ucla is10 final class presentation summarizing the term

UCLA IS 10 Information & Power Final Class Presentation, Fall 2016, by Diana L. Ascher & the students of IS 10 is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Diana L. Ascher

IS10 Information & PowerUCLA Fall 2016

12/06/16


It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.

~ Aristotle

Thinking about information


What is information?¨ Wikipedia

¤ Information (shortened as info) is that which informs. In other words, it is the answer to a question of some kind. It is also related to data and knowledge, as data represents values attributed to parameters, and knowledge signifies understanding of real things or abstract concepts. As it regards data, the information’s existence is not necessarily coupled to an observer (it exists beyond an event horizon, for example), while in the case of knowledge, the information requires a cognitive observer.

¨ Dictionary.com¤ Knowledge communicated or received concerning a particular fact or circumstance; news

¨ Merriam-Webster¤ The communication or reception of knowledge or intelligence

¨ BusinessDictionary.com¤ Data that is (1) accurate and timely, (2) specific and organized for a purpose, (3) presented within a

context that gives it meaning and relevance, and (4) can lead to an increase in understanding and decrease in uncertainty.


Taxonomy of science

Formal Science

Logic••reasoning, philosophy

Mathematics••computer science, statistics

Physical Science

Physics••particle physics, thermodynamics

Chemistry••materials, chemical reactions

Life Science

Cellular Biology••biochemistry, evolutionary biology

Functional Biology••physiology, medicine, biology

Social Science

Psychology••development, cognition

Sociology••law, ethics, economics

Earth & Space Science

Geoscience••climate, geology, oceanography

Astronomy••planetary science, cosmology


Majors & class year

21

2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

3

11.5

2 20.5 1

11

1 1

4

1

2 31

1 11

11

1

1

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior


Internet connection

9%

27%

3%

6%3%3%

49%

Broadband

Cable modem

DSL-enabled phone line

Fiber optic connection

Other broadband

T-1 connection

Wireless connection


Frame of reference

https://batchgeo.com/map/31dd57c0776da0ac9c72e42eab6c3aa8


Introductions & foundational concepts


Metaphor


Try being mindful of whose voices you share, amplify, validate and promote to others.

~ Anil Dash

Thinking about power


What is power?


Thinking about power


Metaphor


It is natural to the human mind to classify, and essential if we want to make sense of the world, which is full of unique creatures and objects.

~ Vanda Broughton

Thinking about knowledge


Thinking about knowledge


Take your notepad and pen and find the area in the YRL stacks that holds books relevant to your domain.

Group Activity


¨ Classification as Queen

Metaphor

The Queen knighted Sir Patrick Stewart in 2010. (Press Association via AP Images)


One of the paradoxes of neoliberalism is that it’s not new, and it’s not liberal.

~ Noam Chomsky

Thinking about resources


Thinking about resources


Metaphor

vs. Destiny’s Children (2001)The Queen (2015)


Metaphor


It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.

~ Aristotle

Thinking about access


Thinking about access


Metaphor


Recap

¨ Social justice is “[t]he ability of all people to fully benefit from economic and social progress and to participate equally in democratic societies.” (Bourg, Morales, & Knowles, 2014)

¨ “The more readings I read in this class, the more faith I lose in every system we have here in America.” (IS10 reflection essay, 2016)


Our markets, our democracy, our science, our traditions of free speech, and our art all depend more heavily on a Public Domain of freely available material than they do on the informational material that is covered by property rights. The Public Domain is not some gummy residue left behind when all the good stuff has been covered by property law. The Public Domain is the place we quarry the building blocks of our culture. It is, in fact, the majority of our culture. ~ James Boyle

Thinking about ownership


Metaphor


Everyone has a license to speak; it’s a question of who gets heard.

~ Aaron Swartz



Metaphor


Metaphor¨ This capability will enhance the productivity of work and lead to dramatic

improvements in social services, education, and entertainment.~Council on Competitiveness

¨ A strong commitment to building the national telecommunications and information infrastructure will promote economic growth, aid America’s competitiveness, and increase the Nation’s standard of living.

~Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure and Public Broadcasting Facilities Assistance Act of 1993

¨ Our government has the responsibility as public trustee to ensure that new communications technologies serve the democratic and social needs of the country.

~Telecommunications Policy Roundtable


Um, I think maybe we should watch, because Trump just won the election.

~ Max Bronstein

Thinking about the election


Taking a test in French class in high school. The teacher announced it. When classes changed there was silence in the hall.

~ Barbara Ascher



I was 14 and for me it was 6.30 am on July 21st as I live in the UK. I was doing my paper round and I remember watching Neil Armstrong step onto the moon surface through the window of someone's house. It's a very very vivid memory.

~ Anne Wood



“I am just another person in a sea of faces.”~ Anonymous

Thinking about technology


¨ Google Glass wearers as Explorers¤ Marketing narrative¤ Colonial narrative

¨ Signals¤ “[P]ower, Whiteness, and class elitism are core values in

the Google Glass design imaginary.” (Noble & Roberts, 2016)

Metaphor


Another metaphor: Panopticon


Snap’s cam glasses


Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.

~ Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis

Thinking about intellectual freedom


Data endurance

Paper & ink Digital


¨ Tension between personal or individual privacy and social goods¤ Biased framing?

¨ Forgetfulness as social & individual good¨ Surveillance society imperils democracy

¤ Fear of repercussions for any nonconforming behavior¤ Being watched changes behavior (Bentham & Focault)

¨ “The very nature of self and the kinds of personalities that develop in a surveillance society are different.” (Blanchette & Johnson, 2001)

Social implications


Metaphor


¨ White racialism¤ Inclusive of the variety of factions that exist within the broader context

of what is labelled white supremacy¤ Self-designated & applied

¨ How white racialists use the internet¤ Recruit¤ Disseminate information¤ Organize activities¤ Appeal to the emotion of potential sympathizers¤ Dramatize their presence

Becker et al. on internet hate speech


Data protection policy factorsOverarching set of standards••Onus to justify exceptions falls to the secondary user

••In tandem with a code of fair information practices

Legislation in specific sectors••Must capture cumulative effects

A structured market••Personal data as individual property

••Consent requirement for secondary use

Privacy-enhancing technologies••Prevention••Anonymization


Public's right to know

National security

Gregory on whistleblowers


Transparency

Critical watchdog media

Gregory on whistleblowers


~ SatoshiNakamoto

Thinking about the gig economyWhatisneededisanelectronicpaymentsystembasedoncryptographicproofinsteadoftrust,allowinganytwowillingpartiestotransactdirectlywitheachotherwithouttheneedforatrustedthirdparty.


Bartlett on the Dark Net


Transition in economic authority


Bitcoin

¨ Digital ownership of physical assets¨ Distributed network of trust¨ Value derives from

Ø Current useØ Speculation on future use

¨ Antifraud properties


Blockchain, Data Management, & HealthcareJeff SheltonDirector of Product


Blockchain use cases¨ Syndicated loans¨ Trade finance¨ Supply chain provenance ¨ U.S. Treasury repo¨ OTC derivatives and FX

clearance¨ Cross-border payments¨ Identity/data authentication¨ Private stock/equity issuance


Blockchain as Panopticon


@dianaascher

#UCLAIS10Can we keep the conversations going?

ucla is10 final class presentation summarizing the term

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