The Impact of Digital Technologies
The Anxious Generation
In The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt focuses on the alarming rise in teen mental illness tied to smartphone addiction that has swept across many countries in recent years, specifically affecting Gen Z (those born in 1995 and later).
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism
"Surveillance Capitalism" is a new paradigm of free enterprise whereby big tech corporations seek to convert all human experience into data, and create wealth by predicting, influencing and controlling human behavior at scale.
The COVID-19 Pandemic and Misinformation
We are in the midst of the greatest revolution in communication technology since humanity spread across the globe. However, experts in the fields of media and communications have been warning us for years that social media is using us more than we are using it.
Information Warfare and Reality Distortion
We have created a world in which information flows more freely and efficiently than ever before. And yet we are finding it harder to agree on basic facts about reality. For some, it is an opportunity to deliberately manipulate the perceptions of others for their own benefit.
Technology and Fragmentation
In their book, The Axemaker’s Gift, James Burke and Robert Ornstein show that every tool or technology ever invented took on a life of its own, changing humanity in ways that were neither suspected nor predicted by their original designers and recipients.
The Science of Fake News
The amount of false news online is clearly increasing, with serious consequences. Yet we still don't have an accurate enough understanding of the role that human behavior and human perception play in its dissemination and perpetuation.
The Evolution of Online Social Networking
To understand online social networks today we need to understand how the 'World Wide Web' has changed from when it was first invented by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989. The transition from then to now has been made possible by the pervasive use of computer algorithms.
What is a Social Media Algorithm?
In its simplest form an algorithm is any set of steps that, if followed, will accomplish a goal. Social media algorithms take in information about our behaviours, make decisions based on their hidden learning, and feed us back the results.
The Great Attention Heist
Recent revelations by IT professionals and social media executives confirm that their products were intentionally designed to “consume as much of your time and conscious attention as possible.”
The Marketplace of Ideas
Our traditional social networks, the ones we have belonged to since time immemorial, have always been our most important sources of information. But today, the information we get from our online social networks, unlike those of the past, are skewed by digital echo chambers.
Algorithmic Gatekeepers
Once humans alone brokered information. But now layers of online algorithms intermediate our access to the digital information ecosystem. What happens when social media algorithms become the prime gatekeepers?
Why Does Misinformation Spread So Easily?
A very basic problem that hinders us from successfully fighting false information is our failure to take into account well-established facts about human perception and psychology where misinformation is concerned.
New Perspectives on Combating Misinformation
Misinformation spreads rapidly online, with serious consequences for society. Fortunately, research-backed techniques and strategies can equip us with the tools to navigate today’s digital landscape and shape a more informed future.
You Can’t Not Believe Everything You Read
Anything that repeats a falsehood, even if it includes a rebuttal, amplifies and spreads the falsehood. It is not just the trending algorithms that are gamed by propaganda but our own minds, which are prone to influence.
Reclaiming the Public Square
To help bring about a healthy information ecosystem online, and thus a healthy society free of mass manipulation, we need to not just learn about our human nature but also make effective regulatory reforms.
The Anxious Generation
In The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt focuses on the alarming rise in teen mental illness tied to smartphone addiction that has swept across many countries in recent years, specifically affecting Gen Z (those born in 1995 and later).
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism
"Surveillance Capitalism" is a new paradigm of free enterprise whereby big tech corporations seek to convert all human experience into data, and create wealth by predicting, influencing and controlling human behavior at scale.
The COVID-19 Pandemic and Misinformation
We are in the midst of the greatest revolution in communication technology since humanity spread across the globe. However, experts in the fields of media and communications have been warning us for years that social media is using us more than we are using it.
Information Warfare and Reality Distortion
We have created a world in which information flows more freely and efficiently than ever before. And yet we are finding it harder to agree on basic facts about reality. For some, it is an opportunity to deliberately manipulate the perceptions of others for their own benefit.
Technology and Fragmentation
In their book, The Axemaker’s Gift, James Burke and Robert Ornstein show that every tool or technology ever invented took on a life of its own, changing humanity in ways that were neither suspected nor predicted by their original designers and recipients.
The Science of Fake News
The amount of false news online is clearly increasing, with serious consequences. Yet we still don't have an accurate enough understanding of the role that human behavior and human perception play in its dissemination and perpetuation.
The Evolution of Online Social Networking
To understand online social networks today we need to understand how the 'World Wide Web' has changed from when it was first invented by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989. The transition from then to now has been made possible by the pervasive use of computer algorithms.
What is a Social Media Algorithm?
In its simplest form an algorithm is any set of steps that, if followed, will accomplish a goal. Social media algorithms take in information about our behaviours, make decisions based on their hidden learning, and feed us back the results.
The Great Attention Heist
Recent revelations by IT professionals and social media executives confirm that their products were intentionally designed to “consume as much of your time and conscious attention as possible.”
The Marketplace of Ideas
Our traditional social networks, the ones we have belonged to since time immemorial, have always been our most important sources of information. But today, the information we get from our online social networks, unlike those of the past, are skewed by digital echo chambers.
Algorithmic Gatekeepers
Once humans alone brokered information. But now layers of online algorithms intermediate our access to the digital information ecosystem. What happens when social media algorithms become the prime gatekeepers?
Why Does Misinformation Spread So Easily?
A very basic problem that hinders us from successfully fighting false information is our failure to take into account well-established facts about human perception and psychology where misinformation is concerned.
New Perspectives on Combating Misinformation
Misinformation spreads rapidly online, with serious consequences for society. Fortunately, research-backed techniques and strategies can equip us with the tools to navigate today’s digital landscape and shape a more informed future.
You Can’t Not Believe Everything You Read
Anything that repeats a falsehood, even if it includes a rebuttal, amplifies and spreads the falsehood. It is not just the trending algorithms that are gamed by propaganda but our own minds, which are prone to influence.
Reclaiming the Public Square
To help bring about a healthy information ecosystem online, and thus a healthy society free of mass manipulation, we need to not just learn about our human nature but also make effective regulatory reforms.
