Assignments > Identity Journal 7

Due on Thu, 03/11 @ 11:59PM.

Where do we go next?

In this class, we’ve read about a variety of dilemmas (many of which have always been with us), and some of the ways in which technologies can amplify, reify, shift, etc. these dilemmas. This has included examining:

1. Technological determinism (the “inevitability argument”) – the idea that technology is moving us to some sort of “natural,” predetermined equilibrium that is beyond our control.
2. The idea that technologies are socially constructed – designed by people with particular goals and intentions in mind, amid existing sets of power relations.

For this final identity journal reflection, I’d like you to put yourself into the “social construction of technology” camp, and take seriously the possibility that technologies (broadly construed as technologies and social systems more broadly) can be recalibrated and redirected in many different ways to shape many different possible outcomes. From this perspective, please:

1. Pick an article (suggestions below) that connects to and tries to address a problem that you care about, and
2. Answer series of questions to articulate your own position (see below):

Step 1: Pick an article / lecture to read (or revisit) from the list below

Try to pick a reading that inspires you (and if none of these do, find one that does). Read your article with a critical eye on the solutions / recommendations given.

• [Read]. Race After Technology, Chapter 5. Retooling Solidarity, Reimagining Justice.
• [Revisit]. Jonathan Zittrain (2020). Between Suffocation and Abdication: Three Eras of Governing Digital Platforms (video lecture). Tanner Lecture (Harvard).
• [Revisit]. Maréchal, Nathalie & Roberts Biddle, Ellery (2020). It’s Not Just the Content, It’s the Business Model: Democracy’s Online Speech Challenge. Open Technology Institute.
• [Read]. Li et al., 2019. How Do People Change Their Technology Use in Protest?: Understanding “Protest Users”.
• [Read]. Vincent et al., 2019. “Data Strikes”: Evaluating the Effectiveness of a New Form of Collective Action Against Technology Companies.
• [Read]. All Tech Is Human. Guide to Responsible Tech: How to Get Involved & Build a Better Tech Future.
• [Read]. Benesch, Susan (n.d.). Proposals for Improved Regulation of Harmful Online Content. Dangerous Speech Project.
• [Read]. Gillespie, Tarleton (2018). Chapter 8. What platforms are and what they should be. Custodians of the Internet: Platforms, content moderation, and the hidden decisions that shape social media.
• [Read]. Fjeld, et al (Jan 2020, Berkman Klein Center Research Publication): Principled Artificial Intelligence: Mapping Consensus in Ethical and Rights-Based Approaches to Principles for AI.
• [OR] pick your own “solutions piece” — find something that inspires you.

Step 2: Answer the following questions

Shoot for about a page (stream of conscience writing is totally fine)…

1. Why did you pick this article?
2. What is one of the core problems / challenges that the article examines?
3. In your view, what are some of the root causes of the challenge(s) identified in #2? In other words, why does this problem exist?
4. Describe one or more of the solutions named in the article — and consider the strengths and limitations of the solution(s) offered. In addition, if you have your own ideas re: solutions that are not taken up in the article, share them here.
5. In your view, what powers do you have at your disposal, as an individual, to address the problem?
6. What power do we have as a society (e.g. via law & policy, non-profits, collective action campaigns, etc.) to make progress on this problem?
7. Going forward, in what ways do you envision yourself engaging with this problem (or related ones) in your career (and in your life)?