Digital Discourse Database

Number of Posts: 7
Posts 1 - 7

Schnauze, Bot!

(Shut up, bot!)

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Newspaper | Sonntagszeitung
Date | 3.9.2017
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | artificial intelligence, computer programming, Facebook, threat
Summary | News broke that two artificially intelligent Facebook chatbots, Bob and Alice, began communicating with one another using a language that not even their programmers could understand. The programmers then proceeded to kill the chatbots. Some may see this as a threat that artificial intelligence could overpower humans but the messages between the chatbots just operated on a different logic than human linguistic logic and did not seem very threatening at all.
Image Description | N/A

Auf Facebook und Co. haben die Rassisten Hochkonjunktur

(Racists boom on Facebook and co. )

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Newspaper | Sonntagszeitung
Date | 7.2.2016
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | Facebook, law, politeness, politics, threat
Summary | Racists are much more vocal on social media. But social media are no lawless space - actions on Facebook or Twitter can also lead to legal persecution under the Swiss anti-racism law. Ever since the advent of social media, more cases of racism lead to conviction (usually just entailing a fee).
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Quand les émotions mènent le bal

(When emotions are leading the way)

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Newspaper | Le Temps
Date | 9.5.2017
Language | French
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | emojis, Facebook, privacy, social media, threat
Summary | Nowadays, people don't take the time to "think" and go from one emotion to another very quickly, especially on social media. For instance, Facebook introduced its "reaction" buttons. Today, it seems that a laughing emoji is worth a long speech. Facebook can also gather its users' personal information thanks to the reaction buttons. Our communication is now based on emotions, which can be dangerous.
Image Description | Cartoon representing four people chatting; one of the speech bubbles includes a series of different emojis.
Image Tags | emojis

«Les «fake news» renforcent la valeur des infos sérieuses»

("Fake news reinforce the value of serious news")

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Newspaper | Le Temps
Date | 27.1.2017
Language | French
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | Facebook, fake news, social media, threat
Summary | Traditional news media should not have to help social media find "fake news". Fake news can be a threat, but they can also give an advantage to journalists. Indeed, if there are a lot of fake news, an audience will appreciate a serious piece of news even more. Facebook has been blamed for the spread of fake news. However, Sheryl Sandberg claims that Facebook should not have to evaluate and select its content. External experts should do that. However, Facebook already filters some content related to hatred for example.
Image Description | Photograph of Mathias Döpfner and Mark Zuckerberg.
Image Tags | male(s)

Facebook will das Internet sein

(Facebook wants to be the internet)

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Newspaper | Tages-Anzeiger
Date | 3.12.2015
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | Facebook, Snapchat, threat
Summary | In the last decade, Facebook has grown an unprecedented group of users. The text compares Facebook to Yahoo who wanted to buy Facebook for only $1 bio back in 2006. According to the author, Facebook, like Yahoo was, is huge right now but increasingly boring. Like Yahoo, Facebook is diversifying its assets including the purchase of WhatsApp and Instagram. Now Snapchat’s increasing popularity is threatening to replace Facebook.
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Wer nur auf Facebook lebt, stirbt früher

(Those who only live on Facebook die sooner)

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Newspaper | 20 Minuten
Date | 21.10.2015
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | Facebook, threat
Summary | Canadian psychologist Susan Pinker says that people who spend more time on Facebook than actually interacting with people face-to-face do not live as long. Face-to-face interaction enables us to develop intimate relationships and friendships that significantly increase our happiness, which in turn increases our life expectancy. New media can create a disparity between how many friends and social interactions one has online versus offline. Offline social interactions are however much richer and more important for a good psychological health.
Image Description | Photograph of a woman looking at her smartphone.
Image Tags | female(s), smartphone

Schreiben statt streicheln: Die neue kalte Liebesordnung

(Writing instead of stroking: The new cold order of love)

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Newspaper | Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ)
Date | 20.6.2014
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | Facebook, smartphone, threat, WhatsApp, youth
Summary | Youth nowadays do not get to know their love interests face-to-face but rather through digital channels. A typical digital encounter would be a Facebook friend request, message exchanges and possibly the exchange of seductive images. Now intimacy means something different; people open up to each other in letter form rather than with actual physical contact. Cultural pessimists fear that while it is convenient that all of our interactions can be done online, this convenience may turn into a huge problem because people could virtually stay at home all the time and become lonely.
Image Description | Photograph in back and white of a couple (male and female), sleeping entwined.
Image Tags | female(s), male(s)

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