Final Reflection

I have to admit that when I first registered for the course, I had no idea what it would entail. I had never even heard of the term Digital Literacy before. I have learned so much throughout this course.

First, I found the topic of empathy and bias to be one that I never really thought about before; I learned a lot about how deep those two terms are and how they are intertwined. Through the online games that we played, such as SPENT or even some of the games that our colleagues created, I was able to put myself in someone’s shoes in order to empathize with them in a way I never thought I’d be able to. Creating the game also was an experience that I really enjoyed, and the roles were reversed as my colleague and I had to try and imagine what those who played our game, In It to Win It, would feel if they were put in certain situations, would they be able to empathize with our character? Not only was the term of empathy and bias woven into our class activities and readings; this was most evident through our professor, who gave us the room to freely express our opinion about anything and respected each of our opinions, regardless of her personal views, never once judging us for what we believe in.

Second, I learned a lot about of how hard it is to tell real news from fake news. I learned about ways to verify online news that I didn’t even learn in my journalism courses. I had never been put in a practical situation to deal with fake news or need to understand how the fake news business operates. The game called Fake It to Make It put this idea into perspective, showing the impact that this news has on us and the people around us.

Finally, the term of Privacy and Security was my personal favorite. Ever since I decided to take Journalism classes, this was a recurrent theme that I kept hearing but didn’t learn much about much in my courses honestly. I had conducted my own research on the topic about how to stay safe online and the risks that come from using social media specifically. Through our Mozilla Health Report presentation, for which we chose the theme of Internet privacy, I was able to learn even more from the articles we read on the topic. In the curation assignment, I was given the opportunity to conduct more research about it.

At times, I thought that there were a lot of assignments but now that I look back and see the various aspects of Digital Literacy that we have covered, I understand how great it was that we were able to cover so much in a short amount of time.

The one comment I could make about things that I think could be improved about the course is the frequency of the Soliya sessions. I think if there were more time slots for us to attend that would be better as there were connection issues for me personally and sometimes there may be circumstances beyond students’ control. I honestly wish that I had the opportunity to take part in the online discussions more, as I’m sure it was an interesting experience.

Otherwise, the course was structured perfectly and we really made the most out of the semester; I am very glad I had the opportunity to take this course before graduating.

Contribution – “Qahera the Superhero”

“Qahera” is a web comic about a Muslim, hijab-wearing superhero who challenges stereotypes about women like herself. They were created by an Egyptian art student named Deena Mohamed. Upon reading the first comic, I learned that the superhero is represented by the illustrator as an empowering character with strong conviction; she stands up for the rights of those who are facing issues brought on by stereotypes such as misogyny and feminism, and Islamophobia. She is not only a superhero in the sense that she fights off villains or “saves the day” but in the sense that she makes her voice heard and is not afraid to  fight back against accusations made against Muslim women and women in general.

In many ways, I feel that she perpetuates the same views that we all discussed on empathy and bias in class, and could be incorporated into Equity Unbound somehow.

In the comic “Femen,” she shows that Muslim women do not need to be saved and defends the accusation that women who are covered and wear hijab are oppressed and do so against their will. In another comic about sexual harassment, she says that regardless of the way anyone is dressed, the concept of harassing someone is wrong in itself.

Her call to adventure is hearing misogynistic views, false accusations about women, seeing a woman in danger or in need of help, or injustice in general. In Qahera’s day-to-day life she encounters tests such as men harassing women in an alley; this is her call as a superhero.

Qahera is the first superhero I’ve heard about of her kind, and I find that she is such an inspiring character as she gives a voice to those who do not have one or those who cannot express their struggle.

As a Muslim hijabi myself, I find that it takes a lot of courage to create something like Qahera, and I have a lot of respect towards the creator of this comic for representing the struggle of women in a way that captures the attention of viewers.

I highly recommend exploring this set of comics, whether you can relate to it or not, for the reason that it provides knowledge about the subject of women battling Islamophobia, misogyny, feminism and other stereotypes. Qahera is not your average superhero; she is a bold, fearless, and strong woman with conviction and that is something to be respected.

Privacy and Security Podcast

Here is the podcast curation that my colleague Mohamad Abdelsattar and I created on Internet Privacy and Security.

References Used

Costello, Caitlin R., Dale E. McNiel, and Renée L. Binder. “Adolescents and Social
Media: Privacy, Brain Development, and the Law.” The Journal of the American
Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, vol. 44, no. 3, 2016, pp. 313.

Marwick, Alice, Claire Fontaine, and danah boyd. ““Nobody Sees it, Nobody Gets Mad”:
Social Media, Privacy, and Personal Responsibility among Low-SES Youth.”
Social Media + Society, vol. 3, no. 2, 2017.

Misra, Gaurav, and Jose M. Such. “How Socially Aware are Social Media Privacy
Controls?” Computer, vol. 49, no. 3, 2016, pp. 96-99.

Mgrditchian, Greg. “Employment & Social Media Privacy: Employer Justifications for
Access to “Private” Material.” Rutgers Computer & Technology Law Journal,       vol. 41, no. 1, 2015, pp. 108.

Sánchez Abril, Patricia, Avner Levin, and Alissa Del Riego. “Blurred Boundaries: Social
Media Privacy and the Twenty‐First‐Century Employee.” American Business LawJournal, vol. 49, no. 1, 2012, pp. 63-124.

Survey Results –

Respondents were all from the American University in Cairo aged 18-25.

• Gender
  Out of 80 respondents, 65 were female (81.3%) and 15 were males (18.8%).
• Which of the following do you currently have an active account on and use regularly?
  Out of 80 responses, 69 people said they have an active account on Facebook and use it regularly (86.3%), highlighting it as the most used social networking site. Instagram is second at 66 users out of 80 (82.5%). Only 16 respondents selected that they use Twitter regularly (20%). Snapchat has 47 users (68.8%). Only one respondent said they did not use any of the social networking sites listed.
• How often do you check/use social media?
  Out of 80 respondents, 77 people said they check/use social media on a daily basis (96.3%). Two people said they check/use social media 2-5 times per week (2.5%). One said they check/use social media every two weeks.
• Which of the following are reasons why you use social media?
  Out of 80 respondents, 38 said they use social media to share/express thoughts and opinions with others (47.5%). 66 respondents said they use social media to check the news and stay updated (82.5%). 56 respondents said they use social media to keep in touch with friends and family (70%). 20 respondents said they use social media for work-related communication (25%). 5 respondents said they use social media to make new friends (6.3%). Additional responses included 4 using social media for entertainment and memes, and one respondent said they checked social media because he/she is bored.

• Which of the following best describes who you add/accept as friends on social media?
  Out of 80 respondents, 63 said they add and accept only those whom they know personally or close friends/acquaintances (78.8%). 15 people said they add and accept people with mutual friends (18.8%) and 2 people said they add and accept all requests on social media.
• Which of the following information is shared on your Facebook profile?
  Out of 80 respondents, 43 people said their hometown is shared on their Facebook profile (53.8%), 45 people share their current city (56.3%), and 23 people had their family members listed (28.7%). Relatively low compared to other information, 11 people said they share their relationship status (13.8%). 59 people said their birthday is listed (73.8%). 48 people said they share their education, the current university they are attending, in this case all responses referred to the American University in Cairo (60%). 11 people shared events they were attending (13.8%). 11 people share locations visited (13.8%). 35 people have their friends list open to the public (43.8%). 14 people have their contact information such as their email address or phone number (17.5%). Only 4 people said none of the information above is shared on their account (5%).
• Which of the following applies to you as a user of Instagram?
  Out of 80 respondents, 45 people said they post pictures/videos of themselves on social media (66.2%). 37 people said they post pictures/videos of friends and family (54.4%). 40 people said they sometimes include the real location of their pictures/videos (58.8%). 4 people said they posted at least one photo with their house location in the map (5.9%). None of the respondents said they included contact information in their Instagram bio. 44 people said their profile picture is a picture of themselves (64.7%) and 9 people said they don’t have an Instagram account (13.2%).
• Which of the following information of yours on social media is available for public viewing?

• Have you ever had any of the following negative experiences with social media?

• Do you personally find maintaining social media privacy to be a major concern?
  Out of 80 respondents, 28 people said it is always a major concern (35%) while an equal amount of people said it is a concern most of the time (35%). 17 people said it is sometimes a concern (21.3%), 5 people said it is rarely a concern (6.3%), and 2 people said they do not find it to be a concern (2.5%).

DS106 Assignments

It took me a while to understand exactly what this website was but I was SO impressed once I realized this is content for students by students!

The idea of different sections is also great to encourage students to choose a short assignment based on their interests, everything is available from audio to writing assignments to even memes.

While I only selected two assignments to do, I would have loved to have done more if I had the time. Both of them were from the writing section as that’s what I enjoy most.

Assignment 1:

Find a product on Amazon that could help you survive the apocalypse. Then write a product review that explains how it actually has helped you survive the apocalypse. Share what you did on your blog (with a screenshot of your review and link to it).

I would choose a radio from Amazon. Old, simple, but definitely efficient, for only 32 dollars, you may be able to save your life during the zombie apocalypse. It may be very difficult to find electricity and this is the simplest form of telecommunication that has ever existed. It says it’ll arrive before Christmas so that’s a plus; you never know when zombies will take over the world!

———

Assignment 2:

Using this Superhero Name Generator website to generate a superhero name as well as your powers, write a short story about the day in the life of YOU but as a superhero. What do you do when you wake up? How do you know when duty calls? Who will you save today? You don’t even have to save anyone. Maybe you’re a super chill superhero who saves themselves by being content (self care is ALSO important!). Or maybe you have a disguise and work a 9 to 5 but by night you battle the villains who cause destruction in your hometown. Who knows! The possibilities are endless, so get creative!

The superhero name I got was Captain Proxima. I love how I was given the option to choose gender as it differs when names are selected. I am an alien, who is trapped on Earth after I was brought here by accident. My many innate superpowers include star creation, this means that I am capable of creating miniature hot stars/suns, which I can use as weapons, hurling them at my enemies where they explode and destroy everything in their path. As with every superhero, the first thing I do when I wake up is have breakfast of course; I must have enough energy to save the city from any potential danger, such as the giant eagles who plan to take over. As soon as I hear them approaching, I know that duty calls!

The Reality of Fake News

As a Journalism minor, fake news is something that was discussed often…how to identify fake news and how to avoid it; however, I had never been put in a practical situation to deal with fake news or understand how the fake news business works. It is hard for anyone to identify fake news from real news, and even with my Journalistic background it is easy to fall into the same trap of believing stories that seem legitimate. The game, “Fake It to Make It,” really put this idea into perspective. It showed the impact of this news on both us and the people around us.

The idea behind the game is to create a news site targeting people in the US. After choosing a character as well as a goal to reach, you choose how you will setup your website based on the credibility rating it gives you. You are told that you don’t have to stick to the truth as long as you can generate enough traffic on your site through the clicks and views that you get from ads.

It is based on your likes, shares, views, and revenue you get from your website’s articles. The most important things are their believability and drama as this is what generates traffic.

Although the game was long and there were too many goals to reach, I really enjoyed playing it. It gave great insight into the world of “fake news,” and how this concept works.

Do Not Track

I found this particularly interesting for the reason that I had done a lot of research on this topic about tracking, specifically server backups and data caching, so I really was intrigued to learn more. The three videos that I watched gave a glimpse into the idea that we are unknowingly tracked by a third party, as well as how our privacy is affected in the most subtle of ways. The first one, follows a girl whose daily routine consists of checking the internet. It puts into perspective just how much we do the same thing, and how the websites we visit and the terms that we search may be used by third party who is constantly collecting information about us. This information is readily available to them to use when needed.

I have always heard the term “cookies,” but never really understood what they were. The second video showed me what cookies are and exactly why they exist, as well as how powerful and sometimes dangerous they can become. It also shows the role they play in tracking information.

The final video I watched talked about the evolution of the computer as well as the Internet, further showing the advancements that have been made, which, as many would argue after watching these videos, have done more harm to society than good.

Reflection on Soliya

First of all, I believe that the idea of the Soliya web conferences is an excellent initiative and wish that I had the chance to be a part of the experience more. The main critique I would have about the experience in general is that since there are four set sessions and they happen to be two hours long, anything could come up and it is possible to easily miss a session or two due to unforeseen circumstances. Unfortunately, I had to miss my first session for a university course-related reason, and when I tried to connect to the second session, I kept receiving an error message although all of the tests to check to see if the web conference would work showed that there was no issue with my computer. After several emails to technical support, I was still unable to access the room and they were unable to help me. However, I was marked absent for this session for a technical reason that was beyond my control. In the third session, I attended and participated, however a few times during the conference, connection to the server was lost, so I had to exit and re-enter, which I did. Again, I was marked as absent. For the fourth session, my camera wouldn’t connect or work in the conference for some reason; after opening the conference room early and trying to fix my camera to no avail, I sent a message to my fellow room members explaining the situation, telling them that I will participate with audio and chat as I cannot get the camera to work. The facilitator told me that it was not acceptable and that there is no way to tell if it is me participating. Instead of being allowed to join in on the conversation, I was taken out of the conference room and put into another one with technical support, who was also unable to solve the issue. I believe it would have been much better for me to be a part of the discussion and continue to participate with audio than the way the situation was handled, as I was the one who missed out on the experience that way.

I gained more insight about the experience from interviewing my fellow classmates about their Soliya discussions. The four people who I spoke to discussed the different issues that were tackled throughout the sessions they were able to attend; these included cyberbullying, racism, sexual harassment, cultures and differences. Some of those I interviewed had technical issues as well; however, they enjoyed the experience. One interviewee particularly liked the questions asked by the facilitator and how they led the discussion. Everyone commented about the diverse backgrounds they encountered and how this added to the overall experience as they shed light on many perspectives. A few of the respondents had the complaint that not everyone was responsive and participating, and sometimes the facilitator had to run the discussion by himself/herself. One of my classmates had absolutely nothing negative to say about Soliya and benefited so much from the experience that they have Facebook group chat now that the Soliya sessions are over so that they can continue the conversation!

Due to my circumstances, my knowledge of the Soliya experience may be a bit limited; however, I honestly really liked the idea of the platform and felt like it is something that I wish had been incorporated in my other courses as well. I have never seen anything like it. I learned a lot about how despite differences, people from completely different backgrounds are unified by many things, and we can all share sympathy, empathy, (and even bias!) when it comes to certain topics. In one of the conferences, the Syrian refugee crisis was discussed and I found this very interesting as it was an issue that we tackled in our class as well. It was interesting to hear about the issue from several people from across the world as well as gain their insight and perspectives. I found that I was not only representing my personal beliefs but also the beliefs of the country I come from as a whole as I believe that is what my fellow Soliya members would take from the discussion. The whole experience showed me just how interconnected we all are regardless of where we come from.

In It to Win It

The game that we worked on, “In It to Win It,” follows the life of a twelve year old boy, who is in a situation in which he must choose a football team to support (mainly because all of his friends do and this is a way of fitting in, or more importantly not being the odd one out.)

We tried to portray the concept of peer pressure and standing up for one’s beliefs and values regardless of what people may say/ try to make you believe.

The main idea of the game is that the player is presented with situations, mainly related to peer-pressure. This is a big issue especially with teenage boys and something that we hoped that most players could relate to as we’ve all been faced with peer pressure at some point or another in our lives, whether we chose to surrender to it or not. The game’s two paths both revolve around the idea you should always be true to yourself, and more importantly fight for what you believe is right. The game is designed so that you either choose stand up against peer pressure or you wish that you had. We hope that we were able to deliver this message clearly.

Final draft of In It to Win It:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/127Rxk4GwCRJJbJYzwLIYkeSC6ctv_sIa-6-5dXGhrXo

Previous blogpost:

https://hananrashwan.wordpress.com/2018/11/04/first-draft-of-online-game/

Since this first draft of the game, where we only introduced our character and set the stage for how the events will follow, we created two different paths for our player to follow. While we initially wanted to make the game a loop which eventually ends up at the same conclusion, we thought this might be biased in a way so we decided to change this. We created various scenarios, which were based mainly on real-life situations, some that were encountered by my colleague Mohamad since he is a huge football fan. We made sure to go back and edit the situations to make them clear to the player of the game as not everyone likes football or is familiar with the sport.

We hope that while the game is football-themed to deliver our message about peer-pressure and fighting against it, that everyone who plays can relate to the main idea of it regardless of whether they are football fans or not. Of course this would a plus if they are, however, as it will be more personal to those who do. We asked several of our friends to play the game and they were able to understand our main idea, to be sure that we were not biased with our game’s design in any way.

I think if I had more time, I’d like to stretch out the situations more and create more scenarios to add to the overall experience.

I learned a lot through designing this game. First of all, I never knew that it was possible to create a game with such ease. I never knew that google forms or slides were platforms that I could use. Another thing I learned was how to create the game itself, and I learned by experience. I’ve always liked storytelling but it was a different and more interesting experience when it was interactive and there were different scenarios to comprehend and options to choose from. Overall, I really enjoyed working on the game and definitely plan to create something similar to it in the future.

Equity and Beyond

I honestly had never heard of the term “digital equity” prior to taking this course. Finding out more about this term really showed me the role that the internet plays in global learning and mutual understanding. Digital equity is shaped by the rapid spread of information on the internet, and now I have a better understanding of what being a “digitally literate” person means through this term.

The term digital equity refers to having enough information technology to be able to participate fully in our society, to have the necessary knowledge to ask intelligent questions and not make assumptions, reaching our own conclusion and opinion on various topics, especially when controversial in our community. This was evident in reading the article on the Hijabi Flag photo that was posted; although her article was clearly biased and she was very persuasive…I still found it hard to relate although I should have. I was able to make my own decision about the topic.

This course taught me how to do this; I am interested in learning more about the strategies that can be used to ensure that the information we are receiving online perpetuates the idea of digital equity.

This article on equity/literacy also linked this idea to tolerance, putting it in perspective about how it affects us all.

https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/imagining-equity-literacy

First Draft of Online Game

I am working with Mohamad Mahmoud for the online game. The idea behind it is just how far one would go for his dream. Told from the perspective of a twelve year old boy, we hope it is written so that even if you cannot relate to the events that are described, you can empathize with the main character you are playing as. This is for the reason that he represents each one of us who will go to any length for what we are passionate about. Perseverance is the underlying theme, and hopefully each person who plays can see himself/herself through our character. The idea of peer-pressure is also a theme throughout; even if we cannot directly relate to this now, at some point during our childhood we may have faced a similar situation, whether it was football-related or otherwise.

The game goes as follows:

The player is presented with a real-life situation and is forced to respond in one of two ways; selecting either path has its consequences. We are currently in the process of creating other scenarios, choosing completely different tracks than the one that is part of the game as of now.

We plan to introduce another other team that the player can choose to support, based on their performance which is told in the form of a story (their wins/losses, etc.) the player will choose who they would like to cheer for.

Game link:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/127Rxk4GwCRJJbJYzwLIYkeSC6ctv_sIa-6-5dXGhrXo/edit?usp=sharing

I would like to ask my colleagues if they were able to empathize with the character even if they were not able to relate to them directly. If the answer was no, what element do you think we should add to change that? Do you feel enough description was used for you to understand the events the character encounters, without it being too much to take in? What do you think about the idea of choosing which team to support, rather than the game focusing on the journey of a specific team throughout? Any other comments on the game overall would be much appreciated 🙂