International reporting on China is dominated by stories of the Chinese government’s propensity to block access to a number of foreign online media outlets, search engines and social media forums. There…
Doing a PhD can feel pretty lonely but online social platforms are here to help.
PhD image from www.shutterstock.com
Completing a PhD is no small feat. It requires both high intellect and a great deal of tenacity. But it can be lonely at the top, with many PhD students struggling with stress, feelings of isolation and…
Mamming involves resting breasts on a flat surface and taking a photo.
Ondra Anderle
Social media can help raise awareness of health issues, engaging people in discussion and encouraging them to take action. But thoughtless adherence to such trends has the potential to cause harm. New…
In the event of a crisis, turning to social media could mean the difference between life and death.
Dustin Diaz
These days, social media and online apps have become a major source of disaster information and warnings. But how much can we trust them? Today, more than 82% of Australians use the internet and 76% can…
NASA has built up a strong network of science enthusiasts who can step in when the agency shuts down.
NASA HQ PHOTO
Now that the US government is back in business, all “non-essential” services will resume. For 15 days we went without NASA’s full operation, US Antarctic research and federally-funded clinical studies…
Manhunt 2: criticised for its irresponsible portrayal of mental illness.
Rockstar
Recent events, such as inaccurate claims made by The Sun newspaper about the number of murders committed by the mentally ill, have shown us once again that the media has a large part to play in social…
The social aspects of streaming services are an opportunity for listeners to promote their tastes.
Flickr/Joel G Goodman
Our relationships with music are deeply personal and intimate. But we shouldn’t forget that music is also an incredibly powerful social tool capable of bringing people together to share in an experience…
As Twitter sets off on its IPO roadshow, most analysts are predicting a strong response. But the social media giant remains in a slightly odd position: its revenues in the first half of 2013 more than…
Does the Fail Whale loom on the horizon for Twitter after its IPO?
铁蛋骑士
Twitter has finally announced its much anticipated initial public offering, revealing at the same time some pretty impressive user figures. The IPO documents show Twitter has around 200 million monthly…
Tag me, tag me. OK I’ll do it myself.
Ambuj Saxena
An increasing number of studies into the correlation between social media and narcissistic tendencies confirm what many of us already suspect. We see teenagers spending hour after hour with their phones…
Frustrated consumers can now get their own back online.
Sybren A. Stüvel
Social media may have done much for the world, but it certainly hasn’t made everyone happy. It’s not just trolls, bullies and pedants: regular customers are annoyed too. Take a glance at the twitter feeds…
Twitter CEO, Dick Costolo, faces the challenge of adding value to the company’s shares, without detracting from the user experience.
AAP
In a tweet that could represent US$110 million for every one of its 135 characters, Twitter last week announced that it would be following fellow social network providers Facebook and LinkedIn in becoming…
Research suggests Twitter trends can accurately forecast stock market changes.
www.shutterstock.com
On April 23, the US stock market suddenly lost 1.5% of its value after news of an attack on the White House quickly spread from the (hacked) Twitter account of the Associated Press news agency. Within…
50 wpm, punctual, fast learner. Especially after a few Jager Bombs.
upsuportsmouth
Just over a fortnight ago, LinkedIn announced it is to make its professional network available to UK-based students aged 13 years and older; primarily as a way of enabling young people to leverage the…
For the first time in Chinese legal history, the court published transcripts of Bo Xilai trial via social media.
EPA/Jinan Intermediate People’s Court
The trial of former official Bo Xilai is a significant benchmark for social media’s role in increasing transparency in the Chinese justice system, at least when it comes the trials of party officials…
Prime minister Kevin Rudd has tried to use social media to his advantage during the election campaign - but it has also been used against him, too. How powerful is it?
@KRuddMP
As journalism professor David Maguire noted at the start of this campaign, prime minister Kevin Rudd has had such limited time in which to develop a social media strategy that he has “parachuted” in some…
The rise of social media over the past ten years has radically changed how we perceive “celebrities” and the corporate machine around them. While most of us understand what is meant by a “D-Lister”, complex…
Young people are uniquely vulnerable to bullying – as both victims and perpetrators.
kid-josh/Flickr
The recent arrest by Canadian police of two young people who allegedly shared a photo of a young woman being sexually assaulted has once again highlighted the danger that social media can pose for teenagers…
Which self are you expressing when you vent online?
west.m
The censuring of an academic in the US for sending out an offensive tweet has led many university tweeters to pause for thought. Geoffrey Miller, an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University…