Topic 7: Power and Trust Flashcards
(27 cards)
Power as Action
The ability to directly control and produce intended effects
Power as Influence
A relational capacity enabling an individual to asymmetrically influence (i.e. one actor has more control than the other) another’s decisions to benefit interests and values
Measuring Power
- As Connection: Based on network characteristics such as centrality measures
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As Propagation: Ability to effectively spread content measured in two ways
1. URIs: Trace a URI through social media and identify origin
2. Concepts: Trace ideas and identify what is adopted and what is lost - As Interaction: Who engages the most with others through replies, messages, sharing, etc.
Homophily
The tendency of individuals to form relationships with others who are similar to them
Status Homophily
Association with those who share socioeconomic characteristics like gender, age, social class
Value Homophily
Association with those who share beliefs, attitudes, and values
Global Village
The phenomenon of the world becoming more interconnected
Cyberbalkanization
The fragmentation of online spaces into isolated groups of common interest where people only engage with information and opinions that reinforce existing beliefs
Slacktivism
Low-effort feel-good actions taken to support a cause that lack meaningful real-world impact
Social Media’s role in Activism
Social media is not necessarily a driving force for activism but it can support it i.e. it is a catalyst:
- Recruitment Tool
- Sharing News
- Requesting Resources
- Instant Communication
However, it can negatively impact activists through floods of non-impactful slacktivist posts
Micro-segmentation
The division of a large audience into small, highly specific groups based on detailed characteristics to target with specific advertisement messages. Used in elections
Trust
The intention to accept vulnerability based on positive expectations of the intensions or behaviour of another
Risk
The perceived probability of loss
Interdependence
The interests of one party are not achievable without reliance on another
Interpersonal Trust
The trust one person has in another’s reliability, integrity and intentions
Policy-based Trust
Use a trusted 3rd party to verify authenticity in a method that follows security protocols
Provenance-based Trust
Use the source and past behaviour to determine reliability e.g. past owners of a car
Reputation-based Trust
Trust based on personal experience of the experiences of others
Reputation-based Trust: Global Trust
The whole network is used to calculate a single trust value for each node
Reputation-based Trust: Local Trust
The trust held from the perspective of a particular person
Filter Bubbles
Formed when algorithms designed to please users learn from user behaviour to show users content that align with their existing beliefs
Echo chamber
Non-algorithmic reinforcement of existing beliefs causing normalisation of extreme views caused by the structure of the network i.e. who you are connected to
Fake news
Articles designed to propagate in an environment of filter bubbles, echo chambers, and homophily for monetary or political gains
The Backfire Effect
A phenomenon where presenting someone with information that contradicts their beliefs can actually strengthen their original views rather than changing them due to
- Resistance to change
- Emotional response
Well-intentioned attempts to introduce people to opposing political views on social media might not only be ineffective but counter productive, especially if attempted by left-wing users
