Before releasing its report on online conflict, MediaSmarts presented a much broader picture of young Canadians' experiences in social media: "Life Online." This is important context for any discussion about cyberbullying and other negative aspects of digitally informed life, whether we're setting policy at the household, school or national levels. "There are a lot of assumptions out there … [Read more...] about Social media reality check from Canadian youth: Key study
Social Media
Significant safety changes at Ask.fm
Though Americans represent the 2nd-biggest population on Latvia-based social media site Ask.fm, they also represent only 10% of the activity on the site. But all 105+ million users will benefit from new safety measures the service has put in place, one of them being a new Safety Center, which includes a page with a clear description of how the site works. Based on recommendations from a … [Read more...] about Significant safety changes at Ask.fm
New Facebook policy targets guns, other regulated items
In the wake of vocal demands that it take action against users promoting gun sales, Facebook just announced new policies around content about firearms and other regulated products. One of the activist groups Facebook worked with, Moms Demand Action, applauded the social media service and its app Instagram for taking "significant steps to block potentially illegal firearm sales through their … [Read more...] about New Facebook policy targets guns, other regulated items
Calling our children narcissists on ‘a sociopathic scale’: Really!?
A column in The Guardian's Web site called "Comment Is Free" (I guess you get what you pay for) starts off with an anecdote that reads like the heart-stopping opening scene of a new Netflix crime drama. Nothing wrong with that; grab a few more readers, sell a few more newspapers. What's fatiguing is the writer using a tragic public murder to begin yet another commentary about today's narcissistic … [Read more...] about Calling our children narcissists on ‘a sociopathic scale’: Really!?
Nothing complicated about this: Read ‘It’s Complicated’!
Why is the title of social media researcher danah boyd's new book "It's Complicated"? Not just because "the social lives of networked teens" are complicated (the book's subtitle), but growing up in a networked world is too. And I'd add that it's further complicated when the adults in a teen's life don't have any idea how complicated it is – when they reduce it to "too much screen time." What's not … [Read more...] about Nothing complicated about this: Read ‘It’s Complicated’!