ASSIGNMENT: Suggest a new type of "new media" that doesn't currently exist. Describe it.
A type of new media that I would suggest would be a social credit system that allowed for tipping and rating, similar to the one portrayed in the popular Netflix series, “Black Mirror”. Users would have a numerical rating on a certain scale that allowed others to view how personable, friendly, and interactive they are with others. Anyone in a small radius around that person would be able to rate them via a mobile device. This would also be used to tip people and get rid of the service industries’ low hourly wages for workers and allow them to collect a decent minimum wage along with tips for their performance.
This system can be used to ensure that people have a good history of interactions and are amicable should the need for a background check arise. It would speed up security screenings and be a universal system recognized everywhere. Abuse of the system would blackspot you and give you a mark on your profile that would label you as something negative to anyone around you. There would be social implications for doing something morally or ethically wrong and it would in itself, bring a sense of social justice and reform.
I love the idea of the social credit system. It seems very futuristic, but at the same time it's extremely useful because it allows us to see how someone is like, before actually interacting with them. This is a form of rating that we see on Uber drivers and so on.
ReplyDeleteSomething like this can impact employment opportunities, screening for insurance claims, law enforcement and more. Like in the episode where the guy breaks up with his boyfriend and can't even enter his job site. I think it plays on the idea that people don't have to be bad to have a bad day. I think that this system would never be able to provide a true version of yourself, just how others may see you at any given time. I think it needs a bit more time in the think tank. Check out the anime Psycho Pass if you can! They have an interesting play on the concept.
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