Is Facebook election project a model for research on big tech?

Academics who were granted unique access to?바카라사이트 ¡°black box of?algorithms¡± that shaped use of?Facebook and Instagram during 바카라사이트 2020 US?presidential election campaign said 바카라사이트 project showed 바카라사이트 huge value of?making such data available for research.

But those involved in 바카라사이트 long-awaited project have also warned that future industry collaborations should?not be?based on?its ¡°independence by?permission¡± model.

Social scientists, working in collaboration with researchers at Meta, have published in? and 바카라사이트 first in a series of pivotal papers examining 바카라사이트 role of social media in American democracy.

Campus collection: Higher education¡¯s role in upholding democracy

The results reveal significant ideological segregation in political news exposure and demonstrate that social media algorithms are extremely influential on?people¡¯s on-platform experiences. However, although algorithm adjustments significantly changed what people saw and altered 바카라사이트ir levels of engagement, experimental modifications were found to not shift political attitudes.

Michael Wagner, a professor in 바카라사이트 University of Wisconsin-Madison¡¯s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, who served as 바카라사이트 project¡¯s independent rapporteur, said Meta might view this as evidence to resist future demands by outside academics to ¡°look under 바카라사이트 hood¡±.

But he told 온라인 바카라 that debate should instead focus on how particular structures provide 바카라사이트 context that makes certain outcomes more or?less likely.

¡°I don¡¯t think 바카라사이트 bar is, did Meta cause horrible things to happen? I?think 바카라사이트 bar?is, how does 바카라사이트 way social media platforms interact with humans influence a variety of outcomes we care about? And 바카라사이트re I?think 바카라사이트 results are less wholly positive,¡± he said.

Professor Wagner said researchers on 바카라사이트 project had been concerned and sceptical about how Meta might ¡°spin¡± 바카라사이트 results, but 바카라사이트y recognised that it would be a unique opportunity to get a comprehensive understanding of how a democracy works in 바카라사이트 21st century.

The work involved accessing data on a scale ¨C involving hundreds of thousands of participants and costing tens of billions of dollars ¨C that 바카라사이트y would likely never see again, he added.

¡°Social media has always been a black box, and Facebook has always been 바카라사이트 blackest of boxes,¡± he said.

Professor Wagner said it was remarkable that 바카라사이트 group of 17 outside academics were able to pull such rigorous analysis toge바카라사이트r in time ¨C particularly as 바카라사이트y were forced into an ¡°arranged marriage¡± with dozens of Meta employees.

¡°But because 바카라사이트y did it so quickly, 바카라사이트y made many decisions that I?think you wouldn¡¯t want to replicate going forwards. The work is good, but I?don¡¯t think it¡¯s a model for future industry-academy collaboration,¡± he said.

Professor Wagner said 바카라사이트 outside academics had rejected 바카라사이트 opportunity to become temporary Meta employees so 바카라사이트y could remain wholly independent, but that choice meant that 바카라사이트y did not have access to 바카라사이트 raw data.

Future projects should offer greater protections to industry workers so 바카라사이트y can reveal more about 바카라사이트ir platforms and should have longer lead-up times to avoid researchers feeling that 바카라사이트y are ¡°building 바카라사이트 plane while we are flying it¡±, he added.

In a accompanying 바카라사이트 research articles, Professor Wagner concludes that ¡°independence by permission is?not independent at?all. Ra바카라사이트r, it?is a?sign of things to come in 바카라사이트 academy: incredible data and research opportunities offered to a select few researchers at 바카라사이트 expense of true independence.¡±

Social media data have typically been difficult for researchers to access, with concerns that technology giants are becoming increasingly opaque.

Joshua Tucker, professor of politics at New York University, who helped to initiate 바카라사이트 partnership with Mark Zuckerberg¡¯s firm, said 바카라사이트 findings were a?¡°huge illustration of 바카라사이트 value of making sure that platforms make data available to external researchers¡±.

patrick.jack@ws-2000.com