Ad Targeting and Political Advertising

The video explores the evolution of job ads from the 1970s to modern targeted advertising, focusing on Facebook's ad delivery system. It highlights research by Muhammad Ali and his team on how Facebook's algorithms target ads based on user data, often resulting in gender and race biases. The video discusses the implications of these biases in political and legal contexts, particularly in housing and employment ads. It concludes with a discussion on the challenges and industry practices related to ad targeting and the need for ethical considerations.

What was a common feature of job ads in the US before the 1970s?

• They were divided by age groups.

• They were divided by gender.

• They were divided by geographical location.

• They were divided by educational qualifications.

What was the primary goal of Muhammad Ali's research group at Northeastern University?

• To understand who Facebook shows ads to and why.

• To increase ad revenue for Facebook.

• To create more engaging ad content.

• To develop new advertising algorithms.

How does Facebook decide which users see a particular ad?

• Based solely on the advertiser's target audience.

• Through a random selection process.

• By analyzing user data to predict engagement.

• By showing ads to all users equally.

What was a significant finding of Ali's study on political ads?

• Political ads reached a balanced audience of all political affiliations.

• Ads for Bernie Sanders and Trump reached similar audiences.

• Political ads were not affected by Facebook's algorithms.

• Ads for Bernie Sanders cost more to reach conservatives than Trump ads.

Why are housing and employment ads considered a different category in ad targeting?

• They are easier to target accurately.

• They have a higher engagement rate.

• They are legally protected from discrimination.

• They are more profitable for advertisers.

What action has Facebook taken in response to criticism about its ad targeting?

• Banned all political ads.

• Removed some targeting attributes to prevent discrimination.

• Increased the number of targeting attributes.

• Stopped using algorithms for ad delivery.

What is a potential issue with Facebook's ad delivery system according to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development?

• It increases the cost of ads.

• It prevents advertisers from reaching a broad audience.

• It reduces the effectiveness of ads.

• It limits the number of ads shown to users.

What did the construction workers’ union find when they tried to recruit diverse candidates using Facebook ads?

• The ads were shown mostly to men.

• The ads did not reach any audience.

• The ads were shown mostly to women.

• The ads reached a balanced audience of men and women.

What is a common practice across advertising platforms like Google, LinkedIn, and Twitter?

• Focusing only on political ads.

• Using custom audiences and targeting features.

• Avoiding the use of algorithms for ad delivery.

• Showing ads to all users equally.

What is an unresolved question in the industry regarding ad targeting algorithms?

• How to create more engaging ad content.

• How to reduce the cost of ads.

• When it is unacceptable for algorithms to segregate audiences.

• How to increase ad revenue.