Wondering about the "Facebook Emotional Manipulation Study" so much in the news these past few days? If so, you're not alone. What's causing this firestorm? Consumer research is nothing new, and we all know academic research certainly isn't. There are some aspects of this that are very different, however, and so cause a great deal of uneasiness if not outrage. What's different here are… The … [Read more...] about The why of the Facebook research fracas & what it calls for
Privacy
FB privacy & the social media ‘collective unconscious’ (so far)
Some people read Facebook's near 180-degree change in how new users experience privacy as a response to pressure from privacy advocates and policymakers. I don't think so. It's largely a response to something even more powerful: changes in how users are using social media – all kinds of social media, not just Facebook. We're seeing a lot of the changes right in our own experiences and … [Read more...] about FB privacy & the social media ‘collective unconscious’ (so far)
Remember: The ‘right to be forgotten’ is shared
A lot has been published and broadcast about Internet users' "right to be forgotten," long before and since last week's ruling by a high court in Europe (see the BBC), including the important points that… Scratching the surface. Suing a search engine to take down links to offending content doesn't mean the content itself gets taken down Who decides? A court has made search engines, of all … [Read more...] about Remember: The ‘right to be forgotten’ is shared
Our kids’ privacy & a White House report on ‘big data’
Referring to a new report from the White House that she contributed to, social media scholar danah boyd points out how impossibly simplistic it is to view "big data" as either all good or all bad. I'm thankful for the balance it struck in its findings on big data in education between the tremendous opportunities it represents for students and educators and the risks to student privacy. It … [Read more...] about Our kids’ privacy & a White House report on ‘big data’
The Snapchat New Year’s hack: Fuel for discussion
The hack against Snapchat at the turn of the year appears to have done more awareness-raising than harm, but awareness – on the part of users and their parents as well as startups and young digital media companies – is crucial. The publishing of the screennames and partial phone numbers of 4.6 million users was a "white hat" hack, CNN reported, meaning that it was meant to expose a security … [Read more...] about The Snapchat New Year’s hack: Fuel for discussion