Our digital world is bigger and more connected than ever. Social media isn’t just a daily habit — with more than 5 billion users globally, it’s woven into the very fabric of our existence. These platforms offer entertainment, connection, information, and support, but they’re also battlegrounds for misinformation and online harassment. Platforms like Facebook, YouTube, ...
In the quiet hush of winter, a story unfolded that would serve as a stark reminder of the profound impact our words and actions can have on the lives of others. While rooted in a small village’s tragedy, it resonates with universal truths about responsibility, the ripple effects of our behavior, and the inescapable cycle ...
A recent investigation from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) has revealed an extensive network of YouTube channels promoting pro-Chinese and anti-U.S. public opinion in the English-speaking world using generative AI to rapidly produce and publish content, while deftly exploiting YouTube’s algorithmic recommendation system. How big is the network? Operation “Shadow Play” involves a network ...
Social media influencers are a product of our times. Many of them fit into a niche like lifestyle, tech, fitness, fashion, beauty, or travel subjects. Often, they use their channels to push a product/service or a cause. Given their growing prominence with audiences, there are some social media influencers — in this case, foreigners — ...
The debate on how to combat social media misinformation is as relevant as ever. In recent years, we’ve seen medical misinformation spreading alongside COVID, and political misinformation impacting the outcome of elections and national referendums. Experts have largely placed the impetus to stop misinformation on three groups: social media users, government regulators, and social media ...
In the United States, 41 states have filed lawsuits against Meta for allegedly driving social media addiction in its young users (under the age of 18), amid growing concerns about the negative effects of platforms. The lawsuits allege Meta has been harvesting young users’ data, deploying features to promote compulsive use of both Facebook and ...
TikTok is not inherently dangerous. But like many social media platforms, it gives people, especially teens, an audience anytime, anywhere, and with anyone. It also offers young people constant emotional feedback and validation through short videos and instant gratification through clicks. The prevalence of challenges on TikTok, especially during and after COVID-19, has raised concerns ...
The future of influence is here: a digital avatar that captivates millions of adoring fans while offering unparalleled customization and round-the-clock availability. Virtual influencers are transforming the way content is created, consumed, and marketed online. They represent an electrifying dance between cutting-edge technology and our desire for connection. But at the same time, they are ...
In the 1940s, a young woman had a dream of becoming a fashion designer. But due to life circumstances, “she had to give up something she wanted.” (USA Today) Today, eight decades later, she’s a mother and a doting grandmother — and, thanks to her granddaughter, a late-blooming designer. Her granddaughter Julia has garnered attention ...
In 2021, a 79-year-old man, now 82, from Alberta, Canada, showed the world what it is like to feel what David Viscott said: “To love and to be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.” The man, who requested to remain anonymous, walked into a beauty school and said he wanted to learn ...