Openness

Why?

The benefits of an open internet allows anyone to access any information at anytime. People can share their creations or ideas for everyone to see. Not only that, but people can give feedback or even gain inspiration from it. People can build off of each other’s ideas and knowledge, creating something more impactful or knowledgeable.

How?

A major example of information being open to everyone are YouTube tutorials. If one is struggling on how to do a task, just one simple search is all it takes to find hundreds of tutorials on how to do it. People can even comment on the videos something that they experienced and add their own ideas.

Accessibility

Why?

Accessibility to the internet ensures that everyone has equal access to information. The internet may be open to everyone, but some platforms make it difficult with those who have disabilities to access the information they need. Not only would it benefit those with disabilities, it could benefit the general population by providing more inclusive options.

How?

There are many methods that are used in order to make the internet more accessible. Closed captions, descriptive URL’s, alt text, or even just creating a simple website design that everyone can easily navigate. To read more on how to make personal content on the internet more accessible, visit Digital Culture Network.

False and inaccurate information…..no way!

Imagine it is 2024 and you’re looking for information on whether your favorite sports team won the recent game or looking up what actor played the character in the movie you’re watching. It can be difficult to find, not because the information isn’t there, but because you’re bombarded with the scandals and alleged rumors. I have a very simple belief on why there is misinformation spread all over, it is because trash sells. You would be lying if you say that you haven’t talked about something you weren’t sure is true. We all do it, we as a society are interested in scandals and rumors and we are more likely to spread something we think is interesting regardless of the accuracy. There is many other reasons that aren’t so scandalous like misremembering a certain event then posting about it. Jennifer Austin writes an article about rumors and why we gossip that is interesting and informative.

A.I impact on information

I believe AI could and will spread misinformation by how accessible it is. It is simply everywhere, even on our social media apps like snapchat. As soon as I read the words AI and misinformation, I thought of the political climate of today. You have a presidential candidate, who is actively using AI for different political benefits without stating it is a false image right when posting it. AI can do wonderful things including helping people meal plan but in this time we see it used to spread false claims about the DNC conference or photos of celebrities supporting political candidates they have not spoke about in any instance. Once something is on a social media site like X or Instagram it takes a second to retweet, like, share, or even post something similar. It is incredibly accessible and easy to share. NPR’s Shannon Bond wrote an incredible story called How AI-generated memes are changing the 2024 election. AI spits out responses based on patterns and mountains of information, I believe it can easily spit out something completely incorrect without the malicious intention like humans have. I believe without the human emotion used while attempting to spread false information, it becomes hard to decipher what is incorrect.

Why I choose this title

Below is my interaction with Copilot to pick out my perfect title. I ended up choosing the final one they gave me because it caught my eye. I feel like my opinion on why false information is everywhere is because of gossip. I know the prompt geared more towards the use of AI and I believe it speeds up the process of false information but false information does come from us humans everyday, so we are partially to blame! I think my title goes smack in the middle on the spectrum. I feel like this title is eye catching and something you would see for clicks. Using the word reality check is very clickbait worthy.

My interaction with Copilot

You
Sent by you:
Give me interesting titles similar to What is real on the internet?
Copilot
Sent by Copilot:
Sure! Here are some intriguing titles that explore similar themes:

Unmasking the Digital Mirage: Truth and Illusion Online
Virtual Realities: Navigating Fact and Fiction on the Web
The Internet’s Mirror: Reflections of Reality and Deception
Behind the Screen: Distinguishing Authenticity in the Digital Age
Cyber Truths: Separating Fact from Fabrication Online
Digital Deceptions: Unveiling the Realities of the Web
The Online Enigma: What’s Real and What’s Not?
Truth in the Age of Information Overload
The Web of Lies: Understanding Internet Misinformation
Reality Check: Authenticity in the Digital World
Do any of these catch your eye? Or is there a specific angle you’re interested in exploring?

You
Sent by you:
Yes. Thank you!
Copilot
Sent by Copilot:
You’re welcome! I’m glad you found them interesting. If you need any more suggestions or have another topic in mind, feel free to ask! 😊

Openness:

Why?

The web is open place where technology and interaction occur. The web is where by eliminating barriers that restrict other people.

How?

Openness help to achieve collaboration and communicate through other sites. It also allow users to access resources and to connect to other network

Accessibility:

Why?

Accessibility help reach broader audience. It improve web site and also help with innovation and technology. It ensure that everyone has access to it use which include people with disabilities.

How?

We use the content more accessible including details of images, photo, text, videos, subtitles and many more. Images descriptions and descriptive link text 5 benefits of using a web accessibility overlay

Accessibility

Why?

Accessibility ensures that as many people as possible can use your website, regardless of ability. Accessibility not only improves the usability of a website for those who may have a disability but can also improve the website’s experience for the population as a whole. This phenomenon is referred to as the curb-cut effect and can make the website easier to navigate for everyone. Therefore, making a website accessible is not only the right thing to do, but can also make the website easier and more efficient for all users.

How?

There are many ways to make a website accessible for everyone. For example, web designers may utilize features such as accessible headings, alternative text on images, and descriptive link texts. Web designers may also choose to change the font color or size on a website or provide a written transcript of any videos embedded into the website. For more information on how to make a website more accessible, visit the Criterion Web Compliance Page.

Openness

Why?

Since the introduction of the web in the 90s, one of its most attractive features is the ability for anyone to publish anything without the barriers of traditional publishing. As a result, people have been able to connect with one another across the globe to collaborate on projects, inspire one another, and offer advice on how to fix various problems.

How?

Openness on the internet is a spectrum. Web designers choose to make their underlying code open and available, but charge for the final product. Other companies may choose to make their content open and available but require a license. The degree of openness may also rely on the final product being advertised.

Openness

Why?

Open Internet is a great way to showcase answers to problems may have. It’s also great for people looking up tutorials on how to do something like fix a sink leak or how to build a specific item from IKEA, like this guy who showed how to build the MICKE desk. Having open internet is crucial to collaborate on others ideas, and have them give ideas with yours.

How?

YouTube is a great example of open internet. Anyone is free to upload content to YouTube for free. The baseline, basic videos, anyone can watch for free as well. Granted there will be ads, but watching the videos, commenting under them, subscribing to channels is all free to do.

Accessibility

Why?

Having accessible Internet is beneficial for everyone. Anyone using the internet to do research, complete homework, or just watching YouTube for fun should be able to no matter if they have a disability. The videos or webpages could also reach a broader range of viewers if more people could access it fully.

How?

As we previously discussed the “cut-curb effect,” everyone should have access to accessible internet. Whether it’s adding closed captions on videos, or adding text-to-speech on pictures. Even though they were intentionally put there for people with disabilities, an able-bodied person could use it and find they like it better that way.

Disinformation and the weaponization of the internet.

Being a political science major, naturally I had to look at the impact disinformation has on politics and security. Normally, most people’s common interaction with falsities on the internet comes in the form of pranks or trolling. However, disinformation can be significantly more harmful to people than putting glue in your pizza (at least the Google AI specified non-toxic). Countries opposed to the United States and non state actors can use social media and other websites to attempt to influence US politics. This was evident in the 2016 Presidential election, when Russia used Facebook, Twitter and other platforms to circulate false information regarding election integrity. Bots and troll farms post hundreds of false, inflammatory, or controversial statements with the intent of sowing division in the United States and increasing political polarization. For further information, Stanford University published a guide to disinformation and how to spot it.

How A.I. impacts disinformation.

A.I. as a tool of propaganda.

A.I. essentially multiplies the amount of disinformation and misinformation that can be spread. Hostile actors intentionally spreading disinformation is not new, but 20 years ago you had to have a human sitting behind a computer thinking of and writing fake news stories, articles, posts, etc. But, with the advent and increasingly rapid availability of A.I. software, that person behind the computer simply has to enter in a prompt and A.I. will take it from there. More recently, the use of A.I. to falsify pictures or videos can greatly increase the speed at which these are developed and circulated. Using A.I. does not require a camera crew and video editors to produce a false video. It can also create very realistic deepfakes of people, and have that person say false, or inflammatory statements. Stanford once again has excellent information regarding the use of A.I. for the purposes of spreading propaganda.

Using Copilot

My interaction with Copilot A.I.

You
Sent by you:
Generate me a title for blogpost about "what is real on the internet?"

Copilot
Sent by Copilot:
Sure! Here are a few title ideas for your blog post:
“Unmasking the Web: Deciphering What’s Real on the Internet”
“Truth vs. Fiction: Navigating Reality in the Digital Age”
“The Internet’s Illusions: How to Spot Real from Fake”
“Digital Deception: Understanding Authenticity Online”
“Fact or Fabrication? A Guide to Internet Realities”
Do any of these resonate with you?

You
Sent by you:
Can you provide more options?

Copilot
Sent by Copilot:
Absolutely! Here are some additional title ideas for your blog post:
“Internet Realities: Separating Fact from Fiction Online”
“Behind the Screen: What’s Real on the Internet?”
“Virtual Veracity: Identifying Truth in the Digital World”
“The Reality Check: Unveiling Truths on the Web”
“Navigating the Web: How to Discern Real from Fake”
“Digital Truths: What’s Authentic on the Internet?”
“The Internet’s Mirage: Finding Authenticity in a Sea of Information”
**"Fact-Checking the Web: A Guide to Online Authenticity

Why I chose my title.

I chose my title because I liked the imagery evoked by “unmasking the web”. To me, this felt like a good title as I highlight throughout my blogpost some ways countries can use the web and A.I. as a weapon for political gain. I’d like to imagine that by exposing these harmful disinformation actors it has almost as much effect as unmasking a villain in Scooby Doo does. I believe this title falls a little bit to the right on the truth spectrum. I believe it is an exaggerated title, dramatizing what is honestly a basic informative post into what someone would think would be a much more in depth look into disinformation. However, I believe the title does not mislead the audience, but more so increases engagement.