Week 5 – Framing Questions

1. In Jaron Lanier’s “You Are Not a Gadget,” he discusses the virtual factors that play into online trolling. Lanier makes the argument that it’s the design of the user interface that plays the largest role in “nasty” online behavior due to interfaces being effortless, consequence-free and offering transient anonymity. If we attempted to modify online behaviors by requiring user identification, would this be considered internet regulation and censorship? What would the pros and cons be of demanding users identify themselves in a conversation?

2. Lanier also talks about social networking sites and lines blurring between real versus online identity saying, “We ask people to live their lives through our models, we are potentially reducing life itself.” As social networks continue to grow in popularity, how does this affect how we view and craft our online identities and does this mean that future generations will spend more of their lifetime in their online persona versus than real life persona?

3. What does Lanier mean when he talks about how math, in regards to the virtual world, will become a universal element one day, in which everyone can participate?