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algorithms with
Marianna
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More algorithms with Marianna
BONUS VIDEOS Choose a question:
How can we manage social media algorithms?
In this exclusive bonus content, Marianna Spring explains the positive changes you can make to ensure social media algorithms work for you. To get started, pick a question from the list and hit play.
How can parents help young people on social media?
Social media 'detox': challenges and benefits?
Now, let's talk about the Bigger Picture!
Ready to understand what makes us tick?
Are there alternatives to the main platforms?
Explore psychology, social psychology, and English language and linguistics with The Open University.
Find out what Dr Caroline Tagg, Senior Lecturer in Applied Linguistics and consultant on Inside the Rage Machine, has to say on how society, not just individuals, can respond to the power of algorithms.
How have people successfully pushed back?
What strategies have worked (or not) for you personally?
Go
Ask an academic: effecting real social change
Click on the first question to get started...
Dr Caroline Tagg, Senior Lecturer in Applied Linguistics, The Open University, UK
1) Why isn’t changing our own online habits enough to create real change?
2) What does collective action look like in the digital world?
3) Who actually has the power to change how algorithms work?
4) How can we create a healthy society away from social media?
Who actually has the power to change how algorithms work?
Social media companies won’t choose to go against their financial interests by adjusting their algorithms. Governments need to work with tech leaders to legislate change that works towards a better version of the internet.In the UK, for example, policies such as the Online Safety Act 2023 and government guidance on banning mobile phones in schools, alongside expanding global cooperation such as the UN Convention against Cybercrime, reveal our political leaders’ awareness of the need to act. But a focus on bans and preventing harm only gets us so far.
Why isn’t changing our own online habits enough to create real change?
Individuals can effect real change, particularly over our own behaviour. We don’t have to scroll through mindless content. We could put our phones down and go outside. But relying on individuals to change their own online habits is not the only solution. It’s like local volunteers rallying around to clean up beaches after shipping container spills – it’s worth doing but it doesn’t tackle the bigger problem. Trying to change individual online habits can deflect blame from the social media companies who invest huge amounts of money and resources to keep us on their apps, and it stops us from collectively imagining a better future.
How can we create a healthy society away from social media?
People cannot simply be pushed off social media – they must be pulled towards something that they enjoy doing more than being on social media. Community groups, third-sector organisations and local councils can enhance local facilities and social activities for young and old alike, supported by governmental funding. The National Trust, for example, is working to widen access to the UK’s diverse cultural and natural heritage, including slow looking experiences with their art – promoted, of course, through their social media feeds. Social media is at its best when people use it to facilitate and enhance their offline lives, putting physical connections and spaces first. This is where we as individuals have a role to play – we can help to create a better digital world by using our phones to connect with others in our neighbourhoods and find local community initiatives.
What does collective action look like in the digital world?
What we need is a new, positive and inclusive vision of what social media and the internet can be. There are numerous examples of sites, apps and grassroots actions that challenge the dominance and ethos of social media – from the old-school forum Reddit and the open source social networking platform Mastodon, to neighbourhood WhatsApp groups and women-only ridesharing apps. Networks and charities such as the Electronic Frontier Alliance and the Good Things Foundation fight for a fairer digital future. But it is doubtful that such initiatives can seriously challenge the billionaire tech bros’ hold over the internet.
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MORE
algorithms with
Marianna
Go
More algorithms with Marianna
BONUS VIDEOS Choose a question:
How can we manage social media algorithms?
In this exclusive bonus content, Marianna Spring explains the positive changes you can make to ensure social media algorithms work for you. To get started, pick a question from the list and hit play.
How can parents help young people on social media?
Social media 'detox': challenges and benefits?
Now, let's talk about the Bigger Picture!
Ready to understand what makes us tick?
Are there alternatives to the main platforms?
Explore psychology, social psychology, and English language and linguistics with The Open University.
Find out what Dr Caroline Tagg, Senior Lecturer in Applied Linguistics and consultant on Inside the Rage Machine, has to say on how society, not just individuals, can respond to the power of algorithms.
How have people successfully pushed back?
What strategies have worked (or not) for you personally?
Go
Ask an academic: effecting real social change
Click on the first question to get started...
Dr Caroline Tagg, Senior Lecturer in Applied Linguistics, The Open University, UK
1) Why isn’t changing our own online habits enough to create real change?
2) What does collective action look like in the digital world?
3) Who actually has the power to change how algorithms work?
4) How can we create a healthy society away from social media?
Who actually has the power to change how algorithms work?
Social media companies won’t choose to go against their financial interests by adjusting their algorithms. Governments need to work with tech leaders to legislate change that works towards a better version of the internet.In the UK, for example, policies such as the Online Safety Act 2023 and government guidance on banning mobile phones in schools, alongside expanding global cooperation such as the UN Convention against Cybercrime, reveal our political leaders’ awareness of the need to act. But a focus on bans and preventing harm only gets us so far.
Why isn’t changing our own online habits enough to create real change?
Individuals can effect real change, particularly over our own behaviour. We don’t have to scroll through mindless content. We could put our phones down and go outside. But relying on individuals to change their own online habits is not the only solution. It’s like local volunteers rallying around to clean up beaches after shipping container spills – it’s worth doing but it doesn’t tackle the bigger problem. Trying to change individual online habits can deflect blame from the social media companies who invest huge amounts of money and resources to keep us on their apps, and it stops us from collectively imagining a better future.
How can we create a healthy society away from social media?
People cannot simply be pushed off social media – they must be pulled towards something that they enjoy doing more than being on social media. Community groups, third-sector organisations and local councils can enhance local facilities and social activities for young and old alike, supported by governmental funding. The National Trust, for example, is working to widen access to the UK’s diverse cultural and natural heritage, including slow looking experiences with their art – promoted, of course, through their social media feeds. Social media is at its best when people use it to facilitate and enhance their offline lives, putting physical connections and spaces first. This is where we as individuals have a role to play – we can help to create a better digital world by using our phones to connect with others in our neighbourhoods and find local community initiatives.
What does collective action look like in the digital world?
What we need is a new, positive and inclusive vision of what social media and the internet can be. There are numerous examples of sites, apps and grassroots actions that challenge the dominance and ethos of social media – from the old-school forum Reddit and the open source social networking platform Mastodon, to neighbourhood WhatsApp groups and women-only ridesharing apps. Networks and charities such as the Electronic Frontier Alliance and the Good Things Foundation fight for a fairer digital future. But it is doubtful that such initiatives can seriously challenge the billionaire tech bros’ hold over the internet.