Why Social Media Makes Us More Polarized and How to Fix It

Facebook has become a battleground among partisan “echo chambers.” But what is it about social media that makes people so polarized? According to Damon Centola's Scientific American op-ed, research shows it’s the influencers, not the networks themselves, that amplify differences between us.

Communication

Consensus and Contagion in Society

Outside Their Bubbles

The Undergraduate Data Science Hangout, organized by Bhuvnesh Jain, connects students and faculty across seemingly disparate disciplines. This summer, researchers from 10 departments covered 22 topics ranging from virus tracking to electoral politics to the universe’s expansion.

Physics and Astronomy
Statistics

Ubiquity of Data

Eleni Katifori awarded the 2021 APS Early Career Award for Soft Matter Research

Congratulations to Eleni Katifori, who has been awarded the 2021 APS Early Career Award for Soft Matter Research for her work "For the seminal use of physical principles in understanding living transport networks."

Physics and Astronomy

Resilience in Networked Systems

New study by Prof. Coglianese shows that ‘unrules’ are ubiquitous in U.S. regulatory system and require greater oversight

In the recently released paper “Unrules,” Cary Coglianese present his findings from the “first systematic empirical investigation of the hidden world of unrules”: evidence that challenges the widespread perception of the U.S. regulatory system as inflexible and burdensome.

Law

Ubiquity of Data

Facebook Keeps Data Secret, Letting Conservative Bias Claims Persist

Duncan Watts was quoted in this recent NPR article exploring Republicans claims that Facebook is biased. The consensus: There is no statistical evidence to support the argument that Facebook does not give conservative views a fair shake.

Communication
Computer and Information Science
Operations Information and Decisions

Ubiquity of Data

Penn joins Public Interest Technology University Network

Through the leadership of Warren Center affiliate Christopher Yoo and housed within Penn's SNF Paideia Program, a new partnership with the Public Interest Technology University Network will deepen Penn's investment in STEM training for the public good.

Computer and Information Science
Law

Ubiquity of Data

The Self-Organized Movement to Create an Inclusive Computational Neuroscience School

In less than three months, Konrad Kording and his colleagues developed an interactive online course catering to more than 1,750 students in more than 70 countries- Neuromatch Academy.

Bioengineering
Neuroscience

Ubiquity of Data

To be successful online, faculty went back to the classroom

Among the many approaches professors are using to teach online is to create videos of lectures for students to access anytime and to devote class time together for discussion and group activities. Math professor Robert Ghrist created a video textbook to teach multivariable calculus.

Mathematics

Ubiquity of Data

Call for Grant Proposals on the Economics of Digital Services

Penn's Center for Technology, Innovation and Competition and Warren Center recently announced that they will fund grants to support research on the economics of digital services. The grant program encompasses research examining the issues raised by the economics of digital services from either an economic or legal perspective.

Economics
Law

Social Norms for Algorithms

Penn Researchers Join NSF-Simons Foundation Collaboration on the ‘Foundations of Deep Learning’

Warren Center faculty affiliates Alejandro Ribeiro, Robert Ghrist, and Edgar Dobriban will partner with an interdisciplinary team led by researchers at Johns Hopkins University in a project called Transferable, Hierarchical, Expressive, Optimal, Robust, & Interpretable NETworks (THEORINET).

Electrical and Systems Engineering
Mathematics
Statistics

Resilience in Networked Systems

News

Why Social Media Makes Us More Polarized and How to Fix It

Outside Their Bubbles

Eleni Katifori awarded the 2021 APS Early Career Award for Soft Matter Research

New study by Prof. Coglianese shows that ‘unrules’ are ubiquitous in U.S. regulatory system and require greater oversight

Facebook Keeps Data Secret, Letting Conservative Bias Claims Persist

Penn joins Public Interest Technology University Network

The Self-Organized Movement to Create an Inclusive Computational Neuroscience School

To be successful online, faculty went back to the classroom

Call for Grant Proposals on the Economics of Digital Services

Penn Researchers Join NSF-Simons Foundation Collaboration on the ‘Foundations of Deep Learning’