Internet

Fixing Social Media's Grand Bargain

Social media firms like Facebook offer services for free in exchange for data from end users, using the data to sell advertising. This bargain encourages social media firms and advertisers to manipulate users.

Acting the Part: Examining Information Operations Within #BlackLivesMatter Discourse

Governments and non-state actors use inauthentic social media accounts to manipulate public opinion. In 2016, Russia's Internet Research Agency joined discussions of the #BlackLivesMatter movement.

Age Discrimination by Platforms 

In future, older workers will constitute a larger proportion of the population. Many digital platforms hinder the efforts of older people to find employment.

Media as Data Extraction: Towards a New Map of a Transformed Communications Field

Increasingly, media narratives are associated with consumer data collection. Media is becoming more closely linked to economic transactions and structures.

Networked Press Freedom: Creating Infrastructures for a Public Right to Hear

Freedom of the press is defined mainly as journalistic freedom from constraints. Freedom of the press should be reconceived to include positive rights, such as the right of the public to hear.

Auctions versus Posted Prices in Online Markets

When eBay first became popular, most sellers listed goods for sale in an auction format. Over time, posted prices began to predominate. Sellers were influenced by two factors, growing competition between sellers, and buyers’ preference for the convenience of posted prices.

The Humans Working Behind the AI Curtain

Many online tasks are performed partly by artificial intelligence (AI) and partly by humans. Workers are hired on a temporary, “on demand” basis by firms such as Microsoft and Facebook to train algorithms or to assess questionable content.

The Ten Most Important Section 230 Rulings

Under Section 230 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, websites are not legally responsible for content posted on the site by others. A few cases suggest that immunity does not extend to sites that encourage unlawful content.

Understanding the Consumer Review Fairness Act of 2016

The Consumer Review Fairness Act of 2016 (CRFA) bars businesses from requiring their customers to agree not to post online reviews. These “anti-review” clauses prevented consumers from leaving feedback that would identify poorly run businesses.

Scholarly Publishing and its Discontents: An Economist’s Perspective on Dealing with Market Power and Its Consequences

Scholarly journals charge libraries high prices for access to academic articles. Activists protest such restrictions on access to knowledge. Some hoped that the Internet would improve access to academic publishing, but this effect is limited.