Wednesday, January 15

SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitter’s Trending Function Goes Haywire With Rumors Of Chris Pratt’s Being A ‘MAGA Bro’
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SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitter’s Trending Function Goes Haywire With Rumors Of Chris Pratt’s Being A ‘MAGA Bro’

When actor Chris Pratt found himself trending on Twitter on Oct. 17, it wasn’t because of his new film or the birth of his first child. Instead, Twitter users were clamoring for Pratt to be canceled because of his support of President Donald Trump. There was one problem: Pratt had never said such a thing. As a scholar of communication, I was drawn to the way this saga played out. But whereas a lot of attention has been given to how bots and bad actors fan false information, I see the issue as something more structural, with certain flaws baked into the way Twitter is built – particularly its trending function. Together, they cause what rhetoricians call “logical fallacies” to thrive. The most problematic Chris of them all The controversy began when television writer and producer Amy B...
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Bots Spread Conspiracy Theories And QAnon Talking Points On Twitter
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SOCIAL MEDIA

Bots Spread Conspiracy Theories And QAnon Talking Points On Twitter

Americans who seek political insight and information on Twitter should know how much of what they are seeing is the result of automated propaganda campaigns. Nearly four years after my collaborators and I revealed how automated Twitter accounts were distorting online election discussions in 2016, the situation appears to be no better. That’s despite the efforts of policymakers, technology companies and even the public to root out disinformation campaigns on social media. In our latest study, we collected 240 million election-related tweets mentioning presidential candidates and election-related keywords, posted between June 20 and Sept. 9, 2020. We looked for activity from automated (or bot) accounts, and the spread of distorted or conspiracy theory narratives. We learned that on Twitte...
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Banning apps like TikTok and WeChat is a good way to ensure a country will trail in tech leadership and profits
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BUSINESS, SOCIAL MEDIA

Banning apps like TikTok and WeChat is a good way to ensure a country will trail in tech leadership and profits

The Trump administration’s decision to force the sale of TikTok to a U.S. buyer is, to many, the latest sign the global internet is splintering into national and regional blocs. This has been a concern for several years now, as authoritarian countries such as Russia, China and Iran erect walls around their cyberspace, and democracies like the U.S., India and the European Union cite national security when blocking specific foreign companies like ByteDance’s TikTok and Tencent’s WeChat. The reality, however, is a lot more complicated – at least when it comes to social media companies. I study global media design and the localization of technology. My research suggests that while social media users are indeed splintering regionally and nationally, the companies themselves are becoming more...
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Make the most of virtual events
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SOCIAL MEDIA, TECHNOLOGY

Make the most of virtual events

Debra Saxon, founder of 10-year-old Celebration Senior Magazine based in Dallas, Texas, has been working overtime since early March to bring virtual events and activities to seniors nationwide. She believes that while virtual opportunities have exploded in recent months due to COVID-19, the medium will continue as an ongoing trend, especially for seniors and house- or facilities-bound individuals. “We’ve had well over 11,000 people join us for online events,” said Saxon in mid-August. “Seniors who never thought they could do technology have been enjoying virtual tours of places like the Dallas Museum of Art or the LBJ Presidential Library, music concerts, learning programs and more, that we can offer free because of our advertising partners.” Saxon said that while virtual may not replac...
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The US has lots to lose and little to gain by banning TikTok and WeChat
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SOCIAL MEDIA

The US has lots to lose and little to gain by banning TikTok and WeChat

The Trump administration’s recently announced bans on Chinese-owned social media platforms TikTok and WeChat could have unintended consequences. The orders bar the apps from doing business in the U.S. or with U.S. persons or businesses after Sept. 20 and require divestiture of TikTok by Nov. 12. The executive orders are based on national security grounds, though the threats cited are to citizens rather than the government. Foreign policy analysts see the move as part of the administration’s ongoing wrestling match with the Chinese government for leverage in the global economy. Whatever the motivation, as someone who researches both cybersecurity and technology policy, I am not convinced that the benefits outweigh the costs. The bans threaten Americans’ freedom of speech, and may harm for...
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TikTok is a unique blend of social media platforms – here’s why kids love it
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SOCIAL MEDIA

TikTok is a unique blend of social media platforms – here’s why kids love it

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. It’s also become a geopolitical football. Owned by Chinese company ByteDance, TikTok has been banned by India along with 58 other Chinese-owned apps in July in response to escalating border tensions between the two countries. The Trump administration issued an executive order banning TikTok and Chinese-owned messaging platform WeChat from engaging in transactions in the United States beginning on Sept. 15. The company sued the Trump administration in August in response to the ban. 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...
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What to know about controversial app TikTok
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SOCIAL MEDIA

What to know about controversial app TikTok

Social media is often referred to as both a blessing and a curse. And, when new apps emerge and gain popularity, especially among children, teens and young people, they are scrutinized widely for content and effect. TikTok is a current target. Parents magazine in February expressed: “Gen Z can’t get enough of TikTok. But if you’re worried about what exactly your kids are getting, you’re not alone.” At its core, TikTok may seem harmless enough. Androidcentral.com last August defined the app as one that offers users the ability to create short videos, ranging from 15 to 60 seconds, with access to unique filters, stickers and other video editing software options. TikTok’s safety concerns, addressed by Parents, include: 1. Predators can access the app — and often do — to provide flattery a...
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Have a Live Streaming Show to Get More Exposure and Build Your Following Online!
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SOCIAL MEDIA

Have a Live Streaming Show to Get More Exposure and Build Your Following Online!

While uploading recorded videos can help get you noticed and gain a lot of fans, another great way to get you famous is to broadcast your own live web shows. You Tube has been experimenting with live video streaming in the past year; with things like a U2 concert and an Indian Premier League match. The site has also streamed webcasts of US President Barack Obama's press conference as well as San Francisco's "Outside Lands" concert, and recently a Bon Jovi concert live from NYC. Google, who owns YouTube, previously said it didn't want to go into the realm of live video because of the cost, but that doesn't seem to be the case now since YouTube recently held a two-day trial of its live video streaming platform allowing four users to feed live broadcasts to their You Tube channels. It's now ...
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Social networks aim to erase hate but miss the target on guns
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SOCIAL MEDIA

Social networks aim to erase hate but miss the target on guns

As Facebook faces down a costly boycott campaign demanding the social network do more to combat hate speech, CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently announced plans to ban a “wider category of hateful content in ads.” Twitter, YouTube and Reddit have also taken additional steps to curtail online hate, removing several inflammatory accounts. But as social networks refine their policies and update algorithms for detecting extremism, they overlook a major source of hateful content: gun talk. As a researcher of online extremism, I examined the user policies of social networks and found that while each address textbook forms of hate speech, they give a pass to the widespread use of gun rhetoric that celebrates or promotes violence. In fact, the word “gun” appears but once in Facebook’s policy on “Viole...
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Twitter hack exposes broader threat to democracy and society
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SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitter hack exposes broader threat to democracy and society

In case 2020 wasn’t dystopian enough, hackers on July 15 hijacked the Twitter accounts of former President Barack Obama, presidential hopeful Joe Biden, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Kim Kardashian and Apple, among others. Each hijacked account posted a similar fake message. The high-profile individual or company wanted to philanthropically give back to the community during COVID-19 and would double any donations made to a bitcoin wallet, identical messages said. The donations followed. The hack on the surface may appear to be a run-of-the-mill financial scam. But the breach has chilling implications for democracy. Serious political implications As a scholar of internet governance and infrastructure, I see the underlying cybercrimes of this incident, such as hacking accounts and financial fraud,...
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