The Best Way to Learn Online? Be a Lurker
The internet has made me immune to a coherent narrative. In order to truly understand anything, I’ve taught myself to read networks.
The Best Way to Learn Online? Be a Lurker Read MoreTag: Social Media
How Telegram Became the Anti-Facebook
Hundreds of millions of users. No algorithm. No ads. Courage in the face of autocracy. Sound like a dream? Careful what you wish for.
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The Spectacular Collapse of Putin’s Disinformation Machinery
A few critical errors have brought down Russia’s complex and objectively brilliant war of influence in the West.
The Spectacular Collapse of Putin’s Disinformation Machinery Read More
When War Struck, Ukraine Turned to Telegram
As Russian troops surround Kyiv, millions of Ukrainians have relied on the messaging platform for government information.
When War Struck, Ukraine Turned to Telegram Read More
How Open-Source Intelligence Is Helping Clear The Fog Of War In Ukraine
From high-resolution satellite images to TikTok videos, governments no longer control information from the front lines.
How Open-Source Intelligence Is Helping Clear The Fog Of War In Ukraine Read More
The War in Ukraine Is Keeping Chinese Social Media Censors Busy
Posts that glorify war and those that criticize Russia are getting quietly deleted, as platforms are pressured to walk a thin line.
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Why Generation Z falls for online misinformation
We can all learn from how today’s young people evaluate truth online.
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How the next generation is reshaping political discourse
The rise of social media and being always online is changing the nature of civic engagement.
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A Decade of Social Bot Detection
In this work, we briefly survey the first decade of research in social bot detection. Via a longitudinal analysis, we discuss the main trends of research in the fight against bots, the major results that were achieved, and the factors that make this never-ending battle so challenging. Capitalizing on lessons learned from our extensive analysis, we suggest possible innovations that could give us the upper hand against deception and manipulation. Studying a decade of endeavors in social bot detection can also inform strategies for detecting and mitigating the effects of other—more recent—forms of online deception, such as strategic information operations and political trolls.
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How the truth was murdered
Instead, I’m here to point out, as others have before, that people had a choice to intervene much sooner, but didn’t. Facebook and Twitter didn’t create racist extremists, conspiracy theories, or mob harassment, but they chose to run their platforms in a way that allowed extremists to find an audience, and they ignored voices telling them about the harms their business models were encouraging.
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Technical Perspective: Fake ‘Likes’ and Targeting Collusion Networks
[This article is an overview of a] paper [that] presents a rigorous study that explores the reputation manipulation ecosystem, ultimately working with Facebook to examine ways to stop this kind of large-scale online social networking abuse.
Technical Perspective: Fake ‘Likes’ and Targeting Collusion Networks Read More Measuring and Mitigating OAuth Access Token Abuse by Collusion Networks
A comprehensive measurement study of collusion-based reputation manipulation services on Facebook.
Measuring and Mitigating OAuth Access Token Abuse by Collusion Networks Read More
Proposal: A Market for Truth to Address False Ads on Social Media
When it comes to political ads on Facebook, anything goes. On Twitter, nothing does— A market for truth need not be perfect. It just needs to be credible and unbiased.
Proposal: A Market for Truth to Address False Ads on Social Media Read More
Bad Algorithms Didn’t Break Democracy
And better ones won’t save it. To get past misinformation and tribal rancor online, we need to face why people really want misinformation and rancor.
Bad Algorithms Didn’t Break Democracy Read More
The WIRED Guide to Memes
…memes, bits of cultural DNA that encoded society’s shared experiences while also constantly evolving.
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We asked teenagers what adults are missing about technology. This was the best response.
Social media allows young people to explore how they express themselves, says Taylor Fang of Logan, Utah, the winner of our youth essay contest.
We asked teenagers what adults are missing about technology. This was the best response. Read More
The Dawn of Twitter and the Age of Awareness
Status update: We are all now sci-fi telepaths, deafened by the blaring thoughts of humanity.
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How memes got weaponized: A short history
Memes come off as a joke, but some people are starting to see them as the serious threat they are.
How memes got weaponized: A short history Read More
Tools and Weapons: The Promise and the Peril of the Digital Age
When your technology changes the world, you bear a responsibility to help address the world you have helped create.
Tools and Weapons: The Promise and the Peril of the Digital Age Read More
The Privacy Project
The boundaries of privacy are in dispute, and its future is in doubt. Citizens, politicians and business leaders are asking if societies are making the wisest tradeoffs. The Times is embarking on this monthslong project to explore the technology and where it’s taking us, and to convene debate about how it can best help realize human potential.
The Privacy Project Read More