Jun 16 Is U.S. losing to Islamic State group’s social media appeal? General says no By Larisa Epatko Despite reports saying the United States has an uphill climb in countering the Islamic State group’s propaganda on social media, retired Marine Corps Gen. John Allen said Tuesday, “I don’t agree with the broad characterization that we’re losing” the war… Continue reading
Jun 08 Watch 6:00 Why are Russian trolls spreading online hoaxes in the U.S.? By PBS News Hour In St. Petersburg, a shadowy Russian organization called the Internet Research Agency hires trolls to spread propaganda and hoaxes online. Jeffrey Brown interviews Adrian Chen of The New York Times Magazine about what he’s discovered about the group. Continue watching
May 18 Watch 5:17 How social media led to a ‘renaissance’ of public shaming By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Apr 17 #IWishMyTeacherKnew offers insight into minds of students By Colleen Shalby In an effort to learn more about her third grade students, Colorado-based teacher Kyle Schwartz prompted them to tell her: what I wish my teacher knew. Continue reading
Apr 09 Teens often turn to smartphones as gateway to social media By Laura Santhanam Thanks largely to the proliferation of smartphones, about one-quarter of all teenagers today spend nearly every waking moment of their lives online, often using social media, according to new research that should come as no surprise to many parents. Continue reading
Apr 07 Watch 5:41 How can we return privacy control to social media users? By PBS News Hour What’s the cost of being constantly connected through social media? A new book, “Terms of Service” examines the erosion of privacy in the digital era. Author Jacob Silverman sits down with Jeffrey Brown to discuss what data is being tracked,… Continue watching
Mar 31 Watch 6:40 Why Scott Simon shared his mother’s death with an unseen audience By PBS News Hour Scott Simon is known as the voice of NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday, but he also gained an audience when he used Twitter to document his mother’s final days. His 140-character observances of the life and death of his mother led… Continue watching
Mar 25 Is Facebook dictating our news consumption habits? By Colleen Shalby The New York Times reported this week that Facebook will start working with news organizations to publish content directly to the social network. Among those currently in talks are Buzzfeed, National Geographic and the New York Times. Continue reading
Mar 16 Are you guilty of ‘oversharenting’? By Margaret Myers You’ve seen them in your Facebook feed. Maybe you’re one yourself — a parent who shares. A lot. A “sharent.”… Continue reading
Mar 14 Watch 8:30 Online after death: Facebook now lets you name an heir to your profile By PBS News Hour Social media, email and bank accounts often remain active even after their owner dies, meaning valuable information can become vulnerable -- especially when estate managers can't access these accounts. While digital estate planning has its own set of complications, the… Continue watching