Blog site Tumblr launches anti-bullying support campaign
Actress Elizabeth Banks, singer Jordin Sparks and Vice President Joe Biden are among those helping Tumblr establish a safe place from bullies online.
View ArticleThe Apple Watch heralds a brave new world of digital living
"The Watch is here" touts Apple's slogan for its wearable computer, implying that the one and only time-piece that really matters has arrived. So much for the Rolex Cosmograph and Seiko Astron when you...
View ArticleNo, the rise of the emoji doesn't spell the end of language
The emoji has become one of the fastest growing forms of communication in history. But those who are worried that its growth could see the death of written language are wrong – emojis are being used to...
View ArticleSocial media & archaeology—a match not made in heaven
Archaeologists are avid users of social media, as well as online crowd-based funding and content-sourcing tools—deploying them to save sites, sustain the historic environment and protect history, often...
View ArticleMedia General buying Meredith in $2.4B deal
Media General is buying Meredith Corp. in an approximately $2.4 billion cash-and-stock deal.
View ArticleGovernments urged to engage social media in disasters
As Australia braces for another season of summer natural disasters, leading social media researchers are calling for governments to better coordinate their crisis communications.
View ArticleExtremist groups have global audience at their fingertips due to social...
It is being reported that the woman who helped carry out the shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., pledged allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist group and its leader in a social media post.
View ArticleMeaningful media may push altruism across bounds of race and age
People who watch meaningful entertainment may be more willing to lend a hand to people they consider different, according to researchers.
View ArticleWhite, male documentary filmmakers dominate Academy Award recognition
Days before the Oscars, American University School of Communication's Center for Media & Social Impact (CMSI) announced new diversity and inclusion research targeting the Academy Award category...
View ArticlePaper on PLOS ONE creates a firestorm by referencing "the Creator"
A trio of researchers from China has caused a stir in the technical publishing arena by including some verbiage in a paper published in the open-source journal PLOS ONE that appears to mention...
View ArticleHashtag activism can effect real-world change
American University School of Communication's Center for Media & Social Impact (CMSI) announces new research on the rise of the nationwide Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. The study "Beyond the...
View ArticleCompanies that are interactive, informative can be more influential
Customers may respond better to social media campaigns and messages from companies that more frequently interact with consumers than companies seen as credible, but less interactive, according to...
View ArticleWorrying about smart phone web-dependence anxiety
The more we rely on our smart phones being connected to the Internet, the greater the anxiety we feel if we lose that connection when travelling, according to new research published in the...
View ArticleSocial media interaction tools might make MOOCs stickier
Developers of massive open online courses—or MOOCs—may want to take a page from Facebook to keep more students engaged and enrolled, according to researchers.
View ArticleOpinion: Four arguments for ethical online shaming (and four problems with them)
In democracies, it's pretty difficult to bring about any agreement on anything. So when there is general consensus that something is a problem, I think it's a good idea for us to sit up and pay...
View ArticleBridging the 'gray divide'
While close to 99 percent of seniors aged 65 and older in the United States and Europe use mobile phones, there appears to be a "gray divide" in how seniors use information and communication...
View ArticleTrapped in social media 'echo chambers'
Social media has become a go-to platform for people to express their opinions on the hot topics of the day, from the U.S. presidential campaign to the correct color of a dress.
View ArticleLink found between selfie viewing and decreased self-esteem
Frequent viewing of selfies through social network sites like Facebook is linked to a decrease in self-esteem and life satisfaction, according to Penn State researchers in mass communications. "Most of...
View ArticleFrom public outreach to peer review, scientists find value in social media
Social media has erased many of the boundaries between leaders and the people they represent, between experts and the lay public, between scientists and nonscientists. It has enabled people to...
View ArticleWhat does research say about how to effectively communicate about science?
Truth seems to be an increasingly flexible concept in politics. At least that's the impression the Oxford English Dictionary gave recently, as it declared "post-truth" the 2016 Word of the Year. What...
View ArticleProfessor discusses what it takes to keep, communicate with Facebook friends
Social media forums like Facebook fail to provide opportunity for users to express nuances of emotion, a feature which makes thoughtful and productive discussions about politics and other sensitive...
View ArticleScientists stress lifelong effects of cyberbullying
In a new article, a University of Texas at Dallas dean said cyberbullying among adolescents can be so traumatic that it can impact individuals for years, even if it happens only once.
View ArticleHow scientists should communicate their work in a post-truth era
It's not an easy time for scientists to talk to the wider public. The US president, Donald Trump, has called global warming "bullshit" and a "Chinese hoax". In the UK, leave campaigner and MP Michael...
View ArticleCan social media connect science and society?
Social media is society's favourite platform for sharing, seeking and consuming information – what role is there for the scientific community in this environment?
View ArticleChildren in danger from being over-protected in the digital age
Heavy-handed approaches to issues around social media and digital communication such as 'sexting', may be damaging to children's emotional development, according to new research on childhood in the...
View ArticleStudy challenges 'slacktivism' among young adults
Young people who share social cause videos may actually be motivated to volunteer in the future, contrary to the popular image of them as "slacktivists."
View ArticleFCC relaxes limits on owning newspapers, TV stations
Federal regulators have weakened rules meant to support independent local media.
View ArticleTeam studies evolution of climate change activism
Climate change is a topic that is debated, doubted and covered by news outlets across the world. Luis Hestres, in the Department of Communication at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), is...
View ArticleResearcher studies how professional sports fans use mobile phones
Seok Kang, an associate professor in the Department of Communication at The University of Texas at San Antonio, is researching how professional sports teams build loyalty by engaging their fans through...
View ArticleThe internet is giving a voice to those on the margins – losing net...
It's easy to argue that the internet as it exists now is not "neutral", with some companies and websites creating tech empires and online monopolies. But the decision of US telecoms watchdog, the...
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