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Online Etymology
Visuwords

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(i)What was your assigned reading/video about?
It was about how the word social came to be

(ii)What have you learnt about social media?
I have learnt that the terms commonly used in social media such as 'Subscriber' dates back to the 1400s to present day.

(iii) How can social media transform our lives? Why?
Social media allows us to be informed of current affairs such as the news and even the current trends. As such, from the point of view of for example, a game developer, social media is crucial to see what kind of games are in trend and thus, it will grant them the knowledge of understanding their audience's interests better. In addition, social media can also be a tool to fit in with the people around us. This is because social media is a way to know about current trends as well as explore many fields of interest such as visual arts. This in turn, gives us a common topic to talk about with the people around us, which could lead to a deepening bond of friendship.

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TED Talk by Eli Pariser

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What obligation do social media platforms have to the greater good?

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Social media has become our new home. Can we build it better? Taking design cues from urban planners and social scientists, technologist Eli Pariser shows how the problems we’re encountering on digital platforms aren’t all that new -- and shares how, by following the model of thriving towns and cities, we can create trustworthy online communities.

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The Big Read: Dangers Lurk in Youth's Chase for Social Media 'Likes'

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Article: Social Media for Older Adults
Article: Mission: Digital Training for 100,000 Seniors

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Definition of Social Media

What is social media? A good textbook definition might come from Wikipedia:

Social media are interactive computer-mediated technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, career interests and other forms of expression via virtual communities and networks.

Think of social media platforms as web sites where you engage and connect with other people, communities, organizations and businesses. On the web sites you can share, create, learn, discuss and promote content, ideas, opportunities and more. All of the social media platforms are web-based and are accessed via the web or through apps that you install on your iPhones and iPads. And the most common names that come to mind with referencing social media are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more. Let's identify what Seniors are more likely to use.

Social Media Use by Seniors

What social media platforms do Seniors use? The simple answer is Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. Although the rankings are not equal. According to the Pew Institute in a study published in 2018, Facebook and Youtube are the top platforms used by older adults by a wide margin. The other four platforms of note are nearly equal in popularity. Here are the Pew data.

Why is this data important? When you choose a social media platform, you want to select a platform that are used by friends and family and that is popular in your age group.

How do you Access Social Media?

For all of the primary platforms we discuss, there are two approaches that are used to access the social media platforms.Media

1. Web sites accessed from your web browser. Launch Safari or any other web browser and enter the URL for the site. For example: ◦ www.facebook.com ◦ www.twitter.com ◦ www.pinterest.com

2. Apps installed on your devices. There are iPhone & iPad apps for all of the major social media platform. They are installed from the App Store. All of the apps are free to install and use.

Is Social Media Free?

All of the platforms that we discuss in this recipe can be accessed without fees. But we think it is important to recognize that there is an exchange that occurs when you use most of the social media platforms. There are two components to the value exchange.

1. When you register with the social media platforms, they learn who you are and also learn about you. They may know your email address, your age and perhaps your general location. As you use the platform they may learn more about you. They may learn that you use an iPhone or iPad. They may learn what you like or the opinions that you have. Your information and your access to the platform is an asset with significant value.

2. The Social Media companies will sell advertising or data to companies that want to target you. And because the targeting is enhanced with your data, it is valued by advertisers.

Having an awareness of how the Social Media companies make money is important so that you can be on the lookout for paid or promoted posts and activity. It is a Social Media fact of life.

Benefits of Social Media - Stay Engaged with Life

When you think about the benefits of social media, one can immediately picture the positive element of staying engaged with life and maintaining relationships with other people. Successful aging is clearly associated with high levels of physical and cognitive health and social engagement. Social networks provide multiple sources of social support. It seems like common sense but it is clearly identified in a number of research articles.

Challenges of Social Media

The use of social media can have positive results. But make no mistake, there are also pitfalls. The most prominent of which is privacy and safety. The use of social media in the 2016 election is a good example of how the platform can be used to spread false information and potentially share private information. The Senior Tech Club recommends that you understand the privacy implications of social media use and take the necessary step to prevent against misuse. We will make recommendations about security and data privacy in our overview of the social media platforms.

Privacy Tips for Social Media

Here are six general tips that will help you manage the data and privacy concerns with Social Media.

1. Choose your Level of Engagement. When you sign up for a social media platform, you can choose your level of engagement. Please know that you do not have to share anything on the platform and you can simply consume the posts and updates made by your friends and family. This is up to you.

2. Guard your Personal Information. Never share information like your address, full birth date phone number, driver's license number or social security number.

3. Keep your Circle of Friends Close. Do not accept friend requests from people that you do not know. Know when you share or post if you are sharing with friends or with the public.

4. Don't Overshare - That post about your vacation plans may be an invitation for a burglar to visit your house. Comment carefully.

5. Don't Share your Location. For example, Twitter can automatically attach location information to public tweets. Turn of any location information.

6. Be aware of Scams and Frauds. Be aware that scams and frauds exist, and remember that if something sounds too good to be true, it is.

7. Talk to your children if you intend to post pictures of your grandchildren to ensure that their privacy concerns are understood.

Getting Started with Social Media

At SeniorTechClub.com, we look to help you with information, tips and learning for each of the top social media platforms. In our getting started guides for each of the platforms you will learn about:

What is the core purpose of the platform. What do you share and to whom do you share it?

Key Terms for use. Every platform has it own language.

Engagement Options - How do you engage and what are the options.

Privacy & Sharing Tips - What information is shared and what are the risks.

Practical applications for Seniors - How can you use the platforms in a practical and age appropriate way.

Recipe for Getting Started - What are the steps to getting started.

Access to lessons specifically curated for Senior Tech Club memers.

Other Recipes for Specific Social Media Platforms

Click on the links below to access Recipes for the platform.
Getting Started with Facebook
Getting Started with Twitter
Coming soon:

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What is social media? A good textbook definition might come from Wikipedia: Social media are interactive computer-mediated technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, career interests and other forms of expression via virtual communities and networks. Think of social media platforms as web sites where you engage and connect with other people, communities, organizations and businesses.

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Youtube video: How false news can spread
Article: Law to curb deliberate online falsehoods takes effect

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(i)It was about a programme called Go Digital that teaches seniors how to use smartphones so they can stay in contact with friends during the pandemic period. It is also about how seniors can learn and benefit from learning how to use smartphones

(ii)Social media is very confusing for senior citizens.

(iii)Social media can greatly impact a senior's life, as during the pandemic period, many seniors feel as if they cant carry out with their normal life. This can be solved with technology, as seniors can keep in contact with friends and family, buy products, and even exercise with smartphones, which leads to better mental health for the seniors as they will no longer feel isolated from society.

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(i) My task was about finding roofs of words using the Online etymology and explore word associations.
(ii) I learnt about the following words:
1. Subscribers - give one's consent ; register
2. Network - to interact with others to exchange information and develop contacts
3. Influencer - capacity for producing effects very insensible or invisible means
4. Meme - an image or snippet of video or text considered witty or incisive that is spread widely and rapidly by internet users
5. Trend - a prevailing new tendency in popular fashion or culture
(iii) I think that social media has largely transformed our lives. For example, in the past when people were bored, they had to actually find hands-on activities to do. However, whenever we get bored now, we can just simply open our phones and go to any one of our social media apps such as Instagram, TikTok etc and can scroll on there for hours to cure our boredom. Social media has also been used as a tool for business marketing, which has especially helped small businesses to boost their revenue and gain more attraction. Lastly, social media has also been a source of news for many. Nowadays, people tend to get most of their news from social media instead of from newspapers etc. I think that this is good as people will be more aware about what has been happening around the world. Overall, I think that while social media has its cons, it has helped to improve our lives as well.

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1) my assigned video was about the dangers in youth's chase for social media likes. it talks about how one might think that one's validation is solely based on the likes/views/comments on one's content.

2) i have learnt that social media is both a good and bad tool for us today. This is because due to our excessive time on social media, we may develop an attachment to the likes or views that we may receive on a social media platform. Although it can help to boost our self esteem, at the same time, it could also compromise our self esteem.

3) social media can transform our lives by being a platform where we can communicate. at times, it can help to boost self esteem, at times it can help to give some dearly needed advice, and at some times it can even be a good companion or source of entertainment. However, the setbacks of social media can take a toll on us and become a bad habit for us as well.

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i) my assigned article talks about common social media platforms used among older adults and eldery( like youtube and facebook). Also, It talks about the different benefits and limitations social media has on the elderly. From maintaining and forming relationships, to accidentally exposing too much private information. Elderly now have more exposure to social media compared to past years, as they learn more about the different functions and uses of social media, where they can spread happiness with their loved ones and also support their old friends and relatives.
ii) i learnt that social media is not only very beneficial in many aspects, it is also quite harmful to us humans. Besides enjoying social entertainment and being able to spread one’s joy around, cons of social media like exposing private information and one’s location can possibly bring very unhealthy impacts and experiences to one. Especially for elderly, they may not be fully aware of these dangers, and could possibly be in great danger if their private information or personal location is accidentally exposed in their posts or tweets. Us as younger generations need to be proactive in showing and educating them of the different precautions we should take whenever using social media. Another issue is the misuse of social media, which is slowly being seen amongst elderly. It may cause their eyesight to worsen and also expose them to unnecessary negative influence which may influence their behaviours and harm relationships with loved ones.

iii) Social media can enable elderly to be in touch with new forms of communication and technology which we use as norms in our daily lives. They can share their ideas, interests, joy and positivity, as well as maintain relationships with their grandchildren and family members. This brings relationships in families much much closer, especially when the younger generations initiate to teach and guide the elders more about social media. It allows the different generations to communicate even when they aren’t physically together. It allows them to capture the happy moments together and look back at them memorably.

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1) the assigned reading is about how youths nowadays are validating themselves/ their content through the amount of "likes" or "subscribers" or "followers" they have. they create sort of a "perfect image" online. as fashion student, Gigi Soh mentioned that she goes outside to show others that she "has a life". many youths create 2 to 3 accounts one is a "main" one is a "private" and one is a "spam" usually the private and spam accounts show who they really are as only their close friends are inside. youths like to study the trend of what gets them more likes and continue doing it.

2) from this is learnt that social media can be very dangerous as it can lower one's self esteem instantly. i also learnt that social media is unintentionally a place where people validate themselves through the amount of likes, subscribers and followers etc. lastly, i learnt that what you see online might not be their real feelings/ self because since social media is used for validating one's self youth would purposely post things to let people know that they "have a life".

3) social media can transform our lives a lot. just by not validating one's self through social media the amount of people with low self esteem would definitely decrease drastically. just by not using social media, one's relationship with their family can also be closer as instead of looking at their phones during family gatherings/dinners you would be able to communicate with their family members hence bringing their relationship closer to one other.

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- fake news harms the public interest and it is defined as "a statement of fact that us false or miselading" Which isnt satire, criticism, satire, parody or an opinion
- The cost of filing an appeal abd wanting to correct something wpuld cost $20
-In 1998, people spreadde false newws tgat the routine vaccination for children causes autism. Despite the scientists discrediting and saying that it is false, many still didnt believe. Hence now there are many unvaccinated children that are contradicting contagious viruses.
- our desire for quick answeres may overpwoer the desire to be certain of their validity and this could be multiplied around the world
-avoiding sensationalist meida, searching for criticism of suspicious information and tracing the original source of a report can slow down a lie

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Social media platforms are not obliged to censor content. The behaviour of people on different social media platforms is related to its design. The Ted Talk helps people think about differences between social media platforms by asking 'what if it were in physical space?'
Platforms like LinkedIn are structured like workplaces, so it is conducive for work. Platforms like Twitter have no structure, and so is just a mess of people and words and thoughts, making it chaotic and potentially disruptive.
In conclusion, social media does not have to actively censor 'bad' content. If there is structure in the program originally, nothing unrelated or disruptive should be on the platform.

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a) The assigned video was about how fake and false news can spread with the usage of both traditional medias, such as newspapers, and social media. The article is about measures taken by the Singapore government to prevent the spread of fake news on social media platforms
b) I have learnt that social media can be a double edged sword. While we are able to gain access to information on the internet easily with the help of social media platforms as well as traditional media platforms, the information found may not be true. Even if the information is found on a reputable websites, these writers may have found their information from unproven statements. On example given in the video was when a joke article was published on the reputable British Medical Journal had been referenced in serious scientific publications over 400 times.
c) Believing in fake news read on social media platforms can lead to being paranoid. These news can worry people for their over the top claims. Such as when the 1989 publication of vaccines causing autism in children lead to a whole anti-vaccination movement

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(i)What was your assigned video/reading about?
My reading talked about children and youth these days and their addiction to social media.The article also talked about how people tie their self-worth to "likes" and "subscribers" that they get on social media as it makes then feel "happy and popular".

(i)What have you learn about social media?
I have learnt that social media is a very influential platform which sways the way people think about themselves and others.It also impacts on the way they behave,using "slangs" from social media.

(iii)How can social media transform our lives?Why?
Social media is a highly used platform,especially by the youth and holds the power to make a difference in what people think and act.It can positively influence us by allowing us to connect with people and know what is going on in each others' lives but can also badly influence us by making us compare ourselves to others when they pop up on our feed and also make us addicted to this time-consuming platform and reduce productivity.

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(i) What was your assigned reading/video about?
it was about how most seniors used social media platforms like facebook and youtube which were the most common ones. some seniors are also learning how to use their phones and social media. since most of them were retired, they decided that they should use their free time to learn how to use their phones. these seniors have put in the effort so that they could also connect with their family.
(ii) What have you learnt about social media?
i have learnt that social media can allow us to socialise with other people online and share our memories with people.  i learnt that we should also be careful of what we post online and not share too much personal information.
(iii) How can social media transform our lives? Why?
social media is common among most people now and this can change our lives as it is more convenient and we are able to find many things online.

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social- relating to a society/ an organisation
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social media can refer to an organisation people associate with (for example, influencers associate and use apps such as tiktok and instagram to promote their views)

how can social media transform our lives?
social media has a great impact on people, both positive and negative. one can use social media as a platform, or their stage to speak their viewpoints and opinions. however, this can backfire when hate messages or comments are used against someone. Social media is a tool for growth, such as small businesses, but a weapon one can use against another, such as cyberbullying. this can worsen someone's mental and emotional health. social media can connect us with people around the world, or it can connect people around the world against us. one can get 'cancelled' on social media just from one misstep, or one can also get popular on social media for a post or a video they uploaded.

in a nutshell, social media is a double edged sword, it can be a tool or a weapon, a plus or a minus. we need to be careful and aware of how we use social media.

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(i) What was your assigned reading/video about?
-The article talked about Seniors Go Digital which is a new programme by the government made to strengthen digital literacy and access among seniors.

(ii) What have you learnt about social media?
-I learnt that social media is widely used by people from different age groups.
-I also learnt that Facebook and Youtube are the top platforms used by older adults by a wide margin.

(iii) How can social media transform our lives? Why?
-Social media can help us by staying engaged with life
-Social media also allows people to connect with one another in a much easier, comfortable and faster way

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Social media is effective in harming users due to potential bullying and hacking of one's page/account. This platform crisis is a people problem. It's about the emergent problems that arises when a large number of people gather together in one platform. One question that is important to ask ourselves is what happens if we think of these online platforms as spaces? Different platforms enable different user behaviour. Spaces is known for shaping behaviour of people. This is partly by the way they were designed and partly by the way they encode certain norms on what kind of behaviour is expected of someone. This concept of space applies to our online platforms: for example, Linkedin reads as a workspace for people using this platform. The content, information and communication are often formal and follow workplace etiquette and norms. As for Twitter, all sorts of content and media is posted (politics, music, gaming, interests of people etc). There is a wider range of topics discussed in such platforms, enabling many users to expressively share their content. Good physical space are almost always structured. (...)

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whenever someone likes my posts on social media, i would feel like i need the validation from people and consent that they have viewed/ seen my video. as i would tend to ask my friends to view my videos and talk about the posts i put up online, having them to drop a like is an indication whether they have seen the video or not. in a way, someone liking my post is a way to make me feel better as the higher the likes, the more times u feel that the content u create was worth it. then after, u would try to create trendy/ similar videos to make ur video go viral and get the same amount of attention.
i) the assigned reading was about teenagers needing being addicted to social media apps like tik tok and instagram. they get so fixated on the amount of likes for each posts and even think about how many followers, likes and many more throughout the day. thinking that by posting trendy videos and creating such content, it would make them be more famous and in a way validate their efforts, making them want to care about the likes on the video/ posts.

ii) i have learnt that nowadays the gen Z's are relying more on social media as part of their lives. the amount of likes they get on each post can determine their mood throughout thr day. if they get hate on the posts that they create, they would feel not satsfied and even get emotionally affected by these hate comments. nowadays everyone can simply comment on posts without thinking how it would affect the other person as they think there is nothing wrong putting up ur opinion for everyone to see. they take this commenting so lightly as they can use the excuse "its just a joke" to cover up for whatever they said. this causes the teenagers now to be affected by such comments and take every advice out there seriously, making them extremely self aware of what they post on the internet.

iii) social media can affect our lives as we teenagers spend most of our time on our devices. for whatever content we create, we have to ensure that it can reach the correct audience, some people may not like whatever u post online because u make yourself look "too confident" or "egostic". with all of these, we tend to try to change ourselves for people around us and take every comment too seriously. this can affect us if we get cyber bullied and not feel good about ourselves due to the amount of hate u get from your peers or strangers.

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1. my assigned video was about how fake news can start and spread as well as how easily it can be done. " A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes." is a quote attributed to the writer Mark Twain. Again, there is a reason to doubt that he said this, ironically, thus, proving the point that this news can either be truth or fake and not based on facts. this is however truer than ever in today's modern day and age. Compared to previous decades where the media was mostly newspapers and network, in today's day and age, news can spread rapidly, creating ideal conditions for a phenomenon known as circular reporting. where one publication publishes misinformation and site b relays this information from source a therefore relaying wrong information. even after discredible information that was denied by scientific soucres have confirmed it to be discredilble, people still refuse to listen to the facts but the source they got it from and continue to spread therefore the misinformation gets spread lik wildfire. and whats worse is that with the annomity these days, the initial publisher of this information may not be known and no one would believe him or her even if he or she came out to say that what he or she had mentioned was indeed untrue.

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article 1: The assigned article was about senior citizens learning how to use technology and how to government is helping them to learn in their digital learning. the article also stated that the senior citizens because of covid-19 were getting detached and many of them unable to meet friends as they used to. with them learning social media, they would be able to connect with their friends in a new way
article 2 : The assigned article was about social media for seniors. The article has a graph as to what social media apps seniors are likely to use. The graph showed that most seniors both above the age of 65 and 65 used Facebook, the second likely social media app they used is YouTube. The benefits of social media the article stated was that social media can help one stay engaged with life and maintain relationships with others. The challenges of social media the article stated was that social media can be used to spread false news and and potentially share private information， data and privacy is very important. Lastly, the article shared privacy tips, such as guarding your personal information and not sharing your location.

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(i) It was about the origins of the word social and what it means.

(ii) I learnt about the meaning and the origin of social media and how the term "social" dates back to a few hundred years ago.

(iii) Social media can be both advantageous and disadvantageous depending on how we use it. It can help us to stay connected with the world and we can learn new things and meet new people on social media. However, social media tends to be addictive and may sometimes invite cyber bullying. If we do not have self discipline, we may fall behind our peers in school and our grades may drop. Cyber bullying may affect the victim mentally and cause the victim to lose confidence.

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(i) What was your assigned reading/video about?
My assigned reading was about elderly learning how to use and adapt to social media. The article emphasised that social media helped seniors to stay engaged with life, communities, friends and families. It also stated that social media is part of successful ageing for the elderly. Certain apps like Facebook and YouTube are popular among the platforms that senior use.

(ii) What have you learnt about social media?
I have learnt that Social Media is a platform where the sharing and creating of information is made. With more seniors adapting to digital technology, it may be hard for them to understand but it is necessary for them as it opens up new venues for the seniors.

(iii) How can social media transform our lives? Why?
Social Media can transform the seniors lives as it will not only allow them to stay in contact without meeting their friends physically, but it can also facilitate the buying of products online. Especially during this pandemic, it is safer for them to stay in and with the use of social media, able to adapt faster. Social Media can also improve the seniors mental health as it allows them to interact with close ones and be updated. However the use of Social Media might also be harmful to the seniors. The term privacy and safety online might not occur seniors when they come across certain false information being spread or even the sharing of their private information. Therefore, Social Media can greatly affect the seniors.

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social- roots from the latin word 'socialis' which means to have companionship, united and with allies.
the french word "social' living with others
suffixed form of root 'sekw' "to follow"

meme- an idea, behavior or style that spreads from person to person within culture.
it was introduced in 1976 in the "selfish gene" to mimic/imitate
originally the greek root 'mimeme' but then modified to 'meme' to sound similar to 'gene'
could also be branched out as a memento as in souvenir

influence- astrological term "streaming ethereal power from the stars when in certain positions, acting upon character or destiny of men" from the old french influence
influential- rooted from the latin word 'influentialis'

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(i) What was your assigned reading/video about?

How false news can spread, and how false information can make a huge impact on people's lives. For example, through circular reporting where multiple publications report on the same piece of false information, in 1988, a piece of news that shared how routine vaccinations causes autism left deliberately unvaccinated children catching infections that could lead to fatality.

(ii) What have you learnt about social media?

Social media breaks the barrier between information and people. People’s desire for quick answers overpower desire to be certain of validity causing them to make bad decisions.

(iii) How can social media transform our lives? Why?

Social media can transform our lives as it can influence our decision making. This is because most of the time, our desire for quick answers overpower our desire to be certain of validity. Additionally, tracing the original source of a social media post can be tough as people often repost others' posts as their own.

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(i) assigned reading: the article is about social media, different people's experiences on social media, as well as the impacts of social media.

(ii) what i have learned about social media: social media can be a relaxing place and a place for entertainment. However, at the same time, social media can also be a place that gives rise to insecurities, cyber bullying, addiction and low self esteem. Social media can also cause people to become either more positive or more negative about themselves or the people around them. Another negative impact social media can have on us is that it can affect us mentally and physically -- we might be affected negatively by comments or posts we see on social media, as well as by the amount of likes we get on our posts. This might affect people's self esteem and thus affect them mentally. Social media may also cause us to stay indoors more, as we tend to want to sit on the couch and browse through social media platforms. This prevents us from exercising and spending time with our loved ones. In short, as much joy as social media can bring us, it can also take away that happiness and make us become hateful and upset.

(iii) how can social media transform our lives? why?: Social media can allow us to communicate with friends and family members from far away. This is especially important during this period as we are unable to or are more unwilling to visit friends and family due to the pandemic. Social media also allows us to meet new people and make new friends from all around the world. Furthermore, social media allows us to keep up with the recent news easily, rather than waiting for things such as newspapers. Additionally, social media allows us to share the moments in our life with people we know. This also allows us to preserve these cherished moments, allowing us to look back on them whenever we want. Social media is a place where we can share memorable events in our lives, connect with people, keep up with recent events, and be a positive influence on the people on the internet.

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What is the assigned reading about?

People are getting sucked into the latest social media craze on online platforms like tiktok. People spend most of their time on social media, and usually have little sleep, which is a very unhealthy lifestyle. For example, Mr Koshy, usually spends a lot of time thinking up the next viral post, and putting out at least one to two TikTok posts a day. He feels that the number of likes he gets was important to him as it is a validation for the content that he puts out. Another example was a primary 5 girl who admitted that she was addicted to tik tok. She also feels that her like count and followers meant something to her. She does tik toks to increase her likes as many people already had millions of likes.

What have I learnt about social media?

Social media can be seen as an addiction and people see that the amount of likes and followers they receive matters to them, as it makes them feel good about themselves and it shows that people like the content they post.

How can social media transform our lives?

social media can cause us to be more anti-social and be less interactive with people physically. Although it can help us to communicate and meet new people online, it can cause us to be addicted to those platforms .

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[i] It was about a talk by Eli Pariser, who wanted to show that problems encountered in social media were never new and that by following tighter, more restricted rules online platforms can become healthy.
[ii] Social media is very 'loose'. This term means that there is no structure on the platform and people can access and share whatever they want. They are not conformist or rule-following.

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My assigned task is the roots of words relating to social media.

I learnt that words have many layers of meaning accumulated from the past till now, helping us to express ourselves so much more easily because these words contain a lot of meaning. Additionally, something i found quite refreshing was how common words have already been used since the past.

I feel that social media has the capability to transform. Just the word social media covers many depths of meaning accumulated from the past. Social media allows us to explore many different possibilities, and this can be known by just the definition of ‘social’ in social media. The definition of social started with the term of ‘living with others’, which gradually changed to ‘home’, ‘companionship’, ‘follower’, to ‘friendly discourse’. This shows us how social media is seen as a comfortable space for like-minded people to become friends and share the same interests. Zooming into the word ‘media’, we can clearly see that like social media, it can be found on various platforms. Appreciating the nuance in the meanings to these terms can help us understand how people view social media. Other common terms relating to social media include ‘subscribe’, which its definition evolved from signing up, giving consent, agreeing to to become a regular buyer. This gives as another detail about social media, which is to allow people to click with others and support and appreciate their content more. Other words like ‘meme’ and ‘trend’ show us how like-minded people share similar content with one another and have similar, popular behaviours. These functions can help to transform our lives through networking and create a sense of belonging in our online community.

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(i) What was your assigned reading/video about?

My assigned reading was about the dangers of youth’s pursuit for likes and their view on social media.

(ii) What have you learnt about social media?

I have learnt that people see ‘likes’ and ‘followers’ as a source of validation and affirmation. It makes them feel as if they are popular as they have the need to be noticed. With ‘likes’ and ‘followers’ social media platforms may sometimes seem like competition and with time, it may turn into an obsession.

(iii) How can social media transform our lives? Why?

It can have a positive impact on our lives when we obtain ‘likes’ and ‘followers’ as we may gain self-esteem from it and make us feel good about ourselves. On the other hand, if we fail to obtain a satisfactory amount of ‘likes’ and ‘followers’ we may feel as if we are not good enough and make us lose confidence in ourselves. Any young person would want to be “cool” and popular growing up, but taken to the extreme, such a desire breeds superficiality, insecurity, and most of all, a culture of unhealthy comparison. When all of life is mediated by a screen, and marked by portrayals of the idealised self, we learn to see others for their appearance and not for their substance. And the youth - and all of us - must learn to tell the difference.

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The word "Social" , is commonly related to the interaction between people.
The word "social" originated from French and Latin.

About 400c, its most early definition was "devoted to or relating to home life". Later , during 1560s , it was deemed as "living with others" . However , the definition changed as the years passed. In the 1660s, it was "characterized by friendliness or geniality". in the 1720a, it was "living or liking to live with others; companionable, disposed to friendly intercourse".

The definition of social has been changed drastically over years with many different variations. Even so , they all had the same idea that "social" was about , interactions between households, companions and friends- basically people .

Social Media is the interaction of people through using technology . Just that now , we can exchange words , images and videos , through digital platforms . Just like before the age of modern technology , people are still interacting with their fellow humans

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(i) my assigned video was about how online platforms should be designed in a way that structures purposeful behaviour

(ii) i have learnt that similar to public spaces, people's behaviour is shaped by the online spaces they are situated in (eg. how ppl behave in offices vs how they behave in a pub, similar to how ppl behave on linkedin vs twitter). therefore social media platforms should be designed with the intentions of not just allowing freedom of one's actions, but allowing people to use that freedom within the bounds of a virtual world to create something purposeful with it. hence social media developers in a way are obligated to design spaces for the greater good now that we know that social media interactions are just as impactful as face-to-face interactions.

(iii) social media can transform our lives in the same way that ideas shared and interactions in the real world can influence other people. social media has become such a big part of our lives that using social media is second nature to us, and hence interactions and ideas formed on virtual platforms can be just as transformative

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(i) The article is about Seniors Go Digital, a new programme by the government to strengthen digital literacy and access among seniors as digital technology will allow them to stay in contact with friends and family members during the pandemic.
(ii) I learnt that some seniors may already have their own mobile phones, or have some basic digital knowledge whereas some might not even know how to use a smartphone.
(iii) Social media can impact a senior's life as during covid-19, they may not be able to continue with their normal life. They get detached from the regular cycles, whether it is their social activities and other daily activities. Digital technology can allow them to stay in contact with friends and family members, buy products, even do exercise and so on. That contributes not just to the fulfilment of our needs for daily contact and activity, but also towards our mental health because what we want to avoid is a sense of isolation from our society.

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1. The video is about a phenomenon known as circular reporting which contributes to the spread of false information. False information can easily be spread through traditional media, such as newspapers, and social media.

2. I have learnt that social media can be dangerous as we are prone to believing false information easily due to our desire for quick answers

3. Social media can influence our decision making because our desire for quick answers can lead to us believing in false information instead of checking is reliability

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(i) What was your assigned reading/video about?
"A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on the shoes"

(ii) What have you learnt about social media?
Circular reporting: sometimes false information can be spread by many different reporters reporting on the same false information piece of false information resulting in others thinking that it is a verified information.
People tend to use websites like wikipedia, which is an unverified page to post information in articles which is later on used by wiki websites to be used as citations for the same wiki information. Making it difficult for people to debunk a fake news

(iii) How can social media transform our lives? Why?
Social media can affect our lives as it can affect what we choose to do and what we do not do.
If someone online says that something is harmful, people can view that as the truth despite the lack of sources and might be unwilling to do something despite it actually being good for you. For example, in 1998, a pseudoscientific paper had argued that routine vaccination on children caused autism, resulted in an anti-vaccination movement despite the fact that the original paper had repeatedly been discredited.

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What obligation do social media platforms have to the greater good?
Platforms serve individuals at the expense of the social fabric on which we all depend. However, platforms are optimised by their owners for financial return. They are neither morally nor legally bound to censoring harmful posts and structuring a healthy public cyberspace.  Nevertheless, such social media platforms are private companies and can censor certain material as they see fit. But given the amount of content, we should acknowledge that such methods may not always be feasible.