Sunday, December 7

Tag: media

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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How fake accounts constantly manipulate what you see on social media – and what you can do about it
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SOCIAL MEDIA

How fake accounts constantly manipulate what you see on social media – and what you can do about it

Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram started out as a way to connect with friends, family and people of interest. But anyone on social media these days knows it’s increasingly a divisive landscape. Undoubtedly you’ve heard reports that hackers and even foreign governments are using social media to manipulate and attack you. You may wonder how that is possible. As a professor of computer science who researches social media and security, I can explain – and offer some ideas for what you can do about it. Bots and sock puppets Social media platforms don’t simply feed you the posts from the accounts you follow. They use algorithms to curate what you see based in part on “likes” or “votes.” A post is shown to some users, and the more those people react – positively or neg...
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Riot or resistance? How media frames unrest in Minneapolis will shape public’s view of protest
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IN OTHER NEWS

Riot or resistance? How media frames unrest in Minneapolis will shape public’s view of protest

A teenager held her phone steady enough to capture the final moments of George Perry Floyd’s life as he apparently suffocated under the weight of a Minneapolis police officer’s knee on his neck. The video went viral. What happened next has played out time and again in American cities after high-profile cases of alleged police brutality. Vigils and protests were organized in Minneapolis and around the United States to demand police accountability. But while investigators and officials called for patience, unrest boiled over. News reports soon carried images of property destruction and police in riot gear. The general public’s opinions about protests and the social movements behind them are formed in large part by what they read or see in the media. This gives journalists a lot of power w...
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Malicious bots and trolls spread vaccine misinformation – now social media companies are fighting back
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, SOCIAL MEDIA

Malicious bots and trolls spread vaccine misinformation – now social media companies are fighting back

Social media have become one of the preeminent ways of disseminating accurate information about vaccines. However, a lot of the vaccine information propagated across social media in the United States has been inaccurate or misleading. At a time when vaccine-preventable diseases are on the rise, vaccine misinformation has become a cause of concern to public health officials. At least half of parents of young children report having encountered negative messages about vaccines on social media. Alexander Dummer/Unsplash, CC BY A 2018 study showed that a lot of anti-vaccine information is generated by malicious automated programs – known as bots – and online trolls. In a striking parallel with the 2016 presidential campaign and the 2018 midterm elections, some vaccine misinformation on America...
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Why people post ‘couple photos’ as their social media profile pictures
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LIFESTYLE

Why people post ‘couple photos’ as their social media profile pictures

As you scroll through your Facebook news feed, you see it: Your friend has posted a new profile picture. But instead of a picture of just your friend, it’s a couple photo – a picture of your friend and their romantic partner. “Why would someone choose that as their profile picture?” you wonder. We are social psychology researchers interested in understanding people’s behavior in close relationships and on social media. Our research and that of other scholars provides insight into why people use these types of “I’m part of a couple!” displays on social media. Choosing profile photos that include their romantic partner, posting their relationship status and mentioning their partner in their updates can all be signs of how people feel in their relationship – and may send an important messag...
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Journalism

Tips for Black entrepreneurs from media mogul Byron Allen

This week, media mogul, Byron Allen, broke the internet with a viral interview on The Breakfast Club. The CEO of Entertainment Studios dropped numerous gems for success and told his incredible story of building an empire from his kitchen table. That hard work has paid off, as this Tuesday, Allen was inducted into the 2019 Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame. Allen doesn’t mince words: Black people may have been “blackballed” from the day they were born, but they can still succeed. He tells young entrepreneurs not to be afraid to speak out and dream big. “You cannot live in fear. You were born Blackballed. You know you’ve been positioned to fail and you have to recognize where you are.” These are five other gems from Allen’s interview that remind us to pursue our greatness and know our ...
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IN OTHER NEWS

Drugs On Social Media vs. The Dark Web

The growth of advanced technology has gone hand in hand with the advancement of organized drug networks. Throughout history, drug syndicates have always relied on physical addresses to conduct business across numerous jurisdictions. The fact that these organizations relied on the already-existing geographical and legal boundaries meant that they were particularly exposed to a host of limitations. Low-level drug traders were categorized according to individual suburban establishments or cities that provided their needed demands—the tangibility of persons, spaces and areas was a key characteristic of such drug syndicates. Today, new internet developments have given rise to the establishment of e-commerce websites that have converted traditional “brick-and-mortar” models to a vast virtual...
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The Power of Celebrity Endorsements in Social Media Marketing
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CELEBRITIES

The Power of Celebrity Endorsements in Social Media Marketing

Turn on the TV, check Facebook, look at an ad in print or online and there's a good chance you'll see a celebrity endorsing a product. This very common marketing practice has been around for decades and has only picked up more traction in today's social media driven environment. Add to our culture's fascination with celebrities and their lives, social media has enabled many people to connect and keep up with their favorite celebs on a daily basis. Between Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and many other social media networks, a celebrity now has instant access to thousands, if not millions, of fans to share things about their life, but also to promote themselves, their beliefs, and also products and companies. Unfortunately for many businesses, when it comes to utilizing celebrity e...
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White nationalist is latest to sue over social media ban
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Journalism

White nationalist is latest to sue over social media ban

A prominent white nationalist is suing Twitter for banning his accounts at a time when social networks are trying to crack down on hateful and abusive content without appearing to censor unpopular opinions. Jared Taylor filed the lawsuit Tuesday in state court in San Francisco, marking the latest legal challenge filed by right-wing groups and figures banned from social media sites. Taylor is the founder of the Virginia-based New Century Foundation, an IRS-classified charity that operates the American Renaissance online magazine. The magazine touts a philosophy that it’s “entirely normal” for whites to want to be a majority race. Twitter suspended the accounts of well-known white nationalists in December, saying it was enforcing new rules aimed at reducing abusive content. Social media s...
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Journalism

Media face challenges in rush to sexual misconduct reckoning

Talk-show host Tavis Smiley isn’t just angry at PBS for firing him on sexual misconduct charges. He’s angry about his depiction in the media. Smiley believes that if he hadn’t talked publicly about romantic relationships with subordinates at his company, the behavior that led to his downfall, the public would make little distinction between him and those who have been accused of sexual assault or rape. Conflation of different forms of misbehavior — the idea itself is controversial — is one of the issues facing media organizations covering the fast-moving story of sexual misconduct that went into overdrive with investigations into Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein’s behavior. “The media is painting with too broad a brush,” Smiley said. “We have lost all sense of nuance and proportionality...
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