Cancel Culture
Tue, Oct 31
In today's session we will discuss one final matter with respect to social media: situations when content is intentionally removed by somebody other than the author. In some cases, this is as simple as a moderator rejecting an off-topic post, while in others, it's the wholesale removal of an entire platform from the Internet. This topic has inspired a lively debate, with arguments typically consisting of an absolutist defense of freedom of speech or an inclination to ban speech that is deemed unacceptable to certain groups. There is likely a more sensible middle ground to be found.
We have three main in-class learning goals. By the end of lecture today you will:
- Understand the difference between moderation, censorship, canceling, and deplatforming.
- Consider different global perspectives on controlling speech on the Internet.
- Question the extent to which content should be removed in different scenarios.
The slides for today's lecture.
Read This:
Steven Johnson writing in Wired about Why Cloudflare Let an Extremist Stronghold Burn
Cloudflare explains why it Terminated the Daily Stormer
Kate Klonick's op-ed in the New York Times about The Terrifying Power of Internet Censors
Sumit Khanna blogging about The New Era of Corporate Censorship
Paul Mozur reporting for the New York Times on how China Presses Its Internet Censorship Efforts Across the Globe
The Electronic Frontier Foundation's report on China's Global Reach: Surveillance and Censorship Beyond the Great Firewall
Bruno Maçães provides a European perspective on the Trump social media ban
These optional readings provide additional case studies and introduce a few other aspects that affect the free movement of information on the Internet:
Legal Shield for Websites Rattles Under Onslaught of Hate Speech
China says terrorism, fake news impel greater global internet curbs
Senate passes controversial online sex trafficking bill
How Congress Censored the Internet
Thoughts on Network Neutrality, the FCC, and the Future of Internet Governance
Is Net Neutrality Good or Bad for Innovation
The WIRED Guide to Net Neutrality
Do This:
Writing Reflection 07
See the instructions posted on the assignment's page.
This writing reflection is due on 11/7 at 5pm.
This Week's Dialogue Group Meeting
Find at least one hour to meet with your group to discuss the prompt of the week: Is there anything too extreme to be posted to the Internet?
Project 01
This project is due Thursday 11/2 at 5pm.
The project for this unit on social media will be the production of a video that summarizes your group's dialogues over the course of the next several weeks. Review the instructions that have been posted on the Project 01 page.
Please complete the Team Member Evaluation Form and drop it in your Google drive folds that is shared with Ellen before the project deadline.
Reading Quiz 09
The form for Reading Quiz 09 follows below. If you can't see the form below, try this direct link.