Irish Times: UL scientists work to identify social media ‘superspreaders’. “Researchers at the University of Limerick (UL) are developing new mathematical techniques and models to examine how information spreads rapidly online. A team headed by Prof James Gleeson is to benefit from €900,000 in funding from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) to investigate ‘social spreading phenomena’.”
social media
India Times: China bans use of anti-Islam words on social media
India Times: China bans use of anti-Islam words on social media. “‘Islamophobic’ terms used by Chinese internet users to stigmatize Muslims have been blocked by authorities to prevent bias against Islam, official media reported on Thursday. China has over 21 million Muslims mostly the Uyghurs in Xinjiang and Hui community in Ningxia province, according to unofficial accounts.”
Phys.org: Political polarization? Don’t blame the web, study says
Phys.org: Political polarization? Don’t blame the web, study says. “Despite the popular narrative that the web is to blame for rising political polarization, a study by a Brown University economist has found that recent growth in polarization is greatest for demographic groups in which individuals are least likely to use the internet and social media. This means that data does not support the claim that the internet is the most significant driver of partisanship.”
New York Times: How to Use Twitter and Facebook for Emergency Travel Information
New York Times: How to Use Twitter and Facebook for Emergency Travel Information. “The key to using Twitter and Facebook in travel emergencies is choosing the right people, groups and companies to follow. Misinformation is common. So who to trust Below, a beginner’s guide to finding the most helpful accounts.” None of the resources here are going to astonish expert searches, but it’s a great overview articles for beginners and intermediate folks.
Pro Bono Australia: Social Media ‘Inspires’ Fundraising Globally – New Research
Pro Bono Australia: Social Media ‘Inspires’ Fundraising Globally – New Research. “A new global giving trends report has found while many not for profits might be skeptical that social media is useful for fundraising, 75 per cent of donors, including those in Australia, agree it is a primary news source for staying current on the work of their favourite organisations.”
Christian Science Monitor: European leaders ask social media companies to censor extremist speech
Christian Science Monitor: European leaders ask social media companies to censor extremist speech. “The leaders of Britain, France, and Italy will push social media companies on Wednesday to remove ‘terrorist content’ from the internet within one to two hours of it appearing because they say that is the period when most material is spread. British Prime Minister Theresa May, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni will raise the issue at an event on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations.”
Victoria and Albert Museum: How We Collected WeChat
Victoria and Albert Museum: How We Collected WeChat. “The V&A has added WeChat, China’s largest social media platform, to its permanent collection. If you’re visiting the museum, you’ll be able to see a small display of the application in Gallery 76 during the London Design Festival and in the ensuing months. To say ‘we’ve collected an app’ elicits a range of puzzled reactions. How do you collect an app? What is the thing you’re actually collecting? And what for? The fact is, collecting digital is a new frontier for design museums. What you collect, how you do it, and why, are very much still open questions. But as more and more of our designed world either becomes digital or is experienced digitally, there’s an express urgency to find ways of collecting and preserving the important aspects of our digital culture. With that in mind, we thought it useful to share the experience of our two-and-a-half year process behind collecting WeChat, and the challenges were presented along the way.”
