[Air-L] Facebook needs to open up its data to impartial, outside researchers

[Andrew Herman]

This article from the NY Times shows that the there is a struggle within Facebook itself concerning the so-called "Filter Bubble" effect of the platforms algorithms and newsfeeds that may have affected the election.  This does not at all obviate the need for FB to open up its data nor does it address Robert Gehl's compelling argument that it might be best if we just stopped feeding the beast of our selves, sociality, labor, and value.  But it does highlight the fact that FB is not a black box and that the organizational corporate culture of FB is an important and woefully under analyzed factor in this issue.

Andrew Herman

The article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/14/technology/facebook-is-said-to-question-its-influence-in-election.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=b-lede-package-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0


________________________________________
From: Air-L <air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org> on behalf of Luis E. Hestres <luis.hestres at utsa.edu>
Sent: Saturday, November 12, 2016 12:21 PM
To: air-l at listserv.aoir.org; Jeff Pooley
Subject: Re: [Air-L] Facebook needs to open up its data to impartial, outside researchers

I strongly agree with Jeff. Facebook and similar social media services have so far escaped a level of scrutiny and regulation commensurate with their influence in (at least American) society. A system through which independent researchers can obtain data samples (with all the necessary privacy protections) from these services is the very least we need as part of a comprehensive regulatory agenda. I think such an agenda should include privacy protections, provisions related to stalking/cyberbullying, competitiveness protections, free speech protections, and other related issues. With the Democratic Party in turmoil after the election, there may be space to put such an agenda into its platform.


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Dr. Luis E. Hestres
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On November 12, 2016 at 10:27:26 AM, Jeff Pooley (pooley at muhlenberg.edu) wrote:

Facebook needs to open up its data to impartial, outside researchers: the future of democracy in the U.S. may hang in the balance:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2016/11/11/we_can_t_know_whether_facebook_is_to_blame_for_trump_s_win.html


---------

Jeff Pooley, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Media & Communication
Muhlenberg College
2400 Chew St., Allentown, PA 18104
484-664-3677
jeffpooley.com
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