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The multi-disciplinary discussion on February 18th touched upon modern media consumption, platform governance and the growing political power of tech CEOs.
Assistant Professor of Communication & Media Studies – Dr. Caitlin Lawson – organized the discussion to help students make sense of the recent TikTok ban and put the nuance behind the ban into context for students in attendance.
“The TikTok ban was an unprecedented event,” Dr. Lawson said, “and my sense from discussing it with students was that they didn’t have a good sense of why it was happening. That confusion is totally understandable…I wanted to offer students some information and context in light of this complexity, the confusing nature of the ban and its reversal.”
Pulling from a number of disciplines, such as ethics, digital citizenship, communication and media studies, the panel featured Emmanuel’s Professor of Philosophy – Dr. Valerie Williams, Assistant Professor of Computer Science Dr. Mark Sherman, and Associate Professor of Communication & Media Studies – Dr. Mark Flynn in addition to Dr. Lawson.
“Assistant Professor of Communication & Media Studies Dr. Caitlin LawsonThese are complicated issues that require multiple disciplinary perspectives – and I think one of the benefits of a small liberal arts college like Emmanuel is the fact that faculty from across disciplines regularly interact with one another and share knowledge – this is not something that happens as often at large public institutions."
Dr. Williams and Dr. Flynn explored the ethics and societal perception of TikTok and the concerns that have risen with it, such as preserving personal privacy and the risks of a foreign entity influencing consumers.
Dr. Flynn reminded attendees of the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2016 and the idea of Russia meddling in the U.S. Presidential election. In terms of historical context, he added, these past incidences show that as a society we care about this – and the infrastructure is in place at a government level to protect against those concerns.
“Most of that research on social media influence says passive use is when you’re most vulnerable to persuasion and to the negative effects…which is fascinating, because TikTok is exactly that,” Dr. Flynn said.
The panel dove into platform governance and the comparison between the few regulations on American tech companies and the full cessation of TikTok, owned by a Chinese tech company. This further explains the “cozy relationship” developing between many of the world’s top tech billionaires and the Trump administration, Dr. Lawson added, because those top CEOs want to make sure they can avoid government regulation and continue to monetize consumer data.
“Piecing together all those little breadcrumbs that you leave everywhere you go on the internet through apps and websites is incredibly lucrative to build a picture of who you are, what you’re going to buy, when you’re going to buy it,” Dr. Sherman said.
The panel concluded with student participation regarding their level of “privacy apathy,” meaning the level of which they ignore the risks around personal data collection. Dr. Lawson said she finds Emmanuel students to be very self-aware about their social media use and the risks associated with it.
“Given Emmanuel’s mission, it’s especially important that we offer students a holistic understanding of complex, important issues so that they can not only grapple with tough ethical choices, but hopefully, be a part of their solution,” Dr. Lawson said.