Skip to main content Skip to navigation

An Educational Tool for Learning about Social Media Tracking, Profiling, and Recommendation

Project Overview

The document explores the use of generative AI in education, focusing on an innovative tool called Somekone that employs explainable AI (XAI) to teach children about the intricacies of social media, including tracking, profiling, and content recommendation. By simulating a familiar social media environment, Somekone offers an interactive interface that allows students to actively engage with and visualize the consequences of their online actions on their digital identities. This hands-on experience is designed to bridge the gap in current educational resources, promoting a deeper understanding of data privacy and security issues faced in the digital age. The findings suggest that Such tools can significantly enhance learners’ awareness and critical thinking regarding their online behavior, ultimately contributing to a more informed generation equipped to navigate the complexities of the digital world.

Key Applications

Somekone educational tool

Context: K-12 education, specifically aimed at young learners to teach them about social media mechanisms.

Implementation: The tool was designed to allow interaction with a familiar social media-like interface, providing real-time visualizations of data collection, profiling, and recommendations based on user engagement.

Outcomes: Enhanced understanding of social media dynamics, improved data literacy, and awareness of privacy and security implications among children.

Challenges: Complexity of explaining technical concepts without overwhelming children and ensuring educational tools respect privacy and data security.

Implementation Barriers

Technical Barrier

Difficulty in creating simple educational tools that effectively communicate complex social media mechanisms without overwhelming young learners.

Proposed Solutions: Development of tools like Somekone that simplify these concepts and focus on hands-on learning experiences.

Privacy and Security Barrier

Concerns regarding data privacy and security for children while using educational tools that involve data collection.

Proposed Solutions: Implementing GDPR-safe measures, ensuring data is stored locally and not on external servers, and prohibiting the upload of children’s own images.

Project Team

Nicolas Pope

Researcher

Juho Kahila

Researcher

Jari Laru

Researcher

Henriikka Vartiainen

Researcher

Teemu Roos

Researcher

Matti Tedre

Researcher

Contact Information

For information about the paper, please contact the authors.

Authors: Nicolas Pope, Juho Kahila, Jari Laru, Henriikka Vartiainen, Teemu Roos, Matti Tedre

Source Publication: View Original PaperLink opens in a new window

Project Contact: Dr. Jianhua Yang

LLM Model Version: gpt-4o-mini-2024-07-18

Analysis Provider: Openai

Let us know you agree to cookies