Filter bubbles & conspiracy theories

Question 1

What is the algorithmic panic?

Answer 1

Algorithm selecting information: a crucial feature of our participation in public life; impact on public discourse - what’s ‘trending’, visible or not.

Question 2

What is micro targeting?

Answer 2

Focussing on a specific target group

Question 3

What are ‘dark posts’?

Answer 3

Are targeted ads on social media. Unlike boosted and organic posts, though, they don’t show up on your timeline. Also not in feeds of your followers. Instead they show up as sponsored content in the feeds of users you’re specifically targeting

Question 4

What are conspiracy theories?

Answer 4

• Intellectual constructs, modes of thinking to give the appearance of order to events
• A group through special means, powers, manipulations influencing the world, state of affairs

Question 5

What are conspiracy theorists

Answer 5

Claim to special knowledge; knowing ‘the truth’

Question 6

Why are there conspiracy theories?

Answer 6

Have migrated from the margins of society to the center ground of politics and public life and have become ubiquitous feature of contemporary political and popular culture

Question 7

What is a crisis actor?

Answer 7

People that pretend to be a victim (e.g. David Hogg)

Question 8

What is ‘new conspiracism’?

Answer 8

conspiracy without theory (‘ a lot of people are saying’?)

Question 9

What is playing the visibility game?

Answer 9

Conscious, instrumental interactions with algorithms - for (in)visibility