A war has erupted around young people’s use social media and it is messy. In the United States, surgeon general Vivek Murthy has recommended cigarette packet-like warnings for platforms like Instagram to remind teens and parents social media “has not proved safe”. In Australia, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says he would ban social media for those under 16 within […] … learn more→

Once upon a time, newly minted graduates dreamt of creating online social media that would bring people closer together. That dream is now all but a distant memory. In 2024, there aren’t many ills social networks don’t stand accused of: the platforms are singled out for spreading “fake news”, for serving as Russian and Chinese vehicles […] … learn more→

Your alarm clock goes off, it’s time to start your day. What’s the first thing you do? What about right before you go to bed? If your answer is scrolling social media, you’re not alone. People are spending increasing amounts of time on social media, with reports from 2023 suggesting an average worldwide usage of two and […] … learn more→

Are you eager to steer your career, team or organization toward uncharted territory? Or do you aspire to solve complex societal problems through innovation? It turns out that the most successful innovators aren’t solitary geniuses. Instead, they excel by “spanning boundaries” — moving beyond a given particular niche to access different forms of knowledge, communities, interest […] … learn more→

The surgeon general is the “nation’s doctor” in the United States. They are tasked with giving Americans the “best scientific information” about their health. Late last month, the current US surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, warned 13 is too young to join social media. He said it poses a risk to young people’s “self-worth and their relationships”, adding: […] … learn more→

A viral social media post is a piece of content that is widely shared and circulated on social media platforms, resulting in a significant increase in online visibility and engagement. “Viral” refers to the rapid spread of a post or content online, as it spreads like a virus It can include articles, videos, images, memes, […] … learn more→

Are you a doom scroller or a frequent Tweeter? Do you pass the time by flicking endlessly through others’ posts on social networking sites, or perhaps you use these platforms to share your own content? Psychologists believe our style of social media usage has important effects on our psychological wellbeing, but we’ve struggled to measure people’s online […] … learn more→

Don’t say ‘just don’t go online’ because adults wouldn’t do that if something happened in the real world. If you got followed home, it’s not like [they would say]: “Hey, stop leaving the house.” Help the person understand that it wasn’t their fault and try to help them through it – be a shoulder to […] … learn more→

Last year, one of the things I enjoyed most was co-presenting a session about ‘Negotiating professional and personal spaces online’ with new friend and colleague Erika Smith (Mont Royal, Canada). We talked about a lot of things around this topic (you can view our slides from the session), and ran out of time because there’s so much to say. […] … learn more→

TikTok is the most downloaded application in the world, already with more than 1.6 billion downloads to its credit since the start of the year, according to the firm Sensor Tower . Present in 150 countries, it has around 150 million active daily users. Before winning in Europe, it was very popular in Asia, especially China and Japan. With […] … learn more→