Women in Data Science @ Penn Conference
This is What a Data Scientist Looks Like
featuring
Sandra Gonzalez Bailon
Associate Professor of Communication
Annenberg School for Communication
On February 11, 2021, Sandra González-Bailón, Associate Professor at the Annenberg School for Communication, presented her talk, “The Influence of Automated Accounts in the Spread of Information on Social Media,” at the Women in Data Science (WiDS) @ Penn Conference.
Information manipulation is widespread in today’s media environment. Online networks have disrupted the gatekeeping role of traditional media by allowing various actors to influence the public agenda; they have also allowed automated accounts (or bots) to blend with human activity in the flow of information. Sandra discussed evidence assessing the impact that bots have on the dissemination of content during contentious political events evolving in real-time on social media. She focused on events of heightened political tension because they are particularly susceptible to information campaigns designed to mislead or exacerbate conflict. This research employs tools from network science, natural language processing, and machine learning.
About WiDS @ Penn Conference
Women in Data Science (WiDS) @ Penn is an independent virtual event presented by the University of Pennsylvania to coincide with the annual Global WiDS Conference held at Stanford University and an estimated 150+ organizations worldwide. All genders are invited to attend WiDS regional events, which features outstanding women doing outstanding work. This year’s theme for WiDS Philadelphia @ Penn was: This is What a Data Scientist Looks Like.