Assignment 3: A Resource Guide By: Arpita Kabra
(I) The Social Dilemma (2020 film), a docudrama directed by Jeff Orlowski
The Social Dilemma, released in 2020 on Netflix is a documentary highlighting the impact of extensive use of social media on people worldwide. It features Google, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter among other such firms, and their profit-making strategies which control the users and their time spent on these apps. The film stars previously top-position holders in these firms (like Tristan Harris, former Design
Ethicist, Google and Tim Kendall, former President of Pinterest) who explain the never-ending trap of social media. Driven by the aim to maximise profits, these firms collect user data, such as the type of content they prefer, the time spent on posts, what is liked and shared by users, etc. Based on the data collected, the user is frequently shown content of a similar type, thus leading to an never ending scroll. The data accumulation is done primarily by techniques such as data mining and surveillance capitalism, which at the user end makes them addictive to social media. The film shows how social media makes people self-conscious and talks about the swiftly increasing cases of depression among teenagers. The film ends on a note on the need to shift the focus of social media tech-firms from being profit-driven to become user-centric. It is ideal for discussion in a course like Digital Cultures and New Media as it remarkably explains and validates the theories of critical thinkers from the age of technical revolution. The film aptly describes the exponentially distorting face of the human lifestyle, affected by social media. The movie is available on Netflix. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Social_Dilemma
(II) Can Social Media effectively include women’s voices in decision-making processes?
The brief study published by OECD (The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development), an inter-governmental organisation comprising 37 countries including India, talks about the prevalent hindrances as well as development aided through social media till date for the social issues concerning women. Rather than expecting a critical view from this paper, the reader is expected to get a wide overview of issues faced by women in various parts of the world, such as rapes, and murders, unequal education and access to resources, unequal representation in the government, access to technology, etc. the paper talks about various hashtags such as #BringBackOurGirls,
#DelhiGangRape, etc which have stirred support and activities from different groups across nations. Such social media campaigns have brought desired amendments to our constitution as well, as they effectively garner public support enough to be in the limelight of global media. Not only social media but we are also able to build apps that come for instant rescue to the women. However, in spite of the rising use of social media, the representation of women is limited in governmental roles, etc. The paper briefly describes the causes of this and applicable solutions. Apart from addressing the mentioned issues, WikiGender is highlighted. It is an open platform developed by OECD to promote awareness-raising activities for gender equality and atrocities faced by women. Further exploration of WikiGender is extremely relevant to the studies of Digital Cultures and unconventional Media platforms that support two-way communication and harness global concern. Loiseau, E., & Nowacka, K. (2015, March). Can social media effectively include women’s voices in decision-making processes? Retrieved March 01, 2021, from https://www.oecd.org/development/gender-development/DEV_socialmedia-issuespaper-March2015.pdf
(III) Global Digital Cultures: Perspectives from South Asia Authored by Aswin Punathambekar and Sriram Mohan
The book ‘Global Digital Cultures: Perspectives from South Asia’ is a recent addition to the resources of development of the digital cultures. The book discusses in-depth the impacts of massive growth and usage of digital technology in the most densely populated regions of the world, South Asia. Such massive growth in the previous two decades have impacted social media firms, other digital platforms in their agendas and strategy formation tremendously, India being one of the key players. The book discusses how even the government has shifted from mainstream television and newspapers to using digital media as a platform for announcements. Various political parties are using social media as a campaigning tool, as a gimmick, to debate, criticise and form public opinions. The book discusses, among various other dimensions, the transition from television as a source of live information to Twitter and Instagram,
where not only certain news is passed rapidly, however, even opinions are formed at that rate itself. Technology has significantly aided the citizens in becoming informed. The book discusses cosmopolitanism, youth culture, dating apps like Tinder, privacy and intimacy on social media. The evolution of digital culture is rapid and complex with various factors involved across groups, It needs to be traced for the generations to come, as it is merely impossible to determine the next trend, the next big thing! The book is a thorough compilation of trends observed till now in socio-political regimes. It is ideal for discussions in our class, and even as a hobby reading to understand what is shaping our surroundings and how it is being shaped.
PUNATHAMBEKAR, ASWIN, and SRIRAM MOHAN, editors. “Table of Contents.” Global Digital Cultures: Perspectives from South Asia , University of Michigan Press, ANN ARBOR, 2019, pp. vii-viii. JSTOR , www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvndv9rb.3. Accessed 4 Mar. 2021.
(IV) Women Who Code: A Global Initiative to bridge the gender gap in tech!
Our discussions in the class are centred on digitization, the history of mass media and telecommunication devices, their socio-impact, etc. If we talk about the present, the task of digitization has been taken over by millions of ‘Apps’ for socialising, e-commerce, banking, online learning, entertainment, etc. These apps are only one type of software development carried out amongst many. Our computers, mobile
phones, even devices like televisions, washing machines, refrigerators, etc are turning smart and require the deployment of smart softwares in them. Thus, in a real sense, the digital revolution is enabled by thousands of Computer and Software Engineers across the world, and it is one of the most demanded and high-paid jobs currently. Why should only men represent the entire workforce? The non-profit organisation ‘Women Who Code’ was founded with the aim to foster coding skills in young girls, boost the confidence of women who code and celebrate them. It can be taken as a case study in the course showing how the digital platforms are paving ways to bridge gender gap. The organisation is analogous to organisations of women for Universal Adult Suffrage in the previous century, and shows how unity among women and support from fellow men can truly help in achieving the vision of equal ratio of men and women in tech. The platform guides young girls in Asia, South Africa, America, etc., to develop competitive coding skills and logical reasoning, and works to make them believe in themselves. https://www.womenwhocode.com/about
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