These days all you need to be a revolutionary is a mobile phone and a grievance. Some see what is happening on the streets of Cairo as the ultimate expression of democracy - millions of people using social…
Social media provides new ways for journals and scientists to interact. Scientists should take an active role in shaping this exchange.
Noura
More and more scientists are communicating via social media to find, publicise and discuss current research. This trend has been highlighted in two recent papers that look at the influence of social media…
At Facebook’s first annual general meeting since going public last year, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg faced a “barrage of complaints” from shareholders, worried that the value of their investment shows…
Scientists are using Twitter to charge up their impact.
nicolasjon
Social media is no longer a new thing. But to scientists it still might be. There are few who are starting to take advantage of social media for professional reasons. What can other scientists learn from…
Social media has definitely changed the game for job-seekers and recruiters. Traditionally, HR recruiters placed an advertisement, sifted through the responses, and interviewed the shortlisted candidates…
Researchers in the US have completed the first statistical analysis of social networking site Pinterest. They looked at gender…
The murder of Melbourne woman Jill Meagher sparked much social media comment, some of which threatened to compromise the criminal trial of the accused.
AAP/Facebook
This week, the Standing Council on Law and Justice (which constitutes the attorneys-general of the Commonwealth, states and territories) published a report on the impact of social media on juries. The…
A recent social media campaign for gay marriage has been criticised as ‘slacktivism’ and spawned a number of spin-offs.
Amanda B/Know Your Meme
Debate over the value of online activism has risen again in the wake of the highly visible Human Rights Campaign marriage equality campaign, which urged Facebook users to replace their profile photographs…
Is photographing dogs dressed in suspenders and stockings just another internet fad or a strange reflection on human sexuality?
Sharp Daily
When I was little, maybe five or six, I got the idea to slip my spaniel’s feet into freezer bags and watch her slide around on the kitchen floor. Sure, this episode could have sparked in me a yen for further…
Facebook “slut shaming” pages reflect deeper problems with society’s discriminatory attitude towards women.
Flickr/Franco Bouly
“Slut shaming” may be the latest cause célèbre to sweep to our shores, but it just looks a lot like old-fashioned misogyny. From the US-based Salon and The Guardian in the UK, to the Canberra Times in…
Technology such as the iPad has been found to affect our wellbeing both positively and negatively.
AAP/Tracey Nearmy
Digital technologies have made their way into all aspects of our lives that influence our wellbeing - affecting everything from social relationships and curiosity to engagement and learning. Psychologists…
As a publicly traded company, Facebook faces a responsibility to increase its revenue. But is its revamped news feed a step in the right direction?
AAP
Late last week, Facebook broke the news of another major change to users’ news feeds, sparking interesting discussion across the globe. Described by Mark Zuckerberg as your new “personal newspaper,” the…
Does your Twitter account have to die with you?
Image via www.shutterstock.com
Can you believe it’s been a year already? I’m sure we all remember where we were when we heard the terrible news we’d lost Gregg Jevin. You know, Gregg Jevin? The Gregg Jevin? Don’t worry if the name doesn’t…
Raytheon’s “extreme-scale analytics” system can track people’s movements like never before.
c-reel.com
The recent publication of a leaked video demonstrating American security firm Raytheon’s social media mining tool RIOT (Rapid Information Overlay Technology) has rightly incensed individuals and online…
How many likes for news that social networking can increase users’ sense of wellbeing?
owenwbrown
We stalk our ex-partners on it, we are friends with celebrities on it, we play games on it, and we post photos of ourselves on it. But what are we really getting out of the time we spend on Facebook? We…
Does Google’s new map point towards the “wisdom of the crowd”?
Google
News that Google has successfully constructed and published maps of North Korea is stirring the imagination of social media aficionados around the world, but may also stir international political tensions…
Students at the Matraville Soldiers Settlement Public School are part of a program designed to teach them cyber safety and security.
McAfee
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has called on Twitter to join other social media companies that have agreed to a protocol to help deal with cyber bullying. The Prime Minister was speaking after the launch…
Twitter users are using the #auspol hash to pursue allegations against Julia Gillard.
Twitter
Recent opposition attacks on Julia Gillard’s ethics have been underpinned by an unprecedented underground online campaign prosecuted on social media. The questions raised by Tony Abbott and Julie Bishop…