Difference between revisions of "Proxy Culture"
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| − | "Proxy culture" is a modern term that refers to the reliance on documented experiences (signifiers) in place of first-hand experiences (the signified). Proxy culture has roots in the intersection of philosophy and technology and may manifest in many ways, including through the use of Yelp business reviews, Amazon product reviews, and Google Maps to understand businesses, services, products, and more.<ref name=floridi>Floridi, Luciano. [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13347-015-0209-8 “A Proxy Culture.”] ''SpringerLink'', Springer Netherlands, 21 Oct. 2015, link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13347-015-0209-8. | + | "Proxy culture" is a modern term that refers to the reliance on documented experiences (signifiers) in place of first-hand experiences (the signified). Proxy culture has roots in the intersection of philosophy and technology and may manifest in many ways, including through the use of Yelp business reviews, Amazon product reviews, and Google Maps to understand businesses, services, products, and more.<ref name=floridi>Floridi, Luciano. [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13347-015-0209-8 “A Proxy Culture.”] ''SpringerLink'', Springer Netherlands, 21 Oct. 2015, link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13347-015-0209-8.</ref> |
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=History= | =History= | ||
Proxy culture was first coined by Luciano Floridi in his paper called "A Proxy Culture"<ref name=floridi/> in 2015 to describe phenomena where people are increasingly more likely to depend on the infosphere. | Proxy culture was first coined by Luciano Floridi in his paper called "A Proxy Culture"<ref name=floridi/> in 2015 to describe phenomena where people are increasingly more likely to depend on the infosphere. | ||
=Definition and Etymology= | =Definition and Etymology= | ||
| − | Proxy by itself is defined as "the agency, function, or office of a deputy who acts as a substitute for another | + | Proxy by itself is primarily defined as "the agency, function, or office of a deputy who acts as a substitute for another."<ref name=def>[https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proxy “Proxy.”] ''Merriam-Webster'', Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proxy.</ref> The first known use of the term with in the 15th century and has some roots in Latin. |
According to Floridi in his aforementioned paper, the ''concept'' and ''idea'' of a proxy is different but similar. The ''concept'' is rooted religiously within the Roman Catholic Church to describe how vicars act for a bishop, while the ''idea'' is political and describes acting in place of another person in the context of government. | According to Floridi in his aforementioned paper, the ''concept'' and ''idea'' of a proxy is different but similar. The ''concept'' is rooted religiously within the Roman Catholic Church to describe how vicars act for a bishop, while the ''idea'' is political and describes acting in place of another person in the context of government. | ||
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===Symbols=== | ===Symbols=== | ||
Symbols represent a category they're typically associated with. A drop of water is a symbol for liquids, for example. This is considered a degenerate proxy because other symbols can be used for liquids. | Symbols represent a category they're typically associated with. A drop of water is a symbol for liquids, for example. This is considered a degenerate proxy because other symbols can be used for liquids. | ||
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=Ethics= | =Ethics= | ||
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==Monopolies== | ==Monopolies== | ||
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==Credibility== | ==Credibility== | ||
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===Advantages=== | ===Advantages=== | ||
Reviewers are often anonymous. This allows participants to be anonymized and more comfortable--their words stand on their own, rather than being attached to their gender, race, and income-level. It may also facilitate more vulnerability and honesty since participants can worry less about repercussions,<ref name=virtualTrust>De Laat, Paul B. [https://umich.instructure.com/courses/273552/files/folder/Readings/3%20Weeks%208-10?preview=9617608 "Trusting virtual trust."] ''Ethics and Information technology'' 7.3 (2005): 167-180.</ref> | Reviewers are often anonymous. This allows participants to be anonymized and more comfortable--their words stand on their own, rather than being attached to their gender, race, and income-level. It may also facilitate more vulnerability and honesty since participants can worry less about repercussions,<ref name=virtualTrust>De Laat, Paul B. [https://umich.instructure.com/courses/273552/files/folder/Readings/3%20Weeks%208-10?preview=9617608 "Trusting virtual trust."] ''Ethics and Information technology'' 7.3 (2005): 167-180.</ref> | ||
Revision as of 19:25, 15 March 2019
"Proxy culture" is a modern term that refers to the reliance on documented experiences (signifiers) in place of first-hand experiences (the signified). Proxy culture has roots in the intersection of philosophy and technology and may manifest in many ways, including through the use of Yelp business reviews, Amazon product reviews, and Google Maps to understand businesses, services, products, and more.[1]
Contents
History
Proxy culture was first coined by Luciano Floridi in his paper called "A Proxy Culture"[1] in 2015 to describe phenomena where people are increasingly more likely to depend on the infosphere.
Definition and Etymology
Proxy by itself is primarily defined as "the agency, function, or office of a deputy who acts as a substitute for another."[2] The first known use of the term with in the 15th century and has some roots in Latin.
According to Floridi in his aforementioned paper, the concept and idea of a proxy is different but similar. The concept is rooted religiously within the Roman Catholic Church to describe how vicars act for a bishop, while the idea is political and describes acting in place of another person in the context of government.
Today, a proxy itself is more related to technology than either religion or politics. The purely technical term is related to systems where different signals and requests are used, such as a website interacting with the internet.[1] Proxy culture also looks at the human component and how they interact with signifiers to better understand the signified.
Degenerate Proxies
Degenerate proxies fulfill some definitions of a full proxy, but are missing some parts. These degenerate proxies can be categorized in three forms: icons, indexes, and symbols. They are not full proxies because they are merely a standby.
Proxies are epistemologically separate from degenerate proxies because the interactions with a proxy is similar to interacting with the signified.[1]
Icons
Icons resemble in appearance to what they represent. For example, a photograph of a dog is an icon for a dog. This is not a full proxy because what happens to the photograph of the dog doesn't directly effect the dog.
Indexes
Indexes are correlational, meaning a given index is often associated with what they represent. An example of this is dark clouds are an index for storms or rain. Since dark clouds don't always follow storms or rain, it's a degenerate proxy.
Symbols
Symbols represent a category they're typically associated with. A drop of water is a symbol for liquids, for example. This is considered a degenerate proxy because other symbols can be used for liquids.
Ethics
Monopolies
Credibility
Advantages
Reviewers are often anonymous. This allows participants to be anonymized and more comfortable--their words stand on their own, rather than being attached to their gender, race, and income-level. It may also facilitate more vulnerability and honesty since participants can worry less about repercussions,[3]
Pitfalls
Competitors may often sabotage others in order to gain an upper hand. For example, Amazon sellers have been reported for leaving falsified negative reviews on products that compete with their own. This not only damages a competitors reputation, but makes themselves look better.
On the other hand, a person may post falsified positive reviews on products whose success benefits them.
Moderation
To combat an influx of malicious attacks at open-source knowledge bases, bots using machine learning and artificial intelligence have been developed to monitor or remove questionable content. More convincing but still questionable proxies may pass a bot, but still need to bypass a human moderator to become published.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Floridi, Luciano. “A Proxy Culture.” SpringerLink, Springer Netherlands, 21 Oct. 2015, link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13347-015-0209-8.
- ↑ “Proxy.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proxy.
- ↑ De Laat, Paul B. "Trusting virtual trust." Ethics and Information technology 7.3 (2005): 167-180.
