The Season of Reasons

Week 11: Color-Blindness During this week';s discussion, I learned how color-blindness affects the philosophical views of many people and how technology can suffer because of it. Without understanding differences, it is hard to come into a mutual stance where those engaged can come into agreement. I believe that agreements are powerful phenomenons that allow for actions and discussions to take event. But in order to have an agreement, sometimes a disagreement is necessary because conflict can shine a perspective on something someone else may have not thought of yet. That is why "color-blindness" impedes the ability to hold these open-discussions and should be acknowledged as counter-intuitive for curiosity. I think that if people acknowledge skin-color, then it opens discussions further. In order to have these discussions however, respect must be present from both sides. If they can articulate in a non-offensive manner, I think both sides can walk away learning ...

Have you experienced the digital divide in your own life?  Answer: Yes! How important do you think digital inclusion is to a person's life chances in contemporary society? Answer: Very important. Typing from my own experiences, I'm a big believer in the idiom "Knowledge is power" and that through accessibility, we are boundless in learning. Born into the working-class as many of us are, I understand the difference that a healthy learning environment can have on the mind. Luckily for me, I went to an excellent public school in Brooklyn that really fostered the idea that asking for more information is a very good thing. Although, another idiom states "Ignorance is bliss", by knowing more, more problems are indeed introduced but through development, solutions can also be configured. As a kid born in the millennial generation, reading took different shapes for me. By watching TV shows with the captions on, playing role-playing video games that featured...

Is it fair to say that, when it comes to thinking about its effects on gender equality, technology today is both part of the problem and part of the solution ? Give an example to help support what you say! Absolutely! I think that technology has a deep impact on gender equality because it can be used as a tool to control the lives of others. Examples of this are: Social Media: The information shared on these platforms can be used to make a person fear how it can fall in the wrong hands. Many people have been reported to commit suicide over cyber-bullying, deported/ convicted due to another user's agenda on hatred. It has been used to form and destroy concepts of what gender is supposed to be, when people are online. Many women have gravitated towards modeling on the Internet because it is believed to bring them fame and money. This is in part true because of how accessible content can be, however these marketing ploys can be used against the creator much later on afte...

Enhancement Technology During this week’s assignments, I read about “Human enhancement and the Modern self” by Carl Elliott and the “Ideas of Perfection and the Ethics of Human Enhancement” by Johan A.R. Roduit, et al. Both philosophers theorized that technology could cause people to alter themselves. The reasons and motivations behind this can vary among individuals, but the correlation between humans and technology show that enhancement is an outcome for “fixing social problems”. Elliott mentions that being unhappy can lead to finding ways to implement technology to deal with the problems. I agree with this because, when looking at social media and entertainment platforms (whether it’s a streaming service or video games console), many can escape their realities and have a pseudo-fulfilled experience. Furthermore, I think technology can cause others to fulfill fantasies through sites like PornHub, feel richer through obtaining credit cards or listen to music that ca...

Internet & Society: When trying to interpret Fuch’s theory, I believe that the changing 'overall competitive character of society (Fuchs, p. 107) is based on the user’s experiences on the web. For example, I think that if a person develops a belief that the Internet can be used for their own purposes, they’ll eventually realize that other users are trying to accomplish similar goals. This makes the web much more competitive between users. Which can occur between businesses, organizations or individuals, wanting to establish themselves as an attraction and trying to build demand and relevance.             As for Feenberg’s theory that new ideas of democracy promotes the organization and expression of 'participant interests' (Feenberg p. 15) to develop, I believe it is also correct. In my opinion, the web allows users freedom to express themselves, which can lead to creative projects that enables them to display their...

On this assignment, I agree and support Feenberg’s perspective that a democratic participation is essential to social interests because it promotes egalitarianism in the conception of technology.   This is important because by allowing newer, fresher, under-represented ideas to be discussed, innovation can take place and newer solutions can take effect. By collaborating on technology, the tech can be transformed into something with a much larger assemblage. The adage is “There’s strength in numbers” and I believe technology needs a myriad of great ideas in order for it to consistently evolve. In my opinion, this was what helped Apple’s app store, Windows 10 and Android grow so quickly.