This article by Joe Usinscki poses the question of if technology is to blame for social                                                        issues caused by the spread of conspiracy theories. Within the article, Usinscki

                                                       explains that today there is a divide between Internet users who start and spread 

                                                       conspiracy theories and misinformation, and those who are more rational and don’t

                                                       believe in those theories.

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                                                      One example that Usinscki uses to show how the Internet can be used for wrong is

                                                      by explaining how it influenced the 2016 US Presidential Election by spreading

                                                      misinformation about the candidates. The article explains that a possible reason for

                                                      Hillary Clinton’s loss in the election was due to misinformation and conspiracies

                                                      about her being spread online by Trump supporters. This situation is one example

of how the Internet is used for the wrong reasons, by showing the possible implications that spreading conspiracy theories can have on important issues such as choosing a country’s president.

     

Additionally, Usinscki goes into detail about three possible reasons why he believes that Internet conspiracy theories have not taken a total toll on us. The first reason he states is that there has been no clear indication since the birth of the Internet that conspiracy theories are increasing in popularity. Conspiracy theories have always been around - the Internet just serves a portal for people to share their crazy ideas. Another reason why Usinscki believes what he believes is because the Internet also boasts accurate and truthful information. It would be remiss to bash the Internet for being a place that hosts so much misinformation when there are actually reliable sources out there for many topics including academics, politics, research studies, health, etc. Altogether, I think that it is important to be aware of conspiracy theories on the Internet and be mindful to avoid them.

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                                This article by Doug Thompson discusses how, in the age of technology and the

                                                      Internet, the truth is often disregarded and conspiracy theories. This notion is

                                                      especially true in the world of politics.

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                                                     The article uses former US President Barack Obama (who was President at the time

                                                     of this articles release) as an example of how incredibly difficult it can be to change

                                                     people’s minds on something once they have already decided that the opposite is

                                                     true. Within the article, Thompson explains how Obama was more than eager to

                                                     release more personal information to Americans than any former US leader had ever

                                                     released in the past. Despite the (former) President’s reliance, people on the

                                                     Internet found ways to make his factual information look bad, and look like lies.

It is common knowledge that there are too many people who believe anything they read on the Internet. And when people believe in things that are actually wrong, it is difficult and sometimes impossible to change people’s minds.

 

The article goes on the explain how conspiracy theories really do affect politics. One example used in the article was the conspiracy that former US President George W Bush, who was President of the United States during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, was really the one responsible for them. “Bush did 9/11” became one of the most notorious and recognizable conspiracy theories of the twenty-first century, despite a lack of evidence supporting Bush’s involvement or innocence. Overall, this article provided some more examples of how Internet conspiracy theories actually affect society and politics.

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                                                        This article by Marjorie Kibby from 2005 discusses how email had become the  

                                                        dominant form of communication on the Internet at the time. Kibby explains how,

                                                        when emails were first a thing, the increasing amounts of unwanted mail and

                                                        spam were becoming annoying to email users.

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                                                        Kibby goes on to discuss the notion of chain mail, which were (and still are) spam                                                         emails that would be forwarded from person to person. These emails would often                                                           entail threatening messages of things that would happen if the email was not                                                                 forwarded. Overall, it is evident that not all of the activity that occurs over email is                                                        helpful, but most of it arguably is.

 

Additionally, the article introduces the concept of ‘email folklore’. Kibby defines folklore in this context as traditional knowledge, often involving myths, legends, fables, rumour, and jokes (Kibby 773). In regard to this article, folklore relates to emails in the way that the threats in chain emails often relate to old myths and rumours (ex. “forward this email to ten people or your best friend will have bad luck forever.”)

 

Furthermore, another way in which emails can be negative is by sending out false virus notifications to users. These types of emails are annoying because they confuse users who are not familiar with the notion of chain mail and could potentially persuade them into doing something that could harm their accounts or their computer.

 

Overall, this article examined different aspects of email which degrade their reputation. Examples of such that were discussed in this paper are the concepts of chain mail with threatening messages, and false virus alerts. It is interesting to read this paper a decade and a half later and think about where email is now compared to where it was when this article was released.

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                                                       In this week's lecture, I learned about the changes and advancements in

                                                       technology and society that led to folklore, myths, legends, and conspiracies                                                        transmitting from the real world to the web. Over time, as digital communications                                                        (such as the Internet) became more cultural than political, theories and legends                                                        emerged on blogs, social platforms, etc.

 

                                                       In lecture, the professor discussed the notion of culturalism, which is the study of                                                        communications, relations and interactions on the web. In this field, culturalists are                                                        able to link contemporary theories to modern interactions. One example of this as discussed in lecture was Howard Rheingold’s notion of virtual communities which can be linked to the spread of digital folklore and conspiracy theories on the web.

 

Additionally, I found it interesting how this lecture discussed the evolution of technologies through modernity and modernism, and how the gradual development of digital and media technologies contributed to digital folklore and conspiracy theories to gain an online presence. Overall, this lecture interestingly discussed the methods and reasons behind the shift of conspiracy theories, myths, legends and folklore from the real world to the Internet.

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References

Kibby, M. D. (2005). Email forwardables: folklore in the age of the internet. Retrieved October 26, 2020, from DOI 10.1177/1461444805058161

 

Thompson, D. (2011, April 30). In a blog-driven world, truth is the first casualty. Retrieved October 24, 2020, from http://www.capitolhillblue.com/node/40639

 

Uscinski, J. (2019, February 11). Is the Internet Driving a New Age of Conspiracy Theory? Retrieved October 24, 2020, from https://arcdigital.media/is-the-internet-driving-a-new-age-of-conspiracy-theory-5c956ddc16cd