Ruminations on our relationship with technology
Common misconceptions about social media and free expression There are many misconceptions about social media and free expression, including the claim that the former somehow entails the latter. In legal contexts, for example, the freedom of expression is what prevents a government from interfering with the right of citizens to express their ideas in public. … Read more
Why scrolling is not relaxing Readers of this site know that, as a user experience advocate, I haven’t held back criticizing social media over the years. Many social media platforms are designed to be little more than a time suck. They’re addictive by design and detrimental to both mental health and social life. However, there’s … Read more
Why are governments banning TikTok? It looks like the U.S. government is set to give an ultimatum to TikTok. Its parent company, ByteDance, must divest itself of (that is, sell off) this social media platform. If it fails to do so, the American version of TikTok will face a nationwide ban on app stores. But … Read more
How can smartphones and social media affect mental health? Since the 2010s, the U.S. and several other countries have seen troubling trends in psychological well-being. For instance, rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide have risen significantly, especially among adolescents and young adults. Why are we seeing this overall decline in mental health? Well, one … Read more
Why ask ethical questions about technology design? “Our conventional response to all media, namely that it is how they are used that counts, is the numb stance of the technological idiot.” – Marshall McLuhan (2003, p 31) Throughout his writings, Marshall McLuhan pointed out a cliché that we commonly hear about technology. Typically, it goes … Read more
Why do social media amplify outrage and division? One of the reasons I don’t sign up for most social networking sites is that they seem to bring out the worst in us. Nowadays, there’s never a shortage of angry outbursts on social media. In fact, Nature Human Behavior, a cognitive and behavioral science journal, recently … Read more
Is it wise to trust digital crowds? Whenever I go online to order something and look at customer reviews, doubts may pop into my mind. Sometimes, I have second thoughts about what I’m ordering. Should I really buy it, or shouldn’t I? But more frequently, I wonder about the ratings I’m looking at. Why should … Read more
When is it ethical for technologies to collect and use personal information? Summary: Is it ethical for websites, apps, or other technologies to collect and use personal information? On one hand, there’s no shortage of examples about how this practice can appear unscrupulous. For instance, social media sites and apps may harvest our private data … Read more
What is “cognitive surplus”? In the previous part of this two-part book review, I summarized some of Clay Shirky’s ideas in his popular book Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing without Organizations. As pointed out, Shirky makes several interesting observations about how new media, such as smart devices and social networking sites, give users … Read more