This study examines racial and ethnic biases in the targeting of ads on Facebook’s advertising platform in January 2020 and January 2021, before and after a major July 2020 boycott of Facebook by advertisers over issues of misinformation and civil rights. In 2021, Facebook’s new “African-American Culture” ad targeting option contained 75% fewer White users […]
By Jinyan ZangThe network of websites that pose as local news outlets but aren’t has grown exponentially in the run up to next year’s midterm elections. Who funds the sites, and how can we track them? And why are they called “pink slime”? On this week’s Kicker, Priyanjana Bengani, a senior research fellow at Columbia Journalism School’s Tow […]
By Amanda DarrachYouTube’s recommendation algorithm pushes users into ideological filter bubbles that are stronger for viewers of right-wing content, according to new research by the Tech Transparency Project (TTP) that highlights how the platform drives political polarization. Over hundreds of clicks and views, TTP researchers found that the YouTube algorithm creates a feedback loop for users who […]
By Tech Transparency ProjectIn some rural Illinois ZIP codes, only one in five people have gotten the COVID-19 vaccine. A lack of correct information seems to play a major role. A team at the University of Illinois is investigating how misinformation about COVID-19 spreads in rural areas of the state. U of I journalism professor Nikki Usher leads the team. […]
By Emily HayesOn Feb. 4, 2019, a Facebook researcher created a new user account to see what it was like to experience the social media site as a person living in Kerala, India. For the next three weeks, the account operated by a simple rule: Follow all the recommendations generated by Facebook’s algorithms to join groups, watch […]
By Sheera Frenkel and Davey AlbaThe powerful conservative youth group Turning Point USA, which has forged strong ties to Donald Trump and his son Don Trump Jr, has raised tens of millions of dollars from super rich donors and secret backers while pushing disinformation about Joe Biden’s win in 2020, Covid-19 vaccines and other extremist and rightwing issues. The group […]
By Peter Stone
October 29, 2021