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Social Media Revolution Series

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Social media has revolutionised how we communicate. In this series, we look at how it has changed the media, politics, health, education and the law.

Social Media Revolution Series

Social media seized the narrative in Uganda's election. Why this was good for democracy

Jan 14, 2021 06:33 am UTC| Politics

For months, Ugandans have witnessed a vicious presidential election campaign without precedent. While the incumbent, Yoweri Museveni, has enjoyed free rein on the campaign trail, his youthful main opponent Robert...

Social Media Revolution Series

Instagram's redesign shifts toward shopping – here's how that can be harmful

Dec 29, 2020 14:17 pm UTC| Technology

Recently, when I opened Instagram, I noticed that the usual spot for checking notifications is now a Shop tab. The Instagram blog post announcing the redesign said that the change will support small businesses and connect...

Social Media Revolution Series

Granny's on Instagram! In the COVID-19 era, older adults see time differently and are doing better than younger people

Dec 20, 2020 04:03 am UTC| Technology

Time in the era of COVID-19 has taken on new meaning. Blursday is the new time word of the year where every day seems the same when staying home and restricting socializing and work. As a public health and aging expert...

Social Media Revolution Series

Why the UK government is paying social media influencers to post about coronavirus

Sep 09, 2020 13:33 pm UTC| Politics

Social media influencers are often seen as lazy freelancers who make a living being paid to pretend they like products. But these celebrities are more than just marketing vehicles. If used properly, they can be effective...

Social Media Revolution Series

Twitter hack exposes broader threat to democracy and society

Jul 21, 2020 14:27 pm UTC| Technology

In case 2020 wasnt dystopian enough, hackers on July 15 hijacked the Twitter accounts of former President Barack Obama, presidential hopeful Joe Biden, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Kim Kardashian and Apple, among others. Each...

Social Media Revolution Series

TikTok teens and the Trump campaign: How social media amplifies political activism and threatens election integrity

Jul 02, 2020 15:42 pm UTC| Politics

The lower-than-expected attendance at President Trumps rally in Tulsa on June 20 was attributed, at least in part, to an online army of K-pop fans who used the social network TikTok to organize and reserve tickets for the...

Social Media Revolution Series

The hidden costs of social media use in elections: A Ghana case study

Dec 04, 2019 12:17 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Social media is becoming increasingly central to election campaigns around the world. In the process, it is transforming politics in a number of ways. Unsurprisingly, journalists and analysts have focused on the more...

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Economy

What should you do if you can’t pay your rent or mortgage?

The cost of living crisis is making it difficult for many people to pay their bills, including housing costs. Private sector rents have increased by an average 9% over the year to February 2024, and rising interest rates...

Reducing energy demand and improving efficiency will help prevent the next gas crisis

Gas prices have relaxed, Europe has come out of the winter with record gas storage levels and a surfeit of liquefied natural gas is set to reach the shores of Europe over the coming years. Many commentators are hopeful...

Minimum wage for South African farm workers: study shows 2013 hike helped reduce poverty even though compliance was poor

Minimum wage policies are typically aimed at reducing poverty. Yet there is little direct evidence of this effect, especially in developing countries. And none for South Africa. In a recent paper, we consider the...

Gas is good until 2050 and beyond, under Albanese gas strategy

The Albanese government is talking up the crucial role of gas as a transition fuel through to 2050 and beyond. In a gas strategy to be released on Thursday, the government envisages the fuels uses would change over...

South Africa’s plan to move away from coal: 8 steps to make it succeed

The South African governments Just Energy Transition Implementation Plan was launched in November 2023. It is a roadmap guiding the country away from reliance on coal-fired power towards renewable energy alternatives by...

Politics

Donald Trump Allegedly Offers Oil Execs a Deal to Scrap EV Incentives for $1B Donation

Former President Donald Trump reportedly proposed a $1 billion deal to oil executives, offering to end electric vehicle (EV) subsidies in return for campaign funding, according to The Washington Post. This move underscores...

US Supreme Court upended decades of precedent in 2022 by allowing voters to vote with gerrymandered maps instead of fixing the congressional districts first

For the 2022 midterm elections, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Alabama to use congressional districts that violated the law and diluted the voting power of Black citizens. A 5-4 vote by the Supreme Court in February...

Germany lowers voting age to 16 for the European elections

Ahead of the European parliament elections in June, Germany has lowered the age limit on participation to 16. This makes it the largest of just a handful of states in the EU to allow people under the age of 18 to vote....

South Africa will be president of the G20 in 2025: two much-needed reforms it should drive

South Africa will play an important international role in 2025 as president of the G20. The G20 is a group of 19 countries as well as the African Union and the European Union. Between them they represent 85% of global...

What early 2024 polls are revealing about voters of color and the GOP

By the end of winter 2024, the return of Donald Trump to the top of the GOP presidential ticket has revealed a surprising trend in the former presidents base of support: his increasing popularity among Black and Latino...

Science

Why are algorithms called algorithms? A brief history of the Persian polymath you’ve likely never heard of

Algorithms have become integral to our lives. From social media apps to Netflix, algorithms learn your preferences and prioritise the content you are shown. Google Maps and artificial intelligence are nothing without...

IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects

About a trillion tiny particles called neutrinos pass through you every second. Created during the Big Bang, these relic neutrinos exist throughout the entire universe, but they cant harm you. In fact, only one of them is...

The Mars Sample Return mission has a shaky future, and NASA is calling on private companies for backup

A critical NASA mission in the search for life beyond Earth, Mars Sample Return, is in trouble. Its budget has ballooned from US$5 billion to over $11 billion, and the sample return date may slip from the end of this...

Dark matter: our new experiment aims to turn the ghostly substance into actual light

A ghost is haunting our universe. This has been known in astronomy and cosmology for decades. Observations suggest that about 85% of all the matter in the universe is mysterious and invisible. These two qualities are...

A Nasa rover has reached a promising place to search for fossilised life on Mars

While we go about our daily lives on Earth, a nuclear-powered robot the size of a small car is trundling around Mars looking for fossils. Unlike its predecessor Curiosity, Nasas Perseverance rover is explicitly intended to...

Technology

Shiba Inu and PEPE Surge: SHIB Eyes 50% Gains, PEPE Hits $5 Billion Market Cap

The price of Shiba Inu (SHIB) has surged by 6% this week, with analysts predicting a 50% rally if key levels are broken. Meanwhile, PEPEs market cap has soared to $5 billion after hitting another all-time high. Analysts...

Vanguard’s New CEO Says Bitcoin ETF Not on the Table: Report

Vanguards new CEO, Salim Ramji, has confirmed that the investment giant will not launch a Bitcoin ETF, emphasizing the firms commitment to its investment philosophy. Despite his past involvement with BlackRocks Bitcoin...

iPhone Owners Alarmed as iOS 17.5 Resurfaces Deleted Nudes, Troubling Bug Reported

A troubling bug in Apples iOS 17.5 update is reportedly resurfacing previously deleted photos, including sensitive images, causing alarm among iPhone owners. Users on Reddit and beta testers have flagged this issue,...

Shiba Inu Rep Lucie Makes Major Bullish Statement on Shibarium Coins

Lucie, the Shiba Inu teams official marketing head, has taken to her X social media account (previously known as Twitter) to declare the SHIB, BONE, and LEASH pricing behavior she expects to see during a hypothetical...

Tesla Cybertruck to Receive Full Self-Driving V12.5 Update in June, Elon Musk Announces

Elon Musk provided a new update on the Tesla FSD development, which appears to be moving faster than anticipated. FSD V12.4, which aims to enhance miles per intervention by tenfold over V12.3, is set to begin internal...