March 3: Technology and Society I: Digital media, datafication, and AI

Digital Cultures

The digitization of things and the groundwork for every single aspect of life being turned into data.

Datafication

The process where everything in life is captured and recorded as data, such as your location or what you say.

Data

Information that is turned into a form that can be manipulated and analyzed.

Metadata

Data about data; the record of the data itself that gives it context.

Data Doubles

The digital collection of gathered data that companies and systems use to represent you.

Big Data

Data sets so huge that humans cannot make sense of them; they require computers to analyze.

Machine Learning

Algorithms trained to recognize statistical patterns in data and incorporate feedback to refine their abilities.

Automation

Technologies that replicate human skills, often used to replace or deskill human labor.

Algorithms

Computer formulas that enable media organizations to target consumers based on their profiles and habits.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Machines that use patterns in data to learn and make their own decisions or create news content.

Automated Media

Media that is run by algorithms that can predict your future or pre-empt your needs.

Infrastructure

The foundation on which society is built; you don't notice it until it breaks (e.g., rail systems, water pipes).

Data Infrastructure

The physical hardware (like fiber optic cables for YouTube) that makes the "virtual" world possible.

Algorithmic Bias

When automated systems discriminate against or disadvantage specific groups of people.

Fauxtomation

When a company says "AI did it," but it is actually hidden humans doing the hard work behind the scenes.

Surveillance Capitalism

A system based on systematic corporate surveillance and massive data gathering that commodifies your private life.

Privacy

The right for individuals to protect and control how their personal data is gathered and used.

Data Justice

Fighting against data being used as a tool of power to exploit vulnerable groups and finding fairer ways to handle info.

Internet of Things (IoT)

Connected technologies (like smart speakers or doorbell cameras) that are "always on" and gathering data in intimate spaces.