Notes for Chapter 2. Seeing Ourselves Through Technology

Key Terms/Main Ideas:
Filter – A process in which something unwanted is removed
Technological filters – let us express ourselves in certain ways but limits us in others. i.e. Twitter’s character count
Cultural filters – rules and conventions that we copy from others that we aren’t completely aware of doing
Aesthetics – makes something look better or more artistically pleasing
Cultural filters can misrepresent people i.e. cameras bias for lighter skin tones, taking your own picture makes it feel more like you
Genre filters – Show progress and self-improvement

Making Connections:
I notice there are a lot of filters in my life. I definitely use filters whenever (very rarely) I take a photo of myself. It’s to hide my acne. And yes, it does help me see myself in a new way, something better than what I’m used too seeing in the mirror. I don’t use any makeup so a filter is my only line of defense of making myself look good. I also filter my Facebook newsfeed by temporarily unfollowing pages or people that I’m not currently in the mood for seeing, like tons of Eurovision group updates. I don’t do a good job of filtering on facebook compared to most people who just share positive things. I sometimes go off in full on sad mode.

Works Cited:
https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1057%2F9781137476661.pdf