Category: Social Issue(s)

The Hottest Parties In The Country Are Now At Your Fingertips And Here’s Why

On By Kirsten BeachIn Consumer behavior, coronavirus, Instagram, Media Covergence, News Media, Online Safety, Social Issue(s), Social Media, UncategorizedLeave a comment

With the spread of the coronavirus causing quarantine to be in full effect, all social gatherings of any and all sorts have been put to a halt. With this, many night-life seeking individuals have felt deprived of fun, entertainment, and a means to socialize, but on Friday, March 21st, this problem found a solution.

On Friday night, the world mourning the loss of loved ones, freedom, and access to the world due to the coronavirus were able to let loose, unwind, and partake in the biggest social gathering around the world without the fear of spreading or contracting the virus.

According to the NY Times,

Over 4,000 people were in attendance, including headliners like Jennifer Lopez, Drake, Naomi Campbell, Diddy, Mary J. Blige, DJ Khaled, T.I., Queen Latifah and Tracee Ellis Ross.

There was no charge at the door, no security, no drink minimum and you could attend in your pajamas from the comfort of your own home.

This party, (you guessed it) was online and available to anyone who had access to an Instagram account. The party was called ‘Homeschoolin’ and could be found on DJ Nice’s Instagram live–where he held hour-long jam sessions from his home in Los Angeles (playing all of the hits, new and old, but you never heard the same song twice with his mixes.)

With the tragedy of the coronavirus negatively impacting our world and changing the ways in which we navigate our lives, partying on social media apps–that are designed to allow people to spend time together without having to see one another in person, has both eliminated the risk of spreading the virus and brought an abundance of joy to those who have not been able to leave their homes amongst the pandemic.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/21/arts/d-nice-instagram.html?auth=login-facebook&searchResultPosition=4

Accessibility of Online Learning

On By Aidan PlunkettIn coronavirus, Distribution, Diversity, Education, Media Covergence, News Media, Political, Regulation, Social Issue(s)Leave a comment

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there have been major shutdowns across the country and around the world at large for many businesses, schools and universities. These shutdowns have let to demand and necessity for online learning resources. Many upper-level education institutes and organizations have made the decision to move to online learning indefinitely. As a student at Temple University, we moved to online learning for the rest of the semester in mid-March. My mother is a math teacher at a high school in the suburbs of Philadelphia, and they have made the decision to move to online learning indefinitely.

This makes me begin to think about many things…

A decade ago, switching to online learning or mandating that students learn via online resources would not have been possible. Technological advancement and globalization have led to an increase in technological capabilities and increase in the number of people who have access to technology and the internet. That same globalization is what has enabled the spread of the COVID-19 virus around the world. 

The spread of this virus has therefore created a demand and necessity for online learning resources and accessibility. The media has portrayed the COVID-19 virus as extremely bad, yet last year the flu had 350 Million cases and over 20 thousand deaths in the United States alone. Has the over-scaring tactic of the media facilitated the demand for online learning? Obviously we need to be cautious, and I understand the idea of ‘flattening the curve’, but I can’t help but wonder who’s profiting most while many people suffer.

I wrote this article because I recently learned about Community Learning Center, an adult literacy nonprofit organization in Philadelphia that provides low-income adults with free education classes and services. While large institutions like Temple can provide the technology or resources for students to participate in online learning, smaller, nonprofit organizations like CLC don’t have the funding or resources to equip all of their students with the necessary technology to participate adequately in online learning, if at all. However, the potential of online learning capabilities being accessible to everyone poses benefits for many people across many levels of education.

An entire community under one roof? Coronavirus?

On By Aidan PlunkettIn coronavirus, Distribution, Social Issue(s), TechnologyLeave a comment

An article from NPR brings up Whitter, Alaska, an extremely small town on the west side of the Prince William Sound. Positioned in an aesthetically pleasing location in the valley of two mountains. However, there are no tiny houses huddled together or lining the streets, but rather a 14-story tall building that looks like a mediocrely maintained hotel called Begich Towers.

The former army barracks are where the majority of the 200 Whitter residents call home. 

Walking along the hallways of the entrance, the building gives a high-school-esque feeling with colorful bulletin boards on top of yellow-painted cinder blocks. 

In a remote area of Alaska, Whitter sees some of the most brutal weather with winds that often top 60 mph. This is why the residents of Begich Towers have everything they need under one roof. There’s a laundromat, convenience store, health clinic, school, and even a church in the basement. 

I found this article extremely interesting as Whitter is obviously an extremely small town with not much more than 200 residents, but also how people are comfortable living their entire lives essentially in one building. 

I decided to write about this article now because, amidst the coronavirus pandemic that we’re now in, we have ways to socially distance ourselves. In the greater Philadelphia area, we have access to some of the best medical professionals on earth- but what would happen to the residents of Begich Towers if the COVID-19 reached their remote town? What about all the Americans- all the people in the world without access to the medicine we have, or even funds to be able to stock-up during potential quarantining. Let us use this article as a reminder to be thankful for what we have. 

https://www.npr.org/2015/01/18/378162264/welcome-to-whittier-alaska-a-community-under-one-roof

‘Big Brother’ Germany Cast, Last to Know of Global Pandemic

On By Danielle SalvatoIn Social Issue(s), Social Media, TelevisionLeave a comment

Big-Brother

COVID-19 has caused the shut down of schools, massive layoffs, and insanely large stock market plunges. At this point it has effected everyone in the world and it is impossible to not have heard about it by now… Unless you’re one of the 14 contestants on the show Big Brother Germany and have been living in a total media isolation and are just hearing about it for the first time while being filmed for live tv.

Big Brother is a reality show where “…14 contestants [are] confined to two adjacent houses for 100 days. They are filmed around the clock and gradually eliminated by viewer voting, with the winner taking home 100,000 euros (around $110,000) (Rogers, 2020). ” When the cast had first been locked into the houses, the coronavirus had only been effecting China  and at the time was not yet a pandemic. In this time the 14 contestants were blissfully unaware of how widespread the virus had actually become. Yesterday on live television the host, Jochen Schropp,  broke the news behind protective glass of the virus that had spread across the world and throughout Europe. As the contestants were shown clips of the deserted streets of Germanys, the worry for their loved ones began to set in. After hearing the news the contestants were shown supportive messages from their friends and family. The show even has a psychologist to help the contestants get through this crazy time.

Many other Big Brother shows such as Italy and Australia had to inform their contestants about the pandemic, and the Canadian show informing their own contestants after they noticed the absence of a studio audience during an elimination round. When looking at these types of reality shows, you begin to wonder where the line for human morality is drawn. Was it really the right thing to do to break this type of news on live TV for viewer ratings just to use the panic of the contestants for entertainment? You could say that this time, Big Brother definitely wasn’t watching.

Tucker Carlson Warns of Coronavirus as Fox Attacks Media Coverage

On By David SonIn Censorship, coverage, Fake News, Media Covergence, National coverage, News Media, Political, Social Issue(s)Leave a comment

Tucker Carlson of Fox News has expressed his concerns over the Coronavirus. Even though his colleagues at Fox have downplayed the media’s coverage of the virus, Carlson has other words to say. On monday night, Carlson seemed to disapprove of President Trump’s message regarding the virus. “People you trust, people you probably voted for, have spent weeks minimizing what is clearly a very serious problem,” Carlson said. “it’s just partisan politics,’ the say. ‘Calm down. In the end this was just like the flu and people die from that every year. Coronavirus will pass.”

Meanwhile on Fox, Carlson’s colleague, Trish Regan was dismissing coronavirus than nothing more than an attempt to impeach Trump. Also, Sean Hannity claims that the media is using the coronavirus as a weapon against Trump. This is not a surprise for Fox is a very right winged news broadcasting channel that will support anything the President has to say. Rush Limbaugh even claims the democrats are using this virus scare to stop Trump rallies.

CNN on monday has begin calling this virus a pandemic. It is a big decision to begin calling it a pandemic because of the severity that implies. CNN chief medical correspondent, Sanya Gupta says, “While we know it sounds alarming, it should not cause panic.” By calling it a pandemic, Gupta is not trying to scare more people, but simply provide the correct information.

Many other media outlet companies have already begun taking precautions on this pandemic. The Washington Post, Vice Media, A+E Networks, New York Times, and more have all begun taking precautionary steps during this time. All companies have begun encouraging the employees to work from home. It seems as if every new company is focused on the actual matter at hand, while Fox shows stubbornness to the facts.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/10/media/tucker-carlson-coronavirus-warning-reliable-sources/index.html

Clearview of Your Personal Life

On By David SonIn Artificial Intelligence, Brand, Data, Media Covergence, News Media, Regulation, Social Issue(s), TechnologyLeave a comment

Hoan Ton-That an Australian techie and onetime model is inventing technology that would end the ability to walk down the street anonymously.  Providing this technology to local cops in Florida, F.B.I. and Department of Homeland Security

In this article by Kashmir Hill, a company called Clearview by Hoan Ton-That can disclose any personal information of you. His company has created an app where anyone can take a picture of a person and upload it.  The app will then retrieve all the online data of that person using facial recognition. The database for this facial recognition can be anything a person has ever posted online, including Facebook, YouTube, and even Venmo.  This technology goes beyond anything any of the Silicon Valley giants or United States government has ever created.

Federal and state law enforcement officers have used this app to help solve cases of shoplifting, identity theft, credit card fraud, murder, and child sexual exploitation cases.

This technology is often frowned upon though, because of its invasion of privacy.  Google’s chairman in 2011 said this piece of technology was the only thing they refrained from because it could end up harming society more than it is helping.  San Francisco has barred police from using this technology.

This company has made ways through law enforcement.  More than 600 law enforcement companies have used this technology without publicly announcing that they have been using it.  Clearview is also refraining from disclosing this list of companies who are using it.

This technology goes beyond identifying criminals.  The computer code has been analyzed by The New York Times and it has been discovered that this technology is being linked with augmented-reality glasses.  Users could identify anyone through wearing these pair of glasses.  This would be including an activist in a protest, an attractive classmate, anyone.  This would not only reveal their name, but also where they live!  It can reveal a lot of information about that person, even what they did and who they know. 

Facebook Contemplating Transparency on Platform

On By Jared RohlfingIn ads, Algorithms, facebook, Internet Of Things, Political, Social Issue(s)Leave a comment

In an article for CNBC, Julia Boorstin covers the most recent development in FaceBook’s ongoing transparaceny debacle that this time involves Presidential hopeful Mike Bloomberg.  Facebook is apparently concerned about the lack of transparency regarding Bloomberg’s campaign in regards to campaign staffers and activists using the platform to garner support for the former New York Mayor’s Presidential campaign.  Currently, posts advocating for Bloomberg’s campaign don’t specifically indicate that these endorsements are in fact created by paid campaign staffers and supporters. According to the article, Facebook is in the process of considering necessary steps to increase transparency and make these campaign posts more obvious in their partiality.  In recent months, the social media juggernaut has been progressively taking steps to gain users trust through increased transparency regarding campaign advertisements as a result of the Cambridge Analytical debacle the company faced in early 2018. That particular scandal arose after it was reported that the company had unethically gathered user data to target political ads supporting Donald Trump for President in 2016.  Since then Facebook has instituted new policies such as flagging political ads and launching a database that reports ad purchases in relation to politics and special interests. 

I find it interesting that Facebook is now reactively making transparency regarding advertisements on its platform a priority after years of ignoring the issue altogether.  The mounting distrust and negative press the site has received in recent years has obviously had some kind of effect on the company’s standards in relation to transparency on the platform.  It remains to be seen however if the company can rebound from the awful public relations issues the site has been facing in recent times and potentially gain consumer trust. 

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/21/facebook-considers-transparency-around-posts-from-political-staffers.html

Ofcom and Protecting UK Content

On By David SonIn Artificial Intelligence, Censorship, Content Restriction, facebook, Google, Instagram, Social Issue(s), Social Media, Technology, Twitter, YouTubeLeave a comment

Ofcom, a British media regulator has been appointed by the government to legally regulate harmful content over media giants such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s administration has targeted content such as child-abuse, terrorism, and self-harm as key areas to be regulated. Especially in a time when media usage has skyrocketed, media content needs to be scrutinized on all platforms.

Last year, the British government thought to create a branch of the government to directly enforce content regulations. Instead, the government has decided to fund Ofcom to protect the internet from harmful content. They even held a conference with over 2,400 companies to see which company would be the best fit for the job.

According to the British government, Ofcom will have the power to give out fines, warnings, and block off internet service providers. Ofcom can also make the senior management of social media companies responsible. The government also has to make sure that the enforcement powers are to be used fairly.

There have been critics of this new proposal, because content creators are concerned this could backfire. Ofcom could use their powers to censor too much content, restricting freedom of speech and free content creation. In response to this, the government ensured it would use this power only to censor malicious and harmful content. They ensured their will be a code of violation that will be strictly enforced, but not to overdue their own powers.

The idea of content restrictions are welcomed all over the World. Giant tech companies such as Facebook welcome the idea of the government intervening to provide safe web browsing. However, other companies such as IBM, Google, and Microsoft suggest using artificial intelligence to weed out harmful content.

Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/12/uk-watchdog-ofcom-to-impose-duty-of-care-on-social-media-firms.html

To Be First or to Be Accurate? The Social Media Catastrophe Following the Death of Kobe Bryant

On By Danielle SalvatoIn Social Issue(s), Social Media, Sports, Twitter, UncategorizedLeave a comment

NBA: Los Angeles Lakers at New Orleans Pelicans

When the death of retired NBA star Kobe Bryant broke the news, TMZ was the first to report it. Despite having only the information that he was involved in a helicopter crash on Saturday in Calabasas, TMZ is now receiving backlash for their reporting. LA County Sheriff tore into the news outlet saying that Bryant’s family should have been informed with a full police report before TMZ had published anything. TMZ had been so early to report it that social media had even questioned its accuracy. As news of the helicopter crash started to catch wind, more and more social media rumors began to spread. These rumors caused much inaccuracy in other news outlet’s reports as well as celebrities and political figures, such as President Donald Trump, to send their condolences out into the cyber world despite being false. ABC News had falsely reported that all of Bryant’s children “were believed to be” killed in the accident, while the LA Times has send out on their social media that they have heard the news regarding Bryant, but are waiting for actual confirmation and police reports in order to report the news accurately.

The events following the TMZ report were nothing short of an absolute mess. News organizations today are more concerned with being the first to break a story rather than getting all of the facts and waiting to publish an accurate report. There is even the lack of empathy from outlets like TMZ who didn’t have the decency to wait until the families of the departed had been notified. Instead, the people closest to Bryant had to find out about his death like the rest of us, through social media. Is this type of reporting something that we should just expect with the evolution of how quick media is, or should there be an unwritten rule to wait until the families of those killed are made aware before you start reporting? Nonetheless, today many journalists would rather be first than be accurate.

Motives Behind the NFL ‘Inspire Change’ Ad is Full of Hypocrisy

On By Aidan PlunkettIn Political, Social Issue(s), Sports, TelevisionLeave a comment

The first time I saw this ad for the NFL’s “Inspire Change” program was when it premiered earlier this month during the AFC and NFC Championship games. The 60-second ad, set to air again during the Super Bowl, is about Corey Jones, cousin of retired NFL star Anquan Boldin, who was tragically shot and killed by an officer in plain-clothes who came upon Corey unwarranted and never identified himself as law enforcement.

The heartbreaking story is told by Anquan Boldin of how his cousin Corey Jones was murdered by a police officer and goes on to show a reenactment of the unprompted shooting: Corey’s car had broken down and he was waiting for a tow-truck on an I-95 exit ramp when (at the time) Palm Beach Gardens Police Dept. officer Nouman Raja entered the exit ramp from the wrong direction in an unmarked vehicle; as he approached Corey’s car in plain-clothes, Raja, who failed to say that he was police, began yelling and cursing, and proceeded to fire multiple shots into the car, killing Corey. Next, the ad shows news clips and Jones’ family reacting to the loss of Corey. 

When I first saw this ad, I found it to be powerful and profound for bringing attention to the issue of blatant, unjust stopping, harassment, brutality and killings of minorities, specifically black men by law enforcement across the United States. This systematic and recurring issue is one that needs to be dealt with; and to air it on such large stages as the NFL conference Championships and the Super Bowl is what I thought to be a step in the right direction. However, an article by AdAge.com suggests that the NFL’s motive behind the “Inspire Change” program is actually to save-face, in terms of PR perspective, by funding initiatives run by players or ex-players to distract the public from the fact that the NFL essentially banned Colin Kaepernick for protesting police brutality, and this specific ad, involving the cousin of ex-49er Boldin, brings up some pretty clear controversy and hypocrisy. Does the NFL support protesting or bringing attention to social issues, such as police brutality, or not? Is raising awareness okay as long as it’s off the field? Then why air this during the most watched NFL games of the year?

https://adage.com/article/special-report-super-bowl/nfl-takes-police-shootings-black-men-new-ad/2228616