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Trumping truth with lies
Open Forum | September 7, 2023Conspiratorial content spread on social media platforms during the first Republican presidential debate garnered more than three million views according to QUT researchers who also found that X (formerly Twitter) is a haven for disinformation, especially in spreading the debunked theory that Donald Trump won the 2020 election.
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People are the answer to the people problem
Marian-Andrei Rizoiu | August 16, 2023As social media platforms continue to shape public discourse, addressing the challenges posed by harmful content is crucial and new research on the effectiveness of moderating harmful online content offers valuable insights for policymakers.
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From A to X
Kristen Schiele | August 14, 2023Elon Musk’s recent rebranding of Twitter as X is a step toward the CEO’s goal of developing an “everything app” for Americans to chat with their friends, order groceries, watch videos and manage their finances on one platform.
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Fighting foreign propaganda on social media
Sarah Kendall | August 8, 2023The recent Senate committee on foreign interference through social media highlights the threats posed by Russian, Chinese and other hostile actors to Australian citizens and democracy.
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We want to believe
Barry Markovsky | July 28, 2023Whatever the truth behind the recent rash of UFO videos, their diffusion through social media offers an interesting case study in how beliefs spread and change through the population over time.
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Tackling misinformation through co-regulation
Andrea Carson | July 16, 2023Australia’s new approach to tackling fake news on digital platforms involves more stick and less carrot than previously.
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Twitter v Threads
Lisa Given | July 8, 2023Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk may or may not take their combat into the ring, but their social media empires are already fighting for supremacy.
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Social media and political engagement
Francesco Bailo | June 16, 2023Social media has undermined democracy in liberal Western states but authoritarian governments also see the political turbulence from uncontrolled information systems as a potential blaze that must be kept under strict control.
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Don’t feed the beast
Marc Cheong | May 13, 2023Don’t let tech giants’ bottom line dictate how you engage with social media. By being aware of how algorithms work, what they’re capable of and what their purpose is, you can make the shift from being a sitting duck for advertisers to an active curator of your own feeds.
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Threats to press freedom from AI to Z
Open Forum | May 7, 2023High quality journalism is vital to the health of every free society, but the traditional press faces ever more threats from Russian propagandists to the threat of junk content churned out by AI.