Imagined Futures of Technology and Society

1. LECTURE 4: THE DIGITAL
AGE AND SOCIAL MEDIA

2. THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION:
INVENTION OF THE INTERNET
• THE INVENTION OF THE INTERNET HAS
EFFECTED THE GREATEST CHANGE OF
OUR MODERN LIFE.
• IT ENABLES THE ARRIVAL OF THE
DIGITAL AGE.
• COMPUTERS, ON ITS OWN, ARE JUST
DATA PROCESSING MACHINES.
• WHEN THESE DATA ARE ALLOWED TO
“COMMUNICATE”, “MAGIC” HAPPENS!

3. LAW OF EXPONENTS: MOORE’S LAW
• MOORE'S LAW IS THE OBSERVATION
THAT THE NUMBER OF TRANSISTORS
IN A DENSE INTEGRATED CIRCUIT
DOUBLES ABOUT EVERY TWO YEARS.

4. MOORE’S LAW EVERYWHERE
• MEMORY CAPACITY
• NUMBER OF SENSORS
• NUMBER AND SIZE OF PIXELS IN DIGITAL CAMERAS, PIXELS PER DOLLAR
• HARD DISK DRIVE AREAL DENSITY
• FIBER-OPTIC CAPACITY, NETWORK CAPACITY
• LIBRARY EXPANSION, INFORMATION GROWTH
• COST OF DEVELOPING A NEW DRUG ROUGHLY DOUBLES EVERY NINE YEARS.

5. TIMELINE OF INTERNET GROWTH
http://www.henry4school.fr/Media/internet/history.htm

6. TIMELINE OF THE DIGITAL INDUSTRY
https://ict4dblog.wordpress.com/2018/04/23/industry-4-0-to-digital-industrialisation-when-digital-technologies-meet-in

7. EVOLUTION OF OUR DIGITAL LIFESTYLE
• 1970S: THE HOME COMPUTER IS A TOOL OF CONVENIENCE. “DAD WOULD RUN
HIS BUSINESS ON IT. MOM WOULD STORE HER RECIPES ON IT. THE KIDS WOULD
DO THEIR HOMEWORK ON IT. (AND PLAY VIDEO GAMES)”
• 1980S: COMPUTERS WENT INTO THE BUSINESS AND ECONOMY. AUTOMATED
TELLER MACHINES, INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS, CGI IN FILM AND TELEVISION,
ELECTRONIC MUSIC, BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEMS, AND VIDEO GAMES.
• 1990S: DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES AS A TOOL FOR INFORMATION. THE INTERNET,
DIGITAL HDTV BROADCAST OF THE 1990 WORLD CUP, STANFORD FEDERAL
CREDIT UNION WAS THE FIRST FINANCIAL INSTITUTION TO OFFER ONLINE
INTERNET BANKING SERVICES

8. EVOLUTION OF OUR DIGITAL LIFESTYLE
• 2000S: DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES AS A TOOL FOR COMMUNICATIONS. CELL
PHONES BECAME AS UBIQUITOUS AS COMPUTERS, TEXT MESSAGING BECAME A
CULTURAL PHENOMENON, POPULATION OF THE INTERNET REACHED 1 BILLION.
• 2010S: DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES AS CONNECTIVITY AND A WAY OF LIFE. OVER 2
BILLION PEOPLE USED THE INTERNET, CLOUD COMPUTING HAD ENTERED THE
MAINSTREAM

9. SOCIAL IMPACT OF DIGITAL MEDIA
http://reports.weforum.org/human-implications-of-digital-media-2016/section-1-user-behaviour-prefe

10. SOCIAL IMPACT OF DIGITAL MEDIA
http://reports.weforum.org/human-implications-of-digital-media-2016/section-1-user-behaviour-prefe
• “THINGS THAT STARTED OUT AS COMMUNICATION PLATFORMS HAVE BECOME
REAL-TIME MEDIA CONSUMPTION PLATFORMS; CONTENT THAT FEELS LIKE A
CONVERSATION IS BEING CONSUMED IN VIDEO AND TEXT COMBINED, AND IS
ACCESSIBLE ON SMARTPHONES.”
• “PEOPLE USED TO WATCH TV AND THEN THAT’S IT. BUT NOW, EVERYTHING IS
CONSUMED ON DIFFERENT MEDIUMS. THREE OUT OF FIVE PEOPLE SURF THE
INTERNET, OR WECHAT IN THE CASE OF CHINA, WHILE THEY WATCH TV.
DIVIDED ATTENTION IS THE TREND.”

11. SOCIAL IMPACT OF DIGITAL MEDIA
http://reports.weforum.org/human-implications-of-digital-media-2016/section-1-user-behaviour-prefe
• USERS CONSUME, SHARE AND ENGAGE IN CONTENT IN ORDER TO FULFIL A NEED
FOR SOCIAL INTERACTION, ENTERTAINMENT AND LEARNING
• “CONSUMERS HAVE A LOT MORE AGENCY. THEY ARE NO LONGER JUST PASSIVE
RECEIVERS OF GOODS, SERVICES AND CONTENT.”

12. SOCIAL IMPACT OF DIGITAL MEDIA
http://reports.weforum.org/human-implications-of-digital-media-2016/section-1-user-behaviour-prefe

13. SOCIAL IMPACT OF DIGITAL MEDIA
http://reports.weforum.org/human-implications-of-digital-media-2016/section-1-user-behaviour-prefe
• FUNDAMENTAL CONCERNS ABOUT TRUTH, INTEGRITY AND SECURITY ARE
PLACING CONSUMER TRUST AT RISK:
1. TRUTH: GIVEN THE SHEER VOLUME OF DIGITAL CONTENT, TRUST HANGS IN THE
BALANCE BECAUSE OF THE DIFFICULTY IN VALIDATING TRUTHFULNESS AND THE
INCREASED ABILITY OF USERS TO CHALLENGE THE VERACITY OF CONTENT.
2. INTEGRITY AND THE FAIR VALUE PROPOSITION: TRUST IN COMPANIES IS AT STAKE
AND DIGITAL MEDIA CONSUMERS ARE DEMANDING PROTECTION FOR USER RIGHTS.
3. SECURITY: CONSUMERS FEAR THAT THEIR DATA ARE NOT ADEQUATELY
PROTECTED. THEY VALUE AND DEMAND MORE TRANSPARENCY AND CONTROL
OVER THEIR PERSONAL DATA AND DIGITAL IDENTITIES.

14. SOCIAL IMPACT OF DIGITAL MEDIA
http://reports.weforum.org/human-implications-of-digital-media-2016/section-1-user-behaviour-prefe
• SEARCH ENGINES ARE NOW THE MOST TRUSTED SOURCE OF CONTENT FOR
USERS, ESPECIALLY MILLENNIALS, WHILE JOURNALISTS ARE TRUSTED LESS THAN
FAMILY AND FRIENDS. THE TREND TOWARDS A “COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE”, AS
DESCRIBED IN THE PREVIOUS SECTION, IS ALSO A RESULT OF THE DIGITAL MEDIA
USER’S DEPENDENCY ON SEEKING TRUTH FROM GROUPS OF OTHER USERS.
• “I DON’T NEED TO BELIEVE IN ANYTHING ANYMORE BECAUSE IT HAS A USER
RATING OF 4.6. SO THE WHOLE NOTION OF TRUST IS NOW EARNED LARGELY BY
COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE RATHER THAN THE SYMBOLS OF FAITH.”

15. SOCIAL IMPACT OF DIGITAL MEDIA
http://reports.weforum.org/human-implications-of-digital-media-2016/benefits-and-opportunities/
• UPSIDES:
• DIGITAL MEDIA FACILITATES SOCIAL INTERACTION AND EMPOWERS PEOPLE
• DIGITAL MEDIA GIVES PEOPLE A VOICE, INCREASES CIVIC PARTICIPATION AND
FACILITATES THE CREATION OF COMMUNITIES
• DIGITAL MEDIA IS CHANGING HOW WORK GETS DONE, BOOSTING PRODUCTIVITY
AND ENHANCING FLEXIBILITY FOR WORKERS AND EMPLOYERS
• DIGITAL MEDIA CAN FACILITATE EDUCATION AND LIFE-LONG LEARNING TO BUILD
AND SOURCE THE SKILLS OF THE FUTURE

16. SOCIAL IMPACT OF DIGITAL MEDIA
http://reports.weforum.org/human-implications-of-digital-media-2016/benefits-and-opportunities/
• “WE SEE JOB OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FREELANCE AND “GIG” ECONOMIES IN ROLES
THAT YOU WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PREVIOUSLY SEE 15-20 YEARS AGO –
ANYTHING FROM MARKETING TO EXECUTIVE ROLES TO MEDICAL.”
• “WORK HAS GONE FROM BEING LARGELY AGGREGATED INTO JOBS TO
INCREASINGLY BEING DISPERSED OUTSIDE THE ORGANIZATION. TALENT IS
MOVING IN AND OUT OF ORGANIZATIONS MUCH MORE FREELY.”

17. SOCIAL IMPACT OF DIGITAL MEDIA
http://reports.weforum.org/human-implications-of-digital-media-2016/benefits-and-opportunities/
• DOWNSIDES:
• DIGITAL MEDIA CAN BE USED BY COMMUNITIES WITH HARMFUL INTENTIONS TO
SPREAD PROPAGANDA AND TO MOBILIZE FOLLOWERS
• BY SELECTING WHAT INFORMATION REACHES WHICH USERS, DIGITAL MEDIA CAN
ALTER HUMAN DECISIONS AND POSE RISKS TO CIVIL SOCIETY
• THE TRANSFORMATION OF WORK BROUGHT ABOUT BY DIGITAL MEDIA MAY
INCREASE INEQUALITY AND LOWER PRODUCTIVITY
• DIGITAL MEDIA USE CAN CHANGE SOCIAL SKILLS – ONLINE DOES NOT REPLACE
OFFLINE
• DIGITAL MEDIA CONSUMPTION MAY FACILITATE BULLYING, HARASSMENT AND
SOCIAL DEFAMATION

18. UBER: IS IT REALLY A GOOD THING?
• UBER’S CAR-SHARING SERVICE IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW DIGITAL PLATFORMS CAN
TRANSFORM WHO DOES THE WORK AND HOW, CREATING BOTH WINNERS AND
LOSERS.
• THE CREATION OF APPS THAT ALLOW MORE EFFICIENT CONNECTION BETWEEN
DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS HAS MADE IT EASIER AND CHEAPER FOR CONSUMERS TO
GET RIDES WHERE AND WHEN THEY NEED.
• DIGITAL TOOLS LIKE MAPPING APPS PUT KNOWLEDGE INTO THE HANDS OF NOVICE
DRIVERS THAT PREVIOUSLY HAD TO BE ACCUMULATED THROUGH YEARS OF
EXPERIENCE.
• THE ABILITY OF LOWER-SKILLED ENTRANTS TO COMPETE WITH HIGHLY SKILLED AND
EXPERIENCED DRIVERS EFFECTIVELY TRANSFERS THAT KNOWLEDGE PREMIUM FROM
ONE GROUP OF WORKERS TO THE OTHER.

19. DOES DIGITAL MEDIA IMPROVE YOUR
QUALITY OF LIFE?

20. INFORMATION AGE AND THE 4TH INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industry_4.0

21. INFORMATION AGE AND THE 4TH INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION
• INTERCONNECTION: THE ABILITY OF MACHINES, DEVICES, SENSORS, AND PEOPLE TO
CONNECT AND COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER VIA THE INTERNET OF THINGS
(IOT) OR THE INTERNET OF PEOPLE (IOP)
• INFORMATION TRANSPARENCY: THE TRANSPARENCY AFFORDED BY INDUSTRY 4.0
TECHNOLOGY PROVIDES OPERATORS WITH VAST AMOUNTS OF USEFUL
INFORMATION NEEDED TO MAKE APPROPRIATE DECISIONS. INTERCONNECTIVITY
ALLOWS OPERATORS TO COLLECT IMMENSE AMOUNTS OF DATA AND INFORMATION
FROM ALL POINTS IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS, THUS AIDING FUNCTIONALITY
AND IDENTIFYING KEY AREAS THAT CAN BENEFIT FROM INNOVATION AND
IMPROVEMENT.

22. INFORMATION AGE AND THE 4TH INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION
• TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE: FIRST, THE ABILITY OF ASSISTANCE SYSTEMS TO SUPPORT
HUMANS BY AGGREGATING AND VISUALIZING INFORMATION COMPREHENSIVELY FOR
MAKING INFORMED DECISIONS AND SOLVING URGENT PROBLEMS ON SHORT
NOTICE. SECOND, THE ABILITY OF CYBER PHYSICAL SYSTEMS TO PHYSICALLY
SUPPORT HUMANS BY CONDUCTING A RANGE OF TASKS THAT ARE UNPLEASANT,
TOO EXHAUSTING, OR UNSAFE FOR THEIR HUMAN CO-WORKERS.
• DECENTRALIZED DECISIONS: THE ABILITY OF CYBER PHYSICAL SYSTEMS TO MAKE
DECISIONS ON THEIR OWN AND TO PERFORM THEIR TASKS AS AUTONOMOUSLY AS
POSSIBLE. ONLY IN THE CASE OF EXCEPTIONS, INTERFERENCES, OR CONFLICTING
GOALS, ARE TASKS DELEGATED TO A HIGHER LEVEL.

23. IN A NUTSHELL….
• THE 1ST AND 2ND INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION IS ABOUT CENTRALIZATION OF THE
PRODUCTION PROCESS TO ACHIEVE ECONOMIES OF SCALE. (OFTEN DUE TO LACK OF
IN-DEPTH DATA, SO STATISTICS MATTER MORE! ISSUES WITH OVERPRODUCTION
AND CONSUMPTION)
• THE 3RD AND 4TH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION IS ABOUT DECENTRALIZATION SO THAT
VALUE-ADD AND CUSTOMIZATION CAN BE DONE FLEXIBLY TO REDUCE WASTE AND
INEFFICIENCIES, WITH CONCEPTS ALONG THE LINES OF “SELF-OPTIMIZATION, SELF-
CONFIGURATION, SELF-DIAGNOSIS, COGNITION AND INTELLIGENT SUPPORT” OF
WORKERS IN THEIR INCREASINGLY COMPLEX WORK. (POSSIBLE WITH DATA!
PROMOTES SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH REDUCTION OF WASTE. THE INDIVIDUAL’S
NEEDS AND PREFERENCE MATTERS!)https://industrytoday.com/article/centralized-vs-decentralized-manufacturing

24. CHALLENGES OF THE DIGITAL AGE
• MORE CONNECTIONS, MORE VULNERABILITIES.
• “DISEASE ENTERS THROUGH OPENINGS”.
• LOSS OF PRIVACY
• HACKINGS
• ONLINE SCAMS AND FRAUDS
• SPYING AND SURVEILLANCE

25. YOUR PERSONAL DATA IS NOW A
COMMODITY
• FOOD FOR THOUGHT: DOES FACEBOOK, TWITTER, WECHAT AND ETC. LETS YOU
USE THEIR SERVICE FOR “FREE”?
• SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES SELLS YOU THE PLATFORM. YOU BUY IT WITH YOUR
PERSONAL DATA.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/01/07/data-now-important-commodity-oil-leadin

26. HACKATHONS
• MORE INTERCONNECTIVITY BETWEEN PERSONAL DATA AND SERVICES (E.G. BANK
ACCOUNTS, HEALTH PROFILE, ETC.) MEANS MORE VULNERABILITIES TO YOUR
PERSONAL LIFE.
• HACKING OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA LEADS TO ONLINE FRAUDS, SCAMS, AND
EVEN IMPERSONATION.
• HACKATHONS ARE COMMUNITY EFFORTS OF PROGRAMMERS TO FIND
VULNERABILITIES AND INCREASE CYBER AND INFORMATION SECURITY.
• HACKATHONS IN MALAYSIA:
HTTPS://WWW.HACKATHON.COM/CITY/MALAYSIA/KUALA-LUMPUR

27. CYBERBULLYING
• BLURRING OF LINES BETWEEN PHYSICAL AND ONLINE SOCIAL LIFE DUE TO HYPER-
INTERCONNECTIVITY BETWEEN US AND THE DIGITAL WORLD.
• DUE TO EASY ACCESS OF INFORMATION AND PLATFORMING, THE CYBER WORLD
BECOMES THE PLAYGROUND FOR CYBERBULLYING, CYBERSTALKING, INCITEMENT
AND DOXXING (RESEARCHING AND BROADCASTING PERSONAL PRIVATE
INFORMATION).
• WIDESPREAD OF EMOTIONAL DAMAGE AND MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, ESPECIALLY
AMONG CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS.
• ACCORDING TO THE CYBERBULLYING RESEARCH CENTER, "THERE HAVE BEEN
SEVERAL HIGH‐PROFILE CASES INVOLVING TEENAGERS TAKING THEIR OWN LIVES IN
PART BECAUSE OF BEING HARASSED AND MISTREATED OVER THE INTERNET, A
PHENOMENON WE HAVE TERMED CYBERBULLICIDE – SUICIDE INDIRECTLY OR
DIRECTLY INFLUENCED BY EXPERIENCES WITH ONLINE AGGRESSION."
https://cyberbullying.org/cyberbullying_and_suicide_research_fact_shee

28. FAKE NEWS
• NEWS THAT ARE UNVERIFIED, OR FAKE INFORMATION PASSED OFF AS REAL, GETTING
DIFFICULT TO SIFT THROUGH DUE TO SHARING.
• THE ADVENT OF PHOTOSHOP, EVEN “VIDEOSHOP”, WHERE FAKE IMAGES AND VIDEOCLIPS CAN
BE GENERATED BY SOFTWARE.
• “DEEPFAKES”, A PORTMANTEAU OF "DEEP LEARNING" AND "FAKE", IS AN ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE-BASED HUMAN IMAGE SYNTHESIS TECHNIQUE. IT IS USED TO COMBINE AND
SUPERIMPOSE EXISTING IMAGES AND VIDEOS ONTO SOURCE IMAGES OR VIDEOS USING A
MACHINE LEARNING TECHNIQUE CALLED A "GENERATIVE ADVERSARIAL NETWORK" (GAN). THE
COMBINATION OF THE EXISTING AND SOURCE VIDEOS RESULTS IN A FAKE VIDEO THAT SHOWS
A PERSON OR PERSONS PERFORMING AN ACTION AT AN EVENT THAT NEVER OCCURRED IN
REALITY.
• HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=OHMAJJTCPNK
• HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=Q3SFXQFE4KK
• HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=XJB8K1IVNP4
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-27/fake-news-part-one/10

29. PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1esj9H7XnQ

30. INSIDE THE DARK WEB
• HTTPS://WWW.DAILYMOTION.COM/VIDEO/X25QWSK