Category Archives: Reading Summaries

Reading Summary 6 – Better Online Living Through Content Moderation

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Better Online Living Through Content Moderation

 

As we begin to learn about content control features and the reality of online abuse through Melissa Kings article “Better Online Living through Content Moderation” we gain knowledge into how important and needful it is in society today to employ content control features in the online world. Nobody should be required to read or listen to content if they do not want to (King). This statement is the premise for the argument of instilling content control features and this issue has grown to become popular problem for the world in this day and age technology is more advanced and progressive than ever seen before.

King first opens her beginning argumentative paragraphs of this article with a counterpart; considering the argument in the views in which individuals against content control feel about this issue. Content control is viewed as for those who are “weak” and “too sensitive” and is criticized for not allowing individuals to be exposed to the reality of hurt and negativity they will come to terms with in the online world. Exposure theory is a method used that is supported by those against content control and is commonly known as a type of theory designed to combat severe anxiety through gradual and controlled exposure to its source, to inure an individual to these triggers and lesson the disruptions they can cause. However, for someone suffering from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) this method of exposure could increase trauma and would initially worsen the problem instead of being a solution.

King states that Millennials are more progressive than any other generation about this issue and acknowledge that many individuals are effected by trauma from different forms of online abuse and bullying. It is also believed that online harassment is a myth and is simply mean comments said on the internet with no real connection to public safety. The fact is, threats of violence online can be a cause of PTSD in and of itself (Lack). As we read on throughout the article we notice that online harassment does indeed effect mental health and eventually if worse enough can cause cases of PTSD.

Next King begins to discuss specific types of content control features available and suggests that blocklists are important tools to take note of. Blocklists are controversial because the idea perceived with this tool is that one gave in to the abusers harassment and had to resort to blocking people instead of just dealing with the issue up front. The author however expresses that this method of dealing with online abuse is actually a smart idea and ideally the best resort to immediately stop the abuse.

SUMMARY 6

Criticism in all aspects of the online world is bound to take place for most individuals because of the territory but is said to be worse for women than for men. This is said to be particularly true with women who are involved in areas that are predominantly male dominated. As the author states each point of this argument and comes to a conclusion her opinions about this topic revolve around the need for content control features and tools so that people have more room to act on behalf on behalf of their own mental and emotional needs.

Reading Summary 5 – Journeying Through Life With Color Walks

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COLOR WALK

Often times we find ourselves busy trying to get things done in our daily lives that we don’t really take the time to stop and observe our surroundings along the way. There is so much natural beauty and vibrant colors that we often purposely give a blind eye to because we do not have the skill of observation. This article called “Color Walking” written by Phia Bennin and Brendan McMullan describes their experiences as they tried a new way of observing their surroundings.

The introduction of this article familiarizes the audience to a man named William Burroughs. Burroughs was an American novelist, short story writer, spoken word performer, and taught student on writing and how to writing with specific detail and color. Burroughs had many addictions to various substances throughout his life, but this is what also helped shape and mold him into the type of writer he is today and the out of ordinary techniques of observing environments to make writing more specific and unique.

As we continue to read through the article, the authors convey to readers that William Burroughs created a tool called color walks to help and inspire his students in finding a new way of observing and taking in the outside surroundings much more than one would otherwise. The task of the color walk as told by both authors is quite simple and requires you to think and observe with an open mind. The color walk is where you open the door, walk outside and pick a starting color. This color can be any color that immediately catches your eye as soon as you make your first steps outside. Once you have chosen a color, you continue walking and following all the objects you see with same shade of color that you have chosen. As you walk you are to follow each object one after another as they appear and continue following the color you have picked in whatever direction the objects lead you.

Continuing through the middle portion of the article, both authors state that they decided to give this method a try and wanted put this form of observation to the test and mentioned that they would also allow themselves to switch from color to color as they journeyed through their walk. Bennin and McMullan’s color walk took place at WNYC in lower Manhattan. The authors stated, “Stepping out the revolving door, we followed blues which led us to pinks, which pulled us towards violets.” The article also has an added in reference timeline of their recordings throughout the walk giving us an in depth source of analysis of the objects they followed and what times they followed them at. The walk started a little after 4pm with a beautiful blue scarf, followed by blue in basketball courts, and ending with purple and pink on clothing and in nooks and crannies. Towards the end of the article, the authors share their experiences and say that this method of observation keeps the colors and things seen to remain in your brain and eyes much longer and also helps in noticing so many objects and colors throughout the environment that one would not normally notice on a regular walk. The article comes to a conclusion by both authors sharing their advice for anyone else who would like to try the color walk for themselves. There best advice is to work with an uninterrupted full hour, picking a color that you really enjoy, and to also switch up colors if you get lost.

Reading Summary 4 – Making Bathrooms More ‘Accommodating

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Summary of Making Bathrooms More ‘Accommodating

The article called Making Bathrooms More ‘Accommodating written by Emily Bazelon discusses the topic and ideology of the word accommodation and to what extent the meaning of this word goes. Accommodating the needs of others such as a roommate, spouse, or friend can be easily understood and comprehended by most people. Throughout this article however, Bazelon addresses the concerns of accommodating transgender individuals which people do not normally consider. While most individuals give no concern or thought to the politics or current issues regarding the accessibility of public restrooms, transgender people are making this topic public and aware to society, and asking individuals to rethink the struggle of public places such as the bathroom from their perspective. We normally socially identify people and categorize humans by which room they tend to walk towards, the men’s or women’s. However for transgender entities, they struggle on deciding which room is socially acceptable for them to enter into.

transgender-sign-620x349-1

As the article states, many people resist the idea of mixing male and female bodies together in the same public private areas such as bathrooms and locker rooms. They fear that creating unisex bathrooms is an invasion of privacy and being uncomfortable in a private location. Bazelon offers insight into this serious issue by discussing how voters in Houston have rejected campaigns for equal rights for transgender individuals and how people are creating opposing campaigns that promote “No Men in Women’s Bathrooms.”

This issue is more relevant for children and students who attend schools that do not recognize or consider this issue to be problematic. Most schools throughout the country however have been particularly open and accommodating for students who identify with these issues. Most school districts have agreed to let students be called by their preferred names and pronouns, as well join which ever sports team there chosen gender specifies to.

The common dispute however for most organizations and schools is which room individuals like this should be allowed to change, shower, and use the bathroom in. The word accommodation has been tricky in this area because though accommodations have been made for handicapped individuals, transgender people feel that they too should be accommodated for their own specific individual needs. Although social norms are being tested, activists believe that accommodating transgender entities is only fair.

Continuing throughout this article, we read that originally public bathrooms were designed and dominated by men because women at the time were not able to hold jobs in factories and working offices. As times have changed, separate public restrooms were built for women only. Feminists now argue that it is unnecessary and a waste of space to hold two separate rooms for the same purpose. Other women argue that the restroom is not only for its intended purpose, but also is a much needed secluded area in which girlfriends can chat and have a space of their own without having to be with the opposite sex.

Accommodation is one aspect of this issue, but transgender children not fitting in and feeling a sense of belonging with the same sex is also a factor. As a twelve year old transgender girl in Connecticut said, she just wanted to be with the other girls at all times and be able to fit it. As transgender accommodations are still underway, the Transgender Law Center is helping these individuals with this problem by offering a variety of strategies in which they can use to help assist with these problems for now.

Reading Summary 3 – His and Hers: Designing for a Post-Gender Society

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Summary of His and Hers: Designing for a Post-Gender Society

Suzanne Tick, activist toward a post-gender society has several opinionated and objective views toward her beliefs and theories on the world today and how gender is a contributing factor in all area of human life especially in the modern workplace today. Suzanne Tick, writer of the article His and Hers: Designing for a Post-Gender Society argues how the workplace of corporate America is rooted and shaped by a predominantly male perspective. Ticks main purpose in her article discusses how traditional masculine and feminine roles are being challenged these days and how designers of different spaces should focus more on deigning spaces to feel more accepting and inviting with a feminine touch, especially because of how individuals now identify with a different gender than what they were born with.

As the article continuously states, the job career and world of technology and web design is a highly male dominated field, with eight five percent of tech workers at the top companies being male. With businesses such as these that are mainly worked and operated by men, the design of these prime spaces are usually geared towards making a comfortable and relaxing environment for men, but not women.

As we read throughout the article, we learn of new movements and events that are pushing the ideas of modernism and feminism into a more popular light. One in particular was the speech given by actress Emma Watson that went viral over the internet about her affiliations and promotions of the He for She movement. The He for She movement helps in promoting men to join the cause for gender equality and the current acceptance for same sex marriage.

Tick mainly states that with people associating with opposite genders in the modern world today, designers should take the effort in accommodating these individuals by more soft interiors and influences of hospitality and gender sensitivity. The main concepts learned from this article deal with the acceptance from different areas of society relating to this issue. “Alexander Wang’s women’s coat from Fall 2015 has masculine tailoring with a military look, while Annemiek van der Beek’s Primal Skin makeup line has been designed to be appealing to the male buyer”(Tick). This is a great example Suzanne Tick incorporated into her article to show readers that we are living in a new era of different industries accepting and modeling new products and ideas toward people that self-identify with the opposite sex such as the fashion and make up industry.

unisex bathroom

As some might be skeptical upon their first sight of this image, Suzanne Tick sides with having more unisex bathrooms in the workplace to let others know that their office and workplace is taking a progressive step forward in accommodating employees that are transgender. Since large well-known companies such as Google are slowly adopting gender-neutral and unisex bathrooms, other corporations have taken note of this change that is helping their employees feel safe and included in the workplace.

Tick concludes this article by restating that masculine and feminine roles are being switched and that they have drastically changed within the past few years because of the world’s progression toward a post gender world. We read and realize that there needs to be a change in the overall design of spaces in order to be respectful and open to creating environments in which people can express their own individuality regardless of gender.

Summary 2- Tapestry of Space: Domestic Architecture and Underground Communities in Margaret Morton’s Photography of a Forgotten New York

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Irina Nersessova’s article Tapestry of Space: Domestic Architecture and Underground Communities in Margaret Morton’s Photography of a Forgotten New York discusses the behavioral and psychological impact that urban life, photography, and architecture brings to humans living in urban New York at the time. The article also sheds light of the term “spectacle” which Morton uses to comment on society’s reliance on consumption through image promotion (Nersessova). This term helps describe why humans are subject to wanting the material things that they often see around them and are familiar with. Images influence people into having commodities in which they feel they need. Morton’s main premise of her argument was how space and the environment is a commodity given off through New York photography and she wanted to explore the New York that exists beyond the spectacle and discover the places that exist within the city that is not often displayed and adored as the famous New York City.

Nersessova uses the term d`erive (also referred to as the “drift”) as a technique for exploring spaces and to understand the environments psychological impact. This term is most commonly used to represent the casual wander in a space or environment and the psychological mood and effect it has on the mind in that specific space. She tells us a story of a man named Bernard who lives in New York and feels that aboveground life in the city is too distracting from the individual self. The aboveground lifestyle is all that photographers seem to capture in New York along with excessive human interaction. The underground life is not dedicated to images or accumulating commodities, so Bernard uses this space to achieve the level of consciousness he believes is necessary (Nersessova). While he was secluded and moved out of the public eye, he notices that his new life in the tunnels of New York brings him more security and a place to find himself. Nersessova brings in this example from Morton’s book into her article to help portray exactly how the atmosphere of a place and the environment can bring psychological change in the way one feels.

 

 

above ground new yorkunderground new york

 

Nersessova also adds that the atmosphere of a place contributes to the business of tourism and consumerism. Seeing photographs of urban architecture is what attracts tourism to that specific place. The environment and energy emitted from places and photographs effects emotion and behavior which Morton describes in her study of space.

Later throughout the article Nersessova pulls aspects of domestic architecture. Domestic architecture refers to the homeless population’s construction of home environments (Nersessova). She describes that the difference between real homelessness and the rest of the population is the inventive nature of endurance they show to us and level of reality they are faced with. As we read throughout the end of this article we notice Nersessova provides evidence of the way she classifies the true state of homelessness and whether or not domestic architecture negates the definition of a necessity and an accessory. As the article comes to a conclusion we have a more in depth understanding of the personal meaning of architecture and how everyone creates their own individual space for their own survival.

NERSESSOVA, IRINA. “Tapestry Of Space: Domestic Architecture And Underground Communities In Margaret Morton’s Photography Of A Forgotten New York.” Disclosure 23 (2014): 26. Advanced Placement Source. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.

Reading Summary 1- Architectural Exclusion: Discrimination and Segregation Through Physical Design of the Built Environment

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Throughout the article of “Architectural Exclusion: Discrimination and Segregation Through Physical Design of the Built Environment” written by Sarah Schindler, we learn that discrimination and racial divide between different races and people of various social sects is existent not only through laws and regulations that inhibit people from entering into select neighborhoods and communities, but also through the built environment emitted from architectural buildings and structures.

This article describes the different ways in which the architecture of a place causes a sense of exclusion in the surrounding environment. We do not often notice this but the vibes that are given off when in a building or specific location effect the social and environmental disposition of feelings through people which ultimately determine whether or not they feel welcome to remain in that area, or if they feel some type of barrier in which they are not wanted or included.

Throughout the article we are introduced to Robert Moses who is known as the “Master Builder” of New York. Moses is known for constructing designs of overpasses that are built intentionally low so that buses cannot pass underneath them.

overpass

This structural design is a great example of how architecture can inhibit certain kinds of people into areas in which they are not wanted. Building the overpasses intentionally low inhibited buses from traveling to and from parts of the city underneath the overpasses so that poor people and people of color could not access these parts of town due to the fact that individuals who come from a lower class of living most often rely on public transportation as a means to get from place to place.

As understood from the article, exclusionary built environment or architectural regulation is much more powerful than factual laws set in place in part because it is unseen. A lot of the times architectural regulation is not often noticed by the public eye and for that reason it is hard for people to accuse lawmakers of this form of divide as opposed to an actual law dividing individuals from certain areas. The article also discusses how highways divide neighborhoods which also contribute to limiting the integration of neighborhoods that come from different backgrounds and people from different social classes. The term choice architecture was also discussed in the article. Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein are choice architects who control and create the context in which a decision is made and help support the fact that there is no such thing as ‘neutral design’. While most people think that structures and buildings are placed where they are for efficiency purposes, they are actually placed and divide areas in the context of class and race.

This article overall gives the most importance to the fact that this form of regulation is hard for lawmakers to consider identifiable to courts, legislators, and potential plaintiffs. With many examples given of physical structural barriers throughout the article, exclusionary architecture is definitely prevalent and is the back bone and basis of most all architectural endeavors.

Schindler, Sarah. “Architectural Exclusion: Discrimination and Segregation Through Physical Design of the Built Environment.” Yale Law Journal. 124.6 (2015): 1934-2024..Web. 25 Jan. 2016.