Fundamentals of Digital Social Media
A.Y. 2024/2025
Learning objectives
The course aims at introducing digital social media to the students. The course covers the web technologies which support online social interactions, the tools supporting the gathering and the analysis of data generated by social platforms. Moreover the course will introduce the security analysis of the main technologies used in the social media context such as cryptographic protocols (e.g., SSL and HTTPS) and the communication protocol such as the web.
Expected learning outcomes
The student should be able to apply the tools illustrated in the course to gather the data generated by digital social media, by identifying the most suitable solutions according to the web technologies used by the social platforms. Moreover, the student should be able to apply cryptographic schemes by using crypto tools like for example gpg and security anayzed communication protocol such as https, ssl and web.
Lesson period: Second semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
Second semester
Course syllabus
The course is logically carried out in two parts: the first part will deal with Digital Social Media and their use on the net, while the second part will address the topic of IT security and privacy in these contexts. In more details, these are the topics that will be covered in the course:
PART I
- Social Media: history, definitions and current context
- Social Media Analytics and Listening
- Social actions measurement tools
- Evaluation of the performance of publication strategies
- Design of a social media listening campaign
- Social Media API
- OAuth2.0
- Recommendation systems in social media
- Misinformation in social media
- Fake news in social media
- Identification using ML
- Social bots in social media
- Identification algorithms
PART II
- The concept of Privacy
- Privacy in the information society
- The notion of personal data
- The economic value of the data
- The GDPR
- Introduction to cryptography
- Symmetric key cryptography: DES and AES algorithms
- Public key cryptography
- The digital signature
- Authorization
- Authentication
- Audits
- Social media attacks: XSS and SQL injection
- Malware
-Social Engineering
- Deep Fake and Misinformation
PART I
- Social Media: history, definitions and current context
- Social Media Analytics and Listening
- Social actions measurement tools
- Evaluation of the performance of publication strategies
- Design of a social media listening campaign
- Social Media API
- OAuth2.0
- Recommendation systems in social media
- Misinformation in social media
- Fake news in social media
- Identification using ML
- Social bots in social media
- Identification algorithms
PART II
- The concept of Privacy
- Privacy in the information society
- The notion of personal data
- The economic value of the data
- The GDPR
- Introduction to cryptography
- Symmetric key cryptography: DES and AES algorithms
- Public key cryptography
- The digital signature
- Authorization
- Authentication
- Audits
- Social media attacks: XSS and SQL injection
- Malware
-Social Engineering
- Deep Fake and Misinformation
Prerequisites for admission
The prerequisites for this course are:
1 - Networking Course
2 - Programming Course
1 - Networking Course
2 - Programming Course
Teaching methods
The course will be held in classical style. Some theory lessons will alternate with some exercises that will be an integral part of the course program and the final test.
Teaching Resources
Recommended material for consultation, for the first part of the course:
Marco Massarotto, Social Network: building and communicating identities on the Internet, Apogeo
Vincenzo Cosenza, Social Media ROI, Apogeo
Eleonora Cipolletta, Social Media Analytics: understanding and measuring conversations on the Internet, Apogeo
Miguel Grinberg, Flask Web Development, O'Reilly
To prepare for the oral test for the second part of the course, students can refer to the following text associated with some supplementary articles that will be reported during the course:
Pfleeger, Charles; Pleeger Shari; Marguiles, Jonathan
Security in Computing, 2015, 5th ed., Prentice Hall
Marco Massarotto, Social Network: building and communicating identities on the Internet, Apogeo
Vincenzo Cosenza, Social Media ROI, Apogeo
Eleonora Cipolletta, Social Media Analytics: understanding and measuring conversations on the Internet, Apogeo
Miguel Grinberg, Flask Web Development, O'Reilly
To prepare for the oral test for the second part of the course, students can refer to the following text associated with some supplementary articles that will be reported during the course:
Pfleeger, Charles; Pleeger Shari; Marguiles, Jonathan
Security in Computing, 2015, 5th ed., Prentice Hall
Assessment methods and Criteria
The test will consist of administering a questionnaire with multiple answers. The questionnaire will consist of 20 questions, 10 for each of the two modules that make up the course. Each completely correct answer will be awarded 1 point. Students who correctly answer at least 6 questions for each module and have simultaneously completed all the exercises assigned in class will be admitted to the oral test which, through questions relating to the topics covered in class, will verify the student's level of learning in terms of in-depth analysis and extension of the topics acquired. At the end of the oral test the student will be assigned a score out of 30.
INF/01 - INFORMATICS - University credits: 6
Lessons: 48 hours
Professors:
Bruschi Danilo Mauro, Zignani Matteo
Shifts:
Professor(s)
Reception:
send an email to danilo[dot]bruschi[at]unimi[dot]it
Room 8011, Via Celoria 18