Recently I saw Professor Vinsel tweet an article and it got me thinking about the phenomenon of appification. This article called Tinder Meets Ebola: Creepy App Gives You Real-Time Distance From Nearest Sufferer discusses the utilization of the mass hysteria surrounding Ebola - app developers are using the panic of the people as a method of generating income. They have developed a web based service called Ebola Tracker and an app called Ebola Near Me which uses the location of the app user and pinpoints the nearest reported case of Ebola. This app gives the users a feeling of impending doom and an inevitability of contracting the disease.
image source
My main concern regarding this app is the fact that there is an app for this. People are using valuable resources to make apps that only spread mass hysteria and panic among perfectly healthy people. If there was an app that discusses the ways Ebola can be contracted or the prevention methods associated with this disease, that would be useful.
This leads to the discussion of how permeated our lives have been with applications and online technology. If there is a major issue happening globally, there is an application made regarding that topic. Major public health issues, economic crisis, national and international threats have been commoditized for the gain of few people. These applications do nothing to solve the problem, rather they serve as a tool for fear mongering and mistrust among people. These apps lead the way for stereotypes to be made about certain groups of people and certain cultures and heritages. This may seem like an overreaction but these very small issues are how things escalate - once this information is set into peoples' minds the wrong way, the spread is inevitable and mass hysteria is inevitable.
It is great that people are working towards learning more about Ebola and the causes and looking for preventative measures but this app seems like a ridicule towards this major issues. The developers have made Ebola and its surrounding panic into a commodity and are perpetuating the idea that this should be taken as a joke and not as something that is grave and is a major problem.
image source
My main concern regarding this app is the fact that there is an app for this. People are using valuable resources to make apps that only spread mass hysteria and panic among perfectly healthy people. If there was an app that discusses the ways Ebola can be contracted or the prevention methods associated with this disease, that would be useful.
This leads to the discussion of how permeated our lives have been with applications and online technology. If there is a major issue happening globally, there is an application made regarding that topic. Major public health issues, economic crisis, national and international threats have been commoditized for the gain of few people. These applications do nothing to solve the problem, rather they serve as a tool for fear mongering and mistrust among people. These apps lead the way for stereotypes to be made about certain groups of people and certain cultures and heritages. This may seem like an overreaction but these very small issues are how things escalate - once this information is set into peoples' minds the wrong way, the spread is inevitable and mass hysteria is inevitable.
It is great that people are working towards learning more about Ebola and the causes and looking for preventative measures but this app seems like a ridicule towards this major issues. The developers have made Ebola and its surrounding panic into a commodity and are perpetuating the idea that this should be taken as a joke and not as something that is grave and is a major problem.
No comments:
Post a Comment