Twitter Blue Verification and Network Effects
Last week, in line with Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk, the social networking platform released a new subscription service. As reported by NPR, this service would display a “verified” checkmark next to the usernames of subscribers. This verified checkmark was previously granted only to prominent figures and personalities, as a way to distinguish themselves from […]
Structural Balance Theory in Ancient Chinese War Periods
https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/short-reads/article/3150628/aukus-alliance-what-ancient-chinas-warring https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Red_Cliffs Structural Balance Theory can be used in many kinds of relationships. Relationships between countries can be analyzed using the theory. The first source is about the Warring States period in ancient China (475–221BC). In that period, seven major states were fighting with each other. The article gives a rough description of the relationship […]
Bayes’ Theorem to determine the confidence of disease testing
In lecture we discussed the applications of Bayes’ Theorem as a statistical tool which could be applied to derive invaluable predictions about the real world. A topic which was and will be a relevant subject for us is the application of Bayes’ Theorem in the medical field. Specifically, how Bayes’ Theorem can be applied to […]
The role of information signals in determining crowdfunding outcomes
Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform where new entrepreneurs can get funding for a variety of different projects that they put up on the platform. In return, the entrepreneurs promise to deliver their product or service to the backers of the project. Kickstarter is just one example of a crowdfunding platform; there are others like Indiegogo. […]
Information cascades, clusters, and Wechat
Since its release in China in 2011, Wechat has dominated the instant messaging/social media market in China. Not only that, with the introduction of features such as mini-programs, short video content, Wechat work, and Wechat pay, Wechat has infiltrated every aspect of the lives of every active member of society in China. Its market domination […]
Bayes’ Theorem for Medical Tests
In this article, the author introduces how Bayes’s theorem is applied to medical tests. Bayes’ theory is one of the most applied formulae in science. It describes the likelihood of an event, based on prior knowledge of conditions that might be related to the event. Around 1740 Bayes performed a thought experiment: he imagined putting […]
Analysis of the Correlation between Physical Activity and Specific Areas using Strava’s Heatmap Feature
Strava is an American internet service for tracking physical exercise which incorporates social network features. It is mostly used for cycling and running using Global Positioning System data. Being a runner and an avid Strava user, I have always wondered why certain runners and cyclists choose the same or similar routes as others and why […]
Information Cascade as Cognitive Bias
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-bandwagon-effect-2795895 This article gives good examples of information cascade or the Bandwagon Effect, in term of Psychology, that appear in our society nowadays and lists some influential factors of it. Most of the effects are not harmful, like fashion trends and pop culture. However, in some cases, information cascade could lead to dangerous result. For […]
Modern-Day Crypto Bank Run
We’ve all seen the historic photos of bank runs during the Great Depression. Expecting the banking system to fail, crowds of people piled into banks across the US to withdraw their deposits before the banks became insolvent. As more people began withdrawing their money, others followed suit. This feedback loop culminated in the failure of […]
A Note On Social Networks and Network Structure
I found Stanford Organizational Behaviors professor Jefferey Pfeffer’s “Note on Social Networks and Network Structure” to be a great supplemental document to some of the concepts outlined in this class, as it outlines how social networks can benefit from the patterns of brokerage and structural holes within a network. The article’s first major point […]
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