BBC: Russia bans smartphones for soldiers over social media fears. “Russia’s parliament has voted to ban soldiers from using smartphones while on duty, after their social media use raised issues of national security. The bill forbids military personnel from using a phone with the ability to take pictures, record videos and access the internet. Soldiers also cannot write about the military or talk to journalists.”
social media
SFGate: Your friends’ social media posts are making you spend more money, researchers say
SFGate: Your friends’ social media posts are making you spend more money, researchers say. “…a team of American and Canadian economists have proposed a new explanation for the declining savings rate, one rooted in individual psychology. At its heart lies a simple observation: Personal spending is a lot more visible to others than not spending. Changes in the media landscape have made other people’s spending more visible than ever. That, in turn, is making all of us spend even more – and save even less.”
MakeUseOf: How to Build Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit Bots Using Python
MakeUseOf: How to Build Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit Bots Using Python. “It’s 2019. You’ve heard of bots. There are chat bots, email bots, web scraping bots, and, social media bots. Have you created a bot yet? It’s surprisingly easy. Probably why they’re all over the place. Embrace our bot overlords by joining their rank. In this article, I’ll show you how you can leverage Python to interact with your Twitter, Reddit, and Instagram accounts automatically.”
The Sociable: Social media is the new dais for Asian elections
The Sociable: Social media is the new dais for Asian elections. “Asian countries, such as India, Thailand, and Indonesia are all starting an election year and are banking on social media and tech to draw in the votes. Here we take a look at the role of social media platforms in upcoming elections throughout Asia.”
Quartz: Uganda’s social media tax has led to a drop in internet and mobile money users
Quartz: Uganda’s social media tax has led to a drop in internet and mobile money users. “Uganda’s social media tax has proved to be detrimental to both its internet and mobile money sectors. In the three months following the introduction of the levy in July 2018, there was a noted decline in the number of internet users, total revenues collected, as well as mobile money transactions. In a series of tweets, the Uganda Communications Commission noted internet subscription declined by more than 2.5 million users, while the sum of taxpayers from over-the-top (OTT) media services decreased by more than 1.2 million users.”
Chronicle of Higher Education: As Scholars Are Driven to Less Prestigious Journals, New Measures of Quality Emerge
Chronicle of Higher Education: As Scholars Are Driven to Less Prestigious Journals, New Measures of Quality Emerge. “As more scholars publish in less-recognized open-access journals, the search is on for other ways to measure the impact of their research. One potential measure of reach is in online sharing: posts on Twitter, blog links, and other engagement metrics of various kinds. HuMetricsHSS, a humanities and social-sciences project that tracks indicators in those fields, includes as another such metric ‘openness,’ including a researcher’s ‘transparency, candor, and accountability, in addition to the practice of making one’s research open access at all stages.'”
Made In Chelsea’s Andy Jordan: Being an influencer made me ‘a puppet’ (BBC)
BBC: Made In Chelsea’s Andy Jordan: Being an influencer made me ‘a puppet’. “He was making money, but the constant selling took its toll on Andy. At the same time, he was starring in Made In Chelsea, a scripted show made to look like reality TV. ‘You just become a puppet… you’re literally like the packaging,’ he says. ‘I’d lost who I was because everything was directed by someone else.'”
