Schedule > 2. The Internet & Society

Why did the Internet take off so quickly? Why does it look the way it does? How does the Internet reflect the same desires, interests, and curiosities (and which ones) as our offline world? Do the same systems of power that function “offline” function “online”?

Assigned Readings

1. Watch: Black Mirror (Oct. 21, 2016). Nosedive, Season 3, Episode 1. Netflix.
   • If you don’t have Netflix, you can purchase it for $1.99 on Amazon.
   • Content warning: some profanity and lewd language
2. If you do not want to watch Nosedive, please read Ahmed, Shazeda (May, 2019). The Messy Truth About Social Credit (China). Logic Magazine.

Slides

• Intro to the Internet Continued
• The Internet & Society

Discussion Questions

Nosedive

• What is being measured?
• How is meaning assigned to a score?
• How does the system not only “measure” reality, but also shape it?
• What resources & opportunities does this system mediate?

Other Societal Questions

• Does the Internet amplify all voices equally?
• Why is privacy such a huge concern for the Web / Internet?
• How does life online shape life offline (and vice versa)?