Related to the article “Content Moderation is Broken. Let Us Count the Ways.”

With the magnitude of media released each minute, it is simply impossible for anyone to consume all media. In a similar vein it is also equally impossible for all of this media to be regulated and moderatered case by case. Though, to prevent unwanted media, platforms use a variety of strategies and define rules to better understand this process. I found this quote from the related article to be meaningful, “Companies have also tried replacing human moderators with AI, thereby solving at least one problem (the psychological impact that comes from viewing gory images all day), but potentially replacing it with another: an even more secretive process in which false positives may never see the light of day,” (aft.org). These tools are not always perfect. 

With the current techniques employed by platforms to moderate media, how much improvement do you believe is necessary? What are some particular instances that you know of where this worked and where it didn't? Additionally, do you have any ideas for how to improve these systems?

Related to the article “Time to get outside: New study finds too much news is bad for our health.”

This topic caught my interest, due to how I noticed it in the past. I have seen people get too consumed in media and news stories, that it no doubt had an effect on their health. This can be especially noteworthy if they feel addicted to being caught up with every news story, even if it doesn’t directly affect their life. News companies use all sorts of tactics to keep viewership up, like portraying events as extensively negative or positive. This can lead to too much consumption, as people feel like they need to know about what is happening, even if they necessarily don't. Hence, the "time to get outside" portion of the title, as despite existential news reports claim, the world is (probably) not ending. 

If there was one, when was there a time that you felt addicted to following the news? Was there a specific topic that you felt it necessary to say up-to-date? Why do you think this over-consumption could lead to negative health effects? 

Related to the article “New Research: Does Watching TV Make Us Unhappy?” 

I grew up without cable and was only able to watch public TV stations, mostly because of the price. I believe this factor has led me to favor watching documentaries or informational content where I can learn more about the world around me. I think this because public TV stations had/have a strong focus on education and learning, especially content for kids. You wouldn’t just watch a show of characters just running around, you’d be learning something too. So, I have a somewhat interesting perspective on watching TV. This article caught my interest since I am often the kind of person who cares about what I watch and how it affects my knowledge and mood. 

So, this the idea that TV may have a potentially negative effect on our health, do you have any plans to change your routines? Generally, what kind of TV do you favor watching and why? Do you think this has a positive effect?

Additionally, I remember I learnt the fact in a Biology course that spending time outside, even just a few minutes, can drastically improve people’s mood. The article backs this up as well. 

Related to the article “Which is Worst for Your Mental Health: Instagram, Facebook or YouTube?”

The article title caught my attention, as I have often wondered what answers there are for the question the title poses. I am someone who watches a decent amount of YouTube everyday, but I tend to stay far away from other platforms. For me, YouTube offers the type of content/entertainment that I wish to consume. I’ve mentioned it before, and I will probably expand on this in the future, but I greatly enjoy watching edutainment videos and actually delving deep into knowledge they provide. The format of videos and accompanying visuals just works best for me, although misinformation is of course still a potential issue. Regarding the article, I highly recommend reviewing the charts and information they provide. As they report, in order from best to worst in overall score with different factors is YouTube, Facebook, then Instagram. I honestly didn’t expect Instagram to be worse than Facebook, but I guess they are owned by the same company after all.

Regarding the results of the article, where it is reported the order from best to worst in overall score is YouTube, Facebook, then Instagram, is this what you expected? Are you surprised? Considering this, do you think this will affect your usage or thoughts? Why?