Chapter 1 talks about online competence and chapter 2 discusses the way that we create our public self, and the various factors that influence our sense of self. This application activity will ask you to think of several key concepts from chapters 1 and 2 by discussion comments online. When you read an article or responses to a social media post, some comments  can be insightful, some are funny and some down right insulting and abusive.

Please read this 2013 article https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/the-psychology-of-online-comments published in the New Yorker. Then read this (very short) and much more recent article about a study conducted on twitter comments by

http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/12/study-finds-black-women-on-twitter-face-more-abuse.html

Then answer the following 4 questions. Question A can be a 1-2 sentence answer, but questions b, c and d should be 3 sentences each. 

Answer the following questions:

A: Have you ever commented on an article/blog? What motivated you to comment or not comment?

B: How are Maslow's hierarchy of needs discussed in the chapter met via by writing comments online?

C: Explain how the communication process (from the transactional communication model shown within the chapter) relates to blog writing/commenting.

D：How does commenting online help some people create their public selves?