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Author
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Kayla Dunn
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Year
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2024
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Publisher
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Potomac Institute for Policy Studies
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Abstract
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It is now well understood that social media platforms collect data about their users. The platforms gather this data
to push content that supports targeted advertisements.
This business model incentivizes platforms to maximize
user engagement and disseminate content that negatively
impacts society. Notably, misinformation, disinformation,
and mal-information demonstrably generate higher levels
of engagement.
Platforms claim they collect user data to personalize and
improve the user experience. For example, TikTok and Meta
platforms utilize data to craft their “For You Page” and
“Recommended Posts,” respectively. However, this language
obscures other motivations for user data collection, including targeted advertising. Today, no one doubts that these
platforms collect user data, but the extent and purpose of
this collection are often overlooked.
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Language
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English