SOCIAL MEDIA – Page 6

29Apr

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IN OTHER NEWS, SOCIAL MEDIA

Remembering The Facebook Poke

What Does It Mean to Poke Someone On Facebook? Facebook has a function called poking. You will find it on the left hand side underneath the picture of the friend you wish to poke. You simply need to click on the word "Poke FirstName". Facebook will let you know what you have done just in case you clicked the button by accident. You are about to poke Donald. He will be informed of this on his home page. What is poking and what does it mean? Remember when you were a kid and you used to poke someone to get their attention? Well there are two points of view about poking on Facebook. Of course those who like and those who don't! Facebook poking can be just a simple hello, Hi I was thinking about you and just wanted to let you know. The person who dropped by your house when you were not home, ...

The Occult On Social Media – WitchTok: The Rise Of The Occult Has Eerie Parallels With The 16th Century

27Apr

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IN OTHER NEWS, SOCIAL MEDIA

The Occult On Social Media – WitchTok: The Rise Of The Occult Has Eerie Parallels With The 16th Century

It’s 1.30am in the morning, and I’m about to watch a duel between magicians. One is a “demonolater”, a word I have never heard before, someone who claims they worship demons and can petition them in return for knowledge or power. The other describes themselves as a “Solomonic magician”, and claims to be able to command demons to do his bidding, as some Jewish and Islamic traditions have believed of King Solomon, who ruled Israel in the 10th century BC. I first discovered this debate because, in the course of studying 16th century books of magic attributed to Solomon, I had found, to my astonishment, that “Solomonic magic” is still alive and well today, and growing in popularity. Twitter had suggested to me that I might be interested in an account called “Solomonic magic”, and a few clicks...

Could Elon Musk’s Plans For Twitter Make Its Misinformation Problems Worse

27Apr

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SOCIAL MEDIA

Could Elon Musk’s Plans For Twitter Make Its Misinformation Problems Worse

Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, acquired Twitter in a US$44 billion deal on April 25, 2022, 11 days after announcing his bid for the company. Twitter announced that the public company will become privately held after the acquisition is complete. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission for his initial bid for the company, Musk stated, “I invested in Twitter as I believe in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe, and I believe free speech is a societal imperative for a functioning democracy.” As a researcher of social media platforms, I find that Musk’s ownership of Twitter and his stated reasons for buying the company raise important issues. Those issues stem from the nature of the social media platform and what sets it apart from others. ...

12Apr

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SOCIAL MEDIA

From Friend To Frenemy

As Facebook celebrates 15 years of virtual friendship, social science has compiled an expansive body of research that documents the public’s love-hate relationship with its best frenemy. What many once viewed as a confidant has devolved into a messy codependence, mired by ambiguity and mistrust. It’s a relationship that’s both taken for granted, yet extremely high-maintenance, leaving users to wonder whether they should just move on with healthier friends. But it wasn’t always like this. Friendly beginnings At its launch, Facebook was one of the most authentic social networking partners. Existing online networks, like MySpace, had influential parent companies that chaperoned their platforms, pestering users with ads and gimmicks. But Facebook promised something different: a genuine con...

Here’s Why Kids Love TikTok – Its A Unique Blend Of Social Media Platforms

25Mar

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SOCIAL MEDIA

Here’s Why Kids Love TikTok – Its A Unique Blend Of Social Media Platforms

TikTok, a social media platform targeted at young mobile phone users, was the second-most downloaded app in the world in 2019. It was the most downloaded app in July 2020. As a political scientist who studies social media, I’ve looked at what makes TikTok unique and why young people have flocked to it. In short, the phone-only app lets users record themselves dancing or goofing around to a music or spoken-word clip and then alter the videos using a wide array of effects. Despite its superficially frivolous nature, young people have been using the platform to send political messages, coordinate political actions and hang out in an online space largely free of adults. How it works Each tiktok is a 3- to 60-second-long video that loops when finished. The majority of the screen is taken up by...

27Jan

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IN OTHER NEWS, SOCIAL MEDIA

Boomers Blamed For Demise Of Emoji

So, have you heard? Supposedly, the laugh cry emoji has become uncool and using it is a sure sign you're old. Stop the presses! Gen Z - those born after 1997 - have apparently declared this to be so on social media, especially TikTok. This despite the fact that the emoji has been extremely popular since 2017. As a CNN article noted: "'Face with Tears of Joy,' the official name for the laughing crying emoji, is the most-used emoji on Emojitracker, a website that shows real-time emoji use on Twitter." In 2020, it was still the most popular emoji. So, what happened? Are Baby Boomers to Blame? Of course, as with everything else, we boomers are being blamed for its demise. Jeremy Burge, the chief emoji officer of Emojipedia, recently wrote a blog post that said: "It's common wisdom on Tik...

The Irresistible Allure Of Mocking Southern Accents – TikTok, #BamaRush

27Jan

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IN OTHER NEWS, SOCIAL MEDIA

The Irresistible Allure Of Mocking Southern Accents – TikTok, #BamaRush

As college students across the country return to campuses grappling with the COVID-19 delta variant, Greek letters of a different variety have captivated social media feeds with stunning virality. The #BamaRush trend on TikTok introduced followers to the annual recruitment process for National Panhellenic Conference sororities at the University of Alabama. The popular videos offer a firsthand perspective on the recruitment process, showcasing the various events and the women’s corresponding fashion choices – the “outfit of the day,” or #OOTD – for each stage. When this phenomenon came to my attention, I noticed that TikTok’s algorithm fed me not only the posts of women participating in #BamaRush but also parody videos made by people glued to the unfolding events. In these videos...

The Rise Of The TikTok Tabloid West Elm Caleb

27Jan

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SOCIAL MEDIA

The Rise Of The TikTok Tabloid West Elm Caleb

Can you believe Makayla was dropped from Bama Rush? Do you think Couch Guy was cheating? Did you see Gabby Petito’s last post before she went missing? If you don’t spend much time online, you may not recognize these names. But on TikTok, their stories became sensationalized, memeified, hashtagged and rehashed. The most recent is “#WestElmCaleb.” Women took to TikTok to share their experiences of being peppered with affection, strung along and ultimately ghosted by a New York City-based designer named Caleb, who became the exemplar for the worst aspects of online dating culture. Together, these stories represent the emergence of what I call the “TikTok tabloid,” in which users collectively manufacture and dramatize stories like an investigative gossip reel. Traditional tabloids place the...

Targeted Advertising On Social Media Drives People To Extremes

12Jan

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SOCIAL MEDIA

Targeted Advertising On Social Media Drives People To Extremes

Have you had the experience of looking at some product online and then seeing ads for it all over your social media feed? Far from coincidence, these instances of eerily accurate advertising provide glimpses into the behind-the-scenes mechanisms that feed an item you search for on Google, “like” on social media or come across while browsing into custom advertising on social media. Those mechanisms are increasingly being used for more nefarious purposes than aggressive advertising. The threat is in how this targeted advertising interacts with today’s extremely divisive political landscape. As a social media researcher, I see how people seeking to radicalize others use targeted advertising to readily move people to extreme views. Advertising to an audience of one Advertising is clearly powe...

5Dec

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IN OTHER NEWS, SOCIAL MEDIA

So You Want To Be A Social Media Star

Being Famous On Instagram Isn't Too Difficult Now. A powerful and impressive Instagram feed has various important factors that could bring you fame in this well-known platform used by people worldwide. It is essential to limit your attention to the people who will get your account many followers over a long period. In this respect, the primary factor in making your account appear good to others. Making your profile look appealing to your followers is one of the main factors that make you well-known on Instagram. As an example, you're expected to display your photography talents to the world, so don't ever post an unprofessional or poor photo that can ruin everything the eyes of your viewers. Instead, you should avoid posting any content. Only high-quality content is the one thing that...