Social Intelligence: Fascinating progress in a new approach to understanding public issues. In research on governmental and management use of computing in the 1970s, I found that some of the most consequential management information was gained by mining operational data (Dutton and Kraemer 1978; Kraemer, Dutton, and Northrop 1981). For example, there was a complaint … Continue reading Social Intelligence
social media
Raising Awareness of Social Media for Positive Social Change
My colleagues and I involved with the World Internet Project (WIP) are looking for some inspiring initiatives in the use of the internet and social media for effecting positive social change. A thesis by Ms Emilia Askari in the College of Education at Michigan State University alerted me to this potential, and discussions within WIP … Continue reading Raising Awareness of Social Media for Positive Social Change
Inevitable harms of UK regulation of social media
Today's Financial Times raised concerns over the Online Safety Bill under consideration by the UK’s Parliament. It was entitled ‘Tech sector alarmed at Patel push to monitor ‘legal but harmful’ content’ (Bradshaw et al 2022:1). Everyone in the UK should be alarmed – not simply the tech companies.[1] The risk is that by approaching the … Continue reading Inevitable harms of UK regulation of social media
Social Media and the Post Office Scandal
Social Media Might Have Saved Many from the Post Office Horizon Scandal From 2000 to 2014, Post Office Ltd, a publicly owned company, accused over 700 hundred sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses, the individuals running small local post office operations in the UK, of false accounting and theft of revenues. An inquiry has determined that the evidence … Continue reading Social Media and the Post Office Scandal
Society and the Internet
The COVID-19 pandemic has driven the Internet and related social media and digital technologies to the forefront of societies across the globe. Whether in supporting social distancing, working at home, or online courses, people are increasingly dependent on online media for everyday life and work. If you are teaching courses on the social aspects of … Continue reading Society and the Internet
A Research Agenda for Digital Politics
My edited book within the Elgar Research Agendas Series will be out shortly. Its entitled A Research Agenda for Digital Politics, and aims to stimulate innovative research on the role of digital media and communication in the study of politics. "This Elgar Research Agenda showcases insights from leading researchers on the charged issues and questions … Continue reading A Research Agenda for Digital Politics
Society and the Internet, 2nd Edition
It is such a pleasure to see the publication today of the second edition of Society and the Internet by Oxford University Press. My co-editor, Mark Graham, and I worked long and hard to assemble a wonderful set of authors to build on the first edition. The success of the original volume led to this … Continue reading Society and the Internet, 2nd Edition
The Realities of Disinformation, Social Media, and Relationships Through a Screen
Speaking in Lisbon, Portugal, at CEIS-IUL and OberCom I am back from a stimulating visit to Lisbon to speak at two events. The first was a talk before lunch on 9 April 2018 with a group composed of individuals from the media and regulatory agencies concerned with disinformation and data protection in the social media … Continue reading The Realities of Disinformation, Social Media, and Relationships Through a Screen
Don’t Panic over Fake News
Fake News is a Wonderful Headline but Not a Reason to Panic I feel guilty for not jumping on the ‘fake news’ bandwagon. It is one of the new new things in the aftermath of the 2016 Presidential election. And because purposively misleading news stories, like the Pope endorsing Donald Trump, engage so many people, … Continue reading Don’t Panic over Fake News