Social media

High school (ages 12+)
People & Society

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/social-media

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the core functionality?Facilitates user-generated content, profile creation, and network building
2. What is the historical precedent?Early forms include 1970s Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) and 1990s Six Degrees.com
3. How did social media start?It began with early computer networks like ARPANET, then Bulletin Board Systems in the 1970s, and grew with the web in the 1990s and 2000s with sites like Friendster, MySpace, and Facebook.
4. Why do social media platforms show me certain posts?Algorithms look at what I like, share, or comment on and use that data to show me more posts that seem interesting to me.

User-Generated Content: Content created and shared by users, rather than by the platform itself.
Algorithm: A complex set of rules and calculations used by platforms to determine content visibility and user experience.
Filter Bubble/Echo Chamber: A state where a user is only exposed to information that confirms their existing beliefs.
Democratization of Information: The idea that information can be accessed and shared by anyone, breaking down traditional gatekeepers.