CLC 9022

The Digital Economy

and Social Media
SECOND TERM, 2023-2024
Form your group and pick the leading
discussion and group project topics
6 people each group - total 6 groups

Group project A & B

A: Leading discussion: industry/policy analysis

B: Policy Analysis and Recommendations
Controversies, Megatrends and Topics
Too much (mis)information – fake news, social media fatigue
The digital divide: unequal access, over 3.7 billion users without Internet today
The great equalizer: helping poor, less bias n discrimination, more understanding?
Surveillance, monetization & privacy
Gamification: infotainment
Anonymization: fake news, dubious identities and manipulation without disclosure
Weaponization: from elections to social movement
Addiction and detox: physical and mental health implications
Innovators and Monopolies: Regulate the free market? Aligroup Ants
Generative AI Tools: The bright and dark sides of Generative AI (e.g., Text/Audio/Visual, etc.)
Some Suggested Topics
1. The Great Equalizer or the Digital Divide? (The effect of Internet and digital business on equality, social
divide, welfare, etc.)
2. Influencer Marketing and Reputation Management (manipulation & disclosure)
3. The Fan Economy
4. Social media, Games and Health (mainland: max 3-hour games per week for children)
5. Deepfakes: trolls, news, likes, reviews, etc.
6. Regulating the Free Market? (Innovators and monopolies: BAT, Fintech e.g., Ali-Ants)
7. The Platform Economy: Roles and Responsibilities (e.g., surveillance, cookies, data ownership, privacy,
and monetization)
8. AI Possibilities and Pitfalls: Early Intervention?
9. Digital Business Tax: Transactions, Locations or Worldwide?
10. Realtime Face Recognition and Emotion Detection (e.g., privacy, necessity, accuracy, transparency)
11. Digital Human and Usages
12. The Emoji story: Self-identification, Race, Discrimination
By Feb 7…
Complete the Group Formation Sheet
-Full names of group members
-Choose from suggested Group Project Topic or propose your own
(first come, first serve)

Email me your group formation sheet (xiang.wang@ln.edu.hk)

and cc all your group members. You will receive a confirmation
email of your chosen topic.
Group project Part I: Leading Discussion
on Economic Sector and Industry
Focus on a single industry/problem or social issue related to the digital economy and/or social
media.
An updated and detailed descriptions of the current situation, improvements as well as problems
with symptoms, severity and patterns
Historical (context) review of its progress (growth, problems, symptoms)
Other causes and contributing factors (economic & social trends)
Effects on the industry or social development
Challenges for institutions and policies (government initiatives)
Implications for policy makers, businesses and consumption trends
Please include your findings in the final report
Suggested Discussion Format (45 min)
Start with an intro of the problem
Provide necessary background information
Class activities
◦ Any format you prefer (e.g., Q&A, group discussion and report, games, role-playing, debate and contest)
◦ Be clear about your goals and the points you want to make
◦ “Guide” the discussion
◦ You may prepare some slides with additional information you want to provide during the discussion

Conclude with a ”Takeaways” slide (i.e., what can we learn from today’s discussion)?
Discussion Questions Example
Topic: Platform Capitalism
1. Are we using social media for a fair exchange or being exploited as free labor to generate
surplus value (profit) for the platforms?
2. Should we charge platforms for accessing our personal data or be paid to use their apps and
reading the ads?
3. Should we levy (higher) tax on digital transactions?
Group Project Part II:
Policy Recommendations and Initiatives
+Given the economic/industry analysis, propose a realistic and viable policy initiatives and/or business solutions
(product or service, including that for a government agency, NGO, or social enterprise) to address the above
problems
+Given your proposed solutions, assess its feasibility in terms of public opinion and market trend.

+Identify one target location/market/segment (i.e., location and people)

+Develop objectives and goals (social benefits and impact)

+Policy implementation: planning and strategies

+ Location and method
– Promotion and communication strategies
– Implementation and contingency
– Sustainability and long-term impact