W8 C6 – SOCIAL MEDIA
Essential readings (on moodle):
*** Carolin Gerlitz and Anne Helmond, ‘The like economy: Social buttons and the
data-intensive web’, new media & society 15(8) 1348-65 (2013)
*** John Lanchester, ‘You Are the Product’, London Review of Books, Vol 39 No.
16, pp 3-10 (2017)
Supporting readings (on moodle):
'Forget data: free labor is Facebook's lifeblood' (Mashable; link on moodle)
‘You don’t know it, but you’re working for Facebook. For free.’ (Washington Post;
link on moodle)
Further reading (on moodle):
Dallas W Smythe, ‘Communications: Blindspot of Western Marxism’, Canadian
Journal of Political and Social Theory, Vol 1, No. 3, pp 7-33 (1977)
Discussion Questions:
1. Are you working for Facebook?
Uploading a selfie to Facebook or commenting on posts means that Facebook can
target ads and boost profit.
“If you are not paying, you are the profit”.
Clicks, likes and posts keep content circulating, users scrolling, and data streaming
into algorithms used to serve ads. The platform crumbles when many people leave.
You generate data and produce content.
Facebook = advertising company; every bit of info you disclose is data advisers can
use to influence how and what you buy.
Data is a powerful tool for anyone who wants to shape your behaviour. Quality of the
data is very important.
Your job is to drive people to use the platform and keep them there. You create most
of what is on Facebook; posts, photos, live videos, stories, speeches, protests, police
shootings, events etc. You keep the site humming and vibrant.
This includes Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp.
Spending 35 minutes a day on one of these platforms means 26 8-hour days a year.
People use the app voluntarily, and most do not know the profits they make for FB.
Facebook makes money from the BASIC labours of life; our need to maintain
friendships, family ties, stay updated to news, and share beliefs of the world.
2. Do you own your social media data?
Should we care at this point? We use it everyday and they already have a lot of data.
Taking advantage of data without our permission.
Contractual law between you and Facebook.
Data Protection Act (GDPR): do we have ownership rights under that?
Copyright in your own posts means you do own the data.
Essential readings (on moodle):
*** Carolin Gerlitz and Anne Helmond, ‘The like economy: Social buttons and the
data-intensive web’, new media & society 15(8) 1348-65 (2013)
*** John Lanchester, ‘You Are the Product’, London Review of Books, Vol 39 No.
16, pp 3-10 (2017)
Supporting readings (on moodle):
'Forget data: free labor is Facebook's lifeblood' (Mashable; link on moodle)
‘You don’t know it, but you’re working for Facebook. For free.’ (Washington Post;
link on moodle)
Further reading (on moodle):
Dallas W Smythe, ‘Communications: Blindspot of Western Marxism’, Canadian
Journal of Political and Social Theory, Vol 1, No. 3, pp 7-33 (1977)
Discussion Questions:
1. Are you working for Facebook?
Uploading a selfie to Facebook or commenting on posts means that Facebook can
target ads and boost profit.
“If you are not paying, you are the profit”.
Clicks, likes and posts keep content circulating, users scrolling, and data streaming
into algorithms used to serve ads. The platform crumbles when many people leave.
You generate data and produce content.
Facebook = advertising company; every bit of info you disclose is data advisers can
use to influence how and what you buy.
Data is a powerful tool for anyone who wants to shape your behaviour. Quality of the
data is very important.
Your job is to drive people to use the platform and keep them there. You create most
of what is on Facebook; posts, photos, live videos, stories, speeches, protests, police
shootings, events etc. You keep the site humming and vibrant.
This includes Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp.
Spending 35 minutes a day on one of these platforms means 26 8-hour days a year.
People use the app voluntarily, and most do not know the profits they make for FB.
Facebook makes money from the BASIC labours of life; our need to maintain
friendships, family ties, stay updated to news, and share beliefs of the world.
2. Do you own your social media data?
Should we care at this point? We use it everyday and they already have a lot of data.
Taking advantage of data without our permission.
Contractual law between you and Facebook.
Data Protection Act (GDPR): do we have ownership rights under that?
Copyright in your own posts means you do own the data.
