Selfies That Kill

Stephanie Niemiroski

Thinspo - short for thinspiration - is a common term used to tag images and ideas posted on social media sites meant to encourage women to stay thin or become even thinner. Both men and women use thinspo as a motivational tool. However, the online movement has become dominated by anorexics who view their quest for extreme thinness. A growing number of pro-anorexic or “pro-ana” sites and blogs have rallied around thinspo as a kind of support group for those with no interest in recovery. As mentioned in class during Rachel’s lecture, thinspo is largely available on sites such as Tumblr, Instagram, and Pinterest. The 2008 International Internet Trends Study found that the number or pro ana and pro bulimia -- or "pro mia" -- sites increased 470 percent in the past two years.

Holly Temple, 17, was an anorexic who contributed images to thinspo sites. After a fall out with friends at the age of 14, she developed an eating disorder. She states she was unable to control how people felt about her and what they said, but the one thing she was able to control was her eating. She first began taking pictures of herself during the summer of 2011. She took regular selfies of her shrinking body frame as motivation to continue to lose more weight. The teenager uploaded the pictures onto a password-protected blog, which acted as a diary for her to monitor her progress. After being diagnosed with anorexia in December 2011, she was hospitalized in May 2012 due to her eating disorder. Today, she is in a better place receiving help and support from her family. Like Holly, there are many others that struggle with this disease. Thinspiration is an online community that hurts more than it helps. One of the top thinspo sites, prettythin.com, receives an average of 280,000 page views per day according to the web analytics site Alexa.com. But what can be done to combat this trend?

Many social media websites are teaming up with the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) to monitor the use of their sites for posting content promoting eating disorders. Facebook was the first social media group to take a stand. In 2011, Facebook invited NEDA to form an alliance to help the company report and flag Pro-Ana/Mia content, including “the removal of individuals and groups, as well as photos or statuses, promoting unhealthy behavior.” Facebook also agreed to provide an FAQ section about eating disorders with information from NEDA about finding help and seeking treatment. Following the footsteps of Facebook, “Tumblr also in the process of removing all content that could trigger those susceptible to an eating disorder or further entrench the illness for those struggling, stating that ‘they want to do the right thing,” according to a 2012 NEDA press release.

Unfortunately, it’s virtually impossible to catch everything when there are more than 11.5 billion total users of social media. Social media networks increasing their awareness and responsiveness, combined with media literacy training and alternative pro-health communities cannot completely eliminate the allure of “pro-ana” online communities and thinspirational blogs for someone who is determined to find them.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2716823/Thinspiration-selfies-nearly-killed-Anorexic-weight-plunged-6st-speaks-remarkable-recovery.html

http://casapalmera.com/can-done-combat-pro-ana-thinspiration-trends/

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/thinspo-internet-content-promotes-anorexia-experts/story?id=18622088&singlePage=true

Internet Addiction

The internet is one of the biggest issues our society is facing today. It is only rising in popularity and used among more and more people everyday. One of the larger areas of study in the use of the internet is with addiction. Many are becoming addicted to the use of the internet and in some situations it can become harmful to not only themselves but also others around them. You could go in many different directions with the topic from everything from child pornography, social media, to pornography in general. The internet can have valuable information that can help better society and individuals alike. However, if you look back at some of the things we discussed in class you can see how easily it has become to have an internet addiction. Additionally, we need to analyze what type of person may be attracted to the internet to be able to help them if and when they become addicted. 

One of the biggest things that makes the internet so attractive is its mainstream attraction. The internet has been a mainstream attraction since 1995. Some of the issues we have encountered over the years include dissociation, sensation-seeking, anonymity, and disinhibition (Warden, 281). It’s interesting that individuals can become addicted to anything that provides a stimuli. Take watching porn for example; an individual may become addicted to porn even when involved in a sexual relationship with another individual. Furthermore, it proves the power of the internet and how the providers of such content have adapted to their patrons, thus helping to lead to their addiction. Such users or patrons have been getting satisfaction that they otherwise could never have received. For example, regarding fetishes, your significant other may not be into such a fetish and so you take to the online pornography sites for the satisfaction.

The previous example isn’t isolated, and you can use it to prove other addictions. Take cyberbullying or trolling for example; we can use such means to be rude to other people to gain the satisfaction we desire. Maybe they do it because they’re too afraid to actually be rude to someone in person, or maybe they had issues when growing up. The fact is that when someone discovers something that satisfies them, they need more of that activity to become satisfied. It’s a vicious cycle that is the underlying problem of an addiction, which is again why we are focusing on internet addiction and it’s issues. 

In conclusion, internet addiction is serious and could be detrimental to one’s self and others’ alike. It all starts with an initial interest, and it’s just the way humans interact. However, with that comes the issues of abuse and others such as the affects it has on loved ones, including but not limited to social life and other basic qualities of life. We seek to discover the ways to overcome internet addiction and will hopefully find better ways to battle the issue. 

(I am on a canning trip so sorry for posting after 5pm!)

Works cited

Warden, N. L., Phillips, J. G., & Ogloff, J. R. P. (2004). Internet addiction. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 11(2), 280-295. doi:10.1375/1321871042707331

Internet Advertising

(Sorry for the weird font. My computer is being weird)

            If you have ever surfed the web you know that advertising is almost on every website. Companies make billions of dollars a year putting advertising on their websites. In 2013, Internet advertising revenues in the United States totaled $42.8 billion, a 17% increase over the $36.57 billion in revenues in 2012. That staggering statistic is only going to increase. The Internet has become one of the most popular ways to market and advertise your business. Internet advertising became the first steady stream of income for online giants Facebook and Google. It has developed from just posting a message to having pictures and videos plastered all over the place. Many common online advertising practices are controversial and increasingly subject to regulation. For example, pay per click, cost per impression, search analytics and web analytics have all been criticized by online users. Website creators have schemed ways to use user data to make money. A lot of money.

            A popular way websites make money is by selling user data to research and marketing companies. Many users do not like this because they want their information to stay secure and private. I personally don’t mind what I’ve been searching to be relayed to other companies. What I do mind is when websites send me spam based off of my browsing history and put certain ads that relate to me on the sites I pull up. I think that is intrusive and creepy. On the other hand, it is a genius marketing tool for businesses to get their ads in front of the right eyes. For example, a men’s clothing store would want their ads coming up on my pages and not my sisters. Websites like Facebook and Google use my personal information to recognize this and make sure men’s advertising for young people will pop-up on sites that I open. They will put women advertising on the sites that my sister opens. That is just one method how websites use personal information for direct marketing.

            The electronic era that we live in today is becoming more complex and technologically advanced every year. What is next to come for Internet advertising? Well, if I knew the answer to that I’d be sitting in a bath full of money. What I do know is that Internet advertising is never going away. New ideas for online marketing and advertising are going be fabricated as long as the Internet exists and people keep using it. Now that the age of Internet users is increasing every year, parents and grandparents need to be informed on online advertising. I feel like if an ad popped up on my grandpa’s computer he would fall for it in a second because he is uneducated on the Internet world. If he saw a spam ad that said, “you have won a million dollars!” he might fall of his chair. I could go on for days about the cool things and annoying things about Internet advertising, but I will say there is definitely more annoying things.

The Dark Side of the Web

            The last two decades has seen the rise of the new head power in the world, the Internet. The internet has become a part of everyday and is used in an extreme measure. Today’s society has become so accustomed to the use of the Internet that it’s horrible if a place doesn’t have Wi-Fi. The Internet has become a place to socialize, shop, and kill boredom among millions. However the Internet is not as simple as most the world perceives it as. The Internet is like Space, it seems never ending and there and has many mysteries that can’t be seen on the surface.

            There are places in the Internet not seen or know to a majority of users known as the Deep Web. The Internet can be ever as bit dangerous as fascinating to anyone accessing them. With the Internet becoming as large as it is, it was only a matter of time before someone began to figure out loopholes. The Internet has become a place for some to walk a fine line between what is legal and illegal. Places such as The Pirate Bay and Silk Road have broke ground on this. These are just two examples on how people have figured out a way to use the Internet as a way to bring the Illegal to a market in a grey area legally. Using loopholes in the foundation of the Internet, individuals have proceeded in creating a way to almost be untraceable or walk the line of what can be done in the eyes of the law.

            Let’s take Silk Road for example. Silk Road was a site in the Deep Web that began infamous for being an online black market for selling of drugs and any other form or act that would be certainly illegal in most of the world. The site was launched back in 2011 by Ross William Ulbricht (former Penn State student), better known as “Dread Pirate Roberts” to his online community. Here was someone that was so smart they found a way to make the Internet work in a way that illegal things can be bought or sold completely anonymous online. It took until 2013 for the site to final come down, meaning that for well over a year these transactions were going on anonymously and untraceable. Anything from drugs to assassins (yes, assassins) could be bought or sold on this site.

            The introduction on online currency like Bitcoin has contributed to this rise as well. The ability to have this currency online is again in a grey area at the current time. With the online community, anonymity has always been a big thing. With Bitcoin, because it is an online currency there is a certain degree of anonymity that comes with it. Pair this with the possibly untraceable transactions like that of Silk Road and you create a cocktail for illegal activity to brew within the never ending space that is the Internet.

             Overall, the Internet can be fun, carefree environment for everyone to enjoy. However under the gleaming surface that is the Internet lays a darker place that is the Deep Web. The integration that we have with the Internet is continuing to grow into our society. What is happening outside our doors is merging with the online community in both good ways and bad. What is illegal is beginning to become more and more sophisticated at an alarming rate. With the grey area that the law may have over online users, this society of illegal transactions will only continue to grow and improve upon themselves.

Camera's on Cops

Camera's on Cops

In light of all of the police violence in the news the idea of putting cameras on all police officers to make sure we know exactly what happens when there is an exchange between a civilian  and a police officer. There is a little bit of debate as to whether this will actually do anything or simply be a waste of money. I believe that the use of cameras on police officers will help sort out police culpability and responsibility. I think that there is a distinct possibility that this could be a productive course of action. About a year ago a California tried putting cameras on their police officers and it drastically cut down on violence and complaints. There are a few examples of this that I think show that there is positive gain here for society. I think that people forget that dashboard cameras have been a thing for a while now, and I think while there impact is felt, it will not simply fix police brutality or racism in the United States legal system. Then again, like brought up in class today, we have seen that people will eventually get used to cameras and from there maybe the potential gains are lost. Jon Stewart recently talked about the Long Island  case where a man died while being arrested by the police, the entire thing filmed, and  Jon was upset that there was no case even though the entire thing was filmed. I know that there is a certain fear of job security because people can be unjustly charged  It is possible that these cameras do not help at all, but I think that there is potential here for something constructive given how California reacted to the cameras.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/04/california-police-body-cameras-cuts-violence-complaints-rialto

http://www.eonline.com/news/603406/angry-jon-stewart-talks-utterly-depressing-eric-garner-case-we-re-not-living-in-a-post-racial-society

Do body cameras actually work?

Josh Spicer

On Monday the White House has pledged $263 million in new federal funding for police training and body cameras, set aside by executive order. The money includes $75 million allocated specifically for the purchase of 50,000 cameras for law enforcement officers across the country. The training portion of the funds would go toward instructing police in the responsible use of paramilitary equipment like assault rifles and armored personnel carriers, much of which has flooded local departments as a result of a Homeland Security preparedness program. Additional funds will go to fund police outreach programs designed to build trust between local departments and the communities they serve.

The cameras are designed to provide a definitive record of police activities, and have become a frequent demand in the wake of the Ferguson protests. The protests began with the death of Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager killed by the police in Ferguson. Community leaders pointed to video taken in the aftermath of Brown's death as evidence of police misconduct, and the subsequent outcry has triggered a Justice Department investigation. More recently, a widely shared video of Cleveland police shooting a 12-year-old named Tamir Rice has intensified the demand for video documentation of police activities. Last week, the parents of Michael Brown announced a campaign "to ensure that every police officer working the streets in this country wears a body camera." Still, many police departments have already looked into body-mounted cameras. On October 1st, the Washington D.C. police began a six-month pilot program that put cameras on the shoulders of many local police, and officials expect the program to reduce the number of complaints filed against officers by as much as 80 percent. The program wasn't cheap: it cost $1 million to buy and store the necessary volume of cameras. But after Monday, other departments that decide to take the same leap will have federal matching funds to soften the blow.  “http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2014/12/04/lead-dnt-alesci-body-camera-chokehold-case-technology.cnn.html”.

Do body cameras actually work? Its really too soon to tell. According to Barak Ariel, a criminologist at the University of Cambridge, isn't so sure about body cameras, either. Ariel insists that there isn't enough evidence so far to generalize the finding and assert that body-worn cameras offer a net benefit to community policing “http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/12/do-police-body-cameras-work-ferguson/383323/”. 

 In my opinion and soon to be a police officer myself, I see no reason why we shouldn’t wear body cameras. However will cameras stop the brutality? At first I think the officers will carefully consider their actions but after while I don’t see recording them will change the way they act. Police shootings caught on camera, a New York man dies after chokehold by police caught on camera and again no indictment, body cameras don’t mean accountability. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/04/nyregion/grand-jury-said-to-bring-no-charges-in-staten-island-chokehold-death-of-eric-garner.html. I guess time will tell if body cameras actually work or if we seriously have a problem with the criminal justice program and should consider the type of police officer we hire.

Maybe CMC Ethics could be a new course?

Everyone had various interests in topics that could be discussed further in the CAS 283 course, and a commonality between them is that they all brought ethics into play.  From ordering weapons online, to child pornography, to the boundaries of law enforcement, even to the debate on BitCoins validity as an acceptable currency,  ethics plays a large role in nearly all topics mentioned. There are two particular areas that would have interested me the most,  and areas that I believe would be quite useful to the modern day consumer; which we students are. The first is the use of advertisements on the web, and more specifically the methods of manipulation that are used in the displaying of ads. The second would be law enforcement and its influence on web users. To be precise, exploring the line of law enforcement and invasion of privacy, or studying whether that line can or cannot – should or should not exist. Both concepts revolve around ethics

            We’ve all been on Facebook and have seen an ad that is oddly enough for something we were just checking out while browsing the website for our favorite goods – whether it be car parts or shoes.  This is because there are websites that monitor cookies, and then display ads according to sites you have recently visited. It’s quite brilliant, in an evil mad scientist sort of way.  I’m not saying internet advertisements are bad, it’s the number one way websites generate a profit or any income to support itself.  However, just like anything else, there’s an ethical approach and unethical approach. Even if not for the ethical debate, educating students on such a matter will make them conscious of it and enable them to make educated decisions in regards to it.

            After 9/11 the concept of privacy took a back seat to the idea of providing safety for the citizens.  While there is well-meaning logic behind it, studying the laws and absence of law will provide a better understanding of the internet as a whole.  Furthermore, it will teach students that they cannot believe everything they see in a much clearer way than critically thinking about a piece of literature will. 

I believe educating people on matters such as these will expose them in a way that is unbiased to either side of the debate, while also making them aware of current issues. The study of these topics could be highly beneficial, especially when both concepts pertain to the everyday internet user, which is a population of rapid growth.