Sarah G
EME 2040
Dr. James Hatten
September 26, 2018
Annotation #1
Source Reference
Boyd, D. (2014). It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press.
Article Type
Published book chapters, dissecting a social research study about teens and technology.
First Citation
“ “(Boyd 2014).
Brief Summary
Boyd discusses the changing social phenomenon of technology. Specifically, in the introduction of “It’s Complicated” Boyd discusses the relationship between teenagers and technology. She also details the constants of communication as well as the changes.
Summary
Danah Boyd, author of It’s Complicated, integrated herself in their uniquely established culture of teenagers in order to complete her social experiment regarding the relationship between teenagers and technology. Boyd noted through her experiences with teenagers as well as interviews, that very little has changed in the essence of relationships and environments of teenage communication since her teenage years.
The following discoveries were made regarding the lives of teenagers and social media:
- Cliques revolve around similarities in race, gender, sex and grade levels
- It is a rare occurrence for a teenager to not own a phone
- Phones are used for pictures and communicating through social media, rarely phone calls
- Social media has been discovered to be at the heart of contemporary culture
- Teens are a member of multiple publics as well as networked publics
- Meaningful friendships are a part of the coming of age
- Teens often resort to technology to build friendships because of lack of transportation/time
- Teenagers tend to be “digitally naïve”
- Pain caused by others is visibly evident online because of the mode through which it is conveyed
Technology is being applied as a mode of communication because of the following characteristics it holds:
- Persistence: durability of online content
- Visibility: range of potential audience and witnesses
- Spreadability: ease of the content shared
- Searchability: ability to find content
Boyd concluded her introduction with the following points:
- The internet is not universal, but it is not likely to disappear either
- Fear mongering of teens regarding technology (from society) is unhealthy for the development of the nation’s youth
Significant Quotes
- According to Boyd, parents tend to be more isolated in their use of technology than that of teenagers. While observing behavior at a high school football game, parents were found to be ignoring the environment around them, whereas teenagers used technology to connect with others and share in their technological discoveries.
“The parents in the stands were paying much more attention to their devices” (Boyd 3).
- Technology is used as an avenue to form friendships, despite its reputation as being superficial and playing a negative role in teenagers’ lives.
“Social media plays a crucial role in the lives of networked teens. Although the specific technologies change, they collectively provide teens with a space to hang out and connect with friends. Teens’ mediated interactions sometimes complement or supplement their face-to-face encounters” (Boyd 5).
- In analyzing the correlation between technology and people, Boyd came to the realization that while social media was intended to hold promise to become an equalizer for societal stereotypes and confinements, it has failed to surmount this societal barrier.
“My research into youth culture and social media—alongside findings of other researchers—has made it obvious that the color-blind and disembodied social world that the internet was supposed to make possible has not materialized. And this unfortunate reality—the reality of racial tensions and discrimination that long predates the rise of digital media—often seems to escape our public attention” (Boyd 23).
Evaluation
Strengths: Danah Boyd’s research has shown teenagers in a positive light that is rarely seen. In doing so, Boyd also hoped to alleviate concerns from society for future generations. For these reasons Boyd’s research has a positive impact in its message to society.
Weaknesses: While Boyd highlighted many positive points about teenagers, she also revealed some of the drawbacks. When discussing stereotyping and racial tensions, she did not show teenagers as evoking change in this area of weakness for technology.
Vocabulary
Network publics– publics that are restructured by networked technology (through technology this becomes both the space and the imagined community created)
Affordance– properties or characteristics of an environment
Technological determinism– the idea that technology affects all people and situations the same way
Sarah G
EME 2040
Dr. James Hatten
September 27, 2018
Annotation #2
Source Reference
Phillips, W. (2015, May 15). Internet Troll Sub-Culture’s Savage Spoofing of Mainstream Media [Excerpt]. Retrieved from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/internet-troll-sub-culture-s-savage-spoofing-of-mainstream-media-excerpt/
Article Type
Ethnographic research article created from formal interviews and participant observation.
First Citation
“ “(Phillips 2015).
Brief Summary
Whitney Phillips article “This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things”, revolves around the concept of internet trolls. In her writing, Phillips details the characteristics of trolls while also depicting the effect of trolls on society.
Summary
Whitney Phillips, author of a research article detailing the motives, personalities, and harms of internet trolls on society, collected her research from a variety of formal interviews and participant observations. After having had some experience in viewing the internet forum for trolls in her teenage years, Phillips was motivated to investigate more about trolling.
The process of trolling is as follows (using the “Jenkem story” from Phillips article as an example):
- Create a spreadable internet hoax (Jenkem video)
- Get people talking (template email for principal’s about harms of Jenkem)
- Create online verifiability (planted evidence of Jenkem being an African street drug)
- Get publicity (news articles about Jenkem)
The characteristics of trolls, as understood by Lewis Hyde are as follows:
- Almost always male
- Lies to preserve truth
- Amoral, driven by appetite and shameless
- Captive by desire and self-indulgent (drawn to dirt)
- Fears nothing and no one
- Creative, playful and mysterious
- Sees into the heart of things
- Reflects on personal behaviors
Trolls were also found to be tricksters in Phillips’ article. It was mentioned that trolls are agents of cultural digestion (they scavenge for usable content, create a meal, and hurl their waste on the population). The trolls reject laws of propriety as they take a “perverse joy in ruining complete strangers’ days” (Philips). The reason behind this parallel of a troll to a trickster is the manner at which they leave their audience; tricksters don’t tell their audience what to make of their actions, instead they act, leave, and then there is nothing.
Significant Quotes
- Trolls motives come from their expected amusement from the reaction of those they are tormenting.
“What is the appeal of trolling? (“Lulz.”) And…what is that? (“Amusement derived from another person’s anger. Also the only reason to do anything.”) The boys then began recounting their own trolling exploits, which they gleefully peppered with the same sharp, disorienting language I’d encountered online” (Phillips para. 3).
- Political significant can not be determined on the part of trolls in society.
“Just as it would be a mistake to dismiss participating trolls’ behaviors as politically meaningless, the impulse to posit clear political meaning is similarly misguided, both in relation to the Jenkem story and trolling generally… Of course this doesn’t mean that specific instances of trolling can’t be political, or that individual trolls can’t be politically motivated. It just means that outside observers can’t be sure if and when it happens” (Phillips para. 21).
- Trolls have a striking similarity to corporate media in their tactics.
“My first argumentative plank is that, within the postmillennial digital media landscape of the United States, trolls reveal the thin and at times nonexistent line between trolling and sensationalist corporate media. The primary difference is that, for trolls, exploitation is a leisure activity. For corporate media, it’s a business strategy. Because they don’t have to take censors or advertisers into account, trolls’ behaviors are often more conspicuously offensive, and more conspicuously exploitative. But often not by much” (Phillips para. 25).
Evaluation
Strengths: The way in which Whitney Philips reveals the characteristics of trolls displays a dark side to humanity that is often displayed in media stories. Her content is believable because of the real nature of the story as the writing does not end on an uplifting note, as untrue stories often would.
Weaknesses: While Philips was honest in her assertions toward internet trolls, there are some biases found in her article. For example, the mention that most internet trolls are males was not backed up by a factual statistic.
Vocabulary
Dirt: matter out of place and is intelligible only if in relation to existing systems of cleanliness.
Troll: people who like to disrupt “stupid” conversations on the internet.
Jenkem: getting a cheap high from huffing bottles of urine and feces.
The Techie Teacher 