How do internet companies affect life, work, and relationships in your community? How are those impacts caused by company product designs, policies, and business models? The midterm essay essay asks you to reflect on your experiences and everyday practices and find their links to industry designs and social forces. This essay invites you to ask what would be more useful for society, for your community, and for you – more socially useful – if profit were not an issue.
Reflection log: As we move through readings, lectures, and conversations, keep your reflection log with observations and reflections about your and others lives.
Reflection essay: The prompts below are based on themes from weeks 1-4. Choose from one of the prompts below and write a 2 page (single spaced, or 4 page double spaced) reflective essay in response. Compare and contrast your observations with concepts and insights from course readings and lecture. Talk about specific, real life examples from your own life. We encourage you to draw from your reflection log if it is helpful.
Learning goals:
· Observation, reflection, and description of everyday practices
· Understanding how business models relate to interfaces, policies, and impacts of tech products and services
· Identification of and communication about social impacts of technology
Select from one of the following prompts:
· Study the terms and conditions of an internet company you interact with. What kind of data do you think they have about you? What claims do they make in the terms and conditions that concern you? What impacts could you imagine those terms having on your life, your family’s life, or your community’s life?
· How does social media affect my life? What kinds of connection practices are easy and what kinds of connection practices are hard? How do business models of my social media platforms impact that? What might be more socially useful if profit were not a concern?
· What makes me feel safe, joyful, and supported in my city? How does this compare and contrast with San Diego’s, Cisco’s, or IBM’s smart city imaginaries? How do business models of tech companies impact the imaginaries Cisco, IBM, and San Diego tech providers can support?
· How do algorithms, gamification, or surveillance, or other gig work techniques affect me in a job you have had?
Peer review support
Bring a hard copy of your draft on Wednesday, April 23 to class. You will have a chance to share your draft with your classmate, get feedback, and talk about your ideas.
On Late Assignments
Your assignment is considered late if it is received after 11:59pm on Canvas, but we have a grace period in case of glitches. Late papers may not be accepted or may receive grade deductions.
Formatting:
Please submit in at least 11 point font in a dark, easy-on-the-eyeballs color. No citation style required, but make sure it is clear which author you are talking about.
Midterm Reflective Essay Rubric
√+ (A)
√ (B)
√- (C or F)
Completed all parts of the prompt and clearly shows how business model causes impacts
Completed some but not all parts of the prompt and tries to connect business model to impacts
Missing critical parts of the prompt or does not analyze business model
Clearly detailed real life examples of experiences and practices
Struggled to detail relevant aspects of experiences and practices
Did not effectively or convincingly convey real life examples
Skillfully used concepts or ideas from readings and lecture
Used concepts or ideas from readings and lecture but made mistakes in understanding and applying them.
Did not use concepts from readings and lecture at all, or used words without engaging with concepts in context
Effectively compared or contrasted real life examples to the concepts or ideas from readings and lecture
Discussion addressed broader course themes but fell short of addressing concepts from readings with precision. Concepts were noted but not necessarily applied.
Made minimal or no effort to connect real life examples with the course material.
Writing is clear with no grammatical or spelling errors
Writing is mostly clear with few grammatical or spelling errors
Writing is unclear with grammatical or spelling errors that impede reader understanding