Sunday, May 19

Tag: online

Experts In Online Communications Weigh In – Does ‘Deplatforming’ Work To Curb Hate Speech And Calls For Violence?
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SOCIAL MEDIA

Experts In Online Communications Weigh In – Does ‘Deplatforming’ Work To Curb Hate Speech And Calls For Violence?

In the wake of the assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, Twitter permanently suspended Donald Trump’s personal account, and Google, Apple and Amazon shunned Parler, which at least temporarily shut down the social media platform favored by the far right. Dubbed “deplatforming,” these actions restrict the ability of individuals and communities to communicate with each other and the public. Deplatforming raises ethical and legal questions, but foremost is the question of whether it’s an effective strategy to reduce hate speech and calls for violence on social media. The Conversation U.S. asked three experts in online communications whether deplatforming works and what happens when technology companies attempt it. Sort of, but it’s not a long-term solution Jeremy Blackburn, assistant profes...
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Making the most of K-12 digital textbooks and online educational tools
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EDUCATION

Making the most of K-12 digital textbooks and online educational tools

Whether children are currently going to school in person, learning remotely or doing a mix of both, digital tools and texts are becoming much more commonplace for K-12 education during the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m a professor who researches the use of technology in education. I’m also the father of three children between the ages of 4 and 9 who are all learning from home. You might think it would be easy for me to get used to this new normal. Sadly, that’s not true. Despite all my technical know-how, even I struggle to manage the large variety of digital tools and apps that my children use for schoolwork, let alone the numerous websites, accounts and passwords from their classes that my family has to keep track of. Beneficial but complex The transition from relying mainly on physical textb...
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Tips for living online – lessons from six months of the COVID-19 pandemic
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TECHNOLOGY

Tips for living online – lessons from six months of the COVID-19 pandemic

Valentine’s Day was sweet, spring break was fun, then… boom! COVID-19. Stay-at-home orders, workplace shutdowns, school closures and social distancing requirements changed lives almost overnight. Forty-two percent of the U.S. workforce now works from home full-time. In the six months since the “new normal” began, Americans have gained a fair amount of experience with working, studying and socializing online. With schools resuming and cooler weather curtailing outdoor activities, videoconferencing will be as front and center as it was in the spring. As someone who researches and teaches instructional technology, I can offer recommendations for how to make the best of the situation and make the most of virtual interactions with colleagues, teachers, students, family and friends. Create a d...
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Chess is taking over the online video game world – and both are changing from this unlikely pairing
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GAMING

Chess is taking over the online video game world – and both are changing from this unlikely pairing

As a global pandemic continues to determine a new normal, tens of thousands of viewers have been tuning in to watch people play chess on a livestreaming website called Twitch.tv. An American chess grandmaster, Hikaru Nakamura, along with a number of celebrities of the video game world, is leading a renaissance in the ancient game. While viewers eagerly await Nakamura’s streams to begin, they are treated to a slideshow of memes involving Nakamura’s face superimposed into scenes from pop culture. First a reference to a well-known Japanese animation, next a famous upside-down kiss with Spiderman and finally, Nakamura’s characteristic grin is edited onto the Mona Lisa herself. From Aug. 21 to Sept. 6, Twitch and Chess.com are hosting a tournament, called Pogchamps, where some of the most pop...
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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 n...
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Massive online open courses see exponential growth during COVID-19 pandemic
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EDUCATION

Massive online open courses see exponential growth during COVID-19 pandemic

Massive open online classes, or MOOCs, have seen a surge in enrollments since March. Enrollment at Coursera – an online platform that offers MOOCs, has skyrocketed and was 640% higher from mid-March to mid-April than during the same period last year, growing from 1.6 to 10.3 million. The surge was driven in part by giving free catalog access for 3,800 courses to their university partners. Enrollment at Udemy – another MOOC provider – was up over 400% between February and March. These surges correspond to lock downs across the world as the pandemic started to rage. As an astronomy professor who teaches and studies MOOCs, I believe there will be a continued shift toward these types of courses as the pandemic forces educators and students alike to rethink the risks associated with in-person...
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Online Christian pilgrimage: How a virtual tour to Lourdes follows a tradition of innovation
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Religion, TECHNOLOGY

Online Christian pilgrimage: How a virtual tour to Lourdes follows a tradition of innovation

The Catholic Church held what is being termed as the first online pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France. Earlier this spring, for the first time in its 162-year existence the shrine was closed as part of measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus. This online pilgrimage included many elements of the actual journey such as traditional prayers and communion, but recreated for a virtual experience. Prayers and services were offered in both English and Spanish. Participants were shown scenes of the healing waters, taken on a virtual tour of the cave and heard music that is part of the normal, in-person experience. As a scholar of the Bible, Judaism and Christianity, I know the importance of pilgrimages. But rituals have often been adapted in the face of difficult c...
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Black churches have lagged in moving online during the pandemic – reaching across generational lines could help
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Religion

Black churches have lagged in moving online during the pandemic – reaching across generational lines could help

From online campaigns for justice to popular TikTok challenges, Black young adults are at the forefront of social media trends. But when it comes to the Black Church, the same cannot be said – it has lagged behind in the rush to go digital. There is a reason for that. But as a scholar of online religious practices, I believe that ascribing the problem to a generational divide and declining church engagement among young people is overly simplistic. Such a view, I argue, fails to understand the complex dynamic between Black young adults and the Black Church. The digital gap The pandemic is one case in point. Early in March, before state and federal guidelines were handed down, Black churches were split over whether to remain open or close their doors to congregants during the pandemic. So...
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The coronavirus pandemic moved life online – a surge in website defacing followed
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COVID-19, TECHNOLOGY

The coronavirus pandemic moved life online – a surge in website defacing followed

One consequence of the public’s compliance with social distancing and quarantines during the COVID-19 pandemic is a sharp decline in most types of crime. It looks like people staying home made communities less conducive to crime. Unfortunately, the news isn’t as good as those numbers alone suggest. Other settings are seeing an increase in crime following the stay-at-home orders. One is the household, where domestic violence is likely to have increased in the past two months. As researchers who study cybercrime, we’re finding that criminal activity seems to be on the rise in the online world, as well. At the same time, many people are relying more heavily than before on online services for work, entertainment and shopping. This makes them more likely to become the targets of different typ...
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The lack of women in cybersecurity leaves the online world at greater risk
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TECHNOLOGY

The lack of women in cybersecurity leaves the online world at greater risk

Women are highly underrepresented in the field of cybersecurity. In 2017, women’s share in the U.S. cybersecurity field was 14%, compared to 48% in the general workforce. The problem is more acute outside the U.S. In 2018, women accounted for 10% of the cybersecurity workforce in the Asia-Pacific region, 9% in Africa, 8% in Latin America, 7% in Europe and 5% in the Middle East. Women are even less well represented in the upper echelons of security leadership. Only 1% of female internet security workers are in senior management positions. I study online crime and security issues facing consumers, organizations and nations. In my research, I have found that internet security requires strategies beyond technical solutions. Women’s representation is important because women tend to offer vie...
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