I’ve decided to take a month off Facebook and Twitter to focus on writing in other spaces like here and WordPress. But I’m also attending a talk by Dr. Safiya Noble on “The politics of online information: algorithmic ethics and the commodification of big data(bases) in libraries.”

It’s really hard to not live tweet this. So good.

girl scouts logoFor 2016, I pledged to give to something I like every month. This month, I am making a donation to the Girl Scouts of the USA.

More that just a delivery system between cookies and my mouth, the Girl Scouts have made significant additions to their mission and advocacy efforts over the few years, including building support systems for girls who want to progress in STEM and entrepreneurship fields and providing a welcoming community for the LGBT and trans community. On top of all that, their Oscar appearance was the highlight of the event.

I am less concerned about the perils of government surveillance than I am with the cruelty we as netizens inflict upon each other. The recent case of Suey Park is a good example. Criticism and dissent are to be expected, but doxxing and death threats are unnecessarily extreme and juvenile.

Somewhat related is Jon Ronson’s Ted talk on out-of-control Twitter shaming. No one should ever have to utter the words “tweet” and “ruined life” in the same breath.