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Category Archives: Social Media

How social media distorts perceptions of norms

Claire E. Robertson, Kareena S. del Rosario, Jay J. Van Bavel, Inside the funhouse mirror factory: How social media distorts perceptions of norms, Current Opinion in Psychology, Volume 60, 2024, 101918, ISSN 2352-250X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2024.101918.  “The current paper explains how modern technology interacts with human psychology to create a funhouse mirror version of social norms. We… Continue Reading

What If Google’s Biggest Problem Isn’t AI?

New York – Intelligencer [unpaywalled]: “Let’s say you represent the most powerful government on Earth and would like to convey some information to the citizens of your country in a moment of crisis. We’re talking pretty basic stuff: How to apply for federal assistance after a series of massive natural disasters, the general state of… Continue Reading

What’s happening in America today is something darker than a misinformation crisis.

The Atlantic [no paywall]: ” I’m Running Out of Ways to Explain How Bad This Is What’s happening in America today is something darker than a misinformation crisis. By Charlie Warzel. The truth is, it’s getting harder to describe the extent to which a meaningful percentage of Americans have dissociated from reality. As Hurricane Milton… Continue Reading

FTC Findings on Commercial Surveillance Can Lead to Better Alternatives

EFF: “On September 19, the FTC published a staff report following a multi-year investigation of nine social media and video streaming companies. The report found a myriad of privacy violations to consumers stemming largely from the ad-revenue based business models of companies including Facebook, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter) which prompted unbridled consumer surveillance practices.… Continue Reading

Who U.S. Adults Follow on TikTok

“Adult TikTok users in the U.S. use the platform to follow pop culture and entertainment accounts much more than news and politics. A new Pew Research Center analysis of the accounts Americans follow on TikTok highlights the centrality of internet-native content creators, prominent influencers and traditional celebrities on the popular short-form video platform. It also… Continue Reading

The White House launches Reddit account

The Biden-Harris Administration has launched a Reddit account to provide accurate info on Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The White House will combat misinformation and share updates on federal response, recovery, and preparedness efforts across key sub-Reddits. TechCrunch: “On Tuesday, a White House official announced that the Biden-Harris administration has launched a White House account on… Continue Reading

You might discover a conspiracy theory on social media — but you’re more likely to believe it if you hear it from a friend

NiemanLab – Want to check out some new conspiracy theories? Social media is a great place to find them. But will it make you believe them? That’s the question asked by a new working paper looking at conspiracy theories surrounding the Donald Trump assassination attempt on July 13. (Gotta love it when academia moves quickly!)… Continue Reading

LLRX Articles and Columns, September 2024

When Should Presenters Apologize? – Referencing decades of experience as a presenter and an attendee at presentations, Jerry Lawson cautions us not to begin a presentation with an apology, which can be compelled by a tech glitch or some other reason not within our control. AI in Finance and Banking, September 30, 2024 – Sabrina I.… Continue Reading

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, October 5, 2024

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, October 5, 2024 – Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and… Continue Reading

Unlocking AI for All: The Case for Public Data Banks

LawFare: “The data relied on by OpenAI, Google, Meta, and other artificial intelligence (AI) developers is not readily available to other AI labs. Google and Meta relied, in part, on data gathered from their own products to train and fine-tune their models. OpenAI used tactics to acquire data that now would not work or may… Continue Reading