Framing Questions | Week 5

1)   Lanier makes an interesting point about our “circles of empathy.” How does this circle of empathy influence the way we interact online?

2)   Besides Google searches, what other ways do we lower our standards to make computers “smart?” When we see an aesthetically pleasing site design, do we really like it or is just better than most we’ve seen (i.e. are we just lowering our standards)?

3)   How can we change the way we interact online so we become a culture of action instead of reaction? Lanier is adamant about each of us being an individual instead of “a source of fragments to be exploited by others.” Is “being individual” one way to help us become a culture of action?

4)   Jenkins talks about participatory culture running ahead of the technological developments necessary to sustain it. How did this happen? More specifically, what made media consumers suddenly want to become media producers?