As the year winds down, we’ll get you up to speed. Plus, there’s no better way to kill a trend than to bring it up at the dinner table in front of your kids.
Cherine Fahd, University of Technology Sydney and Sara Oscar, University of Technology Sydney
Instagram bushfire images cut through our news fatigue. This developing brand of photojournalism brings authenticity and a different sense of proximity.
As his Star Wars television character enjoys a social media moment, Baby Yoda is creating massive marketing clout that will benefit his Disney masters.
China’s social credit system has been described as a ‘dystopian nightmare straight out of Black Mirror’ but many citizens think it will help fight fraud and bring about a better society.
Bobi Wine in Uganda does it; so do the Economic Freedom Fighters in South Africa. The red beret is worn to signify the revolutionary. Its power lies in a symbolism that combines art and politics.
For many gay men, social media and dating apps are hotbeds of body image struggles and rising toxic masculinity – the recent ‘10-year-challenge’ on Instagram showcases this femmephobia.
“Sadfishers” are people who post sensitive or emotional personal material online to gain sympathy or attention. But this behaviour might actually indicate a deeper psychological issue.
Members of the research team that wrote the software that unmasked thousands of Twitter bots explain the next phase of their work: getting the public involved in the fight against disinformation.
Americans truly value local news. But 71% think that their local news outlets are doing just fine financially – which might explain why only 14% paid for a local news source in the past year.