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Social Media
User-generated content: The medium impacts the message
Wharton’s Shiri Melumad discusses her research on how user-generated content changes in tone based on the type of device used to create it.
Addressing hate speech and disinformation on a global scale
The Annenberg Public Policy Center’s new transatlantic working group is tackling such big issues while keeping its focus on freedom of expression.
Black feminism 101
Author and alum Feminista Jones joined Tanji Gilliam of Africana Studies in a discussion of her new book “Reclaiming Our Space,” examining how Twitter and modern liberation movements are all borne from black women’s words, struggle, and history.
The Knight Commission calls to rebuild trust in democracy with transparency, responsibility
Penn President Amy Gutmann joined 26 other national leaders to consider why the age of Facebook and “fake news” has pushed faith in government and the media to historic low, and how to mend the rift.
The science behind Facebook’s viral #10YearChallenge
Jonah Berger, an associate professor of marketing at The Wharton School, and author of ‘Contagious: Why Things Catch On,’ discusses why people are suddenly eager to talk aging on social media.
Breaking through the medical fake news bubble
In a new perspective piece published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Raina Merchant and David A. Asch provide some guidance for medical professionals and scientists as they wade into online discussions.
Getting science right in the fake news era
Over his career as a science journalist, Carl Zimmer has seen legitimate science reporting denied and illegitimate science news taken as fact. In advance of a talk at Penn, Zimmer discusses the problem of misinformation and offers tips for avoiding being fooled by bogus science stories.
An informative study of information
A new report from The Lenfest Institue and the Annenberg School for Communications that studied how Philadelphia residents receive and seek information outlines seven ways publishers and the media outlets can best reach residents.
Can social media networks reduce political polarization on climate change?
A study from the Annenberg School for Communication shows that exposure to anonymous, bipartisan social networks can lead liberals and conservatives to improve their forecasting of global-climate trends.
When business blows up policy: How to regulate disruptions
Wharton professor Sarah Light outlines the challenge of regulating traditional business disruptors such as Uber and Airbnb, two companies with platforms that have no precedent in the business sector for regulation.
In the News
Philadelphia Inquirer
Cutting social media time can lessen depression and loneliness
Melissa Hunt of the School of Arts and Sciences shared her research on social media and wellness. “The extent to which young people are using social media can interfere with time spent on activities that can more genuinely foster self-esteem, like getting your work done, or true intimacy, like hanging out with your friends in the real world,” said Hunt.
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