Social Media Law, Ethics and Society

1. What is "social media addiction" and how do platforms design for it?

• A. Using social media regularly
• B. Compulsive use of social media driven by platform features (infinite scroll, notifications, likes) exploiting dopamine reward systems ✓
• C. A type of content consumption
• D. A marketing technique

💡 Platforms use persuasive design (variable reward notifications, infinite scroll, like counts) deliberately exploiting dopamine loops to maximize engagement and time-on-platform.

2. What is "filter bubble" effect on social media?

• A. A content filtering feature
• B. The phenomenon where algorithms show users increasingly similar content, narrowing exposure to diverse viewpoints ✓
• C. A privacy protection feature
• D. A type of content moderation

💡 Filter bubbles occur when algorithms personalize content so heavily that users only encounter views aligning with their existing beliefs, reducing exposure to opposing perspectives.

3. What is "digital redlining" in social media?

• A. A type of content boundary
• B. Algorithmic discrimination systematically showing different content or ad opportunities to users based on race or socioeconomic status ✓
• C. A geographic content filter
• D. A privacy protection technique

💡 Digital redlining occurs when algorithms discriminate based on protected characteristics — showing less opportunity in ads or content to marginalized groups.

4. What is "platform deplatforming" and the debate around it?

• A. Technical platform issues
• B. Permanently banning individuals or organizations from a platform — debated as censorship vs necessary moderation ✓
• C. A type of account suspension
• D. A competition regulation

💡 Deplatforming bans high-profile users — debated between free speech advocates (censorship concern) and safety advocates (harmful content removal).

5. What is "echo chamber" in social media?

• A. A type of audio content
• B. An environment where users only encounter opinions and information reinforcing their existing views ✓
• C. A feature of voice platforms
• D. A community type

💡 Echo chambers amplify existing beliefs through selective exposure — users follow similar accounts and algorithms reinforce existing preferences, polarizing discourse.

6. What is "GDPR" and how does it affect social media platforms?

• A. A social media guideline
• B. EU regulation requiring platforms to obtain explicit consent for data collection and giving users data rights ✓
• C. A content moderation policy
• D. A cybersecurity standard

💡 GDPR requires platforms operating in the EU to have lawful bases for processing data, provide transparency, enable data deletion, and impose heavy fines for violations.

7. What is "algorithmic accountability"?

• A. Algorithms being accurate
• B. The principle that social media companies should be transparent and accountable for how their algorithms affect society ✓
• C. A type of content moderation
• D. A regulatory requirement only

💡 Algorithmic accountability demands that platforms explain, audit, and take responsibility for how their content ranking algorithms shape public discourse and behavior.

8. What is "verification crisis" on social media platforms?

• A. Server verification issues
• B. The erosion of trust as paid verification systems and fake accounts make it harder to identify authentic, credible sources ✓
• C. A technical authentication problem
• D. A cybersecurity issue

💡 The verification crisis sees paid checkmarks (X Premium) and sophisticated fake accounts undermining trust, making it increasingly difficult to identify genuine authoritative sources.

9. What is "FTC disclosure" required for influencers?

• A. A tax requirement
• B. Mandatory disclosure of paid partnerships or gifts to followers in sponsored content ✓
• C. A platform verification requirement
• D. A copyright requirement

💡 The FTC requires influencers to clearly disclose material connections to brands — using #ad, #sponsored, or clear language — to prevent deceptive advertising.

10. What is "Section 230" in US law and how does it relate to social media?

• A. A copyright law
• B. A provision protecting social media platforms from legal liability for user-generated content ✓
• C. A data privacy law
• D. A type of advertising regulation

💡 Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act shields social media companies from being sued for content posted by users, enabling them to moderate without full publisher liability.

11. What is "right to be forgotten" in social media?

• A. Forgetting your password
• B. The legal right to request removal of personal information from online platforms and search engines ✓
• C. A type of privacy setting
• D. An account deletion feature

💡 The right to be forgotten (GDPR Article 17) allows individuals to request that platforms delete personal data about them under certain circumstances.

12. What is "astroturfing" on social media?

• A. Genuine grassroots campaign
• B. Creating fake grassroots movements using coordinated accounts to make fringe views appear mainstream ✓
• C. A type of influencer marketing
• D. A community building strategy

💡 Astroturfing simulates organic grassroots support using fake accounts or paid participants to create the illusion of widespread public support for an agenda.

13. What is "deepfake" content and why is it a social media concern?

• A. A type of video filter
• B. AI-generated synthetic media replacing someone's likeness with another's, enabling convincing disinformation ✓
• C. A type of meme
• D. A privacy filter

💡 Deepfakes use AI to create realistic videos of people saying or doing things they never did — used for disinformation, non-consensual content, and fraud.

14. What is "framing effect" in social media misinformation?

• A. Image formatting effect
• B. How the presentation and context of information shapes perception and acceptance of narratives ✓
• C. A type of content filter
• D. An algorithmic bias

💡 Framing effect shows the same facts presented differently produce different conclusions — misinformation often exploits framing to make false narratives seem credible.

15. What is "micro-targeting" in social media political advertising?

• A. General audience targeting
• B. Using granular data to deliver highly personalized political messages to specific voter segments most likely to be influenced ✓
• C. A type of influencer marketing
• D. A standard advertising practice

💡 Political micro-targeting uses detailed voter data to deliver custom messages to narrow demographic segments, maximizing persuasion impact on specific swing voters.

16. What is the "attention economy"?

• A. An economic theory about focus
• B. The commercial focus on capturing and monetizing human attention as a scarce resource through engaging digital content ✓
• C. A type of social media business model
• D. A marketing strategy

💡 The attention economy treats human attention as the commodity — social media platforms compete to maximize time-on-platform to sell advertising against that attention.

17. What is "COPPA" in relation to social media?

• A. A content policy
• B. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act — US law restricting collection of data from children under 13 on social platforms ✓
• C. A cybersecurity standard
• D. A social media guideline

💡 COPPA prohibits social media platforms from collecting personal data from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent — why most platforms require users to be 13+.

18. What is "terms of service" enforcement controversy on social media?

• A. Standard legal contract enforcement
• B. Debate over selective, inconsistent, or politically biased enforcement of platform rules against users ✓
• C. A type of account verification
• D. A legal compliance issue

💡 TOS enforcement controversies arise when platforms appear to inconsistently apply rules — banning some users while allowing similar content from others, raising bias concerns.

19. What is "information warfare" using social media?

• A. A hacking technique
• B. Using social media to spread disinformation, propaganda, and manipulate public opinion as a geopolitical weapon ✓
• C. A type of cyberattack
• D. A marketing strategy

💡 Information warfare weaponizes social media — spreading disinformation, amplifying divisions, and manipulating narratives to influence elections, conflicts, and geopolitics.

20. What is "shadow workforce" in social media content moderation?

• A. A secret team of developers
• B. Largely outsourced, often traumatized content moderators reviewing graphic content to protect mainstream users ✓
• C. A type of bot network
• D. A social media management team

💡 Content moderation is largely performed by outsourced workers in developing countries who review graphic, violent, and disturbing content — often suffering psychological trauma.