What have I understood and learned in this seminar?

I have understood that you can divide things into collections and systems. And that every system is first of all a collection. For example, a collection of students is going to be a system because they are interacting and relating to each other. But what about a collection of apples? I collect apples from my own apple tree and put them in a bowl. Because they have no particular interaction with each other, they are a collection. They’re not a system unless I put another apple next to them that has been treated with pesticides. Because of its human influence, this ‘industrial’ apple affects the others. Because the ‘industrial’ apple is covered in pesticides, the freshly picked apples from the garden will rot faster. I will put the ‘industrial’ apple next to the ones from my garden and wait for a few days. I will see that the pesticide remains on the industrial apple will intensify the ripening process of my garden apples. The result is that my apples are rotten sooner than they would be without the ‘industrial’ apple next to them.

I also understood that everything leads to entropy. Let’s stay with the apples: through their process of rotting, they are supposed to lead to entropy. But I interfere. I separate the garden apples from the industrial apples. This is the human way of preventing entropy. I learned that this is called negentropy. 

What have I realized in this seminar? 

The focus on social media, as the title suggests, was something I missed in this course. Since social media apps have become increasingly significant in our lives over the past decade, I think it is a subject worth discussing. Most of the people I know have at least one social media account. Maybe age is a differing factor here since most of the generation Z, like my younger siblings, uses TikTok while Instagram is used by people my age and Facebook by people my parents’ age. However, every social media platform has similar functions. They allow us to connect with people around the world, access and share information and express ourselves. However, these apps gather a lot of information about the users which also led to the phenomenon of ‘filter bubbles’. They are a result of personalized algorithms:  the apps only shows us content similar to what we already consumed and what matches our interests and preferences. The phenomenon of filter bubbles limits our exposure to new ideas and perspectives and can lead to a narrowing of our worldview, as well as a decrease of empathy for people that have different opinions. I think it is very important to be aware of this phenomenon in order to stay open for other views and opinions. Furthermore, it is very important to me to question my own views from time to time to see if I can still defend them. 

Besides to social media, a topic that I keep thinking about is artificial intelligence. As artificial intelligence (AI) will be with us more and more in the future, just as social media, I think it is a very relevant topic. Those topics go hand in hand. Hence, I would like to delve a little deeper into the subject of artificial intelligence. In what follows, I’m going to focus on Instagram and its use of artificial intelligence. 

Social media platforms use artificial intelligences to improve their algorithms and functions. But not only apps such as TikTok, Facebook and Instagram use AIs. Nowadays there are many kinds of artificial intelligence. For example, Chat GPT: you can ask this AI program any question and it will generate whatever you need. It could be a speech about speed regulations on German highways in the style of Angela Merkel or a scientific text about the origin of the truffle mushroom. Or deepl: you can type a text in a particular language and let the program correct your mistakes and suggest ways to improve your writing style in that language. 

But back to Instagram: its guidelines prohibit posts that contain nudity, violence or hate speech and posts that promote self-harm. Users are also not allowed to post about false information or bully other users. To ensure that the content restrictions are followed, Instagram uses an AI system which identifies post that may violate the guidelines. It scans post for any potential inappropriate content and send them to the human moderation team. These regulations are useful in order to ensure a safe environment on the app.  But unfortunately, the AI does not always recognize context and can often misinterpret images that show nudity but are not actually pornographic. Women are often disproportionately targeted by this censorship, particularly if they are wearing revealing clothes or have body types that differ from societal norms. This misinterpretation by Instagram’s AI perpetuates the idea that women’s bodies are something to be ashamed of and that nudity is inherently sexual and wrong. Women should not have to fear being labeled as inappropriate or offensive on social media simply because their bodies are visible. Images of breastfeeding for example are frequently removed or censored due to the AI’s inability to distinguish between pornographic content and a mother feeding her child. This reinforces the problematic idea that the female body is primarily a sexual object. Furthermore, Instagram’s AI detects posts that are deemed to be violent or hateful. Unfortunately, this oftentimes results in the blocking of posts from human rights activists who are trying to raise awareness about injustices they or others are facing. It prevents activist from sharing important information with their followers. In some cases, the AI blocks posts that contain images of victims of human right abuses. This can be seen as a form of silencing their voices. 
The use of artificial intelligence by Instagram to block posts has both advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, AI can help Instagram quickly and accurately identify and remove posts that violate its terms of use. This can help keep Instagram free of spam and other inappropriate content. On the other hand, AI can be limited in its ability to distinguish between what is appropriate and what is not. This can lead to posts being blocked that are not in violation of Instagram’s terms of use. In addition, AI can be vulnerable to bias and false positives, leading to posts that should not be blocked.

How can I utilize systems theory in my personal and professional life? 

Before the course started, I was a bit worried about how well I’d be able to keep up, as I study anthropology, not psychology. But right from the start, I felt very welcome. I realized the similarities between systems theory and anthropological perspectives. The idea of systems theory has always played a role in my professional life, I just didn’t have a name for the fact that everything and everyone is connected and interdependent. In both anthropology and systems theory, one central question is: When I observe a system, am I part of it? I think the answer is always yes. When I observe a situation or a system, it is affected by my actions. Therefore, I am part of what I am observing. Systems theory emphasizes the understanding of how the parts of a system interact and influence each other. Thus, my knowledge will allow me to better analyze the greater links between different parts of life which is helpful for my studies. For example, it will help me to think about climate change and its consequences such as pandemics and migration. On a smaller level I can use systems theory to identify dynamics between people or within groups, especially in a work context. This will help me to see above a certain social problem and find the structural root in order to improve the situation. 

Since systems theory is an approach that focuses on the interconnectedness of all entities in our ecosystem, it can be applied to a work situation, a seminar situation or a conversation between family members or friends. Thus, it is not only helpful for my professional life but also for my personal life. In my personal life I will use my knowledge of systems theory to better understand how my decisions and actions affect those around me and how the actions of others have an influence on my own life. Furthermore, I will use systems theory to analyze the effects of my daily activities on my relationships. 

I am sure that I will think about systems theory a lot in the future. In very generic moments like finding the right place for the right fruits in my kitchen. Or when I look at the big trash can in my street. It is not just a collection of trash, but a part of the big system ‘waste’. From this point of view every beer bottle and every plastic bag is part of it. With systems theory in mind, I will be able to look at everyday issues, things and social interactions in a different way. 

Thank you for this interesting seminar! c:

Today was the last session of our course and I would lie if I said that everything is clear for me now. I exit this course with a confused but also with an inspired mind. This last session about entropy was really interesting for me and made me think about the place I’m from and the place I’m currently living at…

I think that Athens is a place of entropy and I have the impression that the people in Athens are relatively fine with it. The things in Athens are more or less chaotic sometimes, for example the busses, you never know if that one bus you need will really come or not. But if you accept that it’s highly possible that your bus won’t come then you are free of expectations also free of the potential to be disappointed. People in Athen have this energy of saying “It’s going to be fine either way”. For me this is accepting the entropy, the chaos. In Germany, where I’m from, things are a bit different. The cities are more organized than chaotic and people rely on this order and structure. If something is not working like it is supposed to (imagine the busses work like they do in Athens) the people in Germany will be disappointed and complain about this disfunction. I prefer the athenian way of being in balance with the chaotic side of life. It is interesting though because Athens is seen as the cradle of democracy and therefore structure. Nowadays this tradition is kept alive, the Acropolis is carefully renovated, but at the same time the country and people have changed and Athens has become more than just the cradle of democracy and hellenic culture. It is a place of many different people and cultures and ways of living. So in conclusion I would say that Athens is not just entropy but more a city that is nor scared of the chaos but sees potential in it.

Rhizomes – I have never heard this word before our last class. The shown example of the quaking aspen trees was kind of impressive. How they appear as separate trees for our eyes but are one organism, connected through roots. We as humans are also connected even though we appear as individuals. No person can live without another person. We are all connected, just like the trees. Humans have a collective knowledge and collective emotion, just like the trees.

I can really relate to this concept of philosophical rhizomes, in my personal as well as in my academic life. Personally, I try to think about all my relations to other people in this rhizomes way. Meaning that I try to see all the layers of a person and the reasons for their behavior. I cannot perceive a person without their social background. From my academic point of view I try to always have in mind that there is not one correct truth but that there are many ways to exlplain the world because everything is connected. What comes to my mind when I think about this is a ted talk by Chimamanda Ngonzi Adichie. Her ted talk is called “The danger of a single story”. If you are reading this and you don’t know this ted talk you should really watch it!

In our last class I learned about artificial intelligence. I learned that there is a AI that is cognitive, which means that it keeps on learning by being trained by humans. In our small group we asked each other weither we think skeptical or optimistic about AI. For some reason I’m more the skeptical type. It kind of scares me to think about a machine that becomes more intelligent with time and can beat it’s own creators. In one of the short clips we watched, a man was talking about Watson, a cognitive AI, that beat contestants in a pop culture quiz show. That impressed me because it is not just about mathematical and logic intelligence anymore.

I actually don’t really know anything about AIs… When the class started I automatically thought of my Instagram and TikTok feed. Those algorithms learn about my behavior every time I use a function on these apps. Is this already an artificial intelligence?

During our last seminar it was difficult for me to keep the focus and be concentrated. My head went from one thought to another and constantly reminded me of things I wanted to check, to finish or had to do. That’s what the complex world does to you: It gives you a lot of time to think about a lot of stuff that you can’t solve at once. You keep checking your phone – maybe someone texted you about a change of plans, maybe your professor sent an e-mail about the next class or maybe your friend texts you to postpone your date. Oftentimes it is really hard to focus when there is so much information and so many influences at the same time. Then, sometimes my brain just shuts down and can’t take anything more in. That was the case in our last seminar. But it kind of fitted to the topic – complexity.

After the last seminar I felt confusion. Mostly because of the Vimeo video “How are you intelligent?” that we watched. I didn’t really understand what it wanted to say and I felt like it was meant for people that don’t deal with topics like climate change, social justice and philosophical questions. It was really nice to look at the video because of the beautiful scenery though but in the end only the part about intelligence got stuck in my head. That there is no real and correct intelligence. There are many layers of intelligence and many kinds. I like to think about it that way because I never considered myself very intelligent in school since I wasn’t good at math and science. But now, through my studies, I really discover what intelligence means to me. And how important social and interpersonal intelligence is! It is so much more important than logical intelligence when it comes to changing the world in your own small world. In our group we talked a lot about climate change because we felt that the video wanted to address this topic, or maybe more about how humans destroy their own world in general. We all felt a sense of resignation, frustration and a lot of confusion. We talked about the generation under us (the Gen Z) and how hard it must be to be so young and to hear that the world is going down and there isn’t something you can do as a kid. We came to the conclusion that even if this is not changing the climate, planting trees and talking about sustainable options in schools is the best way to on one hand take the children and their fear seriously and on the other do something proactive about it. In the end they will grow up with a sense for their environment and maybe will get more involved in social questions when they are adults.

Some days ago I took a walk around my neighborhood. On my way I saw many orange trees and cats but no other person. I took a look at the buildings that surrounded me and started wondering about the people living in this neighborhood, in these houses. All of them had to take the same walk from the main street where all the buses drive, up here in this quite part of Ambelokipi. Do they also recognize all the orange trees and cats? Or are those details just too normal for them to notice?

It became quite a hike, I took many stairs to get to the highest point of the street. At some point I took a break and turned around. Out of a sudden I realized what an amazing view I had behind me. The sunset above Athens. And in the distance the sea, shimmering from the light of the sun. I was fascinated and asked myself if the people that lived right in this street valued this view as much as I did in this moment. Or do you sometimes lose the view of the big picture when you are part of it?

When I arrived at the highest point of the street I had a view to the north-east of the city. I stopped and tried to look at every small building or street I could see in the distance. It reminded me of those hidden picture puzzles for kids. My eyes stopped at one point: I could see the Gyzi football arena. I had to look twice but then I realized that those tiny dark dots were the people on the ranks. And the small moving things were the flags they waved. From my point of view it looked like an arena for ants. It was so small. And I felt so big and like an outsider – in a way that I could observe everything that was going on in this city. In this moment I became very aware of a system – Athens as a system with millions of subsystems, like the football arena. Another one of those subsystems is our Erasmus-view of the city, recognizing all the small things which probably get lost for the people who lived in Athens their whole life because they are too normal.

First of all: my main subject is anthropology and today I recognized the link between systems theory and anthropological research. In anthropological research the first question is always: am I as a researcher part of the system (field) I study? The answer is always yes. And the next question is about how exactly am I part of the field and how do I influence the interactions within this field. Through that realization I now have a better access to the psychological theory of systems.

About today’s class: I was really fascinated by the video of the metronomes synchronizing and the ants building a swimming entity. I try to understand how this synchronization works but I just can’t understand it. Especially the metronomes: they are a human built tool and not even a living entity. But still they manage to synchronize through vibration. As for the ants it is easier to grasp that they have some collective sense because they are living animals. Both examples really fascinated me and made me think about spontaneous local interactions in general. Do humans also work like this? Do I resort to some specific action as soon as some other person next to me acts in a certain way? For example in case of an emergency (like the ants that were forced to find a very quick solution when their territory was flooded). Are my actions in case of an emergency based on some instinctive reflexes or based on learned knowledge? And what is human intuition in this context?

So I have to write something for this blog… Actually, the only thing in my head right now is the wolves and how they can change their environment. I think it is fascinating that through killing other animals they make space for new animals and even plants. After we watched this video about the wolves, I felt very content and one with the world. I felt like I could change things with little actions. When we talked about that in the group we all felt the same. I really liked that. I think the systematic approach is something I want to explore more. 

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