Impact of Digital Communication on Relationships
Digital communication has significantly altered how people interact and connect with each other. Sherry Turkle's TED talk "Connected but alone" delves into the concept of being "alone together," shedding light on the effects of digital communication on relationships. Through the lens of sociologist Granovetter's strength of ties theory, the impact of weak and strong ties and the measurement of relationships become apparent in the digital age. Examining the positive and negative effects of digital communication on relationships, including the controversies in advertising and the use of digital platforms by extremist groups, provides insights into the complex interplay between technology and human connections.
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Presentation Transcript
How has digital communication affected people s relationships?
How has digital communication affected people s relationships? Watch Sherry Turkle s TED talk Connected but alone which is based on her book Alone Together - What does she mean by alone together - What evidence does she provide to support this?
What kind of relationships are created through digital forms of communication? Relationships consist of social ties between people. Granovetter (1973) argues that the strength of these (i.e. the strength of a relationship) can be measured by considering: 1. The length of time spent together 2. The emotional intensity of the relationship 3. The level of intimacy 4. The degree of reciprocity (how much the other person responds in a similar way back). a) Explain the impact of weak / strong ties? b) Explain why this might be a better way of measuring relationships than using the number of friends a person has (try to use the language from your methods work)
What kind of relationships are created through digital forms of communication? c) Read the information, studies and activity on pages 27-28. Draw up a list of the positive and negative effects of digital communication on relationships. Refer specifically to each sociologist in your answer. Include ideas of your own. d) Write a conclusion that answers the question Digital communication has had a mostly negative effect on relationships How far do you agree.
Digital communication Conflict and Change Read the article about advertising what was the controversy? What does this suggest is happening in digital communication.
Digital communication Conflict and Change Use the studies from Howard and the Radio Free Europe article (both page 29) What do these suggest about the ways in which new digital communication are used by extremist groups Why has digital communication enabled this?
Google apologises over extremist video fears as Marks & Spencer pulls advertising M&S became the latest company to withdraw advertising from 20 March 2017 12:04pm Google has publicly apologised after the growing scandal over extremist videos on YouTube led to a series of companies pulling their adverts from the internet giant. The company has been accused of profiting from hatred following concerns that adverts are appearing alongside extremist material on its YouTube platform. Marks & Spencer yesterday became the latest company to withdraw its adverts from Google, following in the footsteps of the likes of McDonald s, L Oreal and the BBC. It emerged at the weekend that high street banks HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds have also stopped advertising with Google, which has been ordered by the Government to explain why taxpayer-funded adverts are appearing on extremist content. Speaking at Advertising Week Europe in London, Google s European chief Matt Brittin said: I would like to apologise to our partners and advertisers who might have been affected by their ads appearing on controversial content. We take our responsibilities to these industry issues very seriously. Mr Brittin said Google will raise the bar on what is considered safe content on videos and websites. He added that the company is looking at changing the controls available to advertisers in order to make it easier for them to manage where their adverts appear, and he vowed that more money will be invested in enforcing its advertising policies. We have a review under way on how we can improve, he said. We are accelerating that review. Google reviews content once it has been flagged as inappropriate by its users, and says about 98 per cent of flagged content on YouTube is examined within 24 hours. We can do even more here, said Mr Brittin, who added that the company s reviewing process works well in the vast majority of cases . However, he failed to say whether the company would now employ staff to proactively seek out inappropriate content, rather than waiting for it to be flagged by users. The company says that 400 hours of video content is uploaded to YouTube every minute, making it hard to continuously monitor the platform. Phil Smith, director general of ISBA the voice of British advertisers, "Google s response to these brand safety issues is welcome but let us be clear it has not gone far enough. "More needs to be done to protect responsible brands advertising on Google s platforms. Advertisers should be able to use these channels without any fear that their advertisements will appear against inappropriate content. If Google is concerned that advertisers need to be educated about the intricacies of its tools, it begs the question of why they are so complex; we would ask for controls to be as simple and accessible as possible." An investigation by the Times has raised fears that advertising spending is finding its way into the hands of rape apologists, anti-Semites and hate preachers through commercials on the video sharing site. Those adverts earn the poster of the video around 6 for every 1,000 views it generates. Advertising giant Havas has also suspended its advertising, while agency GroupM, which is part of the world s largest advertising agency WPP, had urged Google to apologise. A Marks & Spencer spokesman said: In order to ensure brand safety, we are pausing activity across Google platforms whilst the matter is worked through. Audi, Tesco and Sainsbury s are among the other big advertisers to take similar steps, while Sky said it is clearly unacceptable for ads to be appearing alongside inappropriate content .
Social movements and new social media Reasons why new forms of social media are able to mobilise change: Immediate communication with others which can warn them / prepare them of an occurrence Information can reach huge number of people simultaneously Information about, for example, human rights abuses can be shared anonymously Groups or individuals who are usually unable to speak out or act through conventional means are able to speak to a wide range of people through digital forms of communication. For example women in countries where it is forbidden for them to speak out publically, such as in Syria News presented about events that may be inaccurate or biased can be actively challenged and possible changed Where political activism is suppressed, digital communication offers a way for people to speak out against the regime. Read the article The Facebook effect How does the example of the anti-FARC movement in South America reflect these reasons.
Conflict and change The Arab Spring Watch Ghonim s ted talk read pages 30-31 What does the example of the Arab Spring suggest about the role of social media in new social movements.
Does digital communication lead to cultural homogenisation or cultural defence? Write an argument that either supports the argument that digital communication leads to cultural homogenisation or cultural defence. Be ready to present your argument to the class. Using the information provided by your colleagues. Write a summary of this argument. Try to use 8 specific sociological concepts.
