Assignments > HW1: The Internet and the News

Due on Mon, 01/23 @ 11:59PM. 20 Points.

For your first homework assignment, you will be analyzing a question / issue / controversy that has made the headlines recently (within the past 5 years) that relates to the Internet.

Pick a Topic

You may pick your own topic, or you can choose a piece (film, news article, opinion piese) from the list below:

1. Watch The Great Hack.
2. Watch Coded Bias.
3. Listen to The history and future of the cookie. Planet Money, NPR (26 minutes).
4. Read at least 2 of the articles written by the WSJ re: the leaked Facebook documents, for example:
   • Facebook Knows Instagram Is Toxic for Teen Girls, Company Documents Show
   • Facebook Services Are Used to Spread Religious Hatred in India, Internal Documents Show
   • Is Facebook Bad for You? It Is for About 360 Million Users, Company Surveys Suggest
5. Find at least 2 article on Elon Musk’s Twitter Takeover (see if you can find multiple, opposing viewpoints)
6. Read about the recent TikTok bans:
   • There are TikTok bans in nearly two dozen states
   • Those government TikTok ‘bans’ hardly ban anything
7. Read: The Internet Is Broken. How Do We Fix It?

Please answer the questions below

1. What did you read / watch?

Tell us what you read / watched.

2. Describe the controversy / issue raised in the articles / film (~1/2 page single spaced)

Describe the technology, the issue / controversy, and the context surrounding the issue / controversy. Make sure you answer the following questions:

• What is the technology being examined?
• What is the issue?
• Why is it an issue?
• Who are the stakeholders?
• What are the different perspectives or “sides” (if there are sides)?

3. Analyze the controversy (~1/2 page single spaced)

What do you think about this controversy? Some questions you might consider:

• In the technology’s current configuration, who benefits most and who is most harmed?
• Can the controversy be resolved?
• Could it have been prevented or was it inevitable?
• Is it a sign of something bigger on the horizon?

Tell us what you think!

4. Three Slide Summary

Create a very short, 3-slide summary of your analysis using Google Slides, PowerPoint, etc., and be prepared to share your analysis to your classmates on Wednesday (1/25). Make sure you explain the issue / controversy so that someone else can understand it, and also describe your analysis and perspectives. Feel free to communicate these ideas any way that you want (text, images, etc.).

Rubric

Description of the Controversy (8 points)

• Clearly describes the issue, stakeholders, and opposing views.
• No key facts missing.

Analysis of the Controversy (8 points)

• Student puts themself and their own thinking into dialog with the issues.
• Student thinks about the issue from multiple perspectives.

Presentation (4 points)

• Guidelines followed; student presents their slides during class time.

What to Submit

Upload both your paper and slides to the Moodle by the deadline specified.