Blog Archives

Children in care: digital technology, a means of “creating family”?

Children in care: digital technology, a means of “creating family”?

The widespread use of screens is raising many concerns in the public space about the development of children as well as the risky practices of adolescents. Social reactions linked to their digital uses mainly focus on risks and dangers. Questions of juvenile sexuality are attracting attention, whether it concerns the accessibility of pornographic content online , the exchange […] … learn more→

Why the man-hating feminist is a myth – according to science

Why the man-hating feminist is a myth – according to science

As part of the “Women Against Feminism” campaign that launched in 2014, social media posts have featured young women holding placards with the message “I don’t need feminism because…” listing various reasons ranging from “I respect men” to “I am not a MAN-HATER”. This perception of misandry – a hatred of men – is perhaps the most […] … learn more→

Why the future might not be where you think it is

Why the future might not be where you think it is

Imagine the future. Where is it for you? Do you see yourself striding towards it? Perhaps it’s behind you. Maybe it’s even above you. And what about the past? Do you imagine looking over your shoulder to see it? How you answer these questions will depend on who you are and where you come from. […] … learn more→

Is it bad to be a helicopter parent?

Is it bad to be a helicopter parent?

The expression of helicopter parents emerges from a testimony in the 1969 book Between parents and adolescents by Israeli psychologist Haim Ginott . In it, a teenager expressed feeling constantly supervised by his mother, as if a helicopter was flying over him. In the 1990s, the term reappeared in the famous best-selling book Parenting with Love and Logic by American popularizers Foster Cline and Jim […] … learn more→

Social media content in times of war: an expert guide on how to keep violence off your feeds

Social media content in times of war: an expert guide on how to keep violence off your feeds

Social media platforms are a great source of information and entertainment. They also help us to maintain contact with friends and family. But social media can also – and has, often – become a toxic environment for spreading disinformation, hatred and conflict. Most people can’t or don’t want to opt out of social media. Efforts by courts and state […] … learn more→

More thoughts on the enshittification of academic social media

More thoughts on the enshittification of academic social media

A couple of months ago I wrote a post called ‘The enshittification of academic social media’, riffing on ideas put in the world by Cory Doctorow. It’s fair to say, this post was a minor viral hit, resulting in me being interviewed by Geraldine Dougue on ABC radio, and a piece in The Australian, which I haven’t yet managed […] … learn more→

They, them and them: why does inclusive language generate rejection?

They, them and them: why does inclusive language generate rejection?

Gender inclusive language, inclusive language, non-binary forms, gender inclusive… Surely you have heard of this at some point. The truth is that it can be called many things in different linguistic communities, but it always produces some controversy. What really is “inclusive language”? And why does it generate rejection ? It is advisable to start by remembering how gender morphology […] … learn more→

Can we automatically detect deepfakes?

Can we automatically detect deepfakes?

In March 2022, approximately a month after Russia invaded Ukraine, a video of Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, was broadcast on a Ukrainian national channel. In this video, the president asks his people to surrender their weapons and return to their families. This video was quickly identified as a deepfake due to its low quality and will therefore have […] … learn more→

4 reasons teens take part in social media challenges

4 reasons teens take part in social media challenges

Social media challenges are wide-ranging – both in the stunts they involve and the reasons why people do them. But why do young people take up challenges that pose a threat to health, well-being and, occasionally, their very lives? We are an engineering professor who specializes in understanding how humans interact with computers and a psychology professor with expertise in […] … learn more→