Social Implications of a Computerized Society Lecture 3 Instructor: Oliver Schulte Simon Fraser University

The Impact of the Internet on Thinking and Relationships Information, Knowledge, and Judgment Computers and Community

Discussion Question Has the internet changed the way you think? The way you read?

Information, Knowledge, and Judgment Evaluating Information on the Web: Expert information or ‘wisdom of the crowd’? –Daunting amount of information on the web, much of this information is not correct –Search engines are replacing librarians, but Web sites are ranked by popularity, not by expert evaluation –Wisdom of the crowd - ratings by public of website –If millions participate, the results will be useful

Information, Knowledge, and Judgment (cont.) Evaluating Information on the Web (cont.): Wikipedia: –Written by volunteers, some posts are biased and not accurate –Although anyone can write, most people do not –Those that do typically are educated and experts (thousands)

Information, Knowledge, and Judgment (cont.) Evaluating Information on the Web (cont.): Wisdom of the crowd –Problems of unreliable information are not new –The Web magnifies the problems –Rating systems are easy to manipulate Vulnerable viewers –Less educated individuals –Children Responsibilities of site operators –Should identify user-supplied content –Make clear which information has been verified

Information, Knowledge, and Judgment (cont.) Writing, Thinking and Deciding: More intellectual laziness? New tools have displaced skills that were once important Abdicating responsibility –People willing to let computers do their thinking –Reliance on computer systems over human judgment may become institutionalized –Fear of having to defend your own judgment if something goes wrong

Internet and Cognition: Concerns (Carr) Reading is cultural practice, not genetic like speech. Are we evolving towards “pancake minds” - think and widespread? Can we still read longer articles with concentration? –British study: internet users read 2-3 pages out of a scientific article.

Discussion Questions What’s the most reliable source of information on the Web in your opinion? How do you evaluate the reliability of information you find on the Web? How do your evaluation methods compare to the way you evaluate information from other sources?

Discussion Question Has the internet, instant messaging, text messaging etc. improved your social relationships or made them worse? For example, do you have more friends? Better friends? What about dating or family?

Computers and Community Some feared early technologies, such as telephones, thinking communication would be de-humanized Computers and the Internet were blamed for the decline in community involvement and memberships in clubs and organizations The Internet provides communities focused on specialized interests or problems Some evidence that it helps make contact for local people.

Computers and Community: Making Connections The Internet brings people together from all over the world and the Internet provide convenient and cheap ways for families and friends to stay in contact New trends include social-networking sites such as MySpace and virtual environments such as Second Life

Computers and Community: Criticisms (Rosen) IT promotes efficient communication, not personal/intimate communication. A tool for rushed people. Two trends: –Transparency –Oversharing. Easy to make superficial connections; hard to develop trust. Focus on bits and pieces of a person (where from, interests), not the whole person.