Culture & Technology

Culture & Technology

1. Anonymity

   • People can pretend to be people they aren't and gain private information or do something anonymously
     • Hackers sometimes do this to gain private details
     • Spammers can send out emails anon. without worrying about complaints
     • Often people who do something anonymously cannot be caught if they do it anon.
   • Provides a shield to hide behind
   • The government have laws in place to reduce anonymity in case of illegal actions
     • Service providers have to keep a record for 12 months of websites a user has visited: authorities don't need a warrant to access these
   • The internet can provide a PLATFORM to say things that are not acceptable in certain cultures.
     • Example: being gay is illegal in some countries and discussing it could lead to prosecution
   • Allows people to point out injustice, but not be revealed as whistleblowers

2. Viral Videos

   • Viral videos, Images and Memes, can spread across the internet very rapidly
     • Give people around the world a shared experience that they can discuss and build upon
       • Often brings in huge amounts of people
       • People can become famous overnight, or get their 10 seconds of fame before a new viral video comes along.
     • Advertising companies aim to manufacture viral videos hoping to gain huge amounts of free publicity
     • Large groups can respond to these videos and bring about substantial legal and political changes
       • Social movements
       • Public image and views of politicians can change in accordance to these viral videos
         • Publicity aim to get ahead of viral spreading, and make a brand
   • No one knows what really makes a video go viral

3. Citizen Journal

4. Health

5. Social Media

   • Everyone in the UK is connected to social media in some way
   • Allow people to communicate more easily
   • Allows businesses to advertise to customers, recieve feedback and comment in real time.
   • Allows everyone to see news and updates about things live, enabling up to date knowledge
     • However, false information and fake news can spread just as quickly as live news
     • Makes it much more difficult to find the truth in a situation
   • People can be distracted by social media, as it is such a large part of life today
     • Can distract student from education; can distract adults from their employment
   • Could be used as a substitute for friendship
     • Could isolate them from the world around us
   • Can help people find helpful groups but could also provide a banner for hateful groups too
   • Affects all cultures