Essays on Technology and Society: The Impacts of Algorithms and Online Media on Labor Market Outcomes and Political Dynamics

This dissertation investigates how new technologies, particularly algorithms and online media, impact human decision-making and attitudes. The first study investigates whether potential differences in employers beliefs and preferences in algorithms or humans might alter how they respond to advice generated by these sources. Results show that on one hand, decision makers with a general preference for algorithmic advice give significantly higher ratings if a candidate was recommended by an algorithm compared to when the candidate was recommended by a human resource expert. On the other hand, decision makers with a general preference for human advice give significantly lower ratings to candidates recommended by algorithms when compared with candidates recommended by humans. The second and third study examine the impact of internet and social media usage on political polarization. Findings indicate that, contrary to what is suggested by the mainstream literature, internet and social media use may not be the cause of rising political polarization in some contexts.