Lab.: Advanced Digital Methods

The lab introduces the theoretical and practical skills for the audit and analysis of social media algorithms and generative artificial intelligence from a sociocultural perspective. Building upon the digital methods paradigm, students will be introduced to qualitative, quantitative, and computational methods for the study of the outputs of social media algorithmic feeds (e.g.: TikTok, Instagram) and textual and visual generative AI models (e.g.: ChatGPT, Gemini, Midjourney).
Concerning theory, the focus will be on different approaches to account for the sociotechnical dimensions of AI and algorithms. More specifically, the lab will consider: the political economy of AI, platforms, and social media, including data extraction; the functioning of algorithmic media and generative artificial intelligence models; the impact of AI and algorithms on culture and sociality within digital environments. At a practical level, students will learn the main techniques to collect, manipulate, and analyse data from a variety of AI models and social media, with a focus on Python; the methods considered include content analysis, text analysis, visual analysis, and the principles of algorithm auditing.
Lectures and hands-on classes will guide students towards a final project to be written and presented in class. Students are expected to bring their own laptops: the necessary software and tools will be introduced during the first week of class.