networking
How Your Brain Tricks You Into Believing Fake News
‘It’s the equivalent of a public health crisis.’
Source: How Your Brain Tricks You Into Believing Fake News | Time
Rules Won’t Save Twitter. Values Will.
The platform won’t ban the dangerous liar Alex Jones because he “hasn’t violated our rules.” Then what’s the point of these rules?
Source: Opinion | Rules Won’t Save Twitter. Values Will. – The New York Times
Snap’s Drop in Active Users Could Signal a Social Media Peak
The maker of Snapchat said it lost 3 million daily active users in the latest quarter, following similar drops or flattening growth from Facebook and Twitter.
Source: Snap’s Drop in Active Users Could Signal a Social Media Peak – The New York Times
Gatekeepers or Censors? How Tech Manages Online Speech
The rules that Apple, Google, Facebook and Twitter follow in their roles as arbiters of online speech are often vague. Critics say they are arbitrary.
Source: Gatekeepers or Censors? How Tech Manages Online Speech – The New York Times
Redesigned Snapchat sees users drop by 3 million for quarter
Snapchat released its second-quarter results showing a declined in daily users to 188 million, but ad sales were strong up 44 percent to more than $260 million.
Source: Redesigned Snapchat sees users drop by 3 million for quarter | Digital – Ad Age
The Expensive Education of Mark Zuckerberg and Silicon Valley
They have weaponized social media, and we are all paying the price.
Source: Opinion | The Expensive Education of Mark Zuckerberg and Silicon Valley – The New York Times
5 Ways Brands Can Engage Gen Z On Social Media
With buying power of over $140 billion Gen Z’ers are rightfully so an appeal for brands. Engaging with them, especially on social media, can be challenging. Here’s 5 ways to meet those challenges head on.
Facebook Earnings Show Slow Growth Due to Lack of Humans
Facebook stock fell 24 percent overnight not because of political scandal but because there just aren’t enough people for it to grow.
Source: Facebook Earnings Show Slow Growth Due to Lack of Humans
Walmart.com Redesigns As The Anti-Amazon
The retailer wants to translate the best parts of its stores–like the friendliness of its greeters and the local preferences of its shoppers–for the web.
Google Wunderkind Is Building a Secret Social-Gaming Startup
Google is secretly building a social-gaming startup, part of its effort to create fledgling companies within the internet-search giant.
Source: Google Wunderkind Is Building a Secret Social-Gaming Startup – Bloomberg
An Apology for the Internet — From the People Who Built It
A Call to Minimize Distraction & Respect Users
Source: An Apology for the Internet — From the People Who Built It
Facebook’s Current Status With Advertisers? It’s Complicated
Marketers have long had a symbiotic relationship with the social network. But user concerns about data has companies taking a harder look at how they work with Facebook.
Source: Facebook’s Current Status With Advertisers? It’s Complicated – The New York Times
How Technology is Hijacking Your Mind — from a Former Insider
Where does technology exploit our minds’ weaknesses?
Source: How Technology is Hijacking Your Mind — from a Former Insider
We Already Know How to Protect Ourselves From Facebook
Facebook may complain that these changes to data collection and use would destroy the company. But while these changes would certainly challenge the business model of many players in the digital economy, giant companies like Facebook would be in the best position to adapt and forge ahead.
If anything, we should all be thinking of ways to reintroduce competition into the digital economy. Imagine, for example, requiring that any personal data you consent to share be offered back to you in an “interoperable” format, so that you could choose to work with companies you thought would provide you better service, rather than being locked in to working with one of only a few.
Source: Opinion | We Already Know How to Protect Ourselves From Facebook – The New York Times
The biggest Black Lives Matter page on Facebook is fake
For at least a year, the biggest page on Facebook purporting to be part of the Black Lives Matter movement was a scam with ties to a middle-aged white man in Australia.
Source: The biggest Black Lives Matter page on Facebook is fake
Facebook’s Other Critics: Its Viral Stars
As Facebook reels from a privacy scandal, some of its most popular users are lashing out over declining traffic, policy changes and financial complaints.
Source: Facebook’s Other Critics: Its Viral Stars – The New York Times
How Long Can Instagram Distance Itself From the Facebook Backlash?
A recent Verge survey discovered that 60 percent of respondents didn’t know Facebook owns Instagram, and Google searches containing the question “Does Facebook own Instagram?” reached an all-time high the week the Cambridge Analytica story broke. Comparing the two platforms, you can see why people might not assume they’re connected. Facebook presents as a minefield of circa-2007 “wall posts” and comment threads in which distant friends and relatives reveal themselves to be conspiracy theorists. Instagram, on the other hand, is a relatively simple experience. There are no features that automate nostalgia, no trending topics or sprawling groups—just a stream of carefully edited flat lays, food, and matcha latte foam art. The less cute ephemeral content is relegated to Instagram Stories, which disappear after 24 hours. Text on the platform is minimal compared to Facebook, and comes in the form of intentionally opaque captions and comments. Overall, a relatively low-fi image-centric medium just feels safer.
Source: How Long Can Instagram Distance Itself From the Facebook Backlash? – The Ringer
Facebook said the personal data of most of its 2 billion users has been collected and shared with outsiders
Facebook said Wednesday that most of its 2 billion users likely have had their personal information scraped and shared by third-party developers without their explicit permission.
See also: Accessing Your Facebook Data
Mark Zuckerberg should quit as chairman, Facebook shareholder says
Zuckerberg has an unusual amount of control of Facebook.
Source: Mark Zuckerberg should quit as chairman, Facebook shareholder says – Business Insider
RSS Readers Are Due for a Comeback
The difference between getting news from an RSS reader and getting it from Facebook or Twitter or Nuzzel or Apple News is a bit like the difference between a Vegas buffet and an a la carte menu. In either case, you decide what you actually want to consume. But the buffet gives you a whole world of options you otherwise might never have seen.
Source: RSS Readers Are Due for a Comeback: Feedly, The Old Reader, Inoreader | WIRED