Analyzing the Impact of Social Media Algorithms on Public Discourse and Opinion Formation

1. Introduction 1.1 Background and context 1.2 Research objectives 1.3 Significance of the study 1.4 Structure of the paper 2. Literature Review 2.1 Social media platforms overview 2.2 Previous research on algorithms 2.3 Public discourse in digital age 2.4 Theories of opinion formation 3. Social Media Algorithms 3.1 Definition and types of algorithms 3.2 Algorithmic filtering and ranking 3.3 Role in content dissemination 4. Public Discourse Analysis 4.1 Characteristics of public discourse 4.2 Influences on public conversation 4.3 Case studies of discourse changes 5. Opinion Formation Mechanics 5.1 Cognitive biases and social proof 5.2 Impact of algorithmic curation 5.3 Models of opinion dynamics 6. Methodology 6.1 Research design and approach 6.2 Data collection methods 6.3 Analytical frameworks used 7. Findings and Discussion 7.1 Influence of algorithms on discourse 7.2 Changes in public opinion trends 7.3 Implications for society and policy 8. Conclusion and Recommendations 8.1 Summary of key findings 8.2 Recommendations for platform policies 8.3 Future research directions