Desensitization via Media Exposure: A Societal Problem

Image source: Rawhide Youth Services Within our modern cultural and digital landscapes, it is no secret that there is an overwhelming glut of entertainment media. For example, in terms of television and film, one needs only to look at the 50+ different streaming services available in North America for a frame of reference, or even …

The Algorithm: Marketing through Bias and Politicization

Image sources: Siteminder.com and Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania In my previous blog posts, I discussed the algorithm's tendency to feed off of people's political division to create a binary system of content recommendation rather than a shared news culture. For example, it was made evident that there was a relationship, or at the very …

Social Media Activism: Yay or Nay?

Image from learning for justice.org. Growing up, I could not wait to be an adult. I was eager to explore the world, find myself, and to just do adult things. When my parents and elders noticed that I was rushing my childhood, they would say "do not rush your childhood, you are an adult longer …

Wake up America & say NO to racial stereotypes

Image from 'The Columbus Dispatch' https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2021/05/25/ohio-republicans-introduce-bill-ban-teaching-critical-race-theory/7432289002/ When talking about race and racism, how do you feel? Do you feel sad, happy, or dismissed? For many, the conversation of race and racism is extremely hard to have, especially when there are groups of people who benefit from it, while others do not. In 2021, the conversation …

How to Define Fake News, Identify it, and Analyze its Proliferation

Fake News is a controversial term familiar to most Americans, but what exactly does it refer to? Image source: Stanford University News The term "fake news" is a widespread and politically charged buzzword, with its meaning often unclear. Most would probably be most familiar with the words "fake news" from the 2016 U.S. election, where …

The Politicization of the Algorithm: Creating a Divide in News Media

When it comes to news media, the algorithm influences more than you realize. Image source: Financial Times Across the realm of the internet, there is perhaps no more nebulous and intimidating a term as the fabled "Algorithm". Search engines and most Web 2.0 sites implement some form of algorithm for content recommendations, with social media …

Absurdity vs. Rhetoric: The Morality of Free Speech through the Medium of Memes

Image source: Quartz.com The intricacies of the American idea of free speech, in any form, are often contentious and hotly debated. To any owner of a smartphone, it should come as no surprise to hear that these debates often take place on the internet. In our modern culture, the internet encompasses the widest spectrum of …

Can Social Media Create Community?

A lot has been made of the negative and positive impacts of social media platforms such as Facebook, but the extended reach that the platform gives to its users is typically chief amongst the list of potential positive impacts, but is this actually a tangible positive impact? In the Afterward section of his novel Bowling Alone: …

Tea Stains: The Destructive Cycles of Internet Drama Communities

"Tea" by chumsdock is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. For as long as there have been Internet communities, there has been drama within them; and as long as there has been Internet drama, there have been people who leap onto it to procure fame and influence for themselves. In communities based on a shared love of specific movies, shows, …

New Media’s Effects on Social Capital

In the past couple of decades, we have seen a drop in social capital in our society, as it seemingly becomes harder and harder to find things to unite and connect large groups of people in a way that creates an understandable common purpose. When one thinks of the technological advancements of the past couple …