Much of our time at Digitalis is spent helping clients shape their own online narratives rather than having search engine algorithms do it for them. The recent Netflix docu-drama, Social Dilemma, has done much to prompt debate on what ‘free’-to-use social media and search engines are doing to our concepts of truth and agency. Millions of us use these platforms daily but we are generally unaware of the cost. This powerful polemic – authored and presented by Silicon Valley refugees from the big tech companies – is clear about how this new information ecosystem is undermining our personal freedoms and society. The focal speaker in the programme is Tristan Harris, an ex-employee of Google, and the co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology which is funded by a range of US philanthropic foundations.
It has struck a chord. Some national newspaper reviews have told readers to “Unplug and Run” and labelled the show as “a wake up call for a world drunk on dopamine”. The Cambridge Analytica leak revealed the extent to which our data was being collected. This documentary helps us understand how this data is used on us. It is presented with admirable passion, and perhaps using some of the emotional and manipulative techniques they accuse the social media platforms of deploying. But it makes a compelling case.
The documentary argues that there is a payback for the personalised experience that these search engines provide. The way tech firms use our data has become intrusive and manipulative. We need to understand that what is presented to us online is not always what we look for, but what these platforms think we want. The internet has grown into a behemoth of information and content, so much so that intelligent algorithms are essential to efficient browsing. The fundamental idea behind gathering information on your digital footprint is not innately wrong, it must simply be acknowledged and regulated.
The French cultural theorist Jean Baudrillard argued that modern media is concerned not just with relaying information, but with interpreting our most private selves for us. Online media guides and influences our opinions and beliefs. The danger does not lie in tailored advertising or suggested friends, but in the ‘disinformation for profit’ business model adopted by social media. The programme argues that “algorithms are opinions embedded in code”. They are, in part, built to gain the user’s attention and keep us online for longer so that they can sell more advertising. As conspiracy theories, scandals and populist narratives can be more engaging than the truth, the algorithms are designed to promote content which captures our attention and time. And once we have seen it, we pass it on – fake news travels six times faster than true news.
Of course, the digital world and its understanding of its users provides luxuries and benefits. There are advantages to websites and programmes which recognise our digital tendencies and provide a more personalised experience – but for this programme’s makers, the line has been crossed. Truth is being manipulated for commercial gain.
Solutions are perhaps less clearly articulated. There is clearly a sense that technology has outstripped regulation, and that the law needs to catch up. The companies have taken on some greater responsibility for managing their content, but they are trapped in a business model that by definition shapes a reality. Our responsibility as users is to be more knowing about the techniques they use, and less blindly trusting of what we see and read. Search engines are primarily marketing tools. Understanding that the online reality with which we are presented is unnatural and manipulated is key to preserving a perception of the real world that is not blurred by misinformation online.
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Digitalis
We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability.
To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level. These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.
This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.
Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML, adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.
If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email webrequests@digitalis.com
Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements, alongside console screenshots of code examples:
Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website. In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels; descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups), and others. Additionally, the background process scans all of the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology. To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on as soon as they enter the website.
These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.
Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside of it.
Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers), both for Windows and for MAC users.
Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs, there may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to webrequests@digitalis.com