Ethics in a Computing Culture Chapter 6 How Computing Is Changing Who We Are

Objectives What is the ‘self’? What is ‘self concept’? How does computer technology influence the self concept? What impact will social media and cybernetics have on our future? 2Ethics in a Computing Culture

Case: Kratos and Poseidon’s Princess Jamal felt disturbed by the Poseidon’s Princess scene. –Does that mean he is more moral than someone who was not disturbed by the scene? –Is Jamal more moral than someone who enjoyed the scene? In Chapter 1, we discussed Aristotle’s idea that we become virtuous by mimicking and repeating virtuous acts. –Why might Aristotle argue that Jamal should not let his sons play this game? 3Ethics in a Computing Culture

The Internet and the Self According to the Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology: Self: a relatively stable set of perceptions of who we are in relation to ourselves, to others, and to social systems Self-concept: the ideas and feelings that we have about ourselves 4Ethics in a Computing Culture

The Internet and the Self (continued) How does digital image manipulation impact self- conception? Before digital image manipulation, it was common to airbrush photographs to remove wrinkles or spots. –Do you think more people are concerned about digital image manipulation than they are about airbrushing? 5Ethics in a Computing Culture

The Internet and the Self (continued) Fashion photographers are not the only ones using digital image manipulation. –Newsweek used it on the cover of its March 7, 2005 issue to make Martha Stewart look thin. –Paris Match, a celebrity tabloid, removed the love handles of French President Nicolas Sarkozy in the August 9, 2007 issue. 6Ethics in a Computing Culture

The Internet and the Self (continued) How do online personas impact self conception? –Bill on Facebook.com and Fark.com: A professional in his 40s who should be approached in a professional way –TrakBurner115 on CarSpace.com: A potential car buyer who appreciates a car’s performance specifications –NecroticOne1 on MySpace.com: A music fan who likes heavy metal, as well as clothing and jewelry that promote his favorite bands; he is inclined to buy things that make him feel unique Multiple online personas allows a person to maintain two (or more) mutually incompatible value systems 7Ethics in a Computing Culture

The Internet and the Self (continued) Cyberbully: uses the Internet to harass a particular target, often using fake identities or public Web sites to enable harassment; often chooses targets known in real life Troll: posts in a public forum or chat room, with the goal of either subverting the conversation or otherwise provoking an emotional response Griefer: online version of a spoilsport; enjoys making other players not enjoy online games 8Ethics in a Computing Culture

The Internet and the Self (continued) 9Ethics in a Computing Culture

The Internet and the Self (continued) Psychologists treat compulsive behaviors differently from addictive behaviors. –Could checking Facebook or Twitter updates be considered an addiction? A compulsion? 10Ethics in a Computing Culture

How the Internet Changes How We Know Epistemology: study of the nature of knowledge and how we know what we know 11Ethics in a Computing Culture

How the Internet Changes How We Know Homophily: the tendency for people to have close friendships primarily with people similar to themselves –When searching for information about political issues on the Internet, would you prefer that the pages be sorted by quality only, or would you like your beliefs taken into account, so that high-quality pages that agree with you are shown closer to the top than high-quality pages that disagree with you? –Would you prefer to see online advertisements that are randomly selected, or would you prefer to see advertisements for things that your friends like? 12Ethics in a Computing Culture

How the Internet Changes How We Know (continued) In evaluating the quality of information you use in your academic work, how important is it to you that the author is an expert in the topic? –For example, would you be more likely to trust a Wikipedia article on U.S. history if the author is a history professor, instead of an average person? Why or why not? 13Ethics in a Computing Culture

How the Internet Changes How We Know (continued) Primary source: as close as possible to the topic being studied –Benjamin Franklin’s letters Secondary source: discusses information presented elsewhere –authoritative history of the Revolutionary War Tertiary source: survey or summary of other work that does not include full evidence sources, or technical details –Wikipedia article on the Revolutionary War 14Ethics in a Computing Culture

How the Internet Changes How We Know (continued) 15Ethics in a Computing Culture

How the Internet Changes How We Know (continued) If you notice a significant error in Wikipedia, do you have a moral duty to correct it? If a scholar or expert notices a significant error in Wikipedia in his area of expertise, does he have a professional duty to correct it? 16Ethics in a Computing Culture

Diverse Perspectives: Race in Video Games Digital minstrelsy: refers to types of role play that meet the following criteria: –A person who is a member of an advantaged group in real life plays the role of a person from a disadvantaged group –The role play purposefully demeans members of the disadvantaged group –The experience is primarily played out on a computer or gaming console Does the main character in GTA San Andreas meet these criteria? 17Ethics in a Computing Culture

Interdisciplinary Topic: Understanding Media Tetrad: four questions designed by McLuhan to help analyze a new medium and foresee its effects: –What does artifact enhance, intensify, make possible, accelerate? –If some aspect of a situation is enlarged or enhanced, simultaneously the old or unenhanced situation is displaced thereby. What is pushed aside or obsolesced by the new ‘organ’? –What recurrence/retrieval of earlier actions and services is brought into play simultaneously by the new form? What older, previously obsolesced ground is brought back and inheres in the new form? –When pushed to the limits of its potential (another complementary action) the new form will tend to reverse what had been its original characteristics. What is the reversal potential of the new form? 18Ethics in a Computing Culture

Interdisciplinary Topic: Understanding Media (continued) Analysis using the tetrad is context-dependent Consider applying the tetrad to –How might people in their 50s and 60s view ? –How might people in their late teens or early 20s view ? 19Ethics in a Computing Culture

Our Cybernetic Future Would McLuhan agree with the claim that “machines give us new powers, but the organism remains in control”? It could be claimed that most humans, today, are cyborgs. For example, many people use smartphones to take notes and keep a schedule. It could be argued that this is extending and taking the place of human memory, so the person that acts this way is a cybernetic organism. 20Ethics in a Computing Culture

Our Cybernetic Future (continued) Consider this proposal of designing bionic legs for sport: Any bionic legs used in a competition should be set to perform at the median level of performance exhibited by able-bodied athletes in the previous year’s competition. 21Ethics in a Computing Culture