Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Silencing Power Of Algorithms: How The Facebook News Feed Algorithm Manipulates Users' Perceptions Of Opinion Climates, Callie Jessica Morgan Jul 2018

The Silencing Power Of Algorithms: How The Facebook News Feed Algorithm Manipulates Users' Perceptions Of Opinion Climates, Callie Jessica Morgan

University Honors Theses

This extended literature review investigates how the architecture and features of the Facebook Newsfeed algorithm, EdgeRank, can inhibit and facilitate the expression of political opinions. This paper will investigate how Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann's theory on public opinion, Spiral of Silence, can be used to assess the Facebook news feed as a political opinion source that actively shapes users' perceptions of minority and majority opinion climates. The feedback loops created by the algorithm's criteria influences users' decisions to self-censor or express their political opinions with interpersonal connections and unfamiliar connections on the site.


Marketing In Portland's Small Publishing Industry: Case Studies In The Biographical Approach, Kate Jay May 2018

Marketing In Portland's Small Publishing Industry: Case Studies In The Biographical Approach, Kate Jay

University Honors Theses

This thesis seeks to understand the influence of a publisher’s individual experience and background on the marketing functions of a small publishing press. In order to complete this task, the biographical approach was used. This approach requires interviews of small business owners in order to gain an understanding of their motivation, history, and background. Three Portland publishers of similar size but varying genre focuses were interviewed. The interviews were analyzed and treated as individual case studies. The results of the interviews and analysis was an understanding that the impact on a press from the owners’ knowledge, personalities, and backgrounds change …