The Economics of Social Media

THE ECONOMICS OF SOCIAL MEDIA OVERVIEW
Over the past ten years, there has been a tremendous growth in social media and technology. With the development of online and mobile interfaces come the problems of fake news, false advertisement, and cyber-bullying. I chose the economics of social media as a real-world problem for my students to speak, write, and think about, since it is a topic that is particularly relevant to them, especially as urban high school students. Almost all of my students have mobile phones and own multiple social media accounts. Many have previously reflected on how social media affects their friendships, emotions, and beliefs. Therefore, I created a lesson in which students engaged in reading a research article, viewing a presentation, citing resources, writing a reflection, and creating a gallery walk about the impact of social media. 
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Please scroll down or click on the table of contents below to learn more about  how my students engage in speaking, writing, and thinking about real-world problems.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Lesson Plan
Lesson Presentation
Lesson Texts
Student Work
Gallery Walk
Teacher Reflection

Lesson Plan
There are many online resources for teaching students about advocacy and social justice. I modified a lesson plan which I found on the Teaching Tolerance website, which has resources for standards-based lessons on topics such as racial equity, environmental protection, immigration rights, etc. The objective of my lesson was for students to evaluate the role of online advertisements and understand the larger economics of digital marketplaces, through close reading, reflective writing, and peer engagement. As a mathematics teacher, literacy is a key component of my classroom, since students need to develop strong reading comprehension skills to understand complex word problems. Therefore, I created a list of vocabulary that would be introduced in the social media article reading. I planned for the lesson to begin and end with whole class discussion, so that I would be able to gauge student growth and understanding.

Lesson Presentation
The lesson presentation acts as a visual guide for the lesson. Students began the lesson through a do now in which they defined what it means and how a product goes viral. Students recounted past trends such as the mannequin challenge and the ice bucket challenge. Next, students viewed the growth of social media and technology through infographics. Most students were shocked that more people own mobile phones than toothbrushes. Then, students calculated how quickly a social media post can go viral through exponential growth. Students read about the economics of social media and cited references on their 3-2-1 concept map. Students worked in small groups to design a poster that addressed an essential question taken from the reading. Finally, students participated in a gallery walk, and shared their reflections from this lesson. Through this presentation, students grew in their ability to apply mathematical skills to social issues such as the growth of social media.

Lesson Texts
After viewing the growth of social media and technology through infographics, students individually read the social media article. I chose this article because of its frequent use of statistics and high school level vocabulary. The article contains two bar graphs and frequently cites statistics within the text. This lesson was taught during our probability and statistics unit to draw real-world connections to our curriculum.

Student Work
To help my students analyze and interpret the article, I adapted a 3-2-1 concept map from Teaching Tolerance. Students completed the 3-2-1 concept map after reading the social media article. Students wrote down three facts they learned, two questions they still have, and one section of the article that was impressionable. I encouraged students to cite various parts of the article in order to give credit to their findings. Students cited statistics from the article to support their opinions about the growth of social media. Student reflections ranged from writing about the prevalence of social media and technology, to the dangers of fake news and advertisements, to their experiences with cyberbullying. Through the reading and concept map, students grew in their ability to analyze and  interpret research. Below are samples of student work from this lesson.

Gallery Walk
After students individually read and wrote reflections on the economics of social media, students worked in small groups to create a gallery walk. The purpose of the gallery walk was to draw out student opinions and research on real-world problems. The gallery walk made my students' opinions about social media public to all their peers, as the posters were hung outside our classroom after the activity. Through this activity, students not only shared their opinions on controversial issues, but also used research to support their opinions.

Questions posed included "what are some of the problems with haters (cyberbullies), trolls (instigators of fake news), and fake news that can affect an advertiser's effectiveness online?" and "how does a mobile device make digital advertising more prolific?". Students discussed the questions with their groups and wrote down their opinions and research on the topic. Then, students rotated posters to layer their opinions and research on that of their peers. Student responses were brief as the gallery walk was meant to summarize their opinions in a concise manner. Below are images of posters from our gallery walk. Each differently colored phrase or key word represents the opinion of a different student.

Teacher Reflection
I want my students to be empowered as users, not products, of social media, digital advertising, and mobile technology. I initiated discussion on the economics of social media by creating a lesson plan, presentation, and various lesson activities. Students engaged through whole class discussions, mathematical calculations, close reading, written citations, and oral reflections. My students followed through by reflecting on their own social media usage and its effects. Students noted that cyberbullying is common, and discussed ways to prevent and address it. Students also realized how they were targets of false advertising and fake news, and came up with solutions on how to verify information they find online. My students advocated for themselves and others through a public gallery walk that addressed major issues with social media. My students grew in their knowledge of the injustices that come with social media, digital advertising, and mobile technology, and know how to use statistics to articulate their opinions on social issues.