UROP Project
The effect of private preferences on content distribution platforms
Social networks, content distribution, signaling games, micro economics, misinformation
Research Mentor: Marcos M. Vasconcelos,
Department, College, Affiliation: Electrical and Computer Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
Contact Email: m.vasconcelos@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: Electrical and Computer Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
Contact Email: m.vasconcelos@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Economics
Electrical Engineering
Marketing
Business
Industrial Engineering
Project Location: FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
Research Assistant Transportation Required: No, the project is remote Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 10 hours/week, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Not participating in the Roundtable
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Economics
Electrical Engineering
Marketing
Business
Industrial Engineering
Project Location: FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
Research Assistant Transportation Required: No, the project is remote Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 10 hours/week, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Not participating in the Roundtable
Project Description
Information dissemination is primarily controlled through platforms across their social media network structure. At the heart of this system is the platform itself, which has access to a vast array of heterogeneous content. On the periphery, individual users act as information consumers. It has become widely recognized that these platforms utilize a mechanism popularly known as "The Algorithm". The "Algorithm" selects the type of information to present to users, relying on a Model or an estimation of content preferences specific to each consumer. The user's objective is straightforward – to maximize utility – while the platform's aim is to enhance consumer engagement. The misalignment between the user's and platform's objectives results in intriguing behaviors that can be observed empirically. In this project the students will investigate how content distribution platform works, what engagement maximization means, and how the misalignment with the user's objective due to inaccurate private preferences estimates might lead to polarization and segregation in social networks.Research Tasks: Literature review
Mathematical modeling
Study social networks and how "The Algorithm" works
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Interest in mathematical modeling of social networks (strongly recommended)
Interest in Economics and Marketing (recommended)