Homework for monday 3/23

What are some of the main differences in the way these texts define The Problem?

1. In the first text Andrew Stafford, a reporter for the Sydney Morning Herald, says that the problem with cyber bullying is that cyber bullies endeavor to poison and ruin online debates and they encounter little to no resistance and always win. Cyber bullies revel in anonymity, according to Stafford, and they will censor themselves much more if they will be recognized.
2. The second text, written by Jason Wilson, counters Staffords article, says that cyber bullying is just another form of argument or “conflict” which is a pillar of democracy. He believes that the problem is anonymity which can cause people to lose inhibitions.
3. In the third article, author Julie Zhuo determines that the problem is internet trollers who are cloaked in anonymity because they are not held accountable for any of their libelous statements.
4. Dana Boyd said in her article that the problem is the attempted limitation of pseudonyms and internet handles. Anonymity is a massive boon to many people and it would be damaging in many ways to these people to be saying the things they do under their own names.
5. In article #5, Cornell Clayton said that the problem in our online society is the lack of civility. atrocious things are being said with little thought of the acceptability of their statement. Most people wouldnt do something completely uncivilized in person but on the internet, most people will go much farther than they normally would. Civility is the foundation of a Civilized culture and it seems that it is slowly slipping away from people typing on a keyboard.
6. Tim Adams, author of the 6th article, said that deindividuation is the problem with the internet. Deindividuation is the state you are in once you are anonymous and feel as if social norms don't apply to you anymore.

What are some of the main differences in their claims about what causes the problem?

In the first and fifth articles, the authors say that the people are the problem because they can do whatever they want with no repercussions and they have lost their sense of civility whilst online. In the second, third, fourth, and sixth articles, the authors believe that the problem is is caused by the anonymity that the internet provides. People can hide behind a pseudonym or a handle and do whatever they want.

What are some of the main differences in their claims about what should be done to solve the problem?

The first, third, and sixth articles say that the solution to the problem is to take away anonymity on the internet. This would lead to much more polite discussions because people would be accountable for their own actions. However Jason Wilson says that the solution to the problem is to stop trying to get people to censor their voices. He says that this is a new frontier of democracy in which people can speak freely without fear of harm. In the fourth text, roberts says that anonymity is vital to many people on the internet and should be kept no matter what. The fifth text, by Clayton, says that we really need to just evaluate our words before we type them. Instead of the old saying think before you speak, he is basically saying think before you write online.