Social Media News 2.27.17

• Blue Whale: The social media game that encourages Russian teens to commit suicide (Daily Mail)
• Should sex offenders be banned from social media? The Supreme Court may soon decide. (Huffington Post)
• How do you know if someone has unfollowed you on Instagram? (Romper) 
• Photo fitness blogger posts of her cellulite to help normalize "real bodies" only to have it removed by Instagram (Fox News)
• Snapchat Spectacles now available in the US (Barron's)
• Was a genuine photo of an alien posted on 4chan only to have the site go down less than a minute later? (Heavy)

Week 6

Week 6: Tu 2.28/Th 3.2
Read: AMERICAN—Chapter Six: 18 - Conclusion
Class: Reading discussion; Presentations
Due: REFLECTION 3

Upcoming:

Week 7: Tu 3.7/Th 3.9
Read: SHAMED—1. Braveheart – 3. The Wilderness
Class: Reading discussion; Presentations
Due: EXPOSITORY ESSAY

Reflection 3: You Moron!—On the Internet's Culture of Meaness

An unfortunate side effect of the Internet has been the proliferation of behavior that ranges from uncivil to unlawful. Slut shaming, trolling, and cyberbullying are only a few of the byproducts of an easily anonymous and increasingly impersonal online culture. While it's tempting (and sometimes even cathartic) to laugh off a lot of the Internet's nastiness, we can't deny that words, even those online, can seriously hurt people. For teens, who often bare the brunt of Internet harassment, the results can be fatal. We've seen dozens of teens in this country driven to suicide to escape cyberbullying. All the while, online communities, such as 4chan and 9GAG, continue to revel in misogyny, homophobia, racism, and harassment. Meanwhile, Facebook walls, Instagram posts, and Twitter feeds are routinely devolve into spite and cynicism. The Internet, it seems, is in no mood to play nice these days. Finally, how does our new president play into this aggressive online culture? Given his long history of mean-spirited tweets, what will be his impact on a progressively nasty Internet? 

Include at least two of the following in your discussion:

• "Teens, Cyberbullying, Sexual Harassment, and Social Media: The New Normal?" (Huffington Post)
• "Here's How to Tackle Cyberbullying" (CNN)
• "The Guardian Analyzed 75 Million Internet Comments—What it Found Explains an Entire Culture War" (Vox)
• "Cyberbullying Pushed Texas Teen to Commit Suicide, Family Says" (CBS News)
• "What the Law Can (and Can't) Do About Online Harassment" (Atlantic)
• "The Price I’ve Paid for Opposing Donald Trump" (National Review)

Required:

• MLA Style
• Two pages in length
• Works cited page

Due: We 3.1

Social Media News 2.22.17

• Ex-Twitter hatemonger and Alt-Right hero, Milo Yiannopoulos loses major book deal over pedophile comments (Huffington Post)
• Swear at a famous person and get blocked by Twitter (TheVerge)
• The "Downward Gaze" is a thing now on Instagram (Daily Mail)
• Stalkscan lays your Facebook profile out bare (Independent) 
• The Internet's "Hot Convict" makes his NYFW runway debut (New York Daily News)
• A live stream of giraffe giving birth stopped by YouTube for "nudity and sexual content" (KDVR)

Week 5

Week 5: Tu 2.21/Th 2.23
Read: AMERICAN—Chapter Four: 16 - Chapter Five: 17; eR—“What Happened When I Gave Up Social Media for a Month (FastCompany), “How 30 Days Without Social Media Changed My Life” (LifeHacker), “Plugging Out to Tune In: Seven Benefits of a Social Media Fast” (Huffington Post), “Does Quitting Social Media Make You Happier? Yes, Say Young People Doing It” (Guardian)
Class: AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY (Attach fasting diary); Reading discussion; Presentations; Lecture—“Citing Sources in MLA: The Basics” 

Note: Start your social media fast no later than Sunday night. See directions below.

Upcoming:

Week 6: Tu 2.28/Th 3.2
Read: AMERICAN—Chapter Six: 18 - Conclusion
Class: Reading discussion; Presentations
Due: REFLECTION 3

Social Media Fast: Details and Instructions

The time has come.

This week is a good time to start your three-day social media fast. Again, this fast will serve as the basis of your in-class autobiographical essay next Thursday.

Start no later than this Sunday night.

Here are the instructions:

1. Stay off all forms of non-essential social media for three days (72 hours) straight. This includes, but is not limited to, social networks (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Pinterest), micro-blogging sites (e.g. Twitter, Tumblr), media sharing sites (e.g. Instagram, YouTube, SoundCloud), gaming platforms (e.g. Twitch, Discord, PSN), messaging apps (e.g. Snapchat, Kik, WhatsApp), and dating apps (e.g. Tinder, Grindr, Bumble, POF).
2. Texting is okay, but the less you text, the better—maybe try an old-fashioned phone call! Email is okay, too.
3. Every night of your fast, take a few moments to reflect on your social media-free day. Write about the experience in a short paragraph (handwritten or typed is fine; you will use these notes in class). Think about how you feel, what urges you had to fight, what was better or worse than you expected?

Remember, I will be doing this experiment right along with you. With the exception of Blogger, which I need for my classes, I'm going social media-free, too.

Good luck to us all!

Social Media News 2.14.17

• YouTube's most popular streamer, with 53 million followers, is dropped by Disney, then YouTube itself, after anti-Semitic stunt—but is hailed by neo-Nazis (Guardian)
• House Democrats are tricked by fake Michael Flynn Twitter account (Variety)
• Also, Michael Flynn drama trends higher than love on Valentine's Day (CNET)
• Facebook readies new app for Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV (Recode)
• Here is the ultimate guide to social media etiquette (Mashable)
• Study: "Friending" an ex on Facebook could doom your current relationship (Complex) 

Week 4

Week 4: Tu 2.14/Th 2.16*
Read: AMERICAN—Chapter Two: 14 - Chapter Three: 15
Class: Reading discussion; Lecture—“Reading for College: A How-To”
Due: REFLECTION 2

Note: Social media fast directions- 1. Start no later than Th 2.18 2. Abstain from all non-essential social media platforms (e.g. Twitter, Instagram) for three days 3. Summarize each day in one paragraph (typed; attach to next week’s in-class essay)

Upcoming:

Week 5: Tu 2.21/Th 2.23
Read: AMERICAN—Chapter Four: 16 - Chapter Five: 17; eR—“What Happened When I Gave Up Social Media for a Month (FastCompany), “How 30 Days Without Social Media Changed My Life” (LifeHacker), “Plugging Out to Tune In: Seven Benefits of a Social Media Fast” (Huffington Post), “Does Quitting Social Media Make You Happier? Yes, Say Young People Doing It” (Guardian)
Class: AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY (Attach typed diary); Reading discussion; Presentations; Lecture—“Citing Sources in MLA: The Basics”

Social Media News 2.11.17

• "Beauty Boys" take Instagram and YouTube by storm (Guardian)
• That awkward moment when you're friendzoned on Instagram (The Sun)
• Reddit finally addresses its Trump spamming issues (Gizmodo)
• Pornhub, the world's largest porn website, opens  the “Pornhub Sexual Health Center” subsite to educate its users about sexual health issues (Mashable)
• Could the Dept. of Homeland Security demand the social media accounts of some US visitors? (Endgaget) 
• Teacher's aide calls student a "she devil," is promptly fired (MSN)

Reflection 2: Swipe Right—On the Ins and Outs of 21st Century Dating

Facebook, Bumble, Snapchat, eHarmony, Tinder, Grindr, POF, and other social media sites, have revolutionized the ways in which people, particularly those under 40, approach dating and sex. In this world of high-tech dating, emojis, relationships statuses, sexts, user profiles, selfies, catfishing, friend requests, and tagged photos have dramatically altered the rules of engagement. Today, people have far more information available to them about potential mates than at any time in the past—just consider how common the practice of Googling someone is these days. But new technology also means new standards. Just what are the spoken and unspoken rules of dating (or hookups) in the age of social media? What are some of the potential pitfalls of dating via technology? For example, what must you contend with that older generations did not? Finally, where is all of this headed? How will all of this affect the way we look at sex, marriage, and relationships in the future?

Include at least two of the following in your discussion:

• "A Woman's Guide to Online Dating for Men" (Vice)
• "Seven Crucial Tips to Practice Safe Sexting" (Mashable)
• "Tinder Users Have Lower Self-Esteem: Study" (Time)
• "A Million First Dates" [Atlantic] 
• "Headless Torsos: How Smart Phone Apps Have Changed Dating for the Worse" (Huffington Post)
• "These are the World’s Most Popular Hookup Apps for All Genders" (Buzzfeed)

Required:

• MLA Style
• Two pages in length
• Works cited page

Due: Th 2.16

Week 3

Week 3: Tu 2.7/Th 2.9
Read: AMERICAN—Introduction - Chapter One: 13
Class: DIAGNOSTIC ESSAY; Reading discussion; Lecture—“Crafting the Essay: Writing as a Process” and “MLA Style 101”
Due: REFLECTION 1

Week 4: Tu 2.14/Th 2.16*
Read: AMERICAN—Chapter Two: 14 - Chapter Three: 15
Class: Reading discussion; Lecture—“Reading for College: A How-To”
Due: REFLECTION 2

Note: Social media fast directions- 1. Start no later than Th 2.16 2. Abstain from all non-essential social media platforms (e.g. Twitter, Instagram) for three days 3. Summarize each day in one paragraph (typed; attach to next week’s in-class essay)

Social Media News (Trump Edition) 1.2.17

• Your social media in the age of Trump (Mashable)
• Did big data bring both Brexit and Trump victories? (Vice)
• Twitter staff donate over $1.5 million to ACLU to fight the Trump Administration's Muslim ban (TechCrunch)
•  Social media crucial to organizing Trump protests (New York Times)
• On eve of UK visit, Trump's offensive Kate Middleton tweets resurface (Independent)
• Reddit bans two alt-right, pro-Trump subreddits (TheVerge)