DL #375
Uncomfortable and Inconvenient Truths
Welcome to Digitally Literate, issue #375. This week, I explored thought-provoking ideas about censorship, misinformation, and societal challenges.
🔖 Key Takeaways
- Misinformation & PRIME Algorithms: How social media algorithms warp learning and interaction.
- AI & Freedom: The role of AI in digital repression as highlighted by Freedom House.
- Genetic Privacy: Implications of the 23andMe breach for personal security.
- Censorship & Solidarity: Reflections on Fahrenheit 451, book bans, and societal repression.
📚 This Week’s Highlights
1. JuMBOs: A New Astronomical Discovery
In high-resolution imagery of the Orion Nebula, scientists discovered Jupiter Mass Binary Objects (JuMBOs), a smaller class of gaseous objects. While brown dwarfs grow to about 13 times the mass of Jupiter, JuMBOs are as small as half Jupiter's mass and orbit each other at an incredible distance.
Why this matters: This discovery challenges our understanding of planetary formation and star systems. Learn more.
2. PRIME Algorithms & Misinformation
Social media platforms amplify content to maximize engagement, often leading to social misperceptions, polarization, and misinformation. Algorithms prioritize prestigious, in-group, moral, and emotional (PRIME) information over factual accuracy.
📖 Read more about PRIME engagement
Why this matters: Better algorithm design is needed to align human psychology with accurate social learning.
3. AI's Role in Repression
Freedom House’s latest report reveals how advances in AI increase the efficiency of digital repression, spreading disinformation and evading regulatory scrutiny.
📖 Explore Freedom on the Net 2023
Why this matters: Without regulatory action, the power of AI to influence and manipulate grows unchecked.
4. 23andMe Genetic Privacy Breach
Hackers used stolen credentials to scrape genetic data from millions of 23andMe accounts. This breach highlights critical issues in genetic privacy and security.
Why this matters: What steps can individuals and companies take to ensure genetic data remains private?
5. Book Bans & Censorship
The surge in book bans across the U.S. is tied to BookLooks.org, a site connected to Moms for Liberty. Despite claims of neutrality, BookLooks reviews have fueled efforts to remove books, particularly those addressing LGBTQ+ issues and racism.
📖 Explore the rise of book bans
Why this matters: Understanding the tactics behind censorship helps combat the suppression of critical knowledge.
6. Reflections on Fahrenheit 451
danah boyd examines how Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 critiques censorship and the role of screens in society.
Why this matters: Beyond the visible consequences of repression, Bradbury prompts us to question the underlying societal conditions that enable it.
🛠️ DO: Overcome Self-Doubt
If you're stuck ruminating on past mistakes, try these practical strategies:
- Cognitive defusion: Recognize thoughts for what they are, not as reflections of reality.
- Self-compassion: Replace shame with empathy for yourself.
- Strategic writing: Journaling about your feelings can help process and release them.
🌟 Closing Reflection
“Solidarity is an attitude of resistance, I suppose, or it should be.”
— Christopher Hitchens
Thank you for being a part of Digitally Literate. Let’s navigate these digital landscapes together! Reach out at hello@digitallyliterate.net or browse the Newsletter Index for more insights.