The push for a “PBS for the internet”

Aug 7, 2021 | networking, trends

The concept of a new media ecosystem that’s non-profit, publicly funded and tech-infused is drawing interest in policy circles as a way to shift the power dynamics in today’s information wars. Why it matters: Revamping the structure and role of public media could be part of the solution to shoring up local media, decentralizing the distribution of quality news, and constraining Big Tech platforms’ amplification of harmful or false information.

Source: The push for a “PBS for the internet”

Charles Bukowski: poet, Twitter punch line—and internet visionary

Aug 5, 2021 | justice & equality, networking

Before he’d become a posthumous social media symbol of Reddit-ish male angst, Bukowski wrestled with the pros and cons of a digital world. Social media users are again debating the merits of Charles Bukowski, the late Los Angeles-based writer known for his poetry describing a coarse, often boorish version of American masculinity replete with drinking, gambling, and not-always-successful womanizing.

Source: Charles Bukowski: poet, Twitter punch line—and internet visionary

Why Twitter wants ethical hackers to fix its algorithmic biases

Aug 3, 2021 | algo, justice & equality, networking

Twitter is applying the bug bounty model to machine learning. The micro-blogging site has launched the industry’s first algorithmic bias bounty competition. The challenge was created to identify potential harms in Twitter’s notorious image cropping algorithm, which was largely abandoned after exhibiting gender- and race-based biases.

Source: Why Twitter wants ethical hackers to fix its algorithmic biases

College athletes have long been influencers. Now they’re getting paid like them.

Jul 29, 2021 | networking, trends

When America’s college athletes could begin profiting off their personal brand for the first time this summer, Lauren Burke was ready. The 22-year-old rising senior on the University of Texas softball team had made a name for herself on the field and off.

 

During the pandemic year’s shortened 2020 softball season, Burke racked up a monstrous .453 batting average, ranking second in the Big 12 conference. But it’s likely that most of her fans know her from TikTok. Burke, who mainly posts about softball and fitness, has 400,000 followers on TikTok and nearly 100,000 on Instagram.

Source: College athletes have long been influencers. Now they’re getting paid like them.

How Wattpad changed the way we think about writing

Jul 27, 2021 | networking, trends

Founded in 2006, Wattpad has grown far beyond the scale of my local library. The platform currently boasts 94 million users and more than a billion uploaded stories, ranging from historical tales to outright fanfiction. In its 15 years of existence, Wattpad stories have gained a reputation in the online literary community — a landfill of self-insert fanfiction to some, and a treasure trove of hidden gems to others.

Source: How Wattpad changed the way we think about writing