If I could change one thing, I’d make people more kind and thoughtful on social media. It would be great if everyone paused before posting or commenting to think about how their words affect others. A little kindness could make social media a much better place!

When I’m on social media, I’m careful not to share personal stuff like my address or passwords. I try to be nice and respectful because I know my words can impact people. Before I post anything, I stop and think since it’s hard to take things back once they’re online. I also try not to spend too much time scrolling—it's so easy to lose track of time. And when I see something online, I double-check it before sharing because not everything out there is true.

An example of colonialism in tech is mining for materials like cobalt, used in electronics. Workers in poor countries face unsafe conditions and low pay, while big companies in rich nations make most of the profits.

In socialism, the government owns businesses, decides what to make, and sets prices. It uses profits to support public services or give money to people, like Alaska’s oil payouts. Public schools and sewer systems show how this works well for shared resources. Many countries use a mix of socialism and capitalism.

Public shaming becomes harmful when it’s based on false information, overly harsh for the mistake, or done just to humiliate someone. It’s worse if the person doesn’t get a chance to explain or if the consequences, like losing a job or facing mental health struggles, are too severe for what they did. Fair accountability should not destroy someone’s life over small mistakes.

An example of cancel culture is the criticism J.K. Rowling faced for her comments on gender identity. Many people accused her of being transphobic, leading to social media backlash and calls to boycott her work. This shows how cancel culture often involves public criticism without always causing serious consequences like losing a job or facing legal action.

An example of trolling: In the mid-2000s, paparazzi relentlessly harassed Britney Spears, especially during her mental health struggles. They provoked her for dramatic reactions, like when she attacked a car with an umbrella in 2007 after being surrounded. This invasive trolling worsened her mental health and highlighted the toxic treatment of celebrities, later fueling the #FreeBritney movement.

more examples of this: Spreading false stories to harm their reputation. Organizing mass reporting to get their accounts banned. Swatting by falsely reporting a dangerous situation to police. Tagging the victim in public insults or accusations.

It's interesting that only a small group of people, the “power users,” contribute most of the content on crowdsourcing platforms, while the majority just watch or occasionally engage. This pattern isn’t unique to the internet—throughout history, certain tasks have always been handled by a small, specialized group whose work benefits the larger community. What’s different now is that anyone has the potential to become a power user, with tools and platforms widely available online. This shift opens up new opportunities for people to share knowledge and contribute, even if most choose not to.

Reddit: A crowdsourced platform where users share and discuss content across a wide range of topics, organized into "subreddits" dedicated to specific interests. Anyone can contribute by posting questions, sharing links, or adding comments. Users vote on content, helping to highlight popular or helpful posts, so the community shapes what gets seen and valued.

Instagram uses both AI and people to check for sensitive content. AI helps flag posts quickly, but it can miss context and subtle meanings, so some posts about topics like harassment or racism still get through. Although Instagram keeps improving, it’s still challenging to catch everything accurately. And sometimes this might hurt the user in ways not evident.

On Instagram, you’ll often see a warning on certain reels, letting users know that the content might be sensitive or disturbing, such as topics involving violence, harassment, or racism. These warnings give users a heads-up, allowing them to decide if they want to proceed, and aim to create a safer, more considerate viewing experience.

Talking to people who are going through similar challenges can really help improve mental health. When we share our experiences with others who understand, it makes us feel less alone and gives us a sense of belonging. Hearing how others have dealt with similar struggles can give us new ideas for coping and help us feel stronger. This kind of support reminds us that we’re not alone, and we can find comfort and strength together.

Aggressive video games, say Valorant, increase the level of reflexes and strategic thinking among teenage boys but at the same time boost aggression and desensitize them to violence. This, however, varies greatly with respect to playing time and whether it balances out with gaming.

The feelings that arise from going viral can be very different depending on the person. Some people make the attainment of going viral a goal because many look to the viral status as a way to bridge into a career of creation of content. To others, it is mixed feelings or negative feelings when going viral; they become overwhelmed and, sometimes, distressed due to the sudden surge of attention. From such cases of fame, a number of negative consequences arise, including loss of privacy, harassment on the internet, insecurity for the fact that people may face intense scrutiny or criticism.

The "cursed painting" phenomenon is a bit of pre-internet virality. In 19th- and early 20th-century Europe, paintings like the Crying Boy became infamous for their supposed tendency to bring misfortune or bad luck into the homes of those owning them. Stories of these "cursed" artworks spread through word of mouth, newspapers, and fascination with the supernatural, often with each successive retelling adding more detail. The spread is, in reality, very similar to the modern trend of a viral status.

Social media recommendation algorithms have been blamed for radicalization by amplifying extreme content and sending people deep into rabbit holes of misinformation and conspiracy theories. Examples include the Pizzagate conspiracy in 2016, when social media surfaced sensationalized claims that politicians were operating a child-trafficking ring from a pizzeria; it culminated in an attack against the pizzeria. The case of the Rohingya genocide, the rise of Flat Earth theories-all these point, once more, to the dangers of algorithms that are aimed at engagement rather than accuracy to nudge people toward harmful beliefs and actions.

Other examples: Finding others with shared interests: If you’re interested in a specific hobby or topic, such as cooking or a particular sport, recommendations for people who share that interest can help you find communities or friends who provide inspiration and camaraderie. Promoting connections that reflect a bias: Algorithms might unintentionally amplify certain types of connections based on biased patterns, like those who are highly active or follow a particular political ideology, which can result in echo chambers that limit diversity of thought and new perspectives.

Alt text is essential for making images accessible to people with visual impairments. Crafting effective alt text depends largely on context: it should highlight the most relevant parts of the image based on its purpose. Additionally, conveying the emotions or mood evoked by the image can enrich the description and provide a fuller experience for the viewer.

One example of assistive technology for people with disabilities is screen readers. These are software applications designed to help individuals who are blind or visually impaired interact with digital content. Screen readers convert text on a screen into synthesized speech or braille output, allowing users to navigate websites, applications, and documents independently. Popular screen readers include JAWS (Job Access With Speech) and NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) for Windows, and VoiceOver on Apple devices.

The most well-known example in the hacking of metadata is the 2014 celebrity photo leak, or as most know it, "The Fappening". A number of celebrities were hacked through poor security on their iCloud accounts to reveal private photos. Although the content itself was private, they knew more through metadata in those photos, location data encoded in these photos, for example.

Metadata can sometimes be surprising in the way that it can violate privacy. For example, many photos and messages have embedded location data in them-meaning that others can know where you have been at any given time, and you might never know that such a trail exists. Moreover, the websites collect browsing metadata with the intention of tracking your online activity. Even combining metadata from different sources, companies can create an extremely detailed picture of you without needing to access the actual data.

That is a very valid concern. AI-generated content, such as from ChatGPT, tends to spam online platforms like email and Wikipedia with misinformation, making people not trust the platforms. Because Wikipedia, for example, enables users to edit entries, it is highly susceptible to the addition of false information. There are systems in place for moderation, but it's tough to keep up with how quickly AI can generate content. It requires stronger editorial controls and awareness on the part of users to maintain the reliability of such platforms.

I completely agree with this. As TikTok gained popularity with its short videos, many other platforms quickly adopted this feature for creating and sharing short-form content. Instagram introduced Reels, and YouTube launched Shorts, both experiencing significant growth as a result. Even Spotify has now incorporated a similar short video format.

Many celebrities prefer to let the hateful and trolling comments pass by, or simply ignore them, but a few among them often respond when this crosses a limit. Example: Hailey Bieber recieved trolls, even death threatsand so Selena had responded to in in an Instagram live. Sometimes celebs even troll other celebs and respond via tweets or videos.

That's an interesting point. In real life also, bullies often bully because it gives them a false sense of power and control. They tend to target individuals they perceive as weaker, both physically and emotionally. By exerting theirdominance, bullies sometimes mask their own vulnerabilities.

Many growing celebrities, as well as some of my friends, create fake accounts for the sole purpose of following themselves and engaging with their own content like commenting. These accounts are used to like posts, leave positive comments, and make it seem like they have more followers and support than they actually do. It’s a way to boost their popularity. This tactic isn't just limited to celebrities; it's something regular people are starting to do as well to enhance their online image and gain more attention.

Infinite scroll has become a prominent feature on platforms like Instagram (with Reels), YouTube (with Shorts), and TikTok. Other social media platforms are also adopting this trend because it offers a seamless, frictionless user experience. However, it can be addictive, leading to hours of mindless scrolling before realizing that you have homework and its time to lock in.

I believe IRC and Discord are quite similar, despite being social media platforms from different decades. On Discord, like IRC, users can join groups focused on specific topics. Within these groups, there are designated channels for particular discussions. For example, the UW swim club has its own group, and within that group, separate channels like "workouts" or "swim times" help keep conversations organized and clear for everyone.

I had never thought about this in depth but now that ive read it, even texting is very different from real-life interactions, as it lacks many key elements that make face-to-face communication more authentic. The tone and body language, instant feedbacks and the depth of the converstion are all missed out in an online conversation.

This issue concerns me because there's a lack of privacy—your followers instantly know where you are. This is also why many influencers delay sharing their daily routines and locations by a day. It helps prevent stalkers from getting their real-time location among their millions of followers.

For example, on Discord, there are various optional bots that can be added to a server, and they can be really helpful. Take the "Pancake" bot, for instance—it plays whatever music you instruct it to, making it super convenient and fun when you're hanging out with friends on a server. This is just one example of the many useful bots available on Discord.

I believe the responsibility for a bot's actions lies not with the bot itself, but with the person who created it. It's the coder's design and programming that dictate how the bot behaves. The bot doesnt have a mind of its own to act in a certain way: good or bad. This also points out the complexity of Ethics in computers as the bots intentions and different from its actions.

"Social media isn't real life." Online, we encounter countless filters and beautifying apps that alter appearances—brightening skin, slimming bodies, or enhancing features. Many people present a false version of themselves, not just in how they look but also in other aspects of life, all to attract more attention. For instance, someone might share a vacation photo taken years ago or exaggerate their financial status to appear more successful. As oppose to "people only posting their good news and not bad news", a lot of influences these days only post their bad news and hide the good parts to gain more attentrion or emapthy from the users.

I found it interesting that the quote "a person is a person through other people" pinpoints and denotes how our identities and social skills are shaped from the interactions we have with other human beings. We don't instinctively know how to connect; we learn from others. What interests me in this idea is that it has shown how community is very important in bringing out the best from ourselves.

Consequentialism holds that the morality of an action depends on its outcomes. While this is widely accepted, I disagree with its framework. For instance, during the COVID-19 pandemic, testing vaccines on animals was deemed necessary for health and it is along thew line of the "greatest happiness for the greatest number." However, I believe that testing on aminals is unethical.