Joan Westenberg: “…In the bite-sized content and viral media age, too many of us have lost — or are losing — the focus and patience for lengthy, complex texts. We skim and scan instead of closely reading. Our attention spans have shrunk to mere seconds. While technology has enabled the wide dissemination of information, it has also fragmented our… Continue Reading
Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002
Category Archives: Social Media
Americans Are More Likely to Choose News That Supports Their Beliefs
This New Study Reveals Why. [The Debrief]: “A new study published in Communication Research suggests that people often prefer news that aligns with their existing beliefs, a tendency known as “selective exposure.” According to the new research, this habit is particularly noticeable in the United States, where partisan divides and “echo chambers” are becoming more… Continue Reading
A computational analysis of potential algorithmic bias on platform X during the 2024 US election
A computational analysis of potential algorithmic bias on platform X during the 2024 US election. [Working Paper] (Unpublished) – This technical report presents findings from a two-phase analysis investigating potential algorithmic bias in engagement metrics on X (formerly Twitter) by examining Elon Musk’s account against a group of prominent users and subsequently comparing Republican-leaning versus… Continue Reading
Now’s the Time to Grab Your Bluesky Handle Before It’s Gone
How To Geek: “Bluesky is a decentralized social media platform heavily inspired by Twitter (now known as X), which should come as no surprise since both platforms were created at least in part by Jack Dorsey. While Bluesky shares Twitter’s tight character limit and clean design language, it differs in its decentralized nature along with… Continue Reading
Social Media Fact Sheet
Pew Research – “Many Americans use social media to connect with one another, engage with news content, share information and entertain themselves. Explore the patterns and trends shaping the social media landscape. Which social media platforms are most common? YouTube and Facebook are the most-widely used online platforms. Half of U.S. adults say they use… Continue Reading
Voted in America? This Site Doxed You
404 Media: “If you voted in the U.S. presidential election [November 5, 2024] in which Donald Trump won comfortably, or a previous election, a website powered by a right-wing group is probably doxing you. VoteRef makes it trivial for anyone to search the name, physical address, age, party affiliation, and whether someone voted that year… Continue Reading
For Teens Online, Conspiracy Theories Are Commonplace
News:iterary Project: News Literacy in America: A survey of teen information attitudes, habits and skills (2024). “American teens spend hours each day scrolling social media platforms, immersing themselves in an often-confusing stream of entertainment, ads, news, rumors and conspiracy theories. Young people need the knowledge, skills and habits of mind to assess the credibility and… Continue Reading
Twitter2Mastodon
witter2Mastodon. “Paste in a Twitter URL and convert it into a Mastodon post. It says something about using Postiz to post but you don’t have to. Just click the “Post on Mastodon” button, put in your server URL, and away you go.” [via Tara Calishain] Continue Reading
Perplexity will show live US election results despite AI accuracy warnings
Ars Technica: “On Friday, Perplexity launched an election information hub that relies on data from The Associated Press and Democracy Works to provide live updates and information about the 2024 US general election, which takes place on Tuesday, November 5. “Starting Tuesday, we’ll be offering live updates on elections using data from The Associated Press… Continue Reading
LLRX October 2024 Columns and Articles
Artificial Intelligence and Unconscious Bias Risk – Elizabeth Sweetland reviews: Meredith Broussard, More than a Glitch: Confronting Race, Gender, and Ability Bias in Tech (MIT Press 2023). 248 Pages. Trump’s Election Lawyers Must Heed Their Ethical Duties – Attorneys Stephen Marcus and Bruce Kuhlik discuss the ethical responsibilities of lawyers in the context of predicted attempts… Continue Reading
Vanishing Culture: A Report on Our Fragile Cultural Record
Internet Archives Blogs: “In today’s digital landscape, corporate interests, shifting distribution models, and malicious cyber attacks are threatening public access to our shared cultural history. The rise of streaming platforms and temporary licensing agreements means that sound recordings, books, films, and other cultural artifacts that used to be owned in physical form, are now at… Continue Reading
Exploiting Meta’s Weaknesses, Deceptive Political Ads Thrived on Facebook and Instagram in Run-Up to Election
ProPublica: Reporting Highlights Deceptive Political Ads: Eight deceptive advertising networks have placed over 160,000 election and social issues ads across more than 340 Facebook pages in English and Spanish. Harmed Users: Some of the people who clicked on ads were unwittingly signed up for monthly credit card charges or lost health coverage, among other consequences.… Continue Reading
