University of Copenhagen, Denmark - Neural networks behind social media can consume an infinite amount of energy

Title:

Neural networks behind social media can consume an infinite amount of energy

 

Published:

University of Copenhagen, 1 March 2022

https://news.ku.dk/all_news/2022/03/neural-networks-behind-social-media-can-consume-an-infinite-amount-of-energy/

 

From the news article:

Artificial neural networks are deployed intensively by social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to recommend content that matches user preferences. The process is energy intensive and generates heavy carbon emissions. In fact, the world's entire energy supply could be used to train a single neural network. Therefore, researchers behind a new study recommend that the technology be used where it benefits the public interest most.

 

ALSO SEE

 

Title:

Training Neural Networks is ∃R-complete

 

Authors:

Mikkel Abrahamsen, University of Copenhagen

Linda Kleist, Technische Universtität Braunschweig

Tillmann Miltzow, Utrecht University

 

Published:

arXiv, 19 November 2021

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2102.09798.pdf  

 

Abstract:

Given a neural network, training data, and a threshold, finding weights for the neural network such that the total error is below the threshold is known to be NP-hard. We determine the algorithmic complexity of this fundamental problem precisely, by showing that it is ∃R-complete. This means that the problem is equivalent, up to polynomial time reductions, to deciding whether a system of polynomial equations and inequalities with integer coefficients and real unknowns has a solution. If, as widely expected, ∃R is strictly larger than NP, our work implies that the problem of training neural networks is not even in NP. Neural networks are usually trained using some variation of backpropagation. The result of this paper offers an explanation why techniques commonly used to solve big instances of NP-complete problems seem not to be of use for this task. Examples of such techniques are SAT solvers, IP solvers, local search, dynamic programming, to name a few general ones.

 

University of Bath - Academics join global call on Meta for more rigorous study of social media impact on children

Title: 

Academics join global call on Meta for more rigorous study of social media impact on children

 

Published:

University of Bath, Press Release, 6 December 2021

https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/academics-join-global-call-on-meta-for-more-rigorous-study-of-social-media-impact-on-children/

 

From the press release:

Two University of Bath School of Management experts have joined a coalition of leading academics from across the world to call on Meta/Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to support researchers who want to better understand how Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp impact children’s well-being.

 

The “LOOMING DISASTER” for higher education: how commercial rankers use social media to amplify and foster affect [Scholarly Article - higher Education, October 2021]

Title:

The “LOOMING DISASTER” for higher education: how commercial rankers use social media to amplify and foster affect 

 

Authors:

Riyad A. Shahjahan, Adam Grimm & Ryan M. Allen  

Published:

Higher Education, 19 October 2021

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10734-021-00762-z

 

Abstract:

Despite the ubiquity of global university rankings coverage in media and academia, a concerted attempt to investigate the role of social media in ranking entrepreneurship remains absent. By drawing on an affect lens, we critically examine the social media activities of two commercial rankers: Times Higher Education (THE) and Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd (QS). Based on an analysis of THE’s Twitter feed and QS’ Facebook page between January and June 2020, we illuminate how rankers use social media for affective storytelling to frame and sell their expertise within global HE. First, we demonstrate how THE uses Twitter to engage an audience of institutions, governments, and administrators, reinforcing universities’ increasingly aggressive behavior as market competitors. Next, we show how QS engages a student-oriented audience on Facebook, furthering the role of students as consumers. Before and during the COVID pandemic, we observed that both rankers amplified and mobilized precarity associated with performance and participation, selling hope to targeted audiences to market their expertise as solutions—a strategy that remained amidst the global pandemic. Based on our observation of the front stage of rankers’ social media activities, we argue that rankers’ deployment of social media as a form of affective infrastructure is conducive to further sustaining, diffusing, and normalizing rankings in HE globally.

 

Enhancing Students’ Performances by Integrating Social Media in Undergraduate Learning [Scholarly Article - IJLTER, 2021]

Title:

Enhancing Students’ Performances by Integrating Social Media in Undergraduate Learning 

 

Author:

Thanuja Chandani Sandanayake  

 

Published:

International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational research (IJLTER), Volume 20, Number 4 (2021)

https://www.ijlter.org/index.php/ijlter/article/view/3404

 

Abstract:

Use of social media among youth is growing rapidly around the world. This is more common among the young undergraduates. As a consequence of high usage of social media, ability to support learners via social constructed learning has increased. This study focuses on enhancing undergraduate’s academic performance via social media intervention. This was an action research and used mix methods inquiry employed quantitative and qualitative studies. Open face to face interviews, semi structured and structured questionnaires were conducted among 94 (n=94) undergraduates at the Faculty of Information Technology, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. Findings of the study will incorporate the new insights of learner on social media adaption in academic work in meaningful ways. The results of open-ended face to face interviews, semi structured and structured questionnaire demonstrate multiple contextual relationships exist in adaption of social media in formal academic setup. Furthermore, perceptions of undergraduates on social media intervention illustrate the prominent relationship between peer groups, instructors, and learning content. Results of the study indicate that the learners are reluctant to adapt to the traditional learning setups and communication modes, but they appreciate the use of state of art social media connections in learning. Findings will further offer better and important information for both learners and academics to uplift communication, collaboration, and development of conducive learning environments.

University of Central Florida - Researchers develop artificial intelligence that can detect sarcasm in social media [TechXplore, May 2021]

Title:

Researchers develop artificial intelligence that can detect sarcasm in social media 

 

By:

University of Central Florida

 

Published:

TechXplore, 7 May 2021

https://techxplore.com/news/2021-05-artificial-intelligence-sarcasm-social-media.html

 

From the article:

Computer science researchers at the University of Central Florida have developed a sarcasm detector. 

 

Social media has become a dominant form of communication for individuals, and for companies looking to market and sell their products and services. Properly understanding and responding to customer feedback on Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms is critical for success, but it is incredibly labor intensive.

 

Experiences and perspectives of social media in learning and teaching in higher education [Scholarly Article - International Journal of Educational Research Open, 19 November 2020]

Title:

Experiences and perspectives of social media in learning and teaching in higher education    

 

Authors:

Alison J. Purvisa, Helen M. Rodger & Sue Beckingham

Published:

International Journal of Educational Research Open, 19 November 2020

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666374020300182

 

Abstract:

A qualitative study conducted at a large UK post-92 university explored the experiences and perceptions of lecturers and their use of social media in learning and teaching contexts in different disciplines across the institution. Discussion between participants in two focus groups revealed a range of complex and interdependent factors that influence the successful use of social media for learning and teaching. The facilitated discussions exposed three different perspectives for consideration: personal (the experiences and attitudes of the lecturer and the student), pedagogy (demanded by the learning context in question) and institutional (dictated, or driven by the institution). Themes that arose were used to cluster and further analyse the data. Based on the intersectionality of perspectives, a series of recommendations are made for consideration by higher education institutions for institutional strategy and support for the applied use of social media in learning and teaching contexts.

 

University of Bath - When two tribes go to war – how tribalism polarized the Brexit social media debate: New findings may help counter online division and disinformation campaigns

Title:
When two tribes go to war – how tribalism polarized the Brexit social media debate: New findings may help counter online division and disinformation campaigns

Source:
University of Bath

Published:
University of Bath (Press Release), 26 August 2020
https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/when-two-tribes-go-to-war-how-tribalism-polarized-the-brexit-social-media-debate/

From the article:
Tribal behaviour on social media widened the gulf between Remain and Leave voters in the United Kingdom’s debate whether to leave the European Union, re-aligned the UK’s political landscape, and made people increasingly susceptible to disinformation campaigns, new research from the University of Bath shows.

Scholarly Article (2020) - Highlighting E‑learning Adoption Challenges using data Analysis Techniques: University of Kufa as a Case Study

Title:
Highlighting E‑learning Adoption Challenges using data Analysis Techniques: University of Kufa as a Case Study

Authors:
Ammar J.M. Karkar, Hayder K. Fatlawi & Ahmed A. Al-Jobouri

Published:
E-Journal of e-Learning (EJEL), volume 18, issue 2, February 2020
Available: file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/ejel-volume18-issue2-article700.pdf

From the abstract:
"Electronic learning (e-learning) plays a significant role in improving the efficiency of the education process. However, in many cases in developing countries, technology transfer without consideration of technology acceptance factors has limited the impact of e-learning and the expected outcome of the education process. Therefore, this shift in learning method has been met with low enthusiasm from academic staff and students owing to its low perceived usefulness and perceived ease-of-use. The University of Kufa (UoK) in Iraq is considered a good case study because it has implemented the e-learning platform since 2013. The UoK platform is based on open-source Moodle owing to the latter’s advantages, such as low implementation cost, open community for support and continuous update and development. To identify and evaluate the challenges, this study uses a questionnaire survey that targets the level of adoption, implementation, familiarity and technology acceptance of staff and students."

Scholarly Article (March 2020) - Student Loneliness: The Role of Social Media Through Life Transitions

Title:
Student Loneliness: The Role of Social Media Through Life Transitions

Authors:
Lisa Thomas, Elizabeth Orme & Finola Kerrigan

Published:
Computers & Education, volume 146, March 2020, 103754
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103754

From the abstract:
The move to university can be difficult for students- a transition often characterised by a risk of loneliness and poor mental health. Previous work highlights the important role social media can play in this transition. We report findings from a large-scale survey of 510 first year undergraduates across the UK, identifying factors that predict student loneliness, and exploring their social media use. 

Scholarly Article (7 January 2020) - The influence of technology‐mediated and in‐person communication on student satisfaction: The moderating role of national culture

Title:
The influence of technology‐mediated and in‐person communication on student satisfaction: The moderating role of national culture

Author:
Maja Šerić

From the abstract:
"This article analyses the effects of technology‐mediated (i.e., social media) and in‐person communication (i.e., non‐verbal cues) on student satisfaction in a higher education context. Data were collected among 221 college students from the University of Valencia (UVEG) in Spain and analysed from the perspective of the respondents' national culture. Contrary to expectations, the results show that neither one of the social media aspects drives student satisfaction, thus providing support for the technology paradox literature."

Citation:
Šerić, M. (7 January 2020). The influence of technology‐mediated and in‐person communication on student satisfaction: The moderating role of national culture. European Journal of Education, 55(1). 
https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12375

Digital 2020 Global Overview Report, publised 30 January 2020

Title:
Digital 2020: Global Digital Overview

Author:
Simon Kemp

Published:
Datareportal, 30 January 2020

From the overview:
"Our new Digital 2020 reports - publised in partnership with We Are Social and Hootsuite - show that digital, mobile, and social media have become an indispensable part of everyday life for people all over the world."

To read the Digital 2020 Global Overview Report:
https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2020-global-digital-overview

Trends that will Transform the Higher Education Marketing Industry Outlook in 2020

Title:
Trends that will Transform the Higher Education Marketing Industry Outlook in 2020

Author:
Team Linchpin

Publised in:
Education Industry

Last updated on:
26 December 2019

From this document:
"Universities have to market themselves differently in 2020 than they did in the past due to the ever-changing nature of modern technology. These fifteen innovative and best higher-education marketing strategies are incredibly effective for universities that are trying to increase enrollment in 2020."

To read this document:
https://linchpinseo.com/marketing-trends-in-higher-education/