Lesson 2: Defining the It Factor – What Drives Engagement Across Platforms?

• What characteristics consistently drive engagement?
• Do different platforms reward different types of content?
• Are It Factors universal or platform-specific?
• How does platform structure influence what becomes popular?
• How can we justify a category using evidence rather than opinion?

It Factor
Platform
Audience targeting
Trend
Viral
Content format
Engagement driver
Algorithm
Demographic
Design feature
Pattern
Variable

HS ETS1-2
Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it into smaller components.

Science and Engineering Practices:
Analyzing and Interpreting Data
Developing and Using Models
Engaging in Argument from Evidence

Crosscutting Concepts:
Patterns
Systems and System Models
Cause and Effect

• Classifying information into conceptual categories
• Supporting claims with multiple pieces of evidence
• Comparing patterns across different systems
• Writing analytical justification statements
• Evaluating peer claims

Students practice building defensible categories, a core skill in evidence-based writing and standardized assessments.

Day 1-2 – Platform-Specific Analysis

Students are assigned different social media platforms in small groups. Each group analyzes multiple posts from their assigned platform.

Students identify:

• Observable design features
• Emotional triggers
• Content structure
• Audience cues

They generate their own It Factor categories without teacher-provided labels.

Purpose:
Shift from reaction to structured classification.

DOK: 2 – Identify patterns and group observable features.

Day 3-4 – Cross-Platform Comparison

Groups present their proposed It Factors.

The class compares:

• Overlapping categories
• Platform-specific categories
• Conflicting interpretations

Students refine categories to make them more precise.

For example:

“Funny” becomes “Humor as emotional trigger.”
“Short” becomes “Low time investment content.”

Purpose:
Move from surface-level labeling to analytical category construction.

DOK: 3 – Justify classifications using evidence and refine models.

Day 5-6 – Refinement and Pattern Consolidation

The class co-constructs a refined list of It Factors.

Students must:

• Provide at least two examples supporting one It Factor
• Explain whether it appears platform-specific or universal
• Defend their reasoning

Students reflect on how platform structure might reward certain It Factors more strongly.

Purpose:
Prepare students to later connect It Factors to amplification systems and design decisions.

DOK: 3 – Construct and defend generalizations.

Students analyze real platforms they use daily. They see how identity, culture, humor styles, and trends influence engagement patterns.

Students recognize:

• What works on TikTok may not work on LinkedIn.
• What engages one demographic may not engage another.
• Platform architecture influences content evolution.

This validates lived experience while reframing it through systems analysis.

• All platforms reward the same content types.
• Humor alone explains virality.
• Engagement drivers are accidental rather than structural.
• High engagement equals high quality.
• Categories can be based on personal taste rather than evidence.

Access to Content

• Provide structured analysis templates for students who need organizational support.
• Offer sentence stems for justification:
“This feature appears to drive engagement because…”
“We observed this pattern in…”

Processing Supports

• Allow groups to annotate posts visually before categorizing.
• Provide color-coded charts for tracking patterns across platforms.
• Offer guided small-group conferencing for students who struggle with abstraction.

Language Supports

• Pre-define example It Factors for students who need scaffolding, but require evidence justification.
• Allow verbal explanation before written submission.

Output Flexibility

• Students may present It Factors as:
A visual concept map
A categorized chart
A short written explanation

Extension Opportunities

• Challenge advanced students to identify interacting It Factors rather than isolated traits.
• Ask students to identify one It Factor that might produce short-term engagement but long-term harm.
• Invite comparison between two platforms with opposing reward structures.

Formative Assessments

• Group-generated It Factor chart
• Written justification for one It Factor using at least two examples
• Peer critique of category clarity

Exit Ticket Prompt

Choose one It Factor your group identified.
Explain why it appears to influence engagement.
Support your explanation with evidence from at least two posts.

Evaluation Criteria

Clarity of category
Specificity of evidence
Ability to distinguish platform-specific vs universal
Depth of reasoning