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CRE101 Culture and Society

This guide is meant to provide resources for the cultural diversity modules in CRE101.

Questions to Consider

1) What are the advantages and disadvantages of social media?

2) How does social media influence your personal and professional interactions ?

3) How does social media affect your interpretation of news events?

Articles

Communication
Communication is inseparable from social and behavioral activities; as a consequence it has become an integral part of research and discussion in the social sciences. From: International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences (Vol. 2. 2nd ed.)
Social Media
Though the definition remains somewhat in flux, the term social media is broadly defined as electronic platforms or channels that allow people to communicate and share content. From: St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture (Vol. 4. 2nd ed.).

Videos

What Your Smart Devices Know (and Share) about You

Once your smart devices can talk to you, who else are they talking to? Kashmir Hill and Surya Mattu wanted to find out -- so they outfitted Hill's apartment with 18 different internet-connected devices and built a special router to track how often they contacted their servers and see what they were reporting back. The results were surprising -- and more than a little bit creepy. Learn more about what the data from your smart devices reveals about your sleep schedule, TV binges and even your tooth-brushing habits -- and how tech companies could use it to target and profile you. (This talk contains mature language.)

Beware Online Filter Bubbles

As web companies strive to tailor their services (including news and search results) to our personal tastes, there's a dangerous unintended consequence: We get trapped in a "filter bubble" and don't get exposed to information that could challenge or broaden our worldview. Eli Pariser argues powerfully that this will ultimately prove to be bad for us and bad for democracy.

Connected, but alone?

As we expect more from technology, do we expect less from each other? Sherry Turkle studies how our devices and online personas are redefining human connection and communication -- and asks us to think deeply about the new kinds of connection we want to have.

Social Media and the End of Gender

Media and advertising companies still use the same old demographics to understand audiences, but they're becoming increasingly harder to track online, says media researcher Johanna Blakley. As social media outgrows traditional media, and women users outnumber men, Blakley explains what changes are in store for the future of media.