An app that young people use to share videos of themselves dancing might seem like a silly diversion, but it’s become a powerhouse social media platform.
Amid global chaos and uncertainty, Instagram offers up the world as stable, simple and good-looking. No wonder it is set to overtake Twitter as a news source.
A survey shows respondents who used Instagram for political information during the 2019 federal election were more likely to interact with people they knew, not political accounts.
Online workouts can give women support and inspiration. Now they’ve discovered the benefits, women might be less inclined to return to the gym once restrictions are lifted.
Cherine Fahd, University of Technology Sydney and Sara Oscar, University of Technology Sydney
From Madonna and child to fierce matriarch, mothers have appeared in frame since photography began – even it sometimes they are just part of the furniture.
According to Google Trends, ‘Dalgona coffee; has become the most searched type of coffee worldwide, overtaking previous highest peaks for all other kinds of coffee.
Facebook, Google and Twitter are stepping up to block misinformation and promote accurate information about the coronavirus. Their track records on self-policing are poor. The results so far are mixed.
Most of us spend hours each day glued to some type of screen for work or play. But is that a bad thing? Has anyone got the data to figure it out? Now is the time for ‘The Human Screenome Project.’
Where once we subjected friends to post-holiday slideshows, now we share travel selfies live with a remote audience. This study teased out the tension between snapping and experiencing the trip.
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.
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.
Professor Digital Culture, Business and Computing at Durham University Business School and Advanced Research Computing (ARC), Durham University, Durham University