tompaterson14

Self-Made with Piktochart (2018) Prior to this topic, I held an interest in privacy. However, through studying this topic, I realised that I have largely failed to act upon this interest, and I decided that this would change now! As I discussed with Will and Will there are also difficulties with becoming completely anonymous and as such I didn’t feel the need to become 100% anonymous. Continue reading →

Privacy is crucial in a democracy, and shouldn’t be conflated with wrongdoing (Solove, 2007). However, as the adoption of the internet has increased, symbiotically the amount of privacy has decreased. Faced with this problem, individuals have started to separate their once unified identity into separate profiles. For privacy purposes By having multiple profiles one benefits from increased privacy – especially if some of the additional profiles are anonymous. Continue reading →

Credit: Snopes Coming into a topic about ‘fake news’ I thought it was a chance for me to educate, as I considered myself adept in identifying fake news. However, over the course of this topic, I learnt a lot. I had discussed with friends that artificial intelligence could be a solution to fake news. However, over this topic I sided with the view that artificial intelligence couldn’t safely create a solution in the foreseeable future. Continue reading →

  Bertrand Russell once said “Do not feel absolutely certain of anything.”. However, this is easier said than done. It seems that on a deep psychological level, we are attracted to clickbait and sensationalist headlines, which leaves us vulnerable to believing false information. Especially when we consider that lies travel faster than truth (Vosoughi et al, 2018). Pictured: Fake news travels faster. Continue reading →

Before this topic, I had not considered digital inequality. I had accepted inequality and discrimination offline but never stopped to consider the effects it may have online. However, I am now able to appreciate that there are a multiplicity of factors which ultimately make our digital experience’s different. Despite concluding I was not negatively impacted by any of the factors, I felt that there was a huge need to actually do something. Continue reading →

Credit: Self made with PitkoChart   ‘Inequality’ springs racism, sexism and classism to mind. However, it’s time we accepted that digital inequality deserves a place alongside more traditional forms of inequality (Robinson et al., 2015), as an ability to access the internet can provide advantages in various aspects of life, from academic performance to entrepreneurship (Robinson et al, 2015). However, use of the internet is not always a choice (Halford and Savage, 2010). Continue reading →

Prior to the introductory topic, I’d have considered myself to be “digital” in every way, shape and form. Subconsciously, I was aligned with Prenksy’s rather ageist theory. However, my subsequent exposure to White’s theory  converted my mind, and I started a reflection of digital life more broadly. Through the mapping process, I accepted that I was “digitally deficient” in some areas. Continue reading →

The terminology “digital native” and “digital immigrants” were creations of Prensky in 2001, who supposed that people born into the “digital era” would be digital natives, whilst those born after were immigrants who were likely to ‘manage to learn to exist but will never be fully competent'(Prensky 2001). Despite initial credence, Prensky’s theory came under strain from critics. Continue reading →