Week 4
In class reader response (Members: Alicia and Mei Yee)

Reading response based on the article “The great internet swindle: ever get the feeling you've been cheated?”:

The internet encourages the formation of monopolies and this may lead to inefficiency and lower the quality of life in the long run. With only a few companies dominating the economy, it discourages innovation, competitiveness, job opportunities, spread of wealth and also equal chances. These are crucial for the continuity of human race because if one sees that there is inequality and lesser hope for his/her future, the motivation to innovate and compete will decrease. Eventually, one may stop trying to create and hence unable to adapt to the ever-changing environment. Without competition amongst each other, the chance of breakthrough is slim and thus resulting in lesser choices for consumers; in extreme cases, they can only accept whatever the monopolist offers. As the sole player in the market, the monopolist captures all the profit by controlling the market, leaving no chances for other companies to survive. This enlarges the wealth distribution gap and could possibly result in social inequality.

Online businesses can also cause a great impact on countries' economies. They can lower the local purchasing power because locals can easily purchase foreign products through the "borderless economy" created by the internet. Consumers now have access to more varieties and choices, which tend to be cheaper, across the net. This causes the outflow of currencies and therefore lowers the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country.

Week 1

Date: 20 January 2015

Exercise: Introductory Writing

My English Language Learning Journey

I have been learning English for more than ten years, from elementary school to university. The English language is not only a subject which I have to pass in the examination; it is also a powerful tool in my learning process. For example, I have learned Mathematics and Science in English. Hence, my understanding of the subjects might be hindered if I do not have basic concepts of English.

I notice that I keep revisiting the basic concepts of English in different levels of education. For instance, I have learned about the concept of Article in elementary school and I will revisit it in university. I believe that it is helpful to revise the concepts that I have learned because I can acquire new knowledge with different levels of understanding. I have made a lot of mistakes when I am speaking and writing even though I have been learning it for a long period of time. I think this is due to the insufficient understanding of the rules of grammar.

I believe that there is no end on the learning journey. Making mistakes, learning from the mistakes and correcting the mistakes might be a cycle. I think this is a common learning process. However, I should avoid making the same mistakes by reviewing and understand the mistakes that I made.

Reflection on my English learning journey

Week 11
Date: 31 March 2015
Exercise: Reflection on my English learning journey

ES1102 English for Academic Purposes is considered as a bridging module for my core module, ENV1202 Communications for Environmental Studies. Although this English module has increased my workload this semester, I appreciate this chance to strengthen my language skills and I enjoy myself in the learning process. 

Generally, the exercises and class activities are helpful by allowing me to improve my writing skill, grammar and pronunciation. Through the writing exercises such as the summary, reader response and the final essay, I have learnt how to organise the ideas and structure the essays. This is important as a coherent and well-structured academic essays is easier to understand by readers. In addition, the grammar exercises conducted in class are beneficial because they are compiled from the mistakes in students’ writings and it is more efficient to learn from mistakes. Actually, my favourite class activity is the game that requires the players to gather the pieces of clues similar pronunciation for the keywords to get the answers. It is fun and it reminds me the importance of pronunciation.

I realise that one of my major problems in English is lack of vocabulary. For example, I still refer to a dictionary for alternative words to avoid the use of repeated words in my writing. However, I feel that it is difficult to extend my vocabulary list. Despite having the similar meanings, the words are sometimes not interchangeable and should be used in different contexts. Besides, I always make grammar mistakes. As such, the conferencing with tutor is very helpful because it tackles my grammar mistakes that occur almost in every sentence.    

I have downloaded the grammar notes on the IVLE; I have planned to spend time to read and understand the notes since grammar is a set of rules that can only be read and followed. On the other hand, to address the issue on vocabulary, I should start learning collocation as it is the easiest way to start recognising the usage of different words. I think I should also start reading English newspapers apart from academic papers to recognise the words used in daily life.

In conclusion, I believe that I am able to do better in assignments, projects and in the exam because writing in accurate English ensures the effectiveness in conveying ideas. Besides, using good English increases the credibility of a person especially in academic field. Hence, I have determined to continually improve my English.   

 

The Essay Process (Final)

Week 11
Date: 31 March 2015
Exercise: The Essay Process (Final)

In this era, data and information can be transmitted all over the world with just a click of a button. This is very efficient as news and information are known within a few seconds after occurrence of an event. However, the reliability of information on social media is questionable. False information or misinformation refers to “the act of giving wrong information about something” (Oxford University Press, n.d.). Although everyone should be well-informed by the news promptly, it is crucial for the news to be accurate. This essay aims to analyse the cause and effect of misinformation while assessing the existing solutions and suggesting new solutions.

There are a few reasons for the spreading of false information on social media and they can be intentional or unintentional. Vis (2014) states that the reporting of breaking news is a priority for some media outlets. This causes the overlooking of the time-consuming verification process; the news is published without ensuring that it is precise. Hitlin (2003) suggests that some media outlets might intentionally release false reports to draw readers’ attention to scandal. For example, reports that stated the crash of Trans World Airline (TWA) flight 800 was due to a missile is much more exciting and attractive than accurate reports that revealed a technical problem in the plane as being the root cause.

Misinformation on social media should be avoided because it has serious impacts by reaching a large amount of the population within a short period of time. As such, it might cause extensive social panic. For example, Chandrathil (2012) reported a rumour of a radiation leak on the border of Indiana and Michigan because of abnormal radiation reading being detected by two non-governmental radiation monitoring networks. Then, a YouTube video about the “radiation spike” further spread this false information and the public started to raise their concerns by flooding the related government agencies with panicked calls. Apart from this, false information might be perceived to be a fact once it is widely accepted, thus affecting public understanding and knowledge. The fake images and information might affect public perceptions on certain issues, which are favourable to parties with a vested interest.  Guest (2014) claims that companies might propagate the messages that are able to shape the beliefs of consumers, hence making their services or products to be more appealing. For example, the 10 world’s largest food companies instil the concept that “lack of exercise is at least as important as diet in causing obesity”, although it is scientifically proven that diet is a larger factor than lack of exercise which leads to obesity (Guest, 2014).

Recently, a high number of cases of misinformation on social media has been discovered and it gained the attention of the readers. Therefore, it is important for the senders to be cautious about the credibility of the source and accuracy of the information to prevent the circulation of false information. For example, Cable-news channel MBN had released a live interview regarding the Sewol Ferry Disaster in South Korea. The interviewee named Hong Ga-hye, who claimed to be a private diver said that the coast guard had stopped her from saving the survivors trapped inside the sunken Sewol. It was later found out that Ms.Hong had lied about her identity and her argument was proven to be fallacious. Finally, the cable channel apologised for false reporting and not checking the identity of the interviewee carefully (Nam, 2014). In this case, the source of information should be verified and the information should be double checked between different sources such as the government agency and the interviewee.

In addition, authors should not be biased on the issues reported. This is because they might influence and shape readers’ views by providing information that is incorporating with their own ideologies. Hence, Stéphanie (2014) suggests that in the verification and narration process, the journalists should remove their personal emotions to prevent phrasing of information that might be misleading to the readers. For instance, the information reported is accurate; however, the choice of words is hinting the readers to think negatively. Besides, authors should be ethical in debunking the false rumours after verification. A peer review system can be implemented that requires authors to check on each other’s reports before the reports are allowed to be published. This ensures that only true and neutral information is delivered to the readers.

On the other hand, receivers of information should be aware of false information. Vis (2014) believes that readers should assume that online information is false before confirmation. For instance, readers could cross reference with more than one source to assess the credibility of a report. If the information is consistent across different resources and authors, the information is more likely to be correct. Moreover, they should doubt the information released by media outlets before the conduct of the full investigation or report from reputable publishers or official statements from government agencies. The full credible report from authorised agencies might take a longer time as compared to the information on social media; nevertheless, careful confirmation and detailed evaluation should be conducted.

In conclusion, the internet is a powerful tool which has made the world become borderless. Internet users are inundated with news and information and it becomes challenging to determine the information that can be trusted. To solve this problem, authors should ensure the accuracy of the information while readers should interpret and check the reliability of the message before accepting it as a fact.

References
Chandrathil, P. (2012, June 19). Radioactive Rumor Mill Doesn’t Help Anyone. Retrieved February 23, 2015, from U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov/2012/06/19/radioactive-rumor-mill-doesnt-help-anyone/
Guest, G. (2014, June 26). Lean-washing: Profiting from misinformation on what causes obesity. Retrieved February 23, 2015, from Michigan News: http://ns.umich.edu/new/releases/22264-lean-washing-profiting-from-misinformation-on-what-causes-obesity
Hitlin, P. (2003). False Reporting on the Internet and the Spread of Rumors: Three Case Studies. Retrieved February 23, 2015, from Gnovis Journal: http://www.gnovisjournal.org/files/Paul-Hitlin-False-Reporting-on-the-Internet.pdf
Lux, A. (2008, December 12). Spread of false information causes dangers, says Sunstein. Retrieved February 23, 2015, from HAVARD LAW Today: http://today.law.harvard.edu/spread-of-false-information-causes-dangers-says-sunstein/
Nam, I.-S. (2014, May 16). Media Outlets Apologize Over Sewol Ferry Disaster Coverage. Retrieved February 23, 2015, from The Wall Street Journal: http://blogs.wsj.com/korearealtime/2014/05/16/media-outlets-apologize-over-sewol-ferry-disaster-coverage/
Oxford University Press. (n.d.). misinformation. Retrieved February 23, 2015, from Oxford Learner's Dictionaries: http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/misinformation?q=misinformation
Stéphanie, D. (2014). Case Study 1.1: Separating Rumor From Fact in a Nigerian Conflict Zone. Retrieved February 23, 2015, from Verification Handbook: http://verificationhandbook.com/book/chapter1.1.php
Vis, F. (2014, April 16). How Does False Information Spread Online? Retrieved February 23, 2015, from social science space: http://www.socialsciencespace.com/2014/04/how-does-false-information-spread-online/

Week 7- 8
Date: 8 March 2015
Exercise: The Essay Process (Draft 2)

In this era, data and information can be transmitted to all over the world with just a click on the button. This is very efficient as the news and information are known within a few seconds after the happening of a certain event. However, the reliability of information on social media is questionable because it might be too fast to come into a conclusion during the happening of event, resulting in false information. False information or misinformation refers to “the act of giving wrong information about something” (Oxford University Press). Although everyone should be well-informed by the news promptly, it is crucial for the news to be accurate. This essay aims to analyse the cause and effect of misinformation while assessing the existing solution and suggesting new solution.  

There are a few reasons for the spreading of false information on social media regardless intentionally or unintentionally. Vis (2014) states that the reporting of breaking news is a priority for some media outlets.  This causes the overlook of time-consuming verification process; the news is published without ensuring that it is precise. Hitlin (2003) suggests that some media outlet might intentionally release false reports to catch readers’ attraction to scandal. For example, reports that stated the crash of Trans World Airline (TWA) flight 800 was due to striking by a missile is much more exciting and attractive than accurate reports that revealed the technical problem in the plane as the root cause.

Misinformation on social media should be avoided because it has huge impacts by reaching a large amount of population within a short period of time. It might cause large scale of social panic. For example, Chandrathil (2012) reported a rumour on radiation leak on the border of Indiana and Michigan was spread because abnormal level of radiation was detected by two non-governmental radiation monitoring networks. Then, a YouTube video about the “radiation spike” had further spread this false information and public started to raise their concerns by flooding the related government agencies with panicked calls. Apart from this, false information might be perceived to be a fact once it is widely accepted, thus affecting public understanding and knowledge. For example, the fake images and information might affect public perceptions on certain issues, which are favourable to parties with vested interest.   

Recently, the high number of mistakes on social media has been discovered and it gains the attention from both authors who post the message and the readers. To prevent the circulation of false information, it is important for the senders to be cautious on the credibility of the source and accuracy of the information. For example, Cable-news channel MBN had released a live interview regarding the Sewol Ferry Disaster in South Korea. The interviewee named Hong Ga-hye, who claimed herself as a private diver said that the coast guard had stopped her from saving the survivors trapped inside the sunken Sewol. It was later found out that Ms.Hong lied about her identity and her argument was proven to be fallacious. Finally, the cable channel apologised for false reporting and not checking the identity of interviewee carefully (Nam, 2014). In this case, the source of information should be verified and the information should be double checked between different sources such as the government agency.

In addition, authors should not be biased on the issues reported. This is because they might influence and shape readers’ views by providing information that are integrated with their own ideologies. Hence, Stéphanie (2014) suggests that in the verification and narration process, the journalists should remove their personal emotion to prevent phrasing of information that might be misleading to the readers. For instance, the information reported is accurate; however, the choice of words is hinting the readers to think negatively. Besides, authors should be ethical to debunk the false rumour after verification. A peer review system can be implemented in the media outlet that requires authors to check on each other’s reports before the reports are allowed to publish. This ensures that only true and neutral information are delivered to the readers. 

On the other hand, receivers of information should be aware of false information. Vis (2014) believes that readers should assume that online information is false before confirmation. Readers can cross reference to more than one source to assess the credibility of report. If the information is consistent across different resources and authors, the information is more likely to be real. Moreover, they should doubt on the information before the release of full investigation or report from reputable publishers or official statements from government agencies. The full credible report from authorised agencies might take longer time as compare to the information on social media; nevertheless, careful confirmation and detailed evaluation have been conducted before the generation of report.   

In conclusion, the internet is a powerful tool which makes the world become borderless. Internet users have been inundated with news and information and it becomes challenging to determine the information that can be trusted. To solve this problem, authors should be conscious and ethical to convey solid information while readers should interpret and check the reliability of the message before accepting it as a fact.

References

Chandrathil, P. (2012, June 19). Radioactive Rumor Mill Doesn’t Help Anyone. Retrieved February 23, 2015, from U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov/2012/06/19/radioactive-rumor-mill-doesnt-help-anyone/

Guest, G. (2014, June 26). Lean-washing: Profiting from misinformation on what causes obesity. Retrieved February 23, 2015, from Michigan News: http://ns.umich.edu/new/releases/22264-lean-washing-profiting-from-misinformation-on-what-causes-obesity

Hitlin, P. (2003). False Reporting on the Internet and the Spread of Rumors: Three Case Studies. Retrieved February 23, 2015, from Gnovis Journal: http://www.gnovisjournal.org/files/Paul-Hitlin-False-Reporting-on-the-Internet.pdf

Lux, A. (2008, December 12). Spread of false information causes dangers, says Sunstein. Retrieved February 23, 2015, from HAVARD LAW Today: http://today.law.harvard.edu/spread-of-false-information-causes-dangers-says-sunstein/

Nam, I.-S. (2014, May 16). Media Outlets Apologize Over Sewol Ferry Disaster Coverage. Retrieved February 23, 2015, from The Wall Street Journal: http://blogs.wsj.com/korearealtime/2014/05/16/media-outlets-apologize-over-sewol-ferry-disaster-coverage/

Oxford University Press. (n.d.). misinformation. Retrieved February 23, 2015, from Oxford Learner's Dictionaries: http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/misinformation?q=misinformation

Stéphanie, D. (2014). Case Study 1.1: Separating Rumor From Fact in a Nigerian Conflict Zone. Retrieved February 23, 2015, from Verification Handbook: http://verificationhandbook.com/book/chapter1.1.php

Vis, F. (2014, April 16). How Does False Information Spread Online? Retrieved February 23, 2015, from social science space: http://www.socialsciencespace.com/2014/04/how-does-false-information-spread-online/

Week 6-7
Date: 2 March 2015
Exercise: The Essay Process (Draft 1)


In this era, data and information can be transmitted to all over the world by just clicking the button on devices such as computer and smart phone. This is very efficient such that the news and information are known within a few seconds after the happening of a certain event. However, it is questionable on the reliability of information on social media because it might be too fast to come into a conclusion while the event is still happening, resulting in false information. False information or misinformation refers to “the act of giving wrong information about something” (Oxford University Press). Although everyone should be well-informed by the news promptly, it is crucial for the news to be accurate.

There are a few reasons for the spreading of false information on social media regardless intentionally or unintentionally. (Vis, 2014) states that the reporting of breaking news is a priority for some media outlet.  This might be because it can attract more subscribers and gain more profit. As such, this causes the overlook of time-consuming verification process; the news is published without ensuring that it is accurate. (Hitlin, 2003) suggests that some media outlet might intentionally release false reports to catch readers’ attraction to scandal. For example, reports that stated the crash of Trans World Airline (TWA) flight 800 was due to striking by a missile is much more exciting and attractive than accurate reports that revealed the technical problem in the plane as the root cause. In another case, one might spread false information purposely to be benefited from it.  (Guest, 2014) claims that companies might propagate the messages that are able to shape the beliefs of consumers, hence making their services or products more appealing. For example, diet is a larger factor than lack of exercise which leads to obesity; however, it is analysed that the 10 largest food companies in the world instil the concept that “lack of exercise is at least as important as diet in causing obesity”.

Misinformation is a serious problem that should be avoided, especially on social media because it has huge impacts by reaching a large amount of population within a short period of time. Misinformation might cause large scale of social panic. For example, (Chandrathil, 2012) reported a rumour on radiation leak on the border of Indiana and Michigan was spread because abnormal level of radiation was detected by two non-governmental radiation monitoring networks. Then, a YouTube video about the “radiation spike” had further spread the rumour and public started to raise their concerns by flooding the related government agencies with panicked calls. Eventually, the monitoring networks informed the public that they were suffering from equipment malfunction hence causing the false alarm. Apart from this, false information might be perceived to be true once it is widely accepted, thus affecting public understanding and knowledge. For example, the fake images and information might affect public perceptions on certain issues, which might be favourable to parties with vested interest.   

Recently, the high number of mistakes on social media has been discovered and it gains the attention from both authors who post the message and the readers. To prevent the circulating of false information, it is important for the senders and receivers to be cautious about the credibility of the source and accuracy of the information. For example, Cable-news channel MBN had released a live interview regarding Sewol Ferry Disaster in South Korea. The interviewee named Hong Ga-hye, who claimed herself as private diver said that the coast guard had stopped her from saving the survivors trapped inside the sunken Sewol. It was later found out that Ms.Hong lied about her identity and her argument was proven to be fallacious. Finally, the cable channel apologised for false reporting and not checking the identity of interviewee properly (Nam, 2014). In this case, the source of information should be verified and the information should be double checked between different sources such as the government agency.

In addition, author should not be biased on the reporting issues. (Stéphanie, 2014) suggests that in the verification process, the journalists should remove their personal emotion and also debunk the false rumour after verification. A peer review system can be implemented in the media outlet that requires authors to check on each other’s reports before the reports are allowed to publish.  On the other hand, readers should be aware of false information. (Vis, 2014) believes that readers should assume that online information is false before confirmation. They can also cross reference to more than one source or rely on reputable publishers or official statements from government agencies. In a nutshell, both sender and receiver are responsible to avoid circulation of untrue messages and information.

In conclusion, the internet is a powerful tool which makes the world become borderless. Internet users have been inundated with news and information and it becomes challenging to determine the information that can be trusted. To solve this problem, authors should be conscious and ethical to convey solid information while readers should interpret and check the reliability of the message before accepting it as a fact.

References

Chandrathil, P. (2012, June 19). Radioactive Rumor Mill Doesn’t Help Anyone. Retrieved February 23, 2015, from U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov/2012/06/19/radioactive-rumor-mill-doesnt-help-anyone/

Guest, G. (2014, June 26). Lean-washing: Profiting from misinformation on what causes obesity. Retrieved February 23, 2015, from Michigan News: http://ns.umich.edu/new/releases/22264-lean-washing-profiting-from-misinformation-on-what-causes-obesity

Hitlin, P. (2003). False Reporting on the Internet and the Spread of Rumors: Three Case Studies. Retrieved February 23, 2015, from Gnovis Journal: http://www.gnovisjournal.org/files/Paul-Hitlin-False-Reporting-on-the-Internet.pdf

Lux, A. (2008, December 12). Spread of false information causes dangers, says Sunstein. Retrieved February 23, 2015, from HAVARD LAW Today: http://today.law.harvard.edu/spread-of-false-information-causes-dangers-says-sunstein/

Nam, I.-S. (2014, May 16). Media Outlets Apologize Over Sewol Ferry Disaster Coverage. Retrieved February 23, 2015, from The Wall Street Journal: http://blogs.wsj.com/korearealtime/2014/05/16/media-outlets-apologize-over-sewol-ferry-disaster-coverage/

Oxford University Press. (n.d.). misinformation. Retrieved February 23, 2015, from Oxford Learner's Dictionaries: http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/misinformation?q=misinformation

Stéphanie, D. (2014). Case Study 1.1: Separating Rumor From Fact in a Nigerian Conflict Zone. Retrieved February 23, 2015, from Verification Handbook: http://verificationhandbook.com/book/chapter1.1.php

Vis, F. (2014, April 16). How Does False Information Spread Online? Retrieved February 23, 2015, from social science space: http://www.socialsciencespace.com/2014/04/how-does-false-information-spread-online/

Week 4
Date: 6 February 2015
Exercise: Getting The Most Out of Academic Texts      

Reading response based on the article "The perils of over-sharing in social networks":

(Emm (2014)) addresses the various consequences of over-sharing in internet. With the advance in technology, internet has become important in our lives. We become more relying on internet services beyond communication. For instance, we use internet for shopping, banking and socializing. Sometimes, we might need to share our personal information with the service providers to gain access to the services. For example, Facebook requests the permission to read SMS and MMS messages of application installer for two-factor authentication. Some of us might even share some personal information in the social media openly without knowing that it might cause security issues to ourselves and the organization that we work for. Emm suggests that we have “false sense of security” when using a mobile device such as smartphone and tablet because they are not “traditional target for cybercriminals”. He also argues that every internet account holder has a risk of data leakage due to losing of mobile devices.   

I think that I am very fortunate to be benefited from the development of internet since it eases and enhances my quality of life by providing all sorts of services.  For example, I am able to buy apparels from overseas and transfer the payment to the seller via internet; the process from buying to payment can be done within 10 minutes. Besides, it entertains me with social media and music website. For example, social media is an important platform for me to stay connected with my friends in Malaysia and I used it as a music player while doing my homework. As such, I appreciate the existence of internet.

However, there are some drawbacks for using the internet and I am aware that I am bearing some risks. Most of the developers of application would be asking for permission to control or access to some device’s function. Undeniably, some personal information is needed for the service provider since it directly relates to the service. For example, a courier company which provides online service needs the address of recipient, so that it could complete customers’ requests. However, some of the service providers require access to sensitive user information although it might not be relevant to the service provide. This information includes precise location, text messages, phone call, contacts and hardware control. The reasons for companies to acquire this information remain unclear. It is possible that this information is used for advertising and sharing with third parties. From my point of view, accessing to this information is invasion of privacy. One must remember that companies will have to obtain the prior consent before installing the application. Hence, we must read through the permission or terms and conditions carefully before engaging with their services. 

Apart from this, having control of the device might cause economic losses. For instance, the unauthorised controller of the device could transfer money via SMS. This situation might be worsening with the growing trend of “mobile wallets”, which causes the transaction of money becomes easy and prevalent; hence we might overlook its potential risk.

Oversharing is also a problem with internet users. The internet is a good platform for us to express our emotions and thoughts. Nevertheless, we start to share some personal details which might make us a target for criminals. For example, the criminals can get information about their victims’ whereabouts, workplace and even who is in their circle of friends from the internet and utilise it to do harm to the internet users in real life. So, we have to be cautious with the information that we share and avoid sharing details that may allow someone else to stalk us.

In conclusion, I agree with the author that the internet brings advantages and disadvantages to our life. It is definitely a powerful tool that brings convenience. However, we should know that as users, we have the right to decline any risky application and also avoid sharing sensitive information that should not be revealed.  

Source:

Emm, D. (2014, March 21). The perils of over-sharing in social networks. Huffpost Tech. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/david-emm/the-perils-of-over-sharing-in-social-networks_b_5005276.html