Digital Opportunities Module

Lesson 5: Social Media and Algorithms

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An Imperfect Feed

TELL YOUR STUDENTS

Many of you probably have an account on at least one type of social media platform — whether that is Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or a whole number of other platforms.

Some of you might also have multiple accounts on different platforms for different purposes. You might use one platform to check out the news, another to connect with your friends, and yet another to watch the latest viral video.

ASK YOUR STUDENTS

• What social media platform(s) do you use most often?
• Does anyone have multiple accounts on a single platform?
• What do you usually see on your social media account(s)? If you have multiple accounts on one platform, do you see different content (e.g., photos, videos, text-based posts, ads) on each account?
• What do you think determines what you see (in terms of content such as photos, videos, text-based posts, ads, etc.)?

TELL YOUR STUDENTS

On social media, algorithms are continually being designed to decide what you see. For instance, algorithms can decide how much content you see from your friends, family, and groups versus public content from businesses, brands, and media.

Algorithms can also decide what content format to prioritize, such as video, text-based posts, or images.

Most social media platforms keep track of your engagement with posts by friends, family, and groups, as well as your engagement with public posts from businesses, brands, and media. These platforms’ algorithms can predict what you want to see based on these interactions.

The ultimate goal is to put content in front of you that you are more likely to engage with by putting posts in your feed from the same or similar, people and pages you have interacted with before.

ASK YOUR STUDENTS

• To what extent do you feel that your social media feeds represent your preferences and interests?
• Have you ever come across a post in your feed(s) that stood out to you as irrelevant/inappropriate/thematically not aligned with your context and background? Would you feel comfortable sharing with the group why you felt this way? Why do you think the algorithms were showing this content?
• Are there any examples of social media posts that stood out to you as positive/timely/thematically very much aligned with your context and background? Would you feel comfortable sharing with the group why you felt this way?
• Let’s suppose an algorithm works so that it only shows you content that you’re 100% interested in. What might be the risk or downside to that? Do you think an algorithm should be programmed in such a way that, at times, it shows surprising content (i.e., serendipity)?
• Have you ever seen posts in your feed(s) where the content (e.g., a post addressing politics or civic engagement issues) seemed suspicious/like it was intended to deceive you? If so, how often?
• Would anyone feel comfortable sharing an example of this type of post? What was your response when you saw it? [Some participants may have, for instance, dismissed the post, reported it, or talked about it with a friend or family member.]

TELL YOUR STUDENTS

To help us think a little more deeply about how algorithms shape social media feeds, let’s engage in a group activity!

CLASS INTERACTION

Divide participants into four groups and provide each group with one of the four “Meet Beldine” handouts and the set of 24–32 social media posts in an envelope. There should be four envelopes — one for each group.

TELL YOUR STUDENTS

In your groups, first, take a look at the set of posts and the information about Beldine provided on your handout. Next, select up to 18 posts and arrange them in an order that you think would create a feed relevant to Beldine. Think about what kind of content Beldine would most enjoy engaging with (e.g., time spent looking at, liking, clicking on, sharing or resharing).

CLASS INTERACTION

Give participants 15 minutes to engage in this group exercise.

CLASS INTERACTION

Reconvene all participants, with participants sitting in their group. Ask groups to designate a speaker to present their created feed. Have each group briefly explain 1) what information they received about Beldine, 2) which posts they selected and why, and 3) of the different pieces of information about Beldine provided in their handout what content they focused on to create the feed.

ASK YOUR STUDENTS

• Was there any information about Beldine that you feel was particularly useful in creating the feed?
• Was there information about Beldine that you feel was less useful?
• Which pieces of information about Beldine did you prioritize over others?
• What information about Beldine would you have wanted to have — to make the algorithm produce a feed that would be even more relevant to Beldine — that you didn’t have? Why would you want this information?
  • Possible answer: Beldine really cares about human rights. However, because participants only had one information point about human rights (i.e., a post about gender equality), it may have been difficult to tailor the feed to specific areas of human rights. It seems that Beldine is interested in gender equality, but is she interested in other human rights issues, and if so, which ones?

A Fuller Picture

TELL YOUR STUDENTS

Each group received pieces of information about Beldine. Let’s now bring all the information on Beldine together and think about how (if at all) our understanding of what an ideal feed and underlying algorithm for Beldine might be would change.

Either show the complete set of information about Beldine (“Meet Beldine — A More Complete Picture: Educator’s Copy”) on a projection screen or print out and share a copy with each participant.

ASK YOUR STUDENTS

• Based on all the information you now know about Beldine, which of the existing feeds and underlying algorithms (created by the four groups) do you think Beldine would find the most engaging? Why?
• Knowing the full sum of information, would you keep one of the existing feeds (created by the four groups) and underlying algorithms or create a new feed?

Assignment

OPTION 1 FOR PARTICIPANTS AGES 11–13

TELL YOUR STUDENTS

Now, let’s apply what you learned today about social media and algorithms to your own social media feed. Choose an account from a specific social media platform and select the first 18 posts that appear. Identify 10 variables that you think the underlying algorithm is focused on (e.g., your engagement with posts from your friend, a local clothing store, or an athletic team).

OPTION 2 FOR PARTICIPANTS AGES 14–18

TELL YOUR STUDENTS

For those of you interested in the data that informs the algorithm on your own social media feed, you can access and download a copy of the information that social media platforms have about you.

For those who have a Facebook account, log into Facebook on a desktop computer and, on the top right of your home page, click the downward-facing blue arrow. From there, click Settings and then click Your Facebook Information. Then click Download Your Information. Here, you can select which pieces of information you want to download (e.g., ads, location, posts).

For those who have an Instagram account, log into Instagram on a desktop computer and click on the Profile icon in the upper right-hand corner, shaped like a person, and then click on the Settings icon, which looks like a wheel. From there, click on the Privacy and Security button and scroll down to Account Data to click on View Account Data. To look at a specific type of data (e.g., current follow requests, hashtags you follow, accounts you blocked, etc.), click View All.

If you have both a Facebook and Instagram account, feel free to try this exercise on both of these accounts!

Based on this information, I’d like you to reflect, in writing, on the following questions:

• These files represent some of the data that Facebook and/or Instagram has collected about you. How does Facebook and/or Instagram having all of this information make you feel? Would you rather they did or didn’t have this information?
• Does this information seem like an accurate representation of you/your preferences? Why or why not?
• To what extent do you see your preferences reflected or not reflected in your feed?
• Is there any other information about your interests and preferences you would want Facebook and/or Instagram to know about you so that your feed is even more relevant?
• What aspects of the information you downloaded do you think shape the algorithm that influences your feed?
• What other online platforms or services you engage with might affect your feed? For example, if you buy plane tickets online from a specific travel site, like Expedia, you might then see ads from this site on your social media feed(s).

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