It was the 2024 version of public shaming – relentless on-camera questioning designed to send a message rather than hear answers. It seemed the lawmakers already had their answers. I get their frustration that... social media platforms can't just "install" the digital version of car seats and seat belts or create product labeling like on a cigarette package these companies and their … [Read more...] about What child online safety really needs, senators
danah boyd
6 takeaways from 20 years of Net safety: Part 1
I usually write about other people's work – especially that of the researchers I've followed through the years. But now that I've just passed the 20-year mark in writing about youth and digital media (yikes!), I thought I'd share with you my own top takeaways as a participant observer of Internet safety's early years (1997-now). Here's Part 1 (Part 2 on this page): 1. A generalization about … [Read more...] about 6 takeaways from 20 years of Net safety: Part 1
Social media literacy 101 (for adults)
"I can't even" possibly know what I'm seeing in teens' tweets, texts and posts. Not until I ask them. The very fact that I continued that sentence past the close quote demonstrates that. What do I mean? They hide meaning in plain site. Have you heard researcher danah boyd's term "social steganography"? It means hiding in plain view in social media. She wrote about that way back in 2010, and it's … [Read more...] about Social media literacy 101 (for adults)
For kids’ sake, don’t ‘black box’ social media
For our children's sake, it's more important than ever that we not "black box" our media, whether as researchers or as parents and educators. An essay from psychologist and media professor Sonia Livingstone in the new scholarly journal Social Media + Society got me thinking about this. Dr. Livingstone observes that scholars in disciplines other than media and communications are doing that … [Read more...] about For kids’ sake, don’t ‘black box’ social media
From public shaming to public compassion
The public discussion about "online reputation" has gotten darker, as "public shaming" appears in more and more headlines. We may think it's tough to be a celebrity, having everything one does – good, bad or anything in between – go viral. But it's even tougher not to be, if you post something negative online. Because when you're not a celebrity, it seems only bad stuff goes viral, not just every … [Read more...] about From public shaming to public compassion