User:Zoe.Pierson050/sandbox

Peer Review Section:
Please list articles that you're considering for your Wikipedia assignment below. Begin to critique these articles and find relevant sources.

Option 1:
Article Title:

Social comparison theory

Article Evaluation

The article itself is very well composed. Each piece of evidence supporting the main argument surrounding social comparison theory, and as the author dives into the theory itself, is backed by a source which is cited at the bottom of the page, making it a trustworthy site. The layout of the page is easy to follow and allows the reader to look at specific areas of interest including the sub-divisions of the theory, the models of social comparison, the initial background of the theory itself, and how it has been developed by the main and additional theorists. There seem to be no large grammatical errors and proves to be an intelligently written article. There are no images within the page, which could prove to enhance the learning if the author decided to add some. At the end of the article the author includes criticism of the theory in order to expand the readers general knowledge on the theory and offers other effects similar to the social comparison theory (social projection and frog pond effect). Overall, this article is very strong and the author clearly put time and effort into its creation.

Sources

The book titled Handbook of Social Comparison: Theory and Research, written by Jerry M. Suls could be used to enhance the page even though the page stands to be great on its own.

Another site I found which could offer more information is called “A Social Comparison Theory Meta-Analysis 60+ Years On”, and could offer more information on the theory. This was found on the uOttawa library site and the citation is; Gerber, J. P., Wheeler, L., & Suls, J. (2018). A social comparison theory meta-analysis 60+ years on. Psychological Bulletin, 144(2), 177-197. doi: http://dx.doi.org.proxy.bib.uottawa.ca/10.1037/bul0000127

Option 2:
Article Title:

Dimensions of globalization

Article Evaluation:

The article under discussion is well put together, but focuses on one theorist's (Manfred Steger) ideas surrounding the dimensions of globalizations. In order to properly convey the work that will be explored and the ideas that will be expanded on, the page should include “Manfred Steger” in the title. One option would be to change it to “Stegers Dimensions of Globalization”. The Dimensions of the theory are well displayed for the reader and offer well composed sources for each section. Each section could be expanded upon in order to give more information concerning the topic, but the author has created a great base of which the reader can grab a general sense of dimensions of globalization. There seem to be no spelling mistakes, or at least none that take away from the overall impact of the article. Overall, this article needs to be added onto and slightly revised in order to be considered great scholarly work.

Sources:

In order to enhance the material, another book by Steger could be referenced and looked at for their ideas surrounding globalization titled, Justice Globalism Ideology, Crises, Policy. I found this source on the uOttawa library site and it can be accessed online. Another source that could be used in order to strengthen the article would be another book written by Steger titled, The quest for evolutionary socialism : Eduard Bernstein and social democracy. This book would offer views from another theorist, Bernstein, which would strengthen the focus on globalization and social democracy. This source was also found on the uOttawa library site.

Option 3:
Article Title:

Madonna Studies

Article Evaluation:

The article has a strong opening paragraph of which identifies the main points and ideas, along with the controversy to be discussed. The author takes no side on the argument, but displays it appropriately for the reader to understand. The author then explains the theory in great detail, even referencing scholars and their thoughts on the Madonna Studies itself. The author has clearly done extensive research concerning the topic, as the article is cited thoroughly and appropriately. The content is presented in a great tone of which, again, takes no side but simply looks to present information concerning the studies in an intellectual and thought provoking way. The criticisms section of the article could be expanded upon in order to create a more thorough analysis. The quote from Madonna within the section also should have a citation directly at the end of it, showing it was said by Madonna. The references are clearly laid out at the end of the studies along with the book that the publisher cited from under Bibliography. Overall, this article has potential to be a really great source, yet should be expanded within the criticisms section and should include images of the singer and any other images of importance to make it stronger as well.

Sources:

In order to strengthen the article, sites that have more information and images of Madonna could be used. The first one is found on the New York times website and is called “60 Times Madonna Changed our Culture”. The article contains many photos and many contributors which would prove useful. The link is, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/08/16/arts/music/madonna-birthday-impact.html

Another source that would be used to strengthen the article is the book written by Georges-Claude Guilbert titled, Madonna as Postmodern Myth: How One Star's Self-construction rewrites Sex, Gender, Hollywood, and the American dream. This book was found on the uOttawa website and is available for download.

Option 4:
Article Title:

Media transparency

Article Evaluation:

The article under discussion has a weak opening paragraph of which offers a definition of Media transparency, but lacks any source to back up this definition. This is an immediate red flag, as the reader has no reliable source to cross check the definition. The grammar is also weak and could be revised to create a stronger article; there are too many commas and run on sentences. The tone of the article is clearly biased as the author refers to media transparency as a large problem. This does not create an open and fair discussion on the topic. There is little information on the actual theory, and circulates around power and bribery. The article does include an abundance of additional reading for the audience to look at and read if they want to understand the theory in greater depth, and also provides references to cross check the information provided. These two inclusions alone do not make a great article though, and the article needs significant work to make it a strong wikipedia article.

Sources:

In order to improve the article, the tone needs to be adjusted. The article written by Changsoo Song and Jooho Lee titled “Citizens' Use of Social Media in Government, Perceived Transparency, and Trust in Government”, offers a positive spin on media transparency and can be used to help the article change its tone by adding other perspectives. This article was found on the uOttawa website and can be accessed through the citation; Song, C., & Lee, J. (2016). Citizens’ Use of Social Media in Government, Perceived Transparency, and Trust in Government. Public Performance & Management Review, 39(2), 430–453. https://doi.org/10.1080/15309576.2015.1108798

Another source that could be used is the article written by Enrique Bonson titled “Local e-government 2.0: Social media and corporate transparency in municipalities”, which offers another view of media transparency in a positive light which could counteract the negative spin of the article. This article was also found on the uOttawa library website and can be accessed through the citation provided; Bonsón, E., Torres, L., Royo, S., & Flores, F. (2012). Local e-government 2.0: Social media and corporate transparency in municipalities. Government Information Quarterly, 29(2), 123–132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2011.10.001

Option 5:
Article Title:

Open and closed systems in social science

Article Evaluation:

The article under discussion provides information about open and closed systems in social science in great depth and offers the theorists of which have coined the terms and movements concerning the systems, yet does not have the appropriate citing in order to fully back these claims and the research provided. The article also cites “systems theory” but provides no context for the theory itself. The only citations provided are those for quotations, there are none for the research provided. The research itself is thorough and shows the author's extensive knowledge on open and closed systems, but offers their knowledge in a conversational way rather than a scholarly way of which creates a relaxed tone. This tone does not come across well when considering the topic to be of high scholarly importance. There are no other grammatical errors that take away from the article, but the tone should definitely be re-evaluated. The graph provided at the end of the article is helpful in understanding the different theorists discussed, and should be kept in future revisions. Overall, the author of the article needs to work on their tone and adapt it to be more scholarly, and needs to include proper citations for their work.

Sources:

In order to develop this article, there needs to be more information on systems theory to give a full background to the subjects addressed. A source that can be used to do this is titled, “Complexity Theory: An Overview with Potential Applications for the Social Sciences”, in which authors John Turner and Rose Baker look at systems theory and expand to understanding open and closed systems of the theory. This source was found on the uOttawa library and the citation is; Turner, J., & Baker, R. (2019). Complexity Theory: An Overview with Potential Applications for the Social Sciences. Systems (Basel), 7(1), 4–. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems7010004

Another source that could be used to strengthen the article would be the article titled, “Towards representing human behavior and decision making in Earth system models - an overview of techniques and approaches”, found on the Gale Academic Onefile (through the uOttawa library website). This article focuses on the human aspects of systems theory and would provide additional information to the article which itself focuses on human history and understanding of the world around them using open and closed systems. The citation for this source is; Donges, J. F., Kolb, J. J., Thonicke, K., & Heitzig, J. (2017). Towards representing human behavior and decision making in Earth system models - an overview of techniques and approaches. Earth System Dynamics, 8(4), 977. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A513993033/AONE?u=otta77973&sid=AONE&xid=8c04bdf4

Peer Review and Edit:
Which article are you evaluating? 1996 African Cup of Nations - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_African_Cup_of_Nations

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate? I chose to evaluate this article because I believe it to be of importance in understanding the country of Africa in a greater depth. I am looking to expand my horizons in global knowledge, and believe learning about and evaluating an article about one of their top played sports can help me do this. My preliminary impression of the article was that it was compiled well and very insightful.

Evaluate the article:

The lead section of the article is well composed, yet leaves the reader wanting more. Although there is a strong lead sentence of which describes the content of the material, the rest of the introduction lacks when looking for how the rest of the article will be laid out and in what order the information will be produced. It seems to provide a great overview of what happened during the 1996 African Cup of Nations, yet does not clearly provide information in a a useful, introductory way.

The content of the article is up to date and is useful in understanding the African Cup in great depths. The content section itself is well broken up, and gives the audience a way to navigate through the article if researching certain areas of importance. The contents also display a great understanding of the topic, with pictures and representations of the match to aid the audience in learning about the 1996 African Cup. The author has included details concerning the players, venues, and even the referees of the games within the Cup. The article then includes resources to learn more about the finalists, venues, and nations of which attended. The content is up to date, and has been recently changed and updated by the author to include more information and to make changes to the content which was deemed necessary.

The tone and balance of this article is superb. The author takes no stance on the outcome, any of the players, venues or any of the nations of which played within the 1996 African Cup of Nations. The author does not try to persuade the audience that any nation deserved the win, or that any teams were better than their opponents. The information is simply laid out in neutral terms in order for the audience to have a great understanding of the Cup itself. If the author had a favored team, the audience would have no idea based upon the article. Although the decision for Nigeria to pull out of the Cup is included, there is no stance taken by the author to indicate whether or not they felt this was a good choice.

Although the article is one of great depth, the lack of sourcing leaves the reader wary. Within each section, a source is lacking from the citation spot provided by Wikipedia. The sources are not directly supplied to the audience to double check or to add onto what the article is providing educationally. Without the citations made available, the article comes across as amateur and not finalized. The only reference supplied at the end of the article is one that explains the conflict in Nigeria about performing in the Cup due to governmental restrictions. To create a more scholarly article which can stand properly on Wikipedia, the author must cite its sources within each section of the article. Although the article is filled with links which take the reader to another page with information concerning the topic, person, or place of interest, this is not enough to make an article worthy of full publication. To make this article worthy of publication and to better it scholastically, the author could refer to different webpages that provided them with the information throughout the article. Articles that would be of use are as follows; https://africanfootball.com/tournament-matches/81/1996-Africa-Cup-of-Nations/, or https://www.soccer24.com/africa/africa-cup-of-nations-1996/.

The article is well written and the information is provided in a clear and concise way. There are some minor changes that need to be made concerning the lead section; the punctuation and overall presentation. The sections of the article are broken down very well and make it easy for the reader to understand each part of the Cup.

The inclusion of media and images within the article is very helpful. The author has included the different flags of the nations that participated along with images of the venues, the continent of Africa broken down into the nations that participated, and has provided the reader with different tables breaking down each Group and round within the 1996 Cup.

The talk page of the article shows that the author has made changes where they found it necessary and has provided the reader with information about why they have made the changes. No other discussions were found within the article and no comments by any other Wikipedia users were made. The article is stated to be within the scope of WikiProject Africa, and WikiProject Football. The article has been rated by Wikipedia as C-Class within both projects. It is also rated as Mid-Importance on the importance scale within both projects, yet supported by WikiProject South Africa, which is marked as High-importance Talk:1996 African Cup of Nations.

The article itself looks to be a successful one. Although there is a clear lack of citation throughout the project, there is an abundance of information that has been provided. It has all of the beginnings to be a great article, but needs improvement on some grammatical work, and as stated before, citations. I enjoyed reading about the 1996 African Cup of Nations, and feel more educated on the subject. Zoe.Pierson050 (talk) 22:04, 31 January 2021 (UTC)

I am adding onto the article titled, "Media Transparency". I will add onto the article within the article talk page, and also post my changes down below within my own sandbox. Thank you!

Additional Information added to "Media Transparency Article"
Hello! I found some sources that could add some extra insight to your wiki page on Media Transparency. I found that you focused on the negative aspects of Media Transparency but there are a lot of ways to include a positive spin on the article you have produced. The article written by Changsoo Song and Jooho Lee titled “Citizens' Use of Social Media in Government, Perceived Transparency, and Trust in Government”, offers a positive spin on media transparency and can be used to help the article change its tone by adding other perspectives. A quote that could be added to a new section of your article concerning the positives of media transparency could include the quote, “Electronic government, also known as e-government—the use of the Internet and other digital media to deliver government information and services to citizens can be an influential factor in the restoration of trust in government because it has the potential to improve government performance (e.g., productivity gains, improved decision processes) and transparency” (Song, C. Lee, J., 2016, p. 431). This information could expand the audience's understanding of media transparency. More information that could be included from the article cited is, “Social media in government enhance citizens’ perceptions of government transparency by enabling them to access more up-to-date government information through more frequent interactions with government. Thus they come to perceive social media in government as making government information relatively more accessible” ((Song, C. Lee, J., 2016, p. 434). If approved, I would create a subsection of your article that includes this information along with more details in order to create a full understanding of media transparency.

Sources:

Song, C., & Lee, J. (2016). Citizens’ Use of Social Media in Government, Perceived Transparency, and Trust in Government. Public Performance & Management Review, 39(2), 430–453. https://doi.org/10.1080/15309576.2015.1108798

With further research I found an article of which can assist the development of the article even further. The article titled, "In Between Us: On the Transparency and Opacity of Technological Mediation", author Van Den Eede explores the foundation and theories surrounding media transparency and how it is applied to the general understanding of the modern day world. I will be using this to edit and create a new section within the wikipedia page I have chosen to edit. This edit will include empirical research explored within the paper concerning the connection between media and communications and the general population. This section will focus on "postphenomenology and Actor Network Theory", which according to the article have "exhaustively shown how human-world relationships are technologically mediated, thereby crosscutting through traditional philosophical dichotomies such as subject-object, society-nature, and human-technology" (Eede, 2011). The citation for this article is as follows;

Van Den Eede, Y. (2011). In Between Us: On the Transparency and Opacity of Technological Mediation. Foundations of Science, 16(2), 139–159. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10699-010-9190-y

I am continuing with this research on a separate page and posting when finished. All of my updated work can be found on the Wikipedia page titled Media Transparency.

ADDING HERE INSTEAD OF THE ACTUAL PAGE - WASNT AWARE THAT I could not make changes!

Proposed Changes to the Wiki Article "Media Transparency"
I have also changed grammatical errors and other problems within the work as can be seen within the work above and the wiki page for media transparency in the talk page. The following sections are ones that I have created or rewritten in order to complete the page.

= Media transparency = Media transparency (or transparent media), also referred to as Media Opacity, is a concept that explores how and why information subsidies are being produced, distributed and handled by media professionals, including journalists, editors, public relations practitioners, government officials, public affairs specialists, and spokespeople. In short, media transparency reflects the relationship between civilization and journalists, news sources and government. According to a textual analysis of “Information Subsidies and Agenda Building: A Study of Local Radio News”, an information subsidy is defined as “any item provided to the media in order to gain time or space" (Burns, 1998, N.A). In order to understand media transparency, one must gain an understanding of the different aspects in which media transparency is researched, understood, and explored. The following page will attempt to examine media transparency as it has grown and how it affects the modern world.

Contents

 * 1. Overview
 * 2. The Background of ICT'S and Transparency (Heidegger and McLuhan)
 * 3. Propaganda and Media Transparency
 * 4. Media Bribery and Corruption
 * 5. Media Transparency and Power (George Gerbner and Cultivation Theory)
 * 6. Electronic Government
 * 7. Trust in Government and Transparency (Coleman)
 * 8. See also
 * 9. References
 * 10. Further Reading and Videos in order to Gain Greater Perspective on the Topic

Overview
An important note concerning Media Transparency is the use of ICT's, which can be defined as "Information and Communication Technology". ICT's are the online ways in which communication will be discussed in the following sections of this entry page.

The Background of ICT'S and Transparency (Heidegger and McLuhan)
Transparency using the Internet has been a large fascination of social scientists, and the research surrounding transparency continues to grow. The basis to understanding transparency and technology is emphasized by Yoni Van Den Eede to be the work of Martin Heidegger and Marshall McLuhan. Eede claims, "In recent years several approaches--philosophical, sociological, psychological-- have been developed to come to grips with our profoundly technologically mediated world" (Eede, 2011, N.A). Eede continues to explain that these recent discoveries would have not been made without the work first accomplished concerning media and technology by Heidegger and McLuhan.

Martin Heidegger began the studies without using the word transparency, but its relevance is clear within his "Tool Analysis". The "Tool Analysis" argues that one is never aware of the tools they use in their every life until it no longer functions as it should, or as Eede concludes, "the tool is 'transparent' in the sense that we don't notice it "as-tool" (Eede, 2011, N.A). The tool in this context is media, and as the study argues we do not notice media and the presence it holds in our life. Eede expands on the Tool Analysis curated by Heidegger as she states there are two ways in which humans use tools, readiness to hand and presence at hand. This separation of readiness and presence is explained further by G. Harman as he argues that the theory proposed by Heidgger can be understood through what we consciously view as helpful versus what is unconsciously helping us (humankind). Harman claims, "If I observe a table and try to describe its appearance, I silently rely on a vast armada of invisible things that recede into a tacit background. The table that hovers visibly before my mind is outnumbered by all the invisible items that sustain my current reality: floor, oxygen, air conditioning, bodily organs"(Harman, 2010, N.A). Through understanding this 'table' analogy, one can conclude that the table in this sense is technology, and its use to create transparency and understanding within society concerning social and economic doings of government and the greater power of which governs each nation and entity is the vast background of which is overlooked, just as the surroundings of the table are. Through this understanding of theory, transparency can then be further explored for its major importance in creating ones environment consciously and unconsciously.

Another important theorist to consider when researching ICT's and transparency is Marshall McLuhan who is coined for the term "the medium is the message". McLuhan conducted his work within the 1960s, with the introduction of the global village and age of technology use in communications. The concept of transparency is heavily explored within McLuhan's media theory which examines the media as the channels of medium in which media is presented (television, radio, etc.) which are then defined to be the real messages of the media themselves, and emphasis is placed upon understanding the means of medium rather than content itself as they "manifest themselves first and foremost in the way we perceive, process and interpret sense data" (Eede, 2011, N.A). Through understanding the actual medium to be the message, and as the medium itself creates a greater understanding and transparent view of the world around us, one can conclude that McLuhan's work is essential to then looking to understand why ICT's and a sense of transparency concerning day to day life, government work, and national/ global work is of importance. McLuhan, to summarize, concluded that society must be more involved, and that its participates are actively looking to be more involved as they navigate their social understanding and surrounding.

Propaganda and Media Transparency
Within the study conducted by the Government Information Quarterly, Media, Transparency is understood through means of its ability to aid societies with openness and anti-corruption. This unbiased approach at understanding media transparency specifically deals with how media transparency is an important aspect of social and economic development. The article cited explores the four main channels of transparency at the governmental level; proactive dissemination by the government; release of requested materials by the government; public meetings; and leaks from whistleblowers. These four means of communication help to deter any type of negative propaganda posed by governments and officials and work towards complete transparency of which is arguably necessary to create a thriving social and economic system. Propaganda stands to be a threat to accurate distribution and intake of information, of which disrupts all that transparency works to accomplish. The following sections open on greater aspects of Propaganda, and different ways in which transparency is disrupted as well.

Media Bribery and Corruption
Corruption of the media and barriers to transparency can be understood through means of propaganda and misinformation. These can be actively be worked against through means of administrative reform, stricter watch and regulation of law enforcement, and through means of social change.

Media Transparency and Power (George Gerbner and Cultivation Theory)
I suggested to the original author to fully take out their piece, as they did not cite their case study nor did they have appropriate citations. Below is the work that I would add on.

The presentation of media is further explored for its interest in the human experience through work done by George Gerbner and his Cultivation Theory. As explained by analyst W. James Potter, Gerbner was "concerned with the influence that a much broader scope of messages gradually exerted on the public as people were exposed to media messages in their everyday lives" (Potter, 2014, N.A). Gerbner questioned previous theorists attempts to understand media and power over civilization by means of television programs and direct intake. Gerbner asserted that in order to understand the impact of the media, research must be done concerning the environment in which people are living, and studying the world as presented by medium channels. Potter argues that "while Gerbner recognized that there were individual differences in interpretations of messages, cultivation was not concerned about those variations in interpretations; instead, cultivation focused on the dominant meanings that the media presented to the public" (Potter, 2014, N.A). Through Gerbner's Cultural Indicators Research Project, power is explored through its presentation in the media, and George argues that to create a transparent environment in which cultural and social norms are unbiased, one must look to understand whether transparency is being held by media sources or if it is being manipulated in order to control civilization and keep power. The work of analyst John A. Lent uncovers Gerbner's understanding of power structure through the control of media and medium channels as he states," viewers came to consider the world as rightly belonging to the power and money elite depicted on television - young, white males, idealized as heroic doctors and other professionals. He warned that women, minorities and the elderly seeing these role models repeatedly were apt to accept their own inferior positions and opportunities as inevitable and deserved, which he said was an indictment of their civil rights" (Lent 2006 p.88). Power, then can be understood with those who control the media outlets, and the level of transparency concerning worldly events, biased opinions, and representation that are conveyed to the citizens who live within the media controlled environment. Power can then be interpreted to be not within the eye of the beholder, yet within those who project to the greater population.

Electronic Government
The creation of an Electronic Government and the use of the internet along with social media is a new way to get information concerning government work and service to citizens. The use of media in all electronic forms is argued to be an “influential factor in the restoration of trust in government because it has the potential to improve government performance and transparency” within the study published by the Public Performance and Management Review (Song and Lee, 2016). The study continues to argue that many studies have reported that through information and transaction services available on government websites, citizens feel a sense of effectiveness, accessibility, responsiveness, and satisfaction, all of which constitute an overall sense of trust in government. These information and transaction services are more specifically categorized as social media sites that connect citizens to their government. Song and Lee conclude that, “social media can be defined as a group of Web 2.0 technologies that facilitate interactions between users [...] By their nature, social media afford easy access to information through convenient devices like cell phones and tablets, enable user-created content, and provide visible social connections” (Song and Lee, 2016). From a citizens perspective, transparency is attained through understanding their local governments actions and movements, along with creating open lines of communication; all of which can be done through social media and other means of online communication. Song and Lee conclude following their experiment concerning media use in relation to government that " social media in government enable citizens to gain easier access to government and be more informed about current events, policies, or programs, heightening their perception of transparency in government"(Song and Lee, 2016). This conclusion argues for social media presence in governmental action and role in order to create transparency; media transparency is needed for a cohesive and close-knit society.

Trust in Government and Transparency (Coleman)
The ability to curate trust is essential within the means of transperancy and communication. Within the article published by Changsoo Song and Jooho Lee, the two explain trust though work compiled by social theorist J.S Coleman as he looks to simply trust through equivocal explanation. The study states that, "Three essential elements” are used in explaining what leads a potential trustor (e.g., the citizen) to vest trust in a trustee (e.g., the government): p = chance of receiving gain (i.e., the probability that the trustee is trustworthy), L = potential loss (if the trustee is untrustworthy), and G =potential gain (if the trustee is trustworthy) (Coleman, 1990, p. 99)". Song and Lee then apply this framework to governmental context and conclude that role of information is necessary in trust-building as governments must perform or take in action in their citizens interest (and visibly show this action or performance via social media), in order to gain trust in and respect for their work.