Workshop: Strategies of Facebook’s data processing factory

by Lucia Dossin and Lídia Pereira

Topic modeling, algorithmic clustering and profiling are common practices of social networks. Users are characterized by, for instance, inferring psychological traits though Facebook Likes. This analysis is then used to target advertising and steer user behavior. Recently, this practice has caused public outrage when it appeared Facebook’s ad profiling can be used to discriminateagainst women and people of colour. But this practice is not just common with Facebook, it is used by the majority of social networks we use.

Through the workshop, we aim to illustrate/reveal the processes embedded within the algorithmic processing of the data we input into Facebook and similar social networks, showing, through play, the very real socioeconomic consequences this has on everyday life for real individuals.

Want to participate? Send an e-mail to gerwin (at) dataschool (dot) nl