Episode 62 - Cognizant & Screen Anxiety - Part 2
Are human minds capable of coping with social media? Political polarization, teen bullying, rising depression...no wonder our ability to ‘social network’ responsibly has come under question.
The internet is a wonderful place, full of knowledge, resources, and funny cats. But it can also be a cesspool full of violent videos, nudity, racist propaganda, and bullying. Someone, somewhere has to clean up all that hateful garbage we don’t want to see. Which is where Cognizant - a group of underpaid contractors for Facebook - come in. On The Re-Engineered You, we’ll talk about a series of TheVerge articles by reporter Casey Newton. And we’ll ask the question: if contractors with access to proper training, experience, and cautionary seminars can’t handle the anxieties of the internet, what chance do the rest of us have?
In Part 2 of this two-parter, we’ll also look at the human cost of social media. We’ll discuss the Myanmar genocide that utilized Facebook to spread their hate message. And we’ll look at the rising depression and suicide rates, and try to find a reason other than social media for the historic mental health crisis we’re facing. Finally, we’ll talk about how to unplug from the social network in a way that won’t leave you feeling out of the loop, and away from your friends.
History Links:
Science Links:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/15/technology/myanmar-facebook-genocide.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-46105934