Part 1 of this series was 2018 highlights. Now it’s time to shine light on some interesting ideas and developments that people have surfaced for a better Internet in 2019 and beyond. We’ll look at a new middle layer of user care that’s being discussed by some – and gradually being built out, little by little, worldwide. Called for by the conditions of our new media environment, it’s a new layer of … [Read more...] about Digital safety 2019: The new ‘middle layer’ of user care (Part 2)
Risk & Safety
Digital safety, wellbeing: 2018 highlights (Part 1)
This may not be the Internet safety look-back on 2018 you’d expect, what with all the news about data breaches, “fake news,” “tech addiction,” algorithmic bias, election manipulation, hate speech, etc., etc. Not a pretty picture. But it’s also not the whole picture. By definition, the news reports airline crashes, not safe landings. Even if 2018 was truly unique, though, with bad news the … [Read more...] about Digital safety, wellbeing: 2018 highlights (Part 1)
Twitch, Yubo & online safety innovation with an ancient ‘tool’
As geeky as "content moderation" sounds, we're hearing about it more and more these days - in podcasts, at conferences, in books and in hearings. People all over the U.S. and world are talking about how to make social media safer, and content moderation by the platforms is an important part of that. But what we're not hearing or talking about enough is another part of the social media safety … [Read more...] about Twitch, Yubo & online safety innovation with an ancient ‘tool’
For this Bullying Prevention Month, a bit of clarity
The Pew Research Center just published a surprisingly high figure under a headline referring to "cyberbullying." The authors report that 59% of US 13-17 year-olds had experienced some form of it. But it's important to zoom in on the "some form of" part. Pew's researchers asked their respondents which of six forms of abusive behavior they had experienced online (the 59% was the number for teens … [Read more...] about For this Bullying Prevention Month, a bit of clarity
How youth address mental health issues: Groundbreaking study
Young people are both smart and thoughtful about using digital media and devices – for mental health and other purposes – a groundbreaking new study shows, and they are far from naïve about what doesn't work for them in social media. The study, by researchers Victoria Rideout and Susannah Fox, had both quantitative and qualitative elements, including a remarkable 2,200 personal responses from its … [Read more...] about How youth address mental health issues: Groundbreaking study