ema-lynch

[ema-lynch]

Week 8 Blog Post

After watching the lecture video on implementation, I have a better understanding of the challenges my client may face when implementing my recommendations. One personal struggle my client could face is the constant changing of the individual who controls social media. This could result in information being lost in the transition of individuals. Another challenge my client may face is continually keeping up with trends. Considering our main audience is college students, it's important that the organization keeps up on trends so we continually engage and entertain our online community. Another challenge my client might face is consistency. Currently, my client struggles with being consistent and active on social media. Considering they don't have one designated person for their socials, it may be challenging for them to stay consistent and active. They may struggle working around peoples schedules and communicating with each other about when posts should be made. Lastly, they may struggle managing all social media platforms. Considering they are creating accounts on many platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, it may be a challenge to manage all of the platforms. Overall, these are some challenges my client may face.

[ema-lynch]

Hi Luke, great post with lots of detail. Effective content includes posts that engage with your audience and provide value to them. I agree that diversity and inclusion are essential elements that must be taken into account when developing and sharing content. Ensuring your users of fair treatment, access, and opportunity allows everyone to participate on your socials. Accessibility is also important to keep in mind. Making sure your platforms can be used by everyone, regardless of their situation is important when creating and sharing content. I agree that it's essential to engage, entertain, interact, and show your users you care when sharing posts on social media. Great post, I enjoyed reading it!

Effective Content/Social Organization

When a business is first starting out, you do not want to release meaningless content. This will instantly make the business be taken less seriously and often not trusted when compared to other businesses who are posting much more effective content. Effective content is content than engages your audience and builds a strong connection between your business and them. This will build into trust that will flourish into a long lasting relationship between you and your audience. As mentioned by Hootsuite in module 3, diversity and inclusion are some of the most crucial elements that must be taken into account when producing effective content. Show that your company accepts every person with open arms, no matter your race or background. Companies that fail to do this will not build a strong social organization and they will more than likely not reach their goals, if they don't fail completely. You must get to know your audience as well. Learn what they care about, what's important to them, and what it is that they like about your company. Engaging with them will allow bonding that will take your company long past where you once wished to be. Make the content entertaining for your audience. If the content is flat and it falls short, they will assume your company didn't really try on it and it will be a bad look for you guys. Entertain them, and show them that you care.

To build a strong social organization you need to make effective content and follow the steps that I have already mentioned. A company that posts garbage will never build the community needed to take them to the next level. You can also use Influencers to help build your social organization. Influencers often have hundreds, if not thousands, of people that look up to them and admire them. Their positive words will have a strong impact on your company because they already have the trust of so many people. They will listen to them much quicker than they will listen to a new company they have never heard of previously. Almost every larger company on social media today collaborates with influencers, it is no question that your company should do the same.

[ema-lynch]

Hi Kenzie, great post! I agree with your points on how effective content is developed in shared. It's essential to keep your audience in mind when creating and posting content. Also, to keep your audience interested, it's important to vary your content often. For example, posting a mixture of questions, polls, and calls for user-generated content are all great ways to facilitate a conversation. I really enjoyed your example of Mikayla Nogueira. Mikayla is a great example of someone who develops and shares effective content. She does a great job of tailoring her posts to her audience, while engaging and entertaining users. I watch her TikToks often! Great post, thanks for sharing!

How effective content is developed and shared.

When it comes to effective content it is major to make sure it is developed and shared correctly. When it comes to sharing, you want to make sure you have the right audience in mind. Researching their most used apps is very beneficial. Also learning what kind of influencers, they listen to, and follow can also be key because it gets your content viewed and established better.

An example of that could be the make-up influencer Mikayla Nogueira, she makes content by testing other make-up brands and giving her opinions and thoughts, that not only gives her views, but it gives make up companies a bigger audience and more attention.

Along with this, the development is also key. developing strong communities around your brand creates advocacy. Continuing to branch out, develop, and add to your projects can help your business go a long way on social media.

Becoming a social organization has a lot to do with the principles of effective content development and sharing. Social Organizations are in charge of making sure everything is correct, Knowing the principles effective content helps it extract those correctly. Development and sharing has to be organized and planned out. You can't just post whenever. You want to be consistent in each day.

[ema-lynch]

Week 7 Blog Post

After completing Hootsuite modules 3 and 4, I have learned many ways that effective content is developed and shared. First, when it comes to sharing content across socials, theres a set of best practices you should exercise when you post. First, it's important to have an attention grabbing headline or caption. A strong headline is key to grabbing the readers attention. Also, content with visual appeal provides a great boost to engagement. Using a mixture of photos, images with text, and videos with captions helps to enhance the value of your posts. In addition, keep optimal posting times in mind when developing and sharing content. Optimal posting times vary depending on each platform so it's important to test your posting times to see what gets you the highest level of engagement. Lastly, write strong, clear posts tailored to the network you publish when sharing content online. By using these practices, you'll develop and share effective content. Below is an example of an effective post that was developed and shared. Canva created a #CanvaDesignChallenge where people are encouraged to share inspirational designs. This is a great way to boost engagement, promote their brand, and call their users to action by participating in the challenge.

Understanding how to effectively develop and share content is essential when becoming a social organization. Social organizations must understand the best practices when it comes to sharing content online in order to build their online community. Their content must encourage users to share, like, and engage through their social profiles in order to build a social community. When building and growing an online community, you must post valuable and effective content. By posting attention grabbing content with visual appeal and interacting with users, organizations can grow their online community. Understanding the practices behind developing and sharing effective content is essential in a social organization.

[ema-lynch]

Hi Luke, great post. Chapter 4 and 5 do a great job explaining the principles of online community building with social media. Social organizations broaden their vision of social media and community engagement the address strategic issues. It's very important to show your followers and audience that you can provide value to them. It's also important to show your online community that you value their input and feedback. Online communities are built on commonalities because people seek to follow organization because of the ideas they share that users can apply in their own lives. I agree that it's very important to engage with users, follow them, ask questions, and build trust. Great post and explanations. I enjoyed reading it!

Growing an Online Community

Chapters 4 and 5 out of the Social Organization were very informative chapters discussing how one can grow their online community in todays fast pace, ever changing media. The first thing that you should do is show your followers or customers how you can provide value to them. Prove that what you bring, is better than what your competitors have to offer. If they don't see the value being added into their life, they are simply going to lose interest, or find that value somewhere else. It is so easy to get your head turned on social media nowadays, if you can't grab your audiences attention quickly, you are going to lose it. You also need to show your audience that you really care about them. Engage with them, ask questions about how to improve, and build trust. Trust will go a long way, and companies with a strong reputation are going to last much longer and be more successful than the companies that don't have a strong reputation.

Module 4 discussed how to build a social media community in great detail. Building a community can be looked at as a two way street. Look at what your audience says about your brand, or even more engaging, ask them what you could do to grow your brand. This will also help humanize your brand and become much easier to connect with. Its also effective to know what works best on which social media platforms. Not every social media app is going to be used the same for your company, just like how your audience doesn't use every app in the same way, you must adjust accordingly. Collaborating with Influencers can also have a massive effect on your community. The right influencers, presenting your company in the right way, can change your company completely, reaching a whole new audience and promoting a ton of engagement. The company I have selected, Dog Central, Could benefit greatly from this. They don't need a huge celebrity influencer, they could just use some students on the football or basketball team, collaborate with them, and next thing you know, students who have never heard of Dog Central previously are now flooding into the place to try it out.

[ema-lynch]

Hi Jeff, great post. There are many important principles of online community building with social media. The goal of community collaboration is to capture value from a group of people who have a shared interest in an idea, opinion, or concept. I agree that assessing the value of purpose statements is an important tool in community building. It can help to determine is the community wants to engage and if they align with the business goals of the company. When organizations are growing an online community, it's important to that are responsive to their audience. Responding to comments and posting engaging content is essential when growing a social community. Thanks for sharing the Food Production Professionals of America. This sounds like a great online community to be a part of!

Building The Community - Week 6

Chapter 4 and 5 touched on principle based themes of building your online community. At the cornerstone of a strategy that is going to build growth in your online community is providing value. Participants are going to ask, 'what's in it for me?'. If the participants general response is that they information may be favorable for them to share, and it benefits the organization - this is a great way to begin building a grass roots online community. Unlike opportunity statements, purpose statements should be considered to reflect on an actual business possibility. I found this perspective helpful when continuing to develop my client project, that ultimately is a business possibility for them to grow through increased social media presence. Assessing the value of these purpose statements is an important tool. Deciding, is our goal through a social media strategy magnetic enough to attract an audience? Does the community, if they do engage, align with the business goals of the company. What risk is there within the community? Perhaps a flaw is pointed out that gets overshared and abruptly disrupts your brand image. That can take a lot of cost to recover. The initiatives should be measurable and also facilitate product or service evolution through the conversation. Using the "No, Go, Grow" step tool in the text is a useful tool in determining a path forward for particular social media strategies. One source of community collaboration I use is Food Production Professional Of American. Through LinkedIn they have collaborative posts that have aided in problem solving at my work. It is a nice tool for problem solving, and marketing with peers as well. https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2403930/

After completing the Hootsuite modules some principals stood out that is going to aide in my final client memo. My client runs a service industry that has a growing aging population. Many of his clients are hearing or visually impaired. Keeping this in mind will be critical when making posts his audience will need to view, or hear. Engaging with his community through posts, but also physically asking for participation will need to happen. My client is also partnering with a local influencer who would be considered an industry expert for creating content. My client will also need to carefully consider how they are growing across channels. While a good portion of his audience resides on Facebook, many are also on LinkedIn. Those posts will need to be different in order to be affective. Overall my client has a much better roadmap to building an online presence than they had previously.

[ema-lynch]

Week 6 Blog Post

After reading chapters 4 and 5 in the Social Organization, I am able to discuss effective principles of online community building with social media. Social organizations broaden their vision of social media and community engagement to address strategic issues. Community collaboration is suitable when large groups of people act independently to share information that aggregates well into a bigger picture and results in actions that lead to a higher performance. The general goal of community collaboration is to capture value from a collection of people who have a shared interest in an idea, concept, opinion, or common experience. When organizations are building an online community, it's important that they are responsive. Positing engaging content on social media is essential, but responding to comments can elevate your social communities. Additionally, giving back to the communities your brand serves is a great way to demonstrate values in action. Giving followers the option to give back empowers them to make an impact while also validating their connection with the brand. Online communities are built around commonalities because people seek and follow organizations because of the ideas they share that users can learn and apply in their own lives. One example of an online community would be the Discovery Educator Network: https://www.discoveryeducation.com/community/den-community/

The Discover Educator Network is an online community that connects and empowers educators across the globe. This community evolved from groups connecting on social platforms to become an engaged, active, online community.

Next, after completing Hootsuite Module 4, I have learned a lot about growing an online community. I have learned that successful brands create an online community by engaging with their audience and listening to their feedback. This could look like asking questions to your audience, responding to comments, liking and sharing audience posts, or contributing to a trending hashtag. This applies to my client by helping and encouraging them to build an active online community. Hootsuite gives many examples of ways to grow your online community, which can be directly applied to my Client. For example, they can engage with their audience, listen to their feedback, respond to comments, and share audience posts. By taking the actions listed in the Hootsuite training, my client can work towards growing their online community.

[ema-lynch]

Hi Jeff! It's very true that in order for advertisements to be effective, the internet needs to collect a lot of data and surveil its users. I noticed this today when I was looking up vacations. I began searching flights and different hotels, and suddenly my news feed was filled with vacation advertisements. This goes to show how that information was collected and surveilled, in order to show me advertisements and content of my interest. The internet business model is focused on collecting information and surveilling its users in hope to generate more money. It does this by catering advertisements and content to the users interest, in hope to generate a profit. I agree that data surveillance has gotten out of hand. Although it can be effective, I feel that it is a breach of privacy. Great points throughout your post. I enjoyed reading it!

Model of Surveillance

Reading the article in the Atlantic, 'Advertising - The Internets Original Sin', it was interesting to hear about the days when tech based businesses were struggling to find a sound business model. I remember using tripod.com as a hosting site, and the hey-day of pop up advertising. It certainly made the internet a less effective tool. But this advertising allowed hundreds of thousands of companies who could come up with a site that would attract attention, a guaranteed revenue stream.

Now, it is not only on the website to generate a following, but also convince their advertising investors that they will deliver the best ROI on their views. It was interesting to note that newspaper ad's generate a higher return, although much less volume, than web based advertising. For web based advertising to be effective you need a lot of data , and surveillance of users. It was interesting, as Ceglowski explained, that we've come to accept our skewed version of the internet as an aggregation of our surveilled tendencies. While a ad based web can be good as it is open to everyone, and often free - it does have its downfalls. 1. Surveillance 2. Clickbait - adverting not as genuine. 3. Centralization, echo chamber effect. 4. Freely giving our information at the expense of a more personalized experience. It is these reasons cited in the article they believe the model is broken.

In Ceglowski's talk he starts by drawing parallels between American car culture and the internet. When car's came out many families only had one. Then as the suburbs grew, and people migrated out of cities it became necessary to have. A very similar progression as the internet. Ceglowski also gives a story of negative aspect of surveillance when the mayor of Peoria, IL. They mayor used data to track and arrest someone that was making fun of him online.

Data surveillance has gotten out of hand. it sounds like self governance and VPN's are the best ways to navigate this issue.

[ema-lynch]

Hi Adam! I totally agree that everything we do on the internet can be traced and used for business decision making. The internet business model focuses on collecting information to better understand the consumer. From there, content and advertisements are shown that is catered to the users interests. This can be beneficial sometimes, but it also has a negative impact in relation to privacy. The results of this surveillance and data gathering are targeted advertisements and filtered content in hope generate more money. There is large amounts of data collected about each users and this data is used to show content related to the consumers interests. Great points throughout your post. These articles were very interesting to read and made me be more aware of my privacy online.

Blog Post Week 5: Surveillance data through Internet

After reading "The Internet's Original Sin" and watching "The Internet with a Human Face," I get the impression that everything a person does on the internet can be traced and used for everyday business decision making. "The Internet's Original Sin" details that pop-up ads are very costs effective, accurate, and time consuming. Businesses and websites have the ability to basically "hack" into a person's browser and collect data on the individual. Through the information that they get through the internet user, they can target ads towards their liking trying to get them to spend more time on an app or spend money through the company site. "The Internet's Original Sin" explains how the pop-up ad was originally designed for good intentions by sharing knowledge, opinions, ideas and photos of cute cats to others. Overtime, businesses started to catch on and use this tool to get in the minds of their consumers to generate more revenue easier. Simply put, the pop-up ad was a good intention gone the wrong way.

Moreover, "The Internet with a Human Face" explains how businesses models are driven through consumer's interests'; they get the interests' through peoples browsing history, filters they create, and other relevant information. When a person is on a company's site, the site can track how long they are on the site for, what they search for, what their price range is, and display every interest the consumer demands. This creates plenty of data about the consumer to come out with new products, new ads for a particular user, promotions, and more. This type of internet surveillance helps companies drive a business model that is so effective, efficient, and personal to every user.

[ema-lynch]

Blog Post Week 5

After reading "The Internet's Original Sin" and watching Maciej Ceglowski's talk, I'm able to see how internet business models influence surveillance and data gathering on the internet. First, everything we do on the internet is being watched and spied on. When the internet was created, advertisements became an obvious way to make money, and that turned into surveillance. The internet business model focuses on collecting information to better understand the consumer so that content can be shown that's catered to the users interests. The way this influences surveillance and data gathering is negative in relation to privacy. Users are constantly watched and being surveilled. The results of this can be seen in filtered content and targeted ads that appear across all social media platforms. This surveillance and data gathering compromises the users privacy and personal information.

The Internets Original Sin explains how surveillance and data gathering is used to get inside the users head to display targeted ads in order to generate more money. The Internet with a Human Face talks about how everything we click, type, or search doesn't go away even if we delete it. All of this information is saved, stored, and available for people to access at any time. Maciej's talk also explains how in order for advertisements to be helpful, they must surveil and gather data without people knowing. This was very eyeopening and made me question my privacy. I feel that this is a breach of privacy and wrong. Although this type of surveillance helps companies drive an effective business model, I feel it is a breach of privacy and we could have a better web. Overall, these articles were very eyeopening and made me more aware of my privacy on the internet.

[ema-lynch]

Hi Brayden, great post. I agree with all of the qualities you listed for a social media consultant. It's important that social media consultants are thoughtful. They must always keep in mind their clients business goals and objects. It's also important that they are observant. Social media changes often, so they must be observant and aware of the changes in different social platforms. Lastly, I really agree with the adaptable quality. It's extremely important to be adaptable and open to change when working as a social media consultant. Technology is changing and improving constantly. Platforms are constantly updating their tools and features. It's very important to be adaptable to change when working in the social media industry. Great examples! I enjoyed reading your post.

Social Media Consultant

I think the most important qualities for a social media consultant to have is to be thoughtful, observant, and adaptable. I believe these qualities are important because they help a person be able to maintain a relevant social media present.

Being thoughtful will help people carefully represent the business or brand that they are consulting for. It is important that you think hard about how a company wants or should represent themselves.

Being observant will be helpful for a person to grasp what is going on in the social media landscape. It is important for a social media consultant to know the most optimal way to interact with more people online to better help companies.

Being adaptable is probably the most important. Social media and technology seem to be changing by the day. With change comes the need to adapt. A consultant needs to be able to adjust to new environments online.

If I was a social media consultant I would tell companies to make sure they are conveying what the company is about. They should also be careful about what they post.

[ema-lynch]

Hi Adam, great post. It was very interesting reading about the reasons why junk news spreads so quickly on social media. Sporting content is a great example of algorithms. I have experienced this personally, too. I have played soccer my whole life, and also enjoy watching it. On my social media platforms, I often get soccer content and videos. However, I rarely see content from other sports like wrestling or basketball. This is a great example of how algorithms determine what content we see. Lastly, I liked your exposure example with politics. This is something I have experienced also. I typically am only exposed to political adds that support my beliefs and opinions. I rarely see diverse or balanced content on my news feed. Great examples. Your post was very detailed and I enjoyed reading it!

Week 4 Blog Post 2: Reading Assignment

After reading, "Three reasons junk news spreads so quickly across social media," I can relate to each level of using algorithms, advertising, and exposure across social media platforms and other websites. Algorithms create this social atmosphere where company's and people can create news for people by looking into what they have interest in. Businesses can see that if you like sports content, it'll display sports content to your interests and, if applicable, relate sports content back to its business in one way or another. Additionally, algorithms create filters in a sense that makes searching easier and more directed to what you need to find information out on. Advertising offers companies the ability to craft and deliver micro-targeted messages to certain populations. As the article states, "Social media accounts are free to use but an individual pays with their personal information." These ads crate clickbait which makes it easy and rewarding to click on these targeted ads to give the company site what it wants you to do and/or buy. Especially around political debates and elections, I see plenty of advertisements that is directed towards voting one way over the other. In sports, advertisements create a "big blowup picture" of Nike running shoes or athletic apparel when I'm on google without even having the intent to buy or look at that in the time being. This is an example of company's trying to constantly remind consumers to buy or even just visit the company page. Furthermore, exposure creates an atmosphere where the consumer already has displayed interest in a particular product or subscription with a business. For example, following Nike on twitter and submitting your email to them basically enables them to send you news, offers, and more. Signing up for credit cards with personal information makes you want to be more loyal to that company and rewards you for purchases. If internet history shows that a person is democrat or republican, then company sites will display content for the user that strengthens their stance on that topic. There are many ways companies create exposure to their consumers. What people and other businesses need to be aware of is to mitigate bias or eliminate it completely from their search results by not clicking on any uninformative ads and sticking to your plan on what you are looking for on social media/company sites. You can block pop-ups and other ads through search settings. A person can sign out of their gmail account before browsing. Lastly, a person can not subscribe for news, offers, cookies, and other social media content used for marketing purposes.

[ema-lynch]

Week 4: Blog Post 2

After reading the Oxford Internet Institute article, I have a strong understanding of why junk news spreads so quickly across social media. The first reason in algorithms. Social media platforms rely on algorithms to determine how news and content are spread and consumed. However, this personalization of content has created filters and limitations to the news and content we see. Algorithms have made it harder for user to find diverse and critical information and news. One personal example would be a situation that happened with my grandma. My grandma often reads the news on her phone. One day, she was showing me a viral news article that was not credible and extreme. After doing some research, I informed her that this article was not correct. I explained to her why she was getting this news content and how not everything she sees is correct.

Next, advertising is a large reason why junk news spreads so quickly on social media. Advertising awards itself on viral content and also has increased the use of clickbait. Advertisements often play with peoples biases and are fueled with the use of inaccurate and misleading content. One example of this would be when I saw an advertisement about 'healthy' food options you can order to your home. When I researched the company more, I saw that the food options were actually very unhealthy. The advertisement was extremely misleading and inaccurate.

Lastly, exposure is the third reason as to why junk news spreads so quickly. Social filtering actually limits the diversity of information we are exposed to. As a result, users are not exposed to a balanced and accurate selection of news and content. A personal example of this would be when I see political advertisements. On my social media platforms, I am only exposed to information that confirms my beliefs and opinions. However, when I speak to my friends, they have seen numerous other articles and advertisements that show otherwise. As you can see, I am exposed to limited content and news articles. I didn't receive a balanced or accurate selection of news and content.

Overall, the rise of social media has contributed to the spread of 'junk news' and it's important that we are aware of this. Businesses and individuals should be aware of this so they understand that the news we see isn't always accurate and credible. Having a knowledge of this can help us to be aware and spot 'junk news'. It's important that businesses and individuals are conscious so we can seek out accurate, credible, and diverse information. We can respond to these conditions by reading diverse and credible content and news.

[ema-lynch]

Week 4: Blog Post 1

After completing the Hootsuite Social Marketing chapter, I have learned a lot about the role of a social media consultant. There are many qualities a social media consultant should have to be effective. First, they must have an overall knowledge of social media marketing. They must understand social media networks and how they work so they can advise clients on which network is the best for their efforts. Secondly, they must have a strong knowledge of social media tools. A social media consultant must be aware of the social media analytics tools to help them be successful. Additionally, they must be able to adapt quickly. Considering the internet and social media platforms change so rapidly, it's important that your social media consultant can adapt to these changes. They must also be able to align with their clients business goals. A successful social media consultant should spend time understanding their clients business goals and objectives before recommending a social media strategy. Overall, I would say these are the most important qualities of a social media consultant.

If I were acting as a social media consultant for myself, there are a few strategies I would advise to improve my professional social media presence. First, I would advise myself to complete all of my social media profiles. A few of the platforms I use aren't complete. I would advise myself to complete these sections, so they are effective and up-to-date. Additionally, I would advise myself to be more engaging. I would suggest following and interacting with more people/organizations on my social media so I stand out. Lastly, I would suggest being more active and connecting with others. Some things I have done so far was complete my LinkedIn and Facebook platforms. I uploaded a professional headshot and updated the "About" sections. Some things I can do in the future is be more active on my social media accounts, engage with my followers, and connect with more professionals.

[ema-lynch]

Hi Blake, great post. I really liked your quote, "they are competing for your attention". It's very true that platforms show us content to keep us on the app and to sell us products and services. These algorithms also limit and narrow the content we see. They cater to what the user is interested in and change the content we see. With social media algorithms, we are much less likely to be exposed to different viewpoints and opinions. The algorithms know what we 'want' to see and try to sell things to us. It is a huge concern. The Social Dilemma was very eye opening and made me realize how big of a problem it has become. Your post is very detailed and has some great points. Thanks for sharing.

Big Data and Algorithms

Being a social media user and consumer, I have always been aware about what to post and to not come across a certain way. That was usually my only concern.

After watching the lecture and Netflix documentary, it has further developed my understanding of the impact big data has on society. In the world today there is a serious problem within the tech industry. There are plenty of ways to get information across. Do we trust this information? I now reflect on what I have taken in over the years. Especially nowadays. At first, there wasn't really a problem on the social media I was using at a younger age. It was always users posting about their own life, what they were doing at a certain moment, or just a random meme. Now, there are accounts for information on whatever you can think of. It is actually funny how many times I scroll through my feed and see an account post about a "serious topic", and they always claim to be unbiased, and just reporting on what has happened. Why would we trust anything we see? I do not see any credibility in the accounts sharing information. That was my first big realization from this documentary.

"They are competing for your attention" is a statement that has changed my perception on what social media is doing. They are using us for business. They will be successful as long as we are engaging in their apps and services more than the next. The algorithms will track where we go online and cater to what the individuals find more attractive to change their strategy. Everything that I do online within these services is being monitored. That is just wrong, and the more I watched this documentary, the more uneasy it made me feel. In the video, they talk about how "online connection becomes primary." It is a separate world that is taking over the person we are in real life. The algorithms spewing ads at us and showing similar user posts based on the data that has been collected has become the endless cycle of being hooked by social media. I have realized that our personalities are being changed by the actions taken within these companies. It takes us away from the things we really care about. From distraction to distraction, these companies are relentless. From home, to school, to work, it follows us hoping to steal our time and attention.

I believe that now, this is abuse. Stealing information and ruining our minds, our own psychology, to make us think and act how those companies want. It is more than just to be engaged and connected with friends.

[ema-lynch]

Hi Dan, I totally agree with you. Big data and algorithms are powerful tools but can also be dangerous. Users often no longer pick what we want to see, but advertisements actually seek to find us to sell us products and services that we may be 'interested' in. The content and advertisements that are show can also be very addicting. Algorithms only show us what we want to see, and it can be challenging to look away. Their goal is to keep us on the app and show us products they want to 'sell' to us. It's very interesting and concerning to read about. I agree that algorithms create controversial content that can cause conflict between users. Interesting point. Thanks for sharing!

Week 3 Blog - Social Dilemma

   The Social Dilemma documentary really opened my eyes to the issue we face when it comes to big data and algorithms. From a business stand point it great because it forces people to get extreme amount of exposure. As a consumer it is dangerous because you cant get away from being drawn into buying things that you want but maybe do not need. 

Also, I think these algorithms are dangerous when it comes to the views of individuals. I think this was a big issue that came clear to me during the pandemic. For example on social media it seems that the algorithms creates controversial content that makes people argue on platforms. I think this is one of the main reasons our country has grown to come so divided. 

My personal opinion is that Elon Musk buying twitter was a move that shed light on the issues that social media has created. I hope in the future there is something done to fix the way big data and algorithms are used. 

[ema-lynch]

The Social Dilemma

The Social Dilemma focuses on how large social media companies manipulate users by using algorithms that encourage addictions to their platforms. It shows how social media platforms store our personal information to target users with advertisements. These algorithms also limit and narrow the content we see everyday.

Big data and algorithms are powerful tools, but often have dangers of their use. Social media relies heavily on peoples behavior to decide what we see. Social media tracks what content you look at, how long you look at it, likes, reposts, shares, and more. Social media stores this personal data, and will specifically show you adds that it knows you're interested in. Now, social media algorithms are manipulating what we see. Users no longer pick out the information we see, but advertisements actually seek to find us on our different platforms. This means that users are receiving information thats extremely limited, narrow, and biased. With social media algorithms, we are much less likely to be exposed to different viewpoints and opinions. The algorithms know what others want us to see and try to sell to us. Basically, we aren't reading what we want to read, but what the algorithms want us to see. In addition to limiting and narrowing our viewpoints, these advertisements become addicting. When platforms only show us topics we "like", it can be challenging to look away. Their goal is to keep you on the app, limit want you see, and only show us what they want to sell us. It's very interesting to read about, and it makes me concerned for the future.

These algorithms have become dangerous, but there are a few ways we can deal with these problems. First, I think being aware is a huge step. Educating yourself on algorithms can help individuals be aware of the dangers and abuse that come with them. Another solution would be to limit our time on social media. Social media use has continually increased over the last decade, so limiting your use and exposure can help to avoid these biased advertisements. Lastly, exploring other viewpoints is important. Algorithms now limit and narrow the content and viewpoints we see online and often only show us what we 'want' to see. By broadening our searches and being aware of this, it can prevent the dangers of these algorithms.

Overall, The Social Dilemma was very interesting and eye opening. I even did my own research on algorithms after watching the documentary. I enjoyed watching and learning more about the social dilemma we are facing today.