Make a Research Paper Outline  using the research paper proposal below and following the instructions below.

Per the direction sheet, "The outline MUST include: (a) a thesis statement or controlling idea; (b) a preliminary outline of the paper (can include a topic sentences, quotes or concepts in consideration); (c) a preliminary Works Cited page in MLA format. Other research materials such as original interview recordings should be submitted with the outline."

“Research Paper Proposal
Topic: The Influence of Social Media Algorithms on Asian American Identity and Representation

Objective: The topic I chose will be about analyzing how algorithms used by social media influence people’s perception of both representation and identity of Asian Americans. And explore the role of social media algorithms in creating public perception, cultural identity, and the spread of current stereotypes targeted towards Asian Americans nowadays, and will overall investigate the mechanisms behind how algorithmic content curation works and how it impacts the visibility and portrayal of Asian Americans on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. 

Background: Every Social media platform nowadays has a very advanced algorithm that usually favors engagement over accuracy These algorithms are able to perpetuate stereotypes and biases, changing how minority groups, including Asian Americans, are represented among everyone else. The portrayal of Asian Americans in the media has historically been full of stereotypes, and social media being no exception. 

Research Questions I have made for the topic:

At what variability do the algorithms that power social media affect the visibility of Asian American creators?

What stereotypes were popularized or were entirely created due to the curation caused by Social media algorithms. 

How are these algorithms affecting the self-perception and identities of their Asian American users?

Methodology: The research I’m going to do for this research paper will involve a mixed-methods approach, combining both quantitative analysis of social media data with qualitative interviews of Asian American content creators and users.  To achieve this I will have to collect it from various social media platforms mentioned before, to analyze the various content that has been promoted by the algorithm and try to scrape as much of the engagement metrics associated with the content in question if possible.

The significance of this paper will be about contributing to a broader understanding of how media could easily change someone’s view of a particular race or a particular community. By showing an example of how differently Asian Americans are being treated on social media compared to other races/ethnicities.

Sources:  

“American Media Continue to Stereotype Asians and Asian Americans.” DU Media, 28 Nov. 2021, storylab.du.edu/dumedia/2021/08/04/american-media-continue-to-stereotype-asians-and-asian-americans/.
(https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:0787cb46-a25e-4743-8b35-c39d09622971)

Harding, Xavier. “When Structural Racism Feeds the Algorithm.” Mozilla Foundation, 11 Feb. 2022, foundation.mozilla.org/en/blog/breaking-bias-how-algorithmic-racism-goes-unaddressed/. 

SUGIHARA, MICHELLE  K, and JESS JU. “Media Matters: Why Asian American Representation in Media Is a Social Justice Issue.” HKS Student Policy Review, 25 Oct. 2023, studentreview.hks.harvard.edu/media-matters-why-asian-american-representation-in-media-is-a-social-justice-issue/. “