Personalization and its impact on the availability and reliability of information

The role of platforms in curating information

In this assignment you will post a mini-essay reflection, based on the questions below, that synthesizes your insights from the assigned readings and modules. Throughout the last two modules, we have been considering the impact of “personalization” on the availability and reliability of information, and how this impacts our ability to be informed and engaged citizens in a democracy. The module content and readings is designed to encourage students to consider the role that platforms are playing in curating the information that is presented to them, and over time, shaping their world view. For this assignment, students are asked to keep a log, over the course of a week, of all news stories or any other “educational” information that they encounter on their phone. This can include news stories recommended by friends on a Facebook feed, results that show up on a Google search, or any facts that are communicated to you online via your phone, tablet, or computer. With reference to the module material and assigned readings, reflect on what assumptions you believe that algorithms and social media platforms are making about what information you are most likely to be interested in. Are there certain types of ideas or themes that are recurring, and, by contrast, are there certain gaps in your knowledge that might occur if you were to use your phone as your dominant source of information? *No introduction and conclusion required * authorized readings provided are the only references to be used References to be used: • A networked public. In Twitter and teargas: The power and fragility of networked protest (pp. 3–27).The politics machine. In Anti-social media: How Facebook disconnects us and undermines democracy (pp. 147–174). Oxford University Press. • Noble, S. (2018). The future of knowledge in the public. in Algorithms of oppression: How search engines reinforce racism (pp. 134–152). New York University Press. The future of information culture. in Algorithms of oppression: How search engines reinforce racism (pp. 153–170). New York University Press. • Gillespie, T. (2018).How search engines reinforce racism