Would We Be Better Off If We Didn’t Rely On 1 Social Network?
Article link: https://www.npr.org/2018/05/01/607321023/would-we-be-better-off-if-we-didnt-rely-on-1-social-network This article is a conversation between NPR interviewer Laurel Wamsley and technology experts Cathy O’Neil and Ethan Zuckerman wherein they discuss what an alternative to Facebook might look like. Wamsley begins the interview by acknowledging the power that Facebook has over its users due to its monopoly status. Wamsley herself is […]
Combining K-Factor Viral Marketing with Local Cascade Models
Sources: https://www.forentrepreneurs.com/lessons-learnt-viral-marketing/ and https://www.forentrepreneurs.com/the-science-behind-viral-marketing/ The basics of viral marketing is a simple exponential function (discounting retention rates): the number of customers at any given time is a function of the initial user pool multiplied by a K (viral) factor raised to how many time cycles has passed. What this implies is that for a […]
High Density, Low Epidemic Rate – An Ant’s Approach to Survival
Link: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/11/181123135020.htm In class, we took a look at a way to model the spread of diseases based on (1) contact between an infected individual and a non-infected individual and (2) the probability of transmitting the infection across that contact. We furthered our model by taking a look at the three states of life in […]
Information Cascades Shed Light on Injustices
While this is not necessarily a recent article, I find that it is one that is nonetheless pertinent. In particular, this Financial Times piece from 2017 chronicles the idea that the digital age allows for widespread information cascades, in this instance, specific to disseminating counts of sexual harassment. In the past, women often chose […]
Social Contagion of False Memories
We know fake news makes a significant impact on how we perceive the world, but we often implicitly understand its effect to be short term or a residual artifact of a sensationalized topic of discussion. This article in conversation with Roddy Roediger, famed psychologist, makes the case of how fake news and consequent information cascades […]
The challenge of detecting fake content
https://www.livemint.com/Opinion/rbLvtJE51jwOqE1nyayW8L/Opinion–The-challenge-of-detecting-fake-content.html In this article, “Opinion: The challenge of detecting fake content,” Rahul Matthan explores some of the issues that have been emerging with the modern development of technology and information exchange. Matthan first describes the recent changes in the way information is exchanged and shared. Nowadays, we cannot only obtain information but produce information […]
Information Cascades and the Spreading of Misinformation
Perhaps one of the most applicable course topics is that of information cascades. It is a phenomenon that is easily visible in everyday life and has very big implications. Albeit a somewhat silly example, the attached article is a good example of what happens when information cascades propagate incorrect information. In short, the article discusses […]
Information Cascades and the US Trade War on China
https://thediplomat.com/2018/08/why-the-us-trade-war-on-china-is-doomed-to-fail/ The trade conflict between the US and China is predicted to cause an economic decline in China, but this article debunks this notion with testimony from economists who believe that it isn’t so easily predictable. Information is crucial in shaping the decisions of economic stakeholders, so information influences the entire economy. The article claims […]
Fire ant colonies could inspire robot swarms
Fire ants can form structures by climbing onto each other en masse. Despite being individually simple, in a swarm they show complex behaviors through their coordination. Researchers observed that ants that are supporting larger loads move faster and shift their legs to lessen the load they must bear. This gives rise to an emergent property […]
Reverse Network Effects and How to Prevent It
Source: https://www.wired.com/insights/2014/03/reverse-network-effects-todays-social-networks-can-fail-grow-larger/ Since we live in a technology-driven world where social media platforms are pervasive, many may be inclined to think that the larger the social network, the more beneficial it is. However, they forget to take into account one caveat: once the network reaches a certain scale, it grows too large to be useful and […]
« go back — keep looking »