The Economics of Social Media: Checkpoint 1

Quick checkpoint - five questions on the attention economy, Indian users, algorithms, design and misinformation.

Question 1 of 5 What do social media users pay with?

Attention and data Cash fees always Nothing at all Gold

Platforms sell attention to advertisers.

Question 2 of 5 What drove India's social media boom after 2016?

Cheap mobile data Expensive phones Bans on TV Fewer users

Jio's launch cut data prices.

Question 3 of 5 What do algorithms usually optimise?

Engagement and time spent Accuracy only Chronological order Nothing

Engagement drives ad revenue.

Question 4 of 5 What behavioural concept makes infinite scroll hard to stop?

Present bias and variable rewards Rational planning Loss aversion only Inflation

Short-term rewards beat long-term goals.

Question 5 of 5 What did WhatsApp do after lynchings in 2018?

Limited message forwarding Shut down Banned groups Charged fees

Limits were tightened further in 2020.

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