Social Media Influence and Controversies Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What was Facebook's stated position regarding the role of its platform in determining truth, before January 2021?

Facebook should focus on verifying the authenticity of all user-generated content.

Facebook should actively promote politically neutral content.

Facebook should not be the arbiter of truth. (correct)

Facebook should be the primary arbiter of truth.

What specific event prompted Facebook to suspend Donald Trump's account?

A mob stormed the Capitol Building (correct)

The implementation of new measures to limit the spread of misinformation about the Covid-19 vaccine.

The Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Antitrust litigation by the FTC.

What was a major reason Facebook was sued for antitrust violations?

Its use of AI to recommend news stories.

Its policy to limit the spread of misinformation about the Covid-19 vaccine.

Facebook's attempt to be the arbiter of truth.

Its alleged monopolization of social networking. (correct)

What potential motivation was suggested for Facebook's technical integration of Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger?

To make it more difficult to break up Facebook in the future. (B) Signup and view all the answers

Why was the $5 billion fine imposed on Facebook considered by many as ineffective?

It only represented 9% of Facebook's revenue in 2018 (A) Signup and view all the answers

What made it difficult to enter the social networking market after Facebook became the main player?

Network effects, high switching costs, ratchet effects and its extensive platform reach. (A) Signup and view all the answers

Who founded ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok?

Zhang Yiming (A) Signup and view all the answers

What was Zhang Yiming's first major success before TikTok?

Toutiao, a personalized news app. (D) Signup and view all the answers

What was Facebook's approximate ARPU in Asia during Q4 2020?

$4.05 (B) Signup and view all the answers

Between 2018 and 2020, which age demographic experienced the fastest average annual growth on Snapchat in the U.S.?

Users between 35 and 44 (A) Signup and view all the answers

According to the content, what was a key reason for Snapchat's decision to open directly to the camera?

To make it easier for users to capture fleeting moments. (B) Signup and view all the answers

What are the two main categories of Snapchat's advertising offerings mentioned in the text?

'Social' and 'Media' (D) Signup and view all the answers

What did Spiegel report regarding viewership among users 35 years and older after adding new content?

A 25% year-over-year increase (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes Snap Inc.'s long-term ambition as stated in its 2017 IPO prospectus?

To reinvent the camera and improve how people live and communicate. (D) Signup and view all the answers

On the 'social' side of Snapchat's advertising, what could advertisers purchase to increase their visibility?

Filters, Geofilters, and Lenses (C) Signup and view all the answers

What was Snap's strategic move in anticipation of AR glasses becoming the primary way people access digital services?

Transforming the Snapchat Camera to a versatile AR Platform. (D) Signup and view all the answers

What was Snap's (formerly Snapchat) primary source of revenue in 2015?

Advertising (A) Signup and view all the answers

What was the approximate market value of Snap when it closed on its first day of IPO in March 2017?

$28.3 billion (A) Signup and view all the answers

What was a significant factor that caused Snap's share price to fall shortly after its IPO?

Competition from Instagram (B) Signup and view all the answers

What was the immediate impact of the Snapchat app redesign in 2017 on daily active users (DAU)?

DAU fell by 3% (B) Signup and view all the answers

What prompted Snap to reverse the redesign of its app in 2018?

A petition by 1.2 million users and a negative reaction from younger users. (A) Signup and view all the answers

What factor significantly contributed to Snap's user growth acceleration in 2020?

The COVID-19 pandemic. (D) Signup and view all the answers

By how much did Snap's revenue increase year-over-year (YoY) in Q4 2020?

62% (D) Signup and view all the answers

What was a concern noted by Snap bears, despite the company's growth in 2020?

Growth was coming from low-spending users. (B) Signup and view all the answers

What did a tech journalist at Wired describe experiencing?

A feeling of digital déjà vu due to app similarities. (A) Signup and view all the answers

According to Nicole Greene, what is the result of the saturation of social media platforms?

Opportunities for new, niche platforms to gain popularity. (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the format of 'rooms' on the Clubhouse platform?

Moderated discussions that users can listen to. (C) Signup and view all the answers

What was the significant event that followed Mark Zuckerberg's appearance in a Clubhouse room?

Facebook began working on its own similar product. (B) Signup and view all the answers

What action did the FTC take against Snapchat in 2014?

Forced Snapchat to implement a privacy program after the exposure of user data. (B) Signup and view all the answers

Why did Snapchat receive less criticism than other platforms regarding content moderation?

Most communications on Snapchat were private and temporary. (A) Signup and view all the answers

What led to Snapchat's market capitalization falling by $1 billion in 2018?

Rihanna criticized Snapchat for featuring an offensive advertisement. (A) Signup and view all the answers

What did Spiegel consider as the best defense against competing platforms like Facebook and TikTok?

Greater privacy and a more curated platform. (C) Signup and view all the answers

According to Exhibit 8, how do US social media users generally view social media advertising?

Their relationship with it is generally negative with high perceived levels of intrusion. (A) Signup and view all the answers

What was a crucial aspect of Snapchat's initial growth, as referenced in the endnotes?

Its unique feature of disappearing messages. (C) Signup and view all the answers

According to the endnotes, what was a significant event related to Snap's financials in 2020?

The release of Snap's Q4 earnings slides. (B) Signup and view all the answers

Based on the provided endnotes, what publication featured an article discussing whether Snapchat was 'doomed'?

The Atlantic (C) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following does an endnote indicate as offering insight into the inside story of Snapchat's early days?

A Forbes article by J.J. Colao (B) Signup and view all the answers

According to the endnotes, what did a CNN Business report discuss about Snap's IPO?

It revealed that a high school made millions from it (A) Signup and view all the answers

Based on the provided endnotes, which publication included an article titled 'Get Rich U.'?

The New Yorker (C) Signup and view all the answers

According to the provided endnotes, what publication featured an article that covered 'Indiscreet Photos, Glimpsed Then Gone'?

The New York Times (C) Signup and view all the answers

What strategy is being challenged by the FTC and US States in their antitrust lawsuit against Facebook?

Open-first, close-later (A), Buy-or-bury (D) Signup and view all the answers

Who called for the breakup of Facebook in a New York Times opinion piece?

Chris Hughes (D) Signup and view all the answers

What was the focus of Evan Osnos's article regarding Mark Zuckerberg?

The potential to fix Facebook's influence on democracy (D) Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of Snapchat's audience does the provided content discuss?

Competitive exclusivity in the US market (C) Signup and view all the answers

What event occurred regarding Facebook's performance around Q2 2020?

Legal challenges from various states (B) Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Snap, a social media company, faced competition from Facebook and TikTok in 2021. Snap struggled with declining user numbers and losses following its IPO in 2017. Facebook had a massive user base (almost 3 billion) and TikTok had gained over 700 million users in three years. Snap ended 2020 with 265 million users.

Snap's Early Days

Spiegel, Brown, and Murphy founded Snapchat in 2011. It was initially a website where photos disappeared after a set time. They re-launched it as Snapchat in 2011. It was popular with younger users due to disappearing messages and augmented reality features. Facebook tried to copy successful Snap features.
Snapchat's success was based on its ephemeral messages, Stories, and AR Lenses. Early users found workarounds to use features.
In April 2012, Snapchat raised funding, and Spiegel dropped out of Stanford University to focus on the app full time. By October 2012, it was sending 20 million "snaps" per day.

Snapchat Features

Stories were a key feature, allowing users to post pictures and videos for 24 hours. This feature evolved into a section where user could watch others' stories and short videos.
Filters were visual effects and graphics users could add to Snaps.
Lenses were AR features that added effects to the user's face or surroundings. These were monetized.

Snapchat's Business Strategy

Snap focused on a different approach to social media, with a divided feed separating chat and stories.
Snap faced challenges in merchandising and organizing content efficiently.
Snap incorporated cloud computing services like AWS and Google Cloud Platform enabling easy scaling.
Snap invested in research and development (R&D) across product development, advertising technology, and infrastructure efficiency.

The Competition

Facebook: Facebook's News Feed (a shared update feed of content) was a popular platform with approximately 2.7 billion monthly active users (MAUs) in 2020. Revenue was dominated by advertising and data analysis to identify user demographics. Controversies related to fake news and privacy concerns (Cambridge Analytica, etc.).
Instagram: A rapid growth in user base due to its popularity with a younger generation (under 35).
WhatsApp: A messaging app with features for sending photos, videos, and making calls via a mobile phone number. acquired in 2014.
Pinterest: An image-sharing platform enabling users to create and follow boards of images based on topics.
TikTok: TikTok, owned by ByteDance, quickly gained popularity with a simple interface and addictive video content. It was challenged due to national security concerns about data handling.

Snap IPO and Future

Snap's IPO in 2017 valued the company at $28.3 billion.
Snap's user growth slowed in subsequent quarters due to app redesign issues and media comparisons. The app redesign was met with user disapproval.
The coronavirus pandemic (2020) boosted Snap's user growth.
Snap focused on new markets and older demographic users to increase revenue.
Snap focused on additional revenue streams (non-advertising revenue) and differentiated features through augmented reality (AR).

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Description

Test your knowledge on significant events and controversies surrounding major social media platforms like Facebook and Snapchat. From antitrust lawsuits to demographic trends, this quiz covers key aspects of social media's role in society and its challenges. Perfect for students and social media enthusiasts!