Quoted in the press!

I’m really happy to note that a couple quotes from me on the ethics of social media use appear in the State Press’ “Harmful entertainment or harmless fun? The consequences of ‘shipping culture’”: https://www.statepress.com/article/2024/11/shipping-culture-discourse . Thanks to Alana Lynch for interviewing me as part of the story!

“People’s expectations of what is harmful and what is harmless are very much structured by your past experiences, cultural experiences, personal ethical norms, social group and your religious or nonreligious ethical viewpoints,” said Stephen Carradini, an associate professor of technical communication for the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts.

This quote might look like dissembling a bit, but I was trying to point out that what one person considers harmful is not the same as what another person might consider harmful on social media. Why would some people think that ‘shipping two celebrities is fine, while some other people call the same thing an unhealthy invasion of privacy? Well, there are a lot of factors that might cause the difference, and I mention some (but not all!) above.

“You can feel like you really know someone, and they can not know your name at all,” said Carradini. “So there’s this sort of simulated relationship where someone feels like they have intimate knowledge and access, understanding and awareness and even a friendship with this person.” 

I’m very happy this quote was included, because I do think that this simulated relationship with influencers and online personalities can be very problematic for people. It’s a topic that I don’t think is discussed enough, and so I’m very glad to see Alana writing a piece on it.