Social media platforms have become the latest villains in the headlines. I find it alarming that we are looking to vilify the sites rather than the users that abuse them. As soon as we start blaming the platforms for wrongdoing, we are allowing the people who are spreading toxicity to simply throw their hands up… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Social Networks
Facebook and Instagram: The science of social media addicton
“Our childhoods were stolen,” says 21-year-old Rikki Schlott, who has had an Instagram account since she was 11. Recently, Facebook has come under fire for the impact its apps can have on teens and their mental health. The BBC looks at how algorithms have made social media the new “drug of choice” and what people… Read more »
Social media giants continue to harm democracy and it’s evident during this election
The trolls accosting Justin Trudeau at campaign stops across Canada are hardly the first to bring the worst of Facebook to real life. “Death to Trudeau” memes have been dominant on Facebook for years. The guy who packed his truck full of guns and drove through the gates of Rideau Hall in search of the… Read more »
Webscape: A toolkit for start-ups
From sites which offer tips from successful entrepreneurs and business people to a daily email of key news events, this video rounds up some of the best tools for those starting a business. Source: BBC News Date: January 30, 2015 Link (to be pasted into browser): http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02hv80g Discussion 1) Why do you think these entrepreneurs… Read more »
What turns a social media platform into a community?
With the recent release of the latest Global Web Index report on social media, the team discuss why they think Tumblr has increased its active user base by 120% in the last six months and why Facebook has only seen 2% growth over the same period. The team also discuss what makes an effective social… Read more »
How are the Hong Kong democracy protesters keeping in touch?
Thousands of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong have been using an app called Firechat to talk to each other “off the grid”. News about the protests in Hong Kong have been suppressed in mainland China and it was widely rumored that China was monitoring internet communications at the protests. Source BBC Date October 2nd, 2014… Read more »
Tracking the flu with technology and Twitter
Discussion: There is a new method of filtering tweets that could help make the real-time data pouring into social media sites like Twitter and Facebook more accurate and useful to scientists. Researchers have found a way to harness the wealth of data from social networks and search engines in order to keep the public informed about the… Read more »
The social network where no one knows your name
Discussion: Social Number, a new social networking site that assigns users a number rather than using a name, handle, or thumbnail photo, strives to create an atmosphere of anonymity for its users. The site encourages users to discuss things such as a bad job, hot button issues, or substance abuse problems without the threat of linking them to… Read more »
Snapchat’s ‘disappearing’ videos don’t actually vanish
Discussion: Snapchat is a messaging app whose trail of messages disappears after the user views the item. When a user sends an image, they can choose how long the receiver has to view it, picking a time frame of up to 10 seconds after opening. Then it vanishes. A newly discovered security flaw in the app is… Read more »
Facebook tests paid messages to strangers
Discussion: Facebook had installed a new feature that allows users to pay $1 to send a message to anyone outside their network. Normally, when you send a message to someone outside your network, the message lands in an “other” folder with miscellaneous spam and message that are not from a designated “friend”. By paying $1,… Read more »
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