The psychology of social media

Competency

Analyze the evolution of social media standards and practices and how it relates to the potential need for regulation of social media, along with ethical concerns.

Instructions

Many people get all or most of their news from social media. For this project, we are going to be analyzing the content of several social media sites from major news sources, paying particular attention to social media standards, practices, and regulation.

Where do you get your news? Start by going to one major news site’s FACEBOOK page (CNN, MSNBC, FOX, etc.) Try another different news site’s TWITTER feed, and third choose another social media site such as Reddit, Pinterest, or another (preferably one you use, if there is one).

Analyze the sites in a 3-5 page total paper. In your analysis, be sure to include the following:

Analyze the sites in a 3-5 page total paper. In your analysis, be sure to include the following:

• General introduction to your thoughts on the social media you studied
• Several social media practices you observed (e.g., what gets the most interaction?)
• Examples of regulation of social media and discussion of such regulation (Is it good, bad, or indifferent? How could circumstances change the situation?)
• Analysis of ethical concerns (e.g., can you see examples of bias?)
• What is the culture of each site – how do users seem to respond to questionable items? (Is racism or open mocking ignored or pursued?)
• Conclusion of your findings