Social Media

Metaverses are commonly described as immersive, persistent, interactive digital environments, and often ones that can support social and commercial activities. Several metaverse-like platforms exist today, but the full vision has yet to be achieved.

Following an announcement from Twitter that the long awaited “edit” feature is currently in the testing process, and news about Elon Musk taking on ownership, what do government social media managers need to know?

Florida and Texas have passed social media censorship legislation, but both face legal pushback from advocacy groups. If their cases move forward, it could set a precedent for other states to propose similar legislation.

Like other social media platforms, Twitter has in recent years also become a tool for politicization and has struggled to strike a balance between fostering free speech and combating misinformation.

Through a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Elon Musk has announced his intent to purchase Twitter for $43 billion. Musk believes Twitter needs to become a private company.

Does the federal law allow you to sue social media if their algorithms spread disinformation? Are some would-be social media reforms targeting the First Amendment? Is a three-word phrase a dangerous loophole or useful catch-all?

The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness has launched a disinformation portal to give residents a fighting chance at distinguishing real from falsified online content.

A city audit indicates that the Portland Police Bureau should have been more transparent and purposeful with the personal information it collected about racial justice protesters in 2020.

John Gonzalez, communications manager for the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, on balancing the entertaining and the informative on Twitter and how to tailor messages for different social platforms.

Connecticut lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, advanced a bill that would require parental consent in order for any person under the age of 16 to use social media like Facebook or Twitter.

Students from 73 middle and high schools on Tuesday attended MisinfoDay, an annual, nonpartisan event hosted by the University of Washington to teach people about misinformation and disinformation.

Russia’s violent push into Ukraine has teachers and students more than 6,000 miles from the conflict sifting through fact and fiction. Social media feeds and a lack of digital literacy are complicating the issue.

At the urging of numerous governments and the European Union, social media companies are swiftly shutting down Russian propaganda and disinformation campaigns using lessons learned from the 2016 U.S. election.

As lawmakers look deeper into the negative effects of social media use, researchers at Meta Platforms say that the company's social media apps like Facebook can increase feelings of isolation and loneliness among users.

In response to studies showing that use of Instagram contributes to declining mental health in teens, Instagram plans to offer a parental control feature. But this idea allows the company to avoid responsibility.

In his 2022 State of the Union address, President Joe Biden discussed technology’s part in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, improving American infrastructure, and its impacts on the mental health of children.

Metaverses could be fertile ground for misinformation to spread if left unchecked. Reducing that danger means seizing the moment and starting thinking through tricky content moderation policies.

The official Twitter account for the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office was hacked and then recovered this week. Officials used the incident to underscore the importance of strong cybersecurity measures.