I get a lot of press releases in my email in-box. This one about harassment in social media truly surprised me because it was balanced, cited data responsibly, did not appeal to people's fears and represented clear understanding of today's media environment. The survey of Americans 18+ – a project of Craig Newmark, founder of craigslist.com and craigconnects.org, and social impact consultants … [Read more...] about Online harassment 2016: Fresh data
Research
Learning about ‘The Class’: Researchers on their year in middle school
There is no way a book about spending a year in the life of a middle school class – its 28 students' home, school and digital experiences – could be reduced to a single theme. But one main takeaway from The Class, by UK researchers Sonia Livingstone and Julian Sefton-Green, may surprise and sound familiar at the same time: the old saying that "the more things change, the more they stay the … [Read more...] about Learning about ‘The Class’: Researchers on their year in middle school
Handling toxicity: Insights for parents & teachers from Riot Games
There's real wisdom for parents, coaches and educators – not to mention gamers, athletes and social media users – in this business story about what toxic behavior does to a team. The game in question? League of Legends, a 30 million-player "team-based game" along the lines of Capture the Flag "or, more aptly, 'destroy the enemy base'," according to Google's re:Work's description. The game company … [Read more...] about Handling toxicity: Insights for parents & teachers from Riot Games
Major update on bullying, cyberbullying in the U.S.: Study
Bullying. Why haven't we solved this social problem yet? Because, according to an important update from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine, bullying is one very complex problem. "Composition of peer groups, shifting demographics, changing societal norms, and modern technology are factors that must be considered to understand and effectively react to bullying in the … [Read more...] about Major update on bullying, cyberbullying in the U.S.: Study
Our humanity, not our tech, is the key to fixing online hate
To mark Safer Internet Day 2016, let's take stock of what we've learned so far and what we can do with the knowledge we've gained so far about online hate.... It has taken a couple of decades but, collectively, we're definitely getting smarter about online risk and how to avoid and address it. We're also getting smarter about how people of various ages, cultures and interests experience and … [Read more...] about Our humanity, not our tech, is the key to fixing online hate