COMM 184 MIDTERM: SOCIAL MEDIA
CONTROVERSY: THE GOOD, THE BAD,
AND THE UGLY QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS WITH SOLUTIONS 2024
Masspersonal Technologies - ANSWER "public-yet-personalized" communication largely enabled using
digital tech
ex. commenting on an IG post to complement someone is a very personal message that everyone sees
Media Affordances - ANSWER multifaceted relational structure between object/tech and use that
enables or constrains potential behavioral outcomes in a particular context
aka, what tech makes possible and allows to happen!
ex. ability to get messages across the world in seconds when it used to take days/week changed the
name of the communication game!
(lots of variability -- think of chair example: chairs have support and comfort - but of varying levels!)
3 Types of Media Affordances - ANSWER anonymity: self-disclosure to the max! online, you can choose
what people know about you
persistence: how long media lasts once you post something; ex. FB!
visibility: how many people are looking at you, NOT how visible you are
Technomyopia - ANSWER macro-level way we negotiate media today:
people tend to overestimate the impact of tech, while simultaneously underestimating long-term
potential
,ex. when new tech arises, people tend to fear that they will lose the ability to communicate face-to-face
it that it will undermine human interaction. NOT true, people adapt! people had the same responses to
letters and bicycles that they do to tech today. since the same emotional reactions have occurred across
space and time it might be true, but none of this is new. also, social connections are not new, isolation is
not new, and mediated connection is not new!
ex. cyberbullying: kids already bully in-person! the internet amplifies the already existing issue, what's
more to worry about is the broader long-term impact
Context Collapse - ANSWER flattening of multiple distinct audiences in one's network, such that people
from different contexts become part of a singular group of message recipients (ex. family following you
on IG)
effects show up on individual level
Panopticon as a General Concept - ANSWER Idea by Jeremy Bentham about specific idea of controlling
people in prisons. Trying to implement self-control relying on the fact that if people think there is a
possibility of being watched, they will control their behavior, and want to keep themselves in line.
implements the idea that if you place the guard at the center of the surrounding jail cells, you eventually
won't need a guard in the guard tower because prisoners can't see if they are in there but the possibility
of being watched is enough to make people adjust their behavior.
Panopticon: Application to Social Media - ANSWER What are the long term implications of being in a
panopticon and willingly engaging in surveillance by providing lots of information about ourselves to
large and unknown audiences?
We live in a digital society where we are being recorded all the time so the larger picture is the
panopticon.
How are we modifying our behaviors in ways we may not even realize because we are being watched?
We are often engaging in selective self-presentation, presented a curated version of ourselves online
, How does Internet access shape attitudes about political involvement? - ANSWER -Internet use is
associated with demands for Democracy worldwide.
Knowledge is power.
Media often enhances political engagement. In transitioning democracies, it can:
--Increase knowledge & plurality of ideas (multiple perspectives on issues)
--Increase desire for democracy
--May lead to "bottom-up democratization"
EX. OF BOTTOM-UP DEMOCRATIZATION
----------One study found evidence that across many diff countries, on average the less people were
online, the less they desired democratic representation; more online = more they wanted democracy
(((This is cross-sectional, so they know there's a positive correlation but there's multiple explanations; ie:
correlation isn't causation; places with internet might be places where people already want democracy)))
How do digital media facilitate political mobilization? - ANSWER Digital media provide unique
opportunities for mobilizing social change. this can be explained by the 3 key contributions of social
media to collective action (asked about on another flashcard!)
3 key contributions of social media to collective action - ANSWER 1. high levels of organizational
resources (ex. if you're staging a schoolwide walkout, you can access tons of people at once to tell them
about it. phones have calendars and other apps that help create and share events/info
2. the formation of collective identities - using symbols and group identities (ex. If you're a part of some
obscure fandom group, or groups like queer groups, you can find those; social media is also now very
visual! each ID has own distinct point (ex. UCSB student groups, cancer survivors group, hashtags, FB
profile pic borders like #BLM to signify your membership/identification with group, etc.)
3: personalized content sharing across media networks - visibility affordance! you don't need a platform
to spread your message. taps into mass personalized comm (ex. IG influencers grow a following, political
vloggers on YouTube spread ideas to audiences larger than those they could likely reach in offline world;
politics on Reddit, Twitter, etc.)
(reddit, personal fb groups)
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