Week 13 - Networks and Technology
Dad Joke
Why did the man get fired from the calendar factory?
He took too many days off!
Housekeeping
- EXAM ON THURSDAY!!
- Final projects are due in 2 weeks!
- Rough draft to 2 peers on April 23
- Feedback due by Saturday (April 25)
- Presentations Tuesday and Thursday (April 28 and 30)
Review Questions
- What is the difference between a filter bubble and an echo chamber?
- How do echo chambers relate to social influence?
- What did Chris Bail et al.’s research find about breaking out of echo chambers?
- How has the internet changed social networks? What are the most important positives and negatives?
- How do you think AI might change social networks?
Review Questions
- What is context collapse?
- How does context collapse relate to network principles we have discussed?
Discussion Questions
- If social media actually exposes people to more diverse information, but at the same time can still increase polarization, what does that say about how people process information and interact with others in networks?
- Should companies be required to open-source how their algorithms work since they contribute heavily to public discourse?
- How could we design social media platforms to encourage more critical thinking and less polarization?
Discussion Questions
- Is context collapse good or bad?
- Does technology spread too much information too fast for people to think critically?
- Exposure to opposing views on social media can increase political polarization - Would the findings from this reading still hold if the US had more than two major political parties?
- What role is/will algorithms have on dating and relationship formation?