Subject Guides
Weapons of Math Destruction, Common Read 2022
This guide is intended to help faculty and students engage with the 2022 Common Read book, Weapons of Math Destruction.
Special thanks to Vicky Ludas Orlofsky and Courtney Walsh of Stevens Institute of Technology for the foundation for this guide.
Big Data, Civics, & Voting
Big Data, Civics, and Voting
“They can target microgroups of citizens for both votes and money and appeal to each of them with a meticulously honed message, one that no one else is likely to see. It might be a banner on Facebook or a fund-raising email. But each one allows candidates to quietly sell multiple versions of themselves -- and it’s anyone’s guess which version will show up for work after inauguration.” (pp. 187-188)
- A Lie Just for You in 2020Brennan Center
September, 2020
"Microtargeting may contribute to polarization as the algorithms in most social media platforms are designed to tell the viewer what she already wants to hear — confirming bias after bias." - We Must Democratize Algorithms to Protect the Future of Civic LifeKennedy School Review
March, 2018
"Is the future of civic life a foregone conclusion? Are we spiraling towards a dystopian future in which citizens become subjects of technology-powered control? The answer depends on how all citizens are empowered to exercise agency to shape the future of digital life." - The Search Engine Manipulation Effect (SEME) and its Possible Impact on the Outcomes of ElectionsProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
August, 2015
"Given that many elections are won by small margins, our results suggest that a search engine company has the power to influence the results of a substantial number of elections with impunity."
Facebook and its Many Issues
“[W]hat [Facebook’s social scientists] have demonstrated is Facebook’s enormous power to affect what we learn, how we feel, and whether we vote. Its platform is massive, powerful, and opaque. The algorithms are hidden from us, and we see only the results of the experiments researchers choose to publish.” (p. 184)
Cambridge Analytica scandal
- Why the Cambridge Analytica Scandal Is a Watershed Moment for Social MediaKnowledge @ Wharton (business school podcast)
March, 2018
Personality tests + app data tracking = massive personal data collection used to target voters.
Political News: Reach and Engagement
- Facebook Keeps Data Secret, Letting Conservative Bias Claims PersistNPR
October, 2020 - Inside Facebook’s Data WarsNew York Times
July, 2021
CrowdTangle is a Facebook tool to track reach and engagement data. Facebook had made that data available to journalists and researchers but recently decided to break up the tool's team internally and keep the data from public view. - How much political news do people see on Facebook? I went inside 173 people’s feeds to find out.NiemanLab (Nieman Foundation at Harvard blog)
November, 2020
This is not ok
- Why we need to care that tech companies are stealing our dataDaily Targum (Rutgers student newspaper)
April, 2021 - How Facebook let fake engagement distort global politics: a whistleblower's accountThe Guardian
April, 2021
- Last Updated: Jul 26, 2023 1:39 PM
- URL: https://libraryguides.binghamton.edu/wmd2022
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