Internet Slop
Thu, Mar 19
Today's lecture considers how the Internet has become degraded over time with respect to its functionality and content. Such a regression is a natural consequence of corporate consolidation of the Internet's infrastructure, and a distinct lack of vision on the part of technology companies. We'll take up the question of whether this will cause users to turn to alternative technologies or pull back on their engagement with technology in general.
We have two main in-class learning goals. By the end of lecture today you will:
- Learn how the Internet has degenerated in some ways from the dotcom era to today.
- Understand the mismatch between the marketing of big tech and user experience.
The slides for today's lecture.
Read This:
Journalist and sci-fi writer Cory Doctorow on why some users are fleeing social media platforms because of 'enshittification'
Red Hat evangelist Jan Wildeboer explains how AI bots broke the web
Do This:
Writing Reflection 06
See the instructions posted on the assignment's page.
This writing reflection is due on 3/24 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: What does your set of chosen virtues look like in the context of social media? This is the conceptual inquiry piece of your design pattern creation process.
Schedule your group meeting for next week. The new prompt is: Identify key features of four different social media platforms (your choice) and consider if these features uphold or violate your chosen virtues. This is the first part of the technical inquiry piece of your design pattern creation process.