BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:The Accidental Amplification of Pro-Eating Disorder Content on Soc
 ial Media - Dr. Ysabel Gerrard\, Sociology\, University of Sheffield
DTSTART:20190218T120000Z
DTEND:20190218T133000Z
UID:TALK114121@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Tellef S. Raabe
DESCRIPTION:Despite the rich history of social and computer science resear
 ch about ‘pro-eating disorder’ communities on homepages\, forums and e
 arly Web 2.0 spaces\, far less is known about how this phenomenon plays ou
 t across newer social media platforms. The term ‘pro-eating disorder’ 
 (or ‘pro-ED’) denotes an identity adopted by internet users who post c
 ontent intended to promote the worsening of eating disorders (Dias\, 2003\
 ; Bell\, 2009\; Ging and Garvey\, 2017). One of the key and yet under-stud
 ied ways such content circulates on social media is through algorithmic re
 commendation systems\; that is\, when platforms mine users’ data to sugg
 est other content and connections they might want to engage with (Gerrard\
 , 2018). This talk explores the role such systems play in re-circulating p
 ro-ED content to users\, despite platforms’ recent attempts to reduce it
 s availability and searchability\, a process called social media content m
 oderation (Roberts\, 2016\; Gillespie\, 2018). It argues that platforms ha
 ve not yet algorithmically reconciled their moral stances on eating disord
 ers\, meaning they simultaneously push and deny problematic content to the
 ir users: accidental algorithmic amplification (see also Tufekci\, 2018). 
 \n\nWhat users are shown as they navigate social media - what other people
  have liked\, the accounts they might want to follow\, the posts they migh
 t want to see - perhaps represents the most acceptable content platforms h
 ave to offer. Yet it is precisely the seeming neutrality of recommendation
 s which makes them so powerful and consequential. This talk centrally argu
 es that researchers need to pay closer attention to the social costs of re
 commendation systems\, particularly for vulnerable publics\, and makes som
 e suggestions for future research. \n\nBio\nDr Ysabel Gerrard is a Lecture
 r in Digital Media and Society at the Department of Sociological Studies\,
  University of Sheffield. She is the current Book Reviews Editor of Conve
 rgence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies\
 , the Vice Chair of the European Communication Research and Education Asso
 ciation’s (ECREA) Digital Culture and Communication Section\, and a form
 er Intern at the Social Media Collective\, Microsoft Research New England.
  Ysabel is interested in the intersection between identity and technology 
 and has published some of her research in New Media and Society\, the J
 ournal of Communication Inquiry and First Monday. She has also spoken on
  BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour and BBC World Service\, and her research h
 as been featured in outlets like WIRED and The Guardian.
LOCATION:17 Mill Lane\, Room B (1st floor)
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR