Advancement of IP titles

David Harris

Amstd475-01

Professor Plemons

2/26/15

                Anita Chan in her article “Network Peripheries: Technological Futures and the myth of Digital Universalism” comments that since “2000 developing nations have begun investing in their IP systems with new intensity, reworking them to not only coordinate their regimes with those of Western nations but also pursue new titlings on an expansive range of living and cultural forms” (26) The first example that Chan gives is with the town of Chulucanas in Peru. An IP title is a denomination of origin that is given to a product (23). Through using an IP title the people of Chullucanas would be able to distinguish their ceramics from others from surrounding areas. However, there is a counter effects: “disintegrating shared public interest and dissolving spaces of collective identification”(25). It can be seen that the competition in Chulucanas has increased and so has the distrust in the community. However later on in the text Madeleine Burns (speaker at the UN sponsored “Folk Art, Innovation, and Sustainable Development) comments that IPs lead to the development of ceramists to improve themselves (27). This statement by Burns stands in stark contrast than to what Chan has shown in the beginning of her article.  Instead of improving of ceramics, it looks as if the artists are refusing to work with each in fear that others will steal their product. Also from the article it seems as if the Country of Peru is trying to capitalize on creativity and skills of its people. Sharing your citizen’s ingenuity to the world is a noble task for a nation; however, there can be negative effects that can be attributed to this as well.  It is important to realize that the representation on the IP titles is not a complete representation of the product. Also for a producer to try and stand out as new, they would realistically have to stray from the ancestral representation of the product. By appealing to an international market sweeping changes would need to occur.  This article did remind me of the TED talk we watched in class. It is assumed in both pieces that globalization is inherently good. The old ways of learning or manufacturing are outdated and should be replaced by a complex new system. These new systems should not be met with unquestioning support. Instead it has been seen that there will always be consequences to every action (negative and positive).  

A Cyborg Manifesto

David Harris

Amstd 475-01

Professor Plemons

2/20/15

                My main take away from Donna Harraway’s “A Cyborg Manifesto” is that a cyborg is a “hybrid or a machine and organism, a creature of social reality as well as a creature of fiction” (149). The cyborg is then used to show that binaries are not how we as people should think of the world. This example creates a gray area between nature and machine. The cyborg is not limited by traditional binaries and dualist paradigms for example, a cyborg is neither male nor female Areas that she cites as already breaking down binaries are human vs. animals, organisms vs. machines, and physical and non-physical.  The purpose is to then critique this binary world that is created around us with the idea of the cyborg as the new road map. Also she wants to tear down boundaries rather than promoting labels.

I find it very interesting that she said machines are becoming more lifelike as this was published in 1985. This is before the time of voice commands and Siri. I specifically think of Siri because you can have Siri address you with your personal name. By stating your name Siri is then acting as if it is a personal friend of yours. Also, Siri can talk back to you. For example, when you ask Siri where is a good place to bury a dead body she responds with multiple locations around your general area. Machines can recommend locations to your for certain purposes, like a best friend would recommend Red Bento if you really wanted sushi nearby. Harraway already states in 1985 that machines are becoming more personal; I wonder how she would react to 2015 technology.  How far would she extend her argument? This a good question that has no  answer.

“A Cyborg Manifesto” easily can be brought into the discussions we are having in the classroom. At the center of Harraway’s argument is to not think of the world as black and white. So far we have critiqued the binary view of technology: technology is either the great equalizer or a great limiter. With Harraway’s view technology is neither. Instead technology should be thought of as a gray area that has too much complexity to put a label on it.  I believe that with not labeling what technology is we will be able to view the benefits and critique in a holistic manner.  This is something that Harraway would agree with and extend to everything. We are already cyborgs and we should thus view the world around us as such. We cannot be quantified with a label therefore we should not do that to others and the world around us. 

http://faculty.georgetown.edu/irvinem/theory/Haraway-CyborgManifesto-1.pdf

Social Profiles as Regalia

David Harris

Amstd475-01

Professor Plemons

1/12/15

                Kristin Arola discusses social profiles as form of regalia in “It’s My Revolution: Learning to See the Mixedblood”. Arola self-identifies herself as a mixed blood Native American. It is clear that she recognizes that this places herself in a polarizing position. Arola writes about the complicated definition of being an American Indian in today’s American culture. The “federal government recognizes someone as Indian(1/4)…to be recognized as Indian by a non-Indian generally physical attributes or adornments… to be recognized as Indian by another Indian…often depends on who you know, where you grew up…” (Arola 213). Arola identifies that she does not perfectly fit into a “neatly decided racial category” (Arola 215). To Arola, the mixedblood Indian must be seen and represented—not as Indians but as mixed.  Arola then argues that the new way of seeing mixedblood Indians in the modern world is through the online identities that are created. This online representation is a regalia—outfit worn by powwow dancers that represents their identity. Just as one’s social profile can change, so can a regalia as it represents there past and present.

                I believe that Arola is writing this article to those of the pure blood Native American or those who are not Native American. She provides a multiple reasons as to why those of mixedblood are in a undefined racial category. Arola’s goal seemed to be to convince others to not jump first to judgment and instead empathize and learn. This text adds to the conversation we have been having in class as to the power of the internet. So far we have talked mainly how the internet is not “The Great Equalizer” (quotes and capitalization for dramatic effect). Instead it can create cybertypes and create an assumed whiteness. I would say that Arola takes a positive spin on the internet as it can be used and critiqued as a new form of identity that cannot be separated from our real world one. I would say that instead of looking it as an equalizer or a cybertyper, Arola approaches social profiles as expressions of self. There is nothing wrong with an authentic, personalized representation of you. If you don’t want to show everything, that is also okay.

                I would disagree with Arola that your online identity is tied to your offline one. There have been many cases when humans have misrepresented themselves online. One example is the incident with the former Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o. In this situation, Te’o created a believed-to-be authentic relationship with a woman online. It was later revealed that the girl and relationship was a hoax. This is an example of when someone’s identity online was not fixed with theirs offline. Another example is the show Catfish. If you have never seen the show, watch this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XicfY8iHzuE . The imposter in the show admits that he made up a fake profile in order to rid the world of adulterers or cheaters.  There is an admitted no connection of identity by the man between himself and the profile.  I think that Arola provides an interesting view of social profiles by comparing it to regalia, however, I don’t believe it is as smooth of an analogy as she believes. 

Content Moderation

David Harris

2/5/15

Amstd 475

Content Moderation

        When approaching social media platform it is always assumed that your posts, tweets, and pictures are all being monitored. This could either be done, as Adrian Chen puts it, by active moderation or reactive moderation. With active moderation there needs to be approval of every public action before it can be done. One way that I thought of it, is your ability with Facebook to require approval before anything to be posted on your wall. The difference here is that one person looks at thousands public actions. Instead of personal preference, gore, sex, solicitation…etc are the deciding factors.  While with reactive moderation a post, tweet, or picture is only viewed by the moderator if it is flagged. These two styles of moderation were as complex as I have ever thought about content moderation. After reading “The Laborers Who Keep Dick Pics and Beheadings Out of Your Facebook Feed” by Adrian Chen I realized I had a shallow view of this powerful and obscure world. Chen wrote this article to inform the public about this ubiquitous and omnipotent business that hundreds of thousands of them interact unknowingly with every day. In part, she builds sympathy for the workers themselves with horror stories of unnerving grotesque videos: beheadings, revolting sexual acts. On the other hand, she tries to stir up confusion as to why consumers and users have not thought or heard about these companies before. It is states that there are an estimated 100,000 content moderators, twice as many as Google employees and fourteen times the number of people of Facebook (Chen). These two international companies have a worldwide presence; however, little is known about the companies that provide the content moderation for them. Chen talks with Sarah Roberts, media studies scholar at University of Western Ontario, who is of the opinion that “if there’s not an explicit campaign to hide it, there’s certainly a tacit one” (Chen).  This quote is meant to enrage the audience that they are being tricked by smoke and mirrors. Simply, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. Chen is shedding light on the faces of the people who were behind the curtain. While these people are powerful they still are…well people.

        The implication for this text is that I sympathize with all of those who are content moderators. They go through similar symptoms of PTSD, and many do not last long in the business. Some of the things that they do see cannot be undone. This point is made with the final paragraph with the ending quote by one of the moderators “I don’t know if I can forget it… I watched that a long time ago, but it’s like I just watched it yesterday” (Chen). Chen is certainly employing pathos when writing this article. Those who do this job are now wounded souls, similar to veterans of war.

        This text certainly persuades any reader to look upon major social media companies as consumers. Through the content that is created on the their cite, the happiness and optimism of their content moderators is being sucked out. Watching all of these videos is comparable to standing in front of a deatheater: it will unequivocally change your perspective of humanity. I am grateful that someone else is moderating the objectionable and gory videos off social media in order to save my virgin eyes and thoughts. I would think that this is the “dark web” that we have spoken of in class.

http://www.wired.com/2014/10/content-moderation/