Decoding the social world : data science and the unintended consequences of communication / Sandra González-Bailón.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

González-Bailón, Sandra, 1977- author.

Series:

Information policy series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Digital communications.

Digital media.

Social problems.

Problem solving.

Physical Description:

xxiv, 231 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, MA : MIT Press, 2017.

Contents:

1 Introduction: Decoding the Social World 1

1.1 Communication and Its Metaphors 2

1.2 The Social Cryptogram 5

1.3 Vast National Barometers 8

1.4 The Unpredictability of Social Life 12

1.5 Reasons and Passions 15

1.6 Book Outlook 18

2 Old Puzzles, New Evidence 23

2.1 The Law of Unintended Consequences 25

2.2 Self-Fulfilling and Self-Defeating Prophecies 31

2.3 Cumulative Effects 35

2.4 The Power of Communication 41

2.5 Why Focus on the Unintended? 43

3 The Effervescence of Collective Behavior 45

3.1 The Nature of Social Facts 48

3.2 The Rhythms of Communication 53

3.3 The Dynamics of Collective Attention 56

3.4 Unpacking Collective Effervescence 59

3.5 Collective Behavior Rehashed 65

4 The Social Logic of Influence 71

4.1 The Contagion Metaphor 74

4.2 Milling, Herding, and Wildfires 81

4.3 Exposure and Reference Groups 86

4.4 The Double Edge of Contagion 95

4.5 The Unpredictable Paths of Influence 97

5 Networks and Social Distance 99

5.1 Network Chains 102

5.2 Structure and Navigation 106

5.3 Components, Communities, and Cores 109

5.4 Dynamics and Layered Connectivity 115

5.5 Network Interventions 118

5.6 Hidden Architectures 123

6 Communication in Space 125

6.1 Collective Maps 127

6.2 Redefining Boundaries 131

6.3 Selection Bias and Digital Gaps 138

6.4 Cities as Laboratories 141

6.5 Measurement and Representation 144

7 Designing Policy and Action 147

7.1 Crowdsourced Problem Solving 151

7.2 Algorithms and Decision Making 157

7.3 The Two Sides of Privacy 162

7.4 New Forms of Activism 166

7.5 Networked Governance 169

8 Conclusions: Questions for Now and the Future 171

8.1 Which Form of Critical? 172

8.2 Unintended Effects or Collateral Damage? 174

8.3 What to Archive and Retrieve? 176

8.4 How to Control Networks? 177

8.5 When Is the Code Cracked? 179.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780262037075

0262037076

OCLC:

978286352