Social media and political engagement

Social 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.

Don’t feed the beast

Don’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.

Threats to press freedom from AI to Z

High 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.

Journalism on the front lines of freedom

Autocrats know that controlling the media is the first step in controlling the population. It’s why journalists are increasingly in the firing line.

Alone in Australia

Alone Australia is the latest Australian version of a hit foreign show, and the winner will have to show the mental grit, physical endurance and survival skills which have secured victory for winners on the American and Scandinavian shows.

The fight for press freedom is a fight for us all

Journalists are threatened by more than ChatGPT, declining ad revenues and litigation happy celebrities. Over 1,200 journalists were killed around the world between 2006 and 2020, with nearly 90% of these cases bringing nobody to justice for these crimes.

The social steamroller

Social media began as a way for people to share fun snippets and chat, but under the control of big tech has become a corporate steamroller of advertising and cynical behavioural manipulation.

A voice for the nation

Australia should make better use of the ABC to promote its values and image abroad.

Twitterific

Elon Musk’s eccentric attempts to revitalise Twitter prompt wider questions of the financial viability and social responsibility of other social media platforms.

Keeping up appearances

People have always tried to ‘keep up with the Joneses” but the temptation to compare our humdrum lives with the sparkling boasts of others on social media can make us feel we’re falling behind everyone else in the world.

Online adolescence

Many adolescents spend hours online every day, at a time when social interactions play a crucial role in developing their sense of self and mental well-being, and a new study has examined the effects this may have on them.

The last of us

Videogames are the most successful media of our time, but film and TV adaptations of popular games are seldom successful. The Last of Us may buck that trend by respecting the source material.