Curriculum The Economics of Social Media
The Economics of Social Media
How social platforms turn attention into money: the attention economy, India's giant user base, algorithms, designs that hook us, misinformation, the TikTok ban, teen well-being, what a user is worth, India's IT Rules, WhatsApp as a business tool, social commerce and the future of social media.
- Social Media and the Market for Attention Why human attention is the scarce resource that social media platforms compete for, and how Herbert Simon predicted that information abundance creates attention scarcity. 📄 Read-aloud
- India's Social Media Giants and Users How India became the largest market for WhatsApp, YouTube and Instagram by users, driven by cheap data, and why Indian users earn platforms less money per person. 📄 Read-aloud
- How Algorithms Decide What You See How recommendation algorithms rank posts and videos to maximise engagement, the shift from friends' posts to algorithmic feeds, and concerns about filter bubbles. 📄 Read-aloud
- Designed to Hook: Infinite Scroll and Notifications How design features like infinite scroll, autoplay, streaks and notifications keep users engaged, their link to behavioural economics, and calls for regulation. 📄 Read-aloud
- Misinformation on Social Media in India Why false information spreads quickly online, the incentives that reward sensational content, the real-world harms in India like WhatsApp lynchings, and responses. 📄 Read-aloud
- India's TikTok Ban and Its Aftermath How India banned TikTok and dozens of Chinese apps in June 2020 after a border clash, what happened to creators, and how rivals like Instagram Reels and Moj grew. 📄 Read-aloud
- The Economics of Social Media: Checkpoint 1 Quick checkpoint - five questions on the attention economy, Indian users, algorithms, design and misinformation. 5 questions
- Social Media and Teen Well-Being What research says about links between heavy social media use and teenagers' mental health, the debate over causation, and policies like age limits and school phone bans. 📄 Read-aloud
- What Is a User Worth? How platforms measure average revenue per user, why an American user is worth far more than an Indian user, and how user numbers drive company valuations. 📄 Read-aloud
- Regulating Platforms: India's IT Rules How India's Information Technology Rules of 2021 require platforms to appoint officers, remove content quickly and trace messages, and the debate over free speech and privacy. 📄 Read-aloud
- WhatsApp as a Business Tool How millions of Indian small businesses use WhatsApp to take orders, share catalogues and receive payments, and how Meta earns from business messaging. 📄 Read-aloud
- Social Commerce: Selling Through Social Media How platforms like Meesho let resellers sell through WhatsApp and Facebook, how influencers drive shopping, and why social commerce suits smaller-town India. 📄 Read-aloud
- The Future of Social Media How AI content, regulation, subscriptions and private messaging may reshape social media, and a recap of the module. 📄 Read-aloud