“Social media had changed not just the message, but the dynamics of conflict. How information was being accessed, manipulated, and spread had taken on new power. Who was involved in the fight, where they were located, and even how they achieved victory had been twisted and transformed. Indeed, if what was online could swing the course of a battle — or eliminate the need for battle entirely — what, exactly, could be considered ‘war’ at all?“
Even American gang members are entering the fray as super-empowered individuals, leveraging social media to instigate killing s via “Facebook drilling” in Chicago or “wallbanging” in Los Angeles.
An analysis shows that information flow between individuals in a social network can be ‘gerrymandered’ to skew perceptions of how others in the community will vote — which can alter the outcomes of elections.
The Internet has erased geographical barriers and allowed people across the globe to interact in real time around their common interests. But social media is starting to compete with, or even replace, nationally visible conversations in print and on broadcast media with ad libitum, personalized discourse on virtual social networks3. Instead of broadening their spheres of association, people gravitate towards interactions with ideologically aligned content and similarly minded individuals.
n information gerrymandering, the way in which voters are concentrated into districts is not what matters; rather, it is the way in which the connections between them are arranged (Fig. 1). Nevertheless, like geographical gerrymandering, information gerrymandering threatens ideas about proportional representation in a democracy.
Figure 1 | Social-network structure affects voters’ perceptions. In these social networks, ten individuals favour orange and eight favour blue. Each individual has four reciprocal social connections. a, In this random network, eight individuals correctly infer from their contacts’ preferences that orange is more popular, eight infer a draw and only two incorrectly infer that blue is more popular. b, When individuals largely interact with like-minded individuals, filter bubbles arise in which all individuals believe that their party is the most popular. Voting gridlock is more likely in such situations, because no one recognizes a need to compromise. c, Stewart et al.1 describe ‘information gerrymandering’, in which the network structure skews voters’ perceptions about others’ preferences. Here, two-thirds of voters mistakenly infer that blue is more popular. This is because blue proponents strategically influence a small number of orange-preferring individuals, whereas orange proponents squander their influence on like-minded individuals who have exclusively orane-preferring contacts, or on blue-preferring individuals who have enough blue-preferring contacts to remain unswayed.
Higher education institutions are experiencing radical change, driven by greater accountability, stronger competition, and increased internationalization. They prioritize student success, competitive research, and global reputation. This has significant implications for library strategy, space, structures, partnerships, and identity. Strategic responses include refocusing from collections to users, reorganizing teams and roles, developing partnerships, and demonstrating value. Emphasis on student success and researcher productivity has generated learning commons buildings, converged service models, research data management services, digital scholarship engagement, and rebranding as partners. Repositioning is challenging, with the library no longer perceived as the heart of the campus but institutional leadership often holding traditional perceptions of its role.
In 2014, there were 1 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs globally. By 2021, it’s estimated that number will grow to 3.5 million. Exposing K-12 students to cybersecurity through a well-designed curriculum and set of activities will help alleviate the shortage by increasing the interest and skills of the new generation. Unfortunately, current secondary school curricula across the country leave students and educators with minimal or no exposure to cybersecurity topics.
Many K-12 school districts are looking for ways to create cybersecurity training programs. This edWebinar will focus on best practices for teaching and learning cybersecurity skills, including the following learning objectives:
What skills does the instructor need to teach an introductory cybersecurity course?
What are some best practices for teaching an introductory cybersecurity course?
Where can instructors get help teaching their courses?
What tools/resources do students and instructors need to teach an introductory cybersecurity course?
This edWebinar will be of interest to middle school through higher education teachers and school and district leaders. There will be time to have your questions answered at the end of the presentation. Learn more.
Managing Relationships with Partners in Non-Traditional Badge Development
Live Webcast:October 28, 2019 | 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Eastern Webcast Recording: Available 10 business days after the Live Webcast
$450.00
Non-traditional badges represent a growing market full of opportunity. However, you may not be pursuing badges of this type, because you’re not sure how to work with industry partners in development and management. Don’t let that stop you!
Join us for this webcast to learn tips on how to engage with industry partners for non-traditional badge development. We will profile a typical relationship with industry partners and share common pitfalls to avoid.
Michael P. Macklin
Associate Provost for Workforce Partnerships/Development, Colorado Community College System
Michael’s primary focuses are workforce development, noncredit programming, and business partnership development. Through Mr. Macklin’s work with digital badges, he is leveraging the power of digital credential opportunities in advanced manufacturing, healthcare and information technology. He understands that digital badges are key in sustaining and expanding workforce skillsets with community and business partners as this allows for unprecedented access to affordable reskilling and upskilling opportunities. Read Michael’s full bio here.
Even American gang members are entering the fray as super-empowered individuals, leveraging social media to instigate killing s via “Facebook drilling” in Chicago or “wallbanging” in Los Angeles.
