Check the virtual classroom
- Asynchronous task