Cassidy Mangune - Writing 39C Welcome Page

Hi, welcome to my Writing 39C ePortfolio (2021)! My name is Cassidy Mangune and I'm a 1st year student, majoring in Cognitive Science and minoring in Psychology. Our class's topic was called "New Tech, Failed Fixes." I hope to pursue a career in UI/UX design in the future, which is why I chose the following research topic: the implementation of algorithmic technology in social media results in the inevitable perpetuation of gender-related prejudices in society. You can read about its contextualization in the final draft of my Contexts Project! My desired job in UI/UX deals with designing the interface and format of various programs, apps, websites, et cetera; therefore, gathering knowledge on the potential dangers of algorithms and the prejudices it can have in media is very important to me. I was very excited to learn about this topic and can now say that I'm happy I chose to do research on this issue.

Fig. 1. Social media algorithm from: Digital Marketing Institute. "How Do Social Media Algorithms Work?" Digital Marketing Institute, 3 May 2019. Accessed 8 December 2021.

To elaborate a bit more on my issue, I discovered that algorithmic technology plays a constant role in how we perceive society, particularly when it comes to stereotypes about gender and sexuality. We are practically spoon-fed certain information and it can be nearly impossible to get out of it; yet, the absence of an algorithm would render our social media feeds completely useless and irrelevant to us. In hopes of seeking a solution to this problem, I wrote my Advocacy Project on potential fixes to the problem (spoiler alert: there is no "real" solution to gender and sexuality-based prejudices on social media).

I hope that you find my topic to be as interesting as I did! My time in 39C has flown by, but I'm happy to have taken this class. I've gained so many important skills and strategies that I've discussed in my Reflective Introduction. Please enjoy my ePortfolio and use the Table of Contents below if desired!

Fig. 2. Social media icons from: Effective Apps. "Social Bar: Social Media Icons." Shopify App Store. Accessed 8 December 2021.

Table of Contents

1. Reflective Introduction
2. Week 1 Self Assessment
3. The Contexts Project (CP)
   1. CP Prewriting #1
   2. CP Prewriting #2
   3. CP Prewriting #3
   4. CP Graded Submission
4. The Advocacy Project (AP)
   1. AP Prewriting #1
   2. AP Prewriting #2
   3. AP Graded Submission
5. Other Artifacts
   
   1. Draft Suggestions
   2. Discussion Posts
   3. Full Bibliography