Information Spread in a Social Media Age

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Introduction

“Haven’t you noticed that opinion without knowledge is always a poor thing? At the best it is blind—isn’t anyone who holds a true opinion without understanding like a blind man on the right road?”

Plato, The Republic, 375 BC

Socio-technical systems, or systems that intersect societal and technological domains, are becoming commonplace in our everyday lives. This is especially true with the rise and widespread acceptance of online social media applications and websites. Thanks to cell phones, laptops, smart televisions, and easily accessible high-speed internet, social media in its many forms have become one of our primary sources of information and cultural exchange. As a result, most of us have grown accustomed to the ...